Normally, we think of dreams coming true when we think of the Orlando theme park experience. But what if all of your nightmares came true instead? Well, strap in, friends, because that's exactly what happens at Halloween Horror Nights. On select nights from September 20 - November 2, Universal Studios will be taken over by the things that go bump in the night - especially zombies.


Fans of AMC's The Walking Dead are in for a special treat (and probably several very nasty tricks) because this year's HHN theme is lifted straight from the show. More details will be coming soon, but if you want to make sure you have the chance to run for your life, buy your tickets now. Prices start at $91.99 for a single night of horror, and there are multiple add-on and package options available. If you want to make sure you hear all the latest and gory greatest, sign up for the email newsletter.

Don't believe us when we say it's horrifying? Check out the video from the last time HHN teamed up with The Walking Dead. This is Universal's 23rd year running the creep show, so you better believe that they know what they're doing.

It's official, according to the event's Facebook page -- this year, Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights celebrates 23 years with 27 fright-inducing nights:

September 20-21, 26-29
October 3-6, 10-13, 16-20, 23-27, Halloween Night
November 1-2

No other details have come out, but based on last year's schedule, tickets should start being available around mid-June, with full house details ready in August. And like every year, if you want to be there on a high capacity night -- like ANY Friday or Saturday in October and ESPECIALLY Halloween itself -- buy tickets EARLY. And spring for Express Pass on those nights (or, in my opinion, any night -- the time saving is amazing). Yes, it's a whole additional cost on top of the bound-to-be-pricey tickets, but on crowded nights it can literally mean the difference between seeing all the houses or only one house. 

And if you're a true horror aficionado and you're feeling flush (or are willing to start putting away your pennies now), the RIP tour option can't be beat. It's VERY expensive -- last year, a private tour for 10 was a total cost of $1800 PLUS the actual admission ticket -- but the perks were pretty good:  RIP Lounge with cash bar (and complimentary coffee and bottle water after the tour), Priority front of the line access at the haunted houses, Priority seating at Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure, VIP access to select park attractions, Complimentary valet parking. And the RIP guides always know where the best bathrooms are, without the massive lines. No details on this year's RIP options yet; once we have them, we will post them.

If the normal Orlando Halloween happenings aren't quite enough for you, perhaps this is what you're looking for:


From humble beginnings in 2003, Spooky Empire has become one of the largest and most respected horror conventions in the country. This year's event will certainly help to cement things even further. I mean, just take a look at the guest list on the above poster!

In addition to the above, there will be special events including a zombie walk down International Drive, a shadowcast performance of Repo: The Genetic Opera, an afterparty for the Friday night Rob Zombie/Marilyn Manson show at Tinker Field (rumors are already flying that the two headliners may well show up for the after party), a celebrity poker tournament, TWO monster museums (I can't wait to see the one on Evil Puppets), no less than three movie cast reunions (Nightmare on Elm Street 4, Cannibal Holocaust, Rock n Roll High School), a costume contest, a tattoo convention, a creepy car show (featuring classics from the Graveyard Mafia Hearse Club), the Freak Show Film Festival, bands and live entertainment (and probably some undead performances as well), autograph sessions, talks and presentations, psychic readings, shopping, and more. No, seriously -- MORE.

Also Freddy Kruegar, Jason Vorhees, and Michael Myers. Or at least the actors who play them. 

I just don't think it gets more Halloween than Spooky Empire. I strongly recommend purchasing a weekend pass, and then plan for VIP next year -- this year's packages are already sold out.

Do you believe in ghosts? Some of the employees of Titanic the Experience certainly do. But was that chill running down their spine an actual ghost or just their mind playing tricks on them? To find out, the Museum invited a team of paranormal experts to investigate the occurrences, and the team uncovered conclusive evidence that the spirits of those who traveled on the Titanic had attached themselves to the Orlando exhibit. Ghost tours usually run every night at 7pm, From October 25 - 31, ghost tours will take place every night at 5, 6, and 7pm, and guests who show up in costumes can receive a $5 discount on the ticket price.


In addition to the ghost tours, Titanic the Experience offers an immersive adventure through the most famous ship in history. Although you won't find Jack and Rose among the costumed staffers, you will get to meet Captain Smith and the "Unsinkable" Molly Brown. The hour-long regular tour takes visitors through recreations of First Class Parlor Suite, Boilers, and Promenade Deck and includes an "underwater room," where an 8-foot replica of the Titanic in its final resting place is exhibited. The Museum's holdings also include the second largest piece of the ship to be recovered from the ocean floor.
 
