Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights opened its 2022 event with a collection of two live shows, five frightening scare zones, and ten terrifying haunted houses. Running select nights now through October 31, Orlando’s HHN maintained its reputation as a world-class Halloween event with an immersive nightmare that is staggering in scope, production level, and fiendish fun. Few other theme park haunts hold a candle to the consistent array of new horrors delivered by the creative team behind this wildly popular celebration of Halloween and the 2022 incarnation consistently delivers.
The overall theme this year is, wait for it… Halloween. But really this makes perfect sense. Being the 31st year, HHN Orlando leans into the number and its significance to our favorite holiday, highlighting All Hallow’s Eve in all 5 scare zones and a lagoon show. It also acts as the nostalgic theme for this year’s Tribute Store which is an attraction in its own right.
We will give you our take on the event overall and get into the specific, shows, houses, and scare zones. We will tell you what you should not miss, and what you might want to skip if pressed for time (there isn’t much). Diane Lewis will be following up with another article on the foods and Tribute store itself. An * next to the title indicates a DO NOT MISS attraction.
We will be updating throughout the coming days with video highlights of the scare zones and houses.
LIVE SHOWS
There are two shows this year, one a lagoon show and one a stage extravaganza. Both are wildly different in tone and appeal yet both do what they are meant to do; Offer a break from the pulse-pounding terrors for a bit of stationary entertainment.
Halloween Nightmare Fuel Wildfire *
The first DO NOT MISS on the list is the stage show Halloween Nightmare fuel WILDFIRE. A mix of dance, acrobatics, magic, and fire dance. this is 25 minutes of high-energy entertainment. The thin framework is of a man falling asleep to a scary book only to fall into a nocturnal world of nightmares. Visited by all manner of ferocities, the various performers deliver one jaw-dropping act after another. You have barely processed one feat of skill, strength, or balance, and another one quickly follows. This is aggressive, sexy, fiery entertainment that impressed the hell out of us.
Ghoulish! A Halloween Tale
With the theme of Halloween Nostalgia, GHOULISH weaves an aquatic yarn of spooky fun. A DJ introduces each segment as if spinning the stacks of wax at a radio station. This show is technically breathtaking with its mix of choreographed fountains and multiplane digital projections on the dancing waters and static structures in the distance. That’s not to mention the lasers.
Technically, this is a great show. The sound design is perfectly calibrated to the tight space despite the buzz of activity surrounding it. This is big, broad entertainment meant to offer dazzling spectacle and a break from the relentless terror. Ghoulish, A Halloween Tale delivers.
If any note could be offered, it would be to have leaned into the collection of visual and musical assets at Universal’s disposal. Aside from this year’s spectacular collection of intellectual properties, there are original ideas and stellar marketing collateral that could have been mined. The first two-thirds of the show is remarkable from a technical standpoint, but they lack that visceral oompf.
Then Ghoulish leans into the use of The Weeknd’s music and the show really takes off. That’s not to say The Weeknd was the answer, but it was the right direction. Ghoulish: A Halloween Tale is entrancing, kitschy, and visually striking. A great diversion that will allow for your tired feet to rest, focusing on the visual and aural feast.
FIVE SCARE ZONES
Up next is the collection of five frightening scare zones all inspired, in some way by Halloween. The directions that they take the idea range from classic to fantastic.
Horrors of Halloween
Situated at the front of the park is HORRORS OF HALLOWEEN. It seems The Pumpkin Lord, the spirit of Halloween, has returned to take over this year’s event. He sits in a tentacled gourd just inside the entrance speaking down to, yet welcoming the masses. Just ahead is the familiar archway studded in lit pumpkins and festooned with towering stiltwalkers shrouded in fog. We like the Pumpkin Lord. We see him becoming an HHN icon if he isn’t already. Boo’s grandiose uncle perhaps.
