The fogs machines are on full blast, the chainsaws are revving up a storm, andHalloween Horror Nightsis officially underway at Universal Studios Orlando. 2018 marks the 28th year of the annual holiday events, which attracts visitors from the world over for a night of horror celebration from mazes to scare zones to holiday-themed treats (including some exclusiveStranger Thingssnacks this year). As far as horror-themed events go, HHN is always one of the best and this year is no different.
With a grand total of ten mazes this year — up from last year’s nine mazes — Halloween Horror Nights 2018 is split between five IP mazes, aka those based on existing film and TV properties, and five original content mazes. Fans can look forward to visiting the worlds ofStranger Things,Halloween 4,Trick ‘r Treatand at long lastPoltergeist, as well as journeying into original designs inspired by grindhouse horror (Slaughter Sinema), classic fairy tales (Scary Tales: Deadly Ever After), and the zombie apocalypse (Dead Eposure: Patient Zero). And if you’re a fan of the 80s, you’re going to love this. year.Stranger Things and Poltergeist lead the charge into a retro-fueled lineup that includes scare zones for Chucky,Killer Klowns from Outer SpaceandVamp ’85among the 80s-heavy mazes (evenDead Exposureis set in 1982).
But we all know that when you’re trying to get your money’s worth from a night at Halloween Horror Nights, you’ve got to prioritize, so I’m breaking down the best, the worst, and the absolute must-sees of Orlando’s 2018 Halloween Horror Nights mazes below.
10. The Horrors of Blumhouse
The biggest problem with this year’s Blumhouse of Horrors is that the two films on display just do not mesh.Happy Death Daywas a fun comedy-slasher with a great reality-bending hook (groundhog day with a serial killer), whileThe First Purgewas a dark and angry film about systemic oppression. There’s a bit of an oil and milk vibe going on there, and it feels that way when you walk through the house.
First up, you’re thrust into the waking nightmare ofHappy Death Day, forced to relive one day over and over again, always ending in murder. In the maze, that plays out as walking through a series of identical rooms with the baby-faced killer leaping out at you from different directions. There’s certainly novelty to the repetition factor and it does a fine job of disorienting you…. that’s when the Purge siren sounds. From there, you walk throughThe First Purge, with masked Purgers leaping out at every corner – it’s serviceable, but The Purge has been a favorite at HHN in recent years and this maze brings nothing new to the equation. There’s a sense of been there-done that, which undermines the novelty of theHappy Death Dayportion pretty quickly. Blumhouse is one of the biggest and best horror names on the market and I’m always excited to see what they bring to the event, but this year’s showing is fairly uninspired.
9. Seeds of Extinction
Plants. This maze is plants. And while that sounds cool and unique, it’s ultimately feels like walking through a particularly aggressive garden. There are some nice touches along the way — this maze did the best job incorporating tactile experience, raining down water droplets and sticky little strands that dangle in your face, but there’s no narrative or visual panache to match. There’s a lot of room to thrive with this idea, ifThe Ruinsproved anything it’s that killer plants can indeed be scary, but it needs a bit more personality, story or spectacle to pull off the trick.
8. Halloween 4
In a world where Michael Myers lives around every corner… he kinda loses his impact.Halloween 4is easily one of the better Halloween sequels, and with the film’s 30th anniversary around the corner, this was one of my most anticipated mazes of the night. Unfortunately, the execution leaves a lot to be desired.
The maze has plenty of recreations from the film, which gives it a coherent narrative as you follow The Shape’s trail of carnage throughout the film, but beyond the scenic tableau’s, theHalloween 4maze offers little in the way of scares. It’s unsetting when Michael Myers jumps out at you, but after the third or fourth repetition you start to get numb, and the thrill is thoroughly squeezed dry by the time you make it to the exit. The folks at Universal Studios have shown a lot of love to theHalloween franchise over the years, and they definitely know how to do it right —their 2014 maze was one of my favorites— but this year’s take just wasn’t it.
7. Carnival Graveyard: Rust in Pieces
Carnival freaks are comin' to get ya! It’s a classic scare set-up, andCarnival Graveyard: Rust in Piecesdoesn’t do much to reinvent the wheel, but it delivers thoroughly on the core concept. Of all the mazes this year, this was the one where I saw people get the most scares. Maybe because the ladies in front of me were particularly jumpy, but it was a joy to watch them scream bloody murder every time they landed in a new scare trap, and this maze does a good job of sending scares at you from all angles along the way. Chock full of twisted spins on the carnival culture — including a nightmare “Tunnel of Love” – this one embraces it’s oldie-but-goodie concept whole-hardheartedly, and there’s nothing not to love about the artistry and intensity the HHN team brings to the genre.
6. Scary Tales: Deadly Ever After
You wouldn’t think a maze inspired by classic fairytales would be so effective, but there’s a reasonScary Taleshas been such a popular entry over the years, and damn, the creative team behind this one really pulled out all the stops to create a 360-degrees immersive experience that turns your childhood fantasy into a warped nightmare.
