Following yesterday’s Jack & Oddfellow centric scare zone announcement, Universal just released more information on another Icon scare zone coming to Halloween Horror Nights 35 at Universal Studios Florida: Sideshow of Decay.
Universal shared on social media:
Scare Zone Announcement: Sideshow of Decay
Cindy’s time has come. With Dr. Oddfellow’s dark sorcery, she opened a portal in the carnival’s junkyard — using it to resurrect decayed nightmares from the past that are back to haunt you.
Cindy’s inclusion is especially significant. Originally, she was supposed to serve as the icon of Halloween Horror Nights 12 in 2002, taking place at Islands of Adventure as “Islands of Fear”.
In the original story, Cindy (or SINdy) was the demented little daughter of mortuary owner Paul Bearer. Every land within Islands of Fear would be overruled by her “playthings”, including Spider-Man’s nemesis Carnage, the Treaks and Foons, and The Grinch. Unfortunately, those plans were ultimately scrapped before opening, due to sensitivities surrounding several high-profile child abduction cases at the time.
Cindy was abandoned and her father Paul Bearer morphed into Albert Caine, The Caretaker, who took over the 2002 event… leaving Cindy’s intended debut unrealized until now.
Although she has appeared in HHN lore and anniversary callbacks over the years, Cindy has never headlined an event, house or scare zone as originally envisioned. More than 20 years later, her featured role in this new scare zone finally gives one of Horror Nights’ most talked-about “what could have been” characters a chance to step into the spotlight.
Halloween Horror Nights 35
This year’s confirmed haunted house lineup for the event’s 35th anniversary includes:
- Hellraiser
- INVASION: Alien Abduction
- Cybergoria
- MADLANDS: Caged Cannibals
- H.R. Bloodengutz
- Stranger Things
- Sinners
- Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control
An additional 2 I.P. houses, scare zones and additional entertainment will be revealed in the coming weeks. Tickets and tours are available now, with Frequent Fear Passes to come.
