Since I moved to LA in September 2015, I always made it a ritual to go to Halloween Horror Nights on Halloween. This was my third year in a row.
As a horror genre fan, I love seeing the most recognized faces of classic horror movies being brought to life and Universal does an outstanding job. Since this blog has become my journal where I document almost everything, I decided to recap my night and share it with you.
General admission for Halloween Horror Nights is $75 but prices fluctuate a lot depending on the day. On November 1st is only $59. There are also front of line tickets available that give priority access and no wait time in lines. In my opinion, those tickets are good if you’re bringing a big party or if you get there late since the wait time can be up to an hour. Make sure you get there early to fully enjoy all the mazes without long and tedious lines.
On top of the expensive ticket price, parking is $25. Not only is it outrageously expensive, but it doesn’t give you direct access to the park. After parking in the structure, I had to walk through the entire Universal City Walk, which I ended up enjoying. It was beautifully lit up with all the neon signs. Though I’ve been here before, I couldn’t believe this place had fallen off my radar.
The mazes opened at 7:00pm. I got there early, so this gave me ample time to wander around. The decorations were amazing and super vivid. It was like being in another dimension.
The first maze I went to was The Horrors of Blumhouse. My hat goes off to the actors. I can’t imagine doing the same thing for hours, wearing a mask with no AC. After the first one, I always go to the M3 lower floor where all the best mazes are. I highly recommend going to the lower level first, because it gets filled up pretty quickly, and as I said before, wait times increase as the time passes.
In my opinion, American Horror Story, The Shinning and Titans of Terror were the best. The decoration was spot on and they truly succeeded at recreating the atmosphere of the characters from the movies. You know at the end of the Shinning when Jack is running around chasing Danny? There was a chilly hedge maze covered in snow. It truly felt like you were in the movie. Everything was super realistic and meticulous.
Titans of terror was by far the scariest one. Imagine Leatherface, Freddy Krueger and Jason Vorhees together in the same space. I was with a couple and we lost the people behind us, it was just the three of us. We had to push our way through gross hanging body parts. Also, there was one area where Leather face was cutting a body in a half. It was so confusing because there were two doors and we had to get past him. I wouldn’t have dared to go in there by myself and that’s why I stuck with people (cluck cluck).
If you’re going to Universal Horror Nights, the Terror Tram is a must. This year the main theme was Chucky. Though the park closes at 2 am, this specific attraction closes at 11:00 pm so make sure to plan your visit ahead if you’re going with a big party.
The tram took us through the parking lot of Universal and we got to see filming sets and warehouses. Once we got to the backlot, eight actors dressed in blue overalls and striped red and white shirts were waiting for us with chainsaws. The Terror Tram Nights is held in an empty lot. You had to go through a rundown motel, the “War of the worlds” crashed plane and a section where Leatherface and other renowned horror movie personalities were waiting to scare visitors. There was also a photo op at the Bates Motel where they filmed the greatest classic horror movie in the history of cinema: Psycho.
Both previous years I went to this attraction it gave me the chills. It was super exciting and frightening. Last year they had “The Purge” theme and it was super realistic considering that I had just watched the movie. This year, it wasn’t that scary, but they were promoting the Chuckie movie release on DVD so it made sense. Unfortunately, I’ve never been a huge Chuckie fan so this attraction wasn’t as memorable as the one last year.
If you like roller coasters, the Mummy is another attraction you can’t miss. It goes forward then backward. The greatest thing about going solo is that I skipped the line and went into the carriage immediately along with other solo riders. I remember last year my friends and I had to wait in line for 45 minutes.
Of course, your horror night at the park wouldn’t be complete without the scare zones. These are areas where actors are dressed up in the most incredible costumes and run around scaring people; some of them also have chainsaws, which adds to the overall experience.
photos: Universal Studios website
The Jabbawockeez show is worth seeing too. The dancers are amazing and the show is filled with special effects, incredible hip-hop dance moves and music.
All these scares and jumps will for sure whet your appetite. There are churro and food trucks scattered throughout the park. If you’re a die-hard Simpsons fan, you can grab a burger at the Simpsons town. Since I went by myself and everything was super over-priced, I went to In-n-Out on Sunset Blvd afterward.
In conclusion, if you love Halloween, haunted houses, gore and horror movie villains, Universal Halloween Horror Nights brings all those elements to life offering you, your friends and your family a fantastic spooky night.
If you come in September, the tickets are much cheaper.
How do you usually spend Halloween?