Horror always hits a lot closer to home when it feeds on the strange and familiar mixed with the imagination, but quite frankly, less when it comes to an established intellectual property that already tells you what to feel. Resorts World Sentosa’s Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) at Universal Studios Singapore (USS) started out by importing Western horror influences in its first few years, before diving deep into the original terrors of Asia, which has worked out well for a Western establishment celebrating a Western observance turned cultural phenomenon.
But over the years, it also started licensing the experience, with themed houses directly inspired by the likes of Netflix series Stranger Things and singer The Weeknd, and while those are marquee names, the Stranger Things houses in HHN 8 and 13, and The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare at HHN 11, were more fun than terrifying, and provided a familiar creeping sensation that left little to the imagination.
Where USS’s HHN stands out is when it celebrates the horror and terror that strikes at our hearts, and in Asia, it’s not the Demogorgon, but rather the demonic influences in an Asian hospital, supernatural figures or practices that our elders used to scare us with, or maybe a little of it that haunts our heartland homes. These are things that we came across growing up and continue to experience, be it through national service or late-night experiences. These associated horror elements are baked into our lives and can creep up at any time, which makes this year’s HHN 14 such a nice turn, as there are no licensed experiences, and three of the four haunted houses are steeped in Singapore culture.
Maybe it was unintentional, but RWS even changed the layout of HHN this year compared to the last few years, such that some familiar locations, like the open area at The Lost World and WaterWorld at USS, are not utilised. The best of the lot still takes place at the open area next to the stage at New York, and the recommendation this year is to head straight for this the moment you enter the park. Sure, you might be distracted by the opening Scaremony show that plays when you walk up the road at Hollywood, or get transfixed by The Raveyard graveyard Immersive Zone that leads from Hollywood to New York, but don’t waste your time there so early in the night, as Singapore’s Most Haunted: On Air is the key highlight of HHN 14.
In this third outing, Singapore’s Most Haunted series now explores an abandoned broadcast studio that cycles through Singapore’s darkest terrors, and it’s funnily eerie how this themed location basically throws shade at the local broadcast industry. It’s the old media of flickering screens and bad broadcast signals, where old hauntings and mysteries go to die and as you enter, those who grew up in social media can experience a bygone era.
With seemingly tighter passageways, and quite frankly, a larger number of scare actors packed into an enclosed space, you barely have time to get jumped at by ghoul waiting in hiding, before you make the corner and see something else from the corner of your eye. Think of the broadcast studio as a place where old stories are told, and this is your last chance to encounter it before it becomes a thing of the past. The best way to enjoy this, and any house at HHN, is to basically puff up your chest, step forward and be prepared to scream.
The next horrifying house is Karang Guni: The Cursed Collection, a take on an old icon that the young might not be too familiar with – the rag-and-bone-man – complete with his squeeze-bulb horn to notify residents that someone is here to collect your old thrash, by offering a pittance in return.
But after years of collecting the unwanted discards of homes around the country, it’s too late to discover that these items also come with the burdens and ill fortunes of their original owners – becoming cursed objects that visitors will see and come across when they enter his shophouse. You just have to brave your way through, and not be tempted to claim anything as your own on the way out.
Next up is Chatterbox Charlie’s Vaudeville Horrors, a proud survivor of last year’s The FEARground scare zone. Ventriloquist Chatterbox Charlie now has his own haunted home of his own, but he shares it with his dummy Junior, and for those old enough to remember, Singapore used to have its very own Victor Khoo, known for his ventriloquist act Charlee on his morning radio shows in the 1970s…
Okay, this is clearly not in any way linked to that, but to hear of Charlie and his dummy makes it very hard for a generation of Singaporeans not to draw links to the dummy, Charlee, and given the at times rather scary presence of seeing a large doll sitting and staring at you….
Regardless, this home with its dummies of terror invites guests and welcomes anyone to remember that there’s always someone in control of the puppet.
The final haunted house, Made in Hell: XL Robotics, is not themed after anything Singaporean or Asia, but it feeds on a modern fear – of a future with robotics and artificial intelligence, but the AI here is on Artificial Immortality, where techno-organic beings upgrade their body with state-of-the-art technology, allowing bioengineering to grant them eternal life.
We recommend this as the last house to visit because there’s something rather familiar about this trope, mixing Terminator with Star Trek’s The Borg, and leaving little to the imagination. Living forever isn’t quite what it’s cut out to be, especially when you see the same things play out again and again across history…
Aside from the haunted houses, the other aspect of HHN is its scarezones and this year, there are two. The Raveyard, located between the theatre and New York, serves as a forgotten graveyard bathed in neon lights, coming alive with scare actors game for a scream or two, and buried within are photo booth experiences and the opportunity for some wefies with the various scare actors.
Around the corner, past Battlestar Galactica, is Necropolis: The Serpent’s Crossroads, the second zone that transports visitors to Ancient Egypt, right outside USS’s The Mummy ride. While the relative quiet and ambient dark lighting that bathes this walkway might make you fear this route, it’s actually not as scary simply because Necropolis has too many people walking through it, with an occasional scare actor dancing up and down this path. During our first walkthrough, the Karang Guni actually cycled past, allowing selfies and photos. And that’s the fun aspect of HHN14, where roving characters can appear for that quick interaction in the park.
And in between these two zones at New York is Nail the Beat, a pulse-pounding dance number that sees Universal Studios Japan Halloween Horror Nights icon HamiKuma, the fuzzy zombie teddy bear, make his debut at USS, where he faces off against the terrifying Ponti-Ana (pontianak – get it?), who rises from the dead with her Fatimah Rockers to bring up the energy from beyond the nightmare realm. Say what you want about the rather silly-sounding but instantly catchy name Fatimah Rockers – these are the folks you want a photo of if you see them roaming the park along with Karang Guni.
Last, but actually the first, is the Scaremony, HHN’s opening performance that seemingly mocks influencer culture. In one segment, thrill-seeking influencers in the performance enter what is obviously a haunted environment and in most cases, audiences want to warn them to leave, but here, there is something therapeutic in acknowledging that these influencers, like most victims in horror films, did something stupid, and you simply cannot wait for these KOLs to meet their untimely demise. Now that’s something worth posting on TikTok or Instagram.
And if you still have energy left after everything, visit the theatre for some great air conditioning and to catch the performance of Club PanDEMONium, a 30-minute song and dance number that seems to be a staple of most HHNs. It’s not a must-watch among everything else, but it’s a great way to cool down, as your mind settles calmly from all the unsettling horror that the night has brought.
Universal Studios Singapore Halloween Horror Nights runs its chilling line-up of original horror experiences from 25 September to 1 November 2026. This year’s event features four haunted houses, two immersive zones, three live shows, and an all-new roving scare experience.
Visit Resorts World Sentosa for dates and pricing details.
Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?
Si Jia
Kevin Low
