Enter if you dare! Get ready for a fun night of haunts, jump scares, spooky fun entertainment, laughs, drinks, and perfect themed snacks at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights (also known as HHN). It’s finally the spookiest season of the year, and time to enjoy a favorite event for us horror fans.
Universal Orlando’s HHN 34 kicked off on August 28th and runs through November 2nd this year. We had an amazing training opportunity to explore this year’s HHN, filled with new entertainment, 10 haunted houses, 4 scare zones, spooky good snacks, and lots of thrilling fun at every turn. We even took the opportunity to experience an additional separate ticketed HHN event to provide us with a behind-the-scenes look into the amazing production of these themed haunted houses (more on this later!).
As an avid HHN and horror fan, this event is a must-do every year for me, and it might be just the annual event for you, too! Let’s review our HHN night in the fog and get ready to let us help you plan your fun, terror-filled night.
*Warning: this event is best suited for children aged 13 years and older.
Know Before You Scream: HHN Basics
Before deciding if HHN is a night for you, here’s some basic information on the event. This is when our services are super helpful to assist you with tickets, information on the event, and a strategy to maximize your time.
- Event Dates: Select Nights August 28th – November 2nd
- The event requires a separate ticket, not included with theme park admission. HHN begins at 6:30 PM and ends at 2:00 AM.
- Various ticket add-ons are available, including: Stay and Scream, Scream Early, Express Pass, RIP Tours, and Behind the Screams: Unmaking the Horror Tour
- 10 Haunted Houses
- 4 Scare Zones
- 2 Entertainment Scare Zone Areas
- 2 Entertainment Shows
- 4 Rides Open (Harry Potter & Escape from Gringotts, MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack!, Revenge of the Mummy, & Transformers The Ride-3D)
- Themed snack booths
To make the most of your night, it’s important to review these ticketing options to add on to your HHN ticket. Utilizing Express Pass or participating in an RIP tour is key to completing all 10 houses in one evening. And it’s a bonus to have a theme park ticket for this day, or tack on your Scream Early to gain more time before the gates open at 6:30 PM.
Unmasking the Horror Tour at HHN: Behind the Scream Magic
Before our HHN night, we decided to experience the 3-House Unmasking the Horror Tour. This guided tour provides you with an inside look at select haunted houses with the lights on and without scares. With detailed information from your guide on the behind-the-scenes creation, you’re able to experience the amazing special effects, set details, and artistry these houses have to offer. You’re even allowed to take photos inside the houses on the tour, which is not allowed during the HHN event.
For our tour, we were able to see Grave of Flesh, Dolls: Let’s Play Dead, and Hatchet & Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters. Our guide walked us through the storylines and little easter eggs throughout the houses. The creative development of these houses and the way the HHN creative team brings these houses to life is amazing. It’s even better seeing these houses and learning about them in daylight. Some little easter eggs we learned during our tour included hidden elements within the house. Did you know every year, HHN has a little animal hidden in each of the houses? This year it’s a lizard. Try finding those with the lights off! I loved learning all the technical terms used by scare actors and the various elements that are used to create special effects.
If you’re a big horror fan like me, this is a must-do add-on experience to enjoy the artistry of these houses even further. Unmasking the Horror Tour is also available for 6 houses with lunch included. Be sure to review both of these options to add to your HHN day or in the day leading up to the event!
Where the Streets Come Alive: Scare Zones at HHN
Throughout Universal Studios, you’ll encounter these immersive themed areas with elaborate sets, creepy atmospheres, and scare actors ready to add more fright to your night outside of the houses. Each one of these Scare Zones has a theme designed to keep you on your toes. This year, HHN has two additional entertainment-based scare zone areas, including one that many HHN fans have been waiting to experience! Here’s some spooky insight on these fun terror zones that you’ll want to visit more and more throughout your night.
- The Origins of Horror: Discover the Root of Fear: Enter a decaying conservatory where artists carve tributes to Halloween Horror Nights. You’ll encounter monstrous crows, gargoyles, and more. This is the scare zone that greets you upon entering the event. Lots of good jump scares and amazing set design, complete with carved statues depicting the intellectual property (IP) houses.
- Masquerade: Dance with Death: Your First Dance May Be Your Last: You’re invited to a masquerade ball where blood thirsty vampires lurk behind ornate disguises. When their masks fall, you’ll be their prey. What a beautiful and fun scare zone located in the Hollywood area of the park. We absolutely loved the production quality, and the scarers in this area were amazing.
- The Catlady of Crooked Lane: Cat Got Your Tongue?: Travel a winding path to a mysterious home, where trick-or-treaters are transformed into feral felines. Be careful, or you’ll be next. New this year are more show production areas of the scare zones, and the Catlady is out in full force. Before entering or exiting the Crooked Lane near the Springfield area, you’ll enter and hear her twisted tales, complete with a surprise ending. Be sure to check this one out!
