Halloween Horror Nights First Timer Opinions?

I’ve never gone to Halloween Horror Nights, but since I have the Premier AP I am considering it for this fall. I’m trying to decide if it is worth it since I’ve never been a fan of haunted houses or scary movies, though I do enjoy supernatural shows (such as Stranger Things, Supernatural, Buffy, etc). I guess I’m wondering if there are enough experiences for someone like me to enjoy the overall experience? I guess I just don’t know what to expect having never done it. Thanks for your input!

Hi!I went to my first HHN last September. I was very lucky because I signed up for one of the free passholder events. It was a question and answer session with two creative directors and then early access to one of the houses. It was an amazing free event!

I do not like being scared. I never, ever, wanted to go to HHN but there I was, with an express pass, trying to do it all. I will admit- I was terrified at first. I was just going through the motions. Then, somewhere in I think the Friday the 13th house- the whole thing became funny! I started having a blast!

I am skipping this year (too big a trip in August) but I am already planning HHN XXX, and the VIP tour I am going to do!

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I will give you an opinion from the other side of the fence. I LIVE for haunted houses. In August, I start planning out my haunted housing schedule and am known to drive up to 1.5 hours from my home to go a really good haunted house because I love them and love being scared. Halloween is my favorite holiday. I finally went to my first HHN in 2017 and was not impressed from a scare perspective. There is so much going on and such a continuous stream of people in the houses that it was basically impossible for me to be scared. But I have a very high threshold for fear. The technology in the houses was great, and, if you go to one of the non-IP houses early on in the night, there are fewer people in there and there is a better chance of being scared. I did not find any of the shows to be scary. I did find the decorations and characters to be impressive.

My advice to you, given your situation, would be to go just for the decorations, technology and walk-around characters if it is easy for you to get there. I think it is a fun thing to experience once. But I would’t plan an entire trip around it.

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I think of @brerbeer as an expert on HHN. Also, I will see if a tag for @Fatty_McButterpants, who went for the first time last year works.

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Thanks! This is helpful to know.

Thank you @PrincipalTinker. Yes, it’s my understanding that @brerbeer is the HHN expert and that @Fatty_McButterpants went recently. Hopefully they’ll chime in with their opinions!

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Generally I do not like Haunted Houses or being scared, but when my wife and I were at Universal during October a few years ago, we decided to give it a try. There were times in the houses where we were terrified, but we loved the event. HHN is so well done and the theming and costumes are great. I would not make a special trip for HHN, but if we were at Universal (without kids) In October, we would be excited to go back to HHN.

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Thanks for your perspective!

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Hrmm. There is alot to be said about the technical aspect on its own. Is that enough for you, I’m not sure. The overall early feel is very “festive” as everyone’s excitement builds towards opening. It does tend to grind the later it gets in the evening as the lines and crowds take a toll on your patience. Some scarezones are just silly fun and some are intense(ish) and some are so well done its almost art!
I would wait until all of the houses have been announced and see if there are a any that really pique your intrest (Stranger Things was amazing) before you decide. If intrested hit those first, enjoy the crowd excitement and overall ambiance. Then catch the show and call it an evening. You will get chased and startled by chainsaw wielding weirdoes as you move about but the team members are very good at picking up on your willingness to play along. All of that said, It is sort of free and you can go in and just get a taste and see if you would like to repeat. If you decide to do it i can help with other advice on the best course of action on entry and staging areas.

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This actually might be enough for me. I am interested in the Stranger Things house as well since I really enjoy the show (excited about season 3 in July!!!).

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I’m not a horror movie fan, but I had a UOR trip planned over the first HHN weekend last Septemeber. One member of our group (my younger sister) had the premier pass with the comp ticket and she is a horror fan.

I do enjoy Stranger Things and I was interested in the technical aspects so I decided to join her. The rest of the group decided to join too. We ended up doing the majority of houses spread out over 2 nights utilizing early entry at both nights (the first night was a passholder entry). We all had a really good time and some of us will be returning again this year with the intention of attending HHNs and the theme parks. Early September was a really good time of year to visit the theme parks during the day as the crowds were really low.

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