Halloween Horror Nights is bringing together two of modern horror’s most recognizable names this fall as Ice Nine Kills joins Art the Clown for an all new Terror Tram experience at Universal Studios Hollywood.
The horror obsessed metal band will create original music for “Terror Tram Starring Art the Clown,” opening September 3 as part of Halloween Horror Nights 2026 and runs on select nights through November 1. The collaboration will give Ice Nine Kills the chance to put its own twisted spin on classic Christmas music while Art takes control of Universal’s historic backlot for a holiday celebration that has gone very wrong. For tickets and information, click here.
For anyone familiar with Ice Nine Kills and their relationship with the Terrifier franchise, the pairing makes perfect sense. This isn’t the first time the band and Art the Clown have crossed paths, but bringing that relationship into one of the country’s biggest Halloween events takes things to an entirely different level.
Check out the Official teaser below:
Art The Clown Takes Over The Terror Tram
In “Terror Tram Starring Art the Clown,” Art arrives on the Universal backlot carrying a blood soaked bag of presents, only to discover that he has shown up far too early for Christmas. Instead of waiting until December, the Terrifier villain decides to hijack the Terror Tram and begin his own horrifying holiday celebration.
Ice Nine Kills will provide new music created specifically for the experience, including dark reworkings of classic Christmas songs that should fit naturally alongside Art’s twisted version of the holidays.
The chaos will not necessarily end when guests leave the backlot, either. Universal has teased that Art may appear elsewhere throughout the theme park, giving attendees another reason to stay alert even after they think they have escaped the Terror Tram. Considering the unpredictable nature of the character, having Art appear unexpectedly around Halloween Horror Nights could make him an even bigger presence throughout the event.
Ice Nine Kills And Art The Clown Reunite
The collaboration continues a relationship that began with Ice Nine Kills’ “A Work of Art,” the band’s official song inspired by Terrifier 3. Art the Clown actor David Howard Thornton appeared in the track’s music video, which debuted alongside the theatrical release of Terrifier 3. Since then, “A Work of Art” has grown into one of the band’s biggest horror collaborations, earning nearly 60 million streams while reaching No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart and remaining there for 18 weeks.
The connection between the two sides has extended beyond the music video as well. Terrifier writer and director Damien Leone, Thornton, and several members of the franchise’s cast have appeared at Ice Nine Kills’ annual Silver Scream Con.
Frontman Spencer Charnas described the Halloween Horror Nights collaboration as another natural extension of the relationship between the band and Terrifier.
“We are forever honored that Terrifier writer/director Damien Leone and his team invited us to play in their sandbox of bloodshed,” Charnas shared.
He also noted the band’s existing love for Halloween Horror Nights and the event’s popularity among Ice Nine Kills fans, making the Terror Tram another fitting meeting point between heavy music and horror.
Ice Nine Kills Keeps Expanding Its Horror Universe
Ice Nine Kills has spent years building its identity around horror, but recently the band has moved beyond simply writing songs inspired by movies.
“Twisting The Knife” featuring Mckenna Grace was featured during the closing credits of Scream 7, while “Hell or High Slaughter (Grave Diggler Pt. 2)” was created for Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. The band also entered the gaming world with “Play Dead,” created for the 10th anniversary of Dead by Daylight alongside an in-game Ice Nine Kills Collection.
Each collaboration pushes the band further into the horror entertainment world that has influenced its music for years. Scoring part of Halloween Horror Nights feels like another significant step. Instead of creating a song inspired by an existing horror property, Ice Nine Kills will now help shape the atmosphere guests experience while physically walking through Art the Clown’s world.
For a band that has built entire albums, music videos, live performances, and conventions around horror culture, creating music for an actual Halloween attraction feels like a natural progression.
Major Career Milestones Continue For Ice Nine Kills
The band’s growing presence across movies, gaming, and horror events has arrived alongside some major achievements within rock music.
“A Grave Mistake,” inspired by The Crow, recently earned Gold certification from the RIAA. Meanwhile, “Twisting The Knife” became Ice Nine Kills’ first song to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.
The single also topped Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs and Hard Rock Digital Song Sales charts while accumulating more than 35 million cross-platform streams.
Those accomplishments show how successfully Ice Nine Kills has transformed its love of horror into something much larger than a visual theme. Twenty years after releasing its first album, the band has created an identity that can exist just as comfortably inside a horror movie, video game, convention, or theme park as it does on a concert stage.
Halloween Horror Nights Gets A New Soundtrack
“Terror Tram Starring Art the Clown” opens at Universal Studios Hollywood on September 3 and will operate during select Halloween Horror Nights dates through November 1.
Between Art the Clown taking control of the Universal backlot and Ice Nine Kills providing new music for the experience, this year’s Terror Tram brings together two names that have become increasingly connected within modern horror culture.
Fans looking to experience the collaboration in person can purchase Halloween Horror Nights tickets here ahead of the event’s September opening.
For Ice Nine Kills, the Terror Tram represents another opportunity to bring the band’s horror universe outside of music. For everyone stepping onto that tram this fall, it means Art the Clown finally has his own Christmas soundtrack. Unfortunately for everyone involved, he is celebrating a few months early.
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