Halloween Horror Nights arrive at Universal Orlando, Universal Studios Hollywood
Spooky season is officially here.
Universal Orlando Resort kicked off its longest-ever Halloween Horror Nights last Friday, and Universal Studios Hollywood's HHN opened this week.
Both events share a lot in common, including five intellectual property house themes, but each coast does HHN a little differently, with experiences unique to their location and year.
"The great thing about Horror Nights and what separates this event from any other haunted event is the level of immersion we give the moment you walk through that gate," Mike Aiello, Universal Orlando Resort's senior director of Entertainment Creative Development, told USA TODAY. "This event shifts and changes every single year. We never do the same event twice, so that experience is going to be unique to this year and will be completely different next year."
Here's what longtime fans and newcomers should know about Halloween Horror Nights 2023.
What are the themes for Halloween Horror Nights 2023?
Guests can visit five intellectual property haunted houses in Florida and California. IP houses are popular because they bring to life characters whom fans are used to only seeing on screen and possibly in their nightmares.
▶ Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count is Chucky's first solo house. It's inspired by the killer doll’s namesake film series and USA & SYFY show. “A true sadistic killer, Chucky has been mired in the agony of disrespect he feels from his peers at not being taken seriously,” according to Universal. “Thus begins his quest to turn his haunted house into a living slaughterhouse by killing every person who enters.”
▶ The Exorcist: Believer is inspired by the upcoming film with the same title by Universal Pictures and Blumhouse and Morgan Creek Entertainment. “Guests will be transported to a bustling street market in Haiti, where an innocent purchase of a strange folk doll with three eyes leads to the opening of a demonic portal, the awakening of sinister spirits and the subsequent disappearance of two 12-year-old girls in the U.S,” according to Universal. When the girls reappear, “it soon becomes clear that only an exorcism can save them – and everyone who comes in contact with them, including unwitting guests, is suddenly at risk of losing their souls.”
▶ The Last of Us "will propel guests into a world of carnage and mayhem as they follow in the footsteps of (its namesake video) game’s protagonists, Joel and Ellie, who endure a brutal journey in a world overtaken by a fungal virus that turns humans into various forms of a new threat known as the Infected,” Universal Studios previously revealed.
▶ Stranger Things returns with a new house inspired by Season 4 of the hit Netflix show. "Guests will find themselves on the front line of Vecna's deadly attacks on the citizens of Hawkins while traveling through iconic scenes, including the notorious Hawkins Lab, the enigmatic Creel House and Vecna's chilling mind lair," Universal announced in July.
▶ Universal Monsters: Unmasked takes guests deep into the Catacombs of Paris, where they’ll face iconic foes from Universal’s cinematic library: The Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Invisible Man Dr. Jack Griffin. Universal said “these desperate and dangerous fiends have become filled with a rage toward guests navigating the twisted tunnels of their underground labyrinth home."
Hollywood vs. Orlando: What's the difference between Universal Studios parks?
What else is there at Universal Studios Hollywood?
In addition to the five IP themes shared with Orlando, Universal Studios Hollywood has an Evil Dead Rise house inspired by this year's film of the same name and New Line Cinema's "Evil Dead" franchise.
The Southern California park also created two original haunted houses:
▶ Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America is an entirely new house featuring "the most terrifying ghosts and creatures from Latin American folklore," according to the park.
▶ Holidayz in Hell takes "visitors on a petrifying trip through a series of psychotic seasonal celebrations," the park announced. There was also a Holidayz in Hell house in 2019, but this will be different.
There are three new scare zones:
▶ Ghostz welcomes guests with "a horde of blood-soaked, chainsaw-wielding ghosts," according to the park.
▶ Toyz brings evil toys to life through a wicked toymaker's dark magic.
▶ El Terror de las Momias is an extension of the Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America haunted house, featuring "an ancient army of unearthed mummies," according to the park.
Additionally, the popular Terror Tram returns with a new twist. Terror Tram... The Exterminatorz immerses guests in "an insect uprising led by the devious Larry Larva whose goal is to exterminate humans from the Earth," the park said of the experience set in Universal's famous backlot. "Horror fans will also walk along the Jupiter’s Claim set from "Nope"where they will encounter The Tethered from "Us"in an epic crossover from two of director Jordan Peele’s blockbusters."
Hollywood's event also features a new live show, The Purge: Dangerous Waters, which will include "adrenaline-filled action sequences, stunts, spectacular lighting and laser effects, high fall fire burns and massive explosions" in the WaterWorld venue.
