Halloween Horror Nights 2021 apparel previewed at Universal Studios

Hello there, Dreamers! 

The other day, while strolling down the streets of Universal Studios and watching the evening parade of Spongebob and Dora the Explorer floats, my fiancé Zach and I happened across a store with a prominent sign in front: Halloween Horror Nights 2021, Preview Merchandise.

As Halloween Horror Nights nears, Universal Studios is previewing the event's new apparel.

Needless to say, Zach and I ran inside the shop. We’ve gobbled up any crumb of information related to Halloween Horror Nights 2021, the official 30th year anniversary. We started going annually to HHN in 2018, and we were saddened but understanding when news broke about the 2020 cancellation. 

For those who don’t know, HHN is about a two-month long event at Universal Studios dedicated to scaring the living daylights out of people. There are haunted houses/mazes to walk through, their themes ranging from popular movies to original concepts made up by the Universal Creative teams. 

There are also “scare zones,” which are blocked off streets occupied by scare actors and decked out in themed decor (the Killer Klowns from Outer Space zone in 2018 was awesome). They’re a bit lighter on the fear factor, so if you want to see what HHN is all about but don’t think you can handle the houses, the scare zones will give you a taste without overwhelming your palate. 

And speaking of tastes and palates, the food at HHN is nothing short of mouthwatering. In 2019, when Stranger Things was still all the rage, there was a “food court” to honor the Starcourt Mall introduced in the third season. I had a bento box from the Imperial Panda, and I am still trying to find pot stickers that taste as good. 

There are also staple items, like pizza fries, twisted taters, and the oh-so-delicious VooDoo Doughnut. 

Anyway, enough reminiscing. Back to the present. 

As I said, Zach and I rushed into the store, but we didn’t have to go far. The display for the new merch was front and center. Take a look:

Halloween Horror Nights 2021 Merchandise: The Haunting of Hill House T-shirts.

Halloween Horror Nights 2021 Merchandise: The Haunting of Hill House T-shirts.

I was a little disappointed at first. I mean, it made sense that the merchandise released would pair with the recently announced Haunting of Hill House maze. I haven’t watched the show yet, but it’s definitely on my list, especially since I’ll be walking through it in a couple months’ time. 

Zach was hoping the Jack the Clown, another HHN staple, preview shirts would still be on display. According to trailers, he’ll be around for the 30th anniversary. We can only hope that the Universal Creatives have a few surprises up their sleeves when it comes to him. After all this time, I think we’ve earned that!

For myself, I was hoping for more Bride of Frankenstein merch. Her maze was recently announced, and I can’t wait to see the blushing bride return. 

I’m told the new Bride merch is now on display, but while at Universal that day I did see a few shirts and such dedicated to my monster queen:

Halloween Horror Nights 2021 Merchandise: The Bride of Frankenstein decor.

Halloween Horror Nights 2021 Merchandise: The Bride of Frankenstein T-shirt.

After we left the shop, Zach and I continued wandering through the park. It was one of our first days as locals, and we didn’t know what to do with ourselves. Lines for rides were long, we weren’t in the mood to eat, and it was too hot and crowded to sit anywhere in peace. 

But wandering has its perks! One of Zach’s favorite vloggers, Rix Flix, happened to be livestreaming that night, and we passed him during our trek. 

Zach and I meeting theme park vlogger Rix Flix at Universal Studios.

It’s not a bad life, here in Orlando. 

But back on track: what do you think of the merch? Will you be braving this year’s HHN? What are you most excited to see during the 30th anniversary? Let me know!

Until next time, Dreamers!