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Survival Guide: Halloween Horror Nights 3 Tips and Tricks

By on October 12, 2013 in Halloween Horror Nights, Overviews and Guides, Theme Parks

HHN3 - Sisters of Evil

Here’s the much requested guide to Halloween Horror Nights 3. These are compiled from my experience at HHN3 during event nights. Please note that they are in no way definite or perfect. Conditions at the park change all the time, and if everyone adopts the same strategy, it would be less useful. Take the information here as general tips and plan your own itinerary for a fun and fear-filled night at Universal Studios Singapore!

Update: This guide is unavailable

This post was a guide for a Halloween Horror Nights event in the past. Thus, the guide is no longer available due to outdated information.

Jump to the HHN category page for updates on Singapore’s HHN events.

Halloween Horror Nights 11 (2023)
HHN11 REVEALED: Ticket and Event Guide
Sneak Preview: DIYU: Descent Into Hell, Rebirth of the Matriarch, Icons and more
Halloween Horror Nights 11 MEGA Review: Photos of all Haunted Houses and Scare Zones
HHN11 RIP TOUR (VIP Tour) Review

Features on Haunted Houses, Scare Zones and Experiences
Grimm Encounters | The Weeknd: After Hours Til Dawn Nightmare
Judgement Day (Opening Scaremony) | Netflix's All of Us Are Dead
DIYU: Descent Into Hell | Rebirth of the Matriarch
Dead Man's Wharf | The Cursed Kiramam
The Hacker + The Hacker: GAME OVER

Universal Studios Japan (USJ) 2023
Halloween Horror Nights 2023/ HAHAHA! Halloween Party! Event Guide


Halloween Horror Nights – The Archives
Click to Expand and see all posts from past Halloween Horror Nights

Halloween Horror Nights 10 (2022)
HHN10 REVEALED: Ticket and Event Guide
Halloween Horror Nights 10 MEGA Review: Photos of all Haunted Houses and Scare Zones
SPECIAL FEATURE: Behind the Scenes at HHN10 Haunted Houses
HHN10 RIP Tour (VIP Tour) Review

Features on Haunted Houses, Scare Zones and Experiences
The Silenced Auction (Opening Scaremony) | DIE-ning with The Dead | Monsters & Manifestations
Escape The Breakout | Killustrator: The Final Chapter | Hospitality of Horror
Operation: Dead Force | The Hunt for Pontianak | Dark Zodiac

Universal Studios Japan (USJ) 2022
USJ Halloween Horror Nights 2022 Review and Photo Tour
Trick or Thrills (2021)
Halloween Horror Nights Exhibition
2021 Day and Night Halloween: DIE-ning with the Dead, Universal Monsters Scream Alley | Zany Zombies and IT'S SHOWTIME! Premium Experience
Halloween Horror Nights 9 (2019)
HHN9 REVEALED: Ticket and Event Guide

Halloween Horror Nights 9 MEGA REVIEW
SURVIVAL GUIDE for Halloween Horror Nights 9
HHN9 RIP Experience (VIP Tour)

Features on Haunted Houses, Scare Zones and Experiences
The Chalet Hauntings Revisited | Spirit Dolls | Hell Block 9
Curse of The Naga Revisited | Twisted Clown University
Dead End | Death Fest + Death Fest LIVE
2019 Opening Scaremony (The Undertaker)

SNEAK PREVIEW: Curse of The Naga | The Chalet Hauntings | Behind The Scenes of HHN9
HHN9 Construction Updates (BEFORE DARK)
Part 1 | Part 2 (with Daytime Halloween event) | Part 3 (Horror Truck) | Part 4


Universal Studios Japan (USJ) 2019
Universal Surprise Halloween/ Halloween Horror Nights 2019 Event Guide
Halloween Horror Nights 8 (2018)


Universal Studios Japan (USJ) 2018
Universal Surprise Halloween/ Halloween Horror Nights 2018 Event Guide | 2018 HHN Japan Review
Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Japan (2017)


Halloween Horror Nights 7 (2017)
Halloween Horror Nights 6 (2016)

Halloween Horror Nights 5 (2015)
Halloween Horror Nights 4
Halloween Horror Nights 3
Halloween Horror Nights 2
Halloween Horror Nights

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31 Responses to Survival Guide: Halloween Horror Nights 3 Tips and Tricks

  1. weekiat October 12, 2013 at 11:25 am #

    Ah shecks. I’m kinda worried about the wait time now judging from your review. today shd be busier than yesterday. It’s a pity that the haunted house can’t be enjoyed as intended due to the massive numbers.

