Halloween Horror Nights is NOW OPEN with 10 terrifying haunted houses, 5 horror-filled scare zones, and 2 live shows! Today, we are so excited to welcome the spooky season by dropping our initial reaction house rankings for HHN 31. Let’s dive into our spoiler-free countdown!
10. Halloween
Gather your friends and visit Haddonfield, Illinois, where Michael Myers is about to don his mask and embark on his first brutal spree. Silent. Merciless. Relentless. He’s the embodiment of pure evil. You don’t want to go alone as you go back to where it all began. This year, step into the original 1978 horror classic, Halloween.
Here’s the thing….I hate Micheal Myers. Like, I REALLY HATE Michael Myers. I find him to be a boring and uncompelling antagonist, and I have never been able to really engage with the Halloween movies or lore. If you’re a fan of this series, don’t listen to this ranking. You’ll probably love this house. But if you don’t already love this story, or if you think you’ll be bothered by hearing the exact same musical trigger over and over again – skip it.
9. Hellblock Horror
Enter a prison whose savage inmates are monstrous creatures. If they break free from their cells, it’s a death sentence for everyone.
Original concept houses are generally my favorites (and I admittedly did have a lot of fun in this house – despite its low ranking), however Hellblock Horror lacked the discernible plot and detailed set that I’ve come to expect from a Horror Nights level haunt. Some of the monsters are pretty gruesome, but the scares and scenery are pretty repetitive.
Pro-tip: Do make sure to read the prison signage throughout the maze pathway. Some of my favorite moments were the easy-to-miss jokes and comments found in these randomly posted warnings and rules!
8. Universal Monsters: Legends Collide
If you thought one Universal Monster was scary, how about three? Summon your scream squad, ‘cause you’re about to get caught between The Wolf Man, Dracula and The Mummy, together for the first time.
After the huge successes of HHN 30’s Bride of Frankenstein Lives and HHN 29’s Universal Monsters, this house falls a little flat. With a description that seemingly promises epic battle scenes and visions of three favorite monsters, Legends Collide fails to deliver. It’s possible that I simply had bad luck during my time in this house, but I did not notice any real hand-to-hand combat and I did not see Dracula once.
7. Horrors of Blumhouse
Get ready for a bloodcurdling new double feature of Blumhouse horror as your scream squad faces a ruthless serial killer in Freaky and an evil kidnapper in the relentlessly terrifying The Black Phone.
While I don’t generally enjoy Horror Nights’ Blumhouse attractions, this year’s iteration worked for me. HHN 31’s house includes scenes from two films: Freaky and The Black Phone. I enjoyed both sections, but I thought some of the paranormal imagery and abstract interpretations worked particularly well in The Black Phone.
6. Spirts of the Coven
A coven of beautiful flapper witches will lure you into their 1920s speakeasy, reveal their haggish true form and turn your scream squad into a witch’s brew. They’ll be cackling; you’ll be screaming.
I love the concept of this house, and I enjoyed watching the characters transform from beautiful flapper to sinister witch. However, the sets and scenes were very dark and repetitive.
5. The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare
You love his music, but can you survive his mind? The Weeknd is about to stalk your squad through this haunted house, a surreal living nightmare from his After Hours videos. His nightmare is now yours.
This is definitely the PARTY HOUSE! Filled with some of The Weeknd’s most popular After Hours songs, this house is a trippy journey through his broken-hearted mind. As someone who’s grown to appreciate Weeknd music, I really loved this experience. However if you’re not really a Weeknd fan, or if you have not seen his music videos you probably won’t appreciate the majority of the imagery and themes inside this house.
4. Fiesta de Chupacabras
Visit a Latin American village where the legend of the creature Chupacabras is celebrated with a colorful fiesta. And the streets are lined with the crimson blood of tourists like you and your amigos.
Wow! This house is visually gorgeous with colorful sets and striking special effects. Also, the chupacabra is terrifying. I know some disagree, but I said what I said!
3. Descendants of Destruction
Careful not to leave any of your scream squad behind as you descend the subway tunnels of a deserted New York. Lurking in the dark are hungry mutants looking to feast on the last remnants of humanity.
This house exceeded many of my pre-event expectations! The sets are not just beautiful but INCREDIBLY DETAILED, and the storyline is easy to follow as you progress through the haunt. Do not miss this house!
2. Dead Man’s Pier: Winter’s Wake
In a New England fishing village, undead fishermen emerge from the waves to seek their revenge. You and your scream squad may have escaped their hooks in the scare zone. Now they’ll reel you in and drag you under.
Literally one of the most stunning houses I have ever seen, Universal has somehow managed to create a full fishing village inside of a soundstage. Without giving too much away, this house had levels, depth, and lighting effects that upped the realism tenfold. I will be visiting Dead Man’s Pier many, many more times during the spooky season!
1. Bugs Eaten Alive
While touring a 1950s home of the future, you’ll be surrounded by the slime of bugs everywhere as hordes of many-legged terrors descend upon you and your scream squad. You’ll be dropping like flies.
I have always thought that Horror Nights should prey on guests’ real life fears, and Bugs Eaten Alive is that dream come true! There were so many satisfyingly creepy scenes, some of them realistic and some of them more comical. But they all wove together for a gross, itchy, buggy ride that I adored! If you can stomach the sight of more than a few insects, make sure to visit this twisted home of the future at Bugs Eaten Alive!
Halloween Horror Nights runs select evenings now through October 31! Check out their website to plan your visit and buy your tickets!
