This past weekend was the grand opening of the 21st 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 Two houses this year that have historical reference are Nevermore: the madness of Poe and The Forsaken.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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