There are few things in life sweeter than candy. From fruity desserts to luxurious, silky chocolates and everything in between, our love of sweets has been featured in all sorts of movies and stories where the candy maker is at the center of the story. But what if that candy maker in a fancy top hat and brightly colored outfit used that knowledge to further their own agenda? A type of “Willy Wonka gone wrong” if you will. This question inspired the latest villain concept Halloween Horror Nights exist Universal Studios FloridaMajor Sweets. While not an official event idol, Major Sweets has become an idol in his own right, with a strong connection to the history of Halloween Horror Nights and a very detailed backstory.
This, dear readers, is exactly what we are going to discuss.
A Brief History of Halloween Horror Nights’ Main Candies
Major Sweets was first launched in 2022 As part of the New York Panic Zone Sweet revengeThe area looks like a 1950s Halloween parade in the town of Hollow Hills, but it has a sinister twist – candy handed out by the Major Sweets candy company turns kids into cold-blooded killers! The area’s story also ties in with the Tribute to the store Through newspaper clippings posted around the store.
We weren’t the only ones who loved the Sweet Revenge horror zone. It was so popular that Universal Pictures even made a prequel, Major Sweets Candy Factoryjust two years later Halloween Horror Nights 2024. Universal Orlando Resort elaborated on the backstory of Major Sweets through short stories that accompanied the announcements of Sweet Revenge and the Major Sweets Candy Factory. Fans can find these stories on the park’s official Discover Universal podcast. These short stories are a great addition to learning about the lore of Halloween Horror Nights and how it relates to the event. It may take some digging, but don’t worry—we’ve done the Major Sweets prep work for you.
Now, let’s try something new and see who is the Major Sweets.
The Untold Story of Major Sweetheart and the Lonely Boy
In the 1930s, there lived a little boy in the town of Hollow Hills who loved Halloween and candy. Every year, he would dress up in a Halloween costume, but although he was excited about the holiday, his childhood was one of loneliness and bullying. While other children were playing, the boy spent many lonely days alone outside his second-floor bedroom window. Although he was sad and didn’t understand why he was treated like this, he still longed for friends.
Every afternoon, the little boy would run to his parents’ movie theater, Tribute Theater, because of his troubles at school. Whether it was to sneak a new movie or spend some quality time with his loving parents, he could escape the torment of school bullies and the loneliness at home. When he got older, he started helping out in the family business, and his father let him work behind the snack counter.
One afternoon, as the boy was counting his candy, a girl his own age asked him for advice. After a moment’s thought, the boy suggested lollipops. The girl took two, thanked him, and left one for the boy. The boy smiled widely, realizing that something special had just happened. The girl came back often and became the boy’s lifelong friend.
Tragedy strikes Memorial Theatre
In 1939, the boy and girl became regular employees of the Tribute Theater. One day, before the boy went to work, he planned to meet his father before work as usual. He greeted his friends who were already at work and went to his father’s office, only to find it empty. Noticing that his parents were away, he and the girl decided to clean the theater before the next movie showing to surprise them when they returned.
The little boy eagerly walked into the projection room with cleaning supplies and found two customers sitting there. He announced from a distance that the movie was over and everyone had to leave so that the theater could be cleaned for the next showing. When there was no response, he walked a little closer and realized with horror that it was his parents! He rushed to the children and frantically checked their pulses, but it was too late. His parents were gone, leaving the heartbroken boy behind.
Three years pass, and news of their passing spreads across Hollow Hills. The boy, grief-stricken, has allowed his family’s theater to fall into disrepair, sitting in the ticket booth all day, staring out the window, just like his lonely youth. Finally, the girl brings a gift of a lollipop, just like the one the boy’s only friend had given him all those years ago. Unwrapping their candy, an idea strikes – a way to bring life and positivity back to the theater: candy! A free piece with every ticket, something their patrons have never tasted before!
A Tribute to Theater’s Sweet New Deal
The friends began testing. They needed a secret ingredient, since honey and gelatin were old hat and too common. They dug deeper into ingredients until one stood out: “Potions. But the potion is…” The boy paused. He remembered his parents’ frothy lips, dilated pupils, and faces frozen in pain as years of heart-wrenching questions came flooding back. What had killed his parents was now as clear as the label before him – POISON!
