Halloween Horror Nights 2023 at Universal Orlando: All You Need to Know

Spooky season is upon us! The Halloween season is in full swing in Orlando. From Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, to fall festivals and of course, Halloween Horror Nights!

Event Details

Halloween Horror Nights runs on select nights from September 1st- November 4th, 2023. The event nights are usually Wednesday-Sunday (except for Tuesday, October 31st which will be an event night) but be sure to check out Universal’s site to confirm which night the horror is happening! Admission to the event requires a separate ticket purchase. Single night tickets start at $79.99 and reach a price of $129.99 on Saturdays in October. There are also other tickets options like the frequent fear passes that provide admission to multiple event dates and a scream early ticket. The event starts at 6:30pm each night and ends at 2am.

Halloween Horror Nights includes 10 haunted houses, 5 scare zones, a live show, themed food and drinks and access to a select number of attractions. This year also features the Death Eaters making an appearance in Diagon Alley! The following attractions are available during event nights: Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Transformers, Revenge of the Mummy, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, and Men in Black Alien Attack.

This post will be continually updated as I explore more of the event, so be sure to check back in!

Haunted Houses

The event features 10 different haunted houses that change each year. The designers work on these houses all year long and the attention to detail is incredible! Some houses are based on popular horror movies/games, while others have completely original ideas.

House Rankings 2023

1. Dr. Oddfellow’s Twisted Origins
2. Stranger Things
3. Bloodmoon Dark Offerings
4. Universal Monsters: Unmasked
5. Yeti Campground Kills
6. The Darkest Deal
7. The Exorcist
8. The Last of Us
9. Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate
10. Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count

Stranger Things

This house was great! The design is amazing, and it also seemed like a very long house. I have only seen Season 1 & 2 of Stranger Things, but I was still so impressed with the house. So far this year, this house has had one of the longest waits, so I definitely recommend utilizing the stay or scream area. I can definitely see why this house is popular and there is so much to see inside!

Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count

I enjoyed this house, and the Chucky theme came through very pronounced. However, this house featured a lot of strobe lights which I am not a huge fan of. I have not seen the Chucky movies (this will be a common theme haha) so I can’t speak to how well they portray the movie. Overall, this one was not one of my top houses and I most likely will not go through it again unless the wait time is really short.

The Exorcist

Wow, this one was intense. I would probably say this was one of the scarier houses for me and I definitely felt very immersed. I have also not seen any of The Exorcist movies, although the movie this is based on will not be in theaters until October 6th. There was an odd smell in this house towards the end, but overall, a very intense and well-designed house.

The Last of Us

I also have not played the games or seen the show, but I still really enjoyed this house! This one was not as scary as others, and it seemed to focus more on the characters. My friend that has played the games was really impressed with this house. I definitely want to do this one again as it took forever for my eyes to adjust in the first part of the house, so I am not entirely sure what I saw!

Yeti Campground Kills

I really enjoyed the theming of this one as I love camping and visiting parks! They did a great job with the design, and I felt like I was actually in a campground. A scare towards the end got me really good as I was not expecting it at all. One downside of this house is that there is not a lot of diversity in scare actors (a majority of them are Yetis), but it is still definitely a house I would like to do again.

Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate

I thought this one was really pretty, and the set design was fantastic. I have heard that the storytelling is also great in this one, so I will have to do it again to see if I can get more of the storyline. You get to “choose thy fate” at the end so if you are indecisive, you may want to choose between ice and fire before you go into the house. We did both sides and I think my favorite was the ice side. It seemed slightly longer and I thought it had more to it.

Dr. Oddfellow’s Twisted Origins

One of my favorites! Warning: If you are not a clown person, this house is not for you! You have been warned. I loved the theming in this house, and I am pretty obsessed with Dr. Oddfellow. I got such vintage circus vibes, and I am so here for that. My only complaint is that their wait time posting was way off for this one. The sign said 45 minutes when we went in, and we ended up waiting about 1 hour and 10 minutes. However, even with the long wait, I would definitely do this house again!

Bloodmoon Dark Offerings

Also one of my favorites! The set design is this house was perfection. It gave the perfect creepy setting for some pretty scary scenes. This house has probably been the scariest for me so far as the scare actors seem to be a lot closer to you and there is a lot of “fake-outs” that get you real good.

The Darkest Deal

This house lived up to its name, it is very dark! My eyes had a really hard time adjusting in this house, so we have slated to go back to at night. From what I saw it was very neat and the vibes inside were jazzy. The design gave it a great feel and the scare actors got me a couple of times. Partly because of how dark it was, but they were also very well hidden.

We went back again and I love the vibe of this house. It has a fantastic jazzy and musical feel, yet they definitely get you good with the scares!

Universal Monsters: Unmasked

Love the opera theme in this one! This house probably had the most creative scares and I loved most of the monsters in the house. The Invisible Man was my least favorite, but this house is still pretty high up on my favorites! I am looking forward to doing it again and seeing what else I can see inside.

Scare Zones

The 10 haunted houses located throughout the park are definitely not enough horror! As you are walking from house to house be prepared to continue with the scares. The scare zones are thoughtfully created and each one provides a unique experience and some entertaining scares. Helpful hint: the more nervous and scared you look, the more likely you are to find yourself face to face with a scare actor. But also, if you play it too cool, they might come after you too. So maybe just act natural? Yeah, that probably makes the most sense. There are five scare zones at HHN 2023, and they all have to do with Dr. Oddfellow. I looked up a bit of his lore and I am currently trying to figure out the connections between the scare zones and him.

My Current Scare Zone Rankings (although you will want to go through every single one, you have no excuse not to!)

