While I’ve only been to Halloween Horror Nights once this year, I have had the pleasure of being a house attendant at Universal Monsters: Unmasked for the season and have been able to track a lot of the wait times for the season, both posted and actual. If you’re about to visit HHN for your first and only time this year, here’s some help to maximize your experience at the best haunt event in America.

1) Stay and Scream - Last of Us

We all know “Stay and Scream” is a must if you’re trying to do all 10 houses, all 5 scare zones, and the show without having express passes, but choosing to do Last of Us over any of the other zones is by far the best option. You want to get into this Stay and Scream area via Central Park, and we suggest heading in before 4:30. The goal is to be out of this house before 6:00 to move on to 3 other houses right after (we’ll get to this in a moment). One of my good friends has done this approach for 25+ nights of HHN and has been able to do all 10 houses and more every time.

2) Monsters, Darkest Deal, and Dr. Oddfellows

So if all things go optimally, you’ve gotten through Last of Us and are walking past the exit at 5:50. This exit for Last of Us is the same as Monsters, so you’re about to experience the most obnoxious 1/2 mile walk you’ve done as you walk past Monsters (with maybe 200 people in line), walk through the line, and walk the same exit path again. Monsters doesn’t get nearly as much of a line during Stay and Scream, so they tend to be a walk-on from 6:00-6:15, so you’ll be hitting it at a perfect time.

After Monsters, head straight to Darkest Deal/Dr. Oddfellows. These houses are furthest away from the entrance of the park and from the other Stay and Scream areas, so you’ll be able to maximize on getting these done ASAP. I suggest doing Dr. Oddfellows first, as the exit is right next to Darkest Deals entrance.

3) Drinks and Food

Everyone knows how awesome HHN is, and the exclusive drinks and food options help make it a unique experience. As you’ve seen, we’ve talked about 4 houses BEFORE even mentioning anything about food and drinks. This is because a lot of groups (especially if there are more than 4 people) get slowed down because of one person wanting to grab a drink or snack. It is CRUCIAL that you are all on the same page that from Stay and Scream up until about 6:45/7:00, you avoid getting any food or drinks. The reason for this is that we are trying to optimize on the very, very low wait times. We want 4 houses done by 7:00, and this is most easily done by pushing through the first hour/hour and a half and then being able to slow down and enjoy the rest of your night.

TL;DR - no drinks or food until after 7:00 so you can maximize your time.

4) Nightmare Fuel

If you don’t know what Nightmare Fuel is, you are in for a massive treat with plenty of whipped cream and cherries on top. This premiere show is said to be “worth the cost of admission alone” due to the energy the performers bring. There are four performances each night: 8:00, 9:30, 11:00, and 12:30

We are suggesting you see the 8:00 show for two reasons: 1. To get it out of the way, and 2. To possibly see it a second time at 12:30. The best plan is to get in line 25-30 minutes before the show starts. The shows have been hitting full capacity, and they’ve turned guests away, so get there early!

5) 8:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.

This 4-hour stint of the night is the worst. It’s unpredictable, crowded, and separates the weak from the strong. So, let’s talk about how to get through it.

We’re assuming we’ve done 4 houses, the show, and gotten at least 1 novelty food and/or beverage. The best plan after watching the 8:00 showing of Nightmare Fuel is to find whatever line has a low wait time (unless it’s been posted low for over 30 minutes) and get in it. You’re going to be waiting in longer lines for this portion of the night, so unfortunately, you have to accept the fate. Our big tip for this is to use thrill-data.com and look at the trends in the wait times for whatever you want to go to. If Chucky has been posted at 35 minutes from 8:00-8:30, then when you get there by 8:45, it’ll have likely jumped up to a 70+ minute wait. Likewise, if Bloodmoon or Yeti has been posted at a 60-75-minute wait from 7:45-8:30, they’re likely to drop a bit after posting that high for 30-45 minutes. Use this to your best judgment, but ultimately, once you enter a line, don’t leave! Stay committed. Your time is a resource.

6) Yeti, Dueling Dragons, and Bloodmoon

Similarly to point 2, you’re going to be able to “speedrun” these three houses around 12:30 am. if you haven’t done them yet. If you have, we suggest checking out the 12:30 showing of Nightmare Fuel.
These houses tend to post a 15-25 minute wait and are either accurate or even a walk-on. You can easily get these three houses done before 1:15 a.m., leaving you with a good amount of time to end the night.

7) 1:59 a.m.

HHN 32 closes at 2:00 a.m. on the dot. However, you can enter a line as late as 1:59 and still be able to enjoy the house. High-interest houses will tend to overpost their wait to deter guests from entering this late, so we highly suggest getting in line for Stranger Things if you haven’t done it as you should only wait 20-30 minutes. Overall, the best way to maximize your night is by prioritizing the first AND last hour and a half of the night. Utilizing Stay and Scream, as well as the 1:59 a.m. line entrance, will help guarantee you can get every house in your one night of fright.