Scarecrow: Cursed Soil
Heading from the Hollywood area to Simpsons we pass through the canopy of trees and into an agrarian nightmare known as SCARECROW, CURSED SOIL. The scarecrows once stationed in the cornfields have come to life infused with the evil of cursed earth. This is a rather moody scare zone with an atmosphere that hangs thick in the air. A dilapidated barn is our gateway to the other side as a windmill sits precariously to the right. On the ground, a team of earthen figures are waiting to attack. The talent really killed it here and created an atmosphere of dread.
Sweet Revenge *
In the New York section of the park is the epic SWEET REVENGE scare zone which is a DO NOT MISS. Here the Halloween candy from The Major Sweets’ candy company have turned these 1950s kids into crazed killers. Think sugar rush, but really bad. While the adults running the Halloween festivities begin piecing thing together, the kids are running rampant, tearing things apart. Here we get to take in kitchsy 50’s design and absurdity mixed with brilliant talent that works the crowd. Too, there are gigantic sets (created from the Mardi Gras team) that are used as centerpieces in the mayhem.
Graveyard: Deadly Unrest
Just to the right of the entrance and into the Hollywood section of the park we enter the GRAVEYARD: DEADLY UNREST scarezone. It’s All Hallow’s Eve and a graveyard has come to life in search of souls. Fog fills the air and statues lunge from their perches while spectres wander. This is a difficult area to create a scare zone in, yet the team gets the job done. Lighting cues offer lightning strobes, while crisp sound fills the air with thunder, screams, and ghostly vocal swirls.
Conjure the Dark
Nestled at the far end of the park between Diagon Alley and The Fast and Furious, is the CONJURE THE DARK scare zone. Perched on a performance space, an evil sorceress has entered twisted stone ruins and called forth monstrosities from dark dimensions. Never upset a powerful witch. Ever. Here the sorceress conjures souls and creatures from every dimension and time to raise hell. The scareactors here really seemed to nail it the nights that we watched them. The sorceress glided around her bubbling cauldron, commanding the evils in the area who would, in turn, attack. Pro tip: as she is casting her spells, there are small show moments that punctuate her spells, so stick around until she is done sealing your doom.
HAUNTED HOUSES
This year visitors to Halloween Horror Nights face a gargantuan collection of 10 haunted houses that feature a mix of established properties and highly developed, original ideas. Across the board, the production level is unparalleled in the haunt industry. No that’s not hyperbole. In one night we were inside the mind of a pop star, wandering Egyptian ruins, escaping bugs in a post-modern nightmare, floating around a 1920’s speakeasy, rummaging through a dystopian civilization within a subway system, and so much more. Every moment was carefully produced and crafted and timed to maximize the scare.
As usual, there were some houses that knocked it out of the park on opening night while others blended into the roster. Another caveat is that haunted houses are, essentially an organic piece of immersive theatre whose success comes down to a collection of variables that are sometimes unforeseeable. Timing, cast energy, and the flow of guests through the attraction.
Here are our thoughts on our first walkthroughs of each house
The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare
Do you like The Weeknd and his music? Then you are going to LOVE The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare. Otherwise? Well… We approach the show building and immediately enter a cryptically scientific tunnel leading to a room in which pop icon The Weeknd is having his creative mind extracted while creating the album “After Hours”. From there we enter a series of scenes depicting the supposedly horrific moments from his album. It helps to not only be familiar with the album but to know the subtext and meaning of each song. For the uninitiated, this will be a confounding yet arresting mix of synth-pop frothiness paired with strange creatures that range from bandaged nurses to reptilian freaks. That’s not to mention various incarnations of The Weeknd himself in various stages of mutilation while wearing his signature red sequin jacket and singing to the crowd. Unless you are a fan, this might be one to save for last.
Halloween *
The classic John Carpenter horror film that started it all returns to Halloween Horror Nights on both coasts this year and the Orlando version is nothing short of brilliant. We enter the soundstage the house resides in and we are eased into an interior 1970s setting. We hear echoes of 6-year-old Michael attacking his sister with a knife. We enter a bedroom and realize that we are in the Myers home on the night of the murder. Michael bounds from a dark corner clad in a deceptively merry clown costume wielding his signature butcher knife. We are home.
