Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) has officially returned to Universal Orlando Resort! The award-winning horror event has successfully completed its opening weekend. The event opened on Friday, September 2nd and also occurred on Saturday and Sunday night.
I had the opportunity to join the fun on Sunday night and explore a lot of the event. We managed to go through 5 out of the 10 houses, walk through all the scare zones and try a snack and drink. I will be back on Wednesday night to go through a few more houses and hopefully try out some more of the event food!
This post is only my initial thoughts, and I am hoping to walk through all the houses at least one more time before I truly decide on my favorites. I have to say that I loved all the houses we went through, and it was tough even choosing our favorites from the five we went through. All of the scare actors did an amazing job, and the creative team really outdid themselves.
I did a horrible job of taking pictures during the event but will add some more photos to this once I can get some!
HHN Haunted Houses
Everyone has different things they look for in houses, so I thought I would start off by talking about what I enjoy about houses. I love the houses that do a great job with the theming and make you feel really immersed in the story. Beautiful set designs and an interesting story really draws me in. I also love seeing unique areas or parts of the haunted house that make you go “Woah, that was different”. While it is always fun if I get completely scared in a house, I do not usually like a house better because it was scarier. I am probably in the minority there, but I just really appreciate the time and effort that goes into designing a haunted house. With all of that being said, here are my initial thoughts on the houses we were able to get through.
1) Hellblock Horror
This was the very first house we went through, and it was basically a walk-on, so that definitely probably made it more exciting. I am planning on going through this one again soon, but I greatly enjoyed it! It is set inside of a prison, so a lot of the scares occurred from inside a cell of some sort. However, each room had unique aspects to it, and I was definitely intrigued throughout the house.
2) Dead Man’s Pier: Winter Wake
Wow! This one was beautiful and really took me by surprise. The set design is top tier and the lighting made everything more eerie and beautiful. The divers were mesmerizing and looked amazing inside of the house. This house is one I am really looking forward to walking through again. I feel like there was so much to look at and I am excited to discover what else there is.
3) Halloween
Confession time. I have not seen the Halloween movies. My friend gave me a quick rundown while we were in line for this house, so I understood the gist of the movies. I feel like this one did a great job of making you feel like you were in the movies. Again, haven’t actually seen them, but I sure felt like we were stepping inside of a story. The last room of this house was fantastic too! I am not going to give away too many spoilers for it. However, it was such a cool effect and led to some great scares.
4) Fiesta de Chupacabras
I really appreciated so many of the scenes and there were some beautiful rooms in this house. This house is set in a colorful fiesta in a Latin American village, and I loved the way they incorporated this into the house. The Chupacabra were kind of puppet-like for most of the scares and it took a bit away from the theme of the house. However, I definitely want to give this one another go and see what else I can see during the walk-through.
5) Descendants of Destruction
The very last house we went through! I was very intrigued by descending the subway tunnels of New York that are filled with hungry mutants. It was neat because I really did feel like I was descending farther and farther into the mutant lair. The very last room was not great for me as it was blue lights and strobes blended together and really gave me a headache. However, it gave a really cool effect, and the glowing features were really neat! This is yet another house that I am excited to do another walk-through of and add on to my first impressions.
HHN Scare Zones
1) Horrors of Halloween
I am definitely missing Jack, but the Pumpkin Lord is also looking pretty great! I think a lot of the scare actors were not there when we walked through this scare zone, so I am looking forward to seeing it again on Wednesday!
2) Sweet Revenge
Loved this scare zone! I am a sucker for sweets and this one did not disappoint. There are a lot of great picture-worthy spots, and the orange lights are so fun!
3) Conjure the Dark
I think I needed to spend more time understanding what was going on in this scare zone. This scare zone seemed to have a lot going on and I did not take the time to understand it all. I could tell one of the scare actors was trying to conjure something on stage. I have heard that it is a really cool experience when the conjuring happens, and I am hoping to be able to see that happen!
4) Scarecrow: Cursed Soil
Very spooky! This alley in the park is perfect for scare zones and this one did not disappoint. Lots of spooky creatures and scares.
5) Graveyard: Deadly Unrest
This one was beautiful, and I am hoping to spend a lot more time in it. We walked through it quickly on our way out, so I didn’t get to completely take it all in. The characters out and about were amazing and the makeup and costumes were on point!
Event Exclusive Food & Drink
1) Burnt Offering Mac ‘N Cheese Bowl ($8.49)- White cheddar mac ‘n cheese bowl, topped with char siu pork skewer
I was pretty disappointed in this dish. While I am a huge mac & cheese lover, this dish just did not hit it out of the park. I ate it all and it was not awful, but there was not anything special about this dish. The portion was very small for the price and the mac & cheese was pretty mediocre. The pork skewer was very yummy, but also a very small portion. I did not regret buying this one, but I do not plan on purchasing it again.
2) Electric Death (Souvenir Cup – $15.49, 12 oz. – $11.49)- New Amsterdam gin, Bols Blue Curaçao, lime juice, BR Reynolds Orgeat, simple syrup, pineapple juice, pimento bitters
This was so refreshing and yummy! It was a really pretty blue color, and the pineapple was a very prominent flavor. The drink was very tropical, and I immediately wanted another one once I finished it. This is a drink that I would get again!
I am super excited to be heading back to HHN later this week! Keep checking back for my updates on the events! I would love to hear from you in the comments below! Happy Travels!