    Reply
  2. CastorJo October 12, 2013 at 12:29 pm #

    Express pass was really helpful.
    I agree with you : flashing items are very annoying.

    Sometimes, there were so many people inside a house that we had to wait while blocked, and so I didn’t enjoy it.

    Reply
    • Aidan October 12, 2013 at 12:41 pm #

      Yeah i got stuck at possesion and the lights spoilt the suprise.

      it seem only some staff make sure they off the lights

      Reply
  3. Aidan October 12, 2013 at 12:39 pm #

    i decide yesterday to get the express pass. They raise it to $70.

    Even with express pass still need wait like 5-10mins.

    I notice Song of Death has the shortest queue among the three hunted house.
    But can jam up when some walk slowly…to enter..

    i do saw girls wear heels…

    i think universal studios shld do a lanyard for express pass. i saw like 2-3 drop it on the floor and once not even been use.

    Reply
  4. Ellis October 12, 2013 at 12:52 pm #

    Hi dejiki,
    How do you know the waiting time for each haunted house? Is there any board that will stated the q time around the park?thx b4

    Reply
    • Dejiki October 12, 2013 at 12:55 pm #

      There are boards displaying wait times at Hollywood, Sci-Fi City and Far Far Away.

      Reply
  5. weekiat October 13, 2013 at 1:09 am #

    Just came back from uss. Just a heads up, for today, After the sisters welcome, the park did not allow patrons to directly access the New York zone (adrift and attack of the vampire) and instead directed everyone toward the Madagascar zone. They only allowed access after around 10 min. This was very frustrating as we had intended to head to adrift first, this negated our efforts of arriving early and ‘camping’ on the right side of the gate. Not too sure if they will do this again but I guess it’s better to line up on the left side entrance the following nights just to be safe.

    Maze was very detailed but was not impressed by adrift. Felt that presentation was great but execution was not as good as it can it. Might just be my bad luck.

    With jams and limited time interval, the excitement and enjoyment of the maze was greatly reduced. Felt that uss have not quite gotten the hang of this dispatching issue. A part of me feels that this problem might not be even solvable due to the limited no. Of haunted house uss can hold.

    Scare zones look great in principal but the atmosphere did not live up to my expectation. I guess I was disappointed by the massive crowd more than anything. In my opinion, All themetics were rendered redundant when the whole area is filled with patrons. No amount of props or scare actor can give us the illusion of being in a vampires infected town when all We see are crowds of patron everywhere. Kinda realized the reason why I loved the first HHN was because there were much lesser people then and we had the whole park to play with and we could really explore, interact and take picture. This is almost impossible now with the crowd.

    Personally, I think that uss should increase the number of nights. Reduce the number of scare actors and operation hrs and just reduce the no. Of tickets they sell to really give us a quality experience. Of course, this is just wishful thinking on my part with no consideration for profit margins and economies of scale.

    Guess express passes are a must for me from next year onwards… The crowd is really getting to me.

    Reply
  6. J October 13, 2013 at 8:01 am #

    Are some of the regular characters there during the event? For example, Betty Boop, Nile Princess/Anck-Su-Namun, Scorpion King and Shrek? No, right?

