Halloween Horror Nights (Orlando)

Halloween Horror Nights is a Halloween eventcite web|url=http://www.amusementtoday.com/2006gta82706.html|title=THE “BEST OF THE BEST” IN THE AMUSEMENT INDUSTRY HONORED AT GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS|publisher=Amusement Today|date=August 27, 2006|accessdate=2007-11-07] presented annually at the Universal Orlando Resort. Beginning in 1991 in Universal Studios Florida with only one haunted house, it has continued annually for 18 years to become one of the largest Halloween events in the United States. [cite news|url=http://www.foxcentraloregon.com/entertainment/10110551.html|title=Let The Horror Begin At Universal Orlando Resort |publisher=Fox Central Oregon|accessdate=2007-11-07] In its later years the event has split time between its original park and the more recently built Islands of Adventure. Universal's design team has created five original icons for the event and have also used many of the Universal Monsters. Recently, they made a deal with New Line Cinema to bring more recent horror icons to the event.

History

Halloween Horror Nights began at Universal Orlando in 1991 under the title "Fright Nights" but was re-christened Halloween Horror Nights in 1992, advertising it as the "second annual."It began as a 3 night event but has since evolved into a 23-night scare-a-thon spanning late September through the first weekend of November. Although it normally only operates from Thursday to Sunday, an occasional Wednesday occurs during what scare actors (the park's hired actors that are paid to scare guests) dub "Hell Week", known for its large crowds and the increase of alcohol related incidents.

From 1991-2001, the event was held at Universal Studios Florida. Halloween Horror Nights moved to Universal's Islands of Adventure (IOA) in 2002. In 2004, the park experimented with a dual park format, which opened parts of both parks. Guests were funneled through backstage areas and the soundstages, where most of the haunts are built. In 2006, the event made a return to Universal Studios Florida where the event continued through its 18th year in 2008.

Each year's event, though unique, has certain characteristics in common with other years, these include haunted houses, shows, scarezones, event icons, and event phrases. Depending on the park in which the event is held, certain popular attractions that are regularly open during business hours are also opened during the event to help alleviate the crowds.

Event Icons

Halloween Horror Nights has amassed a number of icons, five of which were original creations by the Universal Design team. These icons were characters with elaborate back stories that involved the event's theme, houses, or scarezones. Predominantly they have been used for promotional materials and merchandising. The first unofficial icon was the Cryptkeeper, from TV's "Tales from the Crypt", a series popular at the time of his first event appearance: returned the next year, but didn't return after as the series had been canceled. After the Cryptkeeper came four years of the event without an icon, until the design team created one for the tenth year.

* Jack Schmidt / Jack the Clown / The Ringmaster was the first original icon. Developed for HHN X, Schmidt is an evil clown and mass murderer. His backstory involved him being a carnival performer in "Dr. Oddfellow’s Carnival Of Thrills". Although he appeared to be a normal clown, he was a twisted murderer and was wanted for the abduction and disappearance of several small children throughout the Southern states. On Halloween 1920 the police were closing in on Jack, and, hoping to evade capture, he revealed his secret to Dr. Oddfellow in the hopes of possible concealment. The doctor, himself wanted by the police for the accidental death of several patrons in a freak circus accident years earlier under a different name, was not sympathetic to Jack’s cause. He quickly admonished him for potentially bringing the police down upon the entire band of miscreants and asked Jack to show him what he had done with the bodies of the children. Jack revealed the bodies of thirteen children hidden in the confines of three small trunks that were kept in his traveling coach. Fearing the worst, Dr. Oddfellow murdered Jack and hid his body within the traveling carnivals House of Horrors as an exhibit. Sixty years later, after Oddfellow sold the carnival, a television crew from the BBC was documenting the great Dark Rides of America and came upon the House of Horrors. The crew asked permission to film the interior, and pried open the doors of the forgotten relic to step inside. Behind a number of trunks, they found a large wooden box stenciled like a children's toy with the letters J-A-C-K. After turning a crank on the side of the box, the top flew open and spring came out, attached to which was the decomposing body of Jack. After a police investigation, the bodies of the thirteen children as well as the body of Jack were shipped to the local Louisiana coroner's office for further examination. Around midnight on Halloween the van carrying the body and box of Jack disappeared into the Louisiana swamp in a freak accident. Later that week the bodies of the BBC cameraman and host were found. Throughout the following years urban legend re-tellings of the tale started, with a corresponding story about the decomposing body of Jack killing again. The legend states that Jack is searching for Dr. Oddfellow, in a thirst for vengeance and that Jack will reward anyone who releases him from his toy tomb by turning the crank with a very special reward. Jack first appearance in HHN X as the lone icon of the event and hosted his own show. Because of the September 11 attacks, he returned as icon in HHN XI. He appeared alongside The Caretaker, The Director and Eddie in the HHN XIV house "Horror Nights Nightmares", and also appeared as the Master of Ceremonies of "Rat Run" during HHN XV. He was once again an icon during HHN XVI along with the other three returning icons to rule over the event, and appeared in the haunted house, "Psychoscarepy: Maximum Madness". He finally got his revenge for the seventeenth year of the event when he murdered Oddfellow and took over his carnival to become the ringmaster of the Carnival of Carnage.

*Dr. Albert Caine / The Caretaker, was the second original icon developed and used for HHN XII. A respected surgeon, he became the caretaker of the Shady Oaks Cemetery in the small town of Willamette Valley. Caine and his family used the deceased of the town as guinea pigs in unnatural and bizarre experiments. His demented "family", made up of blood relatives and deranged assistants, dug up the bodies of both the recent and not-so-recently dead and used them for either Caine's experiments, their elaborate "parties", or as house decoration. For fresh specimens, Caine would go into the nearby town to find homeless people, and, in what seemed like a charitable offer, invited them to his Mansion/funeral home until they got back on their feet. Instead of helping, though, he would perform unnecessary surgery on them. A few of Caine's assistants would sometimes take body parts during the surgery to use as dinner ingredients. When two teenagers discovered what had been happening they reported Caine to the authorities who immediately put the family under house arrest. Reports of what was found inside during the investigation made headlines that shocked the nation, a house of horrors the likes of which were not seen since the discovery of Wisconsin killer Ed Gein decades earlier. The local townspeople, outraged that loved ones graves were desecrated, formed a mob and burned the Victorian mansion and funeral parlor to the ground with the Caine family still trapped inside. Investigating the site, investigators were unable to find the body of Caine or several others, but did find an elaborate network of tunnels running under the graveyard that started in the cellar. Nearly 2,000 graves were estimated to have been tampered with. Ten years later, with Caine still unaccounted for, the charred ruins of his manor were set to be demolished, and several teams were sent to the site to investigate evidence of strange noises emanating from the ruin and the Shady Oaks Cemetery, which may be connected with its horrifying past. For the event, the Caretaker appeared as a tall but withered old mortician with a sunken face and dressed in a tattered suit with matching top hat, often seen with his signature weapon, a large clamp/claw that was a cross between a hedge clipper and a surgical clamps. He is reminiscent of Victorian era serial killers, such as Jack the Ripper and Sweeney Todd. He appeared as the main icon for the HHN XII event where his mansion was featured as "ScreamHouse" and also in the opening show of the event torturing a victim. He returned the following year for HHN XIII in his manor in "ScreamHouse Revisited", and his latest appearance came during HHN XVI, returning with the other three icons in "The Arrival" show and in his manor once again as "ScreamHouse Resurrection".

