Halloween Horror Nights is a great immersion into your favorite horror films/shows
- Bianca
- Oct 1
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 28
Have you ever wondered what you would do if you were in the shoes of your favorite characters in horror films? Although it's not exactly the same, horror fans get a taste of it while being immersed in haunted houses based on iconic movies and shows, thanks to Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights.
Not being from California or Florida, I honestly never heard of Halloween Horror Nights before 2022. The truth is, I grew up a fan of The Weeknd, so my introduction to the iconic Halloween event was seeing news about The Weeknd's After Hours Nightmare. I thought it looked really cool, plus I had already covered how much I enjoyed his music videos during that era. I just so happened to have the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles for the first time that year, so there was no way I would miss the chance to immerse myself in one of his videos. Since then, I've been excited to see what the event has in store every year.
I did not know what to expect my first time there. I love Halloween and horror films, but I've never been big on haunted houses. But still couldn't help but wonder how cool would it be to feel as though I am in a The Weeknd video, so I got tickets. I was just testing the waters out so I didn't go to all the houses that year. I did, however, do After Hours Nightmare, Terror Tram, and Universal Monsters: Legends Collide. I loved it all. The After Hours music, iconic characters like The Wolf Man, Dracula and The Mummy, walking through the Nope set, and seeing that giant Cowboy Jupe was pure gold for me. To walk through environments that I've only seen on TV, recognizing characters, and seeing easter eggs was the best. Even going through the scare zones. The actors do an amazing job of frightening people, and by the time I left, I was wondering how I missed this all my life?!
In October 2023, I had the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles again, so I bought tickets again. That year, my most anticipated houses were The Last of Us and Stranger Things. I actually did a research paper on The Last of Us for graduate school earlier that year, as the show was still airing. And Stranger Things 4 had a big year with Vecna and Max levitating to "Running Up That Hill." So I was very excited to immerse myself in those spaces. The Last of Us house was interesting. It was the first time I noticed a smell in a house. It was like an outdoorsy, wet smell (if that makes sense haha). That just proved to me, it was more than just scare actors, sets, lights, and sounds. They were immersing us in these environments down to the smells. So much work goes into these houses, and I think it's awesome.
It's been two years now, and I haven't attended Horror Nights since 2023, but I still get excited to see what they unveil. This year Five Nights At Freddy's, Fallout, and Terrifier look amazing. I even saw that the Terrifier house has a wet path. I can't compare to previous years because I just have not experienced them, but to add effects like that is pretty insane, but I mean that in the best way possible.
I leave you all with my experiences at Halloween Horror Nights in 2022 and 2023 at Universal Studios Hollywood. I'll never forget how much fun I had. What can I say, I'm a thrill seeker.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Strobe warning/Flashing lights ⚠️
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