It only makes sense that the most unique year of our lifetimes would also bring forth the most unique taste of a universally iconic Halloween event.
Originally posted September 20, 2020 | Updated November 2, 2020
Halloween Horror Nights is traditionally a separately ticketed event located at Universal Studios Florida that runs for a large portion of September and October. “HHN,” as it’s commonly abbreviated, has gained world-wide acclaim for Universal Orlando Resort, and is often ranked highly among the very best haunted attractions in the country. Unfortunately, due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, Universal was forced to cancel the event in what would have been its 30th anniversary year.
However, just because there will be no Halloween Horror Nights in 2020 doesn’t mean there’s no frightfully fun fear to be had this fall. Heavily modified, with an abundance of new health & safety procedures in place, Universal Studios Florida will offer two haunted houses – designed and built to be apart of HHN 30 – free of charge, included with daytime admission! Although Universal Orlando Resort has not officially confirmed the full operating run of this special seasonal offering quite yet, our well-placed source tells us that haunts will be open Saturdays and Sundays in September, and then possibly as often as daily beginning October 3, 2020, likely ending on November 1, 2020. Now more than ever, everything is subject to change – and the frequency of operation will also be based on demand. (There’s another scenario discussed that may see haunts closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.)
We will update this review as more official information is released, including the addition of press photos for each haunt once available as well as a potential name for this semi-event, which we are currently calling “Halloween Horror Lite.”
Beetlejuice
Got trouble with the living? You know what to say: “Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice.”
It’s time to turn up the juice and see what shakes loose in this twisted and terrifying haunted house. Experience iconic moments from the original film as you’re haunted and taunted by the infamous bioexorcist in his many maniacal forms. He’ll do anything to trick you into saying his name three times, so he can enter the world of the living and wreak havoc.
Beetlejuice will torment you at every turn as you wander checkered hallways to the Netherworld Waiting Room and abandon you to your fate in the Lost Souls Room. He’ll menace you in the model graveyard and join in the fun of Dante’s Inferno. You’ll succumb to the chaos of the infamous dinner party scene and be a surprise living witness to Beetlejuice’s chaotic wedding.
It’s showtime!
As a character, Beetlejuice has long been a staple of Universal Studios Florida, dating all the way back to its opening in 1990 – and even further back to the movie’s debut for the sister park in Hollywood. Along the way he’s long been present as a walk-around character, as well as host of several of his own shows throughout the years, yet the iconic Beetlejuice has never had his own genuine attraction. Until now.
Beginning with a modest exterior of nothing more than a vinyl graphic-wrapped warehouse, once through the door, Beetlejuice – the haunt – evokes the flavor of a cheesy roadside attraction — in a good way. A zig-zagging picket fence path ramps up toward the unknown – and lurking above it, the Ghost with the Most himself, Beetlejuice, acts as a live carnie-barker, luring unsuspecting mortals into his world.
This first instance of the iconic ghoul is portrayed by a live mic’d actor, perfectly bringing the classic movie character to life in a most believable way. While taunting and teasing the crowd waiting to enter, he even throws in some well-placed quotes straight from the film, adding an authenticity to the storyworld about to unfold.
At the top of the ramp awaits the entrance into a black and white spinning tunnel, serving as a passage to the Netherworld. On the other side, (un)naturally is the Waiting Room. Juno herself lurks behind the check-in window, smoke billowing from her formerly slit throat. A flattened Roadkill Man wheels by on an overhead track as the recently deceased make their way to the lobby area. In it, a who’s who of familiar characters impatiently await their numbers to be called, including the poor sucker who choked on a chicken bone, the surfer eaten by (and still with) a shark, both halves of the magician’s assistant and Harry the hunter. Miss Argentina, fresh off her “little accident” gets a quick scare in before sending those whose numbers have been called down the hall.
Warped and twisted doors line the checked hallway, each to a different eternal outcome. The trusty old janitor is always present to warn of the dangers of the Lost Souls Room – a place for ghosts who have been exorcised. The demons within pop out from open doors in hopes of drawing in new souls to permanently join them. And at the end of the hallway, an open brick portal offers passage for the recently deceased to return to the mortal realm.
Beyond the wall, the Maitland’s attic sits just as it was left before their crash off the old covered bridge. A model of the town of Winter River sits on a table under twinkling lights, while a nearby television sparks to life with an odd commercial from the afterlife’s ‘leading bio-exorcist,’ Betelgeuse, offering to help solve trouble with the living. Awkward, sheet-clad visages of Adam and Barbara attempt to scare out a visiting Lydia Deetz, who herself, is strange and unusual.
A foggy portal transports the recently deceased into the model itself, where Beetlejuice awaits at his freshy dug up grave, hoping desperately to trick someone into saying his name three times. Around the corner, Dante’s Inferno Club dominates the scene with a massive façade, proving the perfect distraction for well-placed scare by a porcupine-spiked Beetlejuice. Within the club, strippers dance for a shadow-projected Beetlejuice, before the fun is abruptly interrupted with a return back to the home, now fully fashioned by the eclectic Delia Deetz.
Bizarre sculptures stand as sentinels outside the dining room, where the iconic dinner party meets its familiar supernatural fate. In a unique twist, the entire room is turned quite literally upside down, as shrimp-like hands grab down at passers by from their plates overhead. Around the flipped room twists the tail of a massive, rattlesnake Beetlejuice, ready to strike when the living least expects it.
With the supernatural revealing themselves, Otho presides over a ritual that will make the dead come alive. A wedding gown floats up and fills, as a very withered ghost of Barbara appears for a scare. Beyond it, a circus-headed Beetlejuice rolls out the hammers for a test of strength game that sends Maxie Dean and his wife through the ceiling. The games end at the unwilling wedding of Lydia and Beetlejuice, presided over within the warped fireplace by the very same demon priest from the film. With mouth bolted shut, even Barbara is unable to voice her objections. The only way out of this eternal union is with a trip to Saturn, where a massive Sandworm puppet waits ready to strike those who cross the threshold.
Beetlejuice offers a nostalgic adventure for those who grew up with the movie, hitting all of the major beats fans will hope to see unfold before their very eyes. Of all of the IP-based haunts Universal Orlando has tackled over its thirty year history, this one may be the truest to its source material. Beetlejuice comes back to life allowing the living to step straight into the film and, subsequently, into its supernatural world.
Revenge of the Tooth Fairy
The innocent traditions of the tooth fairy hide a darker ritual. All children must give up their baby teeth to the goblinesque tooth fairies or pay a gruesome price. Step into an old manor that has been overrun by yellow-clawed fiends who extract teeth by force. It’s an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
We all grew up knowing about the Tooth Fairy. In the simpler times of our youth, it seemed easy enough to understand; lose a tooth, put it under your pillow, the Tooth Fairy comes while you sleep and leaves you money. Her visit is something to be excited about, right?
But what if you don’t give her that tooth? That tooth she is owed. That tooth she deserves. That tooth she craves? Well, now there’s a clear answer to that question: she goes absolutely berserk and kills your entire family.
This is the lesson little James Westhorne learned the hard way after refusing to hand over his very first lost tooth, despite warnings from his mother the night before. Naturally the Tooth Fairy did arrive that evening, and naturally she murdered the entire Westhorne family, including their house keepers. Little James’ unfortunate experience now comes to life in the form of a cautionary bedtime story, told to children the world over to teach that losing a tooth doesn’t necessarily need to lead to losing their lives.
Revenge of the Tooth Fairy begins with a simple question: what if a kid doesn’t hand over his lost tooth? It draws other children – young and old – into a whimsically warped fairy tale that quite literally leaps from the very pages of a book. A delightfully devilish opening scene is presented in black and white, layered two-dimensional illustrations. It evokes the sense that the very papers that fill the novel have come to life around us in an aggressive attempt to trap others within their world.
Once inside the book, the Westhorne family home materializes in a quaint fairy tale style. The spaces would actually be charming if it weren’t for – you know – all the bloodthirsty murdering being done by a scorned children’s demon. The Tooth Fairies themselves make up for their small stature with an insuppressible urge to kill. Their Nosferatu vampire-esque faces, capped with pointy demon ears, and long, clawed fingers are framed by their cozy children’s nightgowns and fuzzy fairy wings.
Beginning inside the storybook itself, into a terrified little James’ bedroom, through the house and into the catacombs-like lair of the Tooth Fairies, a flowing narrative accompanies this haunt with voice-overs from start to finish, offering commentary – and even some occasional dark humor along the way. Through the event’s thirty years, Universal has dabbled several times in the genre of twisted fairy tales, but Revenge of the Tooth Fairy might just be their most solid execution of this sinister stylistic tone.
Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives
“We belong dead.” The last words of Frankenstein’s monster on that fateful night when his Bride rejected him. But his end was her beginning. Now the Bride is stepping out of the shadows to bring him back. And there’s nothing she won’t do as she sharpens her brilliance by experimenting on unsuspecting victims. The mate will have her monster. And the monster his mate.
Set amid an unfolding horrific love story, Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives begins with the events following the death (uhh, re-death?) of Frankenstein’s Monster. Devastated by the loss of the very mate she was quite literally created to be with, The Bride of Frankenstein vows to do everything in her power to reanimate him once again – even if it includes harvesting pieces from other living beings and executing a series of unnatural experiments.
The action begins with a modest entry statement between two simple dungeon-type walls. Holes in the stone allow a view “outside,” where a not-quite-clear-enough projection effect offers glimpses that hint at the destruction of Castle Frankenstein. Rounding the corner, that devastation is brought to life through the haunts most wow-inducing set piece. With the crumbled castle in ruins, and Frankenstein’s monster crushed in the process, The Bride mourns the loss of her eternal love.
Once inside what’s left of the castle, each subsequent scene carries a similar Gothic dungeon meets mad scientist flavor. While it most certainly works for the subject matter, many scenes do begin to become a bit indistinguishable from each other by the end.
Perhaps the most disjointed observation to come from Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives is that it quickly seems to trade in the classic horror icon for a mix of what can only be described as “Lady Doctor Frankenstein meets vampire brides of Dracula.” The haunt, on its own, is certainly good – make no mistake – but it doesn’t seem to embrace its own subject matter as strongly as one might expect, leaving it to fall just the littlest bit flat before ultimately reanimating Frankenstein’s monster in classic fashion by the end.
We’d recommend maximizing your enjoyment of Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives by making it your first stop, and building up to the stronger Revenge of Tooth Fairy as your Halloween Horror Lite finale.
Unfortunately, there are no Scare Zones included in the “Halloween Horror Lite” offering, although there is a bit of additional park atmosphere to be discovered which we’ll outline below.
In an effort to prevent large-scale gatherings, there are no shows included in this year’s “Halloween Horror Lite” daytime event.
scarecrow Stalk
A brand new offering this year, Scarecrow Stalk is a park-wide scavenger hunt for thirteen uniquely themed skeleton scarecrows. Lurking in various merchandise locations around Universal Studios Florida, Scarecrow Stalk is guaranteed to help horror hunters to get their steps in!
Guests may begin their stalk in whichever gift shop they find their first spooky scarecrow. Every Scarecrow is uniquely themed it its hiding place, making finding them all the more fun. Each display has available maps that plot out where they others may be hiding, as well as offers a series of thirteen pumpkin icons ready to be stamped – one for each scarecrow around the park.
Once all thirteen stamps have been collected, guests may take their map to either Studio Sweets or San Francisco Candy Factory (only one per stalk) to redeem a sweet treat as a reward! And best of all, Scarecrow Stalk is absolutely free for all guests of Universal Studios Florida, daily from September 18 – November 1! (I may or may not, but definitely am eating my candy corn prize while typing this review.)
Tribute Store
In its fifth year, the Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store has become a fan-favorite annual tradition. Beginning as a sort of “look back” museum for the event’s 25th anniversary, the Tribute Store has evolved into an attraction of its own right.
Elaborate scenic fills the space quite literally from top to bottom, with every inch up to – and including the ceilings – being ornately themed. Spanning several different rooms, each unique space is often themed to the headlining haunts of that year’s Halloween Horror Nights event.
With the unfortunate cancellation of this year’s event, the Tribute Store is in a bit of a unique position of actually pulling back the curtain on some spoilers of “what would have been.” The shops three main rooms are themed to Frankenstein’s Monster, Jack the Clown, and the rest of the HHN Icons, and, yes, Beetlejuice! And although none of the would-be HHN 30 offerings were officially announced, our well-placed sources have confirmed that not only was a Beetlejuice haunt built, but it will be sticking around to swing open the doors of the Maitland home in 2021!
And of course, at the end of the day, the Tribute Store is a merchandise location first and foremost. This is the premier spot to shop for all things HHN, including retro-items from events passed, as well as a wide range of collectibles like shirts, postcards, magnets and pins.
This is not one of our typical Haunt review sections, but we feel that it’s critically important to address during the 2020 Halloween Season. We understand that a lot of you are still nervous about venturing out this fall, and may have questions about what venues are doing to keep you and your loved ones safe. It is our hope that we can assuage some of those very valid fears in our Health & Safety section of each Haunt Review.
Universal Orlando were central Florida’s first theme parks to reopen early this summer. Since doing so, they have soundly exhibited their dedication to Health & Safety standards – and those policies carry over to this Halloween Horror Lite offering ten-fold. Similar to their attraction operating policies, each haunt requires guests to use hand sanitizer before being allowed to enter. In fact, a Universal Team Member manually squirts a dab of sanitizer into each guest’s hand one at a time to ensure it is used.
