Halloween Horror Nights celebrates “20 Years of Fear”

Every fall for the past twenty years, Universal Studios Florida has electrified Orlando vacations with Halloween Horror Nights. This year, as the event celebrates its 20th anniversary — “Twenty Years of Fear” — when Fear himself will descend upon the theme park for 24 terrifyingly fun nights. Universal Horror Nights sets the standard for theme park Halloween scare-fests, and every year, the festival comes alive with a completely new and frightening experience.

The first time I went to Halloween Horror Nights, I spent almost the entire time with my face burrowed in my boyfriend’s tee shirt. When they say horror, they are not joking.

The details
Halloween Horror Nights take place in the evenings at the Universal Studios Florida theme park. They clear the park out and transform it into a giant, live-action haunted house with themed scare zones and haunted houses.

Halloween Horror Nights requires a separate admission. To get the most bang for your buck on your Florida vacation, grab a 2-Day Park-to-Park Halloween Horror Nights combo ticket. This deal includes 2-day admission to Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure on top of one night of Universal Horror Nights.

The scary
Guests are welcome to experience most of the normal attractions during Universal Horror Nights, but the elaborate haunted houses are where the real thrills are. While haunted houses scare me out of my wits, I actually have more fun in the “scare zones.” These are areas of the park where you have no choice but to walk through dark, misty areas hiding even darker characters. I have one word for you: Chainsaws. I’ve never screamed as much in my life as I have walking through those scare zones.

The fun
Halloween Horror nights isn’t exclusively about terror. The live shows are all about the laughs. Don’t miss Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure — a show that comes back year after year for a reason.

This year I’ll be at Brian Brushwood’s bizarre magic act, Menace and Malice. Even the haunted houses and scare zones tend to have some playful elements. I expect to get a breathless laugh or two out of the zombie-infested Mardi Gras scare zone.

More spooky Halloween parties
Walt Disney World Resort’s Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a gentler alternative for kid-friendly Orlando vacations. Taking place from 7 p.m.-12 a.m. on select dates in September and October, the Disney party features a Halloween-themed fireworks show and Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade starring the Headless Horseman.

Outside of Florida, Six Flags Fright Fest 2010 takes place in Six Flags Park in Georgia, Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, Texas and more. In California, family-favorite Knott’s Berry Farm transforms into Knott’s Scary Farm with haunted mazes and special costumed characters.

Related resources

• Orlando hotels
• Get spooked! Top 3 Halloween destinations
• Frightful fun at Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream
• Top 10 scary travel destinations

Maria Mora is a memoir blogger and wannabe photographer. She travels extensively throughout Florida and the Caribbean with her two young sons.