My Experience at Halloween Horror Nights (Hint – It Was Fabulous!)
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Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood is something I have wanted to do forever. Considering my obsession with Halloween, all things spooky and movie studios, it’s kind of a shock that I had never been. The rather steep ticket prices – as well as the fact that everyone told me I shouldn’t bother attending unless I was also going to purchase a Front of Line pass – are what deterred me year after year. When my best friends, Robin and Steffi, announced that they were coming to visit us from Switzerland for a week in mid-October, though, I decided that they were not leaving America without a nighttime visit to Universal. Not only is Halloween Horror Nights a perfect way to celebrate my favorite holiday, but Robin is obsessed with The Walking Dead and the park features a maze themed after the AMC series. So we headed right on over there after picking them up from the airport. While this is not my typical Haunted Hollywood column, because I always had so many questions about Halloween Horror Nights (if it was worth the cost, if Front of Line passes were necessary, if the crowds were prohibitive, etc.), I thought a post on our experience would be a good idea. (I do have to apologize for the quality of my photographs – they were all taken on my iPhone and, being that lighting was low at the park, are not the greatest.)
In short, I loved, loved, LOVED Halloween Horror Nights. The ticket prices may be high (we paid $90 a person, but the rates fluctuate depending upon which night you attend and how far in advance you are purchasing), but they are worth every penny! We opted not to buy Front of Line passes and, as it turns out, we really didn’t need them. For those who have never attended or looked into attending, Front of Line tickets run about $200 a person (that includes admission to the park). Again, the rates fluctuate depending on the date you attend and how far in advance you are purchasing (late in the game, Front of Line passes cost about $260 per guest!). Our group (read: the Grim Cheaper) just wasn’t willing to pay that much, which, in hindsight, was a good decision. While the lines were definitely long (some over 100 minutes), it is my opinion that Front of Line tickets are not at all necessary.
Because Robin and Steffi were extremely tired from their long flight (and had been awake for more than 24 hours straight at that point), we only stayed at Universal for about two and a half hours. During that time, we were able to go through two mazes and grab a bite to eat. While we, admittedly, saw very little of what Horror Nights has to offer, we had a blast and definitely felt that we got our money’s worth. Heck, just being there and walking through all of the Halloween madness was worth it! And had we arrived when the park opened and stayed until closing, we easily could have experienced most of the attractions sans Front of Line tickets – especially considering that early admission (two hours before the park actually opens) is offered every single night for free, during which time a few select mazes are accessible. So my best advice for enjoying Halloween Horror Nights is to skip the pricey Front of Line tickets and instead get to the park right at 5 p.m., when it opens, and stay until closing at 2 a.m.
I would also suggest purchasing a hotel package if you don’t live in the area. We opted to go that route and our package included tickets to the park and a King Bed Corner Room at the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City.
Our room was large and had a queen-sized sofa-bed, which was perfect for our group. The Hilton is also within walking distance to the park (it’s about a block to the Universal Studios entrance) and shuttle service to CityWalk is provided, as well.
Our room also boasted incredible views of the park!
It happened to be cloudy the night we attended Halloween Horror Nights, which made for the perfect ambiance. Even our hotel looked spooky!
As I said earlier, just being at Universal, seeing all of the frightening décor and witnessing the many masked figures, aka the “scareactors,” who walk around terrorizing guests was an experience in and of itself. Throw in the multitude of chilling attractions and it was pretty much the perfect night for me!
The first maze we hit up was The Walking Dead Attraction (which is now open during the day and year-round).
I have never seen The Walking Dead (I know, I know – I’m missing out), so I did not really know what to expect, but the maze was uh-maz-ing (pun intended!). I honestly felt like I was walking through a live movie set – the decorations were that good. Add to that the fact that scareactors were jumping out at every turn and the whole thing made for an absolutely terrifying experience. We all screamed our heads off the entire way through. (Though photos were allowed inside and I did attempt to take some at the beginning, with scareactors jumping out at us regularly, I became afraid I might drop my phone and opted to put it away rather quickly.)
My favorite portion of the evening, though, was hands-down the Terror Tram! As part of the attraction, guests are not only able to walk right through the Bates Motel set from Psycho . . .
. . . but right up to the Bates house . . .
. . . and onto the front porch to take a photo with Norman Bates himself! The daytime tram ride does not allow visitors to get up-close-and-personal with the Psycho house (heck, guests aren’t even allowed to get off the tram during the daytime ride), so, for me, this felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Y’all better be sitting down for this next part because it’s downright incredible! Following the visit to the Bates home, guests are invited to walk through the War of the Worlds plane crash set! Yes, you read that right – visitors are actually allowed to walk through the plane crash set from the 2005 film.
I’ve talked about the set – which is comprised of an actual commercial 747 jetliner that was chopped up for the movie – numerous times on my blog. Heck, the site – or at least a free view of it – even made it onto My L.A. Must-Stalk List!
During the daytime tram ride, guests are only driven through the set, so being able to walk through it at a slow speed and see every aspect of it so closely was downright remarkable!
All in all, Halloween Horror Nights was an incredible experience and I cannot more highly recommend it! It might be one of my favorite Halloween events ever!
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Until next time, Happy Stalking!
Stalk It: Halloween Horror Nights takes place annually from mid-September through the beginning of November at Universal Studios theme parks in Universal City, Orlando, Japan, and Singapore. This year, Halloween Horror Nights Universal Studios Hollywood runs through November 5th. You can find out more information about the event and purchase tickets here.
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