Nightly dose of horror is fan favorite

Some fans weren’t afraid to be “all in” for Halloween Horror Nights.

For this year’s edition of the scare fest, Universal Orlando offered a new ticket deal that allowed buyers to go every single night of the event.

That could amount to 31 evenings of haunted houses, lurching zombies, bloodied-up creatures and assorted things that go bump in the night at the theme park.

The Ultimate Frequent Fear Pass, if purchased with optional front-of-line express privileges, went for $599. Some might call that spine-tingling.

“I’d love to go every night, but life keeps getting in the way,” said Ryan Hogan, 36, of Ocoee. He bought Ultimate Frequent Fear but has only vis-

ited Universal Studios for HHN three times since the event began in mid-September. A single-night ticket is listed as $104.99, although discounts are available.

“To me, it’s still worth it. I’m sitting at home, and at any given moment, in an hour from now, I could be in a haunted house,” he said. “Even though I know it’s not going to happen, I know the house is there, and that alone is worth something.”

After a two-day extension by Universal, the final go-rounds for Halloween Horror Nights will be Nov. 4-5.

Unlimited access can encourage HHN-happy people to go to the event more frequently, especially when they can use the express pass to fly to the front of the lines.

“Express passes are like illegal drugs. You shouldn’t do them, because once you do them, then you’re hooked,” Hogan joked. “Before you know it, you have no money. You can’t go back.”

Ultimate Frequent Fear passholder Michael Oliver, who expects to attend 20 nights of the event, also is an express enthusiast. Monotonous winding queues are a common complaint for others.

“I’ve talked to people who didn’t buy the express pass this year, and they’ve regretted it,” he said. “It saved my life.”

Lines for Horror Nights’ nine haunted houses can mean scary two-hour waits for people who don’t spring for express. Skipping the queues prompted Oliver, who’s 23 and lives in ChampionsGate near Walt Disney World, to hit HHN more, he said.

“I think that a lot of people who have these passes do that,” he said. “You’ve already paid for it and you feel, ‘I might as well go and get my money’s worth.’ ”

It also increased how much time and money Oliver spent at Universal CityWalk, the restaurant and retail area adjacent to Universal’s theme parks.

“I would say I’ve eaten more at CityWalk because of the convenience. If I wasn’t at the event, I wouldn’t have driven to CityWalk,” Oliver said.

Repeated exposure to Universal’s intense houses, in which visitors snake past frightening scenes and dodge threatening “scare actors,” changed his mind about some of the HHN attractions, he said.

“You have certain houses that get better over time and certain houses that get worse,” Oliver said. Sometimes the cast gets burned out or is just tired midway through the Horror Nights season, he said.

At first, the claustrophobic Tomb of the Ancients was his favorite, but later he decided he liked the “American Horror Story” maze best, he said.

Meanwhile, Ultimate Fear Pass owner Scarlett Litton didn’t care at all for the Ancients house — at first. Repeated walkthroughs softened her attitude, she said.

“I had lots of good startles or I would see details that maybe I hadn’t noticed the first time, and it gave me more of an appreciation for that house,” said Litton, 31, who lives in Winter Springs.

Litton skipped the express options, saving about $400. She adopted a comevery-early or come-verylate strategy. And she didn’t spend more than 30 minutes in any line, she said.

“The nice thing about being able to go any night is if I get there and it’s too crowded ... you know, have a drink, do a house, then go home because you know you can come back anytime,” she said.

Next year, Litton said she might buy the Rush of Fear pass, which allows entry in the early days of the event, but not as Halloween nears. This year, the advance price for Rush of Fear was $91.99.

“We definitely went a whole lot at the beginning,” she said. “I don’t feel like I need to go anymore. I think maybe do Rush of Fear … and call it good.”