HHN 35 Drops a Second Scareactor Casting Call — April 22 Deadline

Universal Orlando is not easing into Halloween Horror Nights 35. This week the resort dropped a second casting call for HHN 35 — a tightly scoped one aimed at actors rather than the full scareactor army — with a deadline of 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, April 22.

For context: the first casting call went live earlier this month and has a May 31 deadline, covering scareactors, costumed characters, roller skaters, stilt walkers, and puppeteers. This second posting is a narrower, faster play — almost certainly aimed at specific named roles tied to the event's two returning icons.

Icons Confirmed: Jack & Oddfellow Together At Last

At MEGACON Orlando last month, Universal Creative confirmed that Jack the Clown (the HHN icon who debuted in 2000 and has headlined multiple years since) and Dr. Oddfellow are the faces of HHN 35. The twist: they're not fighting this year. They're teaming up.

Image: Inside Universal

The first officially announced haunted house for HHN 35 is Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control — a walkthrough that drops guests into the "Oddverse" and tells the origin story of the two icons' long-running rivalry from Oddfellow's perspective. Per Universal, the two ultimately discover the only way to seize the power they've been scrapping over is to combine forces. Carnival of nightmares, team-up edition.

What The Casting Call Actually Says

The posted audition notice is open to performers between 4'10" and 6'3", all of whom need to be comfortable working in dim theatrical lighting, under fog effects, and around large crowds. Rehearsals kick off in August, and performers need to be available through the full run of the event.

The basics:

• Round 2 deadline: Tuesday, April 22 at 11:59 p.m. EST
• Round 1 deadline (scareactors, etc.): Saturday, May 31
• Age requirement: 18+
• Height range: 4'10" to 6'3"
• Rehearsals: Early August through late August

HHN 35 Dates

Halloween Horror Nights 35 runs select nights at Universal Studios Florida from Thursday, August 28 through Saturday, November 1, 2026. Tickets went on sale last month, and Universal has already confirmed capacity limits on several top-tier ticket tiers, so if you're planning to go, this is not the year to wait on a same-week walk-up.

Image: Inside the Magic

Why Two Casting Calls?

It's unusual (though not unprecedented) for Universal to run two overlapping casting windows. A fair read: Round 1 was the usual wide net for scareactor ensembles, and Round 2 targets specific character roles tied to Jack, Oddfellow, and whatever supporting cast the Oddverse needs. That's speculation — Universal hasn't publicly confirmed the reasoning — but the narrow role scope and urgent deadline both point that direction.

Either way, if you have Orlando-area friends who can quote every Icon opening monologue from memory and have been waiting for their moment: this is that moment. Tell them about April 22.

Sources

• WDW News Today — Halloween Horror Nights 2026 Auditions Posted
• Inside the Magic — Second HHN 35 Casting Call
• Inside Universal — Jack & Oddfellow Return Confirmed
• Inside the Magic — First HHN 35 House Revealed
• Attractions Magazine — HHN 35 News & Reveals

Image Credits

Featured image courtesy of Inside the Magic. Inline images: Inside Universal (MEGACON stage photo), Inside the Magic (scareactor). Halloween Horror Nights® and associated marks are property of Universal Orlando Resort.