    Reply
  7. PK October 13, 2013 at 3:10 pm #

    Above everything, GO RIP TOUR!!! 😀

    Reply
  8. Tuty October 14, 2013 at 6:29 pm #

    I survive all 3 haunted house and scare zones WITHOUT the Express Pass. I went for the Opening night on Friday 11th October. Enter the park at 6.55pm. After the Scaremony, I took a left turn while almost 95% of the crowd was moving to the right. Quickly made my way to Possessions House No.13. While walking thru the Forbidden Forest, avoid taking picture with all the ‘ghost’ along the forest. Aim straight for the haunted house. Waiting time was 15 minutes.

    Done with Possessions, once again, refrain from taking picture with the ‘ghost’ in the Forbidden Forests and proceed to Songs of Death. Waiting time was 25 minutes. Queue was moving fast. After Songs of Death, I rush to Adrift. Not stopping at either Convention of Curses or Attack of the Vampires. Waiting time at Adrift was 90 minutes (the longest waiting time so far).

    All 3 haunted house – CLEARED.

    Then I start to roam around the scare zones.

    By 10.30pm, I’m already done with all haunted house and scare zones, WITHOUT the express pass. Have a quick snack of cheese fries at Mel’s Drive-In, recharged and back on roaming thru the scare zones. Starting with Attack of the Vampires, took the Transformers ride – waiting time was 20 minutes, dancing with the Aliens at Chill-Out Zone (Sci-fi City), roam around Convention of Curses and Forbidden Forest, move back towards Egypt (since Far Far Away have no scare zones) and just in time to watch Monster Rock at 12AM. After Monster Rock, I move towards Attack of the Vampires and all scare zones. Aim was to go to the Forbidden Forest again. Saw the waiting time of Possessions House No.13 to be 15 minutes. Join the queue and visited the haunted house again.

    Took a picture at Sisters of Evil before exiting the park at 1.35am.

    Reply
  9. Nigel October 14, 2013 at 10:13 pm #

    Hey dejiki, I’m going for HHN event this saturday. What do you propose would be the best way to tackle the crazy crowds in lieu of the changes that happened last saturday, and clear the houses in the shortest time possible? I would definitely be there early in any case… Thanks!

    Reply
    • Dejiki October 14, 2013 at 10:42 pm #

      Hi Nigel,

      If the park does restrict access to New York (meaning everyone has to go through Madagascar and clockwise around the park), I would suggest heading to Possessions and Songs of Death first and save Adrift for last. If New York is open after the opening ceremony, head straight to Adrift (followed by the other two).

      Six hours is enough time to wait for all three haunted houses, but I don’t think that guests should really wait that long for a 5-7 minute experience. Unfortunately, there is no easy solution because the park’s other rides are not attracting enough people.

      Given the popularity of the event (and vast number of readers that could be following this guide), I would admit that Express Pass would be the best bet for Saturday nights now.

      Reply
  10. Hamzah Kent October 14, 2013 at 10:19 pm #

    I survived the opening night without the Express Pass.. I queued up since 6pm at the Entry. After the opening ceremony, I quickly ran to Adrift and I only queue for 2 mins. Quickly made my way to Song of Death and queueing time is only 5 mins!!! And then my friends when to the toilet. The moment I reached Possesion, queueing time is 50 mins. I finished all 3 haunted house at 9pm. Really enjoyed myself. Bought Frequent Fear Pass and I’ll be going again! Wooohooo!

    Reply
    • Dejiki October 14, 2013 at 10:45 pm #

      Great job! Looks like we did the same thing on opening night. It gets harder in later in the season – the situation has changed completely on Saturday night. Next time ask your friends to visit the washrooms before HHN3 starts! 😉

      Reply
  11. R October 16, 2013 at 1:55 am #

    Hey dejiki! Thanks for the comprehensive review! It made me even more excited to go for the event. I’m planning to go on the 31st, which is a thursday night, do you think the crowd will be better and the queues (hopefully) shorter? It’s my first time going for this event and my queue tolerance is at most 45 mins. Haha. Would you recommend that I get an express pass?

