A NIGHT OF FRIGHT
Everything to expect from Universal's spookiest attraction this year
Practically every Central Florida resident goes to Halloween Horror Nights every year at least once. It's one of the most fun ways to experience the Universal park, and it's sure to get your blood rushing. After last year’s changes, Halloween Horror Nights has returned and has already started its annual traditions. This year, Halloween Horror Nights opened on September 1st and lasts until October 31st. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Halloween Horror Nights and features new houses, attractions, policies, and more.
This year, Halloween Horror Nights feels like a return to normal, and that's reflected in the hours of operation, which go from 6:30 PM to 2:00 AM, just like any other year. Typically, the park is not open this late, but Halloween Horror Nights is an exception for the rule. After last year's saddening cancellation as a result of COVID-19, Universal intends to make the best of this year.
Ticket prices begin at $70.99 with available discounts and upgrades. To many, the most fun part of the experience are the famous haunted houses. This year, Universal features eight new houses and the return of two fan-favorite houses: BeetleJuice and Jack the Clown. Their new houses consist of The Haunting Of Hill House, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Universal Monsters: The Bride Of Frankenstein Lives, Halloween Horror Nights Icons: Captured, Welcome To Scarey: Horror In The Heartland, Case Files Unearthed: Legendary Truth, The Wicked Growth: Realm Of The Pumpkin, Puppet Theatre: Captive Audience, and Revenge Of The Tooth Fairy.
But haunted houses aren't all that make the experience spooky. Halloween Horror Nights also features "scare zones," or places where performers actively try to scare you, throughout the park. Scare zones for this year include Crypt TV; 30 Years 30 Fears; Seek and Destroy; Gorewood Forest; and Lights, Cameras, Hackion- Eddie's Revenge. There are also two live shows within the park: the Marathon of Mayhem: Carnage factory and the Halloween Nightmare Fuel show.
Universal Studios strongly recommends that when you visit, you be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, obtain a negative COVID-19 test result prior to visiting the park, or wear a face covering. All guests, regardless of vaccination status, are recommended to wear face coverings indoors within the park. They encourage all guests to keep a safe distance between travel parties, and remain focused on maintaining the highest cleanliness and sanitization standards possible. Throughout the park, there are several places for guests to wash their hands and sanitization stations set up.
Overall, this year we are fortunate to see the return of Halloween Horror Nights. And despite the new COVID-19 mitigation policies, Universal is sure to offer the thrill of a lifetime.
This is Aiden’s first year on magazine staff and his third year at Edgewood. He hopes to soon own a black C5 corvette. On the staff, he hopes to improve his writing over the next years to come.