Is Halloween Horror Nights Worth It At Universal Studios?

Thinking About Going To Halloween Horror Nights At Universal Studios, But Wondering If It’s Really Worth It?

Unlike most people I know, my family has always loved the Halloween season with haunted houses, scary movies, and adrenaline filled nights at theme parks, and while I’ve been to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios multiple times and I do think it is worth a return visit, there are a few downsides to consider for this popular seasonal event (all listed out in detail below).

🎃 Is Halloween Horror Nights At Universal Studios Worth It?

I love the Halloween season and I love the excitement of being startled, so while Halloween Horror Nights is an event I’ve enjoyed multiple times, there are a number of downsides to this popular Universal Studios seasonal event.

Cons Of Halloween Horror Nights

Especially when adding on the cost of fast passes, it can get pretty expensive to attend this seasonal event.

I love the fun and lighthearted spirit of the Halloween season, but I’m not really into the super dark stuff or large crowds of people, so Halloween Horror Nights might not seem worth it to some for a few of these reasons:

❌ The Cost: regular Halloween Horror Nights tickets aren’t very cheap (typically $85-130), plus when adding food, shopping, hotels, parking, and fast passes (typically an extra $120-220), the overall cost might make HHN not worth it for some

❌ Fast Pass Need: I’ve done Halloween Horror Nights with and without fast passes, but in my experience it wasn’t really worth it without the fast passes because there’s so much to see and do in one night, and it’s no fun waiting in ridiculously long lines all night
- peak hours for the most popular rides had regular lines with typically a 45-75 minute wait (plus more for inside rides if it started raining)
- peak hours for popular haunted houses had regular lines with typically a 60-90 minute wait

❌ The Crowds: outside of crowds causing frustration from waiting in lines, one of the worst things about my second to last visit to HHN was that Universal workers constantly pushed/yelled for us to keep moving in the haunted houses, making the experience I paid for terrible, rushed, and not very spooky because there were no gaps in between people and the actors jumping out

The crowded haunted houses and long lines might make Halloween Horror Nights seem not so worth it to some.

❌ The Weather: fall isn’t the best vacation weather in Florida, and even Orlando can be quite rainy (or even hurricane-y) during this season
- because a lot is affected by the weather for Halloween Horror Nights (scare zones, rides, and some houses will close due to rain), the possibility of closures might make HHN not worth it

❌ The Shows: many people like the shows at Halloween Horror Nights, but I’ve not been a fan of most of them because they’ve been quite dark (and a bit sexual) in the past, so I prefer to spend my time on rides or in the haunted houses

❌ Darker Halloween Event: in line with some of the shows, Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights is a bit darker and not suitable for young children compared to the nearby Halloween activities of Disney World

Pros Of Halloween Horror Nights

The spooky atmosphere is my favorite part about this special Halloween event.

While Halloween Horror Nights can get expensive (especially with fast passes) and pretty crowded, I think it’s still worth it for anyone that loves:

✅ Haunted Houses: every year, Universal comes up with 10 new haunted houses for Halloween Horror Nights, with varying themes and movie references

✅ Rides: there are typically 4-5 Universal Studios-side rides open during Halloween Horror Nights (commonly The Mummy, Gringotts, Men In Black, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, and Transformers rides), but some do close before the end of the night

✅ Harry Potter: the Harry Potter Diagon Alley area is much less crowded compared to day time (especially after Gringotts closes for the night) during HHN
- don’t forget commonly missed sites like watching the dragon spew fire, walking down knockturn alley, and taking a picture in front of the Knight Bus

Having a little less of a crowded Diagon Alley is just one other reason why Halloween Horror Nights is worth it.

✅ Fun People Watching: with all the waiting in lines and wandering around the park, one of my favorite things about Halloween Horror Nights is finding a bench (particularly in view of a scare zone) to relax a little and watch people run screaming

✅ Cooler After Sunset: even during the fall season, it’s typically still hot in Orlando so spending the night at the park without the sun beating down is really nice

✅ Special Food: Universal doesn’t really offer anything I can eat (clean + allergy friendly), but most find the special themed food during Halloween Horror Nights one of the top reasons why it’s worth it

✅ Fun, Spooky Atmosphere: once the sun goes down and the scare zones get really active, the spooky atmosphere of Halloween Horror Nights is really fun with all the fog on the streets, and people running around screaming and laughing

👻 Tips To Make Halloween Horror Nights More Worth It

Arrive Early: if they finish setting up early, they’ll open the gates (I’ve always gotten in about 30 minutes prior to when the actual start time is)

Get In Even Earlier: with combo HHN + Universal Studios day tickets, you’ll get even earlier access

Plan, Especially The First Hour: it’s always crowded so planning is best, especially within the first hour (choose your top two houses + top two rides to do right away because you’ll get on or in them pretty fast)

Know Fast Passes Still Have Wait Times: despite being more expensive than regular tickets, having a fast pass doesn’t mean zero wait times, but it does significantly reduce wait times

Save Scare Zones For Dark: you may have to walk through some to get to other parts of the park, but the Scare Zones are best after dark

Don’t Scare Or Yell At Actors: seems obvious, but I’ve watched plenty of people get escorted out of the park for trying to scare the actors

Stay Hydrated: I’ve always found free cups of water in Diagon Alley at “Fountain of Fair Fortune”, where they also sell ButterBeer

Wear Comfortable Shoes: dress comfortably for the night because walking isn’t too bad, but standing in all the lines is a real killer

Download The App: have the app already downloaded to easily find your way around the park

Eat Before: to save money and time, or for those with food allergies, eat dinner before going into the park and bring a snack or two in with you in case you get hungry

Visit On Slower Days: it’s always pretty busy, but visit in the middle of the week (Wednesdays) during early September for slightly less crowds

Don’t Bring Kids: for those with young kids (13 & under) visit Disney for their more kid-friendly Halloween event (Universal doesn’t have an age restriction, but they don’t recommend anyone under the age of 13)

Stay Off Of Universal Property: although it’s more convenient, staying near Universal in stead of at Universal will be cheaper even with parking or ride-shares (my favorite hotel near Universal is the Towneplace Suites less than 10 minutes away)

🔁 Sum Up: Is Halloween Horror Nights Worth It?

While Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights does have a few downsides (including the cost, wait times, and weather closures), the variety of haunted houses, the less crowded Diagon Alley area, the few open rides, the themed food, and the spooky atmosphere all make HHN worth it in my opinion, especially if you get fast passes to keep from standing for a super long time in the lines.