Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights 2018
As the sun began to sink on September 14th, it signified the official kick-off of the 2018 Southern California theme park haunt season withUniversal Studios Hollywood (USF) Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) fulfilling its usual role as lead-off hitter. While Six Flags, Knott’s, Dark Harbor and the rest we’re putting the final touches on their events, HHN fired up the chainsaws for another warm opening night as a sell out crowd got their first big screams of the season in as they came face-to-face with an all-star line-up of intellectual properties (IP).
This season featured some personal favorite characters as Michael Myers, Sam, Carol Anne and the kids from Hawkins were all featured parts of the event. That said, none of these more recently adorned iconic characters had the potential to thrill the way the original Universal Monsters could...and, thankfully, did. The full line-up of mazes and entertainment includes:
One very interesting thing about the collection of IPs this year is the diversity in its focus. From a cult classic like Trick ‘r Treat to a pop culture phenomenon like Stranger Things, the maze offerings in 2018 have something for everyone interested in anything even tangentially linked to the horror genre. While we go into much more depth in the podcast (LINK HERE), the biggest winner of the night for us was the Universal Monsters. This love letter to the classic Monsters was perfectly executed from the art direction to the sound design to the talent. Despite the overwhelming winner of Universal Monsters, the battle for second place is a close with so many great contenders. At the end of the day, Poltergeist gets our vote, but it’s hard to ignore all the fantastic elements that are employed in the design and execution of Trick ‘r Treat as well. Regardless of how we choose to split hairs, it’s clear that there are some big hitters in 2018. While The Horrors of Blumhouse: Chapter Two and The First Purge settler to the bottom of our list, they weren’t bad..they just weren’t anywhere near as memorable of some of the others. That said, they’re still built in the HHN style that should please many fans throughout the season.
In addition to the attractions and entertainment mentioned, HHN also features five scare zones this year: Hell’s Harvest, Trick ‘r Treat, Monster Masquerade, Toxxic Tunnel and Holidayz in Hell. The scare zones really stood out to us this year and is probably the most consistent group we’ve seen at HHN. Outside of Dark Christmas, most scare zones of the past have fluctuated between decent to somewhat forgettable. In general, few had the excitement that Dark Christmas had. That said, this year Holidayz in Hell brings back a little of that Christmas nostalgia while introducing a collection into f new crazy, fun characters from Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Easter and more. This scare some on the lower lot functioned more like an original maze and, in addition to thrilling us, made us yearn once again for more original prices from the HHN team. While their work on IPs is second to none, their work away from licensed properties is just as exciting and a treat Hollywood fans rarely get to enjoy. While the rest of the scare zones weren’t as memorable as Holidayz, they all fit the environment well and worked as good transitions around the park. Monster Masquerade does a particularly good of taking guests from the classic world of the Universal Monsters and delivering them back to the frenetic pace of the booming music-filled Universal Plaza area.
While HHN sold out opening night, there are still plenty of date available with the event running September 15-16, 20-22, 26-30, October 4-7, 11-14, 18-21, 25-28, 31, and November 1-3, 2018. Tickets can be purchased at Hollywood.HalloweenHorrorNights.com. Advance purchase is recommended as many nights will sell out. Mixed in with the standard HHN general admission ticket are a collection of packages and some interesting deals:
Please, make sure to visit Hollywood.HalloweenHorrorNights.com for prices as demand dictates different pricing throughout the season.
For more on this year’s event, please listen in on over an hour of HHN talk from opening night on our podcast: http://parksandcons.com/podcast/episode-333-universal-studios-hollywood-halloween-horror-nights-2018. Additionally, we’ve created 15 videos that each contain a collection of images from mazes and scare zones that highlight some of the offerings this year. You can find all of these videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSEsm4FjWPkFo1YPqV6P69WqtBr288RLZ.
This season featured some personal favorite characters as Michael Myers, Sam, Carol Anne and the kids from Hawkins were all featured parts of the event. That said, none of these more recently adorned iconic characters had the potential to thrill the way the original Universal Monsters could...and, thankfully, did. The full line-up of mazes and entertainment includes:
- “Stranger Things” - Netflix’s critically-acclaimed series comes to life for the first time in an all-new maze featuring the Upside Down and the predatory Demogorgon.
- “Poltergeist” - Inspired by MGM’s iconic supernatural horror film characterized as one of the scariest movies of all time.
- “Universal Monsters” - A contemporary twist on Universal’s original cinematic Monsters featuring an original score produced and composed by GRAMMY® Award-winning musician, SLASH.
- “Trick ‘R Treat” - Based on the Legendary Pictures’ cult Halloween classic movie directed by Michael Dougherty.