Blumhouse fans will also want to check out a new experience in the DreamWorks Theatre called Blumhouse: Behind the Screams. HHN guests can see authentic props and costumes from the production house's myriad horror films and a frightening surprise.
And once again, Death Eaters descend upon the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, looking for others to join them in following Voldemort.
What's unique to HHN at Universal Orlando?
Universal Orlando has five original haunted houses unique to its location, bringing its total house count to 10. Here’s how they’re described:
▶ Dr. Oddfellow: Twisted Origins: “In the 1930s Dust Bowl era, guests won’t be able to resist going inside Dr. Oddfellow’s menacing menagerie of twisted oddities where they’ll encounter grotesquely distorted animals and freakish fiends …The price to enter this creepy caravan is steep as souls feed his immortal power.”
▶ Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate: “The great wizard Merlyn has been transformed into the Enchanted Oak, leaving a power vacuum. When two powerful warlocks invade his castle to steal his spell book, they are turned into dragons of fire and ice. Now guests are caught in the middle of their battle and are forced to choose a path and a victor.” Guests will get to choose a path at the end of the house to see who wins.
▶ YETI: Campground Kills: “In a 1950s campground, a group of towering, terrifying yetis are running rampant, ripping apart campers, rangers and anyone else who gets in their way … Guests must flee through the campground into cabins, a bait shack and even the outhouse in hopes of making it to the ranger tower before it’s too late.”
▶ The Darkest Deal: “In the Mississippi Delta, blues musician Pinestraw Spruce meets at a crossroads with a diabolical entity known as The Collector to make a deal: his soul for musical glory. Guests will witness his big break performing for a crowd before The Collector drags him to Hades with the other musicians who learned the terrible price of fame.”
▶ Bloodmoon: Dark Offerings: “Colonial-era villagers begin to worship the moon obsessively. When the blood moon rises at their fall festival, they take it as a sign that they must hunt down any non-followers within their village. Guests will need to try not to become part of the sacrifice as they gather body parts to form a grisly offering.”
The Florida resort also features five different scare zones connected to Dr. Oddfellow.
"This is the first time in a long time that we've have a narrative that binds all of our scare zones together, and it's something we're really excited by," Aiello said. "We have an icon this year in Dr. Oddfellow. He is the character that's kind of brought this event into existence this year. And guests will meet him as soon as they come in through the front gate."
▶ Dr. Oddfellow’s Collection of Horror: “Dr. Oddfellow will lure guests into Halloween Horror Nights with a promise of immortality. As he lifts the veil on all the horrors to come, they’ll soon realize they may not even survive the night.”
▶ Dark Zodiac: “Dr. Oddfellow has entered a dark dimension to harness the power of the Zodiac and live forever. He twists the signs into malevolent beings who foretell one’s doom. As his star rises, yours falls.”
▶ Jungle of Doom: Expedition Horror: “In the 1920s, Dr. Oddfellow ventured deep into the darkest jungle, performing horrific experiments on nature. Now his monstrous creatures are running amok and on the hunt.”
▶ Vamp ’69: Summer of Blood: “At a 60s music fest in a small New York town, guests will jam to popular bands with fellow concert-goers until Dr. Oddfellow unleashes vicious vampires on the audience.”
▶ Shipyard 32: Horrors Unhinged: “Enter a 1940s San Francisco shipping yard full of mysterious crates and cages bearing Dr. Oddfellow’s symbol. Beware, his nightmarish oddities have now escaped spreading fear and chaos in their wake.”
Universal Orlando's popular Nightmare Fuel show is back with a new story: Nightmare Fuel Revenge Dream. The racy, live shows are known for pounding music, dazzling pyrotechnic and aerial performances, and provocative costumes and dancing.
Guests will also want to watch for pop-up appearances by Death Eaters in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley, M3GAN dancers and David S. Pumpkins of "Saturday Night Live" fame.
Do you have to buy separate tickets for Halloween Horror Nights?
Yes. Halloween Horror Nights is a specially ticketed, after-hours event not included with standard theme park admission.
Single-night HHN tickets start at $79.99 for Universal Orlando and $74 for Universal Studios Hollywood.
What are the dates for HHN 2023?
Universal Orlando Resort is holding Halloween Horror Nights:
Sept. 1-3, 6-10, 13-17, 20-24, 27-30
Oct. 1, 4-8, 11-15, 18-22, 25-29, 31
Nov. 1-4
Universal Studios Hollywood is holding HHN:
Sept. 7-10, 14-17, 21-24, 27-30
Oct. 1, 4-8, 11-15, 18-22, 25-29, 31
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Halloween Horror Nights 2023: Every haunted house, scare zone