*Paulo Ravinski / The Director (spelled Paolo for HHN XIII), was the third original icon used for HHN XIII. A snuff film director from Eastern Europe, his passion was making movies where realism went far beyond special effects with "actors" that only get one "take". He would torture his actors and murder them in ways so brutal and violent, that his films were banned in almost every country. The Universal Studios team got word of him, and hired him to coordinate Halloween Horror Nights 13, unaware that the Director had no intention of substituting his unique film-making techniques for anything that would compromise his coveted "realism". Commercials featuring the Director and his films to the tune "You Oughta Be in Pictures" were used to advertise HHN XIII. The Director could be found in beginning of the "All Nite DIE-In" maze and also hosted his own show during the event, "Infestation". The Director returned along with the other three icons during HHN XVI in his "All Nite DIE-IN: Take 2" house. The Director, with a slightly changed name, was used as the main icon for Halloween Horror Nights 2006 at Universal Studios Hollywood.

*Elsa Strict / The Storyteller, was the fourth original icon used for HHN XV. Strict was an old woman who introduced guests to the world of "Terra Cruentus" (Latin for "Land of Blood") during the event. The world was ruled by an evil monarch known as the Terra Queen. The Storyteller was introduced in 2005 as the narrator for the "Tales of Terror," hypnotizing her listeners and transporting them into the story. She was seen murdering a young man in the television advertisements through various ways, including a bed of nails, and in a stage show at HHN XVI, pulling out his tongue with clamps. She originally appeared in the "Where Evil Hides" maze at HHN XV as the narrator. Strict reappeared the next year in the "Dungeon of Terror Retold" maze at HHN XVI and as a part of the Arrival show. She was never fully fleshed out due to her hasty addition. The Terra Queen was set to be the original icon for HHN XV, but the creative team was unable to get costumes and props ready for the advertisements, so the marketing team added in The Storyteller instead to keep their deadline.

*Dr. Mary Agana / Bloody Mary, the fifth original icon, used for HHN XVIII. Mary Agana was a psychiatrist who in the mid to late summer of 1958, was drawn to madness by an evil alternate personality. She sought to cure her patients through immersive phobia therapy, forcing them to face their fears directly and thus numb them to their fear, often through extreme measures. This unorthodox project was denied funding by the National Association of Mental Health but she continued her research without their approval. This lead to dire consequences for her patients, including insanity and eventually death. While these were initially accidents, she fed off their unfortunate fates, exposing herself to her own fear of death and growing more insane (in her words "stronger") with each case. She began to play an active role in their grisly demises, including the revenge killing of a NAMH board member. She would often utilize mirrors as a way to view her victims. She became strangely drawn to her personal mirror, sensing she was being watched by someone . Completely overtaken by the essence of Bloody Mary, she mysteriously disappeared on the night of August 27th, 1958. While there was evidence of extreme violence at her office, her body was never found. Fifty years later, Agana is considered the mortal embodiment of the Bloody Mary uban legend. On August 27th 2008, fifty years to the day that Dr. Agana disappeared, the paranormal investigation group LegendaryTruth decided to perform a live web broadcast investigation of Dr. Agana's abandoned office. The group detected increasingly high levels of paranormal activity before their connection went down. They have not been heard from since. Bloody Mary will appear in her own haunted house for HHN XVIII, Reflections of Fear. Note: The capital city of Guam was called Agana (or Hagåtña) which apparently means Blood. Also, email subscribers received emails from a private eye name Boris Shuster (presumably either a "Columbo" or "Humphrey Bogart" type), who was investigating the disappearance of the photographer, who had been helping him on a divorce case. He had heard about Mary and broke into her office, failing to learn anything about the photographer. He later finds out that all her patients have been disappearing, and decided to schedule an appointment with her, pretending to have Iatrophobia (fear of doctors). In the last email he sent, he says that Mary sits talking to herself in the mirror for hours, and that if he doesn't come back from his appointment, it will be "up to you". As of September 20th, his fate remain unknown. It could be possible that Boris had fallen victim to Bloody Mary, due to Mary calling from Boris's office and blood (presumably Boris's) all over the page of his appointment.

Unused Icons

*Edgar Sawyer / Eddie - Meant to be used during the event in 2001, where he would be portrayed wielding chainsaws and as a horror-movie lover going "way" too far to make a scary Halloween event. He was ultimately dropped as the main icon due to the September 11, 2001 attacks, because it was deemed to be too extreme at the time, and he was replaced by Jack's return. Because he was still featured on advertisements and t-shirts, his story was changed and he became Eddie Schmidt, Jack's younger brother. Clown make-up was added to his appearance to add to the connection with Jack. [cite web|url=http://www.hhnvault.com/horror_revisited/articles/terroreddie.htm|title=Terror With a Chainsaw - Eddie|accessdate=2007-08-14] He would eventually make appearances in 2004, as one of the four icons featured in Horror Nights Nightmares, and in 2006, as the main character of his own house, Run: Hostile Territory.

*SINdy, Cindy Caine - The young, equally-insane daughter of The Caretaker. After a mob burned her father's home and place of business down, she was scarred and hid her burnt face behind a broken china doll mask. She was dropped from the 2002 event due to a rash of kidnappings in the Orlando area. The main theme for "ScreamHouse: Resurrection" during HHN XVI were the Caretaker's followers looking for Cindy so Caine could resurrect his daughter. During HHN rehearsals, the followers would yell Cindy's name asking people if they had seen her, but producers dropped the idea on employee preview night when guests were confused as to who Cindy was, although portraits of her as well as her exhumed casket were still featured.

Islands of Adventure

When the event moved to Islands of Adventure for HHN XII where it stayed until 2006, new opportunities arose along with new complications. Every island of the park was to be converted into a scarezone with its own house, however, Seuss Landing, which would be come "Boo-Ville" in 2002 and 2003 during the event, is used with express permission from Audrey Geisel, widow of Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), who approved of its construction and the attractions within and has rights over what occurs during the events. It is said that the park was restricted to simply darkening this section of the park and playing the music backwards. Strobe lights and fog were inserted in some sections, but under no circumstances could characters be seen in any antithetical manner. In fact, actors were strictly prohibited up until 2005, when the park put cloaked characters in the streets on Friday and Saturday nights only.

Marvel Superhero Island was first used as a scarezone in 2002. In its incarnation, "Island Under Siege" it would be taken over at night by the Marvel villains. The Superheroes were either dead or had been defeated, while Carnage, Scream, an army of chainsaw gangs, supervillans, scarred police officers, and the Punisher, roamed the streets. Flamethrowers, broken-down cars, and junkyard debris littered the streets. The main attraction was "Maximum Carnage", Carnage's haunted maze. The island came under fire for its portrayal of the heroes.Fact|date=November 2007 Props implying that well known superheroes had died upon them inside the Maximum Carnage attraction were used. The portrayal of villains was perhaps another. For whatever reason, Universal has not focused the island on its Marvel heroes since, and instead used the area as a generic cityscape with bikers, mutated residents of a toxic spill, and more innocuously, a party zone with stilt walkers dressed as Dracula and Frankenstein.

