Spooky season is once more upon us and, as every aficionado of the morbid and macabre knows all too well, there’s only one place on Earth to truly embrace the Halloween spirit and that’s Universal Studios during their annual Halloween Horror Nights event. After slaving over this year’s crop of ten horror houses for the past year, the scare-meisters at Universal have come up with yet another blood-curdling line-up designed to send you away with some industrial-strength heebie-jeebies. We braved all ten houses in one scream-packed night, pushing ourselves to the edge and beyond to identify the very best of this year’s scary standouts.
1. There’s Somebody At The Door…
Leigh Whannell and James Wan’s Insidious films aren’t new to HHN. Indeed, the red-faced demon has reared his crimson head several times over the course of previous years, but the 2024 take on this creepsome franchise blows all the others firmly out of the water. Taking you through the Red Door, this house isn’t content with bringing malevolent demons into your living room, but rather invites you home with them, sending visitors into demonic realm The Further, where you — like The Lamberts — are menaced by spectres from all five films. If you walk the blood-soaked floorboards of enough horror houses (say, ten in one night!) you do eventually become wise to the tricks employed and start to be able to guess where the next scare might be coming from. This latest Insidious house turns all of that on its head, however. Not only is it the largest house by some degree, but it uses the geography and iconography of The Further to mix up the horror house formula, completely rewriting the rulebook and making it so scares can come from absolutely anywhere. Think you’re a horror house veteran? Give this one a try and we’ll wait to see you run screaming into the night.
2. El Diablos
At HHN, every day is the day of the dead and nowhere is that more true than in Monstruos, a Latin-themed experience that is about as far from a fiesta as it’s possible to get. Ushered in by Muerte himself, you’re forced to walk the lairs of three terrifying Latin American monsters, the life-sucking Tlahuelpuchi, avian witch demon La Lechuza, and Colombian bone collector El Silbón (he’d eat Lincoln Rhyme for breakfast). The distinctly South American aesthetic really makes this one stand out from the pack, but it’s not all sugar skulls and fabulous death shrouds. You’ve got an owl-witch holding a human spine, a giant head — which comes barrelling out of the darkness — and, most disconcerting of all, the bone-munching El Silbón towering over you on stilts to attack from above. If we’re honest, it was that last bit that absolutely got us and sent us pelting for the exit lest we be the next victim of el cazador trofeo de los hombres!
3. On The Big Scream
While we’ll grant you the scariest thing about going to the cinema these days is generally the insufferable Gen Zedders who can’t put TikTok away for the 90 minutes it takes to see a film. However, Slaughter Sinema 2 (the sequel to the 2018 HHN original) brings murder back to the multiplex for a cinema-themed nightmare that includes an undead rock band (so metal), an evil jester, and laser-wielding cyborgs. Taking visitors on a tour of several different movie features, this house wins out for pure variety, getting points for sending you straight from an axe-wielding Santa (not a Christmas movie to watch with the family), to a circus tent full of murderous clowns (as if they needed to be undead in order to become nightmare-fuel). There’s even a Beast Baby ready to gnaw on your ankles. Pro tip: when you encounter a pole-dancing mummy stripper (of course there are mummy strippers), try not to get distracted — your life might depend on it!
4. Grrrl Power
Classic Universal monsters are a regular occurrence at HHN but this year’s come with a twist. Not only is Eternal Bloodlines a team-up for the ages, but it’s an all female horror house to boot. This one puts you hot on the trail of Saskia Van Helsing, last surviving child of iconic monster hunter Abraham, on a mission to avenge her father’s death at the hands of Dracula’s Daughter. And joining her on the quest is the Bride of Frankenstein (impractical vampire-hunting hairdo notwithstanding). There’s not a Y chromosome in sight as you make your way through this one, with (girl) mummies, a she-wolf, and numerous vampiresses. We won’t spoil the outcome of this three-way grudge match but suffice it to say, at least one of the three loses her head before the end.
5. Do You Want To Build A (Terrifying) Snowman?
The most terrifying thing at this year’s HHN? The length of the queue to buy this year’s must have horror snack: the Stay-Puft smore! But endless concession lines aren’t the only Ghostbusters-themed things this year as Frozen Empire makes its horror house debut, bringing with it Slimer, Terror Dogs and, of course, the film’s frosty foe Garraka. One of the most outright fun houses this year, Ghostbusters sends you through Ray's occult bookshop, through the New York sewers and to the Busters’ firehouse itself (the exterior brilliantly recreated in a towering vertical set). All the usual suspects are present and correct and there’s an abundance of mini marshmallow men scattered around. Plus, if you’re a die-hard GB2 fan who’s long had a thing for the Scourge or Carpathia (Sorrow of Moldavia), then you’ll be pleased to know that Vigo The Carpathian makes a cameo appearance. Even when its trying to scare the life out of you, bustin’ makes you feel good.
6. Nailed It
Let’s be perfectly candid here: A Quiet Place is a terrifying film with monstrous, lightning fast aliens, a disturbing concept (God help you if you need to sneeze), and a heart-breaking story — but the thing that had each and every one of us squirming in our seats when John Krasinski’s 2018 film landed was the nail. A single, solitary nail poking up from a stair was the undisputed star of that film and so it’s only just that it features in A Quiet Place’s HHN debut. It’s not just imprecise carpentry that you have to deal with in this one, though, as this house is packed with the film’s ever-listening aliens, their petaled, demogorgon-esque faces popping up when you least expect it. The sound design in this house is excellent, too (As you’d expect) making you want to silently tiptoe through the corridors so as not to draw their ire. In a nice touch, the characters in the maze (the human ones) flash you warnings in American Sign Language as you re-live the beats of the first film room by room. And yes, the “I love you scene” is just as traumatic as you remember. If you need us, we’ll be crying on the floor.
7. The Wolf Man Cometh
Finally this year, a big shout out (scream out?) has to be given to the scare zones, of which there are five. The scare zones are often seen as low-key compared to the headline horror houses, but being caught off-guard by an axe-wielding maniac while wandering to the Shrekzel stand is a different level of terrifying entirely. While there’s a big old torture fair and a swamp full of the undead this year, Duality Of Fear properly put the willies up us, with two competing demons in two complimentary zones: Sinist3r, whose minions aim to tear you limb from limb, and Surr3al, who opts for more psychological torments and whose zone features some truly eerie sound design. But beyond those, we highly recommend a trip to the Blumhouse zone, where not only can you see M3gan strut her stuff and be menaced by T_he Black Phone_’s Grabber and Lady Liberty from The Purge, but you might also catch a glimpse of Leigh Whannell’s upcoming Wolf Man, who actually made his debut at this year’s event. In terms of terrifying encounters, he really is a hair-raising experience...
Holiday Package Information
Seven nights in Orlando from £1460 per person
Seven nights in Orlando with Virgin Atlantic Holidays, including scheduled Virgin Atlantic Economy flights direct from London Heathrow to Orlando. Room-only accommodation at Loews Sapphire Falls at Universal Orlando. Price is based on two adults travelling and sharing a Standard Room and includes Universal 3 Park Explorer, Halloween Horror Nights single night tickets and all applicable taxes and fuel surcharges which are subject to change. Price is based on a departure on 17th September 2024. Virgin Atlantic Holidays is a member of ABTA and is ATOL protected.
To book: https://www.virginholidays.co.uk/ or call 0344 557 3859.