Quick Guide For What To Do At Halloween Horror Nights Orlando 2023

Introduction

As the days grow shorter and the air becomes crisp, the anticipation for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando reaches a fever pitch. This year, the event promises to be an unparalleled experience of fear, thrills, and immersive entertainment. The stage is almost set for an unforgettable night of terror.

The event’s Scare Zones, each with its own unique theme and frightful characters, will send shivers down your spine as you navigate the darkened alleys. And don’t miss the Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store, a haven for horror enthusiasts seeking eerie merchandise and themed pastries.

So, join me, as we dive into the heart-pounding world of Halloween Horror Nights 2023. As a seasoned traveler and theme park aficionado, I’m thrilled to be your guide through this spine-chilling journey.

Where is HHN happening?

Situated within Universal Orlando Resort in Universal Studios Florida, this annual event draws visitors from near and far to experience its spine-chilling attractions, elaborately themed haunted houses, and immersive scare zones.

As the sun sets and darkness falls, the park’s familiar landscapes undergo a supernatural metamorphosis, transporting guests into a realm where the macabre reigns supreme and every corner holds the promise of a heart-pounding scare.

When is HHN 2023 happening?

Halloween Horror Nights 2023 will take place on select nights from September 1 to November 4 at Universal Studios Florida. I recommend checking the official Universal Studios Florida website or contacting their customer service for the most up-to-date information on the specific dates and schedule for Halloween Horror Nights 2023.

This way, you can plan your visit accordingly and ensure you don’t miss out on the spine-chilling festivities. See the full calendar here.

Types of Tickets for HHN 2023

Halloween Horror Nights 2023 offers a range of ticket options tailored to cater to different preferences and budgets. From single-night admission tickets that grant you entry to the event on a specific date of your choosing, to multi-night passes that allow you to experience the scares on multiple evenings, there’s a ticket option for everyone.

For those seeking to maximize their terror-filled adventure, the “Frequent Fear Pass” provides access to select nights throughout the event’s duration, ensuring you won’t miss a single chilling moment.

Additionally, the “RIP Tours” offer a VIP experience, allowing you to skip the lines, gain exclusive insights, and enjoy priority access to the haunted houses. With various ticket tiers and add-ons, Halloween Horror Nights ensures that attendees can customize their experience to create the perfect blend of frights and fun. For 2023 the types of tickets are (description from website):

• Halloween Horror Nights Single-Night Ticket: Choose a night to experience the terror
• Halloween Horror Nights Express Pass: Get to the fear faster and skip the regular lines one time at all haunted houses, plus at participating rides and attractions. Event admission required and not included.
• Halloween Horror Nights Rush of Fear Pass: Get access to up to the first 18 event nights of terror and save when you buy online.
• Halloween Horror Nights Frequent Fear Pass: Get up to 30 nights. Save when you buy online and come EVERY Sun.–Thurs. event night PLUS the first weekend.
• Halloween Horror Nights Frequent Fear Plus Pass: Get up to 40 nights. Save when you buy online and come EVERY Sun.–Fri. event night PLUS the first and last Sat. event nights.
• Halloween Horror Nights Ultimate Frequent Fear Pass: Get up to 48 nights. Save when you buy online and come EVERY night of the event. Plus, get FREE Regular parking after 5pm on all event nights.

Scream Early and Stay and Scream

But one add-on ticket that I recommend a lot to people with no Annual Pass is the Scream Early Ticket. It costs $40 and allows you to enter the park at 3 PM.  At 5 PM, you can proceed to a Stay and Scream holding area until the park is transformed into HHN.

The Scream Early Ticket gives you access to the theme park before the Halloween Horror Nights event.  This can help you get more done in the first 30 minutes. It also gives you more time to enjoy the entertainment, food, and other haunted houses. 

The Stay and Scream areas for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort are located at:

• Delancey Street
• Today Cafe
• Springfield, USA
• Richter’s Burger Co.
• Sound Stage 18 courtyard 

You will be directed to these areas at 5:00 PM when the park closes for day guests.

10 Mind-Ripping Haunted Houses

Halloween Horror Nights 2023 boasts an array of spine-tingling haunted houses that promise to transport you to the heart of your darkest nightmares, featuring iconic horror film characters, each intricately designed house offers a pulse-pounding journey into the macabre.

These houses are more than just physical spaces; they’re immersive experiences that will test your courage and push the boundaries of your fears.

The houses for 2023 are:

1. Stranger Things 4: You’ll need your squad to resist Vecna’s gruesome curse. Like Eleven, now’s your chance to stop him once and for all as you take on the scariest season of Stranger Things yet.
2. The Exorcist: Believer: Two missing girls have been found with no memory of what happened to them. But wherever they went, the ultimate evil has returned with them. Enter the most terrifying scenes from the new Blumhouse film.
3. The Last of Us^™: You and your squad will encounter the haunting and overgrown world of the video game in a brand-new, terrifying way. Stay silent if you want to survive a multitude of Clickers, Hunters and more.
4. Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count: Chucky, the serial killer doll, is back for a new gorefest! He’s hijacked his own haunted house with all kinds of bloody hijinks. You and your friends must try to survive his ultimate kill count.
5. Universal Monsters: Unmasked: Descend into the Paris Catacombs, where you and your squad will face a new horde of Monsters: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Phantom of the Opera, the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Invisible Man.
6. Dr. Oddfellow’s Twisted Origins: You won’t be able to resist going inside Dr. Oddfellow’s menacing menagerie of twisted oddities. But the price for you and your friends is steep: the cost of your souls to feed his immortal power.
7. Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate: Two warlocks of great power were turned into dragons after trying to take Merlyn’s spell book. Now you and your friends are caught in their epic battle. You must choose a path and a victor.
8. YETI: Campground Kills: You and your friends are about to venture into a 1950s campground overrun by huge, menacing yetis who rip apart anyone who gets in their way. You must flee to the ranger tower to escape.
9. The Darkest Deal: Blues musician Pinestraw Spruce will have to face the music after meeting with The Collector and trading his soul for musical glory. You and your squad learn the terrible price of fame.
10. Bloodmoon: Dark Offerings: In a Colonial-era village, moon-worshippers witness a blood moon at their fall festival. They take it as a sign to hunt down any non-followers, including you and your scream squad.

