It’s Scary!: My Halloween Horror Nights Orlando 2023 Experience

Intro

As the sun dips below the horizon and the shadows grow long, a spine-chilling transformation takes place in the heart of Orlando, Florida. Universal Studios Florida, normally a place of family-friendly fun and adventure, undergoes a sinister metamorphosis as darkness descends. Welcome to Halloween Horror Nights 2023, an annual event that unleashes the most terrifying creatures and stories onto the unsuspecting park-goers.

In this blog post, we will be your guide into this macabre world, where your worst nightmares come to life. From ghastly haunted houses to eerie scare zones, from iconic horror movie themes to original tales of terror, we’ll delve into the darkest corners of Universal Studios Florida during this spine-tingling event. So, gather your courage, and let’s step into the twisted and terrifying universe of Halloween Horror Nights 2023. It’s a journey you won’t soon forget.

Getting in the park

In a previous post, I shared all the things to do and more, and all the experiences I had in the previous years. But now, I wanna share my 2023 experience. I visited in Opening Weekend (Labor Day Weekend) and got a Single Night ticket with Express. Since I am a Universal Orlando Annual Pass Holder, I was able to stay in Universal Studios Florida before the event starts.

This is called Stay and Scream, and basically when the park closes at 5 PM, they rush day guests to leave the park, and all the people staying for the HHN event have the opportunity to stay in either 3 of the Stay and Scream areas:

• New York
• The Simpsons
• San Francisco

I chose to stay in The Simpsons Stay and Scream area, which is the closest one to The Last of Us and Universal Monsters Unmasked, 2 of the most famous houses this year. The entrance to the area was by Central Park and they would just scan your HHN tickets and let you in. This starts around 4:00 PM, but people starts lining up since around noon (incredible).

Stay and Scream

I recommend to bring an umbrella, and wear sunblock while in the Stay and Scream area. Also, probably go to the bathroom before and bring some drinks and snacks, since the wait from the time you get in to when it is finally time to go into the houses can be hours.

The staff would be guiding everyone depending on the house of preference. Some houses would open earlier. In my case, The Last of Us opened before 6:00 PM when the event starts at 6:30 PM officially. This is a great advantage of the Stay and Scream ticket as well, for those that do not have a day pass or annual pass to stay in the day.

The Express line is inexistent at the beginning and then it gets split inside of the queue. I chose not to use Express for this first house, which could have been a mistake since I never came back here (I was saving it for later).

House: The Last of Us

Official Description: 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.

It was time to visit one of the most famous houses of this year, and to officially start Halloween Horror Nights 2023. The Express line went by very fast, and there were some RIP tours already getting in the house, but suddenly the regular line also started moving fast.

I know this house is based on the game, but I could not care about it too much. I did not get the scares I expected, and could not put together the plot of it. I am sorry but I will give it a 6/10. Most of the score is for production. I think it was also too early and many actors were still not present.

House: Universal Monsters Unmasked

Official Description: 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.

After my first disappointment, I went into the Universal Monsters Unmasked, right next to the exit of The Last of Us. Leaving backstage takes a long time, so count that time for each house located backstage. The event had not officially started yet and I was walking in my second house of the night. This time I used Express, but did not really need it, since I walked in at the same time as the regular line.

The house was splendid and got my first scares of the night, the production value was there, and seeing other monsters from Universal felt fresh: 8/10.

House: The Darkest Deal

Official Description: 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.

I finally did this house after meeting a friend, and the difference was there. Since I barely remember this house inside, I do remember being scared. My ranking: 5/10.

House: Dr. Oddfellow’s Twisted Origins

Official Description: 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.

I used Express in all the remaining houses, including this one. By now, after this one I would have done all the houses in this side of the park, close to the Simpsons Stay and Scream area. The regular line was already 65 minutes, but since the event had just started DO NOT TRUST this time. For the regular line, the times could be way less or way more.

The express was kind of fast since nobody really was there. The house was interesting and definitely odd. I do not think it scared me, although there were some jumps, and weird things: 7/10.

House: Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count

Official Description: 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.

Ok, I was finally in other areas of the park, and in San Francisco I saw the first Scare Zone, which you will see later in this post. By Fast and Furious, I was able to find Chucky, and yes, I was going counter clockwise for the houses.

