They’re baaaack! USJ Halloween zombies, horror mazes, & so much more

Young and old! One and all! Here for a short time only!
USJ’s Halloween Horror Nights and all the rest of the fabulous Halloween fun is finally here.
So get your costumes, get ready to scream, and get ready to Trick-or-Treat!!!

■When is USJ Halloween 2022?

Halloween is a hugely popular time at USJ. Celebrations run at the same time every year for about two months and run until about a week after the actual holiday, October 31.
Halloween period: Thursday, Sep. 8–Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022
Halloween Horror Nights: Friday, Sep. 9–Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022

■Trick or Treat, Cosplay & Double Cosplay!?

If you’re with kids, the nicest thing about the park during Halloween has to be the friendly staff carrying bags of candy. All the staff are decked out in cool witch hats throughout the Halloween season and greet guests with the usual smiling faces. Feel free to ask them a question, or get a compliment on your outfit.

But for Halloween, there’s an almost scavenger-hunt-like element in the park. Whenever you see someone with a trick-or-treat bag, kids can run up and with the three special words Trick-or-Treat, get free candy! Look for staff members carrying a black and purple cat bag or a sparkly orange pumpkin bag.
When you find one, get your piece of hard candy, with cute Halloween characters on the wrapper. Grape, strawberry, orange… They all taste great! And if you’re really lucky you can get one of the candies that will change the color of your mouth. Nothing says “I’m enjoying Halloween” like a blue smile!
*Pro-tip: There are no Trick-or-Treat staff in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter or the Super Nintendo World areas. And it’s technically for children elementary school age and younger.

The park is also a great place to see creative costumes. Sure, park guests dress in Harry Potter robes wielding wands, don yellow shirts and jean overalls mimicking the Minions, and sport JAWS headbands year-round. But at Halloween, the costume-wearing is a horse of an entirely different color. Look forward to full-body Demon-Slayer characters, a handful of Chucky’s, and tiny pumpkins, princesses, and mini-monsters toddling around.

Of course there are the professional actors in costume to look forward to too. And for Halloween, the USJ characters are dressed up, so you get to see all your favorite characters in costume. They’re out in the park at designated places at scheduled showtimes to show off their new looks and take photos with guests.

This year, Sanrio’s My Melody & Kuromi are dressed up as witches. The Minions stole my heart with their Dracula, Frankenstein, & Bride of Frankenstein costumes. Plus Snoopy and crew appear regularly in their Egyptian-themed garb near the entrance to the kids’ zone, Universal Wonderland. And you can catch the Sesame Street crew near Hollywood Dream: The Ride. Elmo is dressed in his finest, sporting a skull top-hat, necktie, and sceptre. He’s still adorably cute, though!

■Shows & Attractions

Street Zombies

They’re back in full force this year, with more variety than ever! The weird yet strangely popular teddy bear zombie HAMIKUMA