How to do Halloween Horror Nights, as told by a true scaredy cat

If you have lived in Florida your whole life or go to school in Florida, then Halloween Horror Nights has to be on your Florida Bucket List. I realize some people are skeptical about whether or not they’ll be too scared or not scared enough, but from a first hand experience, HHN is definitely worth the money. So grab some friends and make the trek to Orlando because you’re in for a treat- or maybe a trick instead.

The Beginning

When I first arrived at Halloween Horror Nights, I acted chill and relaxed. I thought I was going to be the strong one in my friend group- let me tell you, I was wrong. The moment I walked through the gates, I saw people in costume and then a few seconds after that, zombie cheerleaders with chainsaws. At that moment, being chased by someone with a chainsaw made the “Top 3 Scariest Things That Could Happen to Sloane” list. And that is the very reason why I did not go into the Texas Chainsaw: Massacre house. For the five houses that I went into, I unsuccessfully put on a brave face, and cried the whole way through.

The “Why did I pay money to cry” House

I love The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, these are two shows that my brother and I can actually agree on watching together. With this being said, I was incredibly excited that we were starting off with a house that I wanted to go to. Within 5 seconds of being in the house, I changed my mind. The flashing lights, constant screaming and zombies jumping out at me caused me to beg for my mother to come save me. Not one of my bravest moments, but if you walk through the house, you’ll understand.  At the end of the excruciating painful 5 minutes, my friends arms had the imprint of my hands on them from gripping them due to fear.

A John Wayne horror film

Luckily, Ghost Town was somewhat manageable for me. It was like I was walking through an old Western movie– where the cowboys come out and have a duel. Except, nobody was there: it was legitimately a ghost town. Having people in old dresses and Halloween make up jump out at me wasn’t as terrifying as it could’ve been. My friends giggled their way through this one as I still held onto their arms, just not as hard.

AHS: Guaranteed to be your favorite house

To be honest, this house was the only reason I went to HHN. AHS is one of my favorite TV shows, so of course I had to go and witness it first hand. The wait for this one was not as long as we thought it was going to be, so we started off with season 1, Murder House. We then moved into season 3, Freak Show, where Twisty the Clown was around every corner and so were the freaks that gave the season its name. Lastly, we moved into season 5, Hotel. Lady Gaga’s character made multiple appearances in her most famous outfits throughout the season. As a true fan of AHS, I can say that everything in this house was true to the season and perfectly captured the 3 seasons that were involved.

My myth class isn’t as scary as the Tomb of the Ancients house

I understand why the movie The Mummy used to be so scary, because the Tomb of the Ancients house was terrifying. There is nothing worse than something that is supposed to be dead chasing after you. Also, having Egyptian gods with animal heads popping up out of nowhere isn’t exactly the most welcoming. This house was almost as terrifying as the first one we went to because of the creepy tomb landscape and the screams that were around each corner. Also, if you don’t like lines, this is the house for you because it was a 5 minute wait.

The Halloween House, my breaking point

Why not end the night at the house named after the famous Halloween movies. Walking into the house, I knew it would be scary. Because who plays music from the ’50s/’60s at night other than scary movies or haunted houses? Michael Meyers made appearances throughout the house, which was followed by the slashing of his knife. Multiple bodies and killings added to the eeriness of the house, and many of the rooms were bloody and gruesome due to killings. At least that’s what my friends told me- I walked through the entire house with my eyes on the floor and had my friend guide me because I couldn’t go through another mini heart-attack.

I highly recommend visiting Halloween Horror Nights, because even if you’re as scared as me, you’ll have a great time. Many of the rides at Universal Studios are still open for scaredy cats to enjoy and the Harry Potter section is open for all you muggles and wizards. Don’t ask the vampire trumpet player if he can play his instrument, because he can and he will be sure to let you know it. Regardless of how you scared you will inevitably get, I highly recommend experiencing HHN for yourself. It’s better than any horror movie out there.