H.R. Bloodengutz is coming back to Halloween Horror Nights, and this time he is broadcasting from a crime scene. Universal Orlando Resort shared details on H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular. The haunted house brings the horror host back to Halloween Horror Nights 35 for the first time since 2011. Show director Ramon Paradoa and scenic designer Nick Collins discussed the house’s lore, design, and callbacks to the character’s original appearance.
H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular at Halloween Horror Nights 35
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- H.R. Bloodengutz returns to Halloween Horror Nights for the first time since his 2011 debut house
- The house is set inside the long-abandoned WKNB television station where he was arrested
- Show director Ramon Paradoa and scenic designer Nick Collins detailed the house’s story and scenes
H.R. Bloodengutz’s Backstory
H.R. Bloodengutz, also known as Larry Kurtzberg, first appeared at Halloween Horror Nights in 2011. That original house was H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: Holidays of Horror. In the character’s backstory, Bloodengutz hosted WKNB’s Midnight Horror Show as a creature feature TV host in the 1970s. His ratings dropped as he began screening more violent and disturbing films. When the show’s producer told him it had been canceled, Bloodengutz snapped.
He kidnapped and tortured the producer, an act guests witnessed through the original house’s queue video. Then he broadcast one final, ultra-violent holiday movie marathon before his arrest. Bloodengutz was sentenced to life at the Carey Penitentiary and escaped 15 years later, setting up this year’s house.
The team’s starting point was a haunted house built around the feeling of Halloween comfort food. Bloodengutz entered the conversation later. “We were talking about this idea of doing a haunted house that was Halloween comfort food, one that really leans into the textures and the feel and the vibes of Halloween,” Paradoa said, according to Universal. “And then at some point in the process, the idea of continuing H.R. Bloodengutz’ story came up. We kind of married those two ideas, and it was off to the races from there.”
Collins said the character’s return had been on the team’s mind for years, waiting for the right moment. “We’d always wanted to bring him back, it just never seemed like the right time,” Collins said. The 15-year gap in the fictional timeline lined up with this year’s 35th anniversary celebration. That timing gave the team a natural excuse to bring the character back into a new haunted house.
The Abandoned TV Station Setting
In the world of the haunted house, 15 years have passed since Bloodengutz’s arrest. The WKNB station has sat untouched the entire time. Paradoa said the studio’s shutdown left Bloodengutz working with outdated, deteriorating equipment. He has to piece his broadcast back together with whatever still works. “Shortly after the events of the first haunted house, the studio went under and was left abandoned,” Paradoa said. “So when he returns to re-engage the studio and present this new marathon, he’s having to kind of work with the old, shoddy equipment. He’s piecing it together as much as he can.”
Collins described the station as frozen in the exact moment police shut it down. “It’s a crime scene,” Collins said. “It hasn’t been touched since the day he was arrested, so they’ve boarded it up. The night we’re going in is the first night anyone has been in, it’s like a time capsule.” That untouched setting becomes the guest’s entry point into Bloodengutz’s new movie marathon. It is a curated lineup of the host’s favorite Halloween-themed B-movies.
Paradoa said the team designed transitional scenes to link each film without breaking the pacing. “The idea is that you’re traveling through different living rooms in Carey, Ohio,” Paradoa said, according to Universal. Each living room set includes decor tied to the film coming up next. Longtime fans who catch the visual hints will spot each film before the scene fully reveals itself.
Inside the Movie Marathon
Paradoa and Collins declined to detail every film in Bloodengutz’s marathon, but both singled out favorite scenes from the house. A black-and-white zombie film called “The Grayscale Graveyard” stood out to Paradoa as one of the more technically demanding builds in the house. “One of our favorite films to turn into a scene was ‘The Grayscale Graveyard,'” Paradoa said. “We knew we wanted to do a black and white zombie film set in a graveyard on Halloween night, which proved to be a fun challenge for our design teams to bring to life. Guests will feel fully immersed in a grayscale environment, as the scenic, decor, costuming and makeup all lean into this thematic.”
Collins highlighted a tiki bar scene tied to a film called “Monster’s Night Out,” which blends horror with tiki culture in a single set. “The ‘Monster’s Night Out’ scene was a particularly fun one to work on because it’s a tiki bar,” Collins said. “There’s such a cool crossover between horror and tiki culture, and we hope the fans will enjoy our take on it. An incredible mix of technical and art disciplines worked together to make the scene feel like a place you’d want to hang out in.” Two additional films in the marathon serve as direct callbacks to previous Halloween Horror Nights houses, giving longtime attendees a chance to spot familiar characters.
A New Queue Video and an Evolved Bloodengutz
The 2011 house’s queue video became one of the more memorable parts of that original haunted house. Universal confirmed a new version is returning for this year’s sequel, and the team brought back the same performer from the original video. “We’re doing a whole new queue video for our guests,” Paradoa said. “We’re working with the original actor again, which is really exciting, he’s a genius, and he’s reprised his role beautifully.”
The new queue video introduces two additional characters. Universal describes them as fellow Carey Penitentiary inmates now working as production assistants alongside Bloodengutz. The character himself has changed too, now dressed in a mix of his prison uniform and leftover pieces of his original TV host costume found around the abandoned studio. Collins said the shift reflects a change in the character’s motivation since his first appearance. “In the first house, he was kind of a sympathetic character because his show was taken from him, and he wanted revenge,” Collins said, according to Universal. “Now, he’s a little more grizzled, and he’s just out to have a good time.”
Story So Far
- July 21st: Every Original Concept Haunted House Coming to Halloween Horror Nights 35 confirmed H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular as one of five original concept houses for HHN 35, marking the character’s first haunted house since 2011.
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