5 Sinister Scare Zones

Step beyond the haunted houses and immerse yourself in the chilling Scare Zones of Halloween Horror Nights 2023. As you traverse the park, you’ll encounter these themed zones, each with its own unique brand of terror. These interactive areas are populated by sinister characters who roam freely, ready to send shivers down your spine when you least expect it.

From the atmospheric lighting to the haunting soundscapes, the Scare Zones envelop you in an atmosphere of unease, making every step a suspenseful adventure.

The Scare Zones for 2023 are:

1. Dr. Oddfellow’s Collection of Horror: Dr. Oddfellow will lure you into Halloween Horror Nights with a promise of immortality. As he lifts the veil on all the horrors to come, you’ll soon realize you may not even survive the night.
2. Dark Zodiac: Dr. Oddfellow has entered a dark dimension to harness the power of the Zodiac and live forever. He twists the signs into malevolent beings who foretell your doom. As his star rises, yours falls.
3. Jungle of Doom: Expedition Horror: In the 1920s, Dr. Oddfellow ventured deep into the darkest jungle, performing horrific experiments on nature. Now his monstrous creations are running amok and are coming after you.
4. Vamp ’69: Summer of Blood: At a 60s music fest in a small New York town, you’ll jam to popular bands with fellow concert-goers until Dr. Oddfellow unleashes vicious vampires on the audience. They’re out for your blood.
5. Shipyard 32: Horrors Unhinged: Enter a 1940s San Francisco shipping yard full of mysterious crates and cages bearing Dr. Oddfellow’s symbol. Beware, his nightmarish oddities have now escaped, spreading fear and chaos in their wake.

Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store

The Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store is a must-visit destination within Universal Studios Florida during the event. Much more than a store, it’s a portal into the macabre world of horror and nostalgia. This immersive shopping experience offers a variety of exclusive merchandise, from apparel to collectibles to food, allowing you to take a piece of the event’s magic home with you.

Last year I had the chance to visit the store, and see Kitra’s plaque from Ordinary Adventures, some of my favorite youtubers.

What to eat at HHN 2023?

Halloween Horror Nights 2023 at Universal Orlando Resort will feature a variety of food and drink options, including: 

• New items: Bloody Campground Poutine, El Pastor Torta, and Sour Apple Pie Funnel Fries
• Returning items: Pizza Fries (Love them)
• Other items: Surfer Boy French Hawaiian French Bread Pizza, Walking Taco, Left Behind Ravioli, Peanut Blooder Burger, and Fried Til’ The End Chicken 

Universal Orlando Resort offers event-exclusive treats, sweets, and savory eats each year. Many of these are themed to the year’s houses and scare zones. 

Other eats can be found in the previously mentioned Tribute Store like these delicious muffins, obviously decorated with Spooky Season items.

What Rides Are Open During HHN 2023?

Some of the rides that are open during Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando in 2023 include: 

• Transformers: The Ride-3D
• The Simpsons Ride
• Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
• Fast & Furious – Supercharged
• Revenge of the Mummy
• Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
• Men in Black Alien Attack

Some of these rides close early, and The Simpsons Ride is only open on select nights. 

Shows at HHN 2023

There will be a show at different times through the night: Nightmare Fuel Revenge Dream: The show that sparked your darkest dreams has reignited. Let your nightmares burn out of control as the pyro and aerial performers fire you up to the beat of metal and electronica.

Additionally, the Death Eaters, Lord Voldemort’s followers from the Harry Potter series, will appear at Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights 2023. The Death Eaters will roam Diagon Alley for the first time ever. 

Where to stay during Halloween Horror Nights 2023?

Some of the best hotels for Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights 2023 include:

• Hard Rock Hotel
• Endless Summer Resort 

Some hotels offer Halloween activities and decorations as well.

What to do before or after HHN 2023?

Last year in 2022, before heading to a Stay and Scream HHN, we decided to go to Epcot at Walt Disney World Orlando, Florida.

Epcot is a great place for family fun. It has rides that are geared toward teenagers and adults. The World Showcase pavilions allow visitors to explore the culture, history, cuisine, and architecture of 11 different countries. The park also has Spaceship Earth, which is housed inside an iconic geodesic globe. 

Epcot is different from other Disney World parks. Magic Kingdom is all about fantasy and make believe. Epcot is more futuristic in Future World and all about discovering different countries and cultures in The World Showcase. 

Some of the rides at Epcot include:

• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Frozen Ever After
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

If doing this attraction, you should get a Virtual Queue, and I explained this more in detail here.

EPCOT’s new nighttime show is expected to debut in late 2023.  The show will feature music, pyrotechnics, lasers, and lighting. It will take place at World Showcase Lagoon and will celebrate the Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary. The show will feature an original composition and selections from the Disney songbook. 

The new show will replace Harmonious, which closed at the end of March 2023. EPCOT Forever will return as an interim show while the new show is developed. 

Getting to Orlando

For my last year’s HHN trip, I flew from JFK International Airport, and got a nice view of the Manhattan skyline.

I flew to Miami, and from there we drove up to Orlando.

The return was also from Miami, and this let me see a nice view of the Florida city.