This NEW Universal Show Was Worth a Ticket Just for the Soundtrack

It’s that time of year again! Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights is back for another year of iconic seasonal frights, and this year the event features a brand-new lagoon show!

Stranger Things: Return to Hawkins

Stranger Things is, ahem, no stranger to Halloween Horror Nights, as the Netflix series has been a major part of the event several times, but never quite to the degree we’re seeing in 2026, thanks to Stranger Things: Return to Hawkins!

The epic new lagoon show offers a laser-filled journey through all five seasons of Stranger Things, with clips projected on mist screens and buildings in the center of the park. The buildings around the lagoon turned into the WSQK radio station and the iconic Christmas light alphabet!

So cool!

The show is soundtracked to a series of classic tunes that played big parts in the series — including “Upside Down” by Diana Ross, “Baba O’Reilly” by The Who, “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash, “Every Breath You Take” by The Police, “Master of Puppets” by Metallica, and “Purple Rain” by Prince — in the guise of a radio broadcast by in-universe radio station WSQK.

We were jamming to all of the songs!

Return to Hawkins featured some of the best scenes from the TV show. We saw so many characters like El, Mike, Will, Dustin, Max, Steve, Nancy, and Robin in some of their most iconic moments! And in typical Halloween Horror Nights fashion, the scenes with the demogorgons and Vecna gave us a MAJOR scare!

It’s Max!

Of course, the lagoon show isn’t the only Stranger Things presence at this year’s event, as there’s also a house based on the fifth and final season of the series, an “authentic, visceral experience that places guests at the center of the ultimate battle to save Hawkinss” which features many locations from the final season, including the Wheeler House, Hawkins National Laboratory, the MAC-Z military base, the Upside Down, and the Abyss, plus encounters with the Demogorgons, and Vecna himself.

©Universal

Stranger Things is a major part of 2026’s Halloween Horror Nights, including the music-filled Return to Hawkins lagoon show, which caps the night on an explosive, rockin’ note. Stay tuned to DFB for more on this year’s HHN!

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Are you a fan of Stranger Things’ major part in Halloween Horror Nights? Let us know in the comments below.