THEY say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned – and I think it must be true as I run, claw and scream my way out of a horror house haunted exclusively by women.
I am at Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights, now in their 33rd year.
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And they are bigger, better and more terrifying than ever.
During the day, Universal Studios is the epitome of Florida fun, with themed lands dedicated to The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter, Minions and DreamWorks characters including Shrek, Trolls and Kung Fu Panda.
But at night the park reopens as a horror-fest complete with chainsaw maniacs, medieval villains and swamp zombies.
Universal Studios Florida is known for putting guests inside the films we love, including The Bourne Identity, Transformers and E.T.
And it is no different at Halloween.
The horror nights — this year open for their longest-ever run until November 3 — create terrifying houses based on slasher flicks recently at the cinema.
This year saw houses based on Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire starring Bill Murray and Paul Rudd, Insidious: The Further and A Quiet Place.
Anyone who has watched these movies will be stunned at how accurate the Universal houses are and how realistic it feels to be placed in the storylines.
America loves to do everything bigger and better and the horror houses here are full-scale sets.
Midway through Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, you are greeted by a larger-than-life replica of the New York Fire Station.
And true to the movie, it also happens to be snowing.
It’s impressive, but you only have a few seconds to appreciate the incredible detail before Garraka, the resident baddie, appears out of nowhere and you’re making a mad dash for the exit.
This year, girl power rules supreme with an all-original haunted house, Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines, that features exclusively female monsters, including The Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula’s Daughter and She-Wolf of London.
As I navigate the house, there is no doubt this experience feels different to the other slasher-heavy ones in the line-up.
There is certainly no lack of jump-scares and sudden frights, but it’s cleverly seductive, as all the best women are.
There are ten horror houses in total, including one themed around children who become demonic after eating sweets, which I am sure many parents can relate to.
Each house also comes with its own spin-off street food vendor, serving freaky treats including a Red Door Pie from Insidious and an Instagram-tastic Ghostbusters Stay Puft S’more, which was the most sought-after snack of this year’s event.
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Even when taking a break from the haunted houses, the horror continues with dedicated scare zones around the park.
Jump scares and sudden frights
This year they featured characters from the Blumhouse franchise, including M3GAN and The Grabber.
The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter is also open and fans should be on the lookout for Death Eaters, who will almost certainly make an appearance.
Halloween Horror Nights are recommended for guests over the age of 13 and it is easy to see why.
This epic gore-fest is terrifyingly realistic — and watching fully grown adults jumping out of their skin is endlessly entertaining.
The next day, Universal Studios as we know it is back to normal, but girl power is still going strong.
Poppy from Trolls was high-fiving guests at DreamWorks and Marilyn Monroe was spotted cruising past in a classic car.
It baffles that just hours ago, demons roamed the streets to a soundtrack of screams and that now there is no trace of that terror.
But that’s the magic of the movies, after all.
GO: FLORIDA
GETTING / STAYING THERE: Virgin Holidays has seven nights’ room-only at the 4* Loews Sapphire Falls at Universal Orlando from £1,268pp, including Virgin Atlantic flights from Heathrow on September 3, 2025.
Or depart on November 1 this year with prices from £1,962pp including 3 Park Explorer and Halloween Horror Nights ticket.
To book, see virginholidays.co.uk or call 0344 557 3859.
