We may talk about Disney the most when we talk about theme parks here on /Film, but Universal Studios Orlando is right there too. And with the fall peering at us like light at the end of the incredibly hot tunnel of the summer, there’s a big event on the way. Universal Orlando is celebrating its 30th year of Halloween Horror Nights this fall, and last night, they announced that the spooktacular event’s most popular icon, Jack the Clown, is returning.

The big announcement came in the form of a 45-second video the official Halloween Horror Nights Orlando account tweeted out last night. (And you would’ve seen it if it hadn’t been for all the “integration test email” jokes you were making about HBO Max. Eyes on the prize, folks!)

The return of Halloween Horror Nights is a big deal to begin with, since the event was canceled last year due to the pandemic. Bringing Jack the Clown back is sure to delight those of you with a horror streak running through your veins.

Jack is Back

According to the video, Jack the Clown won’t just be used in general marketing, but he’ll show up in the various haunted houses and, according to him, he’ll also be in your nightmares. (So, y’know, try avoiding sleeping a la the kids in the Elm Street films if you don’t want to face off with Jack.)

As Halloween Horror Nights celebrates 30 years, it’s worth noting that Jack the Clown wasn’t always the big icon of the event. In the 1990s, characters like the Cryptkeeper from Tales from the Crypt and Imhotep from Universal’s remake of The Mummy served as icons before Universal went in-house with the more traditional notion of a terrifying clown. Granted, he doesn’t look quite as spooky as Pennywise from It, but even in this 45-second video, a scaredy-cat such as this writer gets fairly creeped out.

Since Jack’s creation, Halloween Horror Nights has seen many completely original icons, all part of the event’s increasingly complex mythology. But every so often, you just need to get back the basics because evil clowns are, well, just plain scary.

Halloween Horror Nights’ 30th year, barring a truly unforeseen circumstance, will be available on certain nights between September 2 and October 31 this year. So for the horror fans out there, get excited and get ready to scream.

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