IT CAN BE TRICKY, in a horror film scenario, deciding if you'd like to be first to enter a shadowy room, a crumbling castle, or a scary forest, as opposed to being the very last person inside. There are pros and cons to both choices, but, when it comes down to it, being first has its major pluses. After all, you'll get an early look at what monsters are lurking about, what ghosts you want to avoid, and anything eerie in your direct path. Being first is also rather a fabulous thing when it comes to the phantom-filled, fantasy-dark, super-spooky Halloween Horror Nights. The Universal Studios Hollywood falltime treat has long seen a bustling opening night come the middle of September, with throngs of returning fans in attendance, as well as curious and brave newcomers, but the theme park is changing it up this year with its "first-ever"...
FAN PREVIEW NIGHT: Nope, this isn't opening night, but you might think of it as Opening Night Eve, for the Fan Preview Night will on the day before the big kick-off. That official opening day? It's Friday, Sept. 13, which means that the Fan Preview Night will haunt the theme park on Thursday, Sept. 12. Should you buy a ticket to the Sept. 12 event, you'll be among the first people to enter "... this year's 10 terrifying mazes," giving you "bragging rights" should you want to spread the wicked word on all of your social pages. Adding to the fearsome flavor of the extra-special, eerie-as-all-get-out to-do? Prepare to encounter DJs pumping out the rock-on atmospheric sounds, photo opps that up the event's eek-filled spirit, and that all-important "special commemorative credential." And will there be stars out, not just in the sky but on the red carpet? For sure, so count on further luster on an already lustrous evening. Just keep your peepers peeled, and you might see a luminary or two from the pantheon of horror cinema.
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW... for the inaugural, sure-to-be-buzzy event, which Universal announced on June 27. There are a few pass choices and combos, like the Fan Preview Night + Frequent Fear Pass mash-up, but you can go with a Fan Preview Night General Admission option, too. If you'll be attending all 32 of Halloween Horror Night's maze-tastic evenings, the Ultimate Fear Pass is the way to go, if you dare (yep, you'll also get into the Fan Preview Night). So are you ready to enter a realm where Frankenstein squares off with the Wolfman? Where the story of "Stranger Things" comes to skin-prickling life? And where holidays beyond Halloween take on a sinister vibe? Be quick, be early, and be first, much like a character in a monster movie is the first inside a castle or cabin or haunted house, and snatch up that ticket or pass fast. As fast as it takes to scream when you first turn the corner of a classic Halloween Horror Nights maze.
Universal Studios and NBC-owned TV stations operate under the same parent company NBCUniversal.