Scary Tales: Deadly Ever Aftermakes a striking impression from the get-go, introducing you to the cursed fairy tale world witch-first. Above your head, the wicked witch zips around on wires (an impressive acrobatic display from the scareactor), cackling, casting her spells and delighting in the the terrors that await. From there, it’s a trip through the chains of a dungeon, a cookie-scented gingerbread house where Hansel and Gretel fall prey to a hungry witch, one Humpty Dumpty scramble, and a whole lot of other twisted perversions of the classic fairytales. It’s just the right balance of fun and creepy, and one of the most immersive mazes of the night, inviting scare-seekers to look up, down and around the whole way through, with plenty of dangling details (I’m pretty sure one was supposed to be intestines?) to keep you glued to the action until the final chapter.
5. Stranger Things
If you really really loveStranger Things, this might just end up being your favorite maze of the year — even with that bonkers wait time. They really went all out recreating the sights and scenes of Season One, transporting you to the highlights of Hawkins, including the Byers home (twinkling Christmas lights included, obvi), Hawkins High, the Hawkins National Laboratory in full meltdown mode, and of course, the Upside Down.You’ll also seem a lot of the fan favorite characters, from Joyce Byers to Eleven, popping up throughout the maze, making it a fun, immersive experience for fans of the show.
And there’s no doubt the park went all out on this one in the set decoration department; it’s a long maze and there’s impressive spectacle to each new faithful recreation. The biggest problem is that it’s not very scary and it’s never surprising. A Demogorgon chases you down on your journey — a very impressive set of Demogorgons may I add, kudos to the costume and makeup team — but you pretty much know when they’re coming based on the layout. Go in looking for a faithful recreation ofStranger Thingsand you’ll walk out pretty happy, just don’t expect too many scares along the way.
4. Slaughter Sinema
There’s a little bit of something for everyone inSlaughter Sinema, the delightful anthology-style maze inspired by B-movies and grindhouse camp. Settle yourself for some debauched drive-in vibes as a wild night at the Slaughter Cinema unfolds, sending you on journey through titles like “Amazon Cannibals from Hell” and “Cult of the Beast Baby.” A Movie Announcer Guy voice booms in the background, reading out new titles each time you enter a new segment.
Each segment feels so cohesive and immersive you’ll be sad to leave one behind until you see what the next has in store. The creative team clearly had a blast bringing their favorite grindhouse subgenres to life, with inspired grotesqueries waiting in each new vignette. It’s more likely to make you smile than scream, though depending on your taste, at least one segment should give you a scare, but there’s no denying it’s one of the most fun and creative original mazes of the year.
3. Poltergeist
Poltergeistwas a Great White Whale maze for the Halloween Horror Nights folks — the name they give the IP titles that they pursue at length over the years without success – and they did not hold back when they finally got their hands on it. Much like the film it’s based on, thePoltergeistmaze is tactile, haunting, immersive and surprising, and it pays off on almost all the beloved elements and iconic scenes fromTobe Hooper’s seminal haunted house movie by mashing them up into a thrilling maze.
After entering through a facade of the haunted home, you join Carol Anne as a “living presence on the spiritual earthbound plane,” (Tangina is there to guide you while you attempt to rescue the girl, of course) where you find yourself surrounded by impressive incarnations of the Beast. There’s plenty of the creepy clown doll, but it’s the giant skulls and creature manifestations that really blow it out of the water. HHN’s IP adaptations don’t come much more reverent or better executed than this one.
If you would have told me that a zombie maze would end up in my Top 5 in the year 2018, I’d never have believed it — especially after the endless series of Walking Dead mazes in recent years —butDead Exposure: Patient Zerois a great reminder that any genre, no matter how overplayed, can be reinvented and revived if the approach is creative enough.
This is a dark and disorienting maze, and it’s definitely the scariest of the year.Dead Exposuredrops you in the streets of Paris in 1982, where a zombie outbreak ravages society, and let’s you navigate the zombie apocalypse with only flashes of a strobing light to guide you. Thanks to the tricks of lighting, the undead seem to move with unreasonable speed, or appear suddenly as if out of nowhere, and it’s genuinely freaky. From the28 Days Later-esque room full of screaming chimpanzee’s to a subway train that suddenly appears full of ghouls (thanks to a rather clever mirror trick), this maze gets under your skin with visceral, frightening imagery and soundscapes. It’s got narrative, it’s got scares, and it’s got some damn creepy looking zombies. The biggest compliment I can pay to a maze is that as soon as it was over, I wanted to go back and do it all over again.
1. Trick ‘r Treat
I could live in this maze. It’s a perfect score. 10s across the board. Inspired by the cult horror festival hit that became a modern Halloween essential, theTrick ‘r Treatmaze jumps of the springboard set up by last year’s highlight scare zone and launches to the next level with a lovingly-rendered recreation of all the film’s highlight moments. Whether you’re looking for production design, immersive atmosphere, good scares, Halloween spirit, or just to step inside a film you love, Halloween Horror Night’sTrick ‘r Treatmaze delivers on every count. In a just world, the park would make this one an annual staple, ensuring that each and every HHN fan could experience it as many times as possible.
