Get a first look at some of this year’s iconic characters of Universal Studios Singapore’s Halloween Horror Nights 11, plus an early preview of DIYU: Descent Into Hell and Rebirth of the Matriarch haunted houses!
Behind the Scenes at Halloween Horror Nights 11
This year’s line-up for Halloween Horror Nights 11 includes a mix of two IP-based houses and three unique ones produced by the Singapore creatives. Thanks to Resorts World Sentosa, you can now enjoy a sneak peek inside two original haunted houses in this article, plus first looks at this year’s new iconic characters in this article!
Halloween Horror Nights 11 Creative Costuming and Makeup
The preview kicked off with a presentation of the costumes for some of this year’s characters, including the appearance of 4 actual icons:
Agni, the Sacrificial Bride is a key character in The Cursed Kiramam, a village-style scare zone. Unwillingly offered as a sacrifice to a demon god, Agni’s costume is a white dress with exquisite bridal accessories, but her entire look is now heavily distressed and stained in blood.
An iconic character of Dead Man’s Wharf, the immortal Madame Dragon rules the seas and black markets. She is inspired by a real pirate, Zheng Yi Sao, an aggressive pirate leader active in the South China Sea in the 1800s. Decked in the green and teal echoing the oceans, Madame Dragon’s opulent outfit features dragons in various forms, while her garment is filled with fine embroidered detailing and gold threadwork.
The fabled Pied Piper from Grimm Encounters is dressed in a European 17th Century style. His large hat shades his large, terrifying eyes that glow in the dark. The producers also explained that the Pied Piper is also very manipulative – making use of rat swarms to invade towns and holding them hostage.
King Yama from DIYU: Descent Into Hell is the mythological Lord of the Underworld. He wears an imposing, battle-worn gold armour that also highlights his red skin. The costume is also designed so that the character can move quickly for expressive movements. For the headpiece, the park used 3D-printed pieces for hair, giving King Yama a distinctive look.
Returning from over a decade ago is The Matriarch, in the reimagined Rebirth of the Matriarch haunted house. As a practitioner of dark magic, she wears a crown embellished with demonic skulls and Witch moths, rather than diamonds. The Witch moths are recurring symbols in the haunted house, signifying that death is near. Her necklace of rubies also hold secrets. Perhaps the surprising thing about her new look is her long, crooked arms, giving the illusion that she can grab your soul from a distance.
School bully Gwi-Nam, from Netflix’s ALL OF US ARE DEAD also made a surprise appearance. As the haunted house in Singapore is the world’s first and exclusive adaptation, the creatives in USS had access to production notes from the hit horror series, allowing costumes and special effects makeup to be recreated with high accuracy. The result is quite effective, with the school bully astounding the audience.
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Now let’s tour some houses. Note that my photos may not represent the actual experience during HHN11 event nights, as only a few rooms were open for this early preview, and further refinements and changes are expected.
Sneak Peek: Rebirth of the Matriarch
Rebirth of the Matriarch is a sequel to Vengeance of the Matriarch, the very first house created by Universal Studios Singapore for their inaugural Halloween Horror Nights back in 2011. The original story was about the power-hungry Matriarch, who seduced the village butcher to murder her sister – and presumably, became the head of the house.
Apart from bringing back the Matriarch, USS also expanded the storyline of the house, unearthing secrets of this Peranakan family that were lost more than a decade ago.
I’m not sure how many of you have stepped inside the original house, which was set in a Peranakan mansion. Even till today I still remember and occasionally have dreams – or some might say nightmares – walking around this haunted house. The great news is that USS is recreating some of the original scenes in Rebirth.
You enter the family home, which has been converted into a funeral parlor. At first, this may seem quite strange, but it is all part of the Matriarch’s plan – to lure innocent people in for the harvest.
The Courtyard of the mansion has been reconfigured to hold funeral wakes and receive mourners.
The Collector’s Room makes a return – this room represents the family’s habit of collecting (or hoarding) items of monetary or sentimental value. An actual habit for some Peranakan families too, apparently.
Actual props were sourced overseas from places like Malacca, to make the haunted house as realistic as possible.
Of course, the Matriarch does not like visitors going through her belongings.
Walk through the grisly Pantry area – recreated from the original house – with dangling corpses and body parts, and escape from the gruesome butcher.
You will have to go deeper inside the Matriarch’s family home to uncover the secrets of her Rebirth.
