My heart skipped a beat when our R.I.P. tour guide said, “Alright, let’s head to Sinners as our first house of the evening.”
Nine out of ten people in my group were giddy with excitement. I, the tenth member of said group, had spent all day trying my best to remain cool as a cucumber. Fake it until I make it through the haunted houses. “Whatever you do,” I said to myself, “don’t embarrass yourself too much.”
It’s too late to turn back now.
My last venture into a haunted house attraction was in Salem, Massachusetts in 2012 on a college bus trip. I swore them off ever since. But when I was invited by Universal Orlando to experience Halloween Horror Nights on the opening night of its 35th season, I decided to give them another try. Surely 14 years is enough time to get over that one jump scare that sent me flying backwards into a wall.
I embarked on an “R.I.P.” Tour (Halloween Horror Nights speak for a V.I.P. Tour) that gave me front-of-the-line access to all 10 haunted houses, five scare zones, and entertainment offerings. Oh, joy: I didn’t even have enough time to contemplate my fate while waiting in line because I’m whisked right to the front.
Despite my frayed nerves, I survived the evening, and I can say with my whole chest that I hope to return to future Halloween Horror Nights (I have 12 months to work on building up the courage). That said, here are six things I learned on my visit and that I wish someone had told me before I entered the fog for the very first time. Some of these items are things that would have calmed my nerves much earlier, and others are to help YOU make the most of your time at Halloween Horror Nights.
Everybody screams
I scream, you scream, we all scream for Halloween Horror Nights. As expected, I was a jumpy bundle of nerves in the first couple of houses. “Surely I’m not the only person who feels this way,” I thought to myself as I felt the lump in my throat re-appear every time I pulled the curtains back to enter yet another room (“When does this end?” was another recurring thought). Fortunately, I was very relieved to hear others scream, almost to the point of feeling a bit of schadenfreude every time I saw someone ahead of me recoil from a scareactor doing their job.
For years I assumed I was disqualified from enjoying Halloween Horror Nights due to my aversion to haunted houses. The truth is that I witnessed the most seasoned HHN pros scream just as loud, if not louder, than myself, multiple times throughout the evening. So, rest assured, you aren’t the only one who’s nervous. In fact, I would encourage anyone to try Halloween Horror Nights once in spite of their nerves, because there’s a chance you’ll wind up enjoying it as much as I did.
They want you to have fun
This next tip goes hand-in-hand with number one. Universal’s goal is for you to have fun at Halloween Horror Nights. Well, their actual goal is to create a “living horror film,” but in doing so, I promise they want you to enjoy the experience.
Think of it this way: it wouldn’t be as popular as it if there wasn’t an element of fun baked into the experience. Putting it another way: Halloween Horror Nights is a massive money-making machine for a giant corporate enterprise. This doesn’t make the event itself feel corporate, but it put my mind at ease knowing Universal isn’t going to send a scareactor after me and drag me into the depths of some endless dark void.
Unlike that questionable roadside haunt at the abandoned strip mall in Massachusetts, Halloween Horror Nights is a technical marvel, complete with towering set pieces, award-worthy costumes and makeup, and compelling storytelling in each of the houses.
Next time I attend Universal during HHN season, I’m absolutely setting time aside for the Unmasking the Horror Tour. This daytime VIP tour brings you through either three or six houses with the lights on, not a scareactor in sight. For a theatre nerd like me, I’ll brave the jump scares to appreciate the work that goes into these environments, so it’s even better knowing there’s a far less scary way of doing so. Unmasking the Horror Tours also include a commemorative pin and buffet style lunch for the six-house tour.
READ MORE: I VISITED UNIVERSAL’S NEWEST THEME PARK
There’s more to Halloween Horror Nights than the houses
Read any “scaredy cat” guide to Halloween Horror Nights and most will quickly point out that the 10 houses are just a fraction of what you can do in one evening. I wholeheartedly agree with that. The ten houses are the main attraction, yes. But if all you do in one evening are the houses, you’re missing out on a swath of great offerings that fill in the gaps and add up to a memorable evening beyond the jump scares.
Speaking of scares, every year Halloween Horror Nights designs five “scare zones” found throughout the park. These outdoor promenades consist of scareactors whose job is to, as best as I can describe, set a spooky mood. I think “scare zone” is a bit of a misnomer here, as I didn’t find any of them to be that scary, and far less frightening than the least scary house.
The scare zones are great primers to help familiarize you with the look and feel of what you might encounter in the houses, minus those pesky jump scares. More often than not, the actors found in the scare zones are in plain sight well before they approach you, and many times, they keep to themselves or will miss you completely as there are hundreds of other guests around you for them to interact with. The Death Eaters have also returned to roam The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley.
This year’s Halloween Horror Nights features two great entertainment options. The first is Nightmare Fuel Blood Noir, this year’s iteration of the fan-favorite fire and stunt show. The second show is called Stranger Things: Return to Hawkins, a 12-minute fountain show that pays homage to the popular Netflix series.
