Hatchet & Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters brings a concept from Slaughter Sinema 2 to its full potential at Halloween Horror Nights 2025.
Hatchet & Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters
Backstory
In this Old West town, all hell is breaking loose. Masses of red-hot lava demons are crawling out of Hell’s Well and trying to possess everyone, melting everything in their path. As you flee from the post office to the bank, the prison to the graveyard, your only hope is Hatchet and Chains with their arsenal of mystical weapons.
Hatchet and Chains, first introduced in one of Slaughter Sinema 2‘s fictional B-horror-movies, are a pair of bounty hunters. Hatchet is a reformed demon, while Chains wields supernaturally-powered chains. The two teamed up after Chains saved Hatchet’s life.
The house is set in the year 1830, when train tracks are being constructed across the west. An old woman on the outskirts of a small cowtown doesn’t appreciate the progress, so she summons lava demons from Hell’s Well.
The demons possess the townsfolk by ripping open their mouths and crawling inside, taking three different forms: demon, flesh, and “hodgepodge.” They plan to board the cattle trains and destroy the country.
As guests move through different areas of the town, they can see where Hatchet and Chains have already done their work as they leave behind all their hatchets and chains. They can also see signs of demons, like scratches on the walls and molten cracks in the earth. Settings include the town depot, the fellowship hall, the Horse-Toothed Saloon (the “house of ill repute” from Slaughter Sinema 2), the undertaker, and the cemetery.
Review
The house gives “monster of the week cable television show” in a great way. Universal strikes a dichotomy here where the sets are intense, but the characters have an edge of lightness from being over-the-top, and it works.
The set design is brilliant, as is the case with all the houses in recent years by Dylan Kollath, whose M.O. is perspective. You look through windows of the scene you’re in and can see into another, creating a wide scope of the town.
The demons are the antagonists, but they’re saved from monotony by having multiple forms and evolutions, as well as putting you in the line of fire between a demon and Hatchet or Chains. There was a fun moment when a victim was used as more than a jump scare or distraction — they were a demon in disguise, which added to the layers of the story. They also got a few cool scare moments, like a demon reaching toward us through a victim.
Hatchet and Chains themselves are a little silly, but it works. The characters have potential to be fully realized, and it leaves you wanting more.
Our biggest issue with this house is the length. It was hurt by being in a sprung tent and deserved a soundstage. On a scare level, it’s mild.
Rating
This house surpassed our expectations, which were relatively low based on Hatchet & Chains in Slaughter Sinema 2. It’s not one of our favorites this year, but it’s certainly not low on the list. The competition this year is fierce.
Rating out of 7: 5
Know Before You Go
Location
Hatchet & Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters is located in Springfield, the Simpsons area of Universal Studios Florida.
For more Universal Studios news from around the world, follow Universal Parks News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news, visit WDWNT.