- Mutations: Toxic Twenties: You’ll Radiate Fear: In a 1920s neighborhood, a BuzzCon truck with radioactive cargo crashes into a mobster getaway car, sending the city into toxic pandemonium. The roaring 20s come alive in the New York area of the park. This scare zone was brightly lit with radioactive elements and great scarers to be found at every corner.
New this year are two entertainment-type scare zones that add to the spooky atmosphere throughout the park. They’re a great addition to areas that were lacking in HHN thrills, bringing the entire park to life this year.
- Mel’s DIE-IN Zombies: It’s Time for the Graveyard Shift: The bad news: A hungry horde of zombie carhops has taken over Mel’s Die-In. The good news: their service is to die for. This is the one enthusiasts have been waiting to experience! Being an HHN fan, finally having a scare zone themed to a classic HHN annual staple of turning the lights off at Mel’s Drive-In Diner to “Mel’s Die-In”, complete with zombies, was so fun. I was so excited to finally see that area “come alive”. This one was a favorite of ours for the night!
- Club Horror: Party Like Your Life Depends on It: “Welcome to Club Horror – the all-night street party where the beat’s bumping, the vibes’s electric and everyone’s dying to get in. (I would classify this one as a more entertainment zone. There aren’t any scarers lurking around the area, but rather a few characters dancing. It’s a fun little break to grab a drink and listen to some fun music.)
Also, keep an eye out in the Springfield area. The carnival chainsaw clowns have returned, and they are so interactive and fun. They continued to remember us as we passed through the zone throughout the evening.
If you’re reading through and thinking you want to keep these scare zone thrills at a distance, HHN is now offering a No-Scare Necklace. This is available for purchase inside the event. The necklace lights up to let scare actors know not to approach or scare you directly. The new No-Scare Necklace is a great option for guests who may be hesitant to enjoy this awesome event due to the scares lurking in the park. But be warned, scarers may continue to call you a “scaredy cat” all night long.
Horror Takes the Stage: Entertainment Shows at HHN
The haunting fun doesn’t end at just the houses and scare zones; HHN also brings horror to audiences with a live stage and a brand new water lagoon show to let you slow down a bit for the evening and still enjoy some thrills. Be sure to check them out!
- Nightmare Fuel: Circus of Decay: This once-vibrant circus has festered into an unending nightmare. It’s a sinister spectacle of pyro, aerialists, and illusions. Showtimes: 8:00 PM, 9:30 PM, 11:00 PM, and 12:30 AM.
- Em was able to catch this show while I completed all 10 houses. It’s a great show filled with a lot of air stunts and great illusions. Em says it’s not to be missed, but be warned! It does get very, very hot in there, so pack your water and fans.
- Haunt-O-Phonic: A Ghoulish Journey ”A ghost story is rising from its watery grave to haunt the Universal Studios lagoon, featuring towering water screens and eerie music”. Showtimes: 9:00 PM, 10:00 PM, 11:00 PM, 12:00 PM
- This fun projection show on the lagoon is a nice way to break up the time in your scare zones and houses. It was a nice little addition to the night. I just wish there were more of the HHN houses or scare zone elements included in the show.
Scream-Worthy Snacks at HHN
It isn’t an event without snacks and treats! HHN serves up some spooky snacks, festive drinks, and amazing treats themed to the haunted houses and scare zones. Every year, these menus change based on the HHN theme, meaning you have something different to try every year. It’s so fun to see these houses come to life in food form. Throughout the park, you’ll find specific food stations serving up these unique dishes. Here are a few of the stations and our favorites (there’s even more to explore and try beyond these!!)
- Five Nights at Freddy’s Dining: You’ll find that Freddy and the gang have taken over Louie’s Italian Restaurant. Here you’ll find some cute themed snacks, including the Evil Cupcake. But for our best food item of the night, it’s Why Not Have Both Pizza & Pasta. This is a piece of garlic bread pizza with spaghetti and meatballs on top. It was amazing, a must try!
- Fallout Food Booth: Another great food booth with another pick for a favorite of ours, the Pickle Bucket Baked chicken. This is buffalo chicken dip with crispy fried pickles. So so good, if you’re a fried pickle fan, go grab this!
- Cursed Carnival: Love cheese? Then you have to try the Death by Cheese Stick. This is a huge mozzarella cheese stick with spicy marinara sauce. It’s a bit spicy but worth it!!
Step Inside the Fear: My Rankings of HHN 34 Haunted Houses
Here we go! My ranking of the haunted houses at HHN 34. With a great lineup of some fan-favorite franchises that many have been anticipating for years, this year was a big year. So much so, crowds are larger than in years past. From the 5 anticipated IPs to the 5 original terrifying houses, here’s which houses deliver on the production, scares, and best frights to help you plan out which houses to prioritize for your big HHN 34 night.
1. Terrifier: “Try your luck against Art the Clown in the Terrifier funhouse. You’ll witness his grotesque handiwork of torture and be exposed to the spatter of his victims. It’s a whole new level of gore!”
This house was absolutely fantastic. The set production is incredible, and every level of detail in these films can be found at every turn. So many scares for me in this house. And of course, at the end, Art wants you to choose his “dry” or “wet” path. Beware of what you choose! This was one I wanted to complete a second time, but given waits and other experiences, I ran out of time. Definitely worth the wait!!