Outside of the Halloween Horror Night-exclusive offerings, a few rides remain open for what I would consider a “mental break.” This year, you can ride Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, Revenge of the Mummy, Men in Black Alien Attack, and Transformers: The Ride-3D. I didn’t see a wait time longer than 10 minutes for any of these rides throughout the evening I visited.
If you’re looking to bring home a souvenir, Halloween Horror Nights has no shortage of limited-time swag to add to your collection. Most retail locations around the park have at least some merchandise, but to fully immerse yourself in the HHN world, there’s the Tribute Store. The Tribute Store is a highly-detailed and decorated shopping space inspired by this year’s carnival-centric theme. The store is open all day to guests and is not limited to Halloween Horror Nights’ operating hours.
Finally, be sure to come to Halloween Horror Nights hungry, as the food and beverage offerings are top-notch. More on that in a sec.
Packing the right gear is essential
Halloween Horror Nights runs from 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM, with Stay & Scream privileges and Scream Early admission beginning as early as 2:00 PM. With that much time spent in the park, packing the right gear is crucial. There are your typical theme park must-haves you’ll want to bring with you (a handheld fan, a portable battery, etc.), and then there are Halloween Horror Night-specific must-haves I wish I knew about before my first visit.
In particular, I want to highlight ear plugs and noise-canceling headphones if you’re nervous about the houses. Half of why I think they’re so gosh darn scary is the noise level. The jump scares are often accompanied by very loud sound effects which doubles down on the spook factor.
I learned that some guests like to create playlists of their favorite songs (hype music, if you will) and play it at a high enough volume through their headphones that it drowns out the noise (if you go this route, please, please, please be kind to your ear drums). If you want to hear the soundscape of the houses, especially when music plays an integral role in the house like Sinners or Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness, then ear plugs or noise cancelling headphones should do the trick.
Come hungry for all of the food
There’s a not-so-secret fall food festival in Orlando that might take the cake for most creative and yes, most delicious dishes, and that’s Halloween Horror Nights. The food and beverage offerings have become an honorary attraction over the years, with sweet and savory dishes themed to the houses and scare zones.
Some of the dining locations around Universal Orlando have taken on a spooky makeover for the season. Mel’s Drive-In has once again transformed into Mel’s Die-In: Zombies, with zombie carhops taking over the restaurant. Over in Universal CityWalk, Red Coconut Club has become Dead Coconut Club – Harvest with a specialty bar menu.
We were offered a selection of the food and beverage items available at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights opening night media event. I enjoyed a variety of menu items during my visit (the standouts include the Carn”evil” Smash Taco and the Pecan & Whiskey Bread Pudding).
You can’t do it all in one night (without a little help)
Like your typical day at a theme park, it’s very difficult to see all of Halloween Horror Nights in one evening. Between the ten houses (each one taking roughly five minutes to walk through), scare zones, dining, entertainment, and shopping, you’d be surprised how quickly one evening passes you by.
This can feel quite stressful considering the cost of admission, but with a little help, Universal has several options to make your visit more care-free.
For example, if you have daytime admission to Universal Studios Florida (either through a day ticket or Annual Pass), you can line up for the first wave of haunted houses that open at 2:00 PM via Stay and Scream. If you don’t have either of those tickets, you can purchase Scream Early tickets. This lets you get a head start on some of the houses, so when 6:00 PM rolls around, you already have a few checked off your “to do” list.
Some of the food items lean so far into presentation that the taste and/or texture takes a backseat, but you can forgive Universal for swinging for the fences and serving their visitors brains and other internal organs sent through a meat grinder (don’t worry; it’s just red velvet cake).
Because Halloween Horror Nights is an “after hours” event, you would think it it would come with lower crowds. On the contrary, I found the park to be just as bustling as any regular day. Time will not be on your side if you want to see and do everything if you don’t take advantage of Stay and Scream.
There are multiple R.I.P. Tours you can add onto your HHN ticket that will grant you priority V.I.P. entry to the houses. You can also purchase Halloween Horror Nights Express that grans you access to expedited queues for the houses, making it easier to experience all 10 in one evening.
If I feel brave enough to visit Halloween Horror Nights again, I’ll feel far more confident in my ability to enjoy the haunted houses and spend my time efficiently with these tips. Hopefully this helps your next visit, especially if you’re also visiting for the first time!
READ MORE: WHAT SURPRISED ME THE MOST ABOUT EPIC UNIVERSE
Disclosure: I was invited by Universal Orlando Resort to experience opening night of Halloween Horror Nights. When I attend hosted events as invited media, I am not required to review that experience on my channels, nor am I required to review that experience favorably. My goal, as with all of my coverage, is to provide an unbiased and honest recap of any event I attend to give you, the reader, an idea of what to expect if and when you visit. This policy applies to hosted events as well as coverage of attractions and events where I pay for my own travel. Thank you for your support!
6 Things I Wish I Knew Before Attending My First Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando was originally published on The World of Spark.
