AR Horror Experience for Universal Destinations & Experiences
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To promote Universal Destinations & Experiences’ Halloween Horror Nights — the celebrated scare event at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood — Lucid Reality Labs developed a social media AR activation that enabled fans to enter the horror before entering the park.
Behind the Scenes of the Halloween Horror Nights AR Experience
Triggered by QR codes embedded in streaming ads, the experience aligned with viewers’ natural multi-screening behaviour. One scan transformed their room into a haunted graveyard, with tombstones emerging and uncanny ambience setting the atmosphere.
At the centre of the activation was La Muerte, a haunting figure inspired by Latin American folklore, introduced as the dark spirit of Halloween Horror Nights. As the AR scene intensified, La Muerte appeared and advanced, creating the chilling sensation that she was hunting the user in their own space.
The encounter delivered immersive impact through layered spatial audio, AR visuals, and haptic feedback, producing a vivid and sensory-rich moment of suspense. In selfie mode, users experienced La Muerte right behind them and were encouraged to capture and share the moment — turning fans into storytellers and amplifying the experience via social media.
“The guest journey can begin before arrival. AR helps us surprise and delight fans — on their devices, in their feeds, and in their imaginations,” — Universal Destinations & Experiences.