Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando: everything you need to know
By Helen Wright
Home safe and sound from opening night and locked in our room at Universal’s Loews Sapphire Falls with the serious heebie-jeebies, we thought we’d share a few tips and tricks on what to expect at Halloween Horror Nights 32. Orlando’s biggest Halloween event, Halloween Horror Nights 2023 has now opened at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida, and it’s a lot. Think haunted houses packed with actors ready to pounce from dark, shadowy corners. Streets filled with people partiying while panicking, as something sinister suddenly appears from nowhere. A full-scale live show alongside the sound of screming and laughter, with bars, pop-up food stalls and more. Horror nights tickets uk
WHERE CAN YOU GET TICKETS TO HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS IN THE UK?
For adults and kids 13 and over, going to Halloween Horror Nights is such a bonus add-on for your holiday. The event runs between September 1st and November 4th, in the evening after Universal Studios Florida closes, so it’s almost like extra park days! And, it’s so much fun.
From the UK, Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights tickets can be purchased in advance at attractiontickets.com. If you plan on visiting the Universal Orlando parks, Universal Studios, Universal Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay Water Park, you will also need general admisison to the theme parks in addiiton to your HHN32 admission tickets.
We have a designated post that has everything you need to know about Orlando theme park tickets and the best place to buy them, which you will find right here (opens in a new tab). Horror nights uk tickets
What is Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando? tickets uk
Halloween Horror Nights is an annual event held every year at the Universal Orlando Resort (in the Universal Studios Florida theme park). It’s an all-in celebration of all things spooky – with a movie theme, of course! Enormous and elaborate horror houses are set up across the park. These are all based on a different theme, which this year included Stranger Things, Exorcist and The Last of Us.
The Halloween Horror Nights houses are not your usual ‘horror maze’ attraction. A year in the making, Universal work with the movie, TV and (this year) video game creators to build houses that have extreme details that the audience will recognise directly from these brands. This results in a fully immersive experience where you’ll find yourself literally inside the movies, TV shows or games that you love – and when it comes to Halloween, that’s scary and amazing in equal measures. Some houses you’ll want to go back through again so you can fully appreciate all the details.
All the Halloween Horror Nights houses are walk-through attractions and are all wheelchair accessible. As you move around the house, as well as the curated visuals, live actors will suprise / shock and scare you from behind props, doorways, trick mirrors and corners of darkness. It’s brilliant.
WHAT ARE THE HHN32 HOUSES LIKE?
This is the 32nd year of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando and, as always, it’s a riot. I’ve been to opening night at HHN for the last seven years and the adrenalin, excitement and anticipation sizzles like a Brit in the Florida sun.
There are 10 haunted house mazes to ‘enjoy’ this year, including the ‘headline act’ of the event – a haunted house based on The Last Of Us. This is the first time Universal Orlando has partnered with a video game to create a HHN set and The Last of Us was a hit with opening-night crowds, being the most anticipated and talked-about house of the season. I loved it.
As you explore the house, Ellie and Joel try to guide you out and away from the clickers, bloaters and other infected beings. There are crashed police cars, run-down alleyways and zombies galore, as well as lots of references from the original game.
The original voice actors for The Last of Us game have returned to voice the main characters, so the whole experience feels incredibly authentic. All the while, the dramatic theme tune plays in the background. We guarantee you will want to go through for a second time!
Halloween Horror Nights 32 houses reviewed halloween horror nights tickets uk
The houses are massive, some taking more than two minutes to get though, which is good and bad, depending on how you look at it! The other haunted maze houses at Halloween Horror Nights 32 include Stranger Things 4, The Exorcist: Believer and Chucky: Ultimare Kill Count. With some of the genre’s most iconic brands, the creatives at Universal Orlando fully understood the brief.
First up, Yeti Campground Kills – where crazed yetis are on the loose in a 1950s campground. Then, Bleed for the Blood Moon plays on Pagen rituals with a Colonial village that worships the moon and if you don’t… well watch out! This features a terrifying church scene where you can’t tell if the worshippers are set pieces or deranged humans ready to pounce…
The Darkest Deal is a house themed on a musician who trades his soul for musical glory, Duelling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate is a fantasy house with evil wizards and creatures (fans of Universal’s former ride, Duelling Dragons will enjoy this) and Universal Monsters: Unmasked features Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Phantom of the Opera, the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Invisible Man in a battle of wills, all have incredible theming and plenty of scares to have people legging it for the hills.
Stranger Things is back at Halloween Horror Nights 32 with a series 4 house, featuring Vecna!
