In its 27th year, Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights mixes the classic and the guignol, with houses based on The Shinning, Saw and American Horror Story
SHADE-O-METER RATING
4 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “SHE GAVE GOOD FACE – SHE SERVED IT”
What is Halloween Horror Nights (HHN)? It’s the Halloween event at Universal Orlando. This year’s event—the 27th year—had nine new (they don’t tend to repeat house) houses, five scare zones, and two shows. Some of the rides were open as well. The featured houses were The Shinning, Saw and American Horror Story ones. How much was the parking? $20. As a treat, there was some concierge parking for $30 as well. Does the venue serve liquor? Yes. Beer, wine and one (you read it correctly; only one) specialty drink. How was the drink? Very tried. It was some syrupy stuff that was served with a double straw. She was rather weak, expensive ($13), and came light up and blinking for all the world to see. Does the venue serve food? There were some food booths that served typical fair food (funnel cakes, pizza, etc.). We didn’t get any of it. However, most of the regular restaurants were open. How much were the tickets? Depending on the night, the prices (with a discount from a Coca-Cola or Burger King UPC code) range from $59.99 to $83.99. However, if you want to see all the houses, you’ll have to get the front-of-the-line “Express Pass” ticket. With some of the lines at an hour or more, there is no other way to do it. The Express Pass starts at $79.99.