Now on its fourth run, Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Singapore has placed itself prominently on Singapore’s tourism calendar. I was luckily invited to the media preview, and all I can say is, it’s definitely worth flying to Singapore for. Read more…
Halloween Horror Nights 4 is the “region’s only comprehensive Halloween theme park experience,” with its movie-quality haunted houses, immersive scare zones, and a specially-produced musical. The fourth installment to an annual tradition, the signature event features a 3D haunted house for the first time ever, and the good news is, it’ll be open on more nights.
This year, the demonic Minister of Evil is unleashing Demoncracy, a state of terror characterized by a new social order. This spine-chilling uprising is evident across the park, with a funhouses, city streets, army barracks, and schools all gone loony and wrong. Creepy clowns become unfunny, and urban legends and fairy tales that have come to life take a turn for the worst.
Recently, friends at Unversal Studios Singapore and Resorts World Sentosa gave us a full walkthrough of what visitors can expect in this year’s spookfest.
JACK’S NIGHTMARE CIRCUS
We first trooped to Pantages Hollywood Theater for the premiere of Jack’s Nightmare Circus. It’s a musical extravaganza featuring aerial acrobats, contortionists and other freaky but amazing friends. Jack, the killer clown, is out on the hunt for the next big act in his sinister circus, but the auditionees end up being killed for them to truly join him on tour.
THE FOUR HAUNTED HOUSES
Jack’s 3Dementia, the first one we bravely entered, is a funky funhouse gone creepily wrong. With the uber-cool ChromaDepth 3D technology in place, it’s hard to separate an illusion from the real thing—you wouldn’t know when a clown would pop out and suddenly chase you.
Jing’s Revenge is reminiscent of those Japanese horror flicks we’ve grown to love, only that the central character is a Singaporean girl who hung herself years ago. Once inside her former school, you’d relive the horrors, the nightmares she faced as an outcast.
Mati Camp puts terrifying twists on what happens in a typical military camp. The Minister of Evil tasked Sergeant Major to take the helm of the place, and the latter integrated such atrocities as cannibalism and mutilation in his training manual. I found this to be the scariest of the four.
The L.A.B. (Laboratory of Alien Breeding), lastly, walks fans of aliens and sci-fi across a facility that breeds grisly human-alien hybrids. Certainly, it doesn’t help that experiments at the L.A.B. are run by the equally-gruesome Alien Reptilians that threaten unwanted visitors.
THE FOUR SCARE ZONES
Demoncracy is like the hellish underworld brought unto level ground. Hot lava pours into the street, and a host of evil fiends attack those who aren’t among them. It’s an awe-inspiring scene of what we might face should Armageddon indeed come.
Bogeyman is inspired by our childhood nightmares. It’s a walkthrough across a dingy, eerie playground populated by menacing children. At the end of it is, of course, the worst—the Boogeyman himself popping out of a closet just like in our darkest dreams.
Canyon of the Cursed is the dark unmarked realm in the Wild West. Bold treasure hunters have explored it in hopes of finding the gold of Nevurotibe, ignoring a legend that it’s guarded by spirits and protected by an ancient chieftain’s curse. They now haunt the canyon.
Scary Tales warps fairy tales into nightmares. Ensnared by the Forest of Disenchantment, our beloved characters who’ve transformed beyond easy recognition became wicked themselves. Who would’ve thought Snow White or Little Red Riding Hood could be dangerous?
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Halloween Horror Nights 4 needs a separate ticket. Should you wish to go on the same day as your visit to Universal Studios Singapore, it only costs 50 SGD (~1750 PHP) extra. A standalone ticket costs 68 SGD (~2400 PHP), although RWS Invites members, season and annual pass holders, and Mastercard and Maybank cardholders get a discount.
- Halloween Horror Nights 4 is open on the following dates: October 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 31, and November 1, from 7:30 PM until 1:30 AM.
- For outbound visitors, RWS 8, a shuttle bus service that goes from Resorts World Sentosa to HarbourFront, will be extended until 3:30 AM on event nights. From HarbourFront, visitors may connect to Night Rider bus services.
- Eight rides, shows, and attractions will remain open on event nights, including TRANSFORMERS the Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle and Shrek 4D Adventure.
- Nine food and beverage outlets will be open, and they will serve drinks in fun skull bottles, blood bags, and syringes. Likewise, eight merchandise outlets will serve visitors, including a special pop-up Mini-Store of Evil that will sell 2014 memorabilia.
- Some attractions may be too intense and frightening for children; those below 13 are discouraged from entering. Costumes and masks are not allowed.
- Advance purchase of tickets is encouraged. This can be done via the official website.
With its elaborate, quality attractions and convincingly scary actors, Halloween Horror Nights is a spooktacular event that rightfully is among Singapore’s yearly highlights. The entire experience was genuinely terrifying that I found myself embarrassingly screaming my lungs out a lot. So do yourself a favor, and do not miss it this year.
For more details and updates on Halloween Horror Nights 4, visit www.rwsentosa.com, and follow their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. The official hashtag is #hhn4.
Photos courtesy of Universal Studios Singapore.