Universal Orlando shared new details on Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control, the marquee original house anchoring Halloween Horror Nights 35‘s “Infernal Carnival of Nightmares” theme. Senior show director Charles Gray and scenic designer Dylan Kollath walked through the house’s story, its blending of the two icons’ aesthetics, and the standout Tilted Hallway finale. The house pairs Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow together for the first time as allies rather than rivals when Halloween Horror Nights 35 begins on August 28th.
Universal Details the Story and Design Behind HHN 35’s Marquee House
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- Insight from senior show director Charles Gray and scenic designer Dylan Kollath on the house’s story and design
- The inside scoop on the Tilted Hallway, the house’s video-driven finale room
- How the house blends Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow’s separate visual styles into one space
The Rivalry Comes to a Head
Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow have crossed paths in Halloween Horror Nights houses before. Jack headlined Jack Presents: 25 Years of Monsters & Mayhem at HHN 25, and Oddfellow got his own carnival origin house at HHN 32. This year marks the first time the two share a single house together. Universal has built the entire Infernal Carnival of Nightmares theme around their alliance, as we detailed when Universal first announced the house back in March.
Gray explained the turning point that pushes the two icons together after years of conflict. “Jack and Oddfellow have been warring with each other for years and years,” Gray said. “But they finally decide that fear divided is fear diluted.” He continued, “By coming together with their chaos and control, joining together, they could remake this world.” That framing lines up with the character backstory Michael Aiello shared earlier this year. Oddfellow’s murder of Jack backfires there, since the Oddverse transforms Jack into something more powerful instead of containing him.
Guests start the house inside a carnival scene, walking past bloodied bunk beds before finding Jack Schmidt painting his face with stolen clown makeup. The house narration begins from Oddfellow’s point of view before Jack interrupts and takes it over, with the two characters trading control of the story as guests move through the Oddverse. Gray called out how the sound design and visuals work together in that back-and-forth. “The sound and the visuals are married together in a very interesting way,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Blending Two Very Different Visual Styles
Kollath said one of the bigger design challenges was reconciling Jack’s chaotic carnival aesthetic with Oddfellow’s more controlled, occult look into a single house. Some of that groundwork was already laid in Dr. Oddfellow’s Twisted Origins house at HHN 32, and this year’s team built on it. “We had a brief glimpse at Jack and Oddfellow’s backstory in the Dr. Oddfellow Twisted Origins house from HHN 32, so elements of that are woven through this one,” Kollath said. “But we wanted to take the aesthetics of both Jack and Oddfellow, and have them clash and blend with each other.” He added that combining the two characters produced results the design team didn’t fully anticipate. “It was a surprise to us how out-of-the-box the ideas became when we brought them together,” Kollath said.
That blending shows up as guests move from the opening carnival scene into a swirling vortex that serves as the portal into the Oddverse. From there, the house pushes into churning hallways and a room built around Jack the Clown’s personal game show. Video plays a heavy role throughout. Gray pointed to the smell of popcorn as one of the practical touches meant to jog guests’ memories of the carnival before things fully unravel.
Inside the Tilted Hallway
The house closes with the Tilted Hallway, a room built around a swirling vortex projection and a lopsided floor. Scareactors hide in the room’s corners to catch guests off guard. Universal splits the room into two paths here. Guests who want the same scareactor scares without navigating the tilted floor can take the left-hand hallway instead, which offers a more accessible route through the same finale.
The full lineup of original concept houses for HHN 35 also includes MADLANDS: Caged Cannibals, Cybergoria, and INVASION: Alien Abduction. H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular! also returns, alongside a slate of houses based on outside franchises. Halloween Horror Nights 35 runs on select nights from August 28th through November 1st at Universal Studios Florida. Early access to Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control and two other houses is available starting at 2:00pm through the event’s Stay & Scream early entry program.
Story So Far
- Jack the Clown Joins Dr. Oddfellow for First 2026 Halloween Horror Nights Haunted House: Universal announced Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control as the first confirmed haunted house of the HHN 35 season.
- The Lore & Backstory for Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow at Halloween Horror Nights 2026: Michael Aiello detailed how Oddfellow’s attempt to kill and contain Jack instead transformed him into a more powerful threat.
- Every Original Concept Haunted House Coming to Halloween Horror Nights 35: Universal confirmed the full slate of five original concept houses, with Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control as the marquee entry.
- Stay & Scream and Scream Early: HHN 35 Early Entry Guide: Universal confirmed Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control as one of three houses opening during the event’s 2:00pm early entry window.
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