It all started in 1991 with ‘Fright Nights’ using iconic monsters such as Frankenstein, Dracula, Werewolves and more! Their main attraction at the time was Beetlejuice. Now 30 years later, Halloween Horror Nights is bringing back one of these iconic frights… Beetlejuice! Back in 1991 there was only one haunted house that carried these monsters and plenty of shows that starred Beetlejuice, however for the past few years Halloween Horror Nights has added more spooky houses and expanded their attraction with scare zones. This year we are expected to see 10 houses: The Haunting of Hill House, Beetlejuice, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Bride of Frankenstein Lives, HHN Icons: Captured, SCarey Horror in the Heartland, Case Files Unearthed, The Wicked Growth: Realm of the Pumpkin, Puppet Theatre Captive Audience and Revenge of the Tooth Fairy. The main attraction this horror season will be Jack, a killer clown. He first appeared at Halloween Horror Nights back in 2000 and comes back every few years in a “new devious form.” Jack will be located in the “HHN Icons: Captured” house.

Since this year is the 30th anniversary of Halloween Horror Nights, “huge things are going to be involved this year… that will bring the event to a new level,” says Jonathan Gardon, a former student here at Apopka High School and a current scare actor at Halloween Horror Nights. Jonathan attends UCF and is involved in the BFA Acting Major. Halloween Horror Nights will be his first real acting gig, which he stated was “exciting” and “the perfect opportunity”. When asked if he would recommend the job of a scare actor to others he said, “I would absolutely recommend this job to someone who loves the event and wants to enter the acting realm in Orlando. It’s a great way to meet amazing people in the community. Also, working for a company like Universal has been super rewarding and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” When Jonathan expressed his excitement, we couldn’t help but wonder what house he’d be featured in, he informed us, “I will be in Wicked Growth: Realm of the Pumpkin!” Sadly, he was unable to release too much information on what is expected from this house, but he promises that “it’ll blow you away.” With that being said, we have high hopes for Halloween Horror Nights this year!

Taylor Rodriguez, a Sophomore here at Apopka High School will be going to Halloween Horror Nights for the first time this year! When asking this newbie about which house she is most excited about, she said “The Haunting of Hill House” stating “it looks cool and creepy.” We asked how she felt about the house’s themes this year and Taylor responded with, “Pretty good, they seem interesting. Guess we’ll find out!” With this anticipation for Halloween Horror Nights, we interviewed the experienced Monica Mendis, another Sophomore here at Apopka High School who went to Halloween Horror Nights in 2019. When asked how she felt about the houses this year she stated, “I feel the houses are gonna be better than last year.” Monica also felt that the houses this year “seem interesting” and “will give people a good scare.” Hopes are high for these upcoming ‘Fright Nights’!

With that being said, Halloween Horror Nights has high expectations this year. Especially since they are bringing Beetlejuice back from 30 years of rest. Another iconic character brought back from the past is Jack the killer clown. He will be waiting around every corner to scare those who show their face at Halloween Horror Nights.