Just as sure as the scent of pumpkin spice is in the air, we are approaching the beginning of Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights again. The after-hours, extra-ticket fright fest at Universal Studios theme park begins Friday and is held on select nights through Oct. 31.
On Tuesday, Universal Orlando indicated that the event was sold-out for opening night as well as this Sunday.
It will be the 31st HHN, and it’s all buildup to Oct. 31, Lora Sauls, senior manager of creative development and show direction for Universal Orlando entertainment, art and design, said during a park podcast.
“We are leaning into that Halloween celebration by leaning into those Halloween tropes and things, like pumpkins, jack-o’-lanterns, skeletons, witches, black cats, scarecrows … all of those very traditional Halloween tropes,” she said.
“But we’re spinning it in our very HHN way.”
Organizers and creators, as usual, have kept many event details double-secret. But Universal did share the themes of HHN’s 10 haunted houses and five scare zones. There is an air of freshness there, despite the pumpkin spice, and it appears to have seeped into the whole lineup. Here’s what we know to be new.
New-house smell
Not among the haunted maze lineup this year are sequels, such as another year of “Stranger Things” or “The Walking Dead.” Although you might consider Universal monsters to be close to HHN staple status and a house based on 1978 film “Halloween” has been done before, six of the 10 houses are Universal originals.
Most off the beaten HHN path may be The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare, which based on the music of the guy who brought us singles such as “Save Your Tears,” “Blinding Lights,” “I Feel It Coming,” “Starboy” and “Can’t Feel My Face.”
Universal uses words like macabre, grotesque, surreal, slasher and “extreme plastic surgery” to describe this maze.
Cheers and chews
Perhaps after wandering through The Weeknd house, folks will need a Weeknd drink dubbed Save Your Tears at the After Hours Nightmare Bar near Central Park. Its ingredients include bourbon, peach brandy, lemon juice, agave nectar, bitters and “peach-bursting boba,” according to a posted menu.
The food and drink offerings appear more tied to the houses than usual, and the bars and food stands have been given eye-catching visual upgrades.
On Tuesday, Universal introduced other upcoming HHN foods, including pepperoni pizza skulls, “killer” stovetop popcorn custard, and, less threateningly, an candy corn-shaped ice cream sandwich from the mind of Major Sweets, a character that’s part of the Sweet Revenge scare zone.
The resort, via its website, also nonchalantly listed that Universal CityWalk’s shuttered Red Coconut Club will be rethemed Dead Coconut on event nights.
Fuel plus Ghoul
Two spooky shows are on tap. “Halloween Nightmare Fuel Wildfire” was billed as both a sequel to last year’s stage show and an all-new production. Look for memorable pyrotechnics and aerial performers. (In 2021, those things happened at the same time.)
The new lagoon show is titled “Ghoulish! A Halloween Tale” and is set to “eerily remixed music by some of today’s most iconic artists,” Universal says.
Two bells
For the first time, Horror Nights operations will go until 2 a.m. every event night. (Gates open at 6:30 p.m. nightly.)
On one hand, that sounds like it’s designed for night owls and other party animals. On the other hand, it should spread out crowds, and maybe people with multinight passes won’t feel the need to get there right at opening. On the third hand (go with it, it’s HHN), it will be interesting to see what queues are like for houses, say, after midnight on a Wednesday.
Split decision
What’s old was new has gone back to old hat. Universal confirms that the clear plastic dividers that separated scare actors from HHN guests in key house locations are gone. They had been installed in the haunted houses as pandemic precautions with mixed theatrical results. Face coverings have not be required for months.
Still, it will be scary if someone sneezes behind you in a maze conga line.
For tickets or more information, go to HalloweenHorrorNights.com/Orlando.
Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters or the Theme Park Rangers podcast at orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-podcast.
