If you're heading to Universal Studios Florida this week, the view from the front gates looks a little different than usual. Large sections of the park's signature entrance archways — a fixture since the park opened in 1990 — are now hidden behind scrim, with coverings concentrated around the central and tallest portions of the structure.
Universal hasn't issued an official explanation for the work, but the timing lines up neatly with the park's biggest annual event: Halloween Horror Nights, which returns on August 28 and runs select nights from 6:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. The park typically adds Halloween Horror Nights branding to the entrance area ahead of the event, and installation of decorative medallions is one possibility being discussed. Whether something more elaborate is in the works remains to be seen — the scrim will have to come down before anyone knows for sure.
Guests who make it past the gates will find 10 haunted houses waiting for them this year. Five draw from well-known properties: Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness, Stranger Things 5, Hellraiser, Evil Dead Burn, and Sinners. The other five are original creations from Universal's own creative teams — Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control, H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular, Madlands: Caged Cannibals, Cybergoria, and INVASION: Alien Abduction.
There's no indication from Universal that any permanent changes to the archways are planned. The most likely scenario is that the entrance will be fully revealed — in whatever festive form it takes — right around the time the first Halloween Horror Nights guests arrive later this month.
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This story was first reported by Disney Fanatic.
