Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) is the preeminent annual Halloween event across the entire state of Florida. If you are a fan of Halloween or just love to be scared, this is the place for you to be every fall.
Typically held on select dates from late September until early November of every year, this separately ticketed event takes place in Universal Studios Florida theme park at the Universal Orlando Resort. The theme park closes early and is transformed into one amazing Halloween party which includes some the most frightening walk-thru haunted houses, terrifying scare zones and amazing live entertainment.
Halloween Horror nights usually starts around 6:30 PM and ends at 1:00 AM or 2:00 AM in the morning so you will have many hours of terrifying fun.
Halloween Horror Nights 2022 (HHN 31)
For 2022, Halloween Horror Nights will run on select nights from September 2, 2022 to October 31, 2022 and will feature 10 haunted houses, two live shows and five scare zones to go along with themed food, drinks and merchandise.
- September 2022: 2 – 4, 7 – 11, 15 – 18, 21 – 25, 28 – 30
- October 2022: 1 – 2, 5 – 9, 11 – 16, 19 – 24, 26 – 31
2022 HHN Haunted Houses
There will be ten (10) Haunted Houses for HHN 31 which are as follows:
- The Horrors of Blumhouse – Two sets of horror in the Blumhouse with “Freaky” and “The Black Phone” where guests will navigate what is practically two individual haunted houses. The Horrors of Blumhouse is back for a third year so watch out for the butcher and the Grabber in what we think is one of the most scary haunted houses for HHN 31.
- Bugs: Eaten Alive – The Endless Summer hates bugs and bugs are everywhere in this 1950’s “Home of the Future”. Bugs: Eaten Alive is all new for 2022 house and is located near Men in Black Alien Attack. Watch out for their slime and be careful not to have all these critters crawl up your skin.
- Halloween – Michael Myers where are you! Michael comes back to Halloween Horror Nights as guests step back in time with this 1978 slasher movie classic. Located in the Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, be prepared to come face to face with Michael Myers.
- Descendants of Destruction – Located between Men in Black Alien Attack and The Simpsons Ride, guests go down in a deserted New York subway tunnels where dozens of hungry mutants are waiting to feed. The design of this house was amazing and was set up like a real life subway station.
- Dead Man’s Pier: Winter’s Wake – Located in the street of New York, this house has fast become a fan favorite. Watch out for the zombie fisherman as you travel from an old fishing village to an abandoned vessel. These fishermen are are seeking revenge so beware of theirs nets and hooks.
- Hellblock Horror – Just outside of Production Central, monsters have escaped from prison and they are coming for you. There’s no electric power in this maximum security prison and carnage is on the menu.
- Universal Monsters: Legends Collide – Located in Woody Woodpeckers Kid Zone, Dracula, The Wolf Man and the Mummy battle for supremacy while you are caught in the middle of this battle of legends!
- Fiesta de Chupacabras – Just outside the street of New York, the legendary chupacabras come to life and line the streets with blood. Fiesta de Chupacabras is one of the more terrifying houses of the entire HHN 31 line up.
- Spirits of the Coven – Located in Production Central near the Universal stage, guests will need to beware of the witches that lure you into a 1920’s speakeasy as their drink of choice is you!
- The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare – Also located in Woody Woodpeckers Kid Zone, The Weeknd After Hours Nightmare is one of the most popular housed for 2022. Get ready for blinding lights, frightful creatures as The Weeknd will stalk you this is horrific house of horrors while playing his After Hours music.
2022 HHN Scare Zones
Throughout the park guests will find five (5) individual Scare Zones that will terrify guests as they pass through these areas on their way to the HHN haunted houses.
For 2022, these scare zones include:
- Horrors of Halloween: Located in Production Central next to Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, guests are greeted by the Pumpkin Lord before walking to the heart of Halloween Horror Nights. Make sure to hang around Sir Pumpkin to see him “pass wind”.
- Scarecrow, Cursed Soil: Located in between Central Park and the NBC Media Center, guests will have to navigate through the maze of scarecrows lurking around the cornfields.
- Conjure the Dark: It’s Hallow’s Eve on the streets of San Francisco and terrifying monsters have been captivated by an evil witch. Guests should hang around to hear the witch speak to her “minions”.
- Graveyard: Deadly Unrest: The street of Hollywood are transformed into the “Nettlewoods Cemetery” where ghoulish creatures come to life. Make sure you seek out the twins and watch them for a short while.
- Sweet Revenge: Beware the streets of New York where “Major Sweets” candy company is using its treats to turn children into killing machines. Along with the scareactors there are a number of Halloween themed parade floats throughout this scare zone.
