Hits and misses: 10 Halloween Horror Nights 2022 talking points

Scare fans rejoice! Universal Studios Singapore's Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) is returning for a bumper tenth anniversary edition.

After a two-year hiatus thanks to Covid-19, HHN promises to bring things up a level from Sept 30 to Nov 5, with spanking new experiences such as laser tag, macabre live dinner show (complete with matching food and beverages to boot) and even an exclusive backstage tour!

Tickets will cost you $78 on peak nights and $68 on off-peak nights. 

With so much to see, hear, smell, taste and experience, we break down what are our hits and misses.

Hits

Killustrator: The Final Chapter (haunted house)

One of the three haunted houses featured this year, Killustrator: The Final Chapter is the crown jewel of HHN’s offerings if you ask us.

Featuring a maniacal local manga artist — think a gory version of Death Note — who prides himself on his skills to create 'bloody' good art.

This haunted house is a throwback to the past, with fan favourites like the Naga and even our trusty local MRT making a comeback!

Hospitality of Horror (haunted house)

The Asian-themed haunted house of this edition, this labyrinth of screams is inspired by local tales of haunted mansions and hotels.

The premise is that you are invited for a staycation in a luxurious new hotel, but little do you know that it used to belong a wealthy tycoon who built it for his bloodthirsty sorceress wife. And once you check in, you don't check out!

Our own personal highlight? Experiencing old-school scare techniques blended with modern tech to create an immersive hair-raising experience.

Dark Zodiac (scare zone)

Dark Zodiac is low on the scare factor — it feels more scary walking through Clarke Quay during Halloween. 

Ideally experienced after the haunted houses, this scare zone is a welcomed break to calm your nerves. 

Injecting a dark take on something close to everyone's hearts, see how twisted our trusty horoscope signs can be when they are conjured up by a mysterious Horrorcle.

Monsters & Manifestations (live show and tour)

Fans of cabaret, rejoice for HHN has you covered with their live show and backstage tour Monsters & Manifestations.

For a $38 top-up, discover the secret scare techniques used in HHN as you join a dark mistress of the night — think Cruella meets Elvira — along with her undead henchmen.

This bit really shines through, with committed character acting and slick dance moves sealing the deal for us.

The Silenced Auction (live show)

Designated as the opener to your HHN experience, this live show ties all the different experiences into one neat plot.

As a result, it does make the different HHN experiences feel more seamless and demonstrates the importance of storytelling.

Misses

Creepy Combo Creation and Spooky Snacks and Sips (food and beverages)

With offerings like eyeball pizza, neon-coloured syringes and the works, the food and drinks certainly look on point for Instagram.

Yet when it comes to taste, this is where we feel it fails to live up to the mark, with both the pizza and spooky sips way too sweet.

The eyeball pizza (available at $25 with a drink and dessert), a quarter-sliced charcoal pie topped with mozzarella, longans, blueberries, crispy puffed rice and gochujang (red pepper) sauce, is a valiant effort to incorporate Asian ingredients, but only serves to further the debate on why longans and blueberries have no place on pizza.

Escape the Breakout (laser tag)

One of the new experiences for their tenth edition, Escape the Breakout is HHN's take on a laser tag escape room mashup.

With a story that would be familiar to Batman: Arkham Asylum fans, you and your plucky team of friends must escape from Heinous Harbour, a prison for the criminally-hardened and insane.

Though the laser tag component is no doubt fun, the lack of instructions made us feel that the escape room puzzles were out of place.

The Hunt for Pontianak (scare zone)

Personally, we are pontianak fans and so our expectations were pretty high. 

This scare zone, which sees a bunch of influencers wander the Malaysian forest in their attempt to capture the famed vengeful female spirit (think Blair Witch Project), pales in comparison to past HHN Pontianak offerings. 

While the setting seems to be right (dim lights, smoke and spooky sounds), the entire experience comes off as campy and even a little hilarious due to overacting from the scare actors and kitschy props.

ALSO READ: Halloween Horror Nights 10-year retrospective: A look back on previous haunted house highlights

Operation: Dead Force (haunted house)

You would think we are all tapped out when it comes to all things zombies in the last few years (thanks, The Walking Dead and Train to Busan), and this haunted house doesn't really bring anything new to the table.

This journey into the Special Forces Against the Dead headquarters as they battle a nerve zombie agent just feels a tad too repetitive for us to feel any chills down our spine.

Click here to book your tickets.

timothywee@asiaone.com