Like most horror fans, Halloween is more of a 24/7 celebration for me and my family, but there are a few signs that October 31st is right around the corner: the abundance of pumpkin ale in stores, my increased appetite for Count Chocula, and the opening of haunted attractions across the country. The latter seems to be happening a bit earlier in recent years, and I had a chance to get a jump-start on the haunted attraction season when Universal Orlando flew me down to check out the opening night of Halloween Horror Nights.
Now in its 26th year at Universal Orlando, Halloween Horror Nights is a mix of mazes based on popular horror properties and original creations from Universal's creative team. The concept is similar to what you'll get at local haunts, but the set design and attention to detail are incredible and really make Halloween Horror Nights stand out from the crowd.
From constructing the house from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre based on the original blueprints, to faithfully recreating scenes from The Exorcist, Krampus, American Horror Story, The Walking Dead, and Halloween II, each of these mazes transports you into the middle of iconic moments from horror movies and TV shows.
There are also three original concept mazes: Lunatics Playground 3D, Ghost Town: The Curse of Lightning Gulch, and Tomb of the Ancients. These three mazes may not be on the top of everyone's lists when you arrive, but the set design on Ghost Town and Tomb of the Ancients is especially impressive. Ghost Town really nails the Old West aesthetic and makes great use of weather effects to make you feel like you're outside. I also like that the time spent in these mazes is a bit more of a mystery, as they don't follow any storyline you're already familiar with from the popular horror properties.
As I've mentioned, an incredible amount of time was put into the set design, but the passion continues with all of the scare actors and animatronics spread throughout the mazes. You can tell a lot of love was put into the Halloween maze when you see the Michael Myers costume evolve from one actor to the next, syncing up with the timeline of Halloween and Halloween II as you walk through the maze. The creatures from Krampus are also as close to the real thing as you can get, and The Walking Dead attraction brings back your favorite walkers from the past six seasons.
Overall, there was a really great selection of mazes with unique features and at least one standout moment that you'd talk about while waiting in line for the next maze. Of all the horror property mazes, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre felt like the most complete experience for me, faithfully recreating the movie from start to finish (dinner table and all), with enough chainsaws coming at you to make you run through it a bit faster than any of the other mazes. I also have to give a special shout-out to one particular section of The Exorcist maze that is likely to get a least a few people ready to throw up.
While I've attended Halloween Horror Nights in Hollywood, what's nice about the setup at Universal Orlando is that you don't have to worry about the huge escalators breaking everything up, and there's very little downtime between attractions. Not only are there mazes, but there are five scare zones placed between the mazes and rides, so there's really nowhere to hide. Halloween Horror Nights is set up so that you can spend the entire night there, too, so it's not just about the mazes.
I didn't have a chance to check out Academy of Villains: House of Fear, but I did see Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure, which is back (as usual) with a brand new show that features Bill and Ted's encounters with the dark side, the Suicide Squad, presidential nominees, and much more. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who wants a little break from the mazes and has been keeping up with current pop culture events. Also, many of the rides inside Universal Studios Florida are running during this time, so you'll have a chance to check out Transformers, Revenge of the Mummy, and many of the other rides at the park. While it won't be ready until September 29th, we were told that a VR experience called The Repository is in the works, so make sure to keep an eye out for that if you visit Universal Orlando in October.
If you're thinking about going, I'd wholeheartedly recommend Halloween Horror Nights to any horror fan, but make sure to be prepared:
Review the Calendar: Pricing changes depending on the day, so be sure to look at their Halloween Horror Nights calendar, as you could save some money if you’re flexible on when you can go.
Arrive Early and Prioritize: For standard ticket holders, you could be waiting 2+ hours for the more popular mazes during peak days / hours. Even if you have an express pass, you could be waiting 10 – 30 minutes for the more popular mazes, so definitely make sure you get there early to catch your top choices first. If you're a standard ticket holder, it will be very difficult to wait in line for every maze and still experience all that HHN has to offer in a single visit.
Upgrade Your Ticket: If you're really interested in checking out everything, I'd suggest going with the express pass or R.I.P Tour. It may be a bit pricey for an entire family to go this route, but it's the best way to take in the entire Halloween Horror Nights experience in one evening.
Don't Rush Through the Maze: Scared guests will try to push the maze and there are staff members inside who will tell you to keep going to keep the maze flowing. I can't stress enough that you should go at your own pace. Take the time to really appreciate the set and props, and make sure you give yourself enough time so that the group ahead of you doesn't spoil any scares or surprises.
Halloween Horror Nights is one of the world's premier haunted attractions and for good reason. If you're in the area, attending HHN 26 this Halloween season is a no-brainer. For anyone traveling long distances, it's definitely worth your time if you're interested in the properties featured this year. As someone who has been visiting haunted attractions for decades and has been at Halloween Horror Nights in Hollywood, I'm definitely putting a return to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando on my calendar for next year.
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After spending more than 10 years as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his interest in horror and sci-fi. Since then, it has grown into an online magazine with a staff of writers that provide daily news, reviews, interviews, and special features.
As the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Dead, Jonathan is responsible for bringing the latest horror news to millions of readers from around the world. He is also consulted with as an expert on zombies in entertainment and pop culture, providing analyses of the zombie sub-genre to newspapers, radio stations, and convention attendees.
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