Altars of Horror: A Hidden Gem?

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort is home to 5 horrifying scare zones this year. If you’ve been to the event already, you know some of the most popular scare zones are Trick ‘r Treat, Invasion, and the Purge. But what about the Altars of Horror scare zone? Ask 10 people and it’s very likely that 9 of them will say it’s the worst zone this year. Some have even called it the worst scare zone in years. But why?

Some of the most common criticisms are the lack of props in the zone and the fact that it’s missing main characters from the houses that the zone is highlighting. And, overall, both are true. Although, most people are quick to make these easy assumptions and don’t really give the zone a chance. But, fortunately, I’m here to hopefully convince you that there is more to this zone than you thought, and it was actually a well-executed concept.

So, why is the Altars of Horror a good scare zone?

To begin with, the zone is actually a fantastic idea. It gives guests a sneak preview of the characters they will see in the houses, and also creates the opportunity to interact with the characters for an extended period of time. In the houses, the characters pop out for a quick second and then disappear. I know I personally have to stop quite frequently if I want to see the Shining twins in the Shining house, which usually upsets the nearby staff member. It’s also a great time for guests to see some of the characters from the most popular houses if they choose not to wait 90 minutes for American Horror Story and such. Guests can even take pictures with some of the iconic characters to take home as memories. That is, if the characters let you now and don’t run away.

Also, the lack of props in Altars of Horror may actually be a good thing. And before you immediately call me crazy for saying that, give me a few seconds to explain. The lack of props leads it to be a simple scare zone which makes the focus on the characters. Having tons of props can sometimes take away from the characters themselves. Similarly, the characters have no props to rely on which means they must create every scare themselves.

This ends up leading to a lot of originality compared to any of the other zones this year. When walking through the zone, frequent sights include the Saw pig scaring the Saw house cue, an evil dead from Ash vs Evil Dead dancing to the music and using trash cans as fake drums, and the Shining twins messing with the guests. In fact, the Shining twins are actually quite creative and funny if you watch them for a little while. They also kicked a puddle of water at me after it rained one night. It was brilliant!

Plus, throughout Horror Nights, the Altars of Horror zone has definitely improved the most out of all the zones. At the beginning of the event, the zone was essentially an overcrowded photo op. Since then, the zone, and especially the characters within the zone, have improved significantly. In fact, some of the best scaractors from the entire event can be found here. The zone has a lot of energy now and it’s great to see all the unique scares happening. Plus, the scaractors get quite a lot of scares here!

Overall, Altars of Horror has a lot more to it than what first meets the eye. It just takes some time to realize that. Now, I’m a reasonable person so I’m not saying this zone is the top scare zone at the event. I’m just saying that if you give it a chance, (HHN26 pun, maybe?) you can have a really great time in this zone. So next time you pass through the zone, maybe don’t just speed right through it. Maybe spend a few extra minutes in it as you might just find that it was, guess what, better than you thought it was before.