Guide to Halloween Horror Nights 2023 at Universal Orlando

Our complete guide to Halloween Horror Nights 2023 at Universal Orlando includes all the information you need to stress less and scream more. From finding the right ticket or pass option to purchase – to this year’s event offerings and how to avoid the lines, this guide has it all.

Plus, enjoy this mega-sized guide completely free with no annoying internet ads.

Halloween Horror Nights 2023 Event Overview

Halloween Horror Nights 2023 takes place at the Universal Studios Florida theme park and marks the event’s 32nd year. Highlights this year include haunted houses themed to Stranger Things 4 and The Last of Us.

Also, Dr. Oddfellow, carnival entrepreneur and former boss of the popular Jack the Clown character featured in past years, takes the stage as this year’s event icon.

Event highlights:

• 10 Haunted Houses
• 5 Scare Zones
• 1 Show
• Rides
• Limited-time Food and Drink Booths

HHN Guide Contents:

• Event Dates & Hours
• Tickets and Passes
• Express Passes
• Specialty Tours and Experiences
• Stay and Scream
• Houses, Zones, and Shows
• Rides
• Dining and Food Booths
• Tribute Store and HHN Merchandise
• Universal Resorts HHN 32 Experiences
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Explore More Universal Guides

Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) 2023 runs select nights from September 1st to November 4th, 2023, for a record breaking 48 nights.

September Dates: 1-3 | 6-10 | 13-17 | 20-24 | 27-30

October Dates: 1 | 4-8 | 11-15 | 18-22 | 25-29 | 31

November Dates: 1-4

The event officially begins at 6:30 PM each night and closes at 2:00 AM each night. Although, the “Opening Scaremony” typically takes place at 6:00 PM and the entrance opens to start letting guests in following this brief show.

Guests using Stay and Scream will be released to enter select houses at 5:45 PM.

Skip to: Single Night Tickets | Frequent Fear Passes | Scream Early Ticket | Premier Annual Passholder Free Ticket

Halloween Horror Nights is a separately ticketed event at Universal Orlando. Visitors can purchase single night tickets, Frequent Fear passes, or use their Premier Annual Pass one free night ticket to enter.

These tickets are not valid for daytime entry into the parks, just like daytime tickets and annual passes are not valid for entry into the event.

Single Night Tickets

Single night tickets can be purchased in advance on the Universal Orlando website. Tickets range from $80 to $130 + tax when bought online.

Please note that tickets can sell out in advance online. Sell outs are most common for the opening weekend plus peak Saturdays and Sundays in October.

Tickets are also available same day at the Universal Studios Florida entrance for a higher price than online, starting at $139 + tax.

Frequent Fear Passes (Multi-Night Tickets)

Frequent Fear Passes provide visitors entry to the event on multiple nights. They are essentially two-month seasonal passes for Halloween Horror Nights.

Also, just like day tickets, Frequent Fear Passes do not include regular daytime admission to the theme parks. However, the top Ultimate Frequent Fear Pass includes standard parking on event nights.

Rush of Fear Pass ($180)

• Price including Express add-on = $530
• Includes access to 18 event nights
• Eligible Dates: Includes the first 17 nights of the event (9/1 – 9/24)

Frequent Fear Pass ($230)

• Price including Express add-on = $610
• Includes access to 30 event nights
• Eligible Dates: Includes every Sunday – Thursday plus the first Friday and first Saturday (9/1 & 9/2)

Frequent Fear Plus Pass ($270)

• Price including Express add-on = $700
• Includes access to 40 event nights
• Eligible Dates: Includes every Sunday – Friday plus the first and last Saturday (9/2 & 11/4)

Ultimate Frequent Fear Pass ($375)

• Price including Express add-on = $920
• Eligible Dates: Includes all event nights with no blackouts
• Includes access to all 48 event nights and standard parking on event nights after 5:00 PM

Scream Early Ticket (3:00 – 5:00 PM)

Scream Early Tickets provide visitors with Halloween Horror Nights tickets, but no daytime park admission tickets, the chance to participate in Stay and Scream. For $40, these tickets provide daytime admission into the Universal Studios Florida park from 3:00 to 5:00 PM. That’s enough time to hop on a few rides and then enter a Stay and Scream area once the park closes to day guests at 5:00 PM.

