Halloween Horror Nights 2017 Review

Universal Studios Singapore (USS) hosted their annual Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) event once again this year and both locals and tourists ecstatically dressed up for a night where they would scream their lungs out in fear of ghosts.

Offering five haunted houses, two scare zones, and two live performances, HHN7 was a night where many could come together and scare themselves with their friends and family (and perhaps this was even a chance for them to get closer to their significant other)!

I rated this night based on five attributes I felt were the most important to have the experience of your life.

Atmosphere: 4.5 / 5.0

My friends and I, upon entering the park, noticed how the lights had been switched off, giving a gloomy effect to the whole place. This was very unlike USS in the mornings and afternoons which tend to be sunny and chirpy. The music played were mostly songs top on the chart such as Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift and a few K-Pop songs to tie in with the K-Pop inspired haunted house.

Credit: Dejiki

Although the songs before the commencement of the preview were fun and happening, the background music played during the preview gave a rather dominating effect and built up a lot of suspense in the atmosphere. As the area was dark and the music eerie, the overall atmosphere of the park did seem scary when we entered and it set a lot of expectations for the rest of the event to be as frightening.

Theme: 3.0 / 5.0

This year, HHN7 portrayed the theme of the 7 sins – cruelty, deception, malice, manipulation, narcissism, perversion and obsession. What I enjoyed about this year’s theme was how it was shaped to be mostly relatable to the current trends in Singapore. For example, the K-Pop themed haunted house, Make The Cut, tied in well with the Korean (or Hallyu) wave that is going over teenagers and even some adults, while the Death Mall was relevant to many of us spending hours in shopping malls.

Credit: Dejiki

However, what could have been improved was possibly a clearer depiction of the 7 sins through the park as their portrayals were not very obvious. The theme of each haunted house could also have been better as, although relatable, the places chosen were where people go to have fun rather than to get terrified.

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Scare Factor: 3.5 / 5.0

Some haunted houses were pretty scary while some were not as much. My personal favourite was the TERROR-Cotta haunted house as the Chinese Empresses had make up that were petrifying. Furthermore, the wind and the silence in the atmosphere brought chills down my spine.

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However, due to the layout and design that make up most of the other houses, it was easy to predict where some of the ghosts would jump out from, with the scares mostly coming as a shock.

Also, because large groups of people would enter the haunted house together, the ghosts would not come after you if they were to scare your group of friends in front, thus making it difficult for one to experience the scare first-hand. Hence, the overall scare factor was not as high as I was expecting it to be.

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Fun-Meter: 4.0 / 5.0

Seeing your friends scream in fear always makes for a good laugh. The haunted houses, the scare zones as well as the live shows were all very enjoyable to visit, especially if you were with your friends or significant other. It was a place where you guys could get scared, scream together and then laugh at each other’s reactions. The live shows were also entertaining and engaging, and they got my friends and I captivated to watch till the end.

Credit: Dejiki

Affordability: 5.0 / 5.0

I felt that the tickets were affordable because you get to experience most of the rides that are open in the morning (such as the Mummy ride and the Transformers) while enjoying the horror of Halloween at the same time, all for a cheaper price! Since there were more people going into the Halloween related areas, the queues for the normal rides were also shorter. In my opinion, it was worth buying the HHN7 tickets as they offered more fun for a cheaper price.

Credit: Dejiki

Overall: 4.0 / 5.0

With the eerie atmosphere starting to build up even as soon as my friends and I stepped out of the monorail station, HHN7 was an event where we actually got to experience fear and fun at the same time. Although the horror could have been better, it was still an enjoyable event that was worth visiting again next year. I, along with many of my friends, had a good time.

Credit: Teenage

All in all, HHN7 was a good avenue to take a break and have fun with the people you love to spend time with. Being light-hearted (and eventually light-headed with all the screaming), it was a nice place to bond with one another and the perfect outlet to relieve all the stress that students like us have been accumulating with the endless stream of assignments.

Credit: Dejiki

Despite the flaws, HHN7 still managed to capture the attention of many locals and tourists, standing as one of the few places where people could truly experience the horrors of Halloween.

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