Halloween Horror Nights opened at Universal Studios to plenty of screams this past weekend, many of which came from the streets in the fright fest’s scare zones. This is the first time in two years Halloween Horror Nights has incorporated the scare zones (in years past spooky characters roamed the streets instead) into the event and Best of Orlando was there to witness the horror. Having been absent for two years, Universal made sure these scare zones were at their creepiest and some even included some interactive play for audiences. These elements were so immersive that it was like playing a part in horror film, where a Voodoo Queen begged the audience for blood and an auctioneer asked them for bids on the lot to purge. The Sacrifice – There is nothing quite as scary as getting involved with the ancient world of Voodoo and this year Halloween Horror Nights takes you inside the mystic magic of New Orleans during The Bayou of Blood Sacrifice Show. Watch as a Voodoo Queen Mamba sacrifices a man inside her shack for the audience. “A pure and ancient evil fills the space” where Mamba cures the man of his innocence with water and then puts the blood of the dead on him to stain that innocence. The man is tied to a wooden table in the center of a stage while the Voodoo Queen chants in a different language. She then pulls out a large knife and stabs the man right in the stomach, laughing while he screams in pain. As if that wasn’t terrifying enough she pulls out his guts, rubs them on her face and continues to laugh. It’s a pretty intense and involved show for a scare zone and you’ll leave it feeling very uneasy. Before the ritual, she’s seen with the crowd as she tries to find her sacrifice. Then after, she once again comes down with the audience and licks her bloody fingers while she interacts with guests. See More Photos Here The Auction – Meanwhile, the fine people of The Purge Scare Zone gather three people to “purge” in order to cleanse their nation and cities in The Auction at The Purge. The setup is as follows: Purge mercenaries round up people for an auction where the rich can buy their purge victims and slaughter them in an arena with their weapon of choice. A truck circles The Purge scare zone with two Purge motorcyclists leading the way. When the truck makes a stop, three prisoners escape out of it. They circle back and now they are looking for replacements for the human auction. It’s fun to volunteer. But be warned, you’ll probably get startled as Purgers come for you from every direction. They finally find the three escapees and rustle them back into the truck. Then they travel to the stage atop the school bus, where guests will have the chance to bid on these people for their purge. The scene is truly warped as the woman announcer is sickly cheery about what is happening and the crowd that has gathered to auction is just as excited about the horror to come. Here you’ll be able to shout out what you’d pay for the chance to purge these prisoners. Do I hear $600,000? The Purge Auction is just a small part of The Purge scare zone where menacing purgers (Yes, people with chainsaws too) startle guests throughout the area. See More Photos Here If you want to see these two terrifying scare zones make sure you enter to win Best of Orlando’s Halloween Photo Contest and you could win a trip to Halloween Horror Nights 24!



Orlando, FL – 09/22/14 By: Jena Pugh