Premier Annual Passholder Free Ticket

Universal Orlando Premier Annual Passes include one free night of Halloween Horror Nights entry each year, as a benefit. For HHN 32, the free night dates include most September event nights, two nights in October, and two nights in November.

Eligible Premier Pass Free Night Dates:

• 9/6 – 9/10
• 9/13 – 9/17
• 9/20 – 9/22
• 9/24
• 9/27 – 9/28
• 10/4 – 10/5
• 11/1 – 11/2

Universal Orlando Annual Passholders can also purchase discounted tickets for select nights.

Skip to: Should I Purchase Express? | Late Night Express Pass

Universal Orlando offers Halloween Horror Nights Express Passes to skip the regular lines at the haunted houses and participating rides. These passes let you skip the line one time per haunted house. On busy nights, these passes can be a blessing, saving hours of time in line.

Universal Orlando advertises these Express passes as cutting the wait in half. So, if the regular line is 90 minutes, then the express line should be 50% of that at 45 minutes or less.

Single night Halloween Horror Nights Express Passes range from $140 to $250 + tax per night.

Note: Daytime Universal Express passes, purchased individually or included at select resorts, are not valid for this event.

Should I purchase Halloween Horror Nights Express?

The short answer: Yes, if you can afford it.

The longer answer:

Yes, as long as you can afford it and want to see all 10 haunted houses with ease. With Express, you can take your time visiting the haunted houses, walk around the scare zones, and catch one or two shows without having to rush around the park. With Express, we’ve managed to finish all 10 haunted houses by 10:00 PM on less busy nights in the past.

Although, it is still possible to see all or almost all of the haunted houses without the Express. If you utilize Stay and Scream, stay until close, and plan your night wisely, it is doable.

Late Night Express Pass (50% Off)

Halloween Horror Nights offers a Late Night Express Pass valid for the final 3 hours of an event night, if Express passes are not already sold out. These passes are often valid from 11:00 PM – 2:00 AM.

These passes sell for around 50% of the standard HHN Express Pass price and are available at select kiosks throughout the park. They provide the same haunted house and ride skip the line access as the standard HHN Express pass, just with a smaller time frame to use that over.

Skip to: Standard R.I.P. Tour | Private R.I.P. Tour | Behind the Screams: Unmasking the Horror Tour

Halloween Horror Nights Standard R.I.P. Tour

R.I.P. Tours offer a red carpet experience for guests looking for a hassle-free trip to HHN 31. The non-private tours accommodate up to 12 guests and provide front of the line access to each haunted house alongside other perks.

Standard R.I.P. Tour Includes:

Tour Highlights:

• A V.I.P. tour guide for the night
• One-time front of the line access into each haunted house, skipping the lines entirely
• Pre-Tour Reception in Cafe La Bamba featuring a small buffet of appetizer-sized offerings
• Priority reserved seating at event shows during the tour

Also Included:

• Universal Express Unlimited ride access for before and after your tour
• Commemorative R.I.P. Tour credential, lanyard, and pin
• Complimentary Valet Parking for one vehicle
• Access to exclusive cash bar locations

Pricing ranges from $330 to $470 per person, plus the cost of event admission.

Available Check-In Times: 6:00 PM, 6:30 PM, 7:00 PM, 7:30 PM, 8:00 PM, and 8:30 PM

Separate event admission is required for the night of your tour. Tours can be booked online for groups of up to 6 on the Universal Orlando website. Groups of 7 and above must book the Private R.I.P. Tour option.

Halloween Horror Nights Private R.I.P. Tour

The Private R.I.P. Tour is a more personalized version of the standard R.I.P. tours. Your tour guide is exclusive to your group and will take you to haunted houses, scare zones, rides, and scare zones as you wish to experience them. Best of all, you set the schedule and can skip the lines at haunted houses as many times as you like.

