Last week, I took a quick solo trip to Universal Orlando to experience Halloween Horror Nights. While there, I was lucky enough to do the HHN Daytime Houses Tour! This is the lights on Unmasking the Horror tour featuring 6 of the 10 haunted houses from Horror Nights. Since I couldn’t find many reviews online prior to booking this, I thought I would review it for others looking for info.
HHN Daytime Houses Tour
The whole reason I went to Universal Orlando this time was to see the “Stranger Things” house. My husband and I enjoy watching the show, so I really wanted to see the house. However, I wanted to explore it without being scared and to be able to take pictures to share with my husband. The Unmasking the Horror tour is the only way to do this.
I booked my tour in July, before they announced which houses were included. Sidenote: There’s also a 3 houses one, but this will focus on the 6 house one. So, it was a bit of a gamble. However, “Stranger Things” had been included in the 6 house tour the past two times, so I thought it was a relatively safe one. Thankfully, on August 1st I received an email notifying me of the six houses and “Stranger Things” was included!
Behind the Screams
This is quoted as being a 5 hour tour. My tour time was 10:45 AM and we wrapped up after 4 PM. There was an hour long break for lunch in the middle of the tour. We spent roughly 30 minutes in each house. I had a great, very informative tour guide who walked us through the stories for each house as well as where the scare actors would be and how certain tricks were done. It was an interesting look at the houses as well as the development process.
This tour included: Universal Monsters: Unmasked, Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count, Stranger Things 4, Yeti: Campground Kills, Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate, and Bloodmoon: Dark Offerings. I enjoyed seeing the attention to detail in Stranger Things, Bloodmoon, and Yeti. Universal Monsters was neat with the setting in Paris. Dueling Dragons was the coolest when you finally see the two dragons near the end.
Personally, Chucky in general (not just the house) isn’t for me. My tour guide is a Chucky house defender as he doesn’t think everyone understands the premise of the house. However, I am just not into the character or storyline. I attempted to watch the show prior to my trip and couldn’t get into it. However, it seemed neat for any fans as I recognized several scenes just from watching a few episodes.
It’s probably obvious, but my favorite house was the Stranger Things one. I enjoyed feeling like I was actually in the show. Plus, now I have pictures of Eddie’s house.
Pros
- Perfect for IP fans – If you are a fan of any of the IPs or are intrigued by the original house stories, then this is perfect for you.
- Great for HHN fans – This tour is also perfect for any fans of HHN who are interested in learning how the houses are designed and set up.
- Good for horror fans – I thought it was neat learning how some of the scares/tricks are performed.
- Can take some photos – This is the only way (besides being media) that you can take photos inside the houses. Granted, it is limited, particularly in IP houses. However, it’s still neat.
- Can slow down – At HHN, they tend to run you through houses pretty quickly and there’s no way you will see everything. A tour is much slower and little details are pointed out and explained.
Cons
- Expensive – It was over $100 for me to do this tour and it doesn’t include admission to HHN or the parks.
- Long – Similar to my guidance in my Universal Holiday Tour Review, this is not an activity where you sit around and listen. Five hours is a long time to spend on anything, so make sure you are truly interested and capable of walking that long.
- Rushed – While the walkthroughs were slower than at night, the tour still felt a little rushed at times. Also, lunch was stressful as we had one hour to go get something, eat it, and be ready to see Stranger Things. I wish the tour included a lunch, even a sandwich to cut out the stress of missing a house. I also feel compelled to point out that we didn’t get a single restroom break. The only break we had was for lunch. So, that wasn’t good for staying hydrated or the bladder. Ha.
Is the HHN Daytime Houses Tour worth it?
I think the HHN Daytime Houses Tour is only worth it if you are a fan of one of the IPs or horror in general. Plus, I don’t know that it would be a great use of time for someone’s first visit to Universal Orlando. However, I enjoyed my tour and don’t regret it one bit. So, have you ever done a Horror Nights tour?
Leave a Reply