Singorepore 2011 – Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Singapore

If there’s one thing I love more than watching horror movies is being in one! And with Universal Studio Singapore’s (USS) inaugural Halloween Horror Nights, my fantasy took to life in the form of cavorting with man-eating zombies, maniac clowns, butcher doctors, terrifying mummies and many more diabolical creatures from the realm of darkness. Awesome experience!

I’m so thankful I was given a ticket by my company, Digimagic Communications Pte Ltd, to attend the movie theme park’s first ever Halloween event. Our company is the producer of various experiential and multimedia stations at the recently opened Maritime Experiential Museum & Aquarium at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), so my boss bought 10 passes in support of this event, as well as letting staff have some fun and gain exposure.

Now, at S$60 a ticket, it doesn’t come cheap. But IMHO, I think it’s totally worth it! Turning the place into one huge outdoor haunted destination with 5 scare zones, the ticket price includes admission into 2 thematic haunted houses and 4 rides to get your adrenalin boiling. Halloween Horror Nights terrifies over 2 weekends (21-23 Oct and 27-30 Oct) from 8pm – 12am.

Scare Zones : Carn-EVIL, Post-Apocalyptic Rage, The Void, The Edge of Darkness, and 44 Sins

Haunted Houses : Vengeance of the Matriarch and Pestilence

Rides : Battlestar Galatica CYLON and HUMAN, Accelerator, and Revenge of the Mummy

Carn-EVIL zone creeps with monstrous clowns and circus freaks... totally the kind of stuff nightmares are made of.

Real evil wears a checkered shirt.

Lights. Camera. Act cute while the rest scream! Show your best face of terror at this photo-taking set. The great thing is, it's free! Now, that's a reason to scream.

Post-Apocalyptic Rage zone.

Great staging to create a very immersive experience. USS closes at 7pm and takes only 1 hour to dress up the place for Halloween Horror Nights before re-opening at 8pm.

There are more than 300 scare actors to make the whole experience as realistic as possible.

All the actors were unrelenting in their portrayal of the ghoulish characters. Really first-class acting!

Who's Dead (That) Girl? Elisa was such a natural. Will the real zombie please put down your hands?

This actor was really physical and dramatic in his zombie act. Love it! I wonder where can I get contact lenses like these.

Atmospheric fog and lighting design ups the shock ante. Watch out for scare actors who'll materialise out the shadows to milk your screams.

Entrance to the Vengeance of the Matriarch haunted house. Absolutely freaking LLLOOOOOVVVEEEE TTTHHHIIISSSS! There was quite a long queue but totally worth the wait. The visage of the Peranakan mansion where the haunting took place was simulated with perfection and the boo! tactics were well executed. My favourite was a dining scene. I shan't tell you why so as not to spoil your fun. Heh. Do note that flash photography is not allowed.

Took the Revenge of the Mummy ride and again, absolutely freaking LLLOOOOOVVVEEEE TTTHHHIIISSSS! The great looking set and seamless blend of pupperty, surprises and visual elements made the indoor rollercoaster ride a thrill to remember. Opposite the ride attraction is the 44 Sins zone, a sort-of disco for guests to party. But who would stay at one place to club where there's so much to explore and the park closes at midnight?

My boss Donald says, "Mummy, it's finger licking good!" He was really taken with the mummy costumes and even resorted to 'feed' one of them with his tumbler of blood. But mummies feed on brains, not haemoglobin! Makes you wonder who's the real terror here, doesn't it?

Bringing the heat of hell to 44 Sins are these hot... erm... non-ghouls. I bet people would want to get closer rather than away from them. These 2 have committed the sin of being sexy.

The Grim Reaper with wings and in a Jesuit priest outfit? That's a first. Overall, my take of the Halloween Horror Nights was a 2 thumbs up experience!

I’ve never been to Universal Studios Singapore and I was really bowled over by the standard and fidelity to realism in this wonderland on steroids. My only grouse was that 4 hours isn’t enough time to explore everything that the Halloween theme event had to offer at a comfortable pace. Other than the Mummy ride, I didn’t get to go on the other rides and the ushers at the haunted houses were rather pesky coz they kept ‘pushing’ me to move along instead of allowing me time to take some shots.

Also, the rides and attractions can take some time to queue so do chrono budget if you’re planning to visit. Other than those minor misgivings, this fright conception seemed poised to take over Night Safari’s Halloween Horrors as Singapore’s next scream farm.