The Pumpkin Spice Latte has officially been released. This marks the start of autumn, right? Although some may believe that the fall fever has started a little too early this year, Universal appears to disagree. They have announced that Halloween Horror Nights will begin on September 14 this year.
I am very excited about this news because it is a blast to pay to get scared. What a phenomenon! Although I may have to do some major convincing to persuade some of my friends to join me, "Halloween Horror Nights" is so much fun when experienced with your closest buddies. You will laugh at their screams and terrified faces while screaming yourself as something chases you down the maze corridor.
This year the haunted houses are spectacular. There are ten themed mazes. The most anticipated one, by far, is the Stranger Things house. The incredibly popular Netflix show has just the perfect amount of scary to warrant a house modeled after the first season. Be on the lookout for monstrous Demogorgon! The special effects and makeup teams at Universal put an amazing effort into creating their creatures. There is even a show that details how they bring to life the supernatural beings from the screen to the street.
The other haunted houses are based on famous horror movies such as Halloween 4, Poltergeist, Trick 'r Treat, and the Blumhouse films. The team behind Halloween Horror Nights created the rest of the houses as original ideas. They include "Carnival Graveyard: Rest in Pieces," which is as scary as it sounds because clowns are chasing you, and "Seeds of Extinction," where, like The Happening, plants have rebelled and grown carnivorous. "Dead Exposure: Patient Zero" focuses on a zombie outbreak, but adds a great dose of fear by having parts of the house completely pitch black.
"Scary Tales: Deadly Ever After" twists the happy fairy tales we know into a sinister landscape where the Wicked Witch of the West rules. The last house is "Slaughter Sinema" which takes all of the cliché horror movies and brings them to life. All of these houses sound terrifyingly awesome, but it will take quite a few visits to make it through all of the mazes. Unless you buy an expensive Express Pass that sells for $80.00. For those of us who queue, we can delight in the screams and hilarious faces of horror of other guests passing through scare zones.
So what if you go to just one house and are completely freaked out? Well, you will not have wasted your money because the rest of Universal still operates as normal. The Rip Ride Rocket rollercoaster is outfitted with colorful lights at night while The Mummy, Transformers, and the new Fast and Furious ride are all open to those wishing not to be scared to death. The monsters don't come at you while you're in line either. Restaurants are open and CityWalk usually close very late, which makes midnight milkshakes at Toothsome's Chocolate Emporium entirely plausible. Even if you hate the experience, you'll be among friends and can at least say that you did it and survived.
If you want to celebrate autumn, go to Halloween Horror Nights!
