For the last few years Ive heard about Universals Halloween Horror Nights where people pay good money and queue up to get scared to death.
It sounded like my idea of hell, so naturally I ended up going along to see what all the fuss is about and why people go back year after year.
I was not disappointed.
Basically, the concept involves you going through several specially designed mazes where actors (scaracters) jump out at you to try and frighten you.
In the build-up to the event, I have to admit that I was pretty nervous and ready to back out.
There are also scare zones dotted throughout Universal Orlando Resort so that as youre walking from one maze to another youre likely to be chased by someone with a chainsaw or followed by a Chucky doll.
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They have new sets every year, and it takes 14 months for the teams at Universal to create the different mazes – this year there were 10 mazes and five different scare zones.
The most highly-anticipated one for this year was Stranger Things, based on the Netflix series, and yes… we went to the Upside Down.
Stranger Things
One of our group mentioned that Stranger Things isnt actually a horror film or all that scary to watch, but being in it would be very scary indeed.
That was definitely the case with the Stranger Things set.
We visited the Byers home, complete with the alphabet and Christmas lighting, we saw the corridors of Hawkins High School and, yes, we survived the Upside Down.
What was fascinating about this one was that the demogorgons had to be made from scratch. In the series theyre computer-generated so Universal had to make them from scratch.
Some were robots while others were humans in costumes – they were all equally as demogorgon-esque as you could expect, and just as frightening.
Of all the houses this was my favourite.
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
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This one got me multiple times. For those who dont know, Michael Myers is a tough man to kill who keeps coming back from the dead. He wears a mask and a large knife is his weapon of choice.
The essence of the character was captured in this maze. He was around each and every corner, knife raised and slashing around.
Even when I knew the scare was coming and had my head in my hands ready for the inevitable loud bang/music crescendo I was given a fright throughout the maze. I actually cant remember much about the decor because this one scared me so much.
Poltergeist
Another very scary maze based on an iconic 1982 Spielberg horror film that quickly becomes very claustrophobic.
Before going into the maze you stand in the graveyard in the garden of the house and things get a little bit wet – well you are in the middle of a terrifying storm, of course.
The Poltergeist maze is home to one of the scarier points in our trip with a tunnel of sheets making things rather claustrophobic before you get to the jump scares that swiftly follow.
And of course, theres the famous television set.
Trick r Treat
We got to Trick r Treat a little later in the evening so youd think were were perhaps a little scared out. Theres only so much adrenaline you can produce, surely?
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But no, Sam was there to follow us round, jump out at us and keep us on our toes as we moved through the maze.
He might only be small, but that probably added to the scariness – he was suddenly there whenever you turned around.
The Horrors of Blumhouse
The Horrors of Blumhouse maze combined two films – Happy Death Day and the First Purge.
Happy Death Day was the horror equivalent of Groundhog Day, going through the same room repeatedly with the same killer in the same baby mask each time.
Seeing the mask once is enough to give you the heebie jeebies, but seeing it repeatedly really gets your nerves on edge as they jump out from all over the place.
The First Purge is based on the prequel to The Purge, a night when nothing is illegal – including murder.
So, youve basically got to get through the house with a whole load of killers jumping out from every angle.
At one point I screamed to my fellow victim theres two of the f***ers after being scared from both sides.
As well as the mazes based on themes, there were original houses, created specifically for the Halloween Horror Nights.
These are mazes that allow the people behind the even to unleash their creative juices in all their gory glory.
Dead Exposure: Patient Zero
This was the maze that I was dreading the most.
It is based on a zombie outbreak and you have to go through a decontamination tent that will immunise you from the zombies you will pass on your way through.
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Youre dropped into the middle of Paris in 1982, but theres no power and you suffer blindness as a result of the immunisation, so you go through the maze in the pitch black.
The only indication that theres anyone (or anything) there is when there are flashes of UV light or strobe lighting, revealing the Paris skyline… and the zombies.
Between the flashes the scaracters get ever-closer to you and it made me want to just curl up into a ball.
Slaughter Sinema
Slaughter Sinema was made to look like a drive-in movie from back in the day and filled with the smell of popcorn.
Based on 80s B-movies that were never actually made, there was a bit of a guessing game as we went through.
There were posters telling us the name of the film along with a picture of what it might be that we were going to be scared by – think alien cannibals, brain-eating monkeys and a swamp yeti.
We saw this maze in the daytime without the scaracters jumping out, the smells attacking our senses and the dark lighting, so we had an idea of what was to come.
While it isnt as scary as other mazes – some parts just made us laugh very nervously – it was probably the best house in terms of gore.
Carnival Graveyard: Rust in Pieces
I really liked the set design for this one. Youre basically taken through a junkyard where rides from carnivals go to rust into oblivion.
Naturally, with it being a carnival, there are quite a few oddball characters lurking around every corner – not least the kissing couple (the Luv Shak Couple) who really needed to get a room. Oh… and they were wearing the skin of other people as masks.
There are Clowns, of course, and other creatures that jump out and make a beeline for you. I recall in this maze being scared three times in very quick succession before berating a fourth scaracter before theyd even jumped out at me.
They did so anyway and I was just as scared as if I didnt know he was there.
Seeds of Extinction
In this maze, humanity has been wiped out by a meteor and only plants are left. Of course, they arent just your regular plants, theyre monster killer plants.
It was in this house where I learned to do a weird kind of jig. It wasnt just plants jumping out at you that you had to contend with, there were blasts of air or water.
One of these jets hit my ankle causing me to dance on my tip toes like I was walking on hot coals.
Scary Tales: Deadly Ever After
Along with Stranger Things and Carnival Exposure, this was one of my favourite mazes.
The premise of the house is that the Wicked Witch of the West has managed to take over – and succeeded.
She has twisted fairy tales so that there is no such thing as a fairy tale ending.
You go into the maze through the impressive witchs castle to have the tales of Goldilocks, Hansel and Gretel, and Rapunzel re-told.
Its a roller-coaster of emotions with amusement and fear coursing through your veins at the same time.
Travel factbox
Enjoy seven nights at Universal Orlando Resort with Virgin Holidays, including scheduled Virgin Atlantic flights from London Gatwick direct to Orlando, with accommodation at Universals Aventura Hotel from £1,165pp. The price is for two adults and is based on a Skyline view room on a room only basis with car hire included.
The package includes a 3 Park Explorer Ticket for access to Universal Studios Florida, Universals Islands of Adventure and Universals Volcano Bay AND the Halloween Horror Nights Frequent Fear Plus Pass Ticket – offering multiple nights of admission from September 14 through to November 3.
Virgin Holidays is a member of ABTA and is ATOL protected. To book: 0344 557 3859 or visit one of our individual retail stores or one of the 110 stores located in Debenhams and Next stores nationwide or visit www.virginholidays.com.
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