Halloween Horror Nights 8

Halloween Horror Nights 8

http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com.sg/

Halloween Horror Nights 8

Prepare For A Scare


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Snapshots from our visit to Halloween Horror Nights 8, held in Universal Studios Singapore throughout October 2018, in celebration of Halloween.




At Halloween Horror Nights 8, there are a total of 5 haunted houses, 3 interactive scare zones, and 3 shows, along with 9 regular rides that will be operating.




The Infinite Fear Opening Scaremony show brings you to Eight Lakes Psychiatric Hospital, for a theatrical experience going into the mind of a mental patient, themed around general horror and fear. Scare factor is low because it's a show, and they make use of visual effects, an impactful narrative, illusions, and dramatic movement for scaring. While this show is repeated throughout the night, the most elaborate version with the full cast takes places only once, at 7:30pm each evening.




The Pagoda Of Peril is a haunted house themed around the Chinese mythology of suffering in the underworld. Scare factor is high because it's relatable for Southeast Asians, and they make good use of lighting, shadows, sounds, and disorienting effects for scaring.




The Pontianak is a haunted house themed around the Malay mythology of revenge-seeking and the pain of childbirth. Scare factor is the highest because it's very relatable for Southeast Asians, and they make great use of well-crafted props, environment sets, darkness, and believable make-up and costumes for scaring.




The Zombie Laser Tag is an interactive scare zone, escape game, and laser tag game, combined into a single attraction, themed around the iconic shambling dead action films. Scare factor is good because of the immersive experience, and they make good use of realistic gameplay (such as limited ammo), space, believable acting, and the feelings of pursuit and anticipation for scaring. Note this is a premium experience that has to be paid separately.




The Cannibal is an interactive scare zone themed around a human-eating tribe that captures prisoners to consume. Scare factor is medium because it's believable enough to blend fantasy and reality, and they make decent use of gore, proximity, chanting, and sudden movement and sounds for scaring.




The Haunting Of Oiwa is a haunted house themed around Japanese mythology, specifically, the most famous Japanese ghost story of Yotsuya Kaidan. Scare factor is high because it's immersive and theatrical, and they make good use of claustrophobia, hidden panels, tight set designs, and surreal settings for scaring.




The Apocalypse Earth is an interactive scare zone themed around a post-apocalyptic environment where nature has run wild. Scare factor is low because it's more photogenic than scary, and they make use of elaborate costumes, larger-than-life set pieces, coloured lights, and fog effects for scaring. More of a photo-opportunity place.




The Stranger Things is a haunted house themed around the Netflix show of the same name. Scare factor is medium because it's targeted at fans familiar with season 1 of the show, and they make decent use of accurate recreation of detail, elaborate live stunts, noise, and an immersive showdown for scaring. Personally, I couldn't appreciate this.




The Killuminati is a haunted house themed around the Asian branch of the Illuminati, with vampiric gangster / secret society elements thrown in. Scare factor is low because it's more shocking, amusing, and sexy, instead of scary. They make use of violence, exotic dancing, expansive multi-level design, and secret rooms to lend an immersive experience. With 2 different pathways that give different experiences, this may warrant a repeat visit.




The DEAD Talks show is a tongue-in-cheek seminar, themed around motivational speaking, with death coach Gideon Grim teaching the audience his 4-step method to become a highly effective scarer. Scare factor is very low because it's meant to be humorous and engaging, instead of scary. They make use of jokes, audience engagement, elaborate dance performance segments, and stage effects to put on a good show. Actually quite enjoyable, and different from the rest of the offerings at Halloween Horror Nights 8.




Queue times for each area of Halloween Horror Nights 8 can stretch between 40 minutes to 2 hours. It's best to go early, when the place opens at 7pm each evening, and if possible, purchase the express pass which shortens your queue time to 15 minutes or less per area.




Got Assorted Skewers (SGD $13.50) for supper. With skewers of pork bacon wrapped cherry tomato, pork bacon wrapped lady's finger / okra, teriyaki squid, tofu beancurd stuffed with fish paste, Taiwan pork sausage, cheese tofu beancurd, and spiced chicken drumlets. Served with a trio of dipping sauces; spicy chili, sweet Thai chili, and creamy sesame sauce.

Assorted Skewers (SGD $13.50)

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