Every year since 1986, Universal Studios hosts Halloween Horror Nights from September 4th to November 2nd.
MBA Sophomore Neida Alcazar said, “I think that if you have a fast pass it’s even more worth it but I think the houses are really good.”
Multiple theme parks do different variations of events for Halloween including Knott’s Scary Farm, Disneyland’s Oogie Boogie Bash, and Six Flags’ Fright Fest. But arguably, Halloween Horror Nights is the best one with reimagining popular horror movies into different mazes and scare zones.
When asked about Halloween Horror Nights, Sophomore in COMPASS Jasiah Bell said, “I think Halloween Horror Nights is a great experience to experience with family, friends, or even someone special. I would definitely recommend going.”
This year, there are a total of eight different mazes, with some lines being upwards of 240 minutes to enter. “I do know that the lines are crazy and I do know compared to past years the lines are very bad,” says Emilie Anselmo, student-teacher at Millikan and a make up artist for Halloween Horror nights.
The Halloween event even sold out the whole month of September and October is already filling up, showing just how many people are attending. Fans are still waiting in lines to get a peek into fan favorite houses like Terrifier and Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Gwenyth Esoy • Oct 14, 2025 at 1:21 pm
On October 9, 2025, Emma Croff wrote an article titled “Halloween Horror Nights”. Towards the beginning of Croff’s article, she claims that Halloween Horror Nights is the best Halloween event out of all of them. This was interesting to hear because I recently went to both Halloween Horror Nights and Knott’s Scary Farm, and I found them to be quite even. Both were just as scary as one another, each giving you the thrill that you pay for! However, this is just my personal opinion, and Croff was able to support her own view very well. I did think using students who attended Halloween Horror Nights was an excellent source, but I found it even more impressive that Croff was able to find a member of staff here at Millikan who is a makeup artist for the event!
The article highlighted how popular and crowded Halloween Horror Nights can get, acting as a sponsor of the event. I found this technique to be quite clever, as it can attract more people to read her article. Not only this, but appealing to her audience by using the “fan favorite houses like Terrifier and Five Nights at Freddy’s” (Croff 6) is also very well thought out, because it appeals to the age range that students have here at Millikan.
Overall, I thought Croff’s article was excellent! It was well written, used amazing sources, and was appropriate for the audience. When more holidays come around, Croff should do more articles on popular events. If I hadn’t already attended Halloween Horror Nights, this article would have convinced me to do so!
Jordan Leibl • Oct 14, 2025 at 11:55 am
October 14, 2025
Dear Corydon Editor,
On October 9, 2023, Emma Croff wrote an article titled “Halloween Horror Nights”. I read this article while scrolling through all the articles on the corydon. I found this piece very intriguing about how horror nights are. Croff builds her report to show different perspectives and views on if the ongoing Halloween event is worth the time. I think it was interesting to see her viewpoint and stance on the fact that Halloween Horror Nights is the best Halloween event. Croff states, “The Halloween event even sold out the whole month of September and October is already filling up, showing just how many people are attending”. I enjoy the fact that Croff shows the benefits and drawbacks of the event. She mentions not only that it is fun and exciting with each different house but also the fact that due to its popularity lines are long and have a very lengthy wait time for each.
I admire the article’s entirety and like how the article isn’t just all about the goods about going to the houses but also gives real concerns too. I feel it would also be captivating to get more details about a personal experience going and what it was like for that person. The article can include what some of the houses are like and how scary it was from someone who attended the event recently. By adding a personal account like this Croff can further show the readers how Halloween Horror Nights is really like during the spooky season.
I like how Croff didn’t just use her own words but also interviewed other students on their thoughts of what it was like. By doing this she is able to demonstrate to her readers what others think and not just what she believes. The whole article is an enticing read and gives unique viewpoints throughout. I found it fascinating how big the lines can get when it gets really busy there. I also found it interesting that it sold out fast in September and is continuing to do so in October, highlighting the popularity of the event. Croff’s article made an engaging point and gave a detailed account of Halloween Horror Nights.
Sincerely,
Jordan Leibl
Dallas • Oct 14, 2025 at 11:23 am
I wanted to formally illustrate my appreciation for your article as one of my personal favorite activities to do during the Halloween season is go to haunted theme parks. Specifically, your coverage about the universal studios Halloween Horror Nights peaks my interest as the recent horror movies such as Terrifier and Five Nights at Freedys have really brought more focus onto the horror genre as a whole. If I may suggest, could you branch out to other parts of amusement park horror nights such as the history or possibly story behind how so many beloved haunted mazes came to be the way they are today or what inspired their creation. I absolutely adore your incorporation of pictures taken at the actual halloween horror nights and would love to possibly see on sight pictures in another article covering the vast subject of amusement parks during spooky season. Moreover I would like to send my appeciation for your in person interviews with different people to share multiple perspectives on the subject along with presenting your full effort for the creation of this article representing millikens pride in what they produce.
