5 not-so-horrifying Halloween trends at Orlando theme parks

5 not-so-horrifying Halloween trends at Orlando theme parks

There has been so much Halloween to absorb in the theme parks since Aug. 12, the first night of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom. We’ve seen the usual trick-or-treating and chainsaw-wielding maniacs, as one does in Orlando this time of year.

But the attractions always are in tweak mode, introducing enhancements to stir the caldron a bit from year to year. Here are five not-so-horrifying trends from 2022 that we can get behind.

Max Goof and ’90s-style dance crew work their way down Main Street during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom. (Walt Disney Co. / Courtesy photo)

Disney added Max Goof, son of Goofy, to its Halloween event and put him in the garb of Powerline, a pop star from the “A Goofy Movie,” and ’90s kids and millennials were all about it. Meanwhile, SeaWorld Orlando featured a drag queen/sea goddess named Serpentina Moray in a hideaway show during Howl-O-Scream. Other fun characters of note: The Lego Zombie Cheerleader at Legoland Florida and the Skunk Ape, who is hiding but no longer socially distant at Gatorland.

Horror Nights visitors could order up 'spoiled bear meat' that somehow incorporated Flaming Hot Cheetos this year.

Horror Nights visitors could order up ‘spoiled bear meat’ that somehow incorporated Flaming Hot Cheetos this year. (Amy Drew Thompson / Orlando Sentinel)

Sweets are sweet and all that, but cheers to an increasing amount of themed food and bars for the events. SeaWorld upped its bar-theming game, tying it to nearby haunted houses and scare zones to create “lands” of sorts for Howl-O-Scream. Seasonal goodies can be found across Disney World and at small attractions. Let’s eat.

Universal added more visual impact in Horror Nights dishes as well as the booths and bars scattered across the park. And at CityWalk, the resort opened a surfing-themed lounge and mixed in monsters to turn the previously shuttered Red Coconut Club into the Dead Coconut Club.

The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare haunted house features the music of the musician and goes inside his dark mind.

The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare haunted house features the music of the musician and goes inside his dark mind. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Universal’s haunted-house lineup branched out into the world of music with The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare. Despite those Billie Eilish whispers, it was the first musician-based house since Alice Cooper in 2014. Sure, the maze was more nightclubbish than HHN fans are accustomed to, but the house also veered from expectations. You’re there to be surprised, right?

Actors patrol a scare zone at Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld Orlando.

Actors patrol a scare zone at Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld Orlando. (Dewayne Bevil / Orlando Sentinel)

For the second year, SeaWorld held the gentle daytime Spooktacular as well as the intense nighttime Howl-O-Scream. Fans could double up on seasonal fun. While it’s hard to imagine an Oh! So! Scary! event at Magic Kingdom, what if Disney dipped its toe into frights at, say, Hollywood Studios? The Epcot International Festival of Haunts? Or what if a kiddie happening emerged at Universal’s Islands of Adventure (Destination: Seuss Landing)?

Darkness has fallen on Graveyard: Deadly Unrest, one of the HHN scare zones at Universal Studios.

Darkness has fallen on Graveyard: Deadly Unrest, one of the HHN scare zones at Universal Studios. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Universal kept the Horror Nights party going until 2 am every evening of the 2022 event. So much for your dad’s warning that nothing good ever happens after midnight.

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters or the Theme Park Rangers podcast at orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-podcast.

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The post 5 not-so-horrifying Halloween trends at Orlando theme parks first appeared on Daily Florida Press.

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