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Halloween Horror Nights

Halloween

About Halloween Horror Nights

Tickets for 2009's Halloween Horror Nights 19 are $69.99 plus tax and available via Universal's website. The dates for this year's event are September 25-26, October 1-4, 8-11, 15-18, 21-25 and 28-31.

Description:

Every year, Universal's creative folks come up with brand new ideas for haunted houses and scare zones, and implement them inside the park, creating what some call a "Halloween Wonderland" full of scares.

Tickets:

This is a separately ticketed event. This means, of course, that you must purchase a separate admission ticket to Halloween Horror Nights on top of any other ticket you possess to gain admission during "regular operating hours".

Florida residents can get discounts on tickets, which are tiered to offer the greatest level of discount when purchasing tickets for non-peak nights, and the lowest level of discount when purchasing tickets for peak nights. These discounts are typically given by promotion codes and coupons found in Coca-Cola products and Burger King restaurants.

There is also the option to purchase a Frequent Fear Pass, which allows unlimited admission during non-peak nights for the price of one regular admission. It is available for $69.99 and is valid on September 25, 26, October 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 21, 22, 25, 28 and 29.

Re-Entry:

This is a non re-entry event. That means, even if you had to scan your fingerprint in order to use your ticket, and even if you are using a Frequent Fear Pass ticket, you will be denied re-entry to the event should you exit the event and attempt to re-enter.

Express Options:

Halloween Horror Nights has its own Express Pass, called the Halloween Express Plus Pass, which is priced according to whether a night is classified as peak or non-peak. In 2008, a peak night Halloween Express Plus Pass cost $70, and a non-peak night Halloween Express Plus Pass cost $40. It should be noted that a Universal Express Plus pass for use during daytime operating hours is NOT valid for use during this event. It should also be noted that the "On-Site Hotel Room Key Express" system is NOT used during this event, and even on-site resort guests must purchase a separate Halloween Express Plus pass in order to gain access to the Express lines at all houses and functioning attractions.

Please note that you may only use your Halloween Express Plus Pass ONE TIME at each haunted house and functioning attraction. Once your Halloween Express Plus Pass has been "Scanned" by an attendant, it cannot be used again for that haunted house / attraction.

Also, please note that Universal's Express Plus only guarantees that your wait in line will be less than the wait in the "regular" standby queue. Universal's Express Plus does not guarantee zero wait time nor does it guarantee front-of-line access. In most cases, you will wait no more than 5 minutes. In some cases, as with the Reflections of Fear house in 2008, you may be waiting for 20-30 minutes in the Express Plus line while the people in the Standby queue wait anywhere from 45-120 minutes.

Security:

There is increased security during this event. Please be aware of the following measures.

Current information states that there are, "No Masks or Costumes allowed." This is not Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. The purpose of this regulation is to ensure that there is no confusion between who is a costumed ScareActor and who is a park guest.

Hours:

This event operates on two separate schedules, depending on whether it's a peak night or a non-peak night. Non-Peak nights operate from 6:30pm to 12:00 midnight. Peak nights operate from 6:30pm to 2:00am. All houses and rides shut down queue access at closing time. All scare zones (street scares) stop operating 30 minutes prior to closing time.

The Houses:

In 2008, Universal presented 8 brand new haunted houses. Each house is themed differently and features many costumed ScareActors, who audition for this event, and are trained to deliver good scares and startles.

The Scare Zones:

Some streets are converted into themed Scare Zones, where costumed ScareActors roam and attempt to scare random guests. In 2008, there were 6 of these.

Random Street Scares:

In certain areas, there may be "random street scares". In 2008, the "Chainsaw Drill Team" was scaring people in the streets of San Francisco and the "Zombie Drill Team" was scaring people in between Men In Black and The Simpsons Ride.

Rides in Operation:

Some rides are operated during this event, but not all rides are open and operating. In 2008, you could ride The Mummy, Men In Black, and The Simpsons Ride during the Halloween Horror Nights event. All other rides and attractions that function during daylight hours were closed during the event.

RIP Tours:

For an additional fee, you can go on an RIP tour (the Halloween name for a VIP tour). Each tour group holds up to 12 guests. Tours are classified as "private" or "non-private". A non-private group means you and your party are placed with as many other people as necessary to form a group of 12 and then proceed to tour the houses, scare zones and shows. The cost of a non-private RIP tour is $150 per person. Please note that this expense is separate from Halloween Horror Nights admission, and admission to Halloween Horror Nights is not included with your RIP tour. The RIP tour gives you and your group front-of-line access to all of the haunted houses and shows for the evening, and takes about 4 hours to complete. As for Private RIP tours, there is a flat rate for this (approximately $1,500) and these Private tours accommodate up to 12 guests.

