Going to Halloween Horror Nights 14 in Singapore? Here's what you need to know

Paying to have strangers chase you around in the dark might not sound like the best way to spend a night in Singapore. But there I was, screaming my way through haunted houses, dodging scare actors and somehow still finding the energy to squeeze in a roller coaster ride in between.

I went to Universal Studios Singapore’s Halloween Horror Nights 14 during my trip in late September. And while I came prepared to be scared, what I quickly learned was that surviving HHN isn’t just about how brave you are but it’s also about having a plan.

With only around five hours to explore four haunted houses, two scare zones, live shows and the rest of Universal Studios Singapore, the queues can easily take up a good chunk of your night if you don’t know where to go first.

So, after one very sweaty, very loud, and very fun night at HHN14, here are a few things I’d recommend if you’re planning to go.

Book your ticket before you go

HHN14 is a separately ticketed event. Your regular Universal Studios Singapore day ticket, Season Pass or Triple Play Pass does not automatically get you into Halloween Horror Nights.

HHN14 runs on select nights from September 25 to November 1, from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. This year’s edition has four haunted houses — Karang Guni: The Cursed Collection, Singapore’s Most Haunted: ON AIR, Chatterbox Charlie’s Vaudeville Horrors, and Made in Hell: XL Robotics — alongside two scare zones, three live shows and roaming horror characters.

For 2026, standard admission starts at S$68 for non-peak nights and S$78 for peak nights. The non-peak dates include September 25 and 26, and selected October dates, while Halloween weekend and several later October dates fall under peak pricing.

You can buy tickets through the official Resorts World Sentosa or Universal Studios Singapore website, with tickets also sold through official ticketing partners such as Klook. Traveloka also lists HHN14 tickets, with the event ticket starting at around S$70.

If you’re already in Singapore, I’d book ahead instead of showing up and figuring it out at the gate, as it can get really crowded. Your HHN ticket is tied to the date you select, so check the calendar before buying.

And if you really want to maximise the night, there are paid options such as Express and the R.I.P. Tour. They’re much more expensive, though, so I personally wouldn’t say they’re necessary for a first visit if you’re willing to be strategic with your route.

Get there early

If you can, be inside before the scares officially begin.

The opening ceremony, called The Scaremony, is definitely one of the things guests must make time for. It returned this year after a two-year break and takes place at the Hollywood zone before the park really descends into chaos.

This year’s story follows four livestreamers who break into a warehouse and discover the objects and characters connected to HHN14’s different haunted houses.

If you want to watch it, try to position yourself near the front before the show starts. You’re going to get a much better view of the performers and characters, and once it ends, you can immediately start moving.

Don’t automatically follow the crowd

After The Scaremony, a lot of people naturally move toward the New York area. That’s where some of the attractions are, so it makes sense but that also means everyone else is thinking the exact same thing.

One of the better strategies I recommend is to head in the opposite direction and make your way toward Minion Land and Far Far Away before continuing toward the back of the park.

So, if you see a huge crowd heading one way, don’t immediately assume that’s where you should go. For me, the idea is simple: use the first hour, when everyone else is still figuring out where to go, to get to the farther attractions.

Start with Karang Guni

If there’s one haunted house I would prioritize, it’s Karang Guni: The Cursed Collection.

The premise is very Singaporean: a karang guni man — essentially the familiar rag-and-bone man who collects unwanted household items — has spent years gathering objects that carry the misfortune of their former owners.

Now those objects are part of his cursed collection.

It’s the kind of concept that sounds almost too ordinary to be scary — until you’re inside.

The house is packed with clutter, old objects, dolls, ritual items and other disturbing details. The horror comes from the fact that a lot of it looks like something you could actually find in an old home or storeroom before it slowly becomes something much, much worse.

After Karang Guni, make your way toward Necropolis: The Serpent’s Crossroads, the Ancient Egypt-themed scare zone.

This is less about being trapped in a haunted house and more about walking through an environment filled with characters and creatures.

There are Egyptian mythology-inspired monsters, including performers on stilts, who you can take photos and videos with.

Next up is Chatterbox Charlie’s Vaudeville Horrors.

This one was probably the most theatrical of the houses. Chatterbox Charlie and his creepy dummy Junior return from last year’s The FEARground, this time with an entire haunted house built around them.