Wildly popular Netflix drama, Stranger Things, returns to Halloween Horror Nights this year in an all-new Stranger Things 4 house, themed on season four of the series. Guests will travel through iconic scenes, including the notorious Hawkins Lab, the enigmatic Creel House, and Vecna’s chilling mind lair. Along the way, guests will be preyed on by otherworldly creatures including demobats and even Vecna himself.
Oddfellow’s Twisted Origins is a fun, headline house. Fans will delight this season with the theme that Dr Oddfellow is controlling all the badness and horror action around the park by summoning his deciples. Think scary clowns, evil puppets and more.
Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count is another haunted house with a well-known baddie. This house has the added comedy element of Chucky with actual dolls being the killers in the maze. For some reason, I found this the least scary of the HHN32 houses, but I was quite fascinated by the set and the comedy theme so I may have just zoned out the scares while taking it all in.
The scariest haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights 32 was by far the Exorcist: Believer house. Plus, in a HHN first, this actually acts as a living trailer for the upcoming film, which isn’t out until October. The theming in the houses is excellent and you do feel like you’re walking through an actual movie set. But, it’s truly terrifying with some inventive scares that had me screaming my head off and running for the exit. At one point, someone threw ‘holy water’ at me. I can’t wait to see the movie now. Just don’t walk up the stairs…
The house on the most epic scale this year has to be The Last of Us, which is a huge maze with a familiar story, recently retold in the TV series. In an assault to the senses, this house hits hard with the elements, including wind, rain and snow, as well as the undead infected trying to attack you, of course. Everyone was a bit dazzled when we stepped out into Florida’s September heat.
WHAT IS A SCARE ZONE AT HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS?
There are also five scare zones dotted around the park. For Halloween Horror Nights 32 newcomers, these are public areas you pass through as you make your way around the park, each with a cast of ‘scareactors’ and some sinister surprises hidden within them. One commonly asked question is whether the characters touch you at HHN and the answer is no. They may accidently graze you or come very close but it is not usually the case that the actors make physical contact with guests.
Despite the park-wide party atmosphere, if you do want a break from the shocks and scares, there are pleny of areas of the park where you are able to relax and take a spook-free break.
Is Universal Halloween Horror Nights 32 suitable for children?
According to the official website, Halloween Horror Horror Nights 32 is not recommended for children under the age of 13. However, there is no minimum age for entry and I did spot children (and babies in prams!) at the event. The houses and some of the street areas could be very scary for children and it’s also useful to know that there is loud music and, of course, screaming, throughout.
If you are visiting Orlando with younger guests or guests who might not want to experience Halloween Horror Nights, take a look at our Halloween in Orlando for all ages post.
WHAT RIDES ARE OPEN DURING HHN32?
The rides open during Halloween Horror Nights 32 this year include Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (which is even better in the dark than during the day), Men In Black: Alien Attack, Revenge of the Mummy, Transformers 3D, and Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts, (in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley). During HHN32 is a great time to ride attractions, such as Gringotts, which always have a long wait during the day. During the Halloween festivities, you can walk right on!
How long are the lines at Hallloween Horror Nights 32?
The iconic Halloween Horror Nights is one of the most popular events in Orlando, attracting hundreds of thousands of guests. Some events, certainly those opening few nights and the evenings leading up to actual Halloween are completely sold out and the park will be at capacity. This does result in an incredible atmosphere inside, but of course means lines for the houses may be longer than at quieter times. On opening night, no houses had lines with less than a 40 minute wait, with most being between 60-100 minutes all night.
The busiest days of the week to visit are Friday and Saturday night (with locals heading to the event in droves) and the quietest night is said to be Wednesday. Despite that, even mid-week, it’s reasonable to expect not to see every HHN32 house in one night. However, if you are hardcore and still keen to do all Halloween Horror Nights in one hit, there are some ways to get maximum scares during your visit.
Halloween Horror Nights 32 Express Passes
There are two main ways to make sure you tick off all the houses on day one. First up, Halloween Horror Nights Express Passes are available to buy on Universal Orlando online and in the park priced from $199.99 per person + tax. This is in addition to your entrance ticket and valid for one night only. It is worth noting that these tickets are limited availability and can (and usually do) sell out. Plus, they become more expensive the fewer there is remaining. So if you know you absolutely want to hit the ground running and try to get on everything at least once, whilst it seems like another extra cost, I highly recommend it.
Even if you have given up on seeing all the houses in one night, having the Express Pass means you can enjoy the event at a more leisurely pace. Bear in mind that on busy nights you will still encounter some lines and wait times with the Halloween Horror Nights Express Pass (just not as lengthy as the standby line). As an estimate, this will be just under half the time you would usually queue per attraction. After 32 years as the world’s leading fright night, Halloween Horror Nights is very popular!