Event Phrases

Each year, except for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th, Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights has had its own unique subtitle and/or marketing slogan.
*Fright Nights - Dying for a good Halloween Party?
*HHN V - The Curse of the Crypt Keeper
*HHN VI - Journey Into Fear
*HHN VII - Frightmares (You'll never sleep again)
*HHN VIII - Primal Scream (The last scream you'll ever hear)
*HHN IX - Last Gasp
*HHN X - Not afraid of the dark? You don't know Jack...
*HHN XI - I.C.U. / Jack's Back
*HHN XII - Islands of Fear (Your time has come)
*HHN XIII - The Director will see you now.
*HHN XIV - What's your breaking point?
*HHN XV - Tales of Terror (No one will live happily ever after)
*HHN XVI - Sweet 16 (Horror comes home)
*HHN XVII - Carnival of Carnage (Choose Thy Fear)
*HHN XVIII - Reflections of Fear(I Dare You to Say it One More Time...)

Fright Nights (1991)

Fright Nights started Halloween Horror Nights off. The event featured only one haunted house, but many shows special to it.

Haunted Houses

*Dungeon of Terror "(Jaws Queue)", Travel through a roadside haunt of gore and terror.

Shows

*Beetlejuice Dead in Concert! Featuring the Ghostbusters! "(New York Library)"
*Chainsaw Massacre "(New York Streets)"
*Dr. Death "(New York Streets)"
*The Human Pincushion "(New York Streets)"
*Magical Mania "(New York Streets)"
*Madame Kuszel "(New York Streets)", Gypsy Fortune Teller
*Cobra Woman "(New York Streets)"
*Dragon Breath "(New York Streets)"
*Starshower "(Hollywood)"
*Paul Revere & the Raiders "(Hollywood)"
*Monster Mardi Gras Costume Contest "(Hollywood)"
*Prince Dragon "(Amity)"
*Iron Belly "(San Francisco)"
*Dr. Frankenstein's Theater Featuring Mistress of the Night, Frankenstein and Dracula "(San Francisco)"
*The Human Impaler "(San Francisco)"
*The Gravediggers "(World Expo)"
*The Pendragons "(Animal Actors Stage)"
*Universal Science Band "(World Expo)"
*Beetlejuice Graveyard Tours "(World Expo)"

Rides

*Nickelodeon Studios
*The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera
*
*Ghostbusters Spooktacular
*Kongfrontation
*An American Tail Theatre
*
*The Wild Wild Wild West Stunt Show
*
*Animal Actors Stage
*E.T. Adventure
*The Gory, Gruesome and Grotesque Horror Make-Up Show
*Dynamite Nights Stunt Spectacular

II (1992)

Halloween Horror Nights II featured the introduction of two staples of the event: Robosaurus (at least for the early years) and Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure. Although this event was named the second, the original was not Halloween Horror Nights, but Fright Nights. During this event some of Universal's rides and attractions were given scarier names and back stories to go along with the theming.

=Horror-fied Attraction [cite web|url=http://hhnvault.com/haunts/hhn2.htm|work=hhnvault.com|title=Halloween Horror Nights II|accessdate=2007-09-08] =

*Tramway of Doom "(Kongfrontation)", Darkman haunts New York. Based on the film by Sam Raimi.
*Terror Underground "(Earthquake)", A blood-filled tour.
*Voyage into the Unknown "(Back to the Future)", A deadly voyage.
*Alien Forest "(E.T. Adventure)", Escape from a ghoulish forest to an alien world.

Haunted Houses

*Dungeon of Terror "(Jaws Queue)", A cast of ghouls haunt the halls of this dungeon.
*The People Under the Stairs "(Soundstage 23)", A trip through a cryptic movie set. Based on the film by Wes Craven.

hows

*Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure "(Wild West Stage)"
*Robosaurus "(New York Streets)"
*Carnival of Horror "(Hollywood)", A one-night costume contest.
*Thunderdome "(Hollywood Streets)", An evil army and its barbaric queen terrorize guests.
*The Pendragons "(Animal Actor's Stage)", A magical act by this team of illusionists.

III (1993)

=Haunted Houses [cite web|url=http://hhnvault.com/haunts/hhn3.htm|work=hhnvault.com|title=Halloween Horror Nights III|accessdate=2007-09-08] =

*The Slaughterhouse "(Nazarman's)", A blood-filled house.
*The Psycho Path Maze "(Bates Motel)", Enter into the Bates Motel and relive the horror.
*The People Under the Stairs "(Soundstage 23)", A haunted house where the walls are alive.

hows

*Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure II "(Wild West Stage)"
*Robosaurus "(New York Streets)"
*Hex-Maniacs "(New York Streets)", A magical show featuring illusions, including a cremation.
*Human Blockhead "(San Francisco)"
*Crossbows of Death
*Burn and Bury "(Animal Actor's Stage)", Traveling burial show.
*Rock Inferno Featuring Herb Williams and Gibraltar "(Hollywood)", Ghouls dancing and rocking out the night.

IV (1994)

Halloween Horror Nights IV marked the first use of a scarezone at Halloween Horror Nights. The scarezone was created to centralize the scareactors to create better scares and safer environments. This also marked the last time Robosaurus would appear at the event for twelve years.

=Haunted Houses [cite web|url=http://www.hhnvault.com/haunts/hhn4.html|work=hhnvault.com|title=Halloween Horror Nights IV|accessdate=2007-09-08] =

*The Bone Yard "(Boneyard)", Guests enter the catacombs of an excavated insane asylum.
*Dungeon of Terror "(Earthquake)", The guests are poised to become the newest victims of the dungeon.
*The Psycho Path Maze "(Bates Motel)", Guests check in to the Bates Motel, but may leave like Mrs. Bates.
*Hell's Kitchen "(Nazarman's)", Guests are chased by demonic butchers.

carezones

*Horrorwood "(Hollywood)", This centralized scarezone featured the Chainsaw Drill Team, The Lizzie Borden Band and Axe Corps, and many others.

hows

*Bill and Ted Meet Timecop "(Wild West Stage)"
*The Devil and His Showgirls "(New York Streets)", A satanic musical revue.
*The Price is Fright "(Animal Actor's Stage)", Beetlejuice hosts the wildest game show in the world.
*Robosaurus "(New York Streets)", The monstrous machine.

V: The Curse of the Cryptkeeper (1995)

Halloween Horror Nights V marked the first use of an icon at Halloween Horror Nights: The Cryptkeeper, ghoulish host from the tv show Tales from the Crypt. The Cryptkeeper added a new sense of horror to the "Dungeon of Terror."

=Haunted Houses [cite web|url=http://www.hhnvault.com/haunts/hhn5.html|work=hhnvault.com|title=Halloween Horror Nights V: The Curse of the Cryptkeeper|accessdate=2007-09-08] =

*Cryptkeeper's Dungeon of Terror "(Earthquake queue)", In a maze with no escape, guests are posed to become the next victims.
*Universal's House of Horrors "(Soundstage 23)", Guests meet Hollywood's horror film legends which are back from the grave.
*Terror Underground: Transit to Torment "(Nazarman's)", A journey through the subways of New York with creatures of the underground.

carezones

*Midway of the Bizarre "(Amity)", A ghoulish carnival.
*Horrorwood Blvd "(Hollywood)", Scareactors abound.

hows

*Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure IV "(Wild West Stage)"
*Rock of Ages "(New York Library)", A rock-and-roll revue with crypt jams.
*The Price is Fright "(Animal Actor's Stage)", Beetlejuice hosts the wildest game show in the underworld.

