With November here, some people are already making Thanksgiving plans and watching Hallmark Christmas movies. But, I’m personally going to need five business days to mourn the end of spooky season. One of Universal Orlando’s masterminds, Michael Aiello, is totally on my wavelength, as he reflected on making this year’s landmark Halloween Horror Nights happen. Aiello is the Senior Director of Entertainment Creative Development at Universal Orlando Resort and has over thirty years of experience at the theme park to his name. Since this year was the park’s special 35th anniversary scaring us with Universal’s beloved seasonal festivity, he had a lot to say about bringing it all to life. In his words: For me, one of the greatest rewards of doing what we do is watching all of you experience the worlds we’ve created. Seeing your excitement, hearing your reactions, and knowing these stories mean as much to you as they do to us is something I’ll never take for granted.I know HHN has become one of my favorite traditions, and it’s great to hear from the designer that it’s all about our reactions and enjoyment of it. The 2026 edition had a lot of highlights, from the Sinners haunted house, an especially bloody attraction with cannibals and an awesome ode to the Hellraiser franchise. In a post on X, Aiello said creatives like himself only get so many anniversaries in their careers, and doing the one this past season has been really rewarding for himself and his team. He continued: There’s also something incredibly special about seeing Jack the Clown, Oddfellow and our legendary HHN icons and characters come together to celebrate 35 years of Halloween Horror Nights. These characters represent decades of imagination, artistry, and extraordinary talent, both behind the scenes and in the spotlight. They’ve become so much more than personas in a Halloween event. They’re part of its history, its identity, and the memories of generations of horror fans. Watching audiences embrace them again this year has been an absolute joy.This year’s event was called Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control. It brought about a crossover between two of HHN’s most popular icons, Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow. Both characters debuted during the tenth Halloween Horror Nights back in 2000. They have become so popular that they’ve made multiple appearances in Orlando. With the season having ended, Aielo took some time to thank everyone involved for basically making it possible.HHN definitely wouldn’t exist without the many hands and minds that create it every year. Aiello shouted out every division that works on the event including the scareactors and performers "who tirelessly bring the fear night after night”. The Halloween Horror Nights senior director also added this to his message: I’ve always looked at our anniversary years as a chance to celebrate the stories we’ve told, the characters we’ve created, and the memories we’ve made along the way. Perhaps when the 40th rolls around, we’ll pull that book off the shelf again and discover a few more chapters worth telling. Or perhaps the story takes us somewhere entirely unexpected. That’s part of the magic of what we do. We never really know what the future holds. The future can indeed be uncertain, but if history is any kind of indicator, the talented creatives at the park will find a way to spook audiences in unexpected ways down the road. Aiello also left fans with this last bit:As our Infernal Carnival and all horrors within comes to close… Somewhere in the darkness, we direct our focus on the next nightmare… Happy Halloween Horror Nights…Till the fog rolls once again. Oh, I’m so looking forward to the next nightmare! Before we know it, HHN will be celebrating its 40th anniversary, and we expect even more special surprises. Even though we're heading into the holidays, I feel like I’m already counting down the days for the next scary season!