HOUSES/MAZES

There are 10 houses this year in total, with five being original themed houses, meaning the characters and story are completely developed by Universal's team. There are also five that are inspired by horror movies, series and/or videogames.

Observing wait times overall ranging from 30- 120 mins per house, that also has a lot to do with the time of night. It seems like the start and end of night are a little less of a wait time on some of the less desired houses.

A few new things this year that we noticed was elevated que lines at some of the tented houses. These were elevated walking areas that felt like they were rubberized. I am sure it is aiding in water drainage, and it is softer on the feet when waiting in line. It's the little things.

Here is a breakdown of the houses as we visited them and our opinion/review.
(Full description of each house: http://www.tampabaygay.com/pages/events/hhn23houses.htm )

VIDEO HERE
WARNING:The video's posted contains Intense Flashing Lights and Strobe Effects that may potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. If you have this or other medical conditions, Viewer Discretion is Advised.

The Last of Us
I will admit, I am not familiar with the video game (or the show) and this house is based off of the game, however I got the basic concept. The story reveals that Fungus is taking over the World and infecting people, and these infected are nasty. The house has some good visuals and up-close encounters with "clickers" and "bloaters" that are some hungry fungus creatures. If you listen you can hear them before they attack.

Stranger Things
Get ready to walk through Season 4 of Stranger Things. You start off with Chrissy's ultimate fate inside the mobile home and the chaos that incurs as we are pushed into the Upside Down. We get to see the creation of Vecna while the whole team is there trying to help you out of the Upside Down. I will say, BRAVO on this one; I have been to a few of the prior year's "Stranger Things" houses and this one by far is my favorite. Get ready to fight for your life at the end as the Demobats surround you and don't forget about the Demogorgons.

The Exorcist: Believer
The movie is set to be released on October 6, 2023, so outside of the trailer, we really do not know much about this story. With all of that, get ready to walk through a LIVE trailer for the movie. (Fun fact: Taylor Swift's movie is out Friday the 13th so this movie was pushed up one week) What we do know is that two little girls went missing for a few days and came back, but with a little more than themselves. Once these girls are back, we follow their journey and possession, and come face to face with the three eyed goat like demon. It feels like a race to save your soul and escape the terror that this demon has brought upon these children and everyone around them.

Chucky Ultimate Kill Count
I will say that as much as I love CHUCKY this one will probably be the bottom of the list for me, in a good way though. I will give credit here; the CHUCKY Dolls are animated and very Real, awesome. This year Universal decided to make a Chucky house; they invited the real CHUCKY to come and check it out. When he found out there wasn't any real killing, he takes over the entire house of Chucky's and they go on a massive Killing spree. It's almost like a museum tour of "Chucky" that goes terribly wrong, what a proper fit, slashing bashing and carnage everywhere.

Universal Monsters Unmasked
This one was probably my favorite houses. This year they decided to Unmask some of the Monsters we know so well. We enter the streets of London where they warn us to get to safety. The only way through is via the catacombs and the Monsters are trying to get you at every turn. The house includes the Phantom of the Opera, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the Invisible Man. I really liked the Invisible Man there is a point where you see him almost unraveled, glowing in the air. Of course, nothing better than a Werewolf in London with neon green dripping from his mouth.

Dr. Oddfellow: Twisted Origins
The Circus is in town, well at least Dr. Oddfellows side show of freaks and oddities. As you are spellbound by all the freakish animals and collections coming to life, you will notice Dr. Oddfellow gathering souls and collecting for his show at the end. There is stage at the end where we must pay up. It was just like being at the circus, it was almost mesmerizing, so be careful not to fall into his trap. This house has some cool creatures and some great lighting effects.

Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate
If you were a fan of the ride then this will bring back some great memories. When entering you almost feel like you are in the que line for the ride. Inside, I noticed the use of lights in the chest pieces of some of the characters, eerily beautiful. When you get closer to the end you will have a chance to choose Fire or Ice. We chose the fire side. One side is longer than the other and the winner changes. So be careful when you "Choose thy faith".