So dress up in your best turn of the century clothes and prove that you ain't afraid of no ghosts by joining the tour.

Get your ghouls, ghosts, and goblins ready -- LEGOLAND® Florida is debuting their first ever family Halloween event: Brick-or-Treat.

Every weekend in October, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Miniland USA will transform in to a haunted land in danger of invasion by the enemeis of the LEGO® Monster Fighters. Join the fight in a family scavenger hunt.

Saturdays will also feature extended hours to take the fun after dark (hours not yet announced). There will be trick-or-treating along the Brick-or-Treat trail, a kids’ four category costume contest with LEGO prizes, and a build your own LEGO pumpkin model! And the park will have the incredible, world’s largest LEGO Jack-O-Lantern: 26,500 LEGO bricks and a perfect photo op.

Here's the full list of activities, from the official press release:

• LEGO® Pumpkin Build: Build your own LEGO Pumpkin at the model activity station in the Wells Fargo Fun Town 4D Theatre Plaza
• LEGO® Monster Fighters Haunted Scavenger Hunt: Help the LEGO Monster Fighters capture monsters haunting the cities of Miniland USA in this haunted scavenger hunt.
• Brick-or-Treat Trail: Trick-or-Treat along the Brick-or-Treat trail near the Pirates South Stadium for goodies, tasty treats and other fun surprises
• Dance Party: Join the spooky Dance Party in the Haunted Miniland USA with a live DJ and dance games (Saturdays only)
• Kids Costume Contest: Show off your BOO-tiful costumes in the Kids Costume Contest in the Wells Fargo Fun Town 4D Theatre Plaza to win brick-tastic prizes like LEGO product and tickets to LEGOLAND Florida.
• Children may enter one of 4 specialized categories: Heroes & Villains, LEGO Monster Fighters, LEGO Themed, and most Creative.

Best of all, Brick-or-Treat is included with normal park admission  – No upcharge or separate ticket needed!

For more information and updates, visit www.LEGOLAND.com.

SeaWorld's Halloween Spooktacular is considered "the ultimate family-friendly event" with good reason. This annual event is open every weekend in October (though, oddly, not on Halloween itself) and features trick-or-treating, dancing in the street with costumed characters (in some of the most beautiful costumes of any theme park, at any time of year), special "spooky" shows, and a complimentary arts and crafts area. 

The event runs during daylight hours (noon to 8 p.m.) at Sea World Orlando, so even the youngest visitors can take part in the fun without falling asleep in the middle of it all. There is even a dance party zone, complete with DJ. And it's all included in your Sea World Orlando admission price (completely unlike Disney and Universal's Halloween offerings).

For families on a vacation budget, this alone makes Spooktacular stand well above other area options. For those with a little more to spend, the daytime fun makes it very easy to hit one of the other Halloween park options after dark. Really, if you're going to Sea World Orlando on an October weekend, there's just no reason to miss it. 

Costumes are encouraged for children. Adults can be a little hit or miss; I suggest calling Sea World to make sure it's ok. You can reach them at 1-888-800-5447.

Halloween Horror Nights 22 is definitely featuring a pop culture theme this year, with houses connected to Silent Hill, creep rock god Alice Cooper's anthem "Welcome To My Nightmare," and Universal's amazing runaway hit The Walking Dead (coming back to AMC October 14, 2012). But they just announced the one that totally sold it for me -- Penn and Teller: New(kd) in Vegas. 


This is a dream (nightmare?) come true for fans of the world-renowned magicians, who have long been begging them to do some kind of Halloween event. The HHN22 attraction will be a 3D haunted house and maze that is a tour of a post-radiation accident Sin City. Kinda. Check out the tag copy:

World-renowned magicians Penn & Teller have accidentally nuked Las Vegas, but don’t worry, it’s nothing a fresh coat of paint and a truckload of BS can’t fix! Come on down to New Vegas, where all that glitters isn’t gold, and in fact probably has fatal levels of radioactivity. 

I can just hear Penn Jillette saying that. Can't you? I was on the HHN fence for a while this year, I admit it, but now I am totally sold. 

And speaking of sold, I'd advise you to get your Halloween Horror Nights 22 tickets now, before the event sells out. Again. Just like it does every year. 

If you can, be sure to spring for those Express Passes; on weekends and even weeknights as Halloween approaches, they can be the difference between seeing all the attractions or spending hours on line to only see one or two. They are cheaper earlier in the season and believe me, having them will make your night. 