Something bound to thrill long-time HHN-goers: gone are the endless conga-lines of people. Individual parties are pulsed through in such a way that ensures a minimum of six feet of distance between each group at all times. It’s not quite having the haunt to yourself, but it’s a much more pleasant experience than we’ve all become used to at the event.
Universal has also increased the number of operations Team Members throughout each haunt, tasking them to effectively be human toll booths. Armed with dim glow wands, they’ll occasionally lower them to block the path in order to maintain physical distancing between each party at all times. While, yes, this does hinder the flow of the haunts a bit, creating a lot of start and stop moments, it’s an inconvenience we welcome with open arms in order to ensure we have the confidence of experiencing a safe Halloween season during these most uncertain of times.
Gone are the fabrics and textures often used to hang down in the guest path. Instead, each haunt has a comfortable, open flow that allows them to remain entirely contactless throughout. And much like throughout the theme parks as a whole, there’s a touch-free hand sanitizer dispenser at the exit of each haunt as well.
2020 would have been a grand celebration of Halloween Horror Nights 30, but unfortunately, the world had other plans. Thankfully, Universal Orlando, who has done so much to innovate the Halloween experience throughout these past thirty years, has truly gone above and beyond to ensure, at least to a small degree, there’s still a little bit of seasonal fun to be had.
This “Halloween Horror Lite” is without question a vast departure from the event’s traditional grandeur, but just the same, it’s a welcome – and satisfying – taste of what could have been. More importantly, it’s a suitable appetizer to what will be again soon enough. Remember, this is not “the new normal,” it’s only just for now.
Universal Orlando Resort surprised guests by opening the Beetlejuice haunt unannounced for just two days – October 31 and November 1, 2020. While this may seem like a well-timed Halloween treat, it actually has a lot more to do with contractual obligations to make use of the Intellectual Property. By opening in 2020, even for just those two days, Universal is now able to extend the original contract allowing them to operate Beetlejuice for the duration of the Halloween Horror Nights event when it returns to normal in 2021.
In past years, we’ve always addressed the over-whelming crowds associated with each Halloween Horror Nights event. As any prior guest will tell you, haunts had always begun with massive, multiple hours long lines just to get inside. This year, in an effort to promote physical distancing with guests’ safety in mind, Universal has implemented Virtual Lines on higher attendance days as the only means of access to each haunted house.
Obtaining a virtual line spot is free, and done so through the official Universal Orlando Resort app. Guests are able to pick their preferred thirty minute entry window from a list of all currently available times, but be warned, they do go very quickly. While our well-placed source asked us not to share the actual hourly capacity for each haunt, we can tell you that each number is quite low – with Revenge of the Tooth Fairy being even more limited. Signs reading “Haunted Houses at Capacity” may become common fixtures around the Universal Orlando Resort over the next month and a half.
We can tell you that although virtual queues will almost immediately “sell out” the moment the park opens for the day, it is absolutely worth checking and refreshing multiple times throughout the morning and afternoon. There’s a very good chance you’ll find some last minute – sometimes even immediate access Virtual Line times pop up for the haunts. On opening day, when these seasonal offerings were at their highest demand, this strategy allowed us to obtain enough tickets to see each haunt three times.
A little pro-tip to help you best enjoy these rare day-time haunted houses: we recommend wearing sunglass throughout your visit, including as you enter each sound stage. This will greatly help your eyes adjust to the significantly lower light levels found within, making it possible to take in all of the gory details normally intended to be viewed at night, as intended.
Like everything they’ve done since reopening the theme parks, Universal offers an entirely safe, accommodating and comfortable environment to get a little Halloween-fix. We certainly understand that going to a theme park right now might still not be for everyone, and we fully respect that stance. But for those of you who may be on the fence, we hope that this review helps to give you the confidence that procedures are in place to keep you as safe as one can possibly be. Even after visiting the parks multiple times since reopening, we were unsure how we’d feel about venturing through an enclosed haunted house; Universal’s stellar operational procedures quickly calmed those fears, and allowed us to focus on the ones we’d much rather find each Halloween season.
You can find an extended photo gallery from our day at Halloween Horror Lite in this exclusive album on the Escape Authority Facebook page! While there, why not give us a “LIKE” if you haven’t already? We’ll give you candy!
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Venue: Universal Studios Florida
Location: Orlando, FL
Dates: Select Days September 19th – November 1st
Hours: 9am – 8pm Saturdays / 9am – 7pm Sundays / 9am – 5pm Weekdays
Cost: $109 plus tax for a one day, one park ticket