On August 29, Halloween Horror Nights kicked off at the Universal Orlando Resort. The after-hours event is full of frights that will leave you with nightmares to last until next year. Guests are able to go through blood-curdling haunted houses — like Five Nights at Freddy’s, and Fallout –, walk through spine-tingling scare zones, enjoy creepy live entertainment, and dine on delicious Halloween-themed food.
Halloween Horror Nights does not have an age restriction, but Universal Orlando does note on its website that it is not recommended for children under 13. However, some guests are finding that certain groups of guests seem intent on ruining the experience for everyone around them.
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Reddit user 73028194 recently attended Halloween Horror Nights and noticed a big problem with one specific group — teenagers. According to the OP (Original Poster), multiple times throughout the night, they encountered teenagers who were causing a scene and annoying those around him.
OP took to Reddit to share his story, and he believes that any guest attending the event who is under 18 should be required to have a chaperone.
HHN NEEDS a chaperone requirement. We went last night (9.13) and had a great time, we always do. I also know there is an extra pull this year because of FNAF and Fallout, but the issue with unruly teens is out of control. All over the park were there groups of teens whether on high school date nights or just friend groups-who you’d think have never been in a social setting before.
Standing line for terrified there was a group of two boys and two girls (clearly date nights) because they were trying to get to third base with people around them. Shortly after, they had the bright idea to start listing their favorite slurs by ranking.
Few hours later, another group of teen boys were running up and harassing tons of people walking down the street for TikTok clips I guess, jumping and climbing on strangers who were walking away. Also found them shouting stripper phrases at the club horror dancers.
I’m all for the parks being able to accommodate everyone, but I definitely believe there should be provisions for events like HHN that require adult chaperones.
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The post was flooded with comments, many of which agreed with the OP. They shared their own stories of dealing with unruly teenagers at the popular Halloween event.
I’ve been going to HHN for 8 years. The teens are getting worse and worse. This year is top tier in my book. I’ve kindly told some to back off, or calm down and they laugh, call me names, and run away. My partner and I were in line on Friday(9.12) for El Artista. A group behind us of about 8 kids was not only hitting us when the line moved and stopped but were also surrounding us. Fully engulfed in their group a few times- complete with stepping on shoes, running into my partner’s backpack, and elbowing. I told them “You guys need to back up. We don’t know you and you’re surrounding us like we’re your friends. As strangers, we would like a little personal space.” They all got quiet and looked utterly confused, like they were doing nothing wrong. – Things like this have happened every day after opening weekend. Props to Universal for bringing more security after opening weekend though.
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Multiple comments from guests indicated that the event should not allow guests under 18 to attend. This year, Universal has upped the scare factor, particularly with The Terrifier, and there have been multiple reports of guests getting sick because they were so scared. So, it might not be the worst idea for Universal to consider an age restriction.
Honestly, I think they should just make it 18+ after last night. Large group of younger boys who had some obviously 18+ chaperones. A bunch of the boys started out right fighting and the chaperones egged it on. “Don’t take that”… “You’re going to let him neg on you like that, do something about it!”
My biggest disappointment was when I went and told a security guard. His response was “So they are fighting amongst themselves?”
I just lost all hope after that. Family and I left the park.
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Of course, this is not the first time that guests have complained about teenagers causing a ruckus, and it’s not just at Universal Studios. Guests have spoken about issues caused by rowdy teenagers at Walt Disney World, but teenagers seem to be drawn more to Universal Studios, mainly because it has so many fantastic thrill rides.
If Universal team members continue to have to deal with fights and out-of-control teenagers, it is possible that Universal might institute an age restriction next year.
Do you love going to Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights? Have you noticed an uptick in bad behavior from younger guests? How do you think Universal should handle out-of-control teenagers? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
The post Guests Beg Universal to Require Chaperones For Younger Guests appeared first on Inside the Magic.
