‘Dead Man’s Pier: Winter’s Wake’ Steals the Show at Universal Orlando’s Epic Halloween Horror Nights!

Brad Miska

There’s no better way to kick off Halloween season than with Universal Orlando’s always epic Halloween Horror Nights, which opened this past Thursday jam-packed with several new houses and scare zones infested with bugs, cursed by witches, and hunted down by chupacabras.

While I am a huge fan of local haunts, Halloween Horror Nights is the “blockbuster” event that every horror fan needs to experience at least once in their life. HHN is more than just haunted houses, it’s a full-blown immersive experience that starts the second you walk through the entrance (check out over 75 killer treats) and ends at the exit. There’s quite literally nothing like it.

This year’s main event was The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare, inspired by the singer’s After Hours album. The house is a nonstop assault of body horror that transforms The Weeknd into horrific characters of his own imagination that would scare Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” werewolf. The haunt is designed in the spirit of the videos, including the awesome house of mirrors that highlighted the Super Bowl Halftime Show. It’s an absolute spectacle of a haunt that’s one of this year’s gems.

Because classics never go out of style, slasher icon Michael Myers returned to Halloween Horror Nights with a new attraction based on John Carpenter’s original 1978 classic Halloween! This isn’t the first time Michael has stalked HHN guests, but it’s quite possibly one of the best incarnations of the haunt. Guests will literally walk through Carpenter’s classic from Michael’s escape from Smith’s Grove to finding themselves in the middle of the closet sequence from the film’s climax. However, the highlight is a slight nod to the sequel, a foggy, hard-to-see set piece in which Michael quite literally appears out of haze for a good ol’ scare! It’s a wonderful haunt that gives you the very best of Halloween in just a few terrifying minutes. I loved it all over again.

Blumhouse made quite the impression as well with HHN trapping guests in the Grabber’s basement and daring them to walk up the stairs. The Grabber’s masks from The Black Phone are perfectly suited for a haunt as he stalks every corner, delivering more than a handful of frights. Freaky is also brought to life, with The Butcher using bottles and axes as weapons. The two-for-one haunt is absolutely killer and delivers the bloody goods.

The weakest of the Big Bads was Universal Monsters: Legends Collide, which brings Dracula, Wolf Man, and The Mummy together for the very first time to a rockin’ Slash score. While the design work was excellent, the scares left much to be desired. The biggest issue was the repetitive nature of the Mummy, who was used more than a handful of times throughout the house.

As much as I enjoy seeing my favorite films and characters come to life, I really do enjoy seeing what kinds of original nightmares the creative forces can conjure up.

This year, they hit the motherload with the hauntingly stunning Dead Man’s Pier: Winter’s Wake, which is easily one of the best HHN houses I’ve ever walked through. The haunt, in which you endure a petrifying winter thunderstorm in a seaside village ruled by an undead fisherman, is truly something to behold. It features a number of breathtaking scenes that are so remarkable you’ll find yourself lost in the moment, instantly falling in love. The stage design goes several layers deep, adding depth and realism to the already stunning haunt. The change in temperatures brings it all together and also provides serious relief from the Florida humidity. You’ll want to dock on Dead Man’s Pier as often as possible this Halloween season.

Another stunner was Spirits of the Coven, in which you enter an unsettling 1920s speakeasy only to discover that they are the main ingredient of witch’s brew. The haunt has old-timey ghosts and ghouls bringing the scares that build up to the coolest finale I’ve seen in years – the Coven’s leader uses her magic to control a trio of corpses as you walk by.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of another jam-packed event. One of the most hyped of the haunts was Bugs: Eaten Alive, another body horror nightmare infested with spiders, roaches, flies, bees and more. Fiesta de Chupacabras is all kinds of fun as you find yourself on the run from the mythical, fanged creature that continues to pop up and try and bite your face off. Then there’s a visit to Hellblock Horror in which the prisoners are “monsters”. Lastly, you’ll encounter a bunch of crazy-looking bloodthirsty mutants living in a post-apocalyptic subway system in Descendants of Destruction.

It’s insane how much is going on at HHN. Those were just the ten haunts. There are also shows and unbelievable Scare Zones, highlighted by Horrors of Halloween, which bring you face-to-face with The Pumpkin Lord and all his devious subjects. And make sure you stop by Conjure the Dark and watch an evil sorceress use her potion and spells to bring forth an army of ravenous monstrosities.

Then there’s Ghoulish! A Halloween Tale, an all-new show in the Universal Studios lagoon that follows the Grim Reaper on the undertaking of what happens beyond the grave – all set to eerily-remixed music by some of today’s most iconic artists.

While Halloween Horror Nights 31 delivered fewer icons and more original haunts, it was easily the most immersive that I’ve attended. HHN continues to find new ways to elevate beyond the houses and build terror across the entire park, while also providing an astounding number of unique horror-themed foods and products.  It’s all horror, all the time and I can’t think of another single experience that will drop you into a nightmare and leaves you there for several hours straight.  You have to find a way to experience this at least once in your life.

Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights will run for a record-breaking 43 select nights through October 31.

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