You’ve never experienced a haunted house like this one at Halloween Horror Nights

Horror is universal, and that’s especially true this year at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights .

For the first time, the beloved bi-coastal event will feature a haunted house incorporating American Sign Language. Inspired by " A Quiet Place, " the house will reflect deaf experiences like the franchise’s first and second films .

"This needs to be authentic," John Murdy, creative director and executive producer of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood , told USA TODAY during a behind-the-scenes peek at the event. " The filmmakers went to great lengths to cast authentically to make sure that sign language was an essential part of the movie and to elevate the character of Regan. She's the hero in the story."

"Regan won," Rikki Poynter, a deaf content creator, accessibility advocate, and public speaker, said in a 2021 review of " A Quiet Place Part II ." "Most of Hollywood is so 'Oh, those poor deaf people. Those poor deaf people. We have to fix them.'"

Both the character of Regan Abbott and Millicent Simmonds, the actress who played her in the films, are deaf, but they're the ones doing the saving in the franchise and this house. Universal Studios Hollywood has similarly gone to lengths to make this house and Halloween Horror Nights overall more inclusive.

What to expect

Before guests even enter the West Coast version of this HHN house, they’ll watch a video all in open captioning and ASL.

"We cast a deaf actress, who happens to be an employee here at Universal Studios Hollywood, to set up the back story for what you're going to experience, kind of the plot of the movie, entirely with ASL," Murdy said. "What she's also doing is telling you key phrases in American Sign Language that you need to know if you want to survive in this post-apocalyptic world of 'A Quiet Place.'"

Once guests step inside the house, they’ll notice something strikingly different from other haunted houses.

"Like any horror movie, when you go into the experience, it's usually wall-to-wall music. Here, the music will end when you're in the queue," Murdy said. "You won't hear any music through the entire house until the very, very end, where there's a signature song that's used in the second movie."

There won’t be any spoken dialogue either, aside from strategicially scripted screams. Instead, scareactors are being taught key phrases in ASL. For example, in an early scene in the house, the scareactor playing Regan will warn guests about monsters nearby by signing: "Don't make a sound. They'll hear you. Be quiet."

"Of course, we know our guests aren't going to be quiet," Murdy said with a smile. Motioning toward one of 10 menacing, towering, all too realistic-looking animatronic and puppet monsters throughout the house, he added, "He raises on his haunches and lunges forward and opens his mouth and screams, so he's then right in your face."

The creatures won't touch guests, but guests may feel low frequencies from subwoofers. Universal Studios Hollywood totally changed how they approached audio with this house.

A learning opportunity

Poynter is excited about the representation.

"It means the world, especially if done correctly," the self-described huge horror fan told USA TODAY. "Hearing people still have a lot to learn about the deaf world and community, and I think this is a fun way to have a little bit of that experience."

Murdy conducted extensive research while developing the house and worked with Universal’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team and internal experts who work with the deaf community.

"This considerate inclusion ensures that deaf and hard of hearing guests can experience the attraction with equal accessibility, fostering a greater sense of belonging and inclusivity for all," said Zainab Alkebsi, policy counsel for the National Association of the Deaf . NAD describes itself as America's premier civil rights organization of, by, and for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.

“This effort allows deaf and hard of hearing guests to fully engage with and enjoy the attraction, reinforcing their sense of belonging and validating their experiences. Overall, it fosters a positive feeling of being valued and understood within the broader community," Alkebsi added, commending Universal Studios' commitment to accommodating diverse audiences.

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Expanding perceptions

“I like expanding what people perceive as horror and showing it to guests in a different way,” Murdy said.

Latin American legends and myths are a staple at Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights, which previously spotlighted Asian haunts as well. This year’s event will include a Monstruous 2: The Nightmares of Latin America haunted house and a Luchadores Monstruosos scare zone unique to the Southern California park.

Murdy credits the event's fans for the inspiration. “Years ago, they kept coming up to me and going, ‘Do you know what La Llororona is? You’ve got to look up La Llororona.’ And that's a very, very famous legend in Latin America," he said. "I started researching it, and I went, ‘Wow, there is this whole wealth of horror that exists in Mexico and South America and Central America that speaks uniquely to our audience here in Los Angeles.’”

Poynter has never been to HHN, but has wanted to for years. She hopes this year's guests have fun with "A Quiet Place."

"That's what Halloween Horror Nights is about!" she said. "This experience will definitely teach people that there are other ways than speaking to communicate so it'll be interesting. Wish I could be a fly on the wall to see it happen.”

Halloween Horror Nights begins Sept. 5 at Universal Studios Hollywood and Aug. 30 at Universal Orlando Resort .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: You’ve never experienced a haunted house like this one at Halloween Horror Nights