    Reply
    • Dejiki October 16, 2013 at 8:59 am #

      Hi there,

      The wait time for Thursday night shouldn’t be as long as Saturdays (which for the past three years, have been the busiest nights). I’d suggest that you get to the park first (and be there early) and see the situation at the park. The park may increase the price for express passes during event hours, but you’d save the full $50-70 if you forgo it altogether.

      Reply
  12. J October 17, 2013 at 9:48 pm #

    Hi! Do you think I should buy express passes for 25th? The express passes are really pricey! :/ It is supposedly a peak night, but it’s a Friday night so I would assume that the crowd would be larger for 26th. Thanks in advance for your help!

    Reply
    • Dejiki October 19, 2013 at 8:38 am #

      Hi J,

      The wait times for last Friday (18/10) hovered around 70~120 minutes for Haunted Houses. They did drop significantly when it started to drizzle, as the queues are not completely sheltered. I would suggest buying Express Passes if you do not have the patience to wait (more than 70-120 minutes for each Haunted House), because very long wait times are expected on 25th and you might not be able to enter all of them when that happens.

      Reply
  13. veronica October 20, 2013 at 10:44 pm #

    possessions first, before others! it was the longest to queue, because it was the deepest into the park. overall, i enjoyed adrift the most! 🙂

    i really think the express queue is not necessary if you are intending to stay till 1am. i managed to complete everything by 12 odds, when i entered the park at 7-ish, and taking plenty of other rides in USS!

    Reply
  14. Olivia October 21, 2013 at 3:04 am #

    Just something I’d like you to add on in your write up:

    Please refrain from physically abusing the scare actors.

    I have friends amongst the cast and every night there are incidents of physical violence against them – even the female “ghosts” are not spared from (mostly) male guests punching or throwing objects at them or shoving them.

    Two of my girlfriends were hit in the eyes.

    Have some decency guys, please. If you can’t take the scares, don’t go inside the houses or scare zones and hurt people who are just doing their jobs.

    Reply
    • Dejiki October 21, 2013 at 7:39 pm #

      I’ve added that – right at the top too. I’m shocked to hear similar stories from friends who are performing as well. Why can’t people control themselves?

      During my last visit, I saw youngsters playing with flashing LED swords/scepters in scare zones and haunted houses – not only are these items visually annoying, they are now used to prod at performers and theming around the park – the stalls should really stop selling them. Some guests even flung the hanging props in Songs of Death to hit other guests and scare actors.

      Reply
      • Olivia October 25, 2013 at 9:08 pm #

        Update from friend who’s working tonight. It’s a little better than the previous weekend but there are still some guests trying to swing props at scare actors and making a nuisance of themselves.

        Some people are also using flash photography in the Haunted Houses.

        Reply
        • Dejiki October 25, 2013 at 9:35 pm #

          Good to hear that the situation has improved, but the park needs to really enforce their rules for the safety of performers and other guests. Last week, there were kids were swinging their glowing lanyards rapidly to “repel” scare actors, and it hit the everyone (staff, guests, etc) around them. I’m not sure if it’ll improve for this weekend (and next Fri/Sat), as Student discounts are not offered on the “Peak” nights. Not trying to push the blame to the younger audience, but most of the unacceptable behaviours I observed were common with a certain age group.

          Unauthorized photography in the Haunted Houses… it has happened since the first night. I guess people will just start finding things to do when the flow in the Haunted Houses comes to a halt.

          Reply
  15. Melly October 22, 2013 at 1:52 am #

    hi

    i saw the comment about abusing the scare actors. yes my friend say even with security guards they still abuse even they r not scared.

    there even complains of props were damage or taken apart(bring home) by guest. Sad to hear this happening.

    anyway i applaude the possesion scareactor the property agent lady. she was patient even got annoying sgporean trying to disturb her n take her folder. yes saw it with my own eyes.

    Reply
  16. Fatty October 22, 2013 at 11:27 pm #

    a friend can only reach 11pm…but tic bought…we will be there earlier.any suggestion which haunted house/zone we should leave last so that we can do it together?

