In the spirit of Halloween, many teens everywhere hit one of the most popular attractions this October, Universal Studios: Horror Nights, in high hopes of experiencing the spine-chilling allure of the year. A once wholesome, family-friendly amusement park with joyous screams of happiness is turned upside-down. Renovated to reveal an overall horrid atmosphere with walk-through mazes and scare zones to appeal to the bloodcurdling season of the year. This year, Hollywood withholds screams of terror as infamous scarers lurk the streets appealing an audience of the brave and skeptical.

The premier Halloween event is a popular attraction to hit in the spooky season. Held at Universal Studios in various locations, one of them being Hollywood, California. The theme park event takes place during selected nights during the months of late September and October.  Within the park, a variety of opportunities are provided to undergo the same spine-chilling experience for all sorts of audiences. It features walk-through mazes as actors await to scare the unexpected and numerous scare zones where guests encounter a street experience as they roam around the park.

 Young adults and teens everywhere attend the anticipated event in desire to fear for fun. As the season of fall rolls around, Mia Ortega, 10, visits Universal Studios in early October, eager to experience the thrill of fear. 

“I loved Horror Nights, it was a great experience and I would love to go again,” Ortega said. “My favorite maze was the monster maze because, personally, that was the only scary one we went in.”

The riveting event transforms Universal Studios into a sinister experience taking innovation from the beloved original and classic horror franchises and films. Among these legendary horror film entries, original concepts of the creative minds behind Horror Nights brainstorm ideas to attract a wider audience. One student at Downey, Narelle Guerra, 10, gives her input on the horror attractions she attended.    

“My experience was pretty good, I think they really upped the scare level more than last year,” Guerra said. “I chose [Horror Nights] because there’s actual movies that you can actually watch that they’re based off of, and I think that’s way more entertaining when there’s characters involved.”

This year, the most anticipated and popular crowd-pleaser is The Weeknd Maze. Inspired by the famous singer, The Weeknd and his After Hours album. Walk-through mazes like these are scattered throughout the park. Described as a “surreal living nightmare” by many. The experience, once on screen, is turned into a reality. Filled with jump scares in every direction and dark corner. As visitors walk around skeptical of what might appear, scare zones is a surreal walk-through adventure through the streets of Universal as the infamous scarers circle groups of individuals.

Horror Nights seems to be a popular choice amidst the community here at Downey. Long-time attendee, Kaley Sandoval, 10, joins the Horror Nights experience for the 3rd time this fall season, revealing her night of terror.     

“I chose to go to Horror Nights in the first place because I go every year and I find it fun getting scared and making memories with my family. My experience with Horror Nights is really fun, I enjoy the mazes and getting scared,” Sandoval said. “My favorite maze was the Blumhouse maze because I liked the producer of Blumhouse and the movie ‘Black Phone’, which felt like a sequel [to the movie] within the maze.”

The celebration of Halloween is interpreted in many different ways. Horror Nights is one of many that is offered to the public to have a fun and spooky experience, circling the streets of Hollywood as scarers lurk. As we get closer to Halloween, it’s the perfect time to take a trip to Universal Studios: Horror Nights.