Honest Review of Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) Premium Scream Night – 8/28/25
First off, we did have fun, but was it worth it? That really depends on what you’re looking to get out of HHN.
Let’s start with the negatives.
If your goal is to experience all 10 haunted houses, Premium Scream Night might not be for you. It felt oversold. The posted wait times from Universal were overly optimistic, in reality, we consistently waited 10–15 minutes longer than listed. We only made it through 7 of the 10 houses. For comparison, on a regular night with Express Passes, we’ve easily done all 10 houses and even squeezed in a few rides. This time, we only got on one ride the entire night, despite staying until after 1 AM (we’re usually out by a little after midnight). That alone was disappointing.
They also advertised pulsed entry into the houses instead of the typical conga line, but we only experienced that in one house. It was clear the event was oversold and didn’t live up to the promises made.
Now, about the free food. It sounds great in theory, but they should really consider giving everyone a set number of food items on a lanyard — maybe five — to help cut down on waste. The amount of uneaten food being tossed was ridiculous. People were grabbing food, taking one bite to “try it,” then ditching it and heading to the next booth. Trash cans were overflowing, and most of the tables were filthy throughout the night. Staff couldn’t keep up.
Speaking of staff, the team handling seating at the Nightmare Fuel show was unusually rude. Definitely not the Disney level of service. The stadium was only about 50% full, but one woman was yelling at guests to pack in tighter. Everyone around us thought it was excessive. I get that it’s a training night for some of the staff, but this kind of behavior left a bad taste.
Orlando’s weather didn’t help, either. It’s just too unpredictable. The forecast called for a 35% chance of rain, maybe some sprinkles, but instead, we got absolutely dumped on while waiting for the tent houses in the back. The whole area flooded, and they kept us in a spot where the water pooled. At one point, we were standing in several inches of water. Not fun. We had a similar flooding experience at Disney World, too, so it’s definitely something to consider when planning a trip here.
The start time was also confusing. It was supposed to begin at 7, but we were let in by 6:30, and heard others got in even earlier. If we’d known that, we might’ve had a better shot at hitting all 10 houses.
Also, the Tribute Store this year was a letdown compared to previous years. And what happened to the Mold-A-Ramas?
Now for the positives.
Outside of the haunted houses, the park wasn’t overly crowded, which made the scare zones a lot more immersive and fun than usual. The general atmosphere of the park was much more enjoyable than on their typical oversold nights. The houses we did experience were top-notch, as always. The Nightmare Fuel show was incredible, no surprise there. We also appreciated the free drinks, and the food we did try was genuinely good, especially for theme park standards.
So, yeah, we had a good time. But would we do Premium Scream again? Probably not, unless some serious changes are made. We’ll likely wait several years before giving it another try.
Next year, we’re probably heading to California for HHN instead, hoping for better weather and a better overall experience.
Website: https://www.universalorlando.com/hhn/en/us
DinkLife 