I have high expectations for anything claiming "Halloween" or "Haunted" in its title or name. It seems that it has to live up to a high standard when it deals with the best season of the year. Universal Pictures has been known over the years to put out some of the best films of all time, including the Universal Monster films. One would hope that their amusement parks would reflect the masterpieces they produce as films.
Universal Studios, as a theme park, has put out one of the most highly revered haunted attractions ever: their annual Halloween Horror Nights. This attraction features haunted houses and what they call "scare zones" that are all based off of different films and themes. In the past, they have used horror characters such as Michael Myers, Chucky and Freddy Kruger to take the scare to the next level. With the budget that Universal gets to work with, you would figure that they impression they can leave on visitors will be nothing but film quality.
I am now proud to say, that I loaded up the car this past week, and as I type this, I am sitting in beautiful Orlando, Florida with the sole purpose to experience the wonders of Universal's Halloween Horror Nights. I am only hoping that what I anticipate will be met with great satisfaction. Whenever a title of a film is used for a haunted house, you want the scenery to be almost identical and the scares to be related to what was scary in the film being perceived. I hope that this is what I can count on. I am hoping that Universal can be counted on (just as Disney has proven to show) in accuracy of character descriptions as well as scenery. The one thing I cannot stand is when a favorite film of mine is mimicked by a well-budgeted establishment, but does not deliver true to the story line or character.
I can also hope that Universal is organized and well-planned for the amount of visitors that they will be hosts for. I have avoided Cedar Point's Halloweekends for years now, due to the fact that every time I hear someone mention it- they mention how overly crowded the park is during the event. I would love to go and enjoy myself, but it is always hard to do when you cannot see anything because of the crowds. We were prepared for this, though! This year, we had purchased RIP Tour passes which is your insurance to make sure you see everything there is to see (meaning you can skip the lines and you are the park's first priority). Although this was not a cheap feature, when you drive all the way to Florida from Michigan, you want to make sure you can experience everything the park has to offer.
In closing, I will be reviewing the park to the best of my ability. Based solely on my experience, you can anticipate a follow up article. Happy Scares!
