Tips and Treats for an Unforgettable Halloween Horror Nights Experience

Halloween Horror Nights stands out as one of the largest, spookiest, and most beloved Halloween festivities in the nation.

This yearly fright fest takes place at both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort, giving you the option to enjoy Halloween Horror Nights on either coast—or both, if you’re as passionate about HHN as I am! The event typically runs for nearly two months leading up to Halloween, sometimes extending into early November, so there’s ample time to plan your thrilling visit.

Each year, Halloween Horror Nights turns a family-friendly theme park, usually filled with laughter, into a spine-chilling realm of screams and eerie, decaying figures. The event features a blend of indoor haunted houses, outdoor scare zones, live shows, and plenty of delicious treats.

To fully enjoy the terror, guests should familiarize themselves with the different ticket options and queue management tactics to experience as many haunted houses as possible in one evening. And for dedicated HHN fans like myself, there are chances to explore "behind the scares" and delve into the event’s rich history and lore. Yes, I’m assigning you some Halloween Horror Nights homework, but I assure you, it’ll be far more enjoyable than high school math.

Regardless of your budget, here’s how to optimize your visit to Halloween Horror Nights.

If you’re watching your spending

Since Halloween Horror Nights requires a separate ticket, a daytime admission does not allow entry during HHN (and vice versa). The park closes before the event starts, so daytime visitors must exit.

Tickets for Halloween Horror Nights follow a date-based pricing structure at both parks. Typically, it’s more affordable to skip Friday and Saturday nights, which are also the most crowded with the longest wait times. Wednesday tends to be the least expensive day to attend.

You’ll find that ticket prices are lower if you visit closer to the start of the event (late August through September) rather than in October as Halloween draws near. Remember, Halloween Horror Nights occurs only on select nights, so be sure to check the event calendar before booking flights or hotels.

You can also save money by buying your tickets in advance rather than waiting until the day of your visit to purchase them at the gate.

Even if you’re trying to keep costs down, there’s one essential add-on you’ll want to get with your ticket to avoid waiting in lines for one to two hours all night. This add-on has different names at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort, but it essentially allows you to enter the park before the event starts each night so you can queue up early for the haunted houses.

At Universal Studios Hollywood, this add-on is known as the Early Access Ticket, allowing you entry into the park at 5:30 p.m. to get a jump on select houses before the event officially kicks off at 7 p.m. The price fluctuates depending on the date, adding between $10 and $25 to your ticket.

In Orlando, this add-on is referred to as a Scream Early Ticket. With a Scream Early Ticket, you can enter Universal Studios Florida between 3 and 5 p.m. to enjoy a few rides before the park closes to daytime visitors. At 5 p.m., you can line up at one of several "Stay & Scream" zones.

These zones act as holding areas where you can queue for your first haunted house of the night. Before selecting a Stay & Scream location, do some online research or consult a staff member to determine which houses will open first that night, so you can line up accordingly.

This add-on will raise your ticket price by $50, but it allows you to experience two to three houses before the event officially opens for the evening.

If you're keen on saving money, you can skip these add-ons and plan to stay until the end of the night. After midnight, wait times can drop considerably. Just be ready for longer lines early in the evening.

If you’re okay with paying to bypass the lines

For those willing to invest a bit more to avoid the lengthy waits for haunted houses and rides that remain open during Halloween Horror Nights, the best option is the Halloween Horror Nights Express Pass. The HHN Express Pass functions similarly to a daytime Universal Express Pass, allowing you to bypass the standby line and access a much shorter Express entrance.

This pass operates differently at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort, so let’s break down each one.

In Orlando, the Halloween Horror Nights Express Pass can be added to your HHN ticket. While it may more than double your ticket price, it guarantees that you can skip the standby line for all 10 houses and select rides once per night. If you wish to revisit any of the houses, you'll need to wait in the regular line.

At Universal Studios Hollywood, you can buy a Halloween Horror Nights ticket that includes Express access. There’s one option for one-time Express access and another for unlimited Express access to the haunted houses and select attractions. Both versions also grant nighttime entry to Super Nintendo World.

Universal Studios Hollywood offers another ticket type that allows you to enter the park early to enjoy rides and start lining up for select haunted houses before the event officially begins. The Halloween Horror Nights After 2 p.m. Day/Night ticket lets you enter as early as 2 p.m. to experience rides and attractions (including Super Nintendo World), with access to select houses starting at 5:30 p.m.

Although the After 2 p.m. Day/Night ticket doesn’t allow you to bypass the standby line, it still gives you early access to the event, enabling you to experience all the haunted houses. Afterward, you should have time left to enjoy some live entertainment or take a ride on the Terror Tram.

If budget is no issue

For those who aren’t concerned about costs, an R.I.P Tour (Universal's clever twist on a VIP tour) is the ultimate option.

When you book an R.I.P. Tour, a Universal tour guide will accompany your group throughout the event. They will not only lead you to an exclusive entrance at each haunted house but also share fascinating details about them. Consider it a quick guide to the storyline of each house before you enter.

