Opening Night Review and Tips for Halloween Horror Nights 2022
Opening night review of Halloween Horror Nights 2022
There’s lots to cover so lets just get right to it! Here are my thoughts on this years HHN after last nights media-opening night including all 8 mazes aka haunted houses.
La Llorona: The Weeping Woman: Love this theme, the twist the designers made on it and the practical effects throughout. Experiencing this one before it was completely dark outside made all the difference since it allows for so many of the details to be seen. Located on the upper lot.
Universal Horror Hotel: Resides in the former Walking Dead building, it was very well themed, staffed and being fully air conditioned was a bonus. Located on the upper lot.
Halloween: This was finally a version I could get on board with! All the classic scenes along with tons of amazing energy by the scare actors. Located on the upper lot.
The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare: I honestly didn’t have high expectations for this one. Again the actors inside really brought the energy and life to this house, lots of action, crazy strobe lighting and a surreal vibe with the contrast of the soundtrack and scenes being played out, just amazing! Definitely one to check out. Located on the lower lot.
Scarecrow: The Reaping: Loved the theming, feel and dressing of this house from the moment I entered to the very end. Left this house feeling very impressed. Located on the upper lot
The Horrors of Blumhouse: The Blumhouse houses have never made an impression on me, this year was no different. Then again I will admit I am not familiar with this franchise. Maybe the heat got to the actors inside? located on the upper lot.
Universal Monsters: Legends Collide: This one felt under staffed, confusing without a beginning and end story and under whelming for me especially after the amazing job they did last year with the Bride of Frankenstein house. Unfortunate too as this theming aka old Hollywood Horror flicks, is one of my favorites. Located on the upper lot.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space: This was one of my least favorites last year and again this year. Felt beyond repetitive and not scary in the least. Located on the upper lot
And now to touch base on some of the new additions to this years haunt.
The Deatheaters! Great addition to the haunt creating another entertaining connection between walks between houses and adding even more ambiance that coincides with the castles projections.
As for the expanded Terror Tram and the added walk thru of the newly added Nope set.. it was a nope for me. This again seems to be a huge opportunity to do something amazing with the Bates Motel building and War of the Worlds sets and it just fell short for me.
Thinking of heading up to the Weeknd themed bar on the lower lot? I have a few thoughts on that. First off, I loved the idea, the theme, the location... all of it! And now for the not so great part. We tried 2 variations of the featured fries, the Blue Cheese Buffalo and Parmesan with Black Garlic. They were tough, not fresh and sorely just lacking unfortunately making the hour long wait sting all the more.
No more Scareamony and that’s a good thing. They changed things up this year from having an opening monster rush where only a small portion of the guests could enjoy the show at opening to having several mini shows throughout the event. Times were every 90 minutes. Great change!
My overall take in this year's HHN, was a solid 9 out of 10. The best haunt I've attended at Universal to date considering the outstanding haunted house quality, amazing energy from the scare actors and overall flow of the event as a whole. Merchandise is kicking this year and as for the food I can't comment beyond our bad experience. We didn't partake in any of the specialty drinks either.
My tips on getting the most of your visit:
I can't stress enough to get Express if you can swing it. As the event dates progress, weekends will be slammed. Express wait times are literally non existent and a sure way to get it all done on one trip. You can always upgrade upon arrival if you decide to go for it.
Haunted Houses. Since they are split between upper and lower lots, plan accordingly. We did upper first, Terror Tram then the bottom lot. Enjoyed the Scareamony on our way out.
Wear comfortable shoes! You will be walking at least 5 miles to cover all the offerings.
Water! Several houses have no a/c, drink up even if you don't feel thirsty!
With Express it really won’t matter too much which order you do the houses in. If you have general admission, I highly recommended downloading the official Universal App and check wait times. The Weeknd and La Llorona I’m guessing will have the longest waits due to their well known theming and the fact that they are new this year.
Merchandise, if you plan on buying within the park get it early and rent a locker if you don’t want to lug it around. The CityWalk Universal store closes early so don't bank on doing it after you leave the haunt. The selections inside the park vary greatly and some items are only sold inside.
I attended opening night of Halloween Horror Nights as an invited member of the media. All my opinions are my own. I want to praise the entire staff, creators and especially the haunted house actors for delivering the best HHN I have attended to date. The energy the scare actors brought in the extremely hot and humid conditions opening night is what made my experience beyond memorable.