Here at Arcadia High School, many students have been heading to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, looking for some Halloween fun. The most popular ticket sold is the general admission tickets, which allows access to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Night starting at 7 p.m. General Admission tickets start at $77 dollars and go up to $107 dollars and are usually more expensive on Fridays and the weekend. 

There are a lot of people who go there, with tickets selling quickly due to the limited capacity during Horror Nights. It’s estimated that 30,000 to 35,000 people attend per day, making it very crowded, especially at the live shows. This year the most popular ride was the Revenge of the Mummy, with an almost constant 60 minute wait throughout the night. Most attendees look forward to the haunted houses, terror tram, rides, and other attractions hosted depending on the day. 

Halloween Horror Nights feature eight haunted house mazes:

1. A Quiet Place– Based on the movie featuring a family that must live in silence to avoid mysterious creatures that hunt by sound. In this haunted house, participants are encouraged to stay silent; otherwise, the creatures will hunt them down.
2. The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy- A haunted house focused on The Weeknd’s songs and albums, “After Hours” and Dawn FM.
3. Insidious: The Further- Based on the movie franchise, participants must try to escape The Further (a dark dimension inhabited by dead tortured souls) as demons try to capture them. They then proceed to the Red-Faced Demon’s lair behind The Red Door, trying to keep away from KeyFace so their spirit won’t be captured.
4. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire– Based on the most recent installment of Ghostbusters, participants must try not to freeze in fear as they dodge spears of ice coming from the spector, Garraka. 
5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Legacy of Leatherface- Set in a gore-filled slaughterhouse, participants will experience a new story, never seen before. 
6. Monstruos 2: The Nightmares of Latin America- Infernal rider El Charro will take your soul; turn your back on the devil dog El Cadejo, and you’ll be lost forever. Don’t let the boogeyman El Cucuy catch you.
7. Dead Exposure: Death Valley- Takes place in a top-secret government facility where an experiment to create super soldiers has gone horribly wrong, turning people into radioactive zombies.
8. Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines- Saskia Van Helsing and the Bride of Frankenstein go up against Dracula’s daughter and her monstrous mavens, featuring music by Slash.

“My favorite haunted house was the Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines. It had a good storyline throughout the maze, good props, and actors,” said junior Jazmin Morales.

Not only do students enjoy Horror Nights, but teachers do as well! Mrs. Grubbs, an English teacher, goes to Halloween Horror Nights every year with her son. 

She said, “I went the second week that the event started, and there was a pretty good crowd, not as big as usual since more people go closer to Halloween, but still a good size. All of the mazes were really good this year, but I really liked Monstruos and the Weeknd maze, which was the end of the trilogy.”

While venturing throughout the park, there are also four Sinister Scare Zones:

• Luchadores Monstruosos: Set in the middle of a Lucha Libre horror film as two luchadores battle masked monsters.
• Murder of Crowz: Set in a massive crow’s nest, where crows descend upon the participants.
• Chainsaw Punkz: Chainsaw-wielding punk rockers with masks and mohawks chase after people. 
• Skull Lordz: Set in a place where gothic kings and queens reign; beware as you enter their kingdom. 

There is also a special ride made for Horror Nights, the Terror Tram. This year’s theme is Enter the Blumhouse, where Blumhouse characters take over the Terror Tram. Riders face the android M3GAN, The Grabber, and more. 

“I think my favorite thing about Halloween Horror Nights was the Terror Tram,” said junior Ellie Wu. “I liked it because of all the different movie themes you had to walk through and as someone who isn’t the biggest fan of horror, the scare level was pretty good for me.”

While not all rides are open, you can still experience Revenge of the Mummy, TRANSFORMERS, Jurassic World, The Simpsons Ride, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter ride. Additionally, there is live entertainment, featuring The Purge: Dangerous Waters, where people perform fiery stunts in the world of The Purge, and Late Night with Chucky, a new live talk show where Chucky engages with the audience.

Halloween Horror Nights kicked off on Sep. 5, and tickets will be available until Nov. 3. If any of these events interest you, make sure to buy your tickets before it ends!