Credit: ITMThe Halloween season is a chaotic yet vital time for most theme parks. Knott’s Berry Farm has “Knott’s Scary Farm,” SeaWorld has “Howl-O-Scream” and Disney’s “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary-Halloween” Party and “Oogie Boogie Bash.” One of the biggest powerhouses to dominate this “frightastic” period is Universal Studios’ “Halloween Horror Nights.” Since this illustrious scare event has been sold out nearly every year, guests are aware that the event will be a densely populated experience. However, most would not think they would be asked to leave because of it.
Halloween Horror Nights started from humble origins, which was only a three-day event that included only one scare house called “The Dungeon of Terror” at Universal Orlando in 1991. It also featured several seasonal performances like “Beetlejuice Graveyard Tours,” which starred franchised characters like the stripe-suited poltergeist and Freddy Kruger. The event was not heavily advertised, as the theme park was weighing out its success.
Universal’s scare event would grow in attendance and massively expand in the 2000s. All major hallmarks were increased, such as haunted houses, scare zones, and live entertainment. The park would also introduce character hosts like Jack the Clown And the Crypt Keeper. Additionally, the game-changing interactive overlay like the “Terror Tram” at the Universal Studios backlot would be a huge success.
Each year would get bigger and scarier with Halloween Horror Nights creating a balance of original storied content to their scare mazes along with major horror properties. Universal would showcase haunted houses themed after big franchises like, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Aliens, The Exorcist, and The Purge. They would also capitalize on current hit franchises such as Stranger Things, Evil Dead Rise and The Last of Us.
The popularity of Horror Nights saw a rise in everything from the mazes to to the crowds to the prices. Universal would navigate this overwhelming influx of guests by creating different priced packages. This would incentivize people to pay a higher price to improve their overall experience. Guests who went with lower-tier passes could still enjoy the event, but there was no guarantee of immediacy with the attractions available.
However, like any lucrative undertaking, there is a risk of the supplying not meeting the demand. This proved true for a guest and their party this past weekend as they divulged the actual horror of Halloween Horror Nights.
@dulcealba391 Its unfair for all of us who got general admission and got cheated out of the experience we paid for. I was extremely disappointed arriving and not even being able to get in line for the mazes as they would only let in express and vip pass holders. They force upon you to get the express pass. Which was an added expense I wasn’t accounting for. #halloween2023 #horrornights2023 #halloweenhorrornights2023 #badreviews #fyp #trending #universalstudios #viraltiktok #review #myexperience #expresspass #riptourhorrornights
The disgruntled guest expressed their grievance about paying full price for general admission, even the $50 preferred parking, for an event that could not handle the capacity of its guests. This led to her being turned away from even getting in line for several mazes at Universal Hollywood. She felt cheated out of her experience and was told the only way to overcome the inconvenience was to pay more money for an express or VIP pass. This was a price hike she did not plan for and felt cheated by the whole experience.
Do you think this guest has no grounds to complain? Should she have known this was a possibility? Or should Universal improve their guest control more efficiently during this event?