By night, during the month of October however, Halloween Horror Nights takes over and Universal recasts the park as a dark, dysfunctional-family-friendly adventure into madness and otherworldly torment. It's the anti-theme park--the evil twin cousin Islands of Adventure. Even the area based on Dr. Seuss' beloved characters assumes a sinister mien. It's all in fun of course, but the sight of say, a ghoulish "body collector" ripping the undulating spine out of a still-conscious victim, takes great liberty with the concept of fun.
Not that the hordes of Halloween Horror Nights revelers seem to mind. While it pushes theme park boundaries and is decidedly not for the squeamish, Halloween Horror Nights is nonetheless wildly creative and enormously popular.
Things to know about Halloween Horror Nights XV
- 2005 Dates: Sept. 30, Oct. 1, 7-9, 12-16, 20-23, and 27-31
- Cost: $59.75. The nighttime events require separate admission from daytime theme park tickets. Theme park day passes/Halloween Horror Nights discount combo packages are available. Hotel/Halloween Horror Nights combo packages are also available. Florida residents discount are available.
- Tips:
- The event is not appropriate for young children--it's really scary!
- Consider purchasing Halloween Horror Night Express passes (additional cost), particularly for weekend nights, to bypass long lines at the haunted mazes.
- For a more indulgent (and expensive) experience, Universal offers a RIP (VIP) tour that bypasses the haunted house lines, offers preferred seating at the Bill and Ted's show, and includes a friendly guide. For more info, call VIP Tour reservations at 407-363-8295.
- Halloween Horror Nights 2003 Feature Article
- Tickets:
Terra-fying
The Halloween Horror Nights makeover is suitably unnerving. Universal darkens Islands of Adventure's lights, substitutes an ominous soundtrack, and releases a pack of "scare-actor" wackos to terrorize folks both within the haunted houses and throughout the park's fright zones. The average guest may be there for the gotcha! chills and thrills--and there's certainly plenty of those--and may not necessarily care about the overarching storyline, but Universal has developed an ambitious mythology for the event.This year's poster demon is The Storyteller, a seemingly sweet grandmother who spins horrific tales and turns her nightmarish visions into reality. From there, the interwoven plotlines get a bit muddled. Apparently, The Storyteller brings her netherworld characters to life and unleashes them on Islands of Adventure. Their mission: to collect human blood (and scare the living daylights out of guests).
The story unfolds at the front of the park where a crazed emcee presides over a bizarre riutual. He taunts the crowd and barks at "Mankind" (that'd be us earthly mortals) every few minutes to make way for the Terra Queen. With much fanfare, a leather-clad biker mama roars to the stage on her souped-up Harley, followed by some chainsaw-wielding Terra guards. To honor the queen, the emcee calls for a sacrifice. Some scantily clad, eight-foot-tall female assistants drag a "volunteer," kicking and screaming, to the stage. A guard tethers the unwitting guest in front of a roaring inferno, unsheathes a knife, and slices him open to collect "the blood of Mankind." As huge rings of fire light the sky, the lifeless guest is lowered into a pit. And so, the "fun" begins. It sure ain't Winnie the Pooh. Welcome to the alterna-universe of Halloween Horror Nights.
Next page: Halloween Bender Nights- More Halloween Horror Nights 2005