The house leans heavily into old-school carnival and vaudeville horror, with distorted spaces, puppets, theatrical sets and unsettling characters.

Personally, this is the kind of horror I find more unsettling than someone simply jumping out of a corner because you start wondering what you’re looking at. But then you realize you’re already inside.

Save some energy for The Raveyard

Eventually, you’ll make your way back toward New York and find The Raveyard. Think neon-lit graveyard, undead party and horror characters who seem to have decided that dying isn’t a good enough reason to stop dancing.

It’s also where Nail the Beat takes place. Featuring HamiKuma and Ponti-Ana, the show is much more energetic than frightening, which makes it a nice change after going through the haunted houses. This is also where you can take your time a little.

There are photo opportunities, scare actors roaming around and plenty happening around you, so you don’t necessarily have to treat every minute of the night like a race.

Meanwhile, the remaining two haunted houses are Singapore’s Most Haunted: ON AIR and Made in Hell: XL Robotics, which are in the same area.

ON AIR takes you inside an abandoned broadcast studio where Singapore’s darkest stories are still being replayed. It’s also one of the more intense houses. Several reviewers have singled it out as one of the scarier experiences of the night, with a lot happening in relatively tight spaces.

Then there’s Made in Hell: XL Robotics, which takes a completely different route.

Instead of ghosts and folklore, you’re thrown into a robotics and bioengineering facility where the pursuit of artificial immortality has gone very, very wrong.

If you’re not particularly into supernatural horror, this might actually be the house for you. But honestly, this house made me appreciate the production even more — especially the makeup and costumes.

Don’t skip Club PanDEMONium

After all the walking, sweating and screaming, an air-conditioned theatre suddenly sounds like the best place on Earth. That’s where Club PanDEMONium comes in.

The show takes place at the Pantages Hollywood Theatre and revolves around Khaos and the seven deadly sins, combining music, dancing, comedy, and audience interaction.

I’d save this toward the end of the night — not because it’s necessarily the scariest thing you’ll see, but because after several hours of walking around in Singapore’s humidity, sitting in an air-conditioned theatre is basically a reward.

Dress code

During HHN, costumes are definitely encouraged!

However, there are rules. Of course, you have to remain fully clothed, including shoes and a shirt. Costume masks and other face coverings that obscure the face are generally not allowed. Face painting is allowed only if it covers no more than half of the face vertically. Costumes also can’t be offensive, disruptive or violate public-decency rules.

And if you really don’t want to be scared… There is actually an option for that.

HHN14 introduced the Kia Si Amulet, a no-scare charm that guests can activate to signal that they don’t want scare actors to actively target them.

It costs S$18 and is available at the Universal Studios Store near the entrance. The catch: it works in the outdoor scare zones, not inside the haunted houses.

So if you are genuinely terrified but still want to experience the atmosphere, it’s worth knowing about.

Is Halloween Horror Nights worth it?

Definitely! What I liked most about HHN14 wasn’t necessarily the number of attractions. It was how different each experience felt.

Karang Guni leans into local folklore and familiar Singaporean imagery. Chatterbox Charlie plays with carnival and puppet horror. ON AIR turns an old broadcast studio into a nightmare. XL Robotics goes into sci-fi territory.

And then there are the scare zones and roaming characters filling the gaps.

The biggest downside is also probably the most obvious one: you cannot do everything leisurely if you’re only there for one night.

You have roughly five hours, and the queues can easily eat into that. But you can also take advantage of the fact that everyone else is busy getting scared.

You can still ride the USS roller coasters — Battlestar Galactica: HUMAN and CYLON, since a lot of people are busy inside the Horror Houses. When I went, there was little to no line for these rides.

It’s also a bit of a breather — literally, because you get to step away, get some air and cool down after all the sweating.

And don’t forget the photobooths. They cost around S$10 to S$20, depending on the option, and are a fun way to take home something from the night.

Around the Raveyard, as the crowd starts moving to the other side, you can enjoy playing with the ghosts.

One last tip? Don’t spend the first hour taking your time at the first attraction you see.

Get there early. Watch Scaremony. Pick a route. Move against the crowd when you can. And if you see a huge line, remember that you paid to be scared — not to spend half the night standing in one.

That’s probably the real survival skill at Halloween Horror Nights. —JCB, GMA News