NBCUniversal Brings Halloween Horror to Audiences Around the World
October 23, 2023
NBCUniversal is bringing “Halloween Horror” to life this October, through new films, original programming, and live global events. Universal Pictures is introducing two new Blumhouse films, The Exorcist: Believer and Five Nights at Freddy’s, both franchise starters and theatrical events, with Five Nights at Freddy’s also streaming on Peacock. In linear, NBCU launched a new season of hit-series CHUCKY airing on SYFY and USA, with next day episodes on Peacock. Our global theme parks are showcasing The Exorcist: Believer, Five Nights at Freddy’s, CHUCKY, and more, at the world’s premier live Halloween event, Halloween Horror Nights.
NBCUniversal is uniquely positioned to bring Halloween to life for audiences of all ages via its portfolio of businesses and brands, including Universal Pictures, Universal Destinations & Experiences, Peacock, SYFY, TODAY, USA, and more. By harnessing its array of platforms, full spectrum of resources, including world-class filmmakers, films, and intellectual properties, and the power of the company’s integrated marketing effort, SYMPHONY, NBCUniversal is the home for horror for audiences around the world.
Below is a rundown of Halloween Horror at NBCUniversal across Universal Pictures, Universal Destinations & Experiences, News, Peacock, SYFY, Telemundo, TODAY, USA, and more, and how you can partake:
Film
The Exorcist: Believer
Universal Pictures’ The Exorcist: Believer released on October 6, exclusively in theaters, is starting an all-new chapter in the highly anticipated all-new trilogy. This film is a product of NBCUniversal’s partnership with Blumhouse, the modern house of horror that engages our global franchise, and revered horror director, David Gordon Green.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Releasing on October 27 in-theaters and streaming on Peacock, Five Nights at Freddy’s is the first film adaptation of a wildly successful video game that has spawned a gaming franchise, publishing, and consumer products. Universal Pictures’ Five Nights at Freddy’s is another Blumhouse Film, that will bring horror directly to audiences in-theaters and at home streaming on Peacock.
Universal and Blumhouse
Universal partnered with Blumhouse for their annual fan event that took place in Orlando on October 6 and London on October 7, celebrating the release of The Exorcist: Believer and all things Blumhouse. The events included screens, photo ops, special guests, and more for horror fans around the world.
DreamWorks Animation
In October, DreamWorks Animation is debuting its first horror series for kids in the company’s history, including Flight Krewe and Curses!.
From the creators Eli Roth and James Frey, Fright Krewe is the all-new animated series following a mismatched group of kids who find themselves charged with defending the New Orleans after an ancient demon is unleashed on the city. The series debuted on October 2 on Peacock and Hulu.
Premiering on October 27 on Apple TV+, Curses! is a spooky new comedy for kids from producers John Krasinski, Jeff Dixon and Jim Cooper. When a generations-long family curse turns Alex Vanderhouven to stone, it’s up to his two kids, Pandora and Russ, and his wife Sky, to return artifacts stolen by their ancestors to their rightful homes to finally lift the curse for good.
Destinations & Experiences
Currently, the thrills and chills of Universal Destinations & Experiences’ premier Halloween event, Halloween Horror Nights, are underway at our parks around the world. What started as a three-night event 32 years ago has grown into a global phenomenon and each Universal destination has a unique Halloween experience that invites guests to have next-level fun with fear.
At Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood, guests can explore all-new terrifying haunted houses that include themes from The Exorcist: Believer, CHUCKY, Universal Monsters, Stranger Things 4 and The Last of Us. Around the globe, Universal Studios Beijing introduces the Scares @ Universal concept featuring Minion Monsters. Universal Studios Singapore created nightmare-inducing houses inspired by Netflix’s All of Us Are Dead and The Weeknd: After Hours Til Dawn Nightmare and Universal Studios Japan has the all-new zombie-attack-turned-dance party and HAMIKUMA, the iconic zombie bear.
Developed by Universal Products & Experiences, fans can find macabre merchandise that features favorite characters like Universal Monsters, CHUCKY, M3GAN, Michael Myers and more. In addition to Halloween Horror Nights-inspired merchandise found at our destinations, more than 400 thrilling products across apparel, accessories, home décor, costumes and more can be found at mass and specialty retailers globally.
Universal Horror Unleashed, the company’s first-ever permanent horror experience is set to open in Las Vegas. For horror fans seeking year-round experiential entertainment, the original concept pairs the company’s expertise in the horror genre with thrilling, immersive experiences in an all-new format.
To learn more about Halloween Horror Nights visit HalloweenHorrorNights.com.
Peacock
Peacock is the streaming destination for Halloween Horror. With more than 500 titles, Peacock highlights the best horror from across the NBCUniversal portfolio plus so much more. The Halloween Horror collection features new releases such as Peacock Originals John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams, and Wolf Like Me, day-and-date film from Universal and Blumhouse, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and Season 3 of USA’s CHUCKY available on Peacock next day. In addition, the collections host an impressive library of films and series that span nearly a century and a dozen subgenres, including American Psycho, Dawn of the Dead, The Black Phone, Get Out, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and more.