- Scares:5/5
- Production: 5/5
- Overall: 10/10
2. El Artista: A Spanish Haunting: “In 19th-century Spain, a tortured artist moves to an isolated country manor to seek inspiration. Instead, the art comes alive and possesses him. You’re about to be part of the permanent exhibition.”
- A visually stunning house. It was so beautiful, the sets and detail in this house were unreal. So much so, I was distracted looking and had some great scares in between the awe of the house overall. Definitely a must experience!
- Scares: 3.5/5
- Production: 5/5
- Overall: 8.5/10
3. Jason: Universe: “The iconic horror villain Jason Voorhees is coming for you. Step into his terrifying world, from his sinister shack in the woods to the summer camp where it all began.”
- Not much to this house, production-wise wise but this is a classic jump scare house that will get you at every turn. I honestly lost count of how many Jasons made me jump, and it was so fun. This was looking to be a popular one as the night went on due to the level of scare. Aim to complete early in your night!
- Scares: 4/5
- Production: 3/5
- Overall: 8/10
4. Hatchet and Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters: “In this Old West town, all hell is breaking loose. Red-hot lava demons are trying to possess everyone, melting everything in their path. Your only hope: Hatchet and Chains with their mystical weapons.”
- Even though I saw this house during our Unmasking the Horror Tour, it still gave me some thrills and screams. Knowing the storyline and details further with our tour made me enjoy this house even more. It’s a really great house!
- Scares: 3.5/5
- Production: 5/5
- Overall: 8.5/10
5. The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks: “Go head-to-head with The Wyatt Sicks as they lure you through the ominous doorway to their shadowy realm. You’re about to meet your match.”
- Not knowing much about the Wyatt Sicks storyline besides being WWE focused, I didn’t have many expectations but I was very impressed. The details and storyline focused on these characters was great and I really enjoyed the jump scares in this house.
- Scares: 3.5/5
- Production: 4/5
- Overall: 7.5/10
6. Galkn: Monsters of the North: “In a remote northern village, a wicked being rises from the dead, bringing a horde of monsters and demons from the fjords to wreak havoc on the townspeople. Try to escape the belly of the beast.”
- Production was really great in this house. A lot of great visuals and set designs. A couple of scares here and there, but overall, the production gives this a higher ranking on my list.
- Scares: 3/5
- Production 4/5
- Overall: 7/10
7. Five Nights at Freddy’s: “Get ready for the night at a creepy, abandoned pizzeria, where nothing is what it seems and possessed animatronics are lurking.”
- This was my first house as it is so popular it had hit capacity for the standby line for early entry. I’m not familiar with the storyline of this IP, but the animatronics in this house were truly amazing and the set was great. There were not many scares for me here but it’s a great one if you enjoy the franchise.
- Scares: 2.5/5
- Production: 4/5
- Overall: 6.5/10
8. Fallout: “Face your fears in post-apocalyptic LA. Escape from the vaults to the wasteland and confront the formidable bounty hunter The Goul.”
- Great production and sets paying homage to the video game and television show. However, just not many scares here. It was also a lot shorter of a house than I was anticipating for an IP house. Again, fans will enjoy it but for me it was a bit of a let down.
- Scares: 2/5
- Production: 4/5
- Overall: 6/10
9. Dolls: Let’s Play Dead: “You’re about to become doll-sized and witness the unnatural creations of a twisted little girl. You’ll be hunted by burnt fashion dolls, toys she’s melded together and undead horrors in her dollhouse.”
- This was such a fun house to explore with our Unmasking the Horror tour, the production and details are so fun including hitting the door bell on your way in. But the scares fell flat for me. If you’re afraid of creepy dolls then it’ll be a hit for you.
- Scares: 2/5
- Production: 3.5/5
- Overall: 5.5/10
10. Grave of Flesh: “Welcome to your funeral, where things are about to go from bad to worse. You’ll enter your grave and then the underworld, where flesh-eaters who feed on the dead will hunt you for all eternity.”
- This is just a basic house. Not a lot going on in here with a strange storyline as you go. Not a lot of scares and there’s some cool details we got to see from the Unmasking tour but not great in the dark. A miss for me.
- Scares: 1.5/5
- Production: 3.5/5
- Overall: 5/10
Until Next Year HHN!
This event is more than just your haunted houses and scare zones. It’s an experience with the perfect mix of fear and excitement. Whether you’re a horror and haunted house fan like me or just someone who enjoys the spooky atmosphere, there’s something here for everyone. You’ll experience great thrills, laugh, and unforgettable memories that you’ll want to come back for more! We already have our countdown for next year, can’t wait for another night in the fog!
There are even more tips and tricks to help make this night one to remember. Get ready to experience the best Halloween night Orlando has to offer before November 2nd! We’re ready to help plan and make your HHN night, never go alone!
Are you ready to plan your next vacation? Schedule a complimentary consultation with Emily to learn more. Or for more from Emily, you might enjoy:
