Credit: Universal The lineup for one version of Halloween Horror Nights hasn’t impressed theme park fans.
For diehard parkgoers, Halloween is arguably the best time of year. The majority of locations across the U.S. and beyond celebrate spooky in some way, whether that’s with ride overlays, haunted houses, or fittingly ghoulish snacks.
The main Halloween events for theme park junkies are Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (Walt Disney World Resort), Oogie Boogie Bash (Disneyland Resort), and Halloween Horror Nights (Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood). If it’s a thrill you’re after, however, the latter is undeniably the top choice, having established itself as the king of scares.
This year, guests will be able to enjoy houses inspired by the newly released movieĀ A Quiet Place: Day OneĀ (2024) starring Lupita Nyongāo andĀ Joseph Quinn,Ā andĀ Ghostbusters: Frozen EmpireĀ (2024), as well as original houses such as Monstruos 2: The Nightmares of Latin America and Dead Exposure: Death Valley.
Further afield, however, the lineup is a little bit less exciting. At Universal Studios Japan (where the event takes place during regular park hours and is not ticketed), Halloween Horror Nights will run from September 6 through November 6, 2024.
This year, guests can enjoy Chucky’s Carnival of Chaos, a “terrifying, grotesque horror” experience created exclusively for guests 15 and over. Other experiences include Hami-Kumaās Shout It Out Party, Chainsaw Man: The Chaos 4-D, and Biohazard: Night of Heroes (the latter of which requires a Timed Entry eTicket).
Meanwhile, the park will be flooded with zombies (which, judging from videos of past years, are genuinely terrifying). The rest of its entertainment will be considerably lighter, inspired by PokƩmon, Despicable Me, Minions, Hello Kitty, and more.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter ā which is currently celebrating its tenth anniversary at Universal Studios Japan ā will also welcome Death Eaters into the fold, who will prowl through the land to scare guests.
Not everybody is impressed by this selection. As per USJ 1, this year’s Halloween Horror Nights lineup comes with shortened park hours and fewer scary offerings.
Others have complained that it’s just not scary enough. “I wish they would add more horror attractions like they did a few years ago,” said @takagoal2002 on X (formerly known as Twitter) in a post originally written in Japanese. “It’s advertised as a horror night, but it’s not horror at all.”
A huge issue for many fans is that Biohazard: Night of Heroes will only be offered from 6 p.m., with the park closing at 8 p.m. That gives guests only two hours to experience the attraction ā and because it requires a Timed Entry eTicket, it’ll likely be tougher than ever to secure entry.
Then there’s the fact that there’s only actually three horror offerings, despite “horror” being a key part of the event. “This year’s Horror Night has too few horror attractions, Chucky, Biohazard, and Chainsaw Man,” complained @ba_ro_kun.
“Only three… Chucky is the same as last year… I hope they put in more effort like they did this time. I can’t cut through them all in one day! Which one should I start with? I wonder if I’ll ever get the excitement I felt back then…”
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In the past, the park has also offered experiences inspired by horror franchises such as Insidious, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th.
Do you plan on attending any Halloween theme park events this year?
