At a glance
- Event: Universal Studios Fright Nights, the first Halloween Horror Nights
- Nights: 3, from 6 p.m. to midnight
- Haunted houses: 1, the Dungeon of Terror
- Tickets: $12.95 in advance, $15.95 at the gate
The story of 1991
The event that became Halloween Horror Nights didn’t start with that name. In 1991, Universal Studios Florida’s first Halloween event was billed as Fright Nights, the only year Orlando used the name. It ran for just three nights, from 6 p.m. to midnight. The press release didn’t go out until October 22. Universal promoted the event with a “Dying for a Good Halloween Party” ad campaign and a “guess the ghoul” ticket giveaway with the Orlando Sentinel and WKCF-TV 18.
There was exactly one haunted house: the Dungeon of Terror, built in the queue of the Jaws ride, which was closed at the time. Guests crossed a bridge past the Creature from the Black Lagoon and faced a six-foot spider, closing walls, slamming doors and a live hanging. They also walked over a plexiglass floor with a woman sealed in a crypt beneath it, rats crawling over her. It was the first appearance of the Rat Lady, who would become one of the event’s most famous recurring scares.
Most of the night’s entertainment happened in the streets. Sideshow acts, a Mad Max-inspired Thunderdome show and a Beetlejuice-hosted lineup filled the park, along with classic rides like Back to the Future and Kongfrontation. Even in year one, one rule was already in place: no costumes for guests.
What was there
- Haunted house: the Dungeon of Terror, in the queue of Jaws
- Shows: Beetlejuice’s Dead in Concert featuring the Ghostbusters, with a young Wayne Brady as Winston; the Beetlejuice Graveyard Tours; Main Stage Madness with Paul Revere and the Raiders
- Street entertainment: the Thunderdome sacrifice show, plus sideshow acts including the Human Pincushion, the Elastic Woman and the Dragon Breath fire eater. A “Chainsaw Massacre” street show was canceled after two days.
Listen
The Catacombs of Halloween Horror Nights: 1991 Fright Nights: Matt and Quint walk through the original press release, the Dungeon of Terror and the street shows, then pitch their own dream haunted houses.
Keep exploring
Next year: 1992, the first year officially called Halloween Horror Nights · The Icons · Back to the HHN history hub
Sources: the Catacombs 1991 episode notes, and WDWNT, “30 Years of Fear: A History of Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights: 1991”.