It’s that time of year, folks! The time when all the creepy crawlies and things that go bump in the night come out to play! The time where sadistic monsters and serial killers tell their stories, where ghouls and creatures and monsters of all shapes and sizes are put on display at Universal Studios Florida! Halloween Horror Nights is finally here!
Having the pleasure of being there for opening night is really more of a necessity than a luxury – as I think I would have combusted if I’d had to wait one more nanosecond for this event to start. And while I didn’t get a chance to see everything last night, I saw enough to know that this year is going to be stellar from start to finish.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines
Frozen Empire itself left me breathless. As an honorary Ghostbuster (self-appointed), this attraction was more than a house – it was a home. The sets were out of this world, with a shout out to the Manhattan Adventurer’s Club room, which was completely frozen over. This attraction was a perfect homage to the Ghostbuster series, filled with brilliant and intricate details as you get within touching distance of not only ghosts and ghoulies, but some of the most adored props and set pieces from the franchise, including the Ecto-1 in all its glory.
When the most distinguished celebrity guest at an event is the hood of a car, you know you’ve got something special on your hands.
And while my highlight of the night may have been blowing kisses to a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance, Universal Classic Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines wasn’t too shabby, either.
Dark, atmospheric, and teeming with monsters, Eternal Bloodlines told a story worthy of the Universal Classic Monsters franchise – and as a spiritual successor to The Bride of Frankenstein Lives house from 2021, follows the dream team of Saskia Van Helsing – daughter of Abraham Van Helsing, a character from the original 1897 Bram Stoker novel Dracula that has seen been portrayed as a vampire hunter and archnemesis of Dracula in subsequent adaptations. – and the Bride of Frankenstein, both of which are out to destroy Countess Marya, the daughter of Dracula who has risen from the dead to avenge her father.
As with all of the Universal Monsters houses over the years, the love and reverence for Universal’s roots is evident in this house. Special effects made this house feel like walking through a monster movie produced by Universal Studios, and the characters were intense, dangerous, and as deadly as any guest would expect. This next generation of monsters had some big shoes to fill, and Eternal Bloodlines proves that they are as capable of telling bone-chilling stories as their parents before them.
Unfortunately for this house, the interior was poorly lit, which made it less of a thrilling narrative experience during my walk through, and more of a blind dash to not lose the person in front of me. I’d like to apologize to the Bride of Frankenstein, who did her best to scare me, but I ignored her utterly as I desperately tried to catch up to the guest leading the way. Nothing is scarier than breaking the haunted conga line in a house where you can barely see where you’re going.
I look forward to going through Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines again, though – if only to finally see all the things I missed during my first walk through.
Wait Times and Queues
With the Scream Early option for guests with valid daytime admission or a separately-purchased Scream Early ticket, tackling a house or two before the wait times get really out of hand is a huge bonus. For those unfamiliar with Halloween Horror Nights, Universal Studios Florida gives guests the option to experience select houses and Halloween Horror Nights attractions early – before the event is open to the general public. By way of daytime admission or a separate Scream Early ticket that can be purchased on Universal’s ticketing site, being in the park by 5 PM to enter into one of the designated Halloween Horror Nights holding zones gives guests the opportunity to rush select houses while wait times are significantly lower than during the event.
While the most popular houses of the year, like Insidious: The Further will still have an impressive queue even before the gates open for the general public at 6:30, the chance to tackle a house at what is arguably the lowest wait time of the night can’t be passed up. And for those looking to experience houses that aren’t yet at the top of everyone’s to-do list, taking advantage of the Scream Early ticket can make a huge difference. On August 30th, the opening night of the event, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was a paltry 25 minute wait – the vast majority of which was just spent navigating the extended queue!
However, as the event becomes more popular, Universal Studios Florida has had to make changes to the tried-and-true formulas over the years, to accommodate for such staggering crowds. One peculiar change this year was the operation of the standby queues for the Scream Early houses.
Oddly enough, the Insidious: The Further line and the line for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire were one line until they divvied up at the house portals. Which meant that the line for Ghostbusters, which was a 25 minute wait, was made to wrap all the way around to Louie’s Pizzeria. Guests who wanted to do Ghostbusters as their first house were essentially made to stand on an extended queue for a 70-minute wait house, only to then be shuffled off to the side for their actual queue at the very end. It was a bizarre choice to be sure, especially with the disparity between wait times during the Scream Early event.
If Ghostbusters and Insidious had had their own dedicated lines, I genuinely think I would have been through Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and onto my next Scream Early house before I’d even reached the house portal in the combined line. Weird choice, and definitely a time waster for guests who weren’t in line for the super high-demand houses.