The cold open to the haunted house gives way to the iconic title card “HALLOWEEN” from the film and we jump forward to where the film picks up. Inspired by one of the most chilling scenes from the film we are outside, on a stormy night where the inmates of the Smith’s Grove Sanitarium are running amock in the rain on account of Michael’s escape. We this is the one scene where Dr. Loomis appears and we realize the approach of this house puts the emphasis on Michael, Michael, and more Michael. All of the iconic scenes are here depicting his wake of death and mayhem.
Easily one of the DO NOT MISS houses, HALLOWEEN puts The Shape front and center, featuring his most terrifying moments in pursuit of his victims. I felt as if I was in the Doyle living room with Laurie Strode as she gripped a knitting needle, waiting for Michael to attack. It was a glorious homage to one of the most iconic slashers of all time, putting the spotlight on the monster.
Universal Monsters: Legends Collide
Visitors approach a dig sight in 1940’s on a dark night in Eygypt where Larry Talbot is in search of an amulet that could possibly end the curse that keeps him bound to morphing into The Wolfman whenever the moon is full. Unfortunately, the full moon appears and poor Larry begins to change into his animalistic alter ego. Meanwhile, it seems that Dracula is after the amulet too and has decided to swoop into the excavation to nab the amulet as well. In the process, however, The Mummy rises to keep what is his and all hell breaks loose. The three titans of Universal horror battle among the ruins as we dodge the mayhem and attempt to outrun their vicious attacks.
Easily one of the more visually striking houses this year, Universal Monsters: Legends Collide distracts you with panoramic sets and exquisite lighting long enough for the scare actors to lunge for a mark. Even if you don’t fully absorb the basic premise of the house, it quickly transports you to an exotic location from another time, with three classic characters hiding around nearly every corner. In an interesting twist, you never really know who will reaign supreme as the ending changes every night with a new victor running off with the amulet.
Take care not to worry too much. As we know monsters never really die. They always come back. If you are interested to see where the story goes next, the Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights version of this house is a direct sequel to the Orlando story.
The Horrors of Blumhouse
Two horror masterpieces come to life in “The Horrors of Blumhouse.” Guests will find themselves trapped between a frantic teen and the ruthless serial killer she’s swapped bodies with in Freaky. Then, they’ll try to make a desperate escape from the dark basement of The Grabber’s “fun” house before they become his latest victim in the terrifying The Black Phone.
Blumhouse pictures returns to Horror Nights with another edition of THE HORRORS OF BLUMHOUSE. Situated near The Fast and the Furious attraction, the house utilizes that attraction’s queue to feed guests into two terrifying experiences, one based on the film FREAKY, the other based on THE BLACK PHONE. Both are great, but one is more successful at breaking free from the pitfalls of its cinematic narrative to offer something surprisingly good.
We enter the first segment, FREAKY. Here we are in a posh home adorned with artifacts where the Dola dagger has been stolen, used, and has caused a young teenage girl to switch bodies with a serial killer. A trail of victims is left behind including the infamous wine bottle down the throat moment. The dagger shines through the walls with the use of scrims and we make our way to the high school where things have only gotten worse. FREAKY is, at best, a difficult concept to get across. The causal visitor won’t likely pick up on the idea and will instead keep dodging The Butcher and his attempts to kill. It still works, of course, and the scares are inventive.
Then we take a quick break before entering the second segment THE BLACK PHONE. Here the translation of the film into a walkthrough is wonderfully successful, starting us off in a neighborhood where the fences are plastered with “missing children” posters. Soon enough The Grabber is there with his black van and black balloons, asking if we want to see a magic trick. The actors portraying Ethan Hawke’s creepy AF character nail it with their slinky moves and iconic masks. We even get a number of scenes in the basement where Finney, the Grabber’s latest victim is kept. This is some inventive use of a singular setting as we enter and exit from various points of the room throughout the house to catch new scenes.