    Reply
    • Dejiki October 24, 2013 at 6:45 am #

      Hi there,

      All three haunted houses are very unique and the wait times have varied greatly throughout all the nights. But if I only have a choice to visit one house, it would be Adrift.

      Scare zones wouldn’t be a problem. I would suggest going through all three scare zones from 11pm. Once you are done, queue up for the Haunted House.

      Reply
  17. Fatty October 24, 2013 at 10:09 am #

    Thanks for the advice…
    For the remaining of us who will be there at 8pm,we can visit the other two haunted houses while waiting for our friend then…

    Do you think we should just go straight to adrift at 11pm & finished this then proceed to the scare zones last?We can queue before our ‘late’ friend arrived…

    Reply
  18. Wee-Sen October 27, 2013 at 8:46 pm #

    Hey y’all I survived last night Sat 26 Oct touted to be the busiest night of the season WITHOUT an express pass (costing $70 – yikes!) a pop.

    Timeline:

    1855 Entered the park and managed to watch the scaremony. Was at the back of the crowd in Hollywood Boulevard

    1912 Entered Forbidden Forest by walking past Madagascar and Far Far Away

    1915 Entered the queue for Possessions. Wait time then 30 min.

    1950 Completed Possessions. Had short toilet break and went straight for Songs of Death

    1955 Entered Songs of Death. Wait time posted was 40 min.

    2040 Completed Songs of Death. Upon exit wait time posted was 135 min. Obtained intel from friends around the park that Adrift was > 120 min in wait time and Possesions was > 60 min in wait time. Decided to take rides to while time.

    2045 Experienced both Enchanted Airways and Shrek 4D with minimal wait.

    2120 Walked through Conventions of Curses. Park was very crowded now that most people have experienced at least 1 haunted house and are now ‘haunting’ the walkways.

    2142 Decided to enter the queue for Transformers with posted wait time 70 min. Turned out to be the longest wait of the night. Actual wait time was about 55 min

    2250 Walked quickly through Attack of the Vampires en route to Monster Rock

    2300 Made it and watched Monster Rock

    2330 Posted time for Adrift was now about 60 min after watching Monster Rock. Decided for makan and shopping.

    0015 Entered queue for Adrift posted wait time 70 min. Queue was fast moving and actual queue time was 30 min.

    0050 Completed Adrift and made a small detour down Sting Alley.

    0100 Exited the park feeling accomplished.

    Conclusion, it can be done without Express Pass. They key to success is:

    1) Arrive before park opening – many people (my friends included) didn’t and thus suffered > 120 min in queue.

    2) Have a strategy. Go opposite in flow to the crowds. Decided for possessions cos knew will never beat the crowds in front of me at park opening.

    3) Read Dejiki blog. Lotsa information and projected wait times. Was invaluable to me. Thanks Dejiki.

    Reply
    • Dejiki October 27, 2013 at 9:32 pm #

      Hi Wee-Sen, I’m glad to hear that you managed to plan your time efficiently and had a complete HHN3 experience without spending money on the exorbitantly-priced express passes! Thank you for posting your detailed account!

      Reply
  19. ABJ October 28, 2013 at 8:38 am #

    Hi dejiki, May I ask if Im allowed to enter the haunted houses with my camera strapped around my neck, as I will not be bringing any bag on the day of visit. I will switch it off, but if cameras are restricted, do I have to rent a locker? Also, since my camera can fit into my pocket, do I have to rent a locker as well at the revenge of the mummy (will it fly away during the ride) ? Thanks. 😀

    Reply
    • Dejiki October 28, 2013 at 8:44 am #

      It’s alright to have it out as long as it’s switched off, but I would suggest keeping the camera in your pocket at the Haunted House (in case you fall or bump into something or someone) to prevent any possible damage.

      As for bringing it onto Revenge of the Mummy, I would suggest keeping it in the locker – unless your pocket is tight enough or has zipper/buttons to keep it closed. The park is not responsible for the loss of items during the ride and is also not obliged to retrieve any lost items.

      Reply

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