Halloween Horror Nights 8: Ranking The Attractions, From Scary To Downright Terrifying

Frightening yet fascinating, the dark, dark world of the Chinese secret society’s secret rituals left us breathless — mostly from screaming, running and in awe of the stunts displayed in the Killuminati haunted house. There are four here, including an impressive 8m-high aerial stunt. The first is in a pre-show segment (a first in HHN history) that you witness the moment you step in: the birthing ritual of a child demon. The scene makes for, how can we put this nicely, excellent birth control. The climax of the seance is jaw-dropping, but no time to gawk because you’ve got to navigate through a human abattoir, a room full of mirrors and apparitions, secret caves constructed with skulls, and even a nightclub where dead drunk takes on a whole new meaning.

The fragrance of frangipani wafts as you enter the front yard of the Pontianak haunted house, leading you to the kampong hut where Asia’s most notorious spirit awaits. The Pontianak has made appearances in previous editions of HHN, but this is the inaugural house dedicated to her horrifying backstory. Plenty of stunts and surprises spring at you, literally, whether it’s from all corners of the house, behind swaying sarongs on clotheslines, or in the midst of the dense banana plantation that you have to bushwhack your way through. Yup, this is the one that may leave you with nightmares at night, just because of how close it cuts to home. We hear that Caucasian producers stepped in to helm the production of this house at the behest of their local counterparts who wanted to distance themselves from this house; while several crew members have had to take breaks and leave the house during set-up “’cos they just can’t deal."

A vicious demon on a quest for eternal life and infinite power traps other spirits and feeds off them in the Pagoda of Peril. You’ll see the ominous towering structure as you wait in line outside, but it doesn’t prepare you for what’s within.

Teeter through joss sticks- and Chinese candle-lined mazes and rooms, and get thrust into the spooky nether world. It's like every Chinese demon that you’ve been terrified by in Chinese period dramas and horror flicks have come to life here. Expect scream after scream after scream after…okay, you get the idea. Excuse us while we go buy some lozenges.

As a whole, The Haunting Of Oiwa, set in Japan's Edo period, is a tame one compared to the rest. Think gusts of wind, slamming doors, gloomy geishas and spirits that lunge out at you when you least expect. There are a few scares, but nothing that would make you rethink your ryokan booking on your next Japan holiday.

But this haunted house still left us paralysed in fear, and it’s got nothing to do with Lady Oiwa, the titular character that happens to be Japan’s most notorious and vengeful spirit. Nope, it was this one particular room (or was it meant to be an outdoorsy setting?) that left us rooted to the ground, despite wanting to do a U-turn an hurtle back out to the entrance and calling it a day. Yup, for the first time in eight years attending HHN, we were majorly petrified. Let's just say that those with a phobia of cockroaches and snakes should be prepared to face their fears. And that includes getting surrounded by your fears. Shudder.

Even though we’ve walked through the Stranger Things haunted house before during a previous sneak peek, we still got our fair share of frights on show day. The hallways of the Byers home, the ominous Hawkins National Laboratory, the unnervingly eerie realm of the Upside Down, and the twisted maze of the school corridors can and will toy with your mind.

Barb, is that you? All in all, the astounding production values are the main star of the show here. It’s a sight to behold for fans of Stranger Things. We couldn’t help but marvel (again) at the mind-blowingly detailed sets (all 12 rooms, the most number of rooms in a single haunted house in HHN Singapore history), the costumes and even the Demogorgon which we finally saw in the, er, flesh.

Enter the Zombie Laser Tag arena. You’re part of the platoon that’s been assigned a jungle mission to gun down a zombie or two, or 20. Each game lasts about seven to 10 minutes, depending on how your team of seven fares. But what’s scarier than having the undead catapult themselves at you from dark corners of a faux jungle?

The score tally at the end, when the game master announces just how many zombies you’ve killed and where you place among the day’s top marksmen. Get ready for an ego bruise if you’ve chao keng-ed your way through NS. Pro-tip: Wearing a skirt may impede your mission, as does the lack of stamina. Pro-tip 2: If you’re a klutz and fall over, don't worry. The zombies will give chance one, as our teammate found out.

The Cannibal scare zone features ancient tribesmen who are out for blood… your blood. These cannibals will taunt, but they’ll also stop for photo opps. Also taking place here is a ritual of human sacrifice…okay, it’s part of the Blood and Bones live show which takes place intermittently through the night. It’s fascinating to watch as the man-hunters and a lady dancer do their thing in a ritual that is best described as Shakira meet Survivor.

It's not as terrifying as the thought of all the plastic waste in the ocean, but the Apocalypse: Earth scare zone is a spectacle to behold, especially the projection mapping on imposing structure of Mother Earth’s face constructed outside the New York Library. And boy, is she angry. No wonder she unleashes her wrath all over the park’s New York zone. Now, tree monsters roam the Earth. There’s Angry Groot, yoga Groot, tall Groot…

​​​​​​​Photos: Ealbert Ho

Halloween Horror Nights 8 runs from Sep 27 to Oct 31 at Universal Studios Singapore in Resorts World Sentosa. Tix from $58; additional $38 for Zombie Laser Tag. More info at http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com.sg/.