Orlando has become a Halloween hub. With Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, and SeaWorld/Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream (among other smaller events), Central Florida is the place to be for all levels of Halloween fun. There is a clear divide, however, of what is being delivered to guests across the area. Disney has always stayed far away from the blood-curdling screams provided by Universal, which is completely understandable. However, as Walt Disney World continues to test various hard ticketed events across property, is there now a place for a scary Halloween event?
I reconsidered the possibility of a “scary” event being produced by Disney during, of all things, the newest episode of Agatha All Along. As the witches continue journeying down the witches’ road, I keep loving each episode’s sense of place. The sets, the costumes, and the overall menacing presence that fills the space is so vivid that I wanted to jump in.
A big factor in Disney’s lack of a proper horror event has always been their lack of scary properties. Yes, Disney villains exist, but they are not necessarily there to flat-out scare. Now, with the 20th Century merger, they’ve opened the floor to numerous new and horrifying IPs at their disposal. Agatha All Along and Werewolf By Night could represent Marvel, Alien: Romulus could be represented from 20th Century, etc.
Under the larger Walt Disney Company umbrella, scares are more prevalent than ever. Just consider the announcement of the Villains Land for the Magic Kingdom at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. People were losing their minds over something utterly creepy. Again, the villains are horror-lite, but based on the concept art, it’s going to be daunting for a lot of guests to enter the area. So, if Disney is okay with this on a larger scale, why not introduce a horror event for those same guests?
Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights thrives because of its branding and its use of IP to bring haunts to life, so it makes sense that Disney could look right down the road for influence. Add in Walt Disney World’s love of a hard-ticketed event (MONEY!) along with their lack of an east coast Oogie Boogie Bash competitor and you’ve got yourself the possibility for a whole new revenue stream they have yet to tap into. Picture it…
Welcome to Disney’s HorrorWood Studios, a specially ticketed event for those who want a frightening good time. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is heavier on the treats, so let this new event be heavier on the tricks. This after hours event will run from 8pm-2am on select nights during the Halloween season.
Hades, of course, rules over the event as you enter the park, with the entrance becoming an Underworld themed scare zone. Guests can experience attractions across the park, albeit with new scares (Tower of Terror and Rockin’ Roller Coaster turning off all lights, for example), but the new entertainment for the park would be the driving factor.
Other scare zones would be land specific, like “Sid’s Side Show” taking over Toy Story Land with creepy, morphed toys running amuck or ABC Commissary Lane highlighting Disney’s television shows, like FX’s American Horror Story or Disney+’s Goosebumps. Houses would incorporate more in-depth properties, where detail would be key, like the aforementioned Agatha All Along, Werewolf By Night, and Alien: Romulus. Alongside these true scares could be villain meet and greets, a new stage show at the Theater of the Stars, and an extra-scary Halloween fireworks and projection show at the Chinese Theater.
Frankly, these ideas are not far off from other events Disney puts on annually, just with an extra dose of frights. DIsney’s Hollywood Studios has always been deemed an older-skewing park at Walt Disney World since it opened, so why not fully embrace and create a PG-13 event for guests to enjoy? There’s precedent. There’s a clear fervor for it. So…you in?