- “The First Purge” - Inspired by Universal Pictures’ blockbuster thriller franchise, where all crime is legal for 12 hours.
- “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers” - The iconic slasher is back in an all-new maze based on the classic Halloween franchise.
- “The Horrors of Blumhouse: Chapter Two” - A killer maze that unites two hit movies produced by Jason Blum – Blumhouse’s Truth or Dare and Unfriended.
- “The Walking Dead” - Universal Studios Hollywood’s permanent attraction inspired by AMC’s record-breaking television series
- “Terror Tram: Hollywood Harry’s Dreadtime Storiez” - The notorious serial killer clown that terrorized Universal’s famed backlot returns as the host of this year’s Terror Tram.
- Jabbawockeez -The award-winning hip hop dance crew returns.
One very interesting thing about the collection of IPs this year is the diversity in its focus. From a cult classic like Trick ‘r Treat to a pop culture phenomenon like Stranger Things, the maze offerings in 2018 have something for everyone interested in anything even tangentially linked to the horror genre. While we go into much more depth in the podcast (LINK HERE), the biggest winner of the night for us was the Universal Monsters. This love letter to the classic Monsters was perfectly executed from the art direction to the sound design to the talent. Despite the overwhelming winner of Universal Monsters, the battle for second place is a close with so many great contenders. At the end of the day, Poltergeist gets our vote, but it’s hard to ignore all the fantastic elements that are employed in the design and execution of Trick ‘r Treat as well. Regardless of how we choose to split hairs, it’s clear that there are some big hitters in 2018. While The Horrors of Blumhouse: Chapter Two and The First Purge settler to the bottom of our list, they weren’t bad..they just weren’t anywhere near as memorable of some of the others. That said, they’re still built in the HHN style that should please many fans throughout the season.
In addition to the attractions and entertainment mentioned, HHN also features five scare zones this year: Hell’s Harvest, Trick ‘r Treat, Monster Masquerade, Toxxic Tunnel and Holidayz in Hell. The scare zones really stood out to us this year and is probably the most consistent group we’ve seen at HHN. Outside of Dark Christmas, most scare zones of the past have fluctuated between decent to somewhat forgettable. In general, few had the excitement that Dark Christmas had. That said, this year Holidayz in Hell brings back a little of that Christmas nostalgia while introducing a collection into f new crazy, fun characters from Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Easter and more. This scare some on the lower lot functioned more like an original maze and, in addition to thrilling us, made us yearn once again for more original prices from the HHN team. While their work on IPs is second to none, their work away from licensed properties is just as exciting and a treat Hollywood fans rarely get to enjoy. While the rest of the scare zones weren’t as memorable as Holidayz, they all fit the environment well and worked as good transitions around the park. Monster Masquerade does a particularly good of taking guests from the classic world of the Universal Monsters and delivering them back to the frenetic pace of the booming music-filled Universal Plaza area.
While HHN sold out opening night, there are still plenty of date available with the event running September 15-16, 20-22, 26-30, October 4-7, 11-14, 18-21, 25-28, 31, and November 1-3, 2018. Tickets can be purchased at Hollywood.HalloweenHorrorNights.com. Advance purchase is recommended as many nights will sell out. Mixed in with the standard HHN general admission ticket are a collection of packages and some interesting deals:
- All-new R.I.P. Tour: Groups of up to 12 can scare in style with all-new R.I.P. Tour featuring exclusive experiences with a VIP guide, trolley transportation, valet parking, a gourmet buffet dinner and drinks plus unlimited Universal Express privileges to mazes and attractions.
- After 2 p.m. Day/Night Combo: Experience the park’s popular attractions, by day and remain for the terror that awaits by night.
- Multi-Night Passes options: Frequent Fear Pass – Visit up to 21 select nights.
- Ultimate Fear Pass – Scare every single night of the event.
- 2 Nights of Fear Pass – Scare for two select nights.
- Universal Express™ This in-demand pass enables guests to enjoy one-time express access to mazes, attractions, Terror Tram experience Jabbawockeez performance.
Please, make sure to visit Hollywood.HalloweenHorrorNights.com for prices as demand dictates different pricing throughout the season.
For more on this year’s event, please listen in on over an hour of HHN talk from opening night on our podcast: http://parksandcons.com/podcast/episode-333-universal-studios-hollywood-halloween-horror-nights-2018. Additionally, we’ve created 15 videos that each contain a collection of images from mazes and scare zones that highlight some of the offerings this year. You can find all of these videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSEsm4FjWPkFo1YPqV6P69WqtBr288RLZ.
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