Hello, my fellow creatures of the night and welcome back to FRIGHT FEST! Today, I present my trip report from scare central: Halloween Horror Nights 32 in Orlando.
For the past 5 event years Halloween Horror Nights has been without an icon, and it's been a long 10 years since it's received an original/new icon. Luckily, 2023 breaks that awful trend. Welcome to the roster one Dr. Rich Oddfellow, the proprietor of a traveling carnival/sideshow est. 1939. Dr. Oddfellow's Carnival of Thrills wasn't just innocent fun and games though, as many disappearances and accidents occurred at the carnival over the years, some of which were carried out at the hands of the infamous serial killer clown Jack Schmidt. Jack had been employed by Dr. Oddfellow until the good doctor tired of his antics almost bringing the authorities to the carnival, as a result Oddfellow terminated Jack's contract...and his life.
Dr. Oddfellow's main pursuit throughout his life was a quest for immortality, and he used his carnival as a way of collecting souls and showing off his unnatural discoveries. Despite reportedly being murdered at the hands of a re-animated Jack Schmidt in 2007 (Supposedly Dr. Oddfellow accidentally transferred some of his power to Jack during Jack's murder years prior, hence why he didn't stay dead), Dr. Oddfellow has returned and brought his delightfully sinful and depraved traveling carnival with him. He invites curious guests/victims to venture inside.
SCAREZONES
The scarezones this year were some of the better ones I've explored during the event (I might even say this was the best year for Scarezones that I've attended). Most are themed to the life/backstory of Dr. Oddfellow, and his foul quest.
DR. ODDFELLOW'S COLLECTION OF HORROR
Dr. Oddfellow will lure you into Halloween Horror Nights with a promise of immortality. As he lifts the veil on all the horrors to come, you'll soon realize you may not even survive the night.
There's a cool little caravan prop for Dr. Oddfellow to perform and speak from, but in general this zone isn't all that memorable. It's mostly just your typical preview zone, but with less theming. Always great to see the old HHN arch get some love. This is also the only zone where you can meet the main Icon form of Dr. Oddfellow and interact with him. I actually got to nab a photo with him and have a brief discussion with him. He wanted to know if I had come to capture souls. I told him I had come to capture greatness (implying, of course, that Dr. Oddfelow is great). Naturally, he ate this up, staring me down with a wicked grin (I didn't budge). He proceeded to inform me I had come to the right place, before striking a pose for the camera and declaring To eternity, my young friend. I chiped in with To eternity...and beyond!In the end, there's not much to this scarezone, but it's still worth at least one trek through.
4/10
DARK ZODIAC
Dr. Oddfellow has entered a dark dimension to harness the power of the Zodiac and live forever. He twists the signs into malevolent beings who foretell your doom. As his star rises, yours falls.
Why does it seem like the Hollywood area always gets the weird zones. This is another weird one, and the story behind it didn't make sense or was confusing. It's mostly twisted versions of the Zodiac signs roaming the area, with some set pieces where victims/dummy props are killed. Not a bad zone, but I spent very little time in it.
4/10
JUNGLE OF DOOM: EXPEDITION HORROR
In the 1920s, Dr. Oddfellow ventured deep into the darkest jungle, performing horrific experiments on nature. Now his monstrous creations are running amok and are coming after you.
Located in the Central Park area, this was my favorite zone of the night. The theming was rich, thick, and detailed. The creatures were very freaky and there was a good variety of them (stilt walkers, little people, etc). It also featured some of the best and most effective use of fog I've seen at the event in a long time (Always a thrill walking into fog so thick you can't see an inch in front of you). Dr. Oddfellow in jungle/explorer/adventurer garb appears near the entrance, holding his trophy: a green Crystral Skull he hopes will help him achieve immortality. An A+ zone, and one I won't soon forget.
10/10
SHIPYARD 32: HORRORS UNHINGED
Enter a 1940s San Francisco shipping yard full of mysterious crates and cages bearing Dr. Oddfellow's symbol. Beware, his nightmarish oddities have now escaped, spreading fear and chaos in their wake.
