Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando is a night you will never forget – the Terrifying Haunted Houses, the Scream-Filled Scare Zones, Thrilling Live Entertainment, specialty themed food and drink, Spook-tastic rides and attractions and unique Halloween Horror Nights merchandise to buy and keep forever!
This year Universal are pulling out all the stops and including the Netflix thriller The Haunting of Hill House themed House where you will come face to face with chilling characters like The Bent-Neck Lady and The Ghost in the Basement, the Beetlejuice house that will send you screaming, Texas Chainsaw Massacre where you can meet the infamous Leatherface, Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives where you will recoil in horror at the sights of terror, Icons: Captured featuring Jack the Clown and other scary ghouls, Welcome to Scary: Horror in the Heartland where you will fight your way through America’s scariest town, Case Files Unearthed: Legendary Truth where you will face horrific creatures and investigate the supernatural, The Wicked Growth: Realm of the Pumpkin will transport you to a realm where evil has taken over and the Pumpkin Lord shows no mercy, the Puppet Theatre: Captive Audience will have you screaming and cringing as you witness grotesque living marionettes, and the final house – Revenge of the Tooth Fairy, will shatter everything you thought you knew about this childhood fairy-tale.
This year there are 5 scare zones waiting to truly chill guests to the bone, including Crypt TV, 30 Years 30 Fears and Gorewood Forest! The Scare Zones are not for the faint hearted and include Scareactors (live actors) that will shake you to your very core!
Universal’s Halloween Horror Night is not possible for many UK Universal Lovers, so let’s take a look at some years gone by and remember all the fun we had:
In 2019 Universal took us on a trip to the infamous Hawkins in the Stranger Things Haunted House where guests battled the Mind Flayer and saw the iconic Starcourt Mall. Universal ran with the 1980s theme in 2019 as they opened a Ghostbuster Haunted House where the supernatural ran rampant! The 2019 Scare Zones did not disappoint either, the 80s theme was a great choice for 2019 and the Scare Zone Anarch-cade featured oversized 80s arcade games, neon, and plenty of Scareactors carrying chainsaws and evoking mayhem.
Universal’s Halloween Horror Night in 2018 was a scare to remember – the iconic Stranger Things was again featured, and the Demogorgon was on the hunt for unsuspecting guests! Poltergeist was another great Haunted House in 2018 that had guests trembling with fear and adrenaline! Famous characters like Carol Anne and Marty were featured in the house and guests were transported to another realm…one they could not escape from! 2018 included many Scare Zones, but by far the scariest was Chainsaw Carnies in Springfield U.S.A. – being chased by a Scareactor through the park is an indescribable feeling! The chainsaws are real (of course the chains are removed) so when the amazing Scareactors come up behind you a rip the chain…prepare to JUMP out of your skin! Universal’s Halloween Horror Night 2018 was certainly not for the faint hearted!
This year, Universal’s Halloween Horror Night will be running from September 3rd to October 31st and typically runs from 6:30pm to 1 or 2am. The beauty of the Horror Nights is that each time you visit you will have a whole new experience so you could attend 4 times in one trip and be scared out your wits each time! Saturday and Friday nights are the busiest times so visiting on a Wednesday or Thursday is best if you are looking to avoid larger crowds. This applies to all years, not just Halloween Horror Night, so be sure to remember this tip for your 2022 Halloween Horror Night experience!
Another great tip is to remember that Universal’s Halloween Horror Night is a separately ticketed event meaning your standard admission tickets will not get you in to the park for Halloween Horror Night, so be sure to have both tickets before attending.
Since crowds can get quiet big and the lines for the Haunted Houses can be long, why not take advantage of Universal’s early entry scheme by staying in a Universal hotel - Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Universal's Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Universal's Aventura Hotel and Universal's Endless Summer all offer you the chance to access early entry and get to at least one Haunted House before the queues get manic!
Normally I would not say this, but for Halloween Horror Night specifically I would also recommend purchasing express passes that will allow you to skip the regular line (once) for each haunted house, participating rides, and attractions. There are 10 Haunted Houses, 5 Scare Zones, shows and many rides and attractions to see during Halloween Horror Nights and as this is such a popular event the queues for each attraction can become long quickly. Purchasing express passes means you will get to experience everything Halloween Horror Night has to offer and still have time for some downtime, food and really taking in the chilling atmosphere!
And that’s what Halloween Horror Night is all about: the atmosphere! Universal are able to create such an amazing, unique, scary experience that you have to be there to believe it! From the terrifying Scareactors, the rolling fog, the constant sound effects and chainsaws revving in the distance, the decorations, lights, and overall fear factor that Universal are able to create is unmatched! Though there is no official age limit, Universal do recommend to not bring under 13s…and from my own experience this is one recommendation you should stick too! The many Halloween Horror Nights I have attended have never ceased to include crying children and an annoyed parent that is quickly escorting them out! This is where travelling with a large group and staying at a Universal hotel comes in handy – there will always be one adult who is not up for the scaring they are about to receive and from experience, they quickly volunteer to have a night in with the kids at one of the amazing Universal Resorts where they can relax by the pool and only faintly hear the sounds of distant screams!
Be sure to follow along with Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights if you cannot attend, and look out for 2022 tickets as this is an event you do not want to miss!