Blumhouse might make a Halloween Horror Nights movie

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

For nearly thirty years, the Universal Studios theme parks have been hosting a special event called Halloween Horror Nights, which features haunted houses and mazes, among other things. This event seems to be gaining in popularity every year, especially since the parks keep getting permission to base attractions around popular horror films – even if those films weren't released by Universal.

I have never attended a Halloween Horror Nights event, so I was unaware that original characters have been created for it. The Wikipedia page calls these characters "Event Icons" and says they "usually have elaborate back-stories that involve the events' themes, houses, or scare zones."

For Halloween Horror Nights X, Jack the Clown was featured as an icon. This represents the first time Universal created an icon in-house. Halloween Horror Nights has had an icon, and in some cases, multiple icons, every year since, excluding Halloween Horror Nights XIV, 22-24 and 27-29. These characters have included Jack the Clown, The Caretaker, The Director, The Storyteller, Bloody Mary, The Usher, Fear, Lady Luck, and Chance. Chance was the icon for Halloween Horror Nights 2016. She was a new icon but used to serve as a "sidekick" to Jack (though there are rumours that they have a romantic relationship) in his shows (her role and look being inspired by Batman antagonist Harley Quinn).

After reading that, it makes more sense to me that producer Jason Blum has confirmed that his company Blumhouse Productions would be interested in turning the concept of Halloween Horror Nights into a movie.

During an interview with Collider, Blum was asked if such a movie was a real possibility, and he replied, 

Yes! Definitely! We’ve actually talked about it. We haven’t quite figured it out, but there’s definitely a movie in Halloween Horror Nights somewhere."

My first reaction was confusion; how could Universal make a movie about mazes inspired by films owned by different studios? But now I'm interested in learning more about these Event Icons. If a movie were to be made about the likes of Jack the Clown, The Caretaker, The Director, The Storyteller, Bloody Mary, The Usher, Fear, Lady Luck, and Chance, it would be my introduction to them.

Blumhouse has a first-look deal with Universal Pictures that is going to last for several more years, so maybe we'll see HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS: THE MOVIE happen at some point.