I got in the house, and I finally was able to see some more production on the queue. A special video made just for the line was being shown on the screens, usually saved for the day ride. In this video, Chucky was literally sabotaging the house by killing the staff, basically telling what was going to happen inside of the house. They also showed shorts from the movies and TV shows of the famous doll.

Now, inside of the house, it was really fast in terms of pacing, but also the production was there. When you thought the house was over, there was a continuation and it kept going for ever. Is this good? I guess. But even though I liked the dedication with the animatronics, the video, and all the production, the house itself made me laugh, making it a funny house, not a scary house. For that: 7/10.

House: Stranger Things 4

Official Description: 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.

The time had come to go into my most anticipated house of the event. With 5 houses in my pocket, and only being 8:00 PM, the Express definitely showed its worth.

The most famous house came with its perks, and even in Express I had to wait more than 30 min to get in. But it was the peak of the night anyways.

The house was excellent. I got some scares, and the production was unbelievable. I always love the houses in these soundstages by New York, since it seems they definitely have the chance to work on them for a long time. My ranking: 10/10.

House: YETI: Campground Kills

Official Description: 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.

I did this one really quick and barely remember it. I do not think it made a splash on me. I am sorry but: 5/10.

House: Dueling Dragons Choose Thy Fate

Official Description: 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.

A first good surprise of the night was this house. Wow. I know it is based on an extinct (and probably upcoming) ride at Universal’s Islands of Adventures, but the way it was built, and all the details, animatronics, and effects, made it one of my favorites. I was definitely jumpy by now, which made the experience even better. I chose ice at the end, what did you choose? Ranking: 9/10.

House: The Exorcist Believer

Official Description: 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.

Another IP house of a movie that is not out yet, but the smell would definitely make you immerse in this very well crafted house. Scare? Maybe. Impressive? Yes. Memorable? Probably. Plot makes sense? Not in my opinion. My score: 7.5/10.

House: Bloodmoon: Dark Offerings

Official description: 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.

Wow. Talk about surprises of the night. I loved this house. From the beginning you would see the red full moon in many instances during the walk. There were scares, excellent production and a nice scenery. My ranking: 10/10. What? Yes, tied with Stranger Things in my opinion.

Houses Wait Times

If you are not doing Express I would recommend you to have the Universal Orlando App and check the Wait Times. Like I said before, the times were all over the place and very off in occasions, but this was at least a qualitative way to see the waits in the park.

I also recommend you to do either Stranger Things and The Last of Us at the beginning or end of the night. This is when the crowds are in the lowest.

Scare Zones

I will not rate the Scare Zones, because I fell like I could not spend enough time in them. I still found most or all of them really good.

Shipyard 32 by the San Francisco area was creepy but since it was my first of the night I liked it a lot.

But the best of the night in my opinion was Vamp ’69 (nice).

Very smart and with a ton of props. Also, the scare actors were very well camouflaged with the regular guests, it was difficult to see who was gonna jump at you.

And of course, the Dr. Oddfellow’s Collection of Horrors Scare Zone was amazing. Since he is the icon of this year, it was nice seeing him around, and taking pictures and interacting with guests.

Guests were still coming in the park at 10 PM. The event ends at 2 AM.

Another weird one was Dark Zodiac, definitely a weird play on the zodiac signs.

Death Eaters™ Encounter

When I was done with all the houses and explored all the scare zones, I finally went to Diagon Alley in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, to see the Death Eaters encounter. The land had a lot of fog and creepy lights all over the place. It was nice seeing this for the first time. When I arrived there were no Death Eater, but quickly they started to show up.

They came all together, split and interacted with the guests, checking their arms for the dark mark, and then joined forces again for a final quick show.

The Tribute Store

The Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store was amazing. I had the chance to explore twice on this trip. I went there for the first time on HHN night and then again the next day.

Back in the New York Area, the production design was there. Really beautiful and very well decorated.

All the rooms were telling a story, but related to comics, in a creepy way.

Later in the post I will show what I got in this store.

What to eat at HHN 2023?

Good question. There are a ton of things to eat at this event, but I made a list of 3 things that looked great:

• Pizza Fries
• Peanut Blooder Burger
• Pumpkin Dulce de Leche Puff

Sadly, I was only able to find the Pizza Fries, because it was in the same spot as previous years. The other items I could not find anywhere. I googled them and there was no clear info. All I know now is you can find the burger in the booth in front of Mel’s DIE-IN.

And the Pizza Fries of course in KidZone Pizza Company. Be ready to wait in line for this plate. But yummy, yummy.

Back at the Tribute Store, they offer pastries and sweets related to HHN.

I got myself a Little Boo cookie, that I devoured right away, and it was delicious.

More Spooky Spots at Universal Studios Florida

In this park, you can find other areas with spooky decoration. For example by New York, do not miss the FEDRA camp with a lot of easter eggs from the game The Last of Us.

And as I mentioned before, Diagon Alley is covered in fog and creepy lights that would make you be scared of Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

By the Hollywood area, in Five and Dime you would find nice props from the Monsters movies.

More HHN Spots at Universal’s Islands of Adventure

In the other park, Halloween is also present. And the most notorious spot is the All Hollow’s Eve store by The Lost Continent.

Definitely it is worth visiting, especially if you also have tickets for this park.

More HHN Spots in Universal Orlando Resort

Yes, there are a ton of places in the entire resort that celebrate Halloween and Horror Nights, but the most interesting for me is the Chucky’s Twisted Playground in Cabana Bay. Since I stayed in one of the Universal Resort hotels, I was able to visit this photo opportunity.

It is located in the second floor of the Cabana Bay lobby.

The visit is quick, and definitely a good spot to take Chucky related pictures, some of them impressive.

Other seasonal things at CityWalk

One of the places I wanted to visit was Red Coconut Club, known as Red Dead Coconut Club, but unfortunately it was impossible to go there, having to stretch these few days.

But I still got to go to Voodoo Doughnut, and got myself a seasonal treat: A Guava Cheese Donut.

The appearance is weird but the flavor is a blessing. Wow. Delicious.

More things to do at Universal Studios Florida

But the park that hosts the HHN event is not only spookiness. I came early on HHN eve and got to do other things in the park.

Before my Stay and Scream time I went to Diagon Alley (of course).

Rode Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, one of my favorite rides of this resort.

And got myself some Fish and Chips, one of my favorite meals ever.

The Starbucks store of Universal Studios Florida is closed, but you can find a temporary one in Cafe La Bamba by Hollywood.

Back in the Harry Potter land I had to explore the other park, so off I went in the Hogwarts Express.

More things to do at Universal’s Islands of Adventure

The All Hollow’s Eve store might be the most spooky thing in this park, but there are definitely other things to do, like of course exploring Hogsmeade and Hogwarts.

And if you have an Annual Pass, you can definitely check the Lounge by the Comic Strip Cafe.

Unfortunately, on the HHN day the waits on this park were absurd, and some rides were even offline. I was only able to do Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure.

Where to stay during HHN?

I recommend to stay at a Universal Resort Hotel but you do you. If you have a day ticket, you can go in earlier in the day, and use the transportation which is very much useful at the end of the night, when you are tired of walking all day and night.

They also have a Universal Store and some have a Starbucks, so a good way to start your day.

Conclusion

So, wrapping it up, my time at Halloween Horror Nights Orlando 2023 was seriously crazy and something I won’t forget in a hurry. Universal Studios Florida went from a happy place to a seriously spooky one as the sun set.

One thing that was pretty cool was the “Stay and Scream” areas. It let me get in early and check out some of the best haunted houses before the main event kicked off. The lines were long, but the excitement was off the charts. I got to see “The Last of Us,” meet up with classic monsters in “Universal Monsters Unmasked,” and explore the weird world of “Dr. Oddfellow’s Twisted Origins.”

Among the houses, “Stranger Things 4” was a big hit. It had amazing production values, and I swear, I was jumping at every little sound. The scare zones like “Vamp ’69” and “Dr. Oddfellow’s Collection of Horrors” added to the spooky vibes.

Sure, not every house was a hit for me, and I had a few letdowns, but the overall vibe of the park was top-notch. From the crazy Tribute Store to the Pizza Fries, there was a lot to enjoy.

In the end, Halloween Horror Nights Orlando 2023 delivered on its promise of seriously scary fun. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you’re up for a night of spine-tingling scares and Halloween madness, it’s totally worth checking out.