VI: Journey Into Fear (1996)

Halloween Horror Nights VI marked the return of the Cryptkeeper, the icon from 1995. The Cryptkeeper's house was his "Studio Tour of Terror"

=Haunted Houses [cite web|url=http://www.hhnvault.com/haunts/hhn6.html|work=hhnvault.com|title=Halloween Horror Nights VI: Journey Into Fear|accessdate=2007-09-08] =

*The Cryptkeeper's Studio Tour of Terror "(Earthquake queue)", The Cryptkeeper leads guests through a monster-filled studio tour.
*Universal's New House of Horrors "(Soundstage 22"), A wax museum where the exhibits of Universal's classic monsters comes to life after a lightning strike.
*Toy Hell: Nightmare at the Scream Factory "(Nazarman's)", An abandoned toy factory where the toys are alive.

carezones

*Midway of the Bizarre "(Amity)", Sideshow acts, games, and a ghoulish carnival dominate this area.

hows

*The Cryptkeeper's Festival of the Dead Parade
*Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure "(Wild West Stage)"
*Welcome to My Nightmare "(Hollywood)"
*Ticks, Treats, and Trances "(Animal Actor's Stage)"

VII: Frightmares (1997)

=Haunted Houses [cite web|url=http://www.hhnvault.com/haunts/hhn7.html|work=hhnvault.com|title=Halloween Horror Nights VII: Frightmares|accessdate=2007-09-08] =

*Tombs of Terror "(Earthquake queue)", A journey into a New Orleans cemetery with vampires, mutants, and maniacs with chainsaws.
*Universal's Museum of Horror "(Soundstage 22)", A museum where Universal's monsters come to life.
*Hotel Hell "(Nazarman's)", A trendy New York hotel, which is home to ghosts, phantoms and demented staff members.

carezones

*Midway of the Bizarre "(Amity)", Sideshow acts, games, and knife-wielding clowns dominate this area.

hows

*Festival of the Dead Parade
*Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure VI: The Final Frontier "(Wild West Stage)"
*Frightmares "(New York Streets)", Ghouls and monsters in a rock-and-roll revue.
*Abra-Cadaver "(Animal Actor's Stage)", Evil magicians take volunteers from the audience for their demented acts.

VIII: Primal Scream (1998)

=Haunted Houses [cite web|url=http://www.hhnvault.com/haunts/hhn8.html|work=hhnvault.com|title=Halloween Horror Nights VIII: Primal Scream|accessdate=2007-09-08] =

*Hell's High "(Nazarman's)", A trip through a high school where a slasher film is being shot. However, when filming stopped, the villains kept going.
*S.S. Frightanic "(Earthquake queue)"
**Fear in First Class, An exploration of the staterooms and ballrooms, haunted by former passengers.
**Carnage Crew, An exploration of the bowels of the ship and it's skeleton crew.
*Museum of Horror "(Soundstage 23)"
**Chamber of Horrors, Guests meet famous Universal movie monsters like Dracula and The Wolf Man.
**Unnatural History, Museum exhibit where present-day horror films come to life.

carezones

*Midway of the Bizarre "(Amity)", Sideshow acts and haunted games populate this area.

hows

*Festival of the Dead Parade, Annual parade showcasing the event.
*Horrorpalooza, A musical review with characters from horror films.
*Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure: Dial "E" for Excellent! "(Wild West Stage)", Follow the pair through movies and television shows.

IX: Last Gasp (1999)

=Haunted Houses [cite web|url=http://www.hhnvault.com/haunts/hhn9.html|work=hhnvault.com|title=Halloween Horror Nights IX: Last Gasp|accessdate=2007-09-08] =

*Psycho: Through the Mind of Norman Bates "(Soundstage 23)", Experience the chillingly violent images that torment Norman's soul. For heavens sake, DON'T GO IN THE SHOWER!
*Insanity "(Soundstage 23)", Revenge-crazed inmates are running the asylum!
*Universal's Creature Features in 3-D "(Nazarman's)", Put on your 3-D glasses, as some of Hollywood's worst nightmares literally jump off the screen of a neighborhood movie theater at Florida's first ever 3-D haunted maze.
*The Mummy "(Earthquake Queue)", Navigate the depths of a mysterious Egyptian tomb and face ancient priests who want to make you a permanent resident.
*Doomsday "(Earthquake Queue)", Go on a journey through the warped underground of New York City as the impending arrival of the Millennium brings out the worst in the city that never sleeps.

carezones

*Midway of the Bizarre "(Amity)"

hows

*The Festival of the Dead Parade
*Dead D'Illusions "(Animal Actors Stage)"
*Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure "(Wild West Stage)"

Rides

X: Not afraid of the dark? You don't know Jack (2000)

Halloween Horror Nights X was the first of the events to feature an original icon. Jack, the evil clown took over for the event and part of the theming was based on his character, including a haunted carnival and a scarezone taken over by clowns. According to the event, Universal Studios brought some of the original pieces of Dr. Oddfellow's Carnival of Thrills to highlight the event. The Publicity and Marketing Department decided to play on the urban legend of Jack by being able to acquire the original box in which Jack was trapped. Jack appeared in the Jacked Up show.

=Haunted Houses [cite web|url=http://www.hhnvault.com/haunts/hhn10.html|work=hhnvault.com|title=Halloween Horror Nights X: Not afraid of the dark? You don't know Jack|accessdate=2007-09-08] =

*Anxiety in 3-D "(Soundstage 22)", Enter the 3-D virtual reality of The House That Jack Built, and find yourself trapped in a malfunctioning 3-D video game.
*Total Chaos "(Soundstage 22)", Wander through a top secret underground military base where captured aliens are on the loose and thirsting for blood.
*The Fearhouse "(Nazarman's)", Try and make your way through a carnival where mirrored hallways, darkened corridors and hideous creatures make your escape unlikely.
*Universal Classic Monster Mania "(Earthquake Queue)", Experience "reel" terror as classic movie monsters are transformed into hideously gruesome and grotesque abominations.
*Dark Torment "(Earthquake Queue)", After riding Earthquake, you'll descend to the labyrinths of a nightmarish underworld where hordes of evil demons torment you at every turn.

carezones

*The Gauntlet "(Boneyard)"
*Midway of Dr. Morose "(Amity)"
*Apocalypse Island "(New York)"
*Clown Attack "(Hollywood)"

hows

*The Festival of the Dead Parade
*Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure "(Wild West Stage)"
*Jacked Up "(Animal Actors Stage)"

Rides

*The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera
*Stage 54
*Twister...Ride it Out
*Beetlejuice's Rock and Roll Graveyard Revue
*
*
*
*The Gory, Gruesome and Grotesque Horror Make-Up Show
*

XI: I.C.U. (2001)

Halloween Horror Nights XI was a touchy event. Coming so close after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US, Universal hurried to change the event to tone it down so it would be for accepting among the society at that time. Therefore the original mascot "Eddie" was scrapped at last minute. He was Jack's demented evil brother who led mass gangs of chainsaws, which explains the extreme amount of chainsaws during HHN XI. Eddie was replaced by the return of Jack. Taglines such as "Jack's Back" and “There's no more clowning around," were used. Anything graphic or violent was scrapped from the event, displaying no blood or gore. Names were changed left and right, everything from The Festival of the Dead Parade to the names of houses. Some original titles (which may still sound familiar) included "Bloodbath Underground" as what we knew as "Ooze Zone," modifications included red lighting being changed to green. "Scary Tales" was originally named "Terror Land." "Nightmare Alley" was originally titled "Slasher Alley," and the most obvious change would be the Festival of the Dead Parade being renamed as "Nightmares on Parade."