In Orlando, the price of your tour includes valet parking, an exclusive park entrance, a pretour reception, unlimited Express ride access, and reserved seating for select shows. You can choose between a group R.I.P. Tour, where you’re paired with other guests, or a private R.I.P. Tour just for your party. For both group and private R.I.P. Tours, Halloween Horror Nights admission must be purchased separately.

Hollywood's R.I.P. Tour operates a bit differently. You can buy an R.I.P. Tour ticket that includes access to Halloween Horror Nights along with a guided walking tour of the event. This ticket grants you one-time R.I.P. entry to each house, allowing you to bypass both the standby line and the Express line, as well as VIP seating for one live show and access to Super Nintendo World.

Additionally, you'll enjoy an exclusive Universal Backlot Halloween experience, dinner before the event, themed photo opportunities, and complimentary valet parking. After your tour, your event credential grants you unlimited Universal Express access to revisit your favorite haunted houses as many times as you wish. Essentially, you’ll be treated like Halloween royalty. This year, R.I.P. Tour tickets begin at $329.

If you want to stay as close as possible to the demons lurking behind Universal's gates, you can book a hotel package that includes Halloween Horror Nights admission and overnight accommodations.

This is especially relevant for Universal Orlando Resort since Universal Studios Hollywood currently lacks on-site hotels, although there are two hotels within walking distance: the Hilton Los Angeles Universal City and the Sheraton Universal Hotel.

However, if you're attending Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort, the spooky fun extends to the hotels too. Each of Universal Orlando's hotels decorates for Halloween and offers special food and drink options at their on-site restaurants. They even provide late-night dining choices, so you can grab a bite before heading to your room and trying to forget the terrifying experiences from the park.

Universal Orlando features hotel and ticket package discounts to help you save on your Halloween Horror Nights getaway. If money is no object and you want to be close to the thrills, you can stay at one of Universal's Signature Collection hotels — including the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando, Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando, Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando, or Loews Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Orlando.

These hotels are the closest to the parks and provide convenient boat transportation and walking paths to get there. By using these transportation options, you can access an exclusive security entrance with significantly shorter wait times compared to the standard security line.

If you're eager for all the gruesome behind-the-scenes insights

One of the aspects I love most about Halloween Horror Nights is its rich history and lore. The event originated in Orlando in 1991. With thirty-three years and over 200 haunted houses under its belt, it has developed a vast collection of stories and characters to draw inspiration from.

I was just a child back in 1991, so I haven't attended the event since its very first year, but there are plenty of ways to explore the treasure trove of references and Easter eggs that are intricately tied to the event.

For instance, Halloween Horror Nights features several "icons" — original characters that play pivotal roles in many haunted houses and scare zones. These characters boast elaborate backstories and interconnected narratives. Take Jack the Clown (as shown above), who is perhaps the most recognizable icon. First appearing at HHN in 2000, this murderous circus clown is now featured in multiple houses and scare zones, solidifying his status as a staple of the event.

The Discover Universal Blog frequently shares articles related to Halloween Horror Nights, including an in-depth origin story of Jack the Clown. Each year, the blog offers behind-the-scenes insights into the houses and provides tips for making the most of your visit to the event.

In 2022, Universal also launched the Discover Universal Podcast. This year, there's an "Echoes from the Fog" series featuring voice actors narrating the stories that unfold within the houses. It's an excellent way to build excitement for the event and gain a deeper understanding of what you'll encounter in the houses.

Another way to dive into the event and uncover those delightful little details that might be overlooked when monsters are lunging at you is by participating in the "Behind the Screams: Unmasking the Horror Tour."

This tour is exclusively available at Universal Orlando Resort. This year, you can select from a three-house or six-house tour. Each tour features different houses, allowing you to potentially experience nine of the ten houses if you opt for both tours.

These tours occur during daylight hours. The lights in the houses are turned on (allowing you to see all the gruesome details), and there are no scare actors ready to leap out at you. Instead, you'll enjoy a guided exploration of the houses that dives into each storyline. You'll also catch details you might miss when it's dark.

For instance, this year, the designers cleverly concealed small snails within each house. They’re quite difficult to spot, especially at night, but our tour guide was able to highlight them for us.

We also discovered that each house was assigned a dessert-themed code name to keep guests from guessing their identities before the official announcements. Universal cleverly integrated each dessert into its respective house. For example, The Museum: Deadly Exhibit was codenamed "Baklava," and a plate of baklava can be found behind the reception desk upon entering the house.

If you're like me and easily startled (raises hand), I suggest booking your Unmasking the Horror tour before your evening visit to Halloween Horror Nights. This way, I had a clearer understanding of the house layouts and where the scares were hiding. I still screamed just as much, but at least I was prepared for the frights.

For those who thrive on surprises, I recommend taking your lights-on tour the day after your night at HHN. That way, you can experience all the scares and then revisit the houses to catch the details you might have overlooked.

This year, the Unmasking the Horror tours are priced starting around $100 per person.

To sum it up

Throughout the years, I've indulged and saved at Halloween Horror Nights. Both approaches can provide enjoyable experiences if you choose the right ticket type and have a well-thought-out plan.