One of this year’s Halloween Horror Nights houses is filled with art — okay, make that two, if we’re also counting Art the Clown. But this art… is haunted.
Discover Universal has given Halloween Horror Nights fans a peek behind the screams of the original house El Artista: A Spanish Haunting, an upcoming original houses coming to the event this year — kicking off THIS Friday, by the way! And if you need another reason to visit this year — for a full night (or seven) of the event, or perhaps a lights-on tour through a few haunted houses with no scares — let this be your sign… and keep reading! For now, let’s peel back the curtain for one of my most hyped houses for HHN 34.
An Original Latinx Story
Unlike previous HHN houses inspired by Latin American folklore, this is a completely original narrative with a Latinx lead character. Show Director Ramon Paradoa explains the story explores themes of creativity and sacrifice, describing Sergio as “a character who loses himself in his art and pays the price.”
Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights 2025 introduces El Artista: A Spanish Haunting, an original story centered on Sergio Navarro, a 19th-century Spanish artist. Navarro a painter, sculptor, woodworker, and writer seeks inspiration at La Casa Creación, an isolated manor. Instead, he discovers it’s haunted. As Sergio’s creations begin to come alive, they serve as portals for spirits, ultimately leading to his possession and transformation into one of the manor’s ghosts.
Key Setting: The Conservatory
The manor’s stained-glass conservatory acts as the “dark heart” of the house. Paradoa says it represents the origin of the horror, with visual elements that spread through other areas of the event and its overarching theme, including the Origins of Horror scare zone, which features artists carving sinister statues foreshadowing the house’s terrors.
Here are a few shots of the scare zone’s statues– soon to be uncovered:
Design Highlights
Charles Gray, VP of Art & Design and Show Director for select haunted houses at HHN was at the helm for El Artista. Known for grand facades, large-scaled set designs, and rich detail, you’ll be able to recognize Gray’s work as soon as you experience it. To name a few from recent years, he was the creative head in charge of Deadman’s Pier from HHN 31, Blood Moon: Dark Offerings from HHN 32, and Goblin’s Feast from last year’s event. If you enjoyed any of those, you’ll probably love El Artista!
- Façade: You’ll first encounter La Casa Creación as a towering, wisteria-covered gothic colonial manor, accompanied by ghostly whispers and Sergio’s journal entries.
- House Progression: Rooms include the artist’s studio, where his paintings come alive; a library merging with Sergio’s writings; a stained-glass conservatory with living topiaries and gargoyles; and an underground crypt revealing previous victims. The finale, “The Masterpiece,” delivers a haunting conclusion.
- Visual & Technical Effects: You’ll see paintings distort, shadows move across walls, and even a ghost walking through a wall – a first for HHN!
- Sensory Details: Floral aromas and the scent of aged books appear alongside unsettling visuals and sounds, including Sergio’s voice narrating his descent into horror. Music acts as a thematic thread, growing more chaotic as the story unravels.
- Easter eggs: Keep an eye out for details inside El Artista referencing other houses from this year’s lineup!
Get Daytime VIP Access
Craving even more HHN behind the scenes? Did you know you can explore HHN’s houses with the lights on without an HHN ticket? Choose between the 3‑house or 6‑house Unmasking the Horror tours during the day.
3-House Tour:
- Includes: Hatchet & Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters, Dolls: Let’s Play Dead, Grave of Flesh
- Runs: Select mornings beginning August 22
- Pricing: Starts around $99.99 per person
- Includes: Lights-on walkthroughs, behind-the-scenes details, and a commemorative pin
- Note: No scare actors or effects during the tour
6-House Tour:
- Includes: Fallout, JASON UN1V3RSE, Terrifier, Gálkn: Monsters of the North, El Artista: A Spanish Haunting, WWE Presents: The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks
- Runs: Starting September 3
- Pricing: Starts around $199.99 per person
- Includes: Same perks as the 3-house tour, plus a buffet-style lunch (served at Cafe La Bamba)
You can even take a few snapshots inside the houses during these lights-on tours – something that’s not allowed otherwise. Here are some from my 2023 tour through Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate and Bloodmoon: Dark Offerings!
No matter your Halloween trip goals, contact our travel professionals at Dreams Unlimited Travel to coordinate it all for you for FREE!