=Haunted Houses [cite web|url=http://www.hhnvault.com/haunts/hhn11.html|work=hhnvault.com|title=Halloween Horror Nights XI: I.C.U.|accessdate=2007-09-08] =

*Scary Tales "(Soundstage 22)", Enter an abandoned carnival attraction and find yourself in a nightmarish fairy tale world where there's never a happy ending.
*Pitch Black "(Soundstage 22)", A mysterious zone of darkness has appeared causing weird disturbances. It's up to you to investigate... if you dare.
*Superstitions "(Nazarman's)", Explore a hidden warehouse filled with ancient relics and urban legends that will have you believing in the supernatural.
*The Mummy Returns: The Curse Continues "(Earthquake Queue)", Based on the hit movie! Venture through a maze of tomblike corridors and dark caverns in the Temple of the Scorpion King, where danger lurks around every corner.
*Run "(Earthquake Queue)", Become a guest contestant in a diabolical new game where there are no questions, no prizes, and only one rule - try to escape without losing your mind.

carezones

*Midway of the Bizarre "(Amity)"
*The Unknown "(Sunset Blvd.)"
*Nightmare Alley "(8th Ave.)"

hows

*Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure "(Wild West Stage)"
*Dangerous D'Illusions "(Animal Actors Stage)"
*Nightmares on Parade
*Boogeymen "(Pantages Theater)"
*Oozone Fright Club "(Kongfrontation)"

Rides

XII: Islands of Fear (2002)

In 2002, the event was moved from the Universal Studios park to its adjacent sister park, Islands of Adventure. The year's mazes revolved around the imaginations of Dr. Albert Caine, also known as The Caretaker. Dr. Caine would lure his victims to his Victorian Manor ("Scream House") to operate on them and find their soul. HHN XII was documented in the Travel Channel special "The Art of the Scare" , produced by Lightship Entertainment. It documented the mazes, special effects, and the overall feel of the event. [cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0378943/combined|title=Universal Orlando's Horror Nights: The Art of the Scare (2003) (TV)|work=imdb.com|accessdate=2007-11-09]

The Caretaker was not the original icon for HHN XII. Cindy, the demented little daughter of mortuary owner Paul Bearer, was originally the icon of the event. In the event's premise, every land would be ruled over by her "playthings"- Spider-Man's nemesis Carnage, "Nightmare", the "Treaks and Foons", and The Grinch. Unfortunately, after a string of child abductions in the area, Cindy was abandoned and her father Paul Bearer morphed into Albert Caine. Caine was portrayed by actor Bryce Ward for publicity and television appearances, and an elaborate Opening Scare-a-monies which featured a victim being tortured by snakes and scorpions before being gutted.

carezones

Although Cindy was not used, some of the ideas for the event, created around her character, were used. Every island in the park consisted of a scarezone. Guests entered in the Port of Evil ("Port of Entry") where the Caretaker's minions greeted them and his victims were chosen in the Town Square of Tortured Souls ("Port of Entry"). The Treaks and Foons ("Toon Lagoon"), originally an idea for Cindy's character, were playful cartoonish characters that worked in pairs to team up on guests to create scares. Boo-Ville ("Seuss Landing") was a land of darkness and strange music among the rest of the islands. The Island of Evil Souls ("Lost Continent") was a land where ghostly creatures, demons and dragons roamed. In JP Extinction ("Jurassic Park") the dinosaurs have taken over and roam free, as well as some new genetic nightmares. Finally, in Island Under Siege ("Marvel Super Hero Island") the superheroes have been defeated and gangs of villains run free in the streets.

Haunted Houses

In the Caretaker's burnt-out Victorian mortuary, ScreamHouse ("Soundstage 20"), his victims haunt guests who may soon become permanent residents. In Project Evilution ("Triceratops Discovery Trail"), a genetic experiment has gone wrong as escaped human-dinosaur hybrids roam the jungle. Scary Tales II ("Popeye Queue") brought guests into the pages of the most evil fairy tales ever told. In Fear Factor ("Thunder Falls Terrace") guests enter into a maze of the television show where they moved through the darkness in rooms of insects, snakes, rats, and more. And finally, in Maximum Carnage ("Carnage Warehouse"), guests entered into Carnage's secret hideout, where the bodies of famous superheros are strung up as trophies, with his gang of insane criminals ready to destroy everything in their paths. [cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20021002181213/themeparks.universalstudios.com/orlando/hhn/port_of_evil.html|title=Halloween Horror Nights XII archived website|work=Universal Orlando|accessdate=2007-09-08]

hows

*Studio 666 "(Lost Continent)"
*Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure "(Toon Lagoon Amphitheater)"

Other attractions

*Fountain of Evil "(Lost Continent)"

Rides

*The Cat in the Hat
*Caro-Seuss-El
*One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
*Poseidon's Fury: Escape From the Lost City
*Dueling Dragons Ice Demon
*Dueling Dragons Fire Demon
*The Eigth Voyage of Sinbad Stunt Show
*The Flying Unicorn
*Jurassic Park River Adventure
*Dudley Do-Right's RipSaw Falls
*Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges
*The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
*Doctor Doom's Fearfall
*Incredible Hulk Coaster
*Storm Force Accelatron

XIII: The Director will see you now. (2003)

For its 13th year, the event's theme was based on the evil mind of the Director , a film creator who often did short snuff films in which his victims died on camera. The mazes were all "sets", and the Director himself hosted his own stage show, Infestation ("Enchanted Oak Tavern"), where guests were invited up on stage to live out their fears of creatures. The event's commercials featured a cover of the song "You Oughta Be in Pictures".

carezones

As with HHN XII, the scarezones were featured in each of Islands of Adventures themed lands. The Port of Evil ("Port of Entry") served as a gathering point for guests to enter into the Director's world. Immortal Island ("Lost Continent") was the battleground of the Ice and Fire Demons and their minions. Boo-Ville ("Seuss Landing") was a darkened world where all the creatures are locked in doors. In Night Prey ("Jurassic Park") intelligent creatures stalked guests through a tropical island. In Hide & Shrieeek! ("Toon Lagoon") the cartoons came alive in a world of insanity. Finally, in Toxic City ("Marvel Super Hero Island") guests walked through a quarantined city where toxic waste spilled onto the streets and mutated creatures lived.

Haunted Houses

The Director appeared in All Nite DrIvE-In ("Soundstage 20"), where he welcomed guests through the drive-in theatre and into the house from Halloween, "Camp Crystal Lake" from Friday the 13th, "Hell's Furnace" from A Nightmare on Elm Street and Leatherface's kitchen from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In ScreamHouse Revisited ("Soundstage 20"), guests returned to the Caretaker's Victorian manor, where his victims tried to make sure they never leave. In Psycho Scareapy ("Jurassic Park Discovery Center"), guests entered Shady Brook asylum, where the inmates squash any hope of escape. In Jungle of Doom ("Triceratops Discovery Trail/Camp Jurassic") bloodthirsty zombies chased guests after trespassing on the Burial Ground of Lost Souls. Funhouse of Fear ("Thunder Falls Terrace") was a maze of optical illusions and maniacal clowns with no exit. Finally, Ship of Screams ("Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges Queue") whose name is a play on words with "Ship of Dreams," was an aging cruise liner whose decks were manned by a crew of ghosts. [cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20031002020222/themeparks.universalstudios.com/orlando/hhn/hauntedhouses_main.html|title=Halloween Horror Nights XII archived website|work=Universal Orlando|accessdate=2007-09-08]

hows

*Infestation "(Port of Entry)"
*Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure "(Toon Lagoon Amphitheater)"

XIV: What's Your Breaking Point? (2004)

2004 was the first time since 1999 that the event didn't have an icon (Instead advertisements featured a bald victim in a straightjacket). Universal pushed for the event to take place in a condensed form in both parks. Portions of the parks were closed with only some attractions operating. The parks became so crowded, that Universal opened designated closed sections on Saturdays and Sundays to alleviate crowd control, and began inserting actors throughout IOA to fill the dead space.