2022 HHN Live Entertainment
Universal will also showcase two different Live Entertainment shows for 2022:
- Halloween Nightmare Fuel Wildfire – Back for 2022, this amazing pyro show features intense music and aerial performers. Showtimes for Halloween Nightmare Fuel Wildfire are 8:00 PM, 9:30 PM, 11:00 PM and 12:30 AM.
- Ghoulish! A Halloween Tale – All new for 2022, this ghost story will be set on the Universal Studios’ central lagoon. Showtimes for Ghoulish! A Halloween Tale are 9:00 PM, 10:00 PM, 11:00 PM and midnight.
2022 Halloween Horror Nights Food
Halloween Horror Nights at Universal always brings out a vast array of themed food and specialty beverages to celebrate the scary season.
Rides and Attractions Which Remain Open During HHN
Universal also keep several rides and attractions open during Halloween Horror Nights. For 2022 a number of the most popular rides will remain open. These include:
- Transformers The Ride – 3D
- Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
- Revenge of the Mummy
- Men in Black Alien Attack
- Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
Shopping and Dining During HHN
HHN fans will find Halloween Horror Nights merchandise at the following stores throughout the Universal Studios Florida. In addition to these stores, there are kiosks / carts within the park as well as in Universal’s CityWalk.
- Universal Studios Store
- Universal Music Plaza Kiosk
- Sahara Traders
- The Film Vault
- San Francisco Kiosk
- MIB Gear
- Cyber Image
In addition to the stores shown above, Universal opens the HHN TRIBUTE STORE during the Halloween season. The store has separate rooms featuring not only the latest merchandise but also throw back merch from prior years HHN events. There is also a fully stocked bakery offering Halloween Horror Nights themed cakes, donuts, pretzels and other tasty delights.
The Tribute Store is open all day and night during normal park operating hours. It is located in the New York area of Universal Studios Florida next to Macy’s and across from the Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Endless Summer Tips when Attending Halloween Horror Nights
If you are planning on visiting Universal for HHN, there are a number of things you need to know to get the most out of our visit. Following is a short list of our best tips when attending Halloween Horror Nights.
Buy Tickets in Advance
Halloween Horror Nights is one of the most popular special events of any Orlando theme park and tickets sell out quickly for some of the most popular nights. The last thing visitors want to do is wait on a long line for tickets only to find out that HHN is sold out for that particular evening.
Click here to purchase theme park tickets
Arrive Early (Stay & Scream)
At times Universal will reach capacity during the opening weekend so a number of guests will unfortunately be turned away. If possible, get in the park during the day before HHN opens (however a park ticket or annual pass is required for admission during the day). Guests with a valid HHN ticket are allowed to remain within Universal Studios Florida in four (4) corralled areas.
It has been our experience that the HHN park experience is open to guests in the corralled areas between 15 and 30 minutes of the opening of the gates. Therefore, guests already in the park get a jump start to the first Haunted House (or two, depending on crowd levels).
If you don’t have a park ticket or annual pass to get into Universal Studios Florida early, we recommend the $35.00 Scream Early Ticket which allows access to the park from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM followed by the ability to stay in a Stay & Scream aera until the event begins. Important note: make sure you have a valid HHN admission ticket before purchasing Scream Early.
Develop a Plan
It makes sense to figure out which Haunted Houses you want to get to first as wait times can easily exceed 30 to 60 minutes on a typical weekend night. We recommend that HHN guests head to the newest / most popular houses first before the lines get long (which are typically near the front of the park in Production Central & New York), then move on to the other near Hollywood, in the Kids Zone area and finally the ones near Men In Black Alien Attack.
We also recommend that you see the Live Entertainment later in the evening as the initial shows are always the most crowded.
Universal Express
It’s not cheap but the Universal Express pass is one of the best ways to experience Halloween Horror Nights. HHN Express Passes typically start from $89.99 and allow for front of the line access for each haunted house. If you are planning on attending on either a Friday or Saturday night during the month of October, Universal Express is highly recommended to ensure you are able to get through all the Haunted Houses.
Don’t forget that R.I.P. (VIP) Tours are offered which provide for immediate access to the Haunted Houses as well as current year shows.
If you are staying at a Universal on-site Premier level hotel (Portofino Bay, Hard Rock or Royal Pacific), the free Universal Express benefit is valid for normal operating hours only and does not extend to HHN nights.
Buy Merch During the Final Days
Although you might miss out on some of the more popular items if they are sold out, we have found the best time to be HHN merchandise is during the final days.
From 2017 to 2021 Universal has discounted HHN merch in the Tribute Store by as much as 50%, depending on the items. So if you are looking to pick up a new HHN T-shirt, HHN themed lanyard or any other souvenir, try and wait until the end of the season.