For a sneak peek at what to expect – watch our HHN28 video!
Halloween Horror Nights 32 VIP passes – The R.I.P pass
Finally, for the ultimate terror extravaganza, you can go for the R.I.P Tour. With this, you will join a small group and get a V.I.P tour of the event. This includes front-of-line entry to the horror houses (once per house, with a guide) and V.I.P park entrance, and valet parking for one vehicle. Due to extra security checks in place – believe me, free valet parking and speedy entrance is a HUGE perk. You can also enjoy a pre-tour drinks reception, access to exclusive cash bars and a Universal Express Unlimited access to all open rides after the tour (sadly not the mazes).
Even though the disclaimer does say that entry to all attractions is dependent on itinerary and not guaranteed, this is pretty much the best way to see all the Halloween Horror Nights houses without any hassle – even though it comes at a price. This is what we did, and yes, it is probably the only way you stand a chance of hitting all the HHN32 mazes in one day. R.I.P Tour prices start from $299.99 + tax per person and do not include entry to the event.
Have you heard of the Frequent Fear Pass for Halloween Horror Nights 32?
I’m not going to lie – with more attractions than ever before, getting around ALL the mazes, scare zones and rides in one night is probably impossible without upgrading your experience. If you’re coming to Florida from the UK and staying in Orlando for a while during HHN’s reign, you could look at upgrading to the Frequent Fear Pass, which, at prices starting from £179.99 is slightly more expensive than a one night pass on the door, but will give you unlimited access to Halloween Horror Nights for a two week period – which is amazing. Doing it this way, you can come back as often as you want and do a few houses at a time and enjoy the atmosphere or use it to race to the one that had an impossibly long line the previous night, before the crowds arrive. If you don’t think you can handle more than one night at HHN32, there is more information on regular park tickets here and it is definitety worth purchasing dated tickets in the UK as soon as they go on sale to ensure your entry.
Staying at a Universal Orlando Resort Hotel during Halloween Horror Nights 2023
Another TOP TIP is that I highly recommend staying at at Universal Orlando Resort Hotel during Halloween Horror Nights. There are multiple advantages for doing this. Firstly, the hotels at Universal are lovely! I have stayed at every resort now and I can confirm there is no bad option. The hotel you choose will be down to your taste and budget (rooms at Universal Orlando start at £55 a night) but all share the same excellent perk, which is Early Park Admission. This means access to the main theme parks (during the day for an hour before regular admission guests).
All the hotels also have FREE transport to the parks, either by boat, bus or with a short walk, meaning getting home after Halloween Horror Nights is super easy – without any faff or traffic jams. Plus, you wont need a designated driver, so you can indulge in the crazy Halloween Horror Nights cocktails…
What time to arrive at Halloween Horror Nights 32?
The park closes for regular hours at 5pm and if you are already inside the gates from a day exploring the park, you will be asked to wait in a restricted holding area so staff can get set up for the evening’s festivities. Being in here may give you a little edge on those entering from the main gate, depending on location, but guests here are not given any other early entrance privileges. Just a quick mention to say that if you want to enter Universal Orlando during the day, a separate entrance ticket is required in addition to your Halloween Horror Nights pass.
If you aren’t entering from the holding area I recommend you arrive at the park 1-2 hours before the event opens (usually 7pm). Horror fans take this very seriously and so you will see groups start to gather around this time. Collect your tickets from the window if you need to and be in line ready for the green light. Buying your Halloween Horror Nights 32 tickets in the UK at Attraction Tickets Direct means you will already have your tickets with you as these are issued from the UK and sent to you before you travel. This year, HHN32 opens at 7pm.
Tickets start from £65 per person
Halloween Horror Nights 32 is on NOW until November 6th 2023.
GETTING THERE FROM THE UK
We really hope you enjoyed our guide to Halloween Horror Nights 32 and found it helpful! Give us a shout out on Twitter and Instagram you did!
For this event, we travelled to Orlando with Virgin Atlantic Holidays, and Universal Orlando Resort. Seven nights in Orlando, including scheduled Virgin Atlantic Economy Classic flights from London Heathrow direct to Orlando, a 3 Park Explorer Ticket, a Halloween Horror Nights single night ticket and accommodation at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, £1,576 per person.
Price is based on 2 adults travelling and sharing, and includes all applicable taxes and fuel surcharges which are subject to change. *Price is based on a departure on 26/09/2023. Virgin Atlantic flies direct to Orlando twice a day from both Manchester and London Heathrow.
To book: www.virginholidays.co.uk or call 0344 557 3859.
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