Halloween Horror Nights, Universal Orlando Resort's annual scare fest, is turning 25 years old, and this year's event promises to be one of the scariest ever.
The event runs from Friday, Sept. 18, through Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. You can purchase tickets online here.
Universal's designers said they have pulled out all the stops this year to make you scream and shout for more.
- MORE HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS:
The fright fest is bigger than ever with nine haunted houses to immerse guests into some of the scariest stories around, including "The Walking Dead" and "Freddy vs. Jason."
There are also five scare zones packed with "scare-actors" who will stop at nothing to give you a good spook.
Creative Director Mike Aiello was at the first Halloween Horror Nights as a guest 25 years ago. Now, he's in charge of all the monsters and mayhem.
"To have a hand not only in history of Halloween Horror Nights, but to be able to create characters and bring characters to life that horror fans love, and building environments that you know from TV and films, it's a 'nightmare come true,'" Aiello said.
If you've ever been to a Halloween Horror Nights event in years past, you've probably heard of Jack the Clown. Far from the happy jokester of children's parties, this clown is on a mission to make you scream.
"People loved him, and they wanted him back," Aiello explained. "We brought him back a couple of times before, but this year we felt, for the 25th, there is only one character that can identify for Horror Nights, and that is Jack."
Jack's haunted house this year showcases some fan-favorite scenes from the last 25 years of Halloween Horror Nights.
Some ghastly fan favorites from the past, like the "American Werewolf in London" house, have been redesigned to be scarier than ever.
And for those who prefer more psychological scares, designers said they've got that covered, too, in a new house based on the "Insidious" movies.
"It is not a traditional movie that is all based on big splats of blood and crazy surprises," said scenic designer Manuel Cordero. "It really gets into your mind."
In interacting with the designers and directors of Halloween Horror Nights, we've come to realize these men and women truly enjoy filling our minds with fear.
"It is exciting to scare people, to get that reaction out of people," said Lora Wallace, director of the Street Scare portion of Halloween Horror Nights," But it's also exciting to create this content that does scare people."
Wallace said her team is going all out this year for an event you won't soon forget.
"This year, there are more 'scaracters' than we have ever put on the street before. We have more chainsaws than ever before," Wallace explained. "On the streets, we are upping the ante, because we have warped brains. We are warped individuals. We are thinking about this stuff all the time."