YETI: Campground Kills
I will be honest, it was a little cheesy, but who doesn't love the YETI houses that they have had. In our group it seemed to be a favorite for prior years themed house. Well, this year the whole family is involved, and I am talking about YETI. Mom, Dad and the kids are terrorizing the local campers and you too. These YETI are mad, and you can see it in their face.

The Darkest Deal
What are you willing to give up for fame? Some consider selling their souls. A local blues musician decides to make the deal of his life and has signed the contract, now it is done. He now gets his music fame but there is time to pay up. Be careful not to become one of his next. This house was pretty good there were a lot of pretty grewsome scenes. Be careful not to make a deal with he wrong person.

Bloodmoon: Dark Offerings
This is an Original Themed house and one of my favorites. I tend to like these a little more. Don't get me wrong, I like the other houses, but we are already familiar with the story and outcome. In this house we are walking into "Colonial -era" town where the people are preparing for the Blood Moon ritual. If you are not a follower and believer, you will become a grewsome sacrifice. The Blood Moon can be seen up in the sky throughout the maze. The sacrifices are horrid and gory.

SCARE ZONES

There are five in total, and all NEW Scare Zones. These are walk through sections of the park. They follow Dr Oddfellow's life journey to becoming immortal. Key points in his life, including before his partnership with JACK the clown.

Here is a breakdown/summary of the scare zones.
(Full description of each scare zone: http://www.tampabaygay.com/pages/events/hhn23houses.htm )

Dr. Oddfellow's Collection of Horror
This is the first scare zone that you enter coming into the park. Here you will find a little of everything that you will see at HHN32 this year, a collection of horror, no doubt. Don't forget to, Step Right Up, to Dr. Oddfellow's wagon and speak to the man himself.

Dark Zodiac
This is where Dr. Oddfellow must collect the souls from the zodiac to complete what he needs. As you venture around you will see all the signs presented and that even includes some roasting bodies and grewsome death stations.

Jungle of Doom: Expedition Horror
The experiments of the young Dr. Oddfellow are running recklessly around the jungle. There are hundreds of hungry bat eye glairing down from the trees. Here is also where we see the Skull being found by the Dr. and what starts the mission to become immortal.

Vamp '69: Summer of Blood
This is a fun little section with a great soundtrack. We are in the middle of a Vampire Hippie music festival. The band has been slashed and killed as the party in the streets continues. One thing to point out is that a lot of these vampires look just like visitors so be careful not to get bitten. This was one of my favorites

Shipyard 32: Horrors Unhinged
This was also one of my favorite scare zones. Dr. Oddfellow has had some of his freight sent into the San Fransisco harbor and the shipyard isn't ready to handle what has been delivered. There are creatures of all kinds roaming the streets, including life size bats. My absolute favorite thing was seeing Nosferatu in a cage and trying to get out of his crate.

VIDEO HERE
WARNING:The video's posted contains Intense Flashing Lights and Strobe Effects that may potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. If you have this or other medical conditions, Viewer Discretion is Advised.

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

As with every year, they have LIVE show called: Nightmare Fuel: Revenge Dream. Unfortunately, we were on our tour during the show times, so we missed it, this visit.

There are also rumors of a M3GAN Flash Mob dance that we did not get to see. I have seen some videos on social media. If you visit share your experience with us.

TRIBUTE STORE

One of my favorite spots to check out is the Tribute Store. Every year there is a new theme and this year it is, Comic Books. There are some great spots for selfies, placing you right in the Live comic. In fact, this year you can purchase a comic book and it will feature your image. Then it will be displayed for the season and then sent to you after, solidifying your presence at Halloween Horror Nights 32 forever.

 

There is a huge selection of HHN32 Themed Merch this year from T-shirts, Shot glasses, mugs, backpacks, hoodies. There is also some Stranger Things and CHUCKY merchandise available too. I got to purchase my annual Shot Glass and a few other goodies.