Spirits of the Coven *
Another DO NOT MISS house is SPIRITS OF THE COVEN. Guests wander into a dark alley in a 1920’s prohibition-era city. We are invited guests to a secretive speakeasy for a few cocktails and a bit of sinful fun. This place though has a secret. It’s run by witches. It’s soon apparent as our first encounters with the regulars end with a threatening stare, including the bartender. So what’s their booze made out of? They allow us further into the club and we discover that we may never get out alive.
SPIRITS OF THE COVEN is quintessential Orlando HHN original house goodness. It features a richly researched and nuanced original story that is infused with horrifying darkness. It has lush, detailed sets and set pieces that immerse guests in a dense example of worldbuilding. Finally, it has an intoxicatingly macabre story with a beginning, middle, and end.
Bugs: Eaten Alive *
Another DO NOT MISS is the fabulously quirky and wonderfully creepy BUGS, EATEN ALIVE. The setup is that visitors are touring a sort of World’s Fair, 1950’s home of the future. Mixed into the ventilation of this state-of-the-art home is a pest control aerosal. Unfortunatly things go horribly wrong during the demonstration and the pesticide doesn’t just welcome the bugs, it mutates them into oversized beasts preying on visitors.
Easily one of the better houses of the night, BUGS takes a cynical look at an optimistic vision of the future by turning the horrors of the atomic age against visitors. Some of the set pieces in this particular experience had us cackling and screaming. Then it just gets so much worse. Every square inch of this house is beautifully art directed and finely produced. That’s not to mention the fact that if bugs bug you, well, (evil laugh).
Fiesta de Chupacabras
HHN guests arrive at a small mountain village in Latin America as a strange celebration is unfolding in honor of the mythical creature, the Chupacabra. Everyone knows about the Chupacabra. It’s a weird four-legged creature that mutilates livestock and causes mayhem. So what’s this remote town doing celebrating this nefarious creature? Fiesta De Chupacabras is on par with everything we have come to expect from the Universal Orlando HHN team. It is visually arresting, it features crisp sound design and expertly crafted scares. Yet something is missing here and that is a clear story. No question this is a fun house to go through. It’s chaotic and frenzied, it transports visitors to another place with detailed sets that seem endless, the scareactors were all on their mark from the minute we entered, but I still wasn’t exactly sure what was happening.
Hellblock Horror
HELLBLOCK HORROR takes visitors to a top-secret prison facility that houses a collection of creatures and criminals that require more than just your average iron bars. Here monsters and demonic entities are held captive thanks to a special interdimensional power core that keeps them from escaping. The bad news is that the core is failing and the inmates are escaping. We approach the prison as it is descending into chaos and are charged with reactivating the core before too many monsters escape.
Again, Universal delivers a high-concept house. It’s not just a prison, it’s a prison for what can’t be kept in jail. And we are asked to venture in to save the day. Across the board, the story works and the scareactors keep the energy far above any other house. They never stop moving. I think that I really would have like to have seen some absurd things happen in this house that would have taken us out of the prison a bit more. As it is it’s a solid walkthrough but some interdimensional battles would have been interesting.
This is another solid entry into the 2022 roster of houses that is jam-packed with mayhem and danger.
Dead Man’s Pier: Winter’s Wake *
DEAD MAN’S PIER: WINTER’S WAKE is the one DO NOT MISS house. Inspired by the scare zone from a previous year, this house has everything that you have come to expect in a Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights haunted house. We enter the soundstage where the experience is located and are instantly transported to a chilly New England fishing village. It is night and the town square is lifeless, save for the rotating beam of a lighthouse in the distance that keeps watch of the shore. A Phantom sea captain has returned, summoning his army of undead fishermen to exact his revenge on the living.
