I’ve Been Going To Halloween Horror Nights For Decades – These 8 Things Are What Keep Me Coming Back Year After Year

Let’s Start With The Obvious, The Theming!

Clearly you have to be a horror fan or at least curious about the event to even bring yourself to book a ticket. While it’s not for everyone, there’s plenty of us who are thrilled at the chance to get our screams on, and get our blood pumping only the way being scared will allow.

There’s just something about the idea of walking into the unknown (which is ironic for someone like me who hates surprises), smelling the fog roll past you as you creep by, and waiting to find out what’s waiting for you in that dark corridor you’re staring down. For a self-proclaimed horror fanatic, this event is like stepping into a dream for a few nights out of the year, getting wrapped up in the nonsense and the chaos of the night, and not having to worry about the “real” world.

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to step into one of your favorite horror movies and become part of the action, outside actually being cast in the movies and shows, this is as close as it gets!

The Houses (and before you start, both the IP and Originals)

For years, it’s become a tradition to sit in waiting to hear the upcoming year’s haunted houses and scare zones announced.

It’s always exciting to see what Universal has deemed big enough of an IP (Intellectual Property) to feature as one of the most anticipated haunted houses of the year. These are the heavy hitters that Universal incorporates from bigger movie production companies that have generally been well received by movie and t.v. audiences enough to draw even more eyes on the event that might not be as familiar with it. Or, if you’re anything like me, you’re just waiting to see how well that movie medium is translated into a live walkthrough of a haunted house and if it moves you the same way.

However, I’d be lying if I didn’t think that Universal’s creative team hasn’t put out a few iconic houses of their own! There’s been plenty of times where I’ve much preferred the Universal Original concepts as that year’s favorite houses over some of the biggest names in horror. And I love it even more when we get a breakout house from a Universal creative original of houses past (looking at you this year, Hatchet and Chains)!

Event Food And Drinks — DUH!

It’s no secret I’m all about devouring some theme park food and drinks, but that’s made all the better when a few of my staple favorites roll back around for the season.

We’re talking pizza fries and twisted taters, my friends, along with a few Instagram-able hits like last year’s Stay Puft Marshmallow treat that took social media by storm!

Every friend I introduce to HHN has to go through an “initiation” of sorts where we stop for one of these things through our night. And I have to say they’ve run up an impressive track record because judging from the looks of the lines they draw night after night, we’re not the only ones wishing they were served year-round, either!

The Merch

HHN events have merchandise that will keep you coming back year after year to collection. They’ll offer everything from shirts, to lanyards, to even blinky cups for drinks you can refill throughout the night and are themed to the current year.

Its also pretty customary to wear the previous year’s haunted house shirt to the opening night of the upcoming year and those who know about it seem to have a lot of fun with picking out who’s a pro at navigating the night.

And if by the end of the night you’ve narrowed down a few favorites, it’s even easier to show off your appreciation for them as HHN will also have themed merch collections for specific houses, too!

The Icons and Characters

For years, HHN themed their seasons after characters they deemed “icons” to the event. From time to time, you’ll see them pop up in subsequent years which are fun call backs to years past and sprinkle in a bit of nostalgia for those who were there in the early years.

But, that tradition is still alive and well to this day! When each year is announced, the head character or icon of the event seems to be the focal point of the theming and houses selected for the season. In the most recent years, we’ve been introduced to a few new ones like the Pumpkin Lord, Sinister and Surreal, and Dr. Oddfellow. It’s always fun to pick apart the first initial hints about the upcoming year and try to guess if the year’s icon will be a returning fan favorite or a brand new character.

The Shows

This is arguably more of a priority to me than even the haunted houses and scarezones, but I’ll hardly ever miss seeing the HHN show at least once each night. In fact, since I’m a multi-night ticket holder, there are plenty of times where my husband and I will pop in solely to see the show a few times for the night and that’s all we do.

We love the creativity involved in creating a show concept that continues to build on the last one, music that’s meticulously chosen to hype up and captivate the crowds, and of course, the incredibly talented performers, dancers, and tech crew who help bring this vision to reality on stage multiple times a night.

I’ve also been attending long enough to remember a time when there was once a second show offered, albeit briefly. Just after the pandemic reopening for HHN, a lagoon show featuring a selection of horror icons and cult classic films set to moving sound scores and spurting fountains met an untimely early demise a few years back due to a hurricane that rolled into Orlando, and it appears that idea has since been tabled. Before the current Nightmare Fuel show that’s had a few years running time already under their belt, those of us that have been attending for years know the OG show for Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure and how fun it was to laugh a bit at some quirky comedic relief after screaming our heads off all night.

The Community

There’s a whole community built around folks who plan their Universal trips specifically around this seasonal event.

More over, there’s social media groups counting down the days to opening day and keeping everyone informed of their experiences throughout the season, friendships built near and far that make plans to meet and attend as a group, as well as bracelets and trinkets exchanged during the night, all because of their shared passion for this event.

The Price

Don’t eat me alive of this one, y’all( I know the prices keep going up), but if you think about it long enough you’ll realize I’ve got a point here! Where else can you get admission to a single haunted house or attraction for less than $40.

When you put that into perspective for an event where a ticket for one night hovers around $90 AND you get access to 10 haunted houses, select rides and attractions in an established major theme park, a full stage show, 5 scarezones to walk through, AND event exclusives it’s easy to see its one of the most affordable Halloween events in Orlando during the spooky season. Especially when you compare its ticket price to a ticket to something like Disney World’s Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party that’s not built to frighten and averages around $200 per person at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom after hours.