Wait Times:

Due to the high volume of guests who come to this event, wait times on peak nights can be as high as 2 hours (120 minutes) per haunted house. On non-peak nights (not including Sundays, which are rapidly becoming as busy as peak nights), most haunted houses will have a 5 to 25 minute wait.

Do I Really Need a Halloween Express Plus Pass?

Based on my experiences in 2008, I would recommend you ask yourself this question: "Do I only have this one night to experience Halloween Horror Nights?" If so, purchase a Halloween Express Plus Pass. In 2008, I saw that even Sunday, a non-peak night, was growing in popularity. An Express Plus pass was not absolutely necessary when attending on a Wednesday night; but, once again, it's better to be safe than sorry. Also, please keep in mind that there is a set number of Halloween Express Plus Passes that will be sold, after which Halloween Express Plus Passes are "Sold Out". As such, if you wish to purchase a Halloween Express Plus Pass, please do so online as soon as you know which night you wish to attend this event. The sooner you purchase, the better your chances of getting one. In some cases, peak night Halloween Express Plus passes sell out almost 2 weeks before that night's scheduled operation.

Alcohol:

Universal sells alcoholic beverages during the Halloween Horror Nights event, as well as during the regular operating hours of the two theme parks and CityWalk. Universal has a strict zero-tolerance policy about consumption of alcohol by minors. Should you so much as allow a minor in your party to take a single sip of an alcoholic beverage or HOLD your beverage for you for a second, you will likely be confronted by security (including local police), escorted off Universal property, and given a trespass warning that bars you from re-entering Universal Orlando property for 1 year from date of issue.

Food:

Several counter service and vendor booth restaurants are open during the Halloween Horror Nights event. The fare is standard "Carnival" fare (i.e., hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, etc.). Healthier options are available at some of the regular counter service restaurants that are open during the event.

Shoes:

Wear athletic shoes. You will be doing a lot of walking and standing in line. This is a theme park, after all.
-- Last edited by Robert Niles

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Photos from Halloween Horror Nights

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Readers' Opinions

From Daniel Salvagno on Oct 31, 2008
This year, I was impressed by the following houses: - Body Collectors - Scary Tales - The Hallow The following scare zones appealed to me: - Asylum in Wonderland - The Skoolhouse - Fractured Tales Overall, even though this was Universal Orlando's biggest year (yet), I felt as if something was missing from the event. The crowds on Sunday nights were larger than I had ever seen them before, as were the lines on Sunday nights. The main house, associated with this year's theme, Reflections of Fear, was too short for my taste and did not accurately portray the story of Mary Agnes (a.k.a., Bloody Mary) in the progressive manner that the website portrayed her. One aspect which threw me off mentally was the construction zones for the Rip-Ride-and-Rockit roller coaster, scheduled to open in 2009. Because of the area where the coaster is being constructed, many of the queues for the three soundstage houses had to be re-routed to such a degree that guests ended up "walking laps" around the soundstages. Overall, this was not a bad year for Halloween Horror Nights; however, in my opinion, this was not their best year ever. My favorite Halloween Horror Nights years were the years when both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios housed the massive event. A return to Islands of Fear might be warranted, if not suggested.

From Richard Geiger on Nov 3, 2007
My family and I attended halloween horror nights the night of the 20th. We were very disappointed with the outcome. The number of people in the park was ridiculous and the wait times were through the roof. I can see that profit definitely talked this year, as we have been to several other events in the past and came away thrilled. There were much less actors in the street, no parades, and the overall ambience was that of anything but a halloween atmosphere. Three of the rides had technical difficulty and couldn't be ridden, so we couldn't even substitute them for not being able to get in the haunted houses. Overall, after paying 11.00 to park and the admission fees to get in, I'd say that we came away feeling like we were ripped off that night. I doubt that I will try again next year. Disappointed, Richard A. Geiger

From jackie ramirez on Sep 29, 2006
I just got out of HHW 16 and what a huge disappointment. I left real early and saw other people doing the same I asked about ten people and they all said the same thing "dont waste your money" I usually love this event and could not believe the crappy job they pulled this year. Only Universal will be open and when you walk in it is not scarry at all not even any smoke, the stage was deserted when I walked by, twice. The houses were weak and the scare zones were pathetic. Wow I am so disappointed after waiting a year I guess I will be waiting two years since I dont expect to waste any more money there this year (waste being the word to remember?