Sneak Peek: DIYU: Descent Into Hell
One of the headliners this year, DIYU: Descent Into Hell, is based on Chinese mythology of the afterlife. DIYU (地狱) literally means Hell, or the underworld. Accordingly, the souls of the dead will have to pass through different levels of hell to receive punishments for their sins in the living world, before facing King Yama for their final judgement.
At Halloween Horror Nights 11, guests will have to cross terrifying levels of hell as they face horrifying sights and demons – will you fall deeper into the abyss, or find redemption at the end?
After crossing different bridges into DIYU, you will find yourself in a labyrinth of mirrors – reflecting sinful moments of your past from the world of the living.
You will then dive into the Hell of Ice to suffer a chilling journey through a frozen cave and make your way through icy mountains.
Fall into the Hell of Blood, overwhelming with pools of boiling blood and vessels that hold you back.
Mortal sins can be found inscribed onto the walls in each ‘Hell’, warning you on where the grave punishments are executed for your wrongful deeds.
The passage then leads you into the scorching Hell of Fire, filled with lava overflowing from cauldrons.
King Yama awaits you at the end of your Descent for your final judgement.
First Blood: DIE-ning in Hell sneak peek
Brave guests can extend their time in DIYU with the DIE-ning in HELL premium add-on, which is a 3-course dining experience featuring theatrical dining and creatively themed dishes.
Update (29/9): The names of the three courses are renamed to: Salad of Despair, Fleshy Cut, and Dish of Darkness. You can also read more about the actual DIE-ning in Hell experience in my review article.
Start off with a fiery blaze: The King Yama Salad presented with fire.
The Fleshy Cut, short rib on a green risotto, with ‘maggots’ and a shard of candy glass accented with blood.
As for the third course – it remains a mystery dish from the dark kitchens of DIYU. The name was revealed to be The Level 10 Blood Bites, but you’ll have to dine to find out…
Gruesome Grub: HHN11 F&B Offers sneak peek
Guests can also enjoy themed set meals, snacks and drinks during Halloween Horror Nights 11 from restaurants and food carts around the park. Here are some items on this year’s malevolent menu:
The Devil’s Stares Pizza (Loui’s NY Pizza Parlor at New York)
The Bloody Horror Burger (Mel’s Drive-In at Hollywood)
The Zombie Hot Dog (Fossil Fuels at Jurassic Park)
Mummy Corndog (Carts around the Park)
The Roasted Rabin Infected Leg
The Imperial Hell Chicken Leg
Spine-chilling desserts can also be found at carts park-wide.
Experience the Horrors at Halloween Horror Nights 11
Halloween Horror Nights 11 runs on select nights from 29 Sept to 4 Nov 2023. More details can be found at RWSentosa’s website or my HHN11 event guide.
Halloween Horror Nights 11 EVENT GUIDE
Get the info you need for a frightfully good time at Halloween Horror Nights 11 with my Event Guide, including event calendar, ticketing options, add-ons and the RIP Tour prices.
Halloween Horror Nights 12 (2024)
HHN12 REVEALED: Ticket and Event Guide
HHN12 MEGA REVIEW: Photo Tour of all haunted houses, scare zones, shows and Special Experience
HHN12 RIP TOUR Review and Vlog (VIP Experience)
Special Features
Under The Castle by TEAM WANG design | Netflix's Sweet Home
Cursed Scrolls: Dynasty of Darkness
Singapore's Most Haunted: The Killings
Viper Lounge (Special Experience) | Vampire Alley
The Lost Kampung | Nether-Land + Ocu.lar's Rave | Dark Dreams
HHN12 BEFORE DARK: Day Tour of Halloween Horror Nights 12 setup
Universal Beijing Resort (UBR) 2024
Scares @ Universal 2024 Event Guide
Halloween Horror Nights – The Archives
Click to Expand and see all posts from past Halloween Horror Nights
no icon for the hacker scare zone?
There is; just not presented at this preview.
So who are the 4 actual mascots of the event?
King Yama, The Matriarch and Pied Piper will appear more prominently.
Hi Dejiki
If would like to go for the RIP experience which time slot is better ? 6.30pm or 7.30pm
Both slots have their tradeoffs: The first slot is likely to be more rushed given the time limit, but would have the remaining tour uninterrupted; while the second slot will have your DIE-ning in Hell experience sandwiched between two segments of touring around the park as a break.
Thank you very much
Hi Dejiki will you be doing a media preview on YouTube where u always do it in the pass year before the date of the event ?