This is easily the most beautiful house that we have ever seen produced at Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights. The sets are not only highly detailed and exquisitely beautiful but the use of height, depth, and distance are the best we have ever seen anywhere. Guests weave in and out of a multi-level tangle of pathways going in, through, and around a town built from the ground up. Above it all is the quiet beam of the lighthouse high above scanning the impenetrable darkness in vain.
The storyline is haunting and even operatic with a certain sadness of death and longing in the maritime setting. It has a beginning, middle, and end that makes sense and leaves one with delicious melancholy. The music also stands out as a remarkable tool in story and tone. We enter the village and hear the mournful strains of a violin off in the distance paired with a siren’s vocals and we know all is not well.
Then of course there is the breathtaking makeup and costuming that visitors will encounter. Ranging from the few townspeople that we DO meet to the ghastly, barnacle-encrusted undead. I also need to give props to the talent here. The actors in this one just nailed every moment. The sea captain in the tavern, the lumbering ghosts from the sea, the grand finale actor atop a dilapidated fishing boat, everyone knocked it out of the park.
It is rare that we walk away from any haunted house without a single note but this is it. DEAD MAN’S PIER: WINTER’S WAKE is a full-on 10 that should not be missed under any circumstance. This is Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights at its finest.
Descendants of Destruction
In a dystopian future, we approach a subway station that has been taken over by savage humans who are fighting for survival in a barren wasteland. The façade features a spiked fence fashioned from the remnants of a bustling metropolis. We enter the subway tunnel and we see that things are no better below. In a stunning setpiece we see a full-sized subway car has crashed, tunneling a two-level catastrophe and we make our way deeper into the earth. Here the humans aggressively fight for survival and, the deeper we go, the more they mutate. Think of this as a mix of Thunderdome and The Descent.
Easily one of the more visually perfect houses, DESCENDANTS OF DESTRUCTION makes spectacular use of scenes and sets to convey the storyline. The deeper we go into the earth, the more psychedelic and otherworldly things become. By the end of the experience, we are coming face to face with bioluminescent spores and creatures that are eager to feast on our flesh. This is a great house that needs to be seen.
Tickets
So let’s get down to brass tax here and talk about cost. This is a premium, world-class event that is worth what they are asking. Of course, there are ways to spend your money and maximize your time. Below is a list based on pricing and the amount of time one might have at their disposal.
General Admission
The general admission tickets range from $72-$102 depending on the night you choose. This isn’t the best use of time or money and we would suggest looking into the tickets and passes below.
Frequent Fear Passes
Frequent Fear passes are a great option for locals and long-stay tourists. $199 will get you into 27 nights of Halloween Horror Nights whereas $329 will get you into any night you wish, with no blackout dates. if you can pop in on slower nights. But, if you are limited to one night, paying for front-of-the-line access is all but a necessity.
Halloween Horror Nights Universal Express
If you are limited on time we would suggest the Halloween Horror Nights Universal Express ticket. These range from $199-$309 based on the night you choose and they will get you into the event and allow for one-time front-of-the-line access to the houses and attractions.
Halloween Horror Nights After 2 PM Day/Night
Want to see a bit of the park during the day before heading into the fog? You can do that too. The Halloween Horror Nights After 2 PM Day/Night ticket will give you three hours in the park to catch a few rides before the scares begin at 6pm. There are also Express pass options with this ticket that range from $239 – $369.
Halloween Horror Nights R.I.P. Tour
If you are a Halloween Horror Nights mega-fan, this is your ticket. It gets you a VIP tour, unlimited Express passes to everything, and food and drinks. Alcohol is extra. This is the ticket you buy if limited on time and you really want to treat yourself. Spendy, but worth it.
All tickets and vacation packages are on sale now at www.universalorlando.com/
Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights 31 is a smashing success. A living, breathing Halloween dream that will make horror fans scream with delight. It’s an amazing event that sets the bar for haunt entertainment on a global scale. Plan your trip carefully, get there, and prepare to have the time of your afterlife. See you in the fog.
