HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS, Universal Studios, Universal City, September 5–November 3, 2024.
If you’ve been following this column for a while, it’s probably no surprise that I moonlight as a scare actor. Crab-walking around a Connecticut warehouse in my teens, I dreamed of the day when I could work at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, the holy grail in the industry. While I haven’t managed to make it to an audition yet, I did buy a ticket to the hair-raising affair this October. I left the park at 2:00 a.m., with my heart full for the creative geniuses who make fictional frights feel real.
Here’s my insider take on Universal’s setup, which consists of nine mazes, four scare zones, and two spine-tingling shows: while Horror Nights doesn’t specialize in personalized scares, the production value is off the charts. Don’t expect a zombie to trail you into the next room, whispering your name; the park hosts thousands of visitors each night, and therefore maintaining the flow of traffic is paramount. Still, you’ll get your fair share of shrieks in. Actors give their all, animatronics abound, and the ambience is always arresting—especially when movie magic comes into play.
My first stop after rope drop was the Terror Tram, a version of Universal’s studio back-lot tour focusing on horror IP. During the day, guests can merely gaze upon the sets where Psycho (1960) was filmed; at Horror Nights, they exit the vehicle to wander past Bates Motel and even greet its mysterious owner. This year, the experience was sponsored by Blumhouse, so we came face-to-face with their villains. (Tragically, Mother was not one of them.) M3GAN, the evil robot doll from the 2022 film of the same name, shimmied to and fro, replicating the viral scene from the trailer, as various other baddies chased us down with chain saws. The Grabber, Ethan Hawke’s murderous magician from The Black Phone (2022), was present, as were criminals from The Purge (2013) and that weird guy in the baby mask from Happy Death Day (2017). Since this maze is outdoors, there’s more space for actors to play around—and they will, if you give them the opportunity. When I asked the Grabber for a balloon, he reached out to offer one to me, just to lunge at my stomach with his knife while I was distracted.
Next up, my group ventured into the twisted mind of pop singer the Weeknd via his Nightmare Trilogy haunt. Abel Tesfaye’s partnership with the park strangely makes sense: the singer has dabbled in performance art and body modification imagery throughout the rollout of his past couple albums, so his house was rather Cronenbergian, starring many-armed monsters and a creepy Weeknd toddler soaked in blood. Of course, his singles played on a loop throughout this corner of the park; I sang along, the immaculate vibes transforming me into his biggest fan.
To shake up our routine, we strolled into Late Night with Chucky—the descendant of Chucky’s Insult Emporium, a defunct R-rated act in which the pint-sized serial killer would pick on members of the audience. While the jokes (and interactivity) have been dialed down, fans still have the opportunity to be on the receiving end of his barbs. I hate to brag, but Chucky did single me out to tell me how he’d kill me: “I feel like you’re a classic, good old-fashioned toaster in the bathtub. You’re an easy mark, but I love you, boo-boo.”
Still giggling, we made our way to the maze based on A Quiet Place: Day One (2024). The film’s shtick didn’t translate perfectly to the haunted house format: it’s impossible to achieve an eerie silence with so many guests. On the other hand, the maze inspired by this spring’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was an unexpected hit. While I haven’t seen the film, the intricate decor was astounding, making us feel as if we were really in an occult bookstore, then a turn-of-the-century adventurers’ society, then Manhattan covered in ice. A monster with glowing eyes and stilt legs proved to be one of my favorite freaks.
After all that walking, we were more than happy to take a break—by sinking our teeth into a Mini Stay Puft S’more, fittingly. They say the devil is in the details, and attention to detail is one of Horror Nights’ hallmarks.