Haunted Houses, Scarezones and Shows

Guests entered the event through the Point of Evil ("Port of Entry at IOA"). At Islands of Adventure guests were able to visit Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure ("Toon Lagoon Amphitheatre") and Disorientorium ("Carnage Warehouse") where the lines between sanity and madness were blurred.

Two paths were open between the parks, each through a Scarezone: Field of Screams ("Backstage behind Seuss Landing"), a cornfield where scarecrows and other creatures come to life, and Fright Yard ("Backstage path between Lost Continent and New York"), an abandoned freight yard with scares behind every crate. These two scarezones formed a path past the soundstages which held the majority of the houses: Castle Vampyr ("Soundstage 23") a gothic castle filled with vampires, Ghost Town ("Soundstage 22") where the inhabitants of Lightning Gulch died but still haunt the town, Horror in Wax ("Soundstage 20") an abandoned wax museum filled with creatures from Universal Studios' past, and Hellgate Prison ("Soundstage 20") a prison whose inmates are rioting and the warden is ready to execute.

The final two houses, another scarezone, and The Festival of the Dead Parade were in Universal Studios. In Deadtropolis ("Earthquake Queue"), guests make their way through a zombie-infested city, while in Halloween Horror Night Nightmares ("Former Hercules/Xena Showcase") the former icons and Eddie terrorized guests. The final scarezone was Midway of the Bizarre (" The Former Boneyard") a creepy carvinal of oddities. [cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20040926004327/themeparks.universalstudios.com/orlando/hhn/2004/map.html|title=Halloween Horror Nights XIV archived website|work=Universal Orlando|accessdate=2007-09-08]

Rides

XV: Tales of Terror (2005)

In 2005, Universal tied the event with an elaborate back story of how the overall land was ruled by an evil queen. This year's event was awarded in 2006 with the Golden Ticket Award for best Halloween event.

Haunted Houses and Scarezones

The Storyteller told the story which wove through each house and scarezone and depicted the roles of the various actors and how they worked for the queen. As it went, the land of Terra Cruentus was a dark realm of middle-earthian and modern mythos. Guests entered through Terra Guard Run ("Port of Entry at IOA"), which was a melting pot of the people of "Terra Cruentus". Characters from every island were featured, scaring guests as they entered. The Queen herself was a dictator who rode a motorcycle featuring wings and the head of a wolf/bull hybrid. She ruled from her Terra Throne ("Port of Entry Landing"), a twisted tree forged of blood and steel by the hard workers of the Cemetery Mines who are in Gorewood Forest ("Jurassic Park"). Her source of power was a blade, called the Terra Throne Blade, which was used during human sacrifices, which were needed to satisfy her and continue her rule over the land. The blade was forged in the Fire Pits ("Lost Continent"). The bodies of these sacrifices were given to the Body Collectors ("Jurassic Park Discovery Center"), who took them apart and kept only what could be salvaged. While the workers worked, the children of Terra Cruentus terrorized The Skool ("Thunder Falls Terrace"), especially around the Season of the Queen, a time of ritual in Terra Cruentus. While most of the realms worked, the realm of Iron Bone Gorge a.k.a. Blood Thunder Alley ("Marvel Superhero Island") roared to life with passionate vice, as the demons inhabiting the world lured guests to celebrate the resurrection of the queen through drinking of the Bloodberry Wine and escaping to the local Demon Cantina ("Carnage Warehouse"), where guests could be terrorized by the vampiric assailants who drank there. Beyond "Maldakken Pass" (an area of vendors and derelict props) lay the "tests" of fear: Blood Ruins ("Soundstage 22"), Where Evil Hides ("Soundstages 18 and 19"), and Cold Blind Terror ("Soundstage 20").

Each night of the event planted actors were brought up to the Terra Throne and sacrificed to the queen. Their blood was made into Bloodberry Wine. The actors were mutilated via special effects such as fake chainsaws and swords. On the final night the Terra Queen sacrificed herself.

The newest special effect introduced at HHN XV was a new "helmet" technology. For the Terror Mines ("Poseidon's Fury") haunted maze, every 10th guest was given a hard hat with a light on it. As the guest and his group proceeded through the maze, the light would go out, change colors, strobe or stay normal. Sensors throughout the maze would designate what effect took place.

On busy peak nights, a portion of Universal Studios Florida was open for event-goers, which included a special chain link fence maze called Rat Run. On a platform above the maze stood Jack the Clown, heckling guests as they made their way through. [cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20051016002450/themeparks.universalstudios.com/orlando/hhn/terra_guard_run.html|title=Halloween Horror Nights Tales of Terror archived website|work=Universal Orlando|accessdate=2007-09-08]

Other attractions

*North Hollow ("Toon Lagoon)"
*South Hollow "(Peak-only Seuss Landing)"

hows

*Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure "(Toon Lagoon Amphitheater)"
*Terra Throne "(Port of Entry)"

Rides

XVI: Sweet 16 (2006)

After four years at Islands of Adventure, the event returned to Universal Studios Florida for "Sweet 16". The 2005 Horror Nights website was removed and updated with a teaser page on July 1, 2006. On July 10, the official 2006 Horror Nights site went live. The official press release of the event was made on September 1, 2006. The site was fully updated the same day, revealing the complete roster of houses, scarezones, and shows.

The mazes represented, what are said to be, the greatest houses in the event's history. With the addition of subtitles to each house's names, Universal Creative signified that these houses would be revamped versions with new characters, new effects, and possibly a whole new look. Previous icons such as The Storyteller, the Director, the Caretaker and Jack the Clown returned for the year's event by making appearances in the houses. Also returning were characters such as Eddie and Darkness, along with the Chainsaw Drill Team, a staple of earlier Horror Nights. The Drill Team acts like a military unit as opposed to recent years where chainsaw scare-actors wandered through specific areas of the park separately.

Haunted houses, Scarezones and Shows

The icons were all brought back from hell in The Arrival ("Hollywood") by Darkness and his minions in order to take part in the event. They were all a part of Sweet 16: The Director's Cut ("Studio Lagoon"), where they discussed horror movies of the past. The Caretaker and his morbid cult returned with a new Victorian Manor mortuary in ScreamHouse: Resurrection ("Soundstage 23"), with the tormented souls of his victims. Jack was incarcerated in Shady Brook Hospital in PsychoScareapy: Maximum Madness ("Soundstage 22"), where he incited a patient rebellion. The Director returned in his All Nite DrIvE-In: Take 2 ("Soundstage 23"), where he welcomed guests into his own sadistic "cut" of four movies: Scream, Hellraiser, The Ring, and The Silence of the Lambs all spliced together. The Storyteller revived the business of an old roadside attraction into the Dungeon of Terror: Retold ("Jaws Queue"), where her whispers called guests deeper into hell. Other classic mazes to return were: RUN: Hostile Territory ("Earthquake Queue"), where Eddie and his gang terrorized the voyeurs of a torture house inspired by the films Hostel and Saw, People Under the Stairs: Under Construction ("Left Tent in World Showcase"), based on the Wes Craven film, a demented house whose incomplete walls bleed, and Psycho-Path: Return of Norman Bates ("Right Tent in World Showcase"), a journey through the mind and nightmares of Norman Bates.