Highlights from the Scarezones
Everyone knows the scare zones are best at night, right? Of course! But going through them during the day does have its own perks. Being able to go through elaborate sets like those designed for this year’s Swamp of the Undead scare zone was something that I experienced in broad daylight – and I’m glad I did! From the elaborate swamp transformation to all of the impressive kill displays scattered throughout the zone (you’ll think twice about getting on an air boat here in Florida, that’s for sure!), getting to see the scarezones in broad daylight, to truly appreciate the set design and artistry that goes into every prop, bucket, and miniature turtle sculpture really is a must if guests are able. Then, of course, go through in the dark and really capitalize on those scares!
Swamp of the Undead was the most impressive scarezone this year, with perfect atmosphere and sound design to really transport guests into an undead bayou, but Duality of Fear – the icons’ scarezone situated at the entrance – was not without its own merits. While it’s not unusual for the opening scaremonies of the event to include a show from that year’s event host or Icon, it’s usually a one-and-done show, followed by the opening of the gates and all hell breaking loose inside the park.
But with SINIST3R and SURR3AL, this year, guests were treated to an extended show throughout the night. Perched upon the welcome stage at the top of the Halloween Horror Nights banner truss, SINIST3R and SURR3AL greeted guests throughout a thirty-minute show where they were able to hype guests up for the event, harvest their screams, and welcome them into their twisted dimension of pain and torment.
While the Hollywood scarezones tend to rely mostly on larger, movable props instead of intricate theming and space transformation, this year’s scarezone, Demon Queens, was a surprise banger. It was artistically lit and told the story of the sisters’ breakthrough into our world with incredible visuals, painting a gory picture of the fate of some unlucky Universal Studios park goers that were just in the wrong place at the wrong time when SINIST3R and SURR3AL broke through.
Easily the prettiest of the scarezones this year, Demon Queens featured a large stage set that looked as though SURR3AL may perform upon it – unfortunately, we didn’t catch any show happening at the moment, but the season is still young!
And though nothing this year even comes close to the vibes of last year’s Vamp ’69 scarezone in New York, the addition of SINIST3R and SURR3AL’s greeting show was a huge bonus to the atmosphere of the opening scarezone, inviting guests to pick their path and pledge their allegiance to the realms of physical and mental torment within.
From the Concession Stands
Everyone who’s ever been to a Halloween Horror Nights event knows that the haunted houses and scare zones aren’t the only attractions worth getting excited for. Every year, Universal Studios Florida offers an array of themed foods, desserts, and beverages that are so good it’s scary.
While not everything is always a home run, the food at Halloween Horror Nights is overwhelmingly awesome, and you’re more likely to find some good eats at one of the specialty food booths than anywhere else in the park.
The first thing that I tried last night was Slimer’s Korean Corn Dog from the Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire food booth in New York. It was easily at the top of my list after the absolute knockout Cordyceps dog from last year. This Korean Corn Dog – a “Korean cheese dog with Fritos, coated with Cheetos powder, ghost pepper spice, sage derby cheese and mozzarella”, according to Universal’s food boards – was, first of all, huge. Definitely enough to share between two people, which is exactly what I did.
However, like the Korean Corn Dog from last year, Slimer’s corn dog was also remarkably unbalanced, which means if you’re planning to share it with someone, be ready to divvy everything up accordingly! And if you’re eating it on your own, be prepared for a few mouthfuls of absolutely nothing but batter and chips.
Slimer’s Korean Corn Dog wasn’t quite as good as the Cordyceps Dog from last year, but it was still a delicious quick bite, and very portable!
Universal has perfected the portable foods for Halloween Horror Nights, especially that they’ve brought back their Walking Taco. The Ropa Vieja Walking Taco from the Slaughter Sinema 2 Food Booth by Animal Actors was the best thing I had on opening night. Universal’s food boards describe it as “Doritos, ropas vieja,” which is a shredded beef marinated in a tomato sauce, “salsa roja, lettuce, sour cream and Monterey jack cheese”. It honestly left me wondering why, in all my years of nachos, I’d never considered using Doritos. It was stellar, flavorful, and easy to eat while walking the park – truly, living up to its namesake as a Walking Taco! While I did get the original Ropa Vieja Walking Taco, there was also a vegan option that substitutes vegan chili, vegan sour cream, and vegan cheddar cheese for those looking for a walking taco that fits their dietary choices!
Also from the Slaughter Sinema 2 Food Booth was the Summer Camp Dog. Easily the weirdest thing I ate last night, the Summer Camp Dog left me more confused than anything. A “deep fried all beef Nathan’s hot dog topped with Tostitos nacho cheese, baked beans, pepper relish and Cheetos”, absolutely nothing about this hot dog sounds like it should work, but it does!
The pepper relish gave it a good kick, and the baked beans and nacho cheese sauce were weirdly complimentary to each other. While I think I would have enjoyed it more without the vinegary taste of the pepper relish, it was still a slam dunk. This one, however, was a little more messy, and would best be enjoyed at a table, or with a lot of extra napkins.