Located in the San Francisco area, this was another of the top zones of the night. This scarezone is filled with creatures/characters from the past including Tooth Fairies (from Revenge of the Tooth Fairy in HHN 30), Vampires (from The Hive in HHN 27), and Batricia (From Grown Evil in HHN 21) among many others. There's a very impressive, large, and cool crashed shipping crate/container in the center of the zone which acts as the main set-piece. There are also various cages which some creatures might appear trapped in. A very cool zone, and one that undoubtedly will stir up memories of long-time HHN fans.
9/10
VAMP '69: SUMMER OF BLOOD
At a 60's music fest in a small New York town, you'll jam to popular bands with fellow concert-goers until Dr. Oddfellow unleashes vicious vampires on the audience. They're out for your blood.
The basic idea is that Dr. Oddfellow was the leader of a clan of Vampires, which he led to the music fest and unleashed upon the participants there. As a spiritual child of the '60s, this zone (located in the NYC area) was right up my alley. There are some 60s tracks playing on a loop over loudspeakers, there were a good deal of set-pieces for scareactors to interact/play with, and there's just something fun and funny about seeing "Peace and Love" hippies turn savage and start tearing apart innocents. There is also a great variety of costumes as well. A hippie-vampire version of Dr. Oddfellow (complete with groovy 'fro) can be found wandering this zone.
8.5/10
M3GAN ROAMING DANCE TROUPE
There is a group of M3GAN dolls roaming around the event this year. They aren't the easiest to catch, and only appear briefly to do a dance number. I did manage to catch a glimpse of the M3GANs as they were leaving. Sadly, I missed their dance.
HOUSES
As per usual, we come to the part you've all been waiting for: The houses. This year, I'll go through them in the order we hit them.
THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER
Two missing girls have been found with no memory of what happened to them. But wherever they went, the ultimate evil has returned with them. Enter the most terrifying scenes from the new Blumhouse film.
Inspired by Universal Pictures’ terrifying new horror film from Blumhouse and Morgan Creek Entertainment (in theaters Friday, October 13), “The Exorcist: Believer” haunted house will transport guests to a bustling street market in Haiti, where an innocent purchase of a strange folk doll with three eyes leads to the opening of a demonic portal, the awakening of sinister spirits and the subsequent disappearance of two 12-year-old girls in the U.S. The girls are found three days later with no memory of what happened to them. After the girls begin to exhibit unsettling behavior, it soon becomes clear that only an exorcism can save them – and everyone who comes in contact with them, including unwitting guests, is suddenly at risk of losing their souls.
Surprisingly, most of the people I've talked to seem to believe this was the best and scariest house of the event. I don't exactly agree, but I do think it is very well themed and one of the top ones of the night. I haven't seen the new Exorcist film yet, so I can't speak to this house's authenticity, but I certainly enjoyed my time in it (though I didn't find it to be all that scary, I did love getting to see Pazuzu a few times).
8.5/10
DUELING DRAGONS: CHOOSE THY FATE
Two warlocks of great power were turned into dragons after trying to take Merlyn's spell book. Now you and your friends are caught in their epic battle. You must choose a path and a victor.
The great wizard Merlyn has been transformed into the Enchanted Oak, leaving a power vacuum. When two powerful warlocks invade his castle to steal his spell book, they are turned into dragons of fire and ice. Now guests are caught in the middle of their battle and are forced to choose a path and a victor. But beware, one never knows who will win in “Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate.”
The mad geniuses at Halloween Horror Nights decided to pay tribute to one of the most well-themed queues in all of theme park history, essentially recreating it for this haunted house. Merlyn has been turned into The Enchanted Oak (the facade for this house), and with him gone his magic spell book is up for grabs. He entrusts you with protecting it from two evil wizards/dragons, Pyrock (Fire) and Blizzrock (Ice). I consider this to be in competition for the most well-themed house of the night. It really felt like you were traveling into a different fairy world of magic. We get recreations of the exterior forest, the castle entrance, the spell-book room, the ice room with a frozen knight hanging overhead, and more. Near the end, the line diverges into two paths: one for fire, and one for ice. Being more of a fan of the Fire side of the coaster back when it was open, naturally I chose Fire both times I ventured through the house. As a result, I got to see what happens when Pyrock wins, and what happens when he loses and Merlyn wins. Not a super-scary house, but the theming is lush and transports you back to that classic queue line from so long ago ( You also gotta love the addition of troll scareactors in two scenes).