Private R.I.P. Tour Includes:

Tour Highlights:

• A V.I.P. tour guide for the night
• Personalized itinerary of your group’s choosing
• Unlimited front of the line access to haunted houses and rides, skipping the lines entirely during the tour
• Priority reserved seating at event shows during the tour
• Pre-Tour Reception in Cafe La Bamba featuring a small buffet of appetizer-sized offerings

Also Included:

• Universal Express Unlimited ride access for before and after your tour
• Commemorative R.I.P. Tour credential, lanyard, and pin
• Complimentary Valet Parking for one vehicle
• Access to exclusive cash bar locations
• My Universal Photos 3-Day photo package

Separate event admission is required for the night of your tour. Call (866) 346-9350 to book your tour for up to 10 guests, or 12 for an additional fee. This is the V.I.P. Tour phone number for Universal Orlando Resort.

Also, this article by WDWNT does a good job of showcasing a R.I.P. tour experience through photos.

Behind the Screams: Unmasking the Horror Tour

During the day, Halloween Horror Nights offers the Behind the Screams: Unmasking the Horror Tour. These are lights-on informational walking tours led by a V.I.P. tour guide through 3 or 6 haunted houses at the event. 

During the tour, your guide will explain the story of the houses, offer up fun facts about scenes and props, and point out Easter eggs in the houses. Plus, no monsters or special effects will be present which makes this tour a great alternative for scaredy cats still looking to experience the houses.

Also, photography is allowed at set times during the tour.

3-House Tour

• Price ranges from $120 to $150
• Available Start Times: 8:30 AM, 10:15 AM, 10:30 AM, 11:45 AM, 12:00 PM, 12:30 PM, and 1:30 PM
• Tour lasts around 2.5 hours
• This tour will take you through the following 3 houses: (subject to availability)
  • The Last of Us
  • Dr. Oddfellow’s Twisted Origins
  • The Darkest Deal

6-House Tour

• Price ranges from $170 to $220
• Available Start Times: 8:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 10:15 AM, 10:45 AM, and 11:00 AM
• Tour lasts around 5 hours and includes a lunch break
• This tour will take you through the following 6 houses: (subject to availability)
  • Stranger Things 4
  • Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count
  • Universal Monsters: Unmasked
  • Bloodmoon: Dark offerings
  • Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate
  • Yeti: Campground Kills

We also recommend experiencing this tour after you visit the event for a night, as this tour offers heavy spoilers to the houses and where the scares are.

Stay and Scream allows day guests to remain inside Universal Studios Florida in select holding areas as the park transforms into HHN. These holding areas are free to use.

How to use the Stay and Scream Holding Areas:

• Be inside Universal Studios Florida by 5:00 PM
• Have a valid Halloween Horror Nights ticket for that night AND daytime admission through a ticket or annual pass (Guests without regular daytime admission can purchase a $40 Scream Early Ticket,)
• Enter one of the designated holding areas by scanning your HHN ticket

We highly recommend you use Stay and Scream if you do not have Express purchased for the evening.

Benefits of Using Stay and Scream:

• Early entry into select haunted houses at 5:45 PM, providing 45 minutes of early access before the event officially begins
• Avoid the large crowd trying to enter the park for the event
• Time to try specialty food and drinks at the event, without burning actual event time

2023 Stay & Scream Holding Area Locations:

1.) New York

• Releases early into Stranger Things 4, The Exorcist: Believer, and Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate
• This holding area will be extra busy

2.) Springfield U.S.A. / Duff Brewery

• Releases early into The Last of Us and Universal Monsters: Unmasked
• The entrance to this Stay and Scream may be near Central Park
• This holding area will be busy

3.) TODAY Café

• Does not release into any haunted houses early
• This option is for people who want to see the opening scareamony

4.) Richter’s Burger Co. (San Francisco)

• Releases early into into Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count

*Early entry houses are subject to change on a given night

Skip to: Haunted Houses | Scare Zones | Shows

Halloween Horror Nights 2023 features 10 haunted houses, 5 scare zones, and 1 live stage show.

