Universal Added a Cheaper Five-House R.I.P. Tour to Halloween Horror Nights 35, and Its South Route Has a Slot Saved for House Ten

Less than a week after Universal stripped Express Pass out of every multi-night Halloween Horror Nights pass, it has added a new line-skipping option to the same event. This one costs less than the tour it is based on, and it comes with a catch: you only get half the houses.

The 5-House Halloween Horror Nights R.I.P. Tour starts at $299.99 per person plus tax, according to Attractions Magazine, which reported the new tier on July 21. That is exactly $100 below the entry price of the traditional R.I.P. Tour.

Halloween Horror Nights 35 runs select nights from August 28 through November 1 at Universal Studios Florida. Image credit: Universal Orlando Resort

You do not pick your houses

The important detail is that this is not a build-your-own package. When you book, you choose a North route or a South route, and the five houses are decided for you.

North Tour:

• H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular!
• INVASION: Alien Abduction
• Cybergoria
• Hellraiser
• Sinners

South Tour:

• Stranger Things 5
• Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control
• MADLANDS: Caged Cannibals
• Evil Dead Burn
• One house still to be announced

That last line is the most useful detail here. Universal has been revealing HHN 35 houses in ones and twos since Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control led off the lineup on March 21, with Evil Dead Burn confirmed by press release on July 21. Universal had already said the lineup would total ten houses, so a tenth was expected. What the booking listing adds is which of the two tour routes it will fall on.

The commemorative button and card handed out on a previous R.I.P. Tour. This one is from the 2025 event. Photo by Dani Meyering / Attractions Magazine

What you get, and what you give up

The five-house tour includes guided priority entry to its five houses, once per house, plus Universal Express Unlimited at participating regular attractions. Note the split there: the Express Unlimited applies to the regular attractions, not to the haunted houses, which are covered by the guided entry instead. It also comes with a commemorative credential, lanyard and button.

Separate Halloween Horror Nights admission for the same night is still required on top of the tour price.

What the listing does not advertise is the rest of the full tour's perks. The traditional R.I.P. Tour, which starts at $399.99 plus tax and, per Haunted Attraction Network's ticket guide, climbs to $479.99 on premium nights, adds priority entry to all ten houses. Attractions Magazine and Haunted Attraction Network both list complimentary valet parking and reserved seating at select shows among its other perks, and Haunted Attraction Network adds a pre-tour reception.

Attractions Magazine is clear that nothing has been taken away: "Despite the headline, Universal has not eliminated or reduced its standard R.I.P. Tour, which still includes priority access to all 10 haunted houses." The five-house version is an additional lower-priced tier sitting underneath it.

The R.I.P. Tour lanyard and credential from a previous event. A commemorative credential, lanyard and button are included with the new five-house tier. Photo by Dani Meyering / Attractions Magazine

The Express Pass whiplash

The timing here is worth sitting with. On July 18 we covered Universal dropping Express Pass from every multi-night Fear Pass tier, a change that surfaced on July 16 and ended a bundle Universal had offered since 2003. Express Pass itself remains available as a per-night add-on, so multi-night guests who want it now have to buy it separately.

Days later, a new guided priority-access product appears at a lower price point than the full tour. Universal has not framed the two changes as connected, and Attractions Magazine's report on the new tour does not link them either. Still, the practical picture for a guest has shifted inside a week: the bundled way to skip lines went away, and a new paid way to skip lines showed up.

What we know about HHN 35 so far

Halloween Horror Nights 35 runs 48 select nights from August 28 through November 1, 2026 at Universal Studios Florida, marking the event's 35th anniversary. Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow front the event together as a two-icon team. Single-night event admission starts at $87.99 and reaches $129.99 on peak dates.

The lineup is built around ten haunted houses. Nine have now been announced, counting Hellraiser on June 30 and Evil Dead Burn on July 21, and between the North and South tour routes above Universal has slotted all nine of them into a route while leaving exactly one gap.

Sources

• Attractions Magazine: Universal cuts Halloween Horror Nights R.I.P. Tour in half with new ticket
• Haunted Attraction Network: Halloween Horror Nights Tickets 2026 guide
• Universal Orlando press release: Halloween Horror Nights Unleashes Evil Dead Burn
• Universal Orlando press release: Halloween Horror Nights 2026 Overview

Image credits: Featured key art Universal Orlando Resort. R.I.P. Tour button and lanyard photos by Dani Meyering / Attractions Magazine.