The last specialty food I tried during opening night was the Rotting Pumpkin, from the Today Cafe on Hollywood Boulevard. I’m a sucker for pumpkin spice, so if you prefer your pumpkins unspiced, this might not be the treat for you. A “pumpkin spice crème brulée with cake and a black chocolate coating”, this treat isn’t exactly what you might expect when you think of a crème brulée. Sweet and creamy, almost the consistency of an incredibly firm mousse, the interior of the Rotting Pumpkin was pumpkin spice perfected. Not overly sweet, with the earthy taste of pumpkin present front and center, the Rotting Pumpkin was a treat I’d been wanting to try since last year, but never got around to! While certainly not the most famous treat from this year’s lineup of specialty desserts, it was just as delicious as I’d expected it to be.
Meet and Greet at Battery Park
Halloween Horror Nights 33 actually marks the first year of a brand new offering. This year, located on the terrace behind the HHN Bar in the Battery Park section of Universal Studios Florida, Halloween Horror Nights original characters were available for meet and greets and photo ops. Last night’s lineup, when I found them, included two creatures from Goblin’s Feast, the Punk Skeleton used in a lot of this year’s merch and marketing, and Miss Treats from Major Sweet’s Candy Factory.
While these characters remained on their stages throughout the meet and greet, they were more than happy to interact in gestures and mini-scares, wielding weapons and bad attitudes all night. With the popularity of some of Halloween Horror Nights’ original characters over the years, this new offering allows guests to get up close and personal with characters features in the most anticipated original concept houses and designs. With multicolored lights, excellent music, and drinks just a hop skip and a jump away from this awesome new opportunity, the meet and greet is a must see. With any luck, subsequent nights of the event will see different characters take the stages, and this new experience will be coming back in future years to give these creative elements – the characters that bring the houses to life – the chance to be properly admired as they deserve!
SINIST3R and SURR3AL
Easily a highlight of this year’s event, we have two new icons to lavish attention and praise over. SINIST3R and SURR3AL, two sides of the same terrible coin, have broken through to our world. Once the tormented, now the tormentors, SINIST3R and SURR3AL were brought together under the power of fear to rule over the two distinct domains of horror – SINIST3R, over the domain of physical torment, and SURR3AL, over the domain of psychological pain.
Upon entering the park, you will be forced to choose a path, to follow either SINIST3R or SURR3AL’s gruesome trails of torment, by either heading forward towards the Torture Faire run by SINIST3R in New York or by heading to the right down Hollywood Boulevard, towards SURR3AL’s domain in Demon Queens.
With their bizarre appearances and menacing personalities, it’s easy to feel that SINIST3R and SURR3AL are all too happy to take advantage of the foolish mortals who have wandered into their new dominion over Universal Studios Florida. After 33 years of our screams and terror, the door between our world and theirs has been opened, and they insist it won’t be so easily closed
Overall Impression
This year’s Halloween Horror Nights is another installment in a long line of beautifully crafted events. From the Icons to the food and everything in between, this year is going to be another stellar part of the ongoing story that Universal Orlando Resort’s creative team has been telling for the last thirty years. From the very first Jack-in-a-Box in 2000 to this year’s sovereignty of suffering, the ongoing story of Halloween Horror Nights – and the guests’ active participating in this story – has been ever-changing and developing with each new year.
This is not the first time that guests’ terror at Halloween Horror Nights has brought about an ancient and terrible evil, and it probably won’t be the last. With an endless number of years of horror ahead of us, there’s no telling where the event will go from here.
What we do know, however, is that Universal Orlando Resort’s creative team clearly pours their hearts and souls into this event every year – and whether next year features a world-ending evil spirit from another dimension or a more mortal horror the likes of The Director or The Caretaker, the scares will truly be never ending.
While this year may not have the cohesive theming that we’ve seen in years past, where Oddfellow quite literally took over the resort going so far as to project his presence into the parking gargage, or the year where Bloody Mary played a significant part in the story of every single house and scarezone in her otherworldly 2008 event year, the fact remains that the individual components of this year are strong enough to succeed even without that cohesive atmosphere where everything feels connected. With SINIST3R and SURR3AL having their hands in this year’s scarezones and the houses being absolute knock outs down the line, this event year has its own unique strength in that you don’t need to be invested in the cohesion of the event.
Guests can go into this year knowing literally nothing about the stories that have been carefully crafted for each house and scarezone and icon, but can come out the other end of the event having an understanding of what they experienced just from how strongly each individual component stands on its own. And while I’m a fan of the years where cohesion takes precedent, even I have to admit that that’s an impressive feat! When catering to a crowd of thousands every night – some who have never heard of the Discover Universal podcast, others who have never been to a Halloween Horror Nights event in their lives – it’s a delicate balance to strike, and this year pulls it off with flying colors.
Happy Halloween Horror Nights! Here’s to 48 absolutely horrifying nights!
