Halloween Horror Nights

Another 'pro' to living in Florida: Halloween Horror Nights. One of the largest Halloween events in the United States, HHN has been going on annually for 18 years now. For the past few years, it has only been in Universal, although the last time I went it was a dual-park event, spanning Islands of Adventure as well.

My first trip was in 2000 (HHN X), when the theme was "Not Afraid of the Dark? You Don't Know Jack." Jack was a clown, so there were a lot of scary clowns roaming the park. The only haunted house I vividly remember was 'Dark Torment,' where you rode Earthquake, then wound up walking in (what seemed like) circles through tunnels of demons. There was also a Festival of the Dead parade. But honestly, what stood out the most to me about that trip was what my friends and I did on the way up... we styled each other's hair in crazy 'dos. I had about fifteen tiny ponytails all over my head (which looked even more exciting since my hair was about 5 inches long). I did another girl's hair in spiraled coils. I thought they looked amazing, she was all but completely embarassed, LoL.

Two years later, for HHN XII, I went with a different group of friends. "Islands of Fear" was the theme, and it was a very interesting night. Originally, a little demented girl was the icon, and her playthings were going to control the houses. But, after a string of child abductions in Central Florida, the icon changed to a Caretaker. The villains ruled Superhero Island. There was a house of humanoid dinosaurs. 'Maximum Carnage' was also a memorable house, with superheroes dead at every turn. We also went to Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure, which was the highlight of the night for me. I think I'll always remember The Green Lantern ride in, and then use a remote to "lock and arm" his flying thing.

This past weekend, a mixture of the first two groups (plus some) went to HHN XVIII, "Reflections of Fear." As we entered the park, we walked through 'The Path of the Wicked' ScareZone. First we went to 'Creatures,' which was some sort of backwoods hillbilly house. It was a good first house. Then, 'The Rocky Horror Tribute Show.' We were herded into the amphiteather and told where to sit (which I did not appreciate), then squished in uncomfortably. There was supposed to be on-stage guest involvement, but there was not. :( The typical audience shoutbacks were in place, and there was a large section of the audience down front who knew all of the lines. Unfortunately, where I sat, nobody seemed to know the show, so I was alone yelling "slut," "asshole," "you have no neck" and the like. As could be expected, they cut "Sweet Transvestite" and the Brad-Frank sex scene. I was actually surprised with how many people left mid-show, considering how NOT over-the-top this rendition was. From there, we hit up Interstellar Terror, which was the least exciting haunted house. Then we walked through 'American Gothic' to get to Mel's Diner. After a quick dinner stop, we cut across the park, through the ScareZones 'The Skoolhouse' and 'Fractured Tales,' both of which were pretty good. I wish we would have had time to go to all of the ScareZones (and Bill & Ted's for that matter), but alas, not this time. We waited for an hour to see 'ScaryTales: Once Upon a Nightmare,' but it was easily the best house of the night. Amazing attention to detail, and some pretty graphic scenes. Plus, the Wizard of Oz room was amazingly fun, except I got a stream of water to the eye that knocked me down. It was nearing midnight as we got in line for 'The Hallow,' but it was a good time.

The main thing that's changed (to me) are the lengths of the events. I remember going from like 7pm -2am the first time. But this year, it was just 6:30-midnight. But maybe that can be attributed to the different nights that we went. Also, now there are texting games you can play while waiting in the lines, giving you a heads-up on the house and its backstory. Lastly, I sort of wish the ScareZones would stay open a little later... we walked through 'Asylum in Wonderland' on our way out of the park, but since it was after midnight, there were no more 'scare actors,' so the park looked a little plain. Can't wait for another year!