1. Dark Zodiac
2. Vamp ’69 Summer of Blood
3. Jungle of Doom Expedition: Horror
4. Shipyard 32: Horrors Unhinged
5. Dr. Oddfellow’s Collection of Horror

Dr. Oddfellow’s Collection of Horror

The entrance was moved this year, so this scare zone ended up tiny. I had really high hopes for it, but other than the occasional show with Dr. Oddfellow, this scare zone is very lackluster. It was honestly hard to tell it was even a scare zone.

Dark Zodiac

My friend and I had a fun time trying to find our zodiac sign walking around. Hint: Look up what your zodiac sign looks like beforehand, or I would have had no clue. This scare zone does include chainsaws. I personally abhor chainsaws, so I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. I love the spooky vibe and the characters are very unique. This one definitely ranks high on my favorite scare zones.

Jungle of Doom Expedition: Horror

I also really enjoy this scare zone. I wish it had a bit more of a “jungle” vibe, but I think part of the reason is that the scare zone seems very dark. We missed a lot of the scare actors as the street got very crowded. Keep an eye out at the front of the scare zone for a really fun character!

Vamp ’69 Summer of Blood

This scare zone has the hippy vibes going on and I love it! There are always so many scare actors walking around, and I like that a lot of them are kind of living out their own story. There are also a lot of dancing vampires that gave me so much joy. There are a couple of decked out vehicles throughout and a couple of stages to see some vampires in action.

Shipyard 32: Horrors Unhinged

I am still trying to figure out this scare zone. There are definitely lots of unique characters, but the overall theme seems a bit disjointed. One of my biggest wonders is the Oddfellow truck parked at the end. Most of the characters looks curiously inside and I am still trying to figure out what is going on. Give me some time to research what other people are saying about it and I will be back!

Halloween Horror Nights Live Shows

I love the live shows at HHN! They usually have amazing production value and are truly mesmerizing and entertaining. The show is a great way to take a break from the scares and take a much-needed seat. Prepare to be amazed! I definitely recommend taking the time to check out the shows that are offered during the event. The show is located in the stage area by Diagon Alley (where Fear Factor Live used to be). Also, this year includes the introduction of the death eaters in Diagon Alley! Aaaahhhhhh, so excited!

Halloween Nightmare Fuel Revenge Dream

Death Eaters in Diagon Alley

Eeeekkk, so cool! I was so excited when they announced that the death eaters were going to be making appearances during Halloween Horror Nights. They appear on the stage and then quickly disperse throughout Diagon Alley and interact with guests. They do not have set times that I am aware of, so you may just have to wait for a bit if you want to see them. We saw them come out around 8:30 pm.

HHN Food and Drinks

In addition to the haunted houses, scare zones and live shows, HHN also introduces numerous themed food and drinks for you to enjoy. One of my favorites in recent years include the Twisted Tater which is a full potato that is spiraled, fried and then topped with your choice of seasoning. As well as pizza fries! I am probably most excited about trying all the special food and drinks!

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Peanut Blooder Burger – $13.49: Smash burger with a peanut sauce, raspberry jelly, cheddar cheese, shaved onions, jalapeño bacon and cherry peppers on a vampire bun

Rating: 8/10, I really enjoyed this burger! It had a subtle peanut butter flavor that actually worked really well. I would say it was a bit on the smaller side for the price, but it was tasty.

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Pizza Fries – $11.49: French fries topped with marinara sauce, melted cheese, pepperoni and sausage

Rating: 4/10 Pizza fries used to be so good, but I feel like each year they raise the price, and the quality gets lower. The fries were super soggy, and I felt like it just needed to be cooked for longer. The fries are made ahead of time and are sitting under warmers. I think if you can get fresh ones, you may be golden, but just not worth the price for me.

Dr. Oddfellow’s Carn Evil Dog – $10.49: Red hot dog in a Funfetti hot dog bun, Kool-Aid pickles, bubblegum mustard, and potato sticks

Rating: 1/10 I was so curious about this dog, but it really did not work well. I was barely able to finish it. The combination of mustard and bubblegum was awful. I guess at least I can say I tried it…

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Event Add-Ons

If you are looking to add even more excitement to your Horror Nights experience, there are also numerous add-ons available for purchase.

Scream Early Ticket

This ticket allows you to get into the park early – at 3pm. You can explore the park and ride a few rides. However, make sure you are in a Stay and Scream zone by 5pm when the park closes. The advantage of this ticket is that the houses open early so you can get at least one house done before the event opens for everyone. If you are really strategic, you could even get a few houses done! If you have an annual pass or day ticket that is already valid for the day, you do not need to purchase a scream early ticket. Just make sure you are in a stay and scream zone by 5pm!

Express Passes

Halloween Horror Nights can get very crowded and if you only have one night to spend at the event, it is probably fairly unlikely that you will be able to get everything done. If you can only go for one night, I would recommend choosing a Wednesday as it usually one of the least crowded days. As well, the event will likely become more crowded as we get closer to Halloween. However, you can also purchase an express pass for HHN and skip to the front of the line for the haunted houses.

Tours

Additionally, there are two different tour options for HHN. The first one is a behind-the-scenes tour that occurs during the day and allows you to take a look at the houses with the lights on. You can choose between a 3 house or 6 house tour on the Halloween Horror Nights Behind-the-Screams: Unmasking the Horror Tour. The 3-house tour starts at $119.99 and the 6-house tour starts at $169.99. You do not need separate theme park admission for this tour. The other tour option is the Halloween Horror Nights VIP Tour that occurs during the event itself. This guided tour gets you priority access to the houses once during the night. These tours start at $329.99 per person and separate event admission is still required.

Are you excited for Halloween time? Will you be visiting Halloween Horror Nights this year? I would love to hear from you in the comments! Happy Travels!