Universal Studios Japan, marking the 25th anniversary of its opening, will hold its Halloween Horror Nights event this autumn — the annual event that has thrilled guests every year with an overwhelming atmosphere and inventive entertainment — from September 11 (Friday) to November 8 (Sunday), 2026.
This year, Halloween Horror Nights marks its 15th anniversary, evolving into an extreme horror experience where every element reaches an abnormal level. Hopeless, inescapable fear presses in one wave after another. Now, details are being revealed for the new attraction Afterimage, symbolizing this unprecedented world of fear and madness.
The Ultimate Horror Attraction Symbolizing Halloween Horror Nights' 15th Anniversary: "Beyond Despair"
Representing the 15th anniversary of Halloween Horror Nights is the new attraction Afterimage. The first Halloween Horror Nights attraction to carry an R-18 rating and require a signed waiver, it pursues extreme psychological horror, letting guests experience the sensation of being mentally cornered through extreme situations of isolation and confinement. In an abnormal space where the boundary between hallucination and reality wavers, guests confront a kind of mental horror never experienced before. They join a facility that studies nightmares, and there, trapped in an inescapable situation, are gradually consumed by fear with no end in sight.
Afterimage is a horror attraction symbolizing the extreme horror experience — where every element reaches an abnormal level — that Halloween Horror Nights has arrived at in its 15th year. Enveloped in inescapable despair, guests step into the unknown realm that awaits beyond it, in a fear experience unlike any before.
*A dedicated paid ticket is required to experience this attraction.
Afterimage: Attraction Overview
A nightmare with no waking.
The first R-18-rated attraction in Halloween Horror Nights history, requiring a signed waiver.
A "real hell" like nothing you've ever seen opens up right before your eyes—
Isolation, confinement... acts of cruelty you desperately want to escape eat away at your mind, devouring it and invading deep within.
Illusion and reality — every boundary dissolves as you peer into the abyss of madness…
Face this "abnormality," where every nightmare stirs, head-on.
- Location: Stage 18
- Hours: 10:00 AM until park close
- Age restriction: Only guests who agree to the waiver may experience this attraction. Guests aged 17 and under cannot participate.
- Price: From 1,900 yen (tax included)
*On sale from around 9:00 PM, July 27, 2026 (Monday), on the official website.
30-Second Commercial Featuring Kitamura Takumi Facing Wave After Wave of Extreme Horror, Airing From July 22
A new 30-second version of the Halloween Horror Nights 15th anniversary special commercial, "Beyond Despair," starring Kitamura Takumi and currently airing, is being released.
In the commercial, Kitamura Takumi plays a college student unsure of what he wants to do, who consults an AI. Prompted by the AI's suggestion, "Then why not try despairing," he is dragged into a park turned into hell, overtaken by inescapable fear.
In the 30-second version, at the newly introduced R-18-rated attraction Afterimage, which requires a signed waiver, Kitamura finds himself in a facility studying nightmares, trapped in an inescapable situation and consumed by fear with no end in sight.
Waiting for him next is Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive, which faithfully recreates the setting of Resident Evil Requiem, the latest installment in the survival horror game series creating a buzz worldwide. Creatures such as Lickers and "The Girl" close in from every direction, and in an extreme situation that allows no room for survival, Kitamura is cornered and desperately flees.
Finally managing to escape, he then witnesses the scene of Street Zombies, with a new story marking the opening of the 15th anniversary — a complete transformation from the daytime park, once lively with guests' laughter. There, high school students who had been looking forward to their park trip have turned into zombies, and the entire park has become a hellscape with truly nowhere to escape.
Witnessing the bizarre spectacle of zombies attacking each other, Kitamura is driven to the depths of despair. Through Kitamura's expressions, the commercial vividly captures a new sensation that emerges beyond words at the far end of extreme fear.
Be sure to check out the 30-second version of the special commercial, which condenses the worlds of the newly unveiled Afterimage and Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive, culminating 15 years of fear at Halloween Horror Nights.
Commercial release information:
- YouTube: Available from around 4:00 PM, July 22, 2026 (Wednesday), on the Universal Studios Japan official channel
- TV commercial: Airing from July 24, 2026 (Friday), rolling out progressively, excluding some areas
Wait Times Cut Way Down: A Guaranteed Afterimage Pass Joins the Limited-Time Express Pass
A new Express Pass ticket has been added that reduces wait times for four attractions — including limited-time Halloween Horror Nights attractions — for a smoother experience, now including a guaranteed pass for Afterimage.
New ticket:
- On sale from: Around 9:00 PM, July 27, 2026 (Monday)
- Where to buy: Official website *This ticket is sold only on the official website.
- Price: From 11,800 yen (tax included) *Price varies by entry date
- Ticket: Universal Express Pass 3+1 – Halloween Set & Afterimage
Guaranteed one-time experience:
- Afterimage
Priority access (one time each) to the following three attractions:
- Factory of Fear – Zombie Tour of Despair
- Jurassic Park The Ride – In the Dark
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™
Currently on-sale tickets:
- On sale: Now
- Where to buy: Official website, Lawson Ticket (website)
- Price: From 11,800 yen (tax included) *Price varies by entry date
Ticket: Universal Express Pass 4 – Halloween Set: Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive
Priority access (one time each) to the following four attractions:
- Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive
- The Curse of Sadako – Dark Horror Ride
- Jurassic Park The Ride – In the Dark
- Hollywood Dream – The Ride
Ticket: Universal Express Pass 4 – Halloween Set: Chainsaw Man: The Chaos 4-D
Priority access (one time each) to the following four attractions:
- Chainsaw Man: The Chaos 4-D
- Jurassic Park The Ride – In the Dark
- Factory of Fear – Zombie Tour of Despair
- Hollywood Dream – The Ride
Ticket: Universal Express Pass 4 – Halloween Set: Factory of Fear – Zombie Tour of Despair
Priority access (one time each) to the following four attractions:
- Factory of Fear – Zombie Tour of Despair
- Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive
- Jaws – Red Alert
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™
Halloween Horror Nights Overview (September 11–November 8, 2026)
Halloween Horror Nights, marking its 15th anniversary this year, elevates Japan's autumn leisure to a new dimension, evolving further with an extreme horror experience.
The lineup delivers an otherworldly wave of fear all at once, starting with street experiences that unfold across the entire park, along with a collaboration with a survival horror game creating a buzz worldwide and anime titles popular both in Japan and abroad.
Street Zombies expands the fear with a new story and staging. Zombie de Dance continues to get guests dancing to King Gnu's "SO BAD" as it did last year, and at the end of each day, a special medley of past fan-favorite collaboration songs — including Ado's "Show" and Sandaime J Soul Brothers' "Rat-tat-tat" — also appears. At Gramercy Park, the special show "Halloween Horror Nights Academy – 15 Years of Screams," condensing 15 years' worth of fear and madness, will accelerate the excitement further. Also joining the lineup are Afterimage — Halloween Horror Nights' first attraction to pursue extreme psychological horror with an R-18 rating and mandatory waiver — and the new attraction Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive, themed on the latest installment of Resident Evil, rounding out a lineup packed with inescapable horror experiences.
