As Universal Studios' annual Halloween Horror Nights event continues to grow in popularity, the park is always looking for new ways to ratchet up the scares and bring guests back to experience what was new last time. Year after year, some things stay the same. Halloween Horror Nights 33 follows the typical formula of 10 haunted houses, 5 scare zones, and a show.
However, several changes, upgrades, and improvements are implemented each year to make Halloween Horror Nights a must-do for many horror fans. So, what makes the HHN 33 special? How does it compare to the 2023 HHN 32?
Every year, many movie fans look forward to seeing their favorite movie killers resurrected at the IP. These IP companies are beloved by fans and often have the longest wait times. Even on less crowded nights, it's rare to see one of the houses with a wait time of less than 60 minutes.
HHN 32 has a total of five IP-themed houses (“The Last of Us”, “Stranger Things 4”, “The Exorcist: The Believer”, “Universal Monsters: Revealed”and Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count) There are four activities this year—— A Quiet Place, Insidious: Further Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodand Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. With fewer IP companies this year, Universal's creative staff has been able to focus on creating more original haunted houses, such as Major Sweets Candy Factory or Goblin's Feast.
Another thing that is different every year is the food served during the event. Similar to previous years, HHN 33 features a large number of food stalls, three of which are themed to IPs from this year’s roster: Insidious: Further In the production center, A quiet place in New Yorkand Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire In the bleacher shuffle between Transformers and Revenge of the Mummy.
Believe it or not, HHN 33 has two idols this year: SINIST3R and SURR3AL, which stand for physical pain and psychological pain respectively, and they can be found in the Scare Duality Scare Zone at the entrance to the park, as well as making special appearances at the Torture Faire and Demon Queens . If you're lucky, you can see them in one of the special scenes. This is the only time in recent years that Halloween Horror Nights has used two icons.
HHN 33 also presents a unique QR code scavenger hunt that takes visitors from the Antiquities Museum through the Tribute Shop to learn about the missing idols from the museum exhibits and the bloodthirsty bat creatures that possess them!
There are seven diary entries in total that tell the story of a former museum worker's struggle to survive in an overgrown, apocalyptic Manhattan.
The fan-favorite pyrotechnics and aerial stunt show Nightmare Fuel returns this year with a new theme – The Night Circus. As always, this event is one of HHN's most popular, so be sure to line up for the next show at least half an hour to an hour before the start time.
That roughly covers what’s new for this year’s event. With all these upgrades, you'll get lost in the fog easier than ever… but what better place to be during the spooky season than wandering through new spooky areas and shuddering in a unique haunted house? What are you most looking forward to, or what is your favorite part of Halloween Horror Nights 33?