Hearing his sudden sad mood, the girl came to her friend. As she consoled him, she offered a suggestion: What if there was a secret ingredient in their candy, could it be poison? The idea came naturally, and a plan began to take shape. After all this time, the boy and girl only had each other. There was no way to truly identify the murderer, and there was no one in Hollow Mountain they could trust. It seemed that there was only one way to get revenge.
Soon after, the Tribute Theatre reopened with a new plan! The townspeople of Hollow Hill flocked to the theater, and while the plan seemed to be a success, it was actually too successful. Soon after seeing the movie, families began losing loved ones. Newspapers in Hollow Hills and elsewhere in Progress County published stories filled with accusations. Investigators even began questioning the boys and girls directly at the theater. Overwhelmed, their friends fled and seemingly were never seen again.
Major Sweets opens in Hollow Hills
The story of the Tribute Theater might have ended before the 1950s if it weren’t for the newly elected mayor of Hollow Hills. Though he was new, the mayor was well aware of the theater’s controversial past. But unlike everyone else in town, he saw the potential for revival, with the theater’s former glory shining through its now moldy cracks. He was determined to make a name for himself, and knowing that Hollow Hills loved the theater as much as they loved Halloween, he decided to transform it into a family-friendly venue. Its first event? Hollow Hills’ first Halloween Parade Party!
There are just a few problems: the theater is in dire need of a renovation, and what’s Halloween without candy? Luckily, a new candy manufacturer has just opened nearby, Major Sweets’ Candy Co. The mayor comes for a visit and meets the owner – Major Sweets himself! Sweets is a bubbly character with a wiry mustache and quirky clothes. The mayor knows little about him but is intrigued by his candy expertise, so a deal is struck – Major Sweets will fund the event and the renovation! The centerpiece is the theater’s homecoming, a parade, and, of course, plenty of candy for all the kids.
Large candy factory
A few days before the parade, Major Thwaites’ factory was opened to the public, and local schools participated enthusiastically. All students and even the chaperones could feel the excitement of their new celebration. However, no one could foresee the horror that was about to happen.
According to a surviving attendant, everything started out normal. Miss Trites greeted everyone, ushered them into the factory, and offered free snacks to the children. When the entrance door closed, the chaos lurking in the factory began to reveal itself. Children could be heard running and shouting as they passed by candy boxes that were occasionally smashed. When questioned, Miss Trites simply attributed it to the “effects of an extreme sugar addiction.”
As they entered the screening room, Major Sweets personally greeted everyone and then played a video of their latest candy experiment. Then, room after room was filled with sickening sweet danger, and the children, even Miss Treats, began to attack the chaperones with crushed candies and even factory tools.
What caused it? In retrospect, it was probably the free candy that the kids devoured, but what was the end result? As the escort escaped, he remembered hearing Major Sweets instructing his accomplices to round up the kids, destroy all evidence, and prepare for Halloween festivities.
If only Hollow Hills knew what was about to happen to their beautiful town.
Major Sweet’s Sweet Revenge: Shocking Ending
Major Sweets and his team headed to the festival, where the candy maker would be honored for his contributions. Children and Hollow Hills residents arrived in high spirits as the event got underway. A contest for the best Halloween costume was held, with Miss Treats and Major Sweets providing extra special candies for the winners. After the event’s cornerstone parade, the mayor of Hollow Hills joyfully walked up to the judges’ table with his daughter to present Major Sweets with the key to the town. That’s when things took a turn.
Sweets thanks him and hands the mayor’s daughter a chocolate bar. After taking a bite, the contaminating effects of the candy are quickly apparent. The candy maker pulls a knife from his coat, which the mayor’s daughter grabs before stabbing her father multiple times as the onlookers shudder in horror. Major Sweets’ dark plan is underway as he and Miss Treats open the truck doors, unleashing a horde of crazed candy kids from the factory and revealing what can only be described as a mobile armory as they terrorize the town. The festival ends in a bloody finale with several deaths, as Major Sweets and Miss Treats steal the town’s highest honor and flee into the night.
Since then, investigators have tried to understand what really happened at Hollow Hill. While it has not been confirmed, the strongest evidence suggests that Major Sweets and the lonely boy at the Tribute Store are the same person. If this is true, then we must return to the question of the identity of his parents’ killer. How did the poison get into the theater in the first place? Did he really take out his “sweet revenge,” or is the killer still lurking, perhaps even right under Sweets’ nose? This writer has his own opinion on the matter, but only time will tell if we’ll ever find the truth behind this sugar-coated horror story.
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