The Scarezones in the event revisited mazes and scarezones of HHN XIV. In Deadtropolis: Zombie Siege ("New York"), Zombies fought the military and their weapon Robosaurus for control over the city streets (based on the film Land of the Dead). The Robosaurus show featured a musical score from the same film's soundtrack, "Call it a Night". Blood Masquerade ("8th Avenue"), an homage to Castle Vampyr, was overrun by vampires looking for new blood. Finally Harvest of the Souls ("Sunset Blvd"), an homage to Field of Screams, brought pumpkin-headed fiends, goblins and soul harvesters to life. [cite web|url=http://websites.horrornights.be/2006site_After/orlando/eventinfo.html|title=Halloween Horror Nights: Sweet Sixteen hosted website|work=Horrornights.be|accessdate=2007-09-21]

Additional Scarezones and Shows

*Horror Comes Home "(Hollywood)", An homage to creatures from past events as guests entered into the park.
*Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure "(Fear Factor LIVE! theater)"

Other attractions

*The Rat Lady "(With accompanying band)"

Rides

*Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast
*Shrek 4-D
*Twister...Ride it Out
*
*Beetlejuice's Rock and Roll Graveyard Revue
*
*Jaws
*
*E.T. Adventure
*

XVII: Carnival of Carnage (2007)

The Halloween Horror Nights season began in June 2007 with a Universal press release announcing a deal with New Line Cinema to bring characters from their films to the event. Leatherface from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", Freddy Krueger from "A Nightmare On Elm Street" and Jason Voorhees from "Friday the 13th" were slated to appear for the event. [cite news|url=http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=104&categoryID=0|title=UNIVERSAL THEME PARKS AND NEW LINE CINEMA PRESENT JASON, LEATHERFACE AND FREDDY KRUEGER|publisher=Universal Orlando|date=June 28, 2007|accessdate=2007-08-30] With an announcement on the official website, Mary Shaw, from "Dead Silence" would also appear. Late in July, Universal's creative team announced a house based on the aftermath of the movie The Thing, named The Thing-Assimilation. [cite news|url=http://www.screamscape.com/html/universal_orlando.htm|title=Universal Orlando Resort News|date=July 27, 2007|accessdate=2007-07-27]

After the announcements, the official website was slowly updated. It initially confirmed the title of the event as "Carnival of Carnage" and began to confirm other houses, including one based on a rave with vampires, a sequel to PsychoScareapy set during Christmas with escaped inmates terrorizing a neighborhood, and a funhouse. During the week of August 17, 2007, a new Halloween themed shop opened up in nearby Citywalk. Plastered on the outside of this building were images of Jack the clown in full ringmaster garb. Following this, a Universal newsletter and several local news channels featured Jack in the same attire, all but confirming his presence at the event. [cite news|author=Powers, Scott|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-universal3007aug30,0,6464276.story|title=Horror Nights just got scarier|publisher=The Orlando Sentinel|date=August 30, 2007|accessdate=2007-08-30]

Finally, on August 30, Universal announced in a press release the names of the houses and shows for the event, and later updated the website with the information with an additional show, [cite news|url=http://media.universalorlando.com/halloween/pressreleases/august30.htm|title=UNIVERSAL ORLANDO UNLEASHES THE LARGEST AND MOST INTENSE HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS IN ITS HISTORY|publisher=Universal Orlando|date=August 30, 2007|accessdate=2007-08-30] and released an event map a week before the opening.

Haunted Houses, Scarezones and Shows

The story released for the event said that Jack, after killing his old boss, Dr. Oddfellow, took over as the ringmaster of the carnival. Traveling the world, he found a number of acts to add to his new Carnival of Carnage. He appeared in his own show, Jack's Carnival of Carnage ("Hollywood Stage") where he took "volunteers" from the audience to see if they could survive his horrors, he assembled a number of "freaks" for the Freak Show ("Animal Actors Stage"), including The Enigma and magician Brian Brushwood, he put together a revue of The Rocky Horror Picture Show ("Beetlejuice Stage"), and created his own Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure ("Fear Factor LIVE! Theater").

In addition to the shows, Jack got together eight haunted attractions. The three New Line characters each had their own houses, with Freddy returning to 1428 Elm Street to haunt new victims in A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dreamwalkers ("Soundstage 23"), Jason returning to Camp Crystal Lake, newly renamed Camp Packanack, to terrorize the new counselors in Friday the 13th: Camp Blood ("Jaws Queue"), and Leatherface returning home to the Hewitt residence to stalk guests through The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Flesh Wounds ("Earthquake Queue"). In addition, two other movies were featured in their own attractions. In Dead Silence: The Curse of Mary Shaw ("Soundstage 22"), guests travel through the town of Raven's Fair where they are stalked by Mary Shaw and her victims through the graveyard, the morgue, and the Guignol Theatre, and in The Thing: Assimilation ("Right Tent in World Expo") the creature from Outpost 31 has been moved with the carnival where it mutates and attacks the military personnel at the new base. Three other attractions not based on movies were also included. In Vampyr: Blood Bath ("Nazarman's"), vampires have taken over a club and have a rave where outsiders become victims, in PsychoScareapy: Home for the Holidays ("Soundstage 23"), the inmates from Shady Brook, after surviving a bus crash, terrorize a neighborhood during Christmas, and finally, Jack's Funhouse in Clown-O-Vision ("Left Tent in World Expo") is a 3-D funhouse featuring Jack's troupe of clowns.

The main scarezone, the Midway of the Bizarre encompasses most of the park, while a subsection, called Troupe Macabre (French/gothic vampire clowns), is stationed in the Central Park area. The Chainsaw Drill Team, under the direction of a mouthy sheriff (presumably modeled after Sheriff Hoyt, a character of the 2003 remake of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre), also return to roam the streets. There are also various carnival-themed scareactors in Hollywood and New York, including motorcycling clowns on bikes designed to look like runaway carousel horses and clowns in demented looking bumper cars.

Starting with this event, Universal no longer uses local fraternities or sororities to help staff the event. Instead, they have a group of roughly 40 scareactors used solely to fill in spots around the park each night whenever a scheduled employee has a night off or calls in sick. This group, called the Fire Crew, is scheduled to work each night. If no positions need to be filled, they will have positions created for them in houses and scarezones.

Rides

*Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast
*Shrek 4-D
*Twister...Ride it Out
*
*
*Jaws
*
*E.T. Adventure

XVIII: Reflections of Fear (2008)

In 2008, the Halloween Horror Nights season began on July 1 with an update to the official website. All of the previous content was removed and replaced with a graphic of a psychiatrist's office with a large mirror in it. On the desk was a clickable book of case files, dated from 1958, which would be periodically updated with new cases and progress reports. Additionally, there was a large quote from Sigmund Freud on the page. Throughout July and August new case files were added to the book as the doctor would see new patients. For the early cases the files would state the patients' names, occupations, fears, the doctor's diagnosis, and an audio recording of the treatment. These audio recordings revealed that the doctor was a woman, only the second female icon for the event. The first progress report revealed that her methods were deemed too unorthodox by the National Association of Mental Health (NAMH) and she would receive no funding from the group to go forward with her immersive phobia therapy. Apparently undeterred, case files appeared for an illustrator of children's books who feared images associated with folktales and an astronaut recruit who feared space and was paranoid. After her treatments, both patients were sent to mental institutions. Her third case was that of a photographer who was afraid of the ghostly images that appeared in his photographs. She indirectly caused his death with her immersion therapy and the next tab to appear showed her plans to bring her experiments in a new direction. Also, email subscribers received emails from a private eye name Boris Shuster (presumably either a "Columbo" or "Humphrey Bogart" type), who was investigating the disappearance of the photographer, who had been helping him on a divorce case.

