“Never go alone” to Halloween Horror Nights (HHN). For the past 34 years, Universal has bestowed its guests with jump scares in every corner and excellent set design. However, in delivering the horrifying event, HHN’s behind-the-scenes undergoes an intricate and extensive process.
This year’s line-up featured a plethora of unique, spooky haunted houses: Dolls Let’s Play Dead, Galkin Monsters of the North, Grave of Flesh, Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks, Hatchet and Chains: Demon Bounty hunters, The Terrifier, Jason Universe, Fallout, Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF), and El Artista: A Spanish Haunting.
“My favorite house was Jason because it was the scariest one, and the jump scares were really good,” says Pembroke Pines Charter High School freshman Ashley Ruden. “I was scared the whole time because of the chainsaws!”
However, four houses were the most anticipated out of the bunch: Fallout, FNAF, Jason, and The Terrifier. Many fans had hopes through the roof for these houses in particular, as all of these intellectual properties (IP’s) are incredibly popular amongst teens and young adults.
Senior Adriana Rodas shares, “What draws me in is seeing a lot of my favorite franchises being brought to life! My favorite part was definitely the FNAF house because I really love the games, so seeing it come to life was really fun.”
These 10 houses immerse their guests in an alternate universe, putting the idea of horror into a perspective of reality. However, with HHN growing substantially in popularity, the experience may feel hindered due to long wait times for houses, food trucks, and the show.
Junior Reagan Koch shares her disappointment, stating, “The scariest moment was those wait lines! 2 hours for Terrifier?” She continues, “Paying all this money to wait for hours is honestly really upsetting, especially considering that I waited for HHN the entire year.”
People have even started making up conspiracy theories due to the long lines. Does Universal manipulate the times to avoid overcrowding and distribute guests throughout the park? It hasn’t been confirmed nor denied, yet there are strategies to avoid long waits.
One suggested method is to purchase a “Stay and Scream” wristband, which admits guests into the event up to two hours before the general admission. You can also purchase an express pass that is guaranteed to cut down wait times up to 50%.
Despite the long wait times and strategies, team members do their best to ensure guests have a scary and safe time. Team member Jonathon Tapanes has been working for Universal’s HHN since 2018 and has the role of a supervisor with the Park Services team.
“Working HHN is immensely different than the experience of a guest, as we are always anticipating the needs of the guest and responding if a situation occurs. But what I really enjoy is getting to have an impact on the Guest & Team Member experience, even if it’s very small.”
Despite the wait times, HHN’s success cannot be ignored. It is commonly referred to as Universal’s 13th month, making $575 million in October and September, nearly doubling Universal’s monthly revenue. It also brings in more than its fair share of visitors, totaling over 35,000 people every day.
Victoria Reguerio is a testament to HHN’s success. As someone who plans on going next year, she feels “[excited because] it looks to be really fun and [like] the best Halloween event I’ve ever seen in my life.”
This success doesn’t come easily, though. Every aspect of HHN is meticulously crafted, from the props in the houses to the ambient sounds as you walk through the scare zones. The directors and managers of HHN typically start working on the event a year prior to when it’s released.
The process starts with John Murdy and Mike Aiello, the two main brains behind HHN, getting together and discussing different ideas. Having their partners join in a little while after, ideas of HHN 2026 are already taking shape.
They contact and get contacted by different movies and IPs, constantly getting new ideas or changing old ones right up until they start making the houses. In fact, Murdy usually only spends 2 weeks near the actual event.
“I’ll stay in Los Angeles for about two weeks before flying back to Ireland,” says HHN Hollywood creative director John Murdy in an interview. “[And I’ll] just start writing for the next several months.”
In Murdy’s opinion, the best parts of HHN are when he experiences one of his creations for the first time and sees the performers bring it to life. When all of the pieces of a house come together, he says that it’s like an idea is plucked right from his mind.
Sophomore Brianna Guerra attended the event last year and has become an avid HHN goer. She proves that the creative director’s deep dive into every storyline is impactful to the guest experience. She shares, “The adrenaline makes everything so exciting and gets you pumped up for the night. I thought the houses this year were super cool, with such creative themes and awesome details.”
The effort that goes into each house makes this one-year time frame necessary to the process. Murdy analyzes over 40,000 photos taken during movie production, narrowing the catalog to just 100 to base the house on.
Every minute detail factors into the quality of the houses. “I feel like [Hatchet and Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters and The Galkin] are really cool, but not just because of the scare actors,” senior Demarco Pitter states. “I really like how professional the props are. The biggest scare for me was the giant, moving animal head at the end of Hatchet and Chains.”
It’s no secret that blood, sweat, and tears are put into HHN’s 10 unique houses. With each one being just as scary as the last, Halloween Horror Nights’ motto rings true: “Never Go Alone.”