From Luis Diaz on Sep 26, 2006
HHN is the Orlando event that my friends and I look forward to every year. Living in Miami, my friends and I make a big deal and plan out the whole weekend we go months in advance. Here are the highlights from last year's horror nights: Demon Cantina: seemed like an extended scene from the movie dawn til dusk. it was pretty lackluster but the giant devil demon at the end looked pretty cool. Cold blind terror: Could've had potential. The concept of the house being chilled as cold as possible (to the point where you see your breath!), very little light, and a good house design, could've made that one of the most innovative and creative houses.... yet it wasn't cold. you were not blind. and i felt no terror... at all. sad. Where evil hides: this was another disappointment. it seemed like there wasnt a lot of thought put into this house. the storyteller made an appearance but just sat there... anyway. terror mines: my personal fave! the idea was brilliant w/ the miner hat! a truly scary experience when it starts to flicker and die out making you take slower steps and try to anticipate what the scareactors will do. a great house! my friends and went a second time but no hats this time. boo. blood ruins: tried to be castle vampyre from the year before but didnt quite make it. wasnt too bad though. Body collectors: awesome makeup and costume design! some truly freaky stuff! this one was great. The skool: this one had to have been the worst of the lot. one word: boring. nothing really scary about it. Bill & Ted show: last year was actually the first time i actually went to see it and what a show! it was hilarious! last year's wasnt terrible but 2004's HHN was better. We always go during a weekend because we all work and go to school so we have to go on a saturday. for this reason we always purchase the express pass. though pricey, is worth every penny. it guarantees you'll get to see everything and not have to wait hours in those god-forsaken lines when they start having waits of up to 2 hrs! last year did have a lot of people, i mean A LOT! there wasnt much room to walk and not be bumping into someone, i hope they do something about that. I miss the parade, i wish they'd bring that back... maybe next year. but that was my HHN experience from last year in a nutshell. didnt top the year before but wasnt horrible either. this year looks like it has potential what with bringing the classic characters and houses back. so here's hoping for a good time. see you all there!

From Randy Scott on Feb 21, 2006
Sorry it took so long for me to post. I didn't want to ruin anyones time at HHN 15, so I waited until today to post. I figure that everyone going tonight is there and everyone going tomorrow night will be going to win 5 grand and experience the worst business decision since general seating at a Who concert. I'd step on you to see the Who! Anyway, first the positives of HHN 15: 1. Bill and Teds. Probably the best ever at HHN's. It was truly the highlight of our HHN trip. Almost worth the price of admission. We went twice. 2. Body Collectors. Great concept and scary house. We liked the old Psychotherapy House at this location better though. 3. Terror Mines. Neat and original concept with the Miner Hats. Something more than damp burlap and darkness would have been better. Using the stage (Poisidens Fury) set with creatures and harvested bodies may have added to this house. Can't they treat the water so you don't get that overwhelming dead fish smell when you enter? 4. The Skool. Great concept and a little disturbing with all the little people. Should have been longer. Now the bad: 1. The theme. Was it tales of terror or about the queen thingy. Very hard to tell. The old woman from the website was only in one house. She appeared to be 18 with wrinkles drawn on her face. With all the seasoned citizens in Florida can't they find a real old lady? 2. The crowds. We went on Friday 10-21-2005. Not a good choice. By 10 Pm the crowd was so thick that you could not walk a foot without bumping into someone. Add the dark and the generated fog and it was about 0 visibility in some areas. The Scareactors could not even begin to penetrate the mass of hot sweaty bodies. Maybe they could sell a limited amount of tickets and not run the park at capacity? 3. The Back Die Affair folks. What to hell is this all about? As if the park isn't crowded enough, we have to deal with Richey Rich and his band of losers filing through the park sipping drinks in single file? The most people who ran over me and my son, trying to stay together in the fog and crowds were these oblivions. What a bunch of egotistical bastards! We paid for the regular tickets plus the Express Passes and these pukes still get to go in the houses before us. They even got priority seating at Bill and Teds. Maybe Universal should rename the nights Money Grubbin Halloween Whore Nights. 4. All the houses at Universal Studios. What a waste of space. Where Fear Lives, Cold Blind Fear and whatever the other one was named were just lame. All that space and time and that is the best UO can do? Shame on them! Cold Blind Fear was Just Plain Stupid. 5. Scarezones. Non-existent because of the crowds. Sad though, it seemed the Scareactors wanted to play their parts but they couldn't for fear of hurting someone. I could make a lot suggestions for improving HHN 16. Maybe I already have. We spend a good deal of money traveling to HHN from Oklahoma. I hear Busch Gardens puts on a good show. Perhaps Tampa next time? Randy


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