While most people complain about “The Christmas Creep,” others have taken the earlier celebrations of that particular holiday season as a sign to merely celebrate Halloween all the earlier. And if you’re one of those people who loves to get spooky as soon as possible, you probably love Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights event.
Though we're still waiting on that upcoming Universal Horror Unleashed park, allow me to send a chill down your spine with some terrific news: Universal Orlando’s variant is going to kick off earlier than usual this year! And to celebrate, Universal Orlando is promoting its Halloween Horror Nights festival with a sentiment that I hold near and dear to my heart: “It’s never too early to start panicking.”
Not only are tickets currently on sale, but the festivities will be starting on August 30th; officially kicking things off in a rather early fashion. While we don’t know which houses will be on offer just yet, the game is on for those who would like to secure their place in this year’s horrific bout of fun and screams.
Of course, the tradition of running this terror tour on “select nights” is still in place. And in case you’re looking to get your calendar of terror sorted early, we’ve got the specific dates that this striking spectacle will reign supreme at Universal Orlando. Here now is your 2024 Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights schedule:
- August 30-31
- September 1, 4-8, 11-15, 18-22, 25-29
- October 2-6, 9-13, 16-20, 23-27, 30-31
- November 1-3.
Unfortunately, as previously stated, we’re going to have to wait to learn what themes will be used for the 10 haunted houses of 2024’s Halloween Horror Nights. Universal Orlando’s announcement states that further specifications for both Orlando and Hollywood’s celebrations “will be revealed soon,” with no specification as to when.
Looking back to 2023’s Halloween Horror Nights Houses, the offerings were pretty amazing, and naturally came mostly from Universal owned/adjacent properties. Stuff like Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count and a whole house based on The Exorcist: Believer had parkgoers roaming through those haunted houses, anticipating where the next scare would come from.
Speculation is definitely running hot as to what will be on the lot this year, and some tasty suggestions are already in the air. Notions such as the potential return of the Ghostbusters to Universal Orlando have been floated with reckless abandon, but as of yet, nothing has been confirmed. Which makes the mysterious original houses Halloween Horror Nights 2024 has in store all the more murkier.
While some Universal Parks fans love to debate which festival is their favorite, as seen in our own Jessica Rawden’s Mardi Gras vs. Christmas feature, Halloween Horror Nights is another major festival that challenges us all to play favorites. Perhaps this year’s earlier celebration might help sway people to the darker side of the parks. We’ll just have to wait for night to fall, and see what appears in this infinite void of sheer fright.
Tickets for Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights are now on sale, with the event running from August 30th to November 3rd. Oh, and one last tip: be sure to go over the ticket packages very carefully! Some offers include a 6-month Peacock subscription, and access to Chucky and classic Universal Monsters movies alone makes that a deal to die for.
