We recently highlighted the to-die-for RIP TOUR at Universal Studios Hollywood which gives exclusive access to all that Halloween Horror Nights has to offer and now we’ll take a look at the actual event itself.
Join us for a peek into the terror filled streets, mazes, and offerings for the 2018 Halloween Horror Nights season! ENJOY!
The Mazes
This year Universal Studios Hollywood offers EIGHT mazes plus the return once again of the TERROR TRAM.
Stranger Things
RATING: 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Perhaps the most buzzed about maze this year it inspired several of the menu offerings around the park and the RIP TOUR buffet menu too! The level of attention and accuracy of detail is incredible. I felt like I was walking through the set of the actual Netflix show with meticulous detail after meticulous detail. Is it scary? Oddly enough not entirely as the major scares come over and over again from Demogorgons. There’s a few other scare actors playing victims in the maze including Chief Hopper and an axe wielding Winona Ryder (Joyce) who are trying to help while in turn creating unexpected scares. Fans of the show will want to eat up every single detail and the maze delivers in spades as you walk through familiar scenes from the first season of the show.
The Poltergeist
RATING: 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
This maze is incredible! In the same way that the Stranger Things maze delivers detail after detail, the Poltergeist movie is fully realized here with amazing scenes and moments captured here in vivid detail. This maze delivers a little more on the scare factor but also on the cheese factor bringing some of the movie’s now-cheesy moments to life. Some of the scares are a little repetitious but everything here is super effective and a great nod to a great horror film.
The Horrors of Blumhouse: Chapter Two
RATING: 🎃🎃🎃⚫⚫
Upping the creep factor this year, the Horrors of Blumhouse is a rare sequel that is possibly better than its former. This year’s maze seems to pack some really great details and really big scares around every corner. The movies Truth or Dare and Unfriended share the spotlight here and although I’ve never seen the former, it delivers the lion’s share of the scares. Creepy nuns constantly lunging made for an anxiety-inducing few minutes. I was excited for Unfriended but my preconceived worries of this not adapting well for a maze were somewhat accurate, it’s not bad but not as strong as Truth or Dare.
Trick ‘R Treat
RATING: 🎃🎃🎃🎃⚫
This cult classic is brought to life with creepy detail and delivers a truly unsettling experience from a movie that I’m now convinced I definitely have to watch.
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
RATING: 🎃🎃⚫⚫⚫
We return once again to the horrors of Haddonfield. After a few years of encountering this Hollywood baddie it might be best to have a fresh look at some other franchises next year. The maze does not stand out but will deliver familiar sights and reliable scares.
Universal Monsters
RATING: 🎃🎃🎃🎃⚫
Featuring an original score by SLASH, this maze remixes some of Universal’s most famous monsters into a really really fun experience. Encounter the terrors of Frankenstein (and his bride), Dracula, Phantom of the Opera, Invisible Man, and The Wolf Man!
The First Purge
RATING: 🎃🎃🎃⚫⚫
I still haven’t seen any of the PURGE films and after years of experiencing various incarnations of mazes from this terror franchise, I can’t say I’m anymore inclined to want to dive in. The maze delivers a mishegas of hell-bent citizens taking part in the first-ever Purge based on the movie by the same name.
Terror Tram
RATING: 🎃🎃⚫⚫⚫
The formula is familiar here over previous years. Bates Motel into War of the Worlds with terror unleashed throughout. It’s not the scariest part of the night but it’s still great to be able to walk through these renowned actual movie sets. Hollywood Harry was a real winner when he was debuted in 2016 but this year the clown antics didn’t leave much of a mark. Still hoping for a re-invigoration to the formula for this super unique element of the event.
The Walking Dead Attraction
RATING: 🎃⚫⚫⚫⚫
Mazes can always be hit or miss based on staffing of the scenes and while I was expecting an onslaught of walkers and chaos here the maze seemed overly sparse of scare actors compared to previous years, even compared to just regular park operation. Many of the scenes from now-several-year old seasons aren’t relevant with the current seasons of the show and are feeling painfully dated. The maze needs a major reinvigoration faster than you can say CARL!
Scare Zones
Scare Zones were a little rough and tumble this year, with the exception of the fantastic Holidayz in Hell area on the backlot, everything else seemed a little sparse and under-loved.
Jabawockeez
RATING: 🎃⚫⚫⚫⚫
I’ve never been a fan of this entertainment offering for Halloween Horror Nights and this year did little to change that fact for me. Points for AC and the ability to sit for a few. Really hoping for something more interesting and more thematically appropriate for the event in years to come.
WOCKA WOCKA! #Jabbawockeez #UniversalHHN #RIPTour pic.twitter.com/nAE2ZefUWg
— MouseInfo (@MouseInfo) September 17, 2018
Interactive Scares
Although we did not purchase we found it interesting that Unviersal is offering “Glow with the Show” skulls that activate at various points during the evening, even interacting with mazes at key moments. Interactive ares in the park are indicated with the jack-o-lantern icon you see below.
RIP TOUR
Lines are a drag. Universal Express tickets allows you to access mazes with express access once but if you want the ultimate way to experience Halloween Horror nights then you need the RIP TOUR which includes unlimitd front-of-line to all attractions and mazes plus a bunch of other great perks including transportation around the studio, a buffet dinner, and more!
MORE INFO: REVIEW: ‘RIP TOUR’ at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights is to die for!
See it for Yourself
Universal Studios Hollywood proudly hosts Halloween Horror Nights select nights now through November 3, 2018.
Mazes awaiting fresh victims include STRANGER THINGS, TRICK ‘R TREAT, HALLOWEEN 4, THE FIRST PURGE, POLTERGEIST, THE HORRORS OF BLUMHOUSE: CHAPTER 2, and UNIVERSAL MONSTERS featuring an all-new score by Slash. A new twist on the TERROR TRAM, plus zombies in THE WALKING DEAD ATTRACTION, and new scare zones will all be waiting to scare you to death.
DON’T MISS: Get your tickets now before they sell out!
Craving More Terror?
