A Little A&A

As we are coming upon the last 3-weeks of Halloween Horror Nights, there is a few things you may want to know. How early to arrive? Where to go first? What day should I pick?

Lets start with the last question: What day should I pick?

Starting this week, HHN opens on Wednesday night. Obviously, going on a Wednesday or Thursday night will be the least crowded. However, the park does not stay open as late on these nights: 6:30pm-12am. On Friday the park hours are 6:30pm-1am and on Saturday 6:30pm-2am. Even though the park is open later on Saturday, that does not mean you will get to do more. Saturday is the busiest night and the lines can get to be over 1hr long for houses like The In Between or Saws n’ Screams- Into the Machine. The last two weekends I have attended, these houses had the longest wait time. 

Even if some of the houses have long lines, when you are in big groups amongst friends, the wait does not drag on. Another option is to get HHN Express pass for an additional fee. If you can only go one night and want to experience all the houses and attractions within this event, I strongly suggest you get this. The Express pass will cut your wait times from 1hr to 15minutes. 

How early should I get there?

As early as possible. Most of the houses have 10 minute wait times at 6:30pm. You can knock out at least 3 houses before 7:30pm. Also, some would wait until 8pm to arrive to try and get out of paying for parking. This year you still have to pay no matter the time you arrive. Before 8pm, parking is $15. After 8pm it goes to $3. My suggestion is to hitch a ride with a friend who has a Preferred or Premier Annual Pass to Universal Orlando. They get free parking. 

Where should I go first?

If you decide to arrive at this event when it opens, head straight to the back of the park. Everyone else will try to do the houses in order starting with the houses near the entrance by the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster, which includes Winter’s Night, Nightingales, and The Thing. These houses will have shorter wait times further into the night. Houses like Saw n’ Screams, by Jaws, wait time will get longer as the night goes on.  

If you do not get to HHN21 as early as you planned, text 64646 and you will receive wait times for all the houses every hour. 

If you can not do all the houses, let me suggest my personal favorites:

Saw n’ Screams    Winter’s Night       Nevermore       The Foresaken      H.R. Bloodengutz

Do not forget to attend Bill & Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure. They will meet you at the 69.

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HHN21: Opening Night

This past weekend was the grand opening of the 21^st annual Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando. With 8 houses and 6 scare zones, this year’s Halloween event leaves much to be desired.

            Without the host house this year, what’s the point of even having a theme? The only glimpse of Lady Luck is in the scare zone “Your luck has run out” where she hides behind crates in a darkened alleyway.  Previous years, the host house has been one of the most popular and is usually my personal favorite. Halloween Horror Nights 20 where fear itself was the host, the host house was the best rooms from houses over the last 20 years. Here Universal Orlando had the ability to fall back on their legacy and the host house is still involved their theme. But with HHN21 starts a new decade and a new standard. This year the advertisements says, “the house always wins,” but where’s the house?

            Moving past the fact there is no host house featuring Lady Luck, some of the house themes do not make any sense. For example, Nightingales: Blood Prey. This house takes you through trenches of WWI where “nightingales” hunt the weak and wounded. The nightingales are supposed to be bloodthirsty banshees dressed as British nurses. Though the trenches are quite impressive in design, the story behind this one is a little far fetched. I don’t know about you, but I don’t remember having banshees in my history WWI book. Two houses this year that have historical reference are Nevermore: the madness of Poe and The Forsaken. Watch out while your in The Forsaken, it’s extremely dark in there and the ground changes often.

            The best house in my opinion was the Winter’s Night. It was very similar to the Catacombs house last year. The entire house is bone chilling. Literally, the a/c in there must be on at least 60 degrees. The temperature change enhances your experience in the house. The design includes a recreation of an old gothic cemetery with statues that move and doors to coffins that shake. The website states Winter’s Night is the recreation of “the haunting of the hawthorn cemetery.”

            The two shows at HHN21, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure & Death Drums where both excellent. Bill & Ted’s was much better and funnier than last year’s show. Come and join them at the 69. Death Drums, HHN newest show, was very entertaining. To see this show you need to be in the appropriate roped area. It does get crowded so get there early for both shows. 

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