Peacock x Tinder Halloween Partnership
Peacock and Tinder joined together to make it easier for people to find love by bonding over scary movies. Through a joint survey, the two uncovered that nearly two-thirds of people believe watching horror movies together is a great date activity with almost half agreeing that a shared interest in horror movies can indicate a deeper compatibility. Peacock added “Horror Movies” as a new interest in-app and Tinder is introducing a new “Horror Movies” Interest badge to the app that can be added to their profiles. In addition to giving daters the opportunity to proudly state their horror fandom, Tinder members will also be eligible for an exclusive Peacock offer in-app available from October 3-31.
Broadcast & Cable
SYFY & USA
CHUCKY returned for Season 3 on October 4 on SYFY and USA Networks and streaming next day on Peacock. CHUCKY’S M.O., as the world’s most notorious killer doll, has always been to infiltrate the homes of unsuspecting families. But in his unending thirst for power, Season 3 sees Chucky now ensconced with the most powerful family in the world — America’s First Family — inside the infamous walls of the White House. CHUCKY is produced by UCP and executive produced by creator Don Mancini, Nick Antosca, Alex Hedlund, David Kirschner and Jeff Renfroe. Seasons 1-3 are currently streaming on Peacock. Watch the Season 3 trailer here.
Leading up to the Season 3 premiere of CHUCKY on SYFY and USA Network, NBCU launched an SMS politically themed marketing campaign where fans could interact with CHUCKY himself via an official phone number and texting experience. By texting “CHUCKY” to 201-500-3347, fans were able to engage directly with the murderous doll through fun, unexpected banter and receive exclusive assets tied to Season 3.
The Blumhouse Horror Marathon called “Blumhouse Funhouse” aired all day on SYFY on October 7, and included films such as Sick, They/Them, The Visit, and more. The final film that aired in the marathon was The Invisible Man and also included a sneak peek of The Exorcist: Believer.
Telemundo
Telemundo will celebrate Halloween across the network. Anchors and hosts across its daytime programming, including Hoy Día, En Casa con Telemundo, La Mesa Caliente and Al Rojo Vivo will dress in Halloween attire on air and feature special Halloween segments and activities throughout the day.
News
TODAY
NBC’s TODAY will continue its annual can’t-miss tradition when the show’s anchors and hosts dress up in surprise costumes on October 31. In addition, in the days and weeks leading up to Halloween, TODAY is running Halloween-themed segments and programming. To support the company’s horror initiatives, Al Roker visited Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights on September 29, where he experienced the horror in real life.
Dateline
On October 23, NBC’s Keith Morrison will debut a new original Dateline podcast series, Morrison Mysteries, where he narrates some of the most mysterious, suspenseful, and spine-tingling classic stories. The first three episodes feature Morrison reading “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” ahead of Halloween.
Partnerships
Virtual Reality Scares with Meta
As part NBCUniversal’s partnership with Meta, the company is launching the first two experiences for Meta Horizon Worlds, their immersive social VR platform on Meta Quest headsets. With the launch of “Halloween Horror Nights – Scarecrow: The Reaping” on October 13 and “Universal Monsters Arena” on October 20, Universal horror fans can experience a spooky VR adaptation in the comfort of their home in Meta’s Horizon Worlds.
At NBCUniversal
For employees, NBCUniversal is supporting Halloween Horror all month long with special giveaways, including passes to Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando and Hollywood, Fandango promo codes for The Exorcist: Believer and Five Nights at Freddy’s, and global activations and celebrations leading up to Halloween day.
At Telemundo’s world-class Miami headquarters, employees will participate in the company’s Annual Harvest Costume Contest, offering a spooktacular showdown for top prizes, sweet treats, a live band performance, and even a virtual costume contest for pets.
NBCUnites, NBCUniversal’s social impact initiative, will be celebrating Halloween across the country by hosting a Halloween Costume Drive. Additionally, employees at 30 Rock in New York are invited to make Halloween costumes with ‘Ween Dream. Founded in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, ‘Ween Dream provides new and gently-used costumes to kids across the United States.
About Halloween Horror at NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal is bringing “Halloween Horror” to life across NBCUniversal’s portfolio of businesses and brands, including Universal Pictures, Universal Destinations & Experiences, Peacock, SYFY, Telemundo, TODAY, USA, and more. Universal Pictures will debut two new Blumhouse films, The Exorcist: Believer on October 6th exclusively in theaters and Five Nights at Freddy’s on October 27th in theaters and streaming on Peacock. Season 3 of the hit-series CHUCKY returns to SYFY and USA on October 4th and will be available next day on Peacock. Throughout September and October, our global theme parks are bringing NBCUniversal’s iconic horror brands, including The Exorcist: Believer, Five Nights at Freddy’s, CHUCKY, The Purge, Universal Monsters and more, to guests at the world’s premier Halloween event, Halloween Horror Nights. To learn more about Halloween Horror at NBCUniversal, visit nbcuniversal.com.
About NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. We create world-class content, which we distribute across our portfolio of film, television, and streaming, and bring to life through our theme parks and consumer experiences. We own and operate leading entertainment and news brands, including NBC, NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Sports, Telemundo, NBC Local Stations, Bravo, USA Network, and Peacock, our premium ad-supported streaming service. We produce and distribute premier filmed entertainment and programming through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group and Universal Studio Group, and have world-renowned theme parks and attractions through Universal Destinations & Experiences. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. Visit www.nbcuniversal.com for more information.