Sincerely,
Dallas Rosenthal
Joaquin Chavez • Oct 14, 2025 at 9:59 am
As a Universal Studios fan and a person who attended Halloween Horror Nights in September, I am glad that this article includes the good and bad aspects of the attraction. Though it was fun to attend with my friends and family and I do believe that this is one of the best attractions in the area, the popularity of Halloween Horror Nights results in a congested environment, which I am glad that this article included. Adding that the lines can get up to 240 minutes and that the whole month of September accurately portrays the intensity and popularity of the event, which is extremely important to people that are considering going. I also believe that the recommendation to get a pass is helpful as well because though getting a pass would help you navigate through the mazes more efficiently, even without passes there are still ways to have fun.
I would say that, though I prefer Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios over other attractions, whether it be the best in prices is arguable. Halloween Horror Nights may be considered having some of the best scare, however, I would add that the prices, especially if getting a pass is being considered, could get high depending on the day and the popularity at that time. For example, Knott’s Berry Farm has been known to be significantly cheaper in the area and same with their Halloween events. A warning of the prices both to buy passes and to buy items in the attractions would be a better help to people determining whether they are likely to attend or not.
This article is additionally, on point with including the most popular mazes of the event which I and other horror fans can appreciate. The mazes themed around Terrifier and Five Nights at Freddy’s are the most popular this year, and to enhance even further, because of this increased admiration for certain mazes the lines and the areas around these mazes are extremely crowded. I would add that the reason for this attention is because these mazes are themed around mainstream and popular movies as Terrifier is known to be very gory, having three movies and Five Night at Freddy’s was first a popular video game, so popular that it got interpreted into a film with a sequel coming later this year. Overall, this article does a notably successful job at portraying the pros and cons of attending Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights in 2025 but a few more additions about its prices and reason for popularity would add depth to help readers with decision and understanding.
Carlee Zabel • Oct 13, 2025 at 1:40 pm
This article was very interesting and insightful to read. I enjoyed learning more about Universal Studios’ haunt event, and as someone who loves all things Halloween, I found this article to be exciting and intriguing. The personal quotes from people at Millikan were a great touch, adding authenticity and passion to the idea of Halloween Horror Nights. In particular, I found it impressive that one of the quotes was from a student-teacher at Millikan who is also a make-up artist for Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. This small but fascinating detail caught my attention and made the read even more interesting for me.
It would have been interesting to add the different names and themes of the mazes and scare zones at this event, as it would give readers a better understanding of what this Haunt event is all about. Since Universal Studios is unique in the way that they use popular horror movies as inspiration for their event, it would give a chance to hone in on that aspect that makes Halloween Horror Nights so fascinating.
In terms of future articles with a similar theme, I would love to see articles on the other local haunt events, such as Knott’s Scary Farm and Six Flag’s Fright Fest. The way the article was written was so insightful and I would love to hear people’s opinions on other classic Halloween events.
Tayme Ali • Oct 13, 2025 at 1:31 pm
I really enjoyed reading about Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, and it has peaked my interest. What about the mazes makes the 240 minute long line worth it? I understand that a fast pass would make it much more accessible and fun, but if someone doesn’t have one, is the change of the enjoyment that drastic?
I’m keen that the alternatives to Universal Studios were listed. Although, I think the addition of a list of the theme parks from best fright night to the worst could be useful. Since the alternatives all have their respectable positive and negatives to Universal Studios, maybe some more insight on why Universal Studios is the better pick would be appreciated. I do notice that it’s said that they reimagine many popular movies into mazes, but what makes this exponentially better than the other theme parks?
I am grateful for the notice of the crazy lines at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, as I think this fact could be the make-or-break for many people. Based off reading this, it seems like a worth while trip to make. This was honestly a perfect article to write for the spooky season. It sounds fun, interesting, and definitely a place many people would want to go to.
Olivia Vits • Oct 13, 2025 at 11:54 am
On October 9, 2025, Emma Croff wrote an article titled “Halloween Horror Nights”. This article was an immensely informative and descriptive read on Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights. I thought she was very persuasive in her argument that out of all the theme parks’ Halloween events, that Universal Studios is by far the most enjoyable. I liked how she included comments made by the people because it allows for more relatableness between the audience and the text. Again, this addition to her article appeals more to the audience which is most likely Millikan students.
She does an outstanding job in describing the environment of the event, specifically when she talks about how long the lines are and just how busy it can get. Furthermore, I believe that it was extremely helpful that she added another person’s personal experience of Halloween Horror Nights, enhancing her previous segment of the long lines.
Cassidy Kepler • Oct 13, 2025 at 11:19 am
On October 9, 2025, Emma Croff wrote an article titled “Halloween Horror Nights” regarding the Halloween attraction at Universal Studios. This article gave a sense of forewarning but also a brief description of why it is so popular. I liked the author’s attention to detail, which was shown through her incorporation of the theme parks historical context of how long it has been around. As a reader, learning that this event has been going on since 1986 makes it more enticing simply based on its consistent popularity. In addition, Croff utilized a quote from someone who works as a makeup artist at Halloween Horror Nights, giving her claims and insight a high sense of credibility.
As someone who is highly interested in attending an event of this nature, I am curious of how a maze would feel or how interactive the actors are. While I enjoyed the article and its general description of what a night at Halloween Horror Nights would look like, I would also be interested in a more specific or detailed recollection of the experience. This is a particularly interesting topic to me because of its social relevance with people at Millikan and simply high school students in general.