Haunted Houses

Scare Zones

Shows & Encounters

Five rides operate during Halloween Horror Nights at the Universal Studios Florida theme park:

• Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (closes at 2:00 AM with event)
• Transformers: The Ride 3-D (closes early at 11:00 PM)
• Revenge of the Mummy (closes at 2:00 AM with event)
• Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (closes early at 11:00 PM)
• Men in Black Alien Attack (closes at 2:00 AM with event)

Most regular Universal Studios Florida dining locations operate during Halloween Horror Nights.

Food and Drink Booths

In addition to the regular dining options, Universal opens a variety of specialty food and drink booths around the park exclusive to the event. These food booths serve returning guest favorites like Twisted Taters and introduce new food items each year.

Note: Expect food booths to close 30 minutes early at 1:30 AM.

For the 32nd year of the event, guests can expect merchandise for the event headliners including Stranger Things 4, The Last of Us, The Exorcist: Believer, and Chucky.

HHN Tribute Store

For the 2023 HHN Tribute store, guests will enter a mysterious New York City Comic Book Shop where they will experience the “Tribute to Terror” by stepping into the pages of this original, terrifying, horror comic book.

Location: The tribute store will be located in the New York section of Universal Studios Florida next to Revenge of the Mummy.

Hours: Open during regular daytime park hours and during HHN event hours

Places to Buy HHN 2023 Merchandise

Universal Studios Florida: HHN Tribute Store, Universal Studios Store, Five & Dime (daytime only), and various merchandise carts

Universal’s Islands of Adventure: All Hallows Eve Boutique

Universal CityWalk: Universal Studios Store and various merchandise carts

Chucky’s Twisted Playground Pop-Up Experience

Keep the screams going at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort. Pose for photos at Chucky’s Twisted Playground^, a photo illusion experience based on the USA & SYFY TV series features five uniquely scary photo opportunities. Chucky’s Twisted Playground is exclusive to guests of any Universal Orlando Resort hotel. (Hotel room key card is required for entry.)

Plus, drink in the terror at one of the following spots, featuring Halloween-themed specialty drinks:

• The Spooky Swizzle Lounge at Cabana Bay Beach Resort
• The Spooky Sunset Lounge at Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn and Suites
• Try specialty Halloween-themed cocktails at all eight Universal Orlando Resort hotels at select locations.

1.) Is the event too scary for kids? How old do my kids need to be to enjoy the event?

Universal Orlando encourages children under the age of 13 to stay home. Although, how old they need to be definitely varies on the kid. A kid that is perfectly fine with horror movies may handle the event well at an age younger than 13.

2.) Am I allowed to dress-up and wear a costume?

No. Costumes, masks, make-up and props are not permitted at the event.

3.) What happens when it rains?

The show goes on! The haunted houses are all covered and stay open during most rainstorms. In the scare zones, the scareactors will come out once the rain lessens.

4.) Can I take photos and videos?

Photos and videos are fair game in the scare zones but are prohibited inside the haunted houses.

5.) Can the actors touch me?

No. You may accidentally get bumped on a busy night, but the scareactors are not allowed to intentionally touch you.

6.) Does my daytime ticket provide entry into Halloween Horror Nights?

No, Halloween Horror Nights is a separately ticketed event.

7.) Does Islands of Adventure stay open during HHN event nights?

Islands of Adventure stays open normal hours until 7:00, 8:00, or 9:00 PM during HHN event nights.

8.) How late do the water taxi’s run back to the hotels on HHN event nights?

The water taxi service ends 15 minutes before Universal CiyWalk closes, so they will end operations at 1:45 AM.

9.) Will there be plexi glass in the haunted houses for Halloween Horror Nights 2023?

No. Universal Orlando stopped putting plexi glass in the haunted houses for the 2022 event.

• Explore our Other Universal Orlando Vacation Planning Guides:
  • Universal Orlando Resort
  • Universal Studios Florida
  • Islands of Adventure