Halloween Horror nights are supposedly the best place a person should go if they want the scare of their lives. With a variety of 10 haunted houses as well as the classic roller coaster rides that already exist in Universal Studios, you are bound to have a spooky experience…or are you? Even though there are numerous haunted houses options, and you would think walking into the park that you must go into every house and make the most of your $90 ticket, unfortunately, the majority of your time will be spent in lines that seem to stretch out to Narnia and back. If you are the person that skipped out on their gym day even though you promised yourself that you would go, Halloween Horror Nights will give you all the cardio you need for the rest of the month. 

Unlike previous years, Halloween Horror Nights 2021 is recommended for the faint of heart. There is a plastic covering over the areas actors hide for the jump scares in the haunted houses. Due to the reflection on the plastic, it is obvious when they will pop out, spoiling the fun. The makeup and costumes, on the other hand, are impressive. The blood-covered clowns to the demonic-looking fairies would make anyone shake just with some intense eye contact. Regardless, compared to the past 30 years of the show, this year was quite disappointing and not worth the expenses or the drive. 

This year was my first time going to Halloween Horror Nights; the friends I went with have gone for many years and kept boasting about how fun of an experience it was and that I might even need a change of underwear. Besides the famous scare zones where actors will chase you and scare you as you casually walk in the park, only one house out of the five that we went to actually made me jump. Either I was invincible or tired,  but I was able to walk through the houses with close to no fear. I do not regret going because I enjoyed the time I had with my friends and we made some unforgettable memories regardless of the quality of the show itself. 

All in all, Halloween Horror Nights did not live up to its reputation this year. The scariest part about it was the length of the lines to each attraction. To make the most of the experience, I would recommend walking through the scare zones and enjoying the decorations rather than standing for hours to be mildly scared walking through a haunted house for a minute. If you have the luxury, a fast pass would be best and help you make the most of your time at the park. But suppose you are like me, seventeen years old making minimum wage on a part-time job. In that case, a fast pass lives only in our imagination. I suggest wearing your best running shoes and bringing a large bottle of water, but unfortunately you would not need those extra pairs of underwear.