Stranger
Things, US, Killer
Klowns what more
could you ask for in Halloween frights?
All
Images Link To Our INSTAGRAM Account
Tampa
Bay Gay headed to Universal Orlando's
Halloween Horror Nights; the 29th installment of Orlando's
best Halloween event. Honestly,
I am a big fan of Halloween and HHN in general so I may
have a slight bias of opinion. I would also point out that I
am far any type of Halloween professional or critic. I will
however try to give you some fair and positive things to look
forward to when visiting this year's HHN event. The Universal
staff invited us to experience this year with Express Passes
so we thank them very much for the chance to visit and share
our experience with our readers. #HHN29
Even though we had Express Passes for the evening I watched
the wait times and they seemed to average about 30 minutes.
In my opinion, that is not that bad of a wait time for haunted
houses, some of the ride attractions wait times were longer.
As we get closer to Halloween, I am sure that line wait times
will increase. With that being said, if you want to get everything
done and hit up some rides, consider the Express Pass, it is
a very nice added feature as the event picks up in attendance.
That is enough on the upsells and on to the good stuff. If you
have the Official Universal App you can you can get up to date
wait times and also play the TERROR TRIVIA game using the free
WIFI in the park.
I am going to break my report down into five categories, Houses,
Scare Zones, LIVE Entertainment, Ride Attractions, and Merchandise/Store.
HOUSES
Conveniently, I can do a Top Ten list for the houses since there
are ten. This is no way should decide how to make your night
at HHN; I am hoping that it shares what I experienced without
giving away too much (I do not think I need to put SPOILER ALERT).
In case you want to be in the dark about any of the event until
you get there STOP READING. Getting stated, I have listed my
Top Four, these are my favorites and they are split into two
groups (Movie/TV Themed and Original Scares). The rest just
follow in order to my preference.
All Images Link To Our INSTAGRAM Account
1
- Universal Monsters: (Movie Themed House) By far my favorite
overall. It was nice to see that the traditional Monsters were
center stage in this house. Get ready for all of your favorite
Monsters, a whole lot of them: Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman,
Mummy, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and more. There are frights
to the very end.
2 - Ghostbusters: (Movie Themed House) My second favorite
in the "Movie/TV Themed" houses. There are some really great
visuals and classic scenes from the movie. Just like in the
movie there are parts where you are not expecting to be scared.
Say "HI" to the Marshmallow Man and hopefully he will not get
to you; he is not in the greatest mood, a little HOT!
3- Yeti: Terror of the Yukon: (Original Scare House)
My favorite in the first "Original Scare" house category. The
creatures are terrifying and the environment is similarly distorted.
Maybe you will rethink camping out in Canada out in the middle
of nowhere. Snow is on the horizon, time to bunker down.
4 -Nightingales: Blood Pit: (Original Scare House) Second
on my list of "Original Scare" houses. Universal has done a
great job once again with some really scary and frightening
characters. The que line visuals are disturbing enough so you
can imagine the terror once you are inside.
5 - Killer Klowns from Outer Space: (Movie Themed House)
One of my all-time favorite movies is now a haunted house; I
am ecstatic! Yes, I probably just aged myself but this is a
classic horror movie. Universals team once again deposits you
right in the movie. All of your favorites including a puppet
show, cotton candy and lots of scary Klowns. There is even a
photo op with the Klowns and the Ice Cream Truck before you
go in just in case you do not come out.
6 - Stranger Things: (TV Themed House) If you have not seen
this show on Netflix start binge watching before you go. There
are great theatrics and effects. At some points, I actually
felt like I was on the set. I am pretty sure they have something
from every season included. You will see your favorite characters
helping direct you through the chaos and the Upside Down.
All Images Link To Our INSTAGRAM Account
7
- House of 1000 Corpses: (Movie Themed House) Rob Zombie
at his best, this house is just as clown crazy as you would
expect from the mastermind. Captain Spaulding invites you into
a terrifying crazy house where you will get to meet the entire
family.
8- US: (Movie Themed House) I have not seen this movie
from Jordan Peele yet so I am not sure that I really understood
the house, however with that said it is creepy. One thing I
did understand was the alternate universe with you! It is a
bizarre twist on reality.
9 - Depths of Fear: (Original Scare House) This house
has a lot of good visuals and you really do feel like you are
in the depths. Stale wet air with a chance you may get a little
sprinkle here and there. The creatures are scary, something
brought up from the dark abyss.
10 - Graveyard: (Original Scare House) Out of all of
the haunted houses I placed this one on the bottom. No particular
reason as stated before, I just feel of all the other houses
this was least impactful for me. If you like venturing through
a graveyard and playing games, this is the house. I hope you
do not pick up a soul when visiting.
SCARE ZONES
I am going to list my top two favorites; I am not trying to
discredit any of the zones but these were by far my favorite.
All Images Link To Our INSTAGRAM Account
1
- Anarch-cade: My favorite because visually was so nostalgic.
I hope you brought quarters and your 80's apparel. Step into
the 1980's with lasers, neon, video games and some creatures
lurking around every corner and just a touch of fear.
2- Rob Zombies: Hellbilly Deluxe: Second favorite and
again for me it has a lot to do with the visuals. There is so
much going on that you get distracted from the street walkers
that come and scare you. As you can see there are a few Rob
Zombie touches this year. He is definitely able to bring gore
and horror in every twist and turn.
3 - Vikings Undead: This scare zone is really dark just
outside of Central Park. Keep your eyes open you never know
when there will be someone around the corner. Be sure to check
out some of the stations throughout there are some creepy creatures
looming.
4- Zombieland: Double Tap: Zombies, Zombies, and more
Zombies. Everywhere you turn there is a zombie that is searching
for your brains, who can you turn to for help?. I should tell
you, if you need to use the bathroom, consider a different place.
You may not come out alive; some of those portable bathrooms
are deathly ill.
5 - Vanity Ball: Where is Ru when you need her? Oh wait,
maybe this is a different kind of runway show. Now is your chance
to photograph some of the leading "Deadly" Models in "Hollywood".
Walk the streets of Califonia, pull up and chair and watch the
HHN Fashion show. Fancy a little Nip here or a Tuck there? They
have the perfect surgeon for you. Step right up and become HHN's
"Next Dead Model".
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
There are two LIVE shows that happen every night of HHN.
The Academy of Villains: Altered States, this is a high
energy theatrical and dance performance with four of five shows
per night. Get there a little early if you have a specific seat
that you want.
This year there is a new waterfront show; grab a spot in Central
Park as the Universal Lagoon turns into Halloween Marathon
of Mayhem. This water based show happening three times a
night is a sensory explosion of sound and visuals with flashbacks
of our favorites from Halloween.
RIDE ATTRATIONS
If you are not a fan of haunted houses, or if you have finished
up the houses, you will want to visit many of the Ride Attractions
that are open during HHN. Seven attractions are available including
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Transformers: The Ride-3D,
Fast & Furious - Supercharged, Harry Potter and the Escape
from Gringotts and others. Universal has some of the best
and newest ride attractions in the nation, so if you have some
time you should definitely check out some of the rides.
MERCHANDISE/STORES
Traditional HHN29 Merchandise:
This year as with other years, Universal has created themed
memorabilia for sale. They have some traditional items like
a T-shirts, shot glass (my favorite, as you see below), and
tumbler cup; but wait there is more. If you enjoy Stranger Things
you can buy the baseball cap, or maybe a fan of Killer Klowns,
this year there is a collectible figure of Shorty. Additionally
they have collectible Pins and two drinking glasses. Other merchandise
is available but these are exclusively and limited to this event.
All Images Link To Our INSTAGRAM Account
Tribute
Store:
This is the coolest store at HHN but it is only here during
the event. When you walk in you will see each area has been
themed like the houses in the park with all sorts of merchandise
available. One of my favorite things is the Artisan Painted
Sculls that are for sale. These are EXCLUSIVE and one of a kind
for HHN 29. If you really want to bring a little piece of HHN
this is your opportunity the Tribute store has so much to offer.
All Images Link To Our INSTAGRAM Account
Overall
HHN29 was great; if you enjoy Halloween and getting scared
(or watching others scare) you should head on over to Universal
and check out the event through November 2, 2019. Thanks again
to Universal and their staff for this horror filled adventure.
We have some additional pictures and later in October, as we
get closer to Halloween, we will be posing all of our images
to INSTAGRAM
(@RealTampaBayGay) so be sure to follow us there.
-Dave Borman, Writer (events@tampabaygay.com)
Purchase Tickets & More Info on HHN29: https://orlando.halloweenhorrornights.com/site/
All Images Link To Our INSTAGRAM Account