Shudder down under

Florida’s Halloween Horror Nights is sure to slay

This year’s Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando should be another doozy. It always is. Generally acknowledged as the best theme park ode to the scary season, the event features haunted houses, scare zones, and shows based on popular films, TV shows, and other intellectual property as well as original content.

Universal recently revealed that one of the brand-name headliners this fall will be the franchise, “A Quiet Place,” I’ll have more on that and the other major houses when the goremeisters spill the beans on what else is in store for the 2024 event. But for this article, let’s focus on the tidbits that Universal has released about the homegrown haunts on tap.

One of the haunts from last year’s HHN (Universal Studios)

As has been the case for many years, HHN, which will be presented once again at the resort’s Universal Studios Florida park, will offer ten haunted houses. In posts to X (you know, the site formerly known as Twitter), Universal has shared the names and teased barebones info about six of the mazes. One of the most notable will be Slaughter Sinema 2, a follow-up to a memorable house featured at the event in 2018. The setting will be The Carey Drive-In, where characters from the B-movies shown there will somehow leap off the screen and come face-to-face with guests snaking through the maze. HHN houses that incorporate theaters–and there have been many–have been among my favorites. I have high hopes for this sequel.

Another callback will be Major Sweets Candy Factory. It will be based on the Sweet Revenge scare zone at the 2022 version of HHN in which a malevolent 1950s-era confectionary dispensed treats to children that caused them to kill their parents. The scare zone was delightfully creepy.

The Sweet Revenge scare zone at HHN 2022. (Universal Studios)

The Museum: Deadly Exhibit will showcase a folklore presentation gone horribly wrong. Apparently, the exhibit will unleash an evil force that will wreak havoc with guests. The Menéndez brothers have nothing on the Barmy triplets. The siblings will be celebrating their birthdays by re-staging their family’s murders in Triplets of Terror.

In the Goblin’s Feast haunted house, witches, goblins, orcs, and hobgoblins will be preparing a bountiful meal. Apparently, all that’ll be missing will be the main course. Would you be surprised to learn that the supernatural chefs will be sharpening their knives and eyeing visitors? Monstrous: The Monsters of Latin America will bring three mythical monsters that were featured in the same-named house at last year’s Universal Studios Hollywood HHN to the East Coast.

Monstrous: The Monsters of Latin America was one of the houses at the 2023 HHN at Universal Studios Hollywood. (Universal Studios)

It’s likely that the remaining three haunted houses will feature big-name properties and, along with “A Quiet Place,” will be the tentpoles of the 2024 event. Likewise, the Florida resort has yet to come clean on the nature of the five scare zones it will be presenting this year. However, they may have something to do with the foreboding, wonderful teaser video Universal released showing nefarious activity going on in the tunnels that run beneath the park. It’s a great concept, and would be a great way to tie all of the zones together.

For the past few years, HHN has kicked off Labor Day Weekend. Because the holiday arrives September 2, the event will begin earlier than ever on Friday, August 30. HHN will then take place on 48 select evenings through November 3.

For the first time, Universal will be presenting a “Premium Scream Night” limited-capacity preview event on Thursday, August 29. For a cool $350 ($325 for annual and season pass holders), guests will be able to experience all of the houses with minimal crowds. They will also get to scarf down as many dishes as they want at food stations.

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Do any of the announced HHN houses, er, jump out at you? Do you have any predictions/hopes for the brand-name houses yet to be revealed?