10/10
YETI: CAMPGROUND KILLS
You and your friends are about to venture into a 1950s campground overrun by huge, menacing yetis who rip apart anyone who gets in their way. You must flee to the ranger tower to escape.
In a 1950s campground, a group of towering, terrifying yetis are running rampant, ripping apart campers, rangers and anyone else who gets in their way. In “YETI: Campground Kills,” guests must flee through the campground into cabins, a bait shack and even the outhouse in hopes of making it to the ranger tower before it’s too late.
Yeah, so this was the house I screamed the most in. Apparently, the story is that a baby yeti was killed by the campers, which is why all the yetis are in bloodlust mode. There are a few different kinds of Yeti's throughout, and the theming is very nice and detailed (Love when you walk on a dock around a shack with a lake nearby). The Bear (a fan-favorite) makes an appearance as well. In my book, Campground Kills was better than Terror of the Yukon.
8.5/10
CHUCKY: ULTIMATE KILL COUNT
Inspired by the hit USA & SYFY series and cult classic films, “Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count” casts this killer doll as the star of his very own haunted house for the first time. A true sadistic killer, Chucky has been mired in the agony of disrespect he feels from his peers at not being taken seriously. Thus begins his quest to turn his haunted house into a living slaughterhouse by killing every person who enters.
Chucky, the serial killer doll, is back for a new gorefest! He's hijacked his own haunted house with all kinds of bloody hijinx. You and your friends must try to survive his ultimate kill count.
A super-sized house (Think The Walking Dead: The Living and the Dead from HHN 25), but one that doesn't earn its length. The idea is that HHN made Chucky his own haunted house celebrating all of his kills from his new TV show, and invited Chucky himself to preview it. Unfortunately, Chucky does not approve, proceeds to murder the creators, and then hijacks the entire house. The first Chucky AA that greets us is incredibly life-like and realistic (You will believe you are meeting the REAL Chucky), but the rest of the rooms are a let-down. I always appreciate a high-concept house, but most of the house seems to be the scareactors getting killed and attacked, and not us. There's also an extra-large Chucky, but he attacks in the first room and is never seen again. What a disappointment.
3.5/10
THE DARKEST DEAL
Blues musician Pinestraw Spruce will have to face the music after meeting with The Collector and trading his soul for musical glory. You and your squad learn the terrible price of fame.
In the Mississippi Delta, blues musician Pinestraw Spruce meets at a crossroads with a diabolical entity known as The Collector to make a deal: his soul for musical glory. Guests will witness his big break performing for a crowd before The Collector drags him to Hades with the other musicians who learned the terrible price of fame in “The Darkest Deal.”
This was easily my most anticipated house of the night, and while it didn't end up being my number one, it definitely impressed. Everyone knows the old myths, legends, and tales of classic Blues musicians selling their souls for talent, fame, and glory. How freaking cool is it that we now have a HHN house based around exactly this folklore. This house is one of the best and most gorgeously themed of the entire night. Set long-ago in New Orleans/Louisiana, we get to explore various backroads, alleys, Blues joints, a graveyard/cemetery, a crypt/mausoleum, and even Hell/The Underworld. Interesting to note that not all entities seen in this house are malicious, as many are spirits of previous musicians who made the same poor choice and have now returned to taunt and warn Pinestraw (The Blues musician who acts as the star of the house, and has sold his soul for talent, fortune, and glory). Very glad I got to travel through this one twice. Pinestraw is basically an icon in his own right (at least, as far as I'm concerned).
9.5/10
THE LAST OF US
Enter the overgrown and perilous world of Naughty Dog's video game in real life, as you fight to survive and navigate your way through an abandoned Pittsburgh with Joel & Ellie.
For the first time ever, Naughty Dog and PlayStation’s award-winning post-pandemic video game “The Last of Us” comes to life in an all-new haunted house that propels guests into an obstacle course of carnage and mayhem as they join a brutal journey in a world overtaken by a fungal virus that turns humans into various forms of a new threat known as the Infected. Guests will find themselves navigating iconic locations from the video game in a desperate attempt to escape and survive.
Full disclousre: I have played some of The Last of Us, but I never finished it or got very far. That said, right from the opening scene in a collapsed car garage, I felt immediately transported into the world of a video game. To the point where many scareactors felt like actual NPCs. This was some of the most fun I had in a haunted house this night. Every time a Cordycep attacked, growling or roaring. I would growl or roar back, in an effort to communicate in their language. Definitely made me want to go back and play more of the game.
