Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights 24! | Written By: Lee
Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights 24 Review
What is my very favorite event of each and every year? Yes, you guessed it. Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort. And Halloween Horror Nights 24 was a step above the rest. It has some of my favorite things such as Face Off from the SyFy channel, Halloween with Michael Myers which is one of the only things in this world that actually scares me and it has Alien vs Predator which I honestly couldn’t have cared less about until I walked into the house and then just…read ahead.
My best friend Meredith was in town for her gown fitting for my upcoming vow renewal so we took the chance to hit Universal that night. We’ve been visiting Halloween Horror Nights since high school which was back in the long long ago. We got there in plenty of time to take some good pictures of the Syfy Face Off In the Flesh street. I’m a huge fan of this show and never miss an episode. I also live tweet during the episodes about my favorite contestants and their makeups so I knew these hideous creatures personally. For example here is a picture of Tim and myself with George’s monster from the faux motion picture Axe Girlfriend. She was such a beauty! This is a can’t miss street with a lot of great photo opps. Meredith and her boyfriend were amused by how excited I became dancing around from one monster to the next getting photos.
Next stop was the Halloween house. This house basically recreated the events of the movie Halloween. So here’s the deal. Very little scares me. I’m all about the horror movies and blood, gore, ghosts. But somehow Michael Myers has always rubbed me wrong. Inside this house I was anxious and on edge. I didn’t like it at all. Not the house, it was done well. I just didn’t like the feeling of being in there. Worse yet, I know the movie by heart so I knew exactly when and where Michael would be popping out. Ugh. Shudder. One must see aspect of the Halloween house though, is the outside. It actually has windows with the scenes from the movie playing as shadows. Very creative.
The Dollhouse of the Damned was laughably great. All four of us really liked this house. It’s about possessed dolls and stuffed animals. The house is so well put together and nothing you are expecting. There are quite a few pop out moments to get your blood moving but also a lot of amusing acting going on inside to entertain. I love entertaining houses, they remind me of old fashion haunted houses. I don’t want to just be scared, I want a show as well. Make sure you put this one on your list.
Next we stopped in for Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure. Last year I told you that I feel like I’m just too old for this show. It broke my heart because it was my favorite for so many years. This year however I enjoyed it again. Bill and Ted have to go undercover at a fraternity (it’s a 22 Jump Street parody) and find out how all the pledges are dying. Let me just warn you it is a huge smack in the face to Disney, so if you are a die hard Disney fan you may get annoyed. But it’s all in fun. There is a rendition of Let It Go by Elsa that is undoubtedly the best I’ve ever heard. I’ll clue you in, this Elsa has eaten a few too many snow cones and she’s definitely…let herself…go. It’s a can’t miss show with pop culture, pop music and plenty of laughing. If you are at all offended by partial nudity steer clear because this show is a little on the “nudey patootie” side.
The Walking Dead: End of the Line house was huge and straight out of the show. I mean you could have just taken out the cameras, added some lights and started filming. The set design people must have worked really hard on this house because they got everything down to a T. This house walks us through the prison, the tunnel that collapsed, the country club where Beth and Daryl seeked solace, Terminus and so many other places. It was that big and that detailed. I found myself touching items, which I promised Tim I wouldn’t do because it annoys him so much. I don’t know why, I mean they glue stuff down so no one can steal it. I digress, anyway if you are a Walking Dead fan this is a must see house. As I’ve said before, Universal Studios are geniuses when it comes to bringing worlds to life and they hit it out of the park yet again with The Walking Dead: End of the Line.
The Purge: Anarchy street was wicked! There were so many people milling around and so many villains. On top of that there were sounds and fire and just a lot of catastrophe. I was a big fan of the first Purge movie and the second was okay but I had seen them so I understood the concept. It was a terrifying sight and I loved every moment of it. I couldn’t get good pictures in the dark but the costumes were so simple, masks and simple sheets sometimes. I will say that these street actors need to be careful and use some common sense. At one point while I was walking, a woman slammed into me. That was bad enough. But then the actor chased her around me and she tore off a chunk of my fingernail with how she was clinging to me and she left actual bruises on my upper back. Not okay. So be careful while you are out there.
Finally the absolute best part of the night, of any night of any haunted attraction I’ve ever visited, was Alien vs Predator house. I don’t care about this movie. If I missed this house I would not have thought about it a seconds time. However we had the Express Pass so of course we went in. This house was different from any house I have ever been inside. First of all the use of puppetry rather than costumes was brilliant. The Alien was nerve wracking because you couldn’t gauge him. When would he jump out of the wall or ceiling? He isn’t a person so no one knows. The Predator costume was enormous, straight out of the movie. Terrifying. They used double pane windows to create an effect with baby aliens that you’ll have to see to believe. The entire atmosphere of the house is just different than anything I’d seen done before. I will warn you, at the very end of this house you have to duck down and crawl out. Not on your hands and knees, but by ducking down very low. I think this should be made clear for people in case they have an injured back or other health concern.
I did every single house and all of them were awesome. If you know you must absolutely miss some I’d say Dracula Untold would be your best bet. My friends and I agreed that one lacked just about everything you want in a house. But even it wasn’t bad. So bad is kind of relative in this situation. Usually I tell people to skip original houses, that aren’t movie themed. But you don’t really want to do that this time because they are all entertaining. So, I’d just get their on time or be smart and purchase an Express Pass. That’s what I’d do. I wouldn’t stand in those lines.
I remember one year many moons ago, at least 10 I’d say, there was a haunted house where they brought you inside what seemed like an elevator. They turned the lights out and then suddenly you were being attacked by dogs. There were no actual dogs, but you could hear them barking at you from every direction, feel them inching towards you, their hot breath getting closer and closer. It was an experience in fear I’ll never forget. And this Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights 24 was memorable just like that. I’d waited a long time for Universal to make that impact on me again, and they finally did. I had such a good time and stayed even later than I had planned. It’s a night you can’t pass up, so don’t. Buy your tickets now. http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com
*I received tickets and express passes into the park. All opinions are my own.
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