Halloween Horror Nights is BACK and I got to experience it this October! This is Universal’s 30th celebration and it is one terrifying event! You’ll find great haunted houses, scare zones, live entertainment, and attractions to experience as well! If you love anything Halloween-related, this event is for you!

There is so much to see and do during Halloween Horror Nights! This event is a separately ticketed event. This means if you plan to visit Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure but also want to experience Halloween Horror Nights, you’ll also need to purchase a separate nighttime ticket for Halloween Horror Nights.

The park officially closes at 5 PM to all guests not staying for Halloween Horror Nights. If you plan to be in the park earlier in the day before Halloween Horror Nights starts, there are a couple of “Stay and Scream” areas where you’ll be able to wait before the event starts. The park will close and all non-ticketed guests have to exit the park. If you’re in the park and you have a valid HHN ticket for that night, you will be able to stay in the following areas so that way you don’t have to leave the park and can wait for the event to start at Universal Studios:

Delancey Street (near the Revenge of the Mummy or Finnegan’s)

Springfield (Simpsons area)

Today Cafe

It is important to notes that resort guests will have a dedicated priority entrance to HHN, so if you are coming later in the evening and won’t be inside the park before the event opens, you will see signs out front directing resort guests on where to go. This entrance will be located in front of the Old Blue Man group theater and will begin scanning tickets around 530.

I recommend taking the day off from the parks and spending it at the resort pool and CityWalk if you can so that way you have fresh legs and are ready for a long night at Halloween Horror Nights. Halloween Horror Nights runs from 5:30 PM to 2 AM, so it can be a long night and you don’t want to be totally exhausted and able to enjoy the event. Spending the day earlier in the park and then into the night can be a long day. You are already spending so much money on tickets that you’ll want to be able to enjoy it!
Express Passes
One of the BEST ways to enjoy Halloween Horror Nights is to purchase the express passes. These passes can be expensive, but they are totally worth it!! It is the only way that I’ll do Halloween Horror Nights! Express pass pricing is date-specific and can change based on the night you are looking to visit HHN. Wednesday and Thursday nights are typically cheaper (starting in September) and get more expensive the closer to Halloween you get, especially the weekends! These express passes are good for entry through each haunted house one time. You’ll also be able to ride the open attractions during HHN with this pass too. This is different than the premier hotel express pass that comes with your stay, so you would have to purchase this separately if wanting to visit HHN. To give you an idea on why the express passes are totally worth it:

Welcome to Scarey: Horror in the Heartland Posted Wait Time: 65 minutes

Express Pass Line Wait Time: 9 minutes

Wicked Growth Posted Wait Time: 80 minutes

Express Pass Line Wait Time: 16 minutes

Beetlejuice Posted Wait Time: 90 minutes

Express Pass Line Wait Time: 18 minutes

HHN Icons Posted Wait Time: 55 minutes

Express Pass Line Wait Time: 9 minutes

Universal Monsters- Bride of Frankenstein Wait Time: 35 minutes

Express Pass Line Wait Time: 6 minutes

The closer you get to Halloween, the busier it seems to get. You’ll see the more popular houses had longer waits, which caused the Express Pass line to be a bit longer as well. We could have gotten through every house had we wanted to, but we did not arrive to HHN until 7:30 PM, we watched the Halloween Nightmare Fuel show, took time for food and (lots) of pumpkin beer, and left by midnight! (We both had to work the next day and our old selves just couldn’t make it that late lol!) Needless to say, we did A LOT during our short time and it’s all because of the express passes!

Since your express passes are good for one-time use through each house and attraction, I suggest if you plan to start the event early, use your passes at the beginning. If you are going to be at HHN the entire time, the crowds will start to lower the later it gets. Usually, you can walk through the lines later in the evening (around 11/12), so use your express passes earlier in the evening. I also suggest heading toward the back of the park (toward the Mummy or Men in Black) since a lot of guests start with the houses toward the front of the park first. If you start toward the back, those wait times will definitely be lower.

Haunted Houses

The Haunting of Hill House (Netflix)

Beetlejuice

This house was featured during Universal’s fall event in 2020 when Halloween Horror Nights did not officially take place

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives

This house was featured during Universal’s fall event in 2020 when Halloween Horror Nights did not officially take place

HHN Icons: Captured

Welcome to Scarey: Horror in the Heartland

Casefiles Unearthed

Wicked Growth: Realm of the Pumpkin

Puppet Theatre: Captive Audience

Revenge of the Toothfairy

This house was featured for a day during Universal’s fall event in 2020 when Halloween Horror Nights did not officially take place

Scare Zones

Crypt TV

30 Years 30 Fears

Seek and Destroy

Gorewood Forest

Lights Camera Hacktion: Eddie’s Revenge

Live Entertainment

Marathon of Mayhem: Carnage Factory

Halloween Nightmare Fuel 

This show is absolutely amazing!! I was in awe the entire time and it is SO worth seeing! Catch the show throughout the night (check the times in the app) and be sure to get in line early because it is very popular and seating fills up quickly!

Food and Drinks

 Halloween Horror Nights has many great food and beverages that are not normally found throughout the parks during the day. There are special food and beverage booths and stands set up throughout HHN for your enjoyment. Be sure to try the twisted tater or pizza fries! You won’t be disappointed!

Attractions Available

 Rip Ride Rockit

Revenge of the Mummy

Transformers the Ride- 3D

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

Men in Black Aliens Attack

 The Simpsons Ride
Merchandise
You can purchase your exclusive HHN merchandise from the Halloween tribute store, select stores, and kiosks around the park and at CityWalk!

Other Great Tips

  1. Eat before the event. You don’t want to spend time eating a meal when you could be going through haunted houses or riding rides. There is also event exclusive food and drinks (Hello, pumpkin beer!!)  you’ll want to try when you’re here. Speaking of pumpkin beer…

2. Bring your ID! Universal checks all IDs when making any alcohol purchases.

3. Remember, scare actors can’t touch you! If you touch them, you will be banned from the park. Universal takes the safety of the scare actors very seriously and you don’t want to jeopardize your time in the parks All ticket purchases are nonrefundable!

4. Wear comfortable shoes. You’ll be doing a lot of walking!

5. If you can, plan to visit HHN during a weekday, like Wednesday or Thursday. The crowd levels and wait times for the houses and shows will be much lower and the ticket prices are usually cheaper.

6. EXPRESS PASSES. Did I say buy express passes? Yep, buy express passes.

If you’re looking to visit Universal Orlando and want to visit Halloween Horror Nights for 2021, there is still time to book! If you want to start planning for next year, September and October will be the best months to visit with HHN running mid-September through October! Contact me today for a *free* no-obligation quote to get you booked for 2022!

Love and Travel Dust,

Molly