Halloween Horror Nights becoming too ‘family friendly’? | Opinion
Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios theme parks has hosted some more family-friendly IPs over the past few years. Maybe that’s not a bad thing.
One topic I’ve seen get brought up more often in recent years among Halloween Horror Nights fans is the notion that event is starting to gear more toward families. Yes, you heard that right. The event where you can see victims split in half with their guts splattered all over the room is becoming too family-friendly for the fandom’s liking. I’d counter that claim by arguing what’s really happening is horror has become more accessible to guests of all ages.
Elaborating on the idea of horror becoming more accessible: A lot of horror adjacent-properties have soared to popularity in the last decade. Because of the popularity and wide ranging appeal to the general public of these franchises, young people are finding their gateway into the genre.
“Five Night’s at Freddy’s,” one of the massive intellectual properties of this year’s Halloween Horror Nights, is based on a game franchise that has had a chokehold on younger fans since its inception. In the 11 years Freddy Fazbear and his friends have been around, there have been 11 games and a feature film that grossed $291 million (according to Box Office Mojo). Having this headline the world’s premier Halloween event ahead of a highly anticipated sequel film was a no-brainer.
When a title like this is so prominent in pop culture, it is bound to have a wide demographic of fans. “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is not nearly as scary or graphic as something like “Terrifier” (which is also headlining Halloween Horror Nights this year), yet it still has a devoted fanbase of all ages. Horror has so many different sub-genres with varying degrees of scariness which appeals to various age groups. If you want to keep the thing you love alive, you need to be open to seeing it evolve, even if its evolution produces franchises you aren’t necessarily a fan of.
Image courtesy of Universal
Growing up, you probably loved watching things like “Ghostbusters” and “Beetlejuice” around Halloween time. Those movies aren’t scary, but they’ve each materialized into a Halloween Horror Nights haunted house at one point or another. They were incredible experiences despite their lack of terror. Could it be that something doesn’t need to be horrifying to have a place at Horror Nights?
I’m not saying HHN should completely reverse course and have a pumpkin patch replace a scare zone. I do think, however, there needs to be an entry point for younger fans or maybe even adults who have been apprehensive to attend the event or even open their mind to the horror genre entirely.
I was terrified first went to Halloween Horror Nights in 2016 at the age of 14. Having never seen a horror movie in my life, with absolutely no desire to do so, I sought out the only properties I was familiar with: “The Walking Dead” and “Krampus.” The houses themselves were fine in hindsight, but I had the smallest sense of comfort knowing I was doing something based on a popular TV show and a recent movie my peers at school had talked about. A sense of familiarity is all someone needs sometimes to feel comfortable in an unknown setting. Recognizable properties that maybe lean away from slashers or elevated horror makes all the difference in putting someone at ease.
Image courtesy of Universal
“But Horror Nights isn’t scary anymore because of ‘Stranger Things’ and The Weeknd!” There’s a possibility that maybe it isn’t scary anymore because you’ve been going for 10+ years and now you’re desensitized to your surroundings. I used to bury my head in the back of those in front of me, but now I walk through haunted houses with a straight face and won’t flinch once. The subject matter of these houses are still quite scary, but how scared can you truly get when you’ve learned where and when scare actors will pop out as you attend the same event each year?
My younger brother, who gets very anxious and scared at the idea of attending Horror Nights, has only loosened up when he goes through houses themed to properties he enjoys. He was only willing to brave doing all 10 houses this year because of the promise of experiencing one of his favorite things: “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” He had an incredible night because he started the evening stepping into a world he was familiar with that’s dear to his heart. Aren’t there franchises like that from your childhood that you’d love to see?
I’ve always joked about Universal needing to do a “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” maze as a lighthearted, cozy experience to have a break from the gore. Were you a fan of “Scooby-Doo” or “The Addams Family” when you were younger? Wouldn’t you love to combine an event you love with memories of Halloweens past? “Poltergeist” is probably one of the first “scary” movies you ever watched. Imagine being scared of “Poltergeist” back then, but someone older than you said “That movie isn’t scary, it’s rated PG.” “Poltergeist” is famously another amazing (well, the one in Orlando at least …) “family-friendly” house at Halloween Horror Nights. Going forward, I would LOVE to see Universal add at least one house for all ages, and the other 10 be varying degrees of horror.
Image courtesy of Universal
The joy someone will feel after leaving a house that made them feel good might give them the courage to challenge themself with everything else the event has to offer. Plus, adding another house themed to a popular family-friendly IP to the current 10-house lineup could help eat crowds, as capacity at the event in recent years is approaching nightmare status. If we want to keep horror alive, we need to be as inviting to new fans as possible.
I love horror now because of Halloween Horror Nights. I walked into the event in 2016 having never seen a horror movie and now I am a huge fan of the genre. My stance on the matter stems from the hope that the event will instill the same love in more fans of all ages.
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Absolutely not!!! HHN was created for the thrill & fun of being scared in a simulated safe environment for older crowds. If someone wants a more child friendly version that’s why Seaworld has spooktacular. If you want a pumpkin patch experience that’s why communities has set those up.