September begins my happy season. For many, the Halloween season doesn’t start until October. However, for “thoosies,” it is September, and for Disneyphiles, it’s mid-August (yikes)! For me, the first of September means Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) opening night at Universal Orlando Resort this year.
Friends
For this year’s opening night adventure, I was joined by my friends, blogger Jon Self (@pastorjonself of twitter) and the Adventures by D YouTube channel gang (Kris, Dave & Maddie). I’m not sure if I’m just sadistic but there are few things more enjoyable than walking behind Kris and Maddie in a house and seeing them get jumped scared. I would happily go and enjoy this event alone but to be able to share the experience with friends really turns a “good” time into a “great” time.
Floods at Halloween Horror Nights
We started the evening at the New York Stay-N-Scream holding area and jumped into the Stranger Things 4 house queue. Of course, as decreed by the HHN gods, “Opening night, let there be rain”, it began to pour! This was no light sprinkle, and not your typical Florida “passing” shower. This rain decided to stay a while to enjoy the festivities. Pathways flooded and if you somehow managed to keep your feet dry from the falling rain, they were destined to get soaked from tramping through the puddled paths.
Luckily, we all had rain gear that kept us, at least, partially dry. Still, there were many that just had to grin and bear it while getting soaked to the core. This may have thinned the crowd levels later in the evening as I imagine those who were defenseless against the rain, left the event earlier than they normally would have. However, the rain did subside. So, the houses along with the food booths opened and the event was in full swing.
Frights at Halloween Horror Nights
We all had express passes, so most of us got through all ten houses. I’m not going to bore you with my thoughts of all the houses. However, with the caveat of only going through each house once, the standouts for me were, in no particular order:
- Universal Monsters Unmasked
- Stranger Things 4
- Yeti Campground Kills
- The Darkest Deal
- Blood Moon Dark Offerings.
Sorry, I couldn’t decide on three so I listed half of them…
Per normal Universal protocol, the scare zones were unmanned at the beginning of the event due to the rain. So initially, I found them underwhelming. Eventually, however, the weather cleared and the scare actors made their way out. Then, the scare zones came to life and were frighteningly fun to experience as intended.
We did not see the Nightmare Fuel Revenge Dream show but did make it into Diagon Alley to see the Death Eaters. Universal pumped fog into the area as well as appropriate background music. From my perspective, they walked around the area with purpose and tried to avoid being stopped for any period of time by the muggles. It was a long awaited addition to this year’s event. It made for a nice cherry on top of the butterbeer ice cream!
Foods at Halloween Horror Nights
Every year, I hear about how much everyone can’t wait to enjoy the pizza fries. Each year I scoff and judge them silently. This year, Kris, Dave and Maddie wanted them and I planned on getting any other food offering from Kidzone Pizza, where they can be found. Well, to my surprise, they only offer pizza fries, vegan pizza fries and a sweet potato dessert version of fries at this location. So, I was faced with a dilemma. Do I not order anything after waiting in a rather lengthy line or do I do the unthinkable and finally give them a try? My stomach reminded me that I partook in a few adult beverages at this point and it may be a good idea to introduce some solid food. So, I went with the latter and got the regular pizza fries.
Let me declare to the world, they are actually better than I thought they could be. I am not a fry fan and could easily go through the rest of my days without eating another fry. However, these had good flavor. With the added crushed red peppers I piled on top, it was a tasty meal. Now, with that said, there are literally dozens of other Halloween Horror Nights food offerings I would choose before getting these again. I will say though, if you find yourself in the Kidzone Pizza queue and you are hungry, they will satisfy you.
As mentioned, I consumed many adult beverages and my one consistent takeaway is that the cocktails made by Universal are sweet. If you are not into sweet drinks, stick with the beers and canned offerings. However, if you enjoy cocktails and plan to purchase multiple ones during the event, then consider purchasing a 20 oz. souvenir cup. It costs $16.50 (with beverage) and refills throughout this year’s event cost $12.50. The same beverage without the souvenir cup will cost $12.50 for a 12 oz. single pour.
There are many valid reasons not to attend the opening night of Halloween Horror Nights. For example, it will be ungodly hot and busy. Plus, at this point, looking back at the past few years, it seems like a foregone conclusion that opening night will have rain and flooding. HHN opening night is a rite of passage that every fan of the event should experience at least once. It’s the only night that you know you are experiencing these new houses, scare zones and foods for the first time along with everyone else. There is something exciting about that which makes for a more communal experience.
So, come out and enjoy this year’s event, and if you haven’t been, plan on coming out next year for opening night, and keep making memories.
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