8/10
BLOOD MOON: DARK OFFERINGS
In a Colonial-era village, moon-worshippers witness a blood moon at their fall festival. They take it as a sign to hunt down any non-followers, including you and your scream squad.
Colonial-era villagers begin to worship the moon obsessively. When the blood moon rises at their fall festival, they take it as a sign that they must hunt down any non-followers within their village. Guests will need to try not to become part of the sacrifice as they gather body parts to form a grisly offering in “Bloodmoon: Dark Offerings.”
This house definitely reminded me of 2014's Roanoke Cannibal Colony. I'd qualify this as the sleeper house of the night, as it's one that doesn't seem as talked-about, but has some of the best theming and surprises of the night. The first scene is essentially walking into the village, but there's a really cool detail I bet most don't notice: There is a blood moon overhead. Other notable scenes include: The town square (another of HHN's famous wide-open set-pieces/rooms), walking through a cloth to reveal you have entered an old church and are walking down the middle of the aisles toward the pew or altar, and a large church steeple complete with a cult member ringing the church bell. It definitely feels like a fully realized, complete house (and I love how the last scene seems to be set in the same location as the second scene, really makes you feel like you've traveled through the entire town). Blood Moon easily rivals Dueling Dragons for best theming of the night.
10/10
STRANGER THINGS 4
Join the Fight Against Vecna. Don’t let Vecna get in your mind as you take on the scariest season of Stranger Things yet. Try to resist his gruesome curse before the ultimate showdown in his blood-red Mind Lair.
Season 4 of Netflix’s original series “Stranger Things” is brought to life in a terrifying all-new haunted house that transports guests to Hawkins, Indiana where they will be immersed in the eerie Upside Down for a heart-pounding experience while traveling through iconic scenes. Guests will confront their deepest fears and come face to face with otherworldly creatures like demobats, and even Vecna himself within his blood-red Mind Lair in a race against the clock to escape and save mankind from his deadly curse.
This rivals Stranger Things from HHN 29 for me. There isn't any large, impressive puppet or AA like the Mind-Flayer from that previous house, but there is a large, detailed recreation of Vecna's lair, which is sick to walk through. Overall, Stranger Things 4 is a faithful walk-through of events from season 4 including Chrissy's death, Henry/Number One's first encounter with Eleven (Very creative and cool way they did this. We are walking in-between them as Eleven sends Henry hurtling into the Upside-Down), Dustin and Eddie's show-down against the Demobats, and more. Fans of the Netflix series should be very pleased.
8/10
UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: UNMASKED
Descend into the Paris Catacombs, where you and your squad will face a new horde of Monsters: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Phantom of the Opera, the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Invisible Man.
Lurking sixty feet beneath the bustling streets of the City of Lights, the dank Catacombs of Paris house a much darker secret. . . The all-new haunted house “Universal Monsters: Unmasked” takes guests down into the infamous burial grounds where every corner and crevice overflows with millions of skeletal remains and even more sinister secrets. Deep within the Catacombs, Universal’s most notorious creatures – The Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dr. Jekyll and his deranged alternate personality Mr. Hyde, and Dr. Jack Griffin, aka The Invisible Man – also lie in wait as they bide their time and seek vengeance against guests after the opening of the Catacombs to public visitation. These desperate and dangerous fiends have become filled with a rage toward guests navigating the twisted tunnels of their underground labyrinth home. It is here, in the darkness, where they hunt these trespassers and where the sounds of guests’ screams will go unheard.
A disappointment, especially when compared to previous Universal Monsters houses. The different sections (Phantom, Wolfman, Hunchback, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Invisible Man) don't feel all that connected to each other. I do appreciate that they use an old-timey newspaper boy to announce when you're entering a new area, though. The interiors are gorgeously detailed, but it was hard to follow or make sense of the plot and why these monsters all just-so happen to be in Paris. The best scene is the opening/facade. You walk in facing a bridge,on top of it is a policeman on patrol. He yells down at us, urging us to get inside and stay safe. That's not the cool part though. The cool part is that it's actually raining when you enter. It's that little extra touch of sprinkling, light rain that cements the illusion that YOU ARE THERE! Brought me right back to Winter's Night from HHN 21. I really wish HHN would utilize effects like these more often.
7.5/10
DR. ODDFELLOW'S TWISTED ORIGINS
You won’t be able to resist going inside Dr. Oddfellow’s menacing menagerie of twisted oddities. But the price for you and your friends is steep: the cost of your souls to feed his immortal power.
In the 1930s Dust Bowl era, guests won’t be able to resist going inside Dr. Oddfellow’s menacing menagerie of twisted oddities where they’ll encounter grotesquely distorted animals and freakish fiends. In “Dr. Oddfellow: Twisted Origins,” the price to enter this creepy caravan is steep as souls feed his immortal power.
The best house of the night. The exterior entrance/facade goes on for longer than expected, really solidifying the feel that you are entering a true traveling carnival. Inside, most of the scareactors are variations on clowns (Be on the look-out for a pre-Icon Jack, doing his whole serial killer/John Wayne Gacy thing). The theming is consistent, disorienting, and detailed. This is the "fun-house" of the night, and there are some nifty gags on display throughout. The whole experience has a true twisted sense of fun about it. Naturally, the further/deeper you travel into Dr. Oddfellow's Carnival of Thrills, the more depraved and murderous the antics become. By the end, you really will feel like your "souls have been distorted", as Dr. Oddfellow says. This is the main must-do of the night as, not only do you get to walk through the backstory/history of HHN (Yes, you do get to watch Jack get murdered by Oddfellow), you also have a lot of fun while doing so. So glad I got to visit Dr. Oddfellow's Carnival of Thrills twice.
10/10
FOOD ITEMS
While at the event, I got to visit the new Minion Land and try some of the area's newest menu items. I tried the Banana Popcorn, a drink called The Antidote, and Minion Tots from the Minion Cafe. The Banana Popcorn was very tasty and sweet. I'd compare it to the glazed popcorn you could find at a mall, but of a high quality. Very satisfying. The Antidote comes topped with the same foam/cream topping they use in Butterbeer, but it's now banana flavored. I'd describe the flavor as banana cream soda. I'm not a big tot guy, but the Minion Tots lived up to the hype. Definitely some of the best tots I've had. Crispy on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside. Just about the perfet tots (and they come in Minion shapes). As for the Minion Land itself, I was very impressed with the theming and detail. They basically took a stretch of sidewalk and turned it into a city. There's shops and stores (Some you can visit, some you can't), like a Bank of Evil. Overall, it's nice that the entrance to USF now has a consistent theme.
RIDES
I got to ride Transformers: The Ride 3-D and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. There not much to report: Transformers still kicks ass, and so does Rockit. As per tradition I sat in the very front row of the coaster train, and the views at night and wind in my face were thrilling and mighty satisfying. Rockit's future seems uncertain as Universal drastically reduced the number of songs you can choose from (There's literally only 5 or 6 song options now). If you love this coaster, you might want to get your rides in now before it's too late.
CONCLUSION
HHN 32 was another one for the books. It's easily one of my most successful events in years. I can't remember the last time I got to hit up three houses twice! I'm also thrilled I got to meet the Icon for this year: Dr. Oddfellow. HHN 32 marks the first time in a while that a proper Icon has been conjured up to host the event. Oddfellow's all-encompassing presence gives HHN 32 a sense of unity and connectivity it hasn't had in years. It just shows how much a proper, well-developed Icon can help to tie everything in the event together in satisfying, exciting ways. HHN 32 features a great variety of IPS, original houses, scarezones, and homages/tributes to past events/attractions. HHN 32 easily ranks as one of the best event years in HHN history.
10/10
RANKINGS
HOUSES
1. Dr. Oddfellow’s Twisted Origins
2. Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate
3. Blood Moon: Dark Offerings
4. The Darkest Deal
5. Yeti: Campground Kills
6. The Exorcist: Believer
7. The Last of Us
8. Stranger Things 4
9. Universal Monsters: Unmasked
10. Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count
SCAREZONES
1. Jungle of Doom: Expedition Horror
2. Shipyard 32: Horrors Unhinged
3. Vamp ‘69: Summer of Blood
4. Dr. Oddfellow’s Collection of Horror
5. Dark Zodiac
Thanks for tuning in. Till next year, I’ll see you in the fog!