With this new direction also came a change to her office as her desk became disheveled. This was expanded upon with her case book as her writing became scribbled and sketches were drawn around the pages. In the next two cases, a high school student afraid of constriction and a drama voice coach afraid of stories, she set up their treatments purposely to cause their deaths. Meanwhile, Boris had heard about the photographer's appointment with Dr. Agana and broke into her office, failing to learn anything about the photographer, so he decides to spy on her. He later finds out that all her recent patients have been disappearing, and decided to schedule an appointment with her, pretending to have Iatrophobia(fear of doctors). On August 12, the Freud quote was changed and the next progress report came with more of a mess in the office. The doctor revealed that her mental state had deteriorated, but that she would continue. Her next two patients were revealed a week later, a gem dealer afraid of contamination, fire, and swallowing, and a psychiatrist, revealed to be on the NAMH board, afraid of surgery and dead bodies. She directly killed both patients, the first by incineration and the second by drilling through his body. Her fourth progress report came a day later with the mirror broken to shards in the office. She cryptically stated that she knew someone was watching her work and that person could no longer hide from her (meaning that she has caught on to Detective Shuster, but chose to let him come to her). With the fourth progress report came another change to the quote. This time revealing her name as Dr. Mary Agana. Due to the name revelation as well as the mirror references, some have speculated a connection to the urban legend of Bloody Mary. In the last email he sent, Boris says that Mary sits talking to herself in the mirror for hours, and that if he doesn't come back from his appointment, it will be "up to you". Her latest report on August 26 reveals that Dr. Agana may now have a multiple personality disorder, as evidenced by her referring to herself as "us" and "we". She has also written the same date all over the page: August 27, 1958. On August 27, the office was changed again. The mirror is smashed and the office has aged considerably, 50 years since her last journal entry. Blood, smashed glass, and a pack of matches from the Kitty Kat Club (Boris's usual hangout) with 7:00 written on it have been spilled over the table. The theme of Bloody Mary is seemingly more plausible now. At midnight on early August 28, the site was fully revealed, containing the official discriptions of the event's Haunted Houses, Scare Zones and Shows, and an option to "look behind Bloody Mary's mirror". A look at her journal reveals a cell phone owned by LegendaryTruth, a Ghost Hunters-esq paranormal research team delving into the real-life baisis of the Bloody Mary urban legend. Their research reveals that Dr. Mary Agana, the most factual case of Bloody Mary, was thought to have been murdered in the office on the night of August 27, 1958, though her body was never found, and no suspects were ever identified.

Haunted Houses

*Reflections of Fear (Jaws Queue) - Bloody Mary's own haunted house, where guests step through the mirror and into her world.
*Scary Tales: Once Upon a Nightmare (Parade Building) - The third of the "Scary Tales" houses (the other two being "Scary Tales" in 2001 and "Scary Tales II" in 2002), this house invites guests to a wicked fairy-tale world ruled by the Evil Queen.
*Creatures! (SS 22) - Guests travel through the Butchered Buck Roadhouse as comic book creatures attack its backwoods inhabitants.
*Interstellar Terror (SS 20) - Guests board the NSO Columbus 1492, a ghostly spaceship that had disappeared for several years and has now returned to the orbit of Earth's moon with a mysterious artifact onboard.
*Dead Exposure (Tent) - Guests witness an invasion of zombies seen through the viewpoint of a celebrity photographer.
*Doomsday (Disaster! Queue) - Based on Universal's Doomsday film, guests must survive a post-apocalyptic Scotland ravaged by a deadly virus.
*The Hallow (Tent) - Guests travel to an ancient ceremonial ruin haunted by the servants of Samhain, the Lord of the Underworld, to experience the traditions of Halloweens past.
*Body Collectors: Collections of the Past (SS 20) - A follow-up to the 2005 "Body Collectors" house, it invites guests to Victorian London, where the Collectors are using Jack the Ripper as a cover-up for their ghastly business.

care Zones

*Asylum in Wonderland (Hollywood) permits guests to "enter the Looking Glass", where an evil version of "Alice in Wonderland" awaits.
*Fractured Tales (Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone) combines Halloween legends and fairy tales into an evil reality.
*The Path of the Wicked (Production Central) is an evil version of the Land of OZ, where the wicked witch reigns and the lead characters from the story have been killed.
*The Skoolhouse (Hollywood) is a haunted school playground, where Mary has taken over and turned the students into demented killers.
*American Gothic (Production Central) is a twist on strange killings and American folklore legends from the past, with the evil Lizzie Borden as guests' "tour guide".
*Streets of Blood (New York) is where The Collectors await victims in the streets of Victorian London, using Jack the Ripper as their scapegoat.
*Bloody Mary (also known as Dark Reflections) (Front Lot) is where you "begin your descent into a world of opposites, distortions and terror beyond reasoning. Decide your path, but try not to lose your way. Because once you step into the mirror willingly, there will be no one to help you and no one will hear you beg for mercy." [cite web|url=http://media.universalorlando.com/halloween/eventdetails/street.htm |title=Universal's Halloween Horror Nights |publisher=Media.universalorlando.com |date= |accessdate=2008-09-16]

hows

*Rocky Horror Picture Show: A Tribute (Beetlejuice Stage) - Mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Rocky Horror and other famous Rocky Horror Picture Show characters return, bringing the musical mayhem of the classic horror spoof to life on-screen and on-stage with live performers singing and dancing in outrageous costumes. The tribute will be interactive with audience participation and on-stage guest involvement.
*Brian Brushwood (Animal Actors Theatre) - Based on his popularity as a part of last year’s Freak Show, Brian Brushwood returns, but this time, with his own show. Full of the most intense, riveting and disturbing feats you’ve ever seen performed live, this year, Brian will take his performance to a whole new level, presenting some of his signature acts in his own show.
*Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure (Fear Factor Live Stage) - Bill S. Preston Esq. and Ted Theodore Logan return with an all-new, especially excellent Halloween adventure featuring a who’s who of notorious celebrity guest stars.

Rides

* is an indoor roller coaster inspired by "The Mummy" and its sequels.
*The Simpsons Ride is a motion simulator ride which takes you through the world of Krustyland with "The Simpsons" characters.
* puts you in the middle of a new Disaster movie made by fictional company Disaster Studios.
* is an interactive dark ride adventure where you will join the ranks of the Men in Black to save New York City from a recent alien invasion.
*Jaws puts you aboard Captain Jake's Amity Boat Tours, where you'll journey around the island of Amity, hoping to avoid the menace known as JAWS.

Haunted House Locations

The following list contains the facilities used by Universal Orlando to house haunted houses for Halloween Horror Nights. They range from Soundstages, existing queue lines, or temporary buildings.

ee also

*Halloween Horror Nights (Hollywood)
*Universal Studios Florida
*Islands of Adventure

References

External links

* [http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com Halloween Horror Nights Official Site]
* [http://www.universalorlando.com Universal Orlando Resort Official Site]
* [http://www.hhnvault.com HHNVault] - A comprehensive HHN Orlando fan site with complete history and photos, and a forum.