If you're planning to go to Halloween Horror Nights this weekend, you'll find yourself in good company -- by which I mean, you and potentially THOUSANDS of other people will be keeping each other company. It's the final weekend for HHN21, and this is the biggie -- Halloween itself is Monday.

Obviously, Express Pass is the only way to see everything, so if you have that, you should be all right (though expect decent waits even at the express lines). But if you don't have your express pass and you don't feel like spending the $60-80 additional to get one, here's a quick guide to what you MUST see and what you can probably get away with skipping.

All the Scare Zones are worth seeing this year, and since you have to traverse them to get to all the attractions, don't worry about going out of your way to see or skip. The best one is probably 7, which features temptresses and their minions displaying the evils of the Seven Deadly Sins. The makeup and costuming are pretty spectacular, so if there is a must-see Scare Zone, this get my vote.

There are only two shows this year -- Death Drums and the always-packed Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure. Here's the reality: if you want to save time, skip the shows. You'll wait not only to be seated (in a massive cattle-call crowd, no less) but the shows themselves run 45-60 minutes, which is valuable house line time. Fans and HHN regulars will be loathe to miss BIll and Ted's, since it has become iconic for the event, I know, but in my opinion, the show isn't what it used to be (though this year was funnier than the last few). Time is better spent trying to get to the houses.

And now, the houses. First things first -- if you must skip a house, don't bother with The Thing. I am sad to say it, as this was meant to be the flagship house for 2011, but it somehow lacked the panache of most of the other houses. The scares were few and far between and the theming was somehow basic. Make this house last on your list and only bother if you have the time.

The Must-See of the year, however, goes to Winter's Night. It's the best of the houses, from actors to atmosphere. I went in three times and got more than my share of scares every time. It's beautifully presented, with loads of places for actors to hide. The creep factor is off the charts, so massive kudos to the designers for this one. Winter's Night is not to be missed.

The second Must-See is The In-Between. This is the funhouse for 2011 and it's delightfully disorienting (be warned if you have dizziness issues, though). You'll feel slightly lost from the get-go, so when the scareactors pop out from parts unknown, the shock is twice as strong. Don't trust your eyes, watch your step, and enjoy.

Here's a run-down of the rest of the houses:

The Forsaken -- It's skippable if you're pressed for time, but the theming and effects are well done. Horror buffs will dig it for that alone.

Nightingales: Blood Prey -- Great costumes, nice scares and strong theming. This is likely the goriest house, and the squick factor is high, so the easily grossed-out might not be too comfortable here. But for everyone else, do it. You won't regret the time spent on line for this WW1 house.

Nevermore: The Madness of Poe -- If you're a fan of the Grand Master, this is an absolute must-see. The nods to Poe's life and his descent into drink and madness are fantastic. This is perhaps the most subtle house, more creepy than scary. The atmosphere will get you; it's encompassing and electric. It's well worth the time.

Saws 'n Steam: Into the Machine -- I was expecting this to be the goriest of the lot, probably because I connected it to the Saw film franchise. This is more steampunk than splatterpunk, so it wins for decor in many ways. This house is LOUD. For some, this will add to the atmosphere; for others, it's just annoying. My group was split on this one. It was good, with some nice scares, but the loud factor was a bit distracting. Skip? See? I honestly don't have a call on this one. Poke a few people who are on their way out and make up your mind that way.

HR Bloodengutz Presents Holidays of Horror -- I wanted so much more from this house! The external theming was great fun and it really built things up. But the house disappointed. For one thing, not enough actors. For another, the scare spots were obvious and easy to find, so the jumps were few. The theming remained excellent, with possibly the most cohesive storyline. But this was also meant to be the comedy horror house, and I neither jumped nor laughed. It's skippable.

Rides will be open during the event as well. Jaws is great fun at night, so if the line isn't long, give it a try. As for the rest, it's nothing you can't see during the day, with far shorter lines. If you have time, they're great. If you don't, they're open all year, so don't worry about them.

Labor Day weekend has come and gone, marking the end of summer vacations. But fall in Orlando is one of the best times to visit, especially if you like Halloween frights and delicious foods. Plus the warm weather isn't going anywhere in Florida just yet, so there's still a few months of sunshine and pool time to be had. Parks tend to be less crowded as well, making fall a particularly good time for those without kids to enjoy Orlando. Here is a list of some of the best autumn has to offer: