There is no bad time to go to Universal Orlando Resort, but without a doubt the best time to go is during Halloween Horror Nights. The event puts up some absolutely terrifying houses every year, bringing some of your favorite horror films to life, as well as creating numerous equally terrifying original concepts. This year has promised to be both terrifying and disgusting, but which house is truly the best of the best?
If you don’t spend the money for an RIP Tour or other line-skipping options, then odds are you’ll only be able to do a few of the houses in any one night. So which should you do first if your time is limited? Here are CinemaBlend’s thoughts on the best of Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights this year.
10 Bugs: Eaten Alive
Sometimes the thing that terrifies you is that masked supernatural murderer, and sometimes the things that terrify you are a lot smaller. One of the certainly most unique HHN houses this year is given over to bugs, and if things that are creepy or crawly freak you out, then this is either the best or the worst house at Universal Orlando. The problem, of course, is that if bugs don’t bother you, there’s not much else here, and if bugs do bother you, then this house will probably legitimately freak you out in a way that might not be fun.
9. Fiesta De Chupacabras
Fiesta de Chupacabras sends guests to a Latin American village that does not fear the goat-eating creature. Instead, it celebrates it and wants to feed you to the monster. The visuals here are impressive, and the Chupacabra is a great creature to build a house around. If you have a particular love for the monster, you’ll enjoy this one, but ultimately there’s little that makes this one stand out from the crowd.
8. The Horrors Of Blumhouse
Blumhouse has become the home of some of the best modern horror movies, and the HHN entry from Blumhouse this year gives us two of them in one house. That means double the fun and only one line for Black Phone and Freaky. If you’re a fan of either of these films, you'll want to be sure to check this one out, but both films are so new that you may not have seen them. As a result, this one won’t hit quite as hard as something that’s stood the test of time, as a couple other houses here have.
7. Descendants Of Destruction
When you’re telling a story in a haunted house that people know from the movies, you maybe have a bit of help in getting that story across. But when telling a story in an original house, it has to be rock solid to get that story across. This is where Descendants of Destructions shines, as you move through a subway tunnel after an apocalypse, and the deeper you go, the more horrific the remnants of humanity. It's an excellent and horrifying tale that's well told.
6. Spirits Of The Coven
Witches are a Halloween mainstay, so you need to have them someplace at Halloween Horror Nights. The twist here is that the coven of witches is running a speakeasy in the 1920s and using it to lure in their victims. The Prohibition era aesthetic is so awesome, it makes us wish this were an actual bar (maybe next year). The production design quality is certainly high enough on this one. It's almost too much fun to want to leave.
5. Hellblock Horror
Hellblock Horror isn't supposed to be based on any particular movie that you’ve actually seen. Having said that, it’s hard not to believe that John Carpenter wasn’t a major influence here. The prison full of monstrous inmates feels like it was inspired by equal parts Assault on Precinct 13, Escape From New York and Ghosts of Mars. This one is legitimately terrifying and it looks as good as it scares.
4. Universal Monsters: Legends Collide
The classic Universal Monsters, like Dracula, The Wolfman, The Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Mummy, have made frequent Halloween Horror Nights’ appearances over the years, but never before have we had the three of them together in one house. This house pits Dracula, The Mummy, and The Wolfman against each other, and who comes out on top will actually change from one night to the next, making this house not only worth checking out once, but multiple times if you can.
3. Dead Man’s Pier: Winter’s Wake
The best of the purely original Halloween Horror Nights houses this year is Dead Man’s Pier: Winter’s Wake. It creates an absolutely beautiful winter landscape that is unlike anything else you’ll see this year. The undead fishermen that are coming to get you are some of the most exciting new creatures to look at. It’s also a cold house in order for the winter aesthetic to work, which adds to the horror by giving you a literal chill while also providing a welcome break to the Orlando heat.
2. The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare
From the day it was announced, The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare was one of the most highly anticipated houses, if for no other reason than it was unexpected. The house, inspired by the music of The Weeknd, but taken in a distinctly horror movie direction, is everything we could have hoped for. It is truly a unique experience when compared to every other option on the table, but it also has the single scariest moment of this year’s event (prepare yourself for the bathroom).
1. Halloween
The original Halloween is a house we’ve seen before at Halloween Horror Nights, but there’s a reason that the house, and the film that inspired it, have stood the test of time. Finding yourself inside the set pieces of one of the greatest horror movies ever made is going to be so huge for any Halloween fan, you might actually find yourself smiling more than screaming. And this year’s Halloween house has an entirely new ending that puts it over the top. With Halloween Ends on the way, it’s the right time to see where it all began.
No matter the order, all the houses at Halloween Horror Nights this year are impressive, and they’re only part of what the event has to offer guests this year. If you love the spooky season, then Universal Orlando resort is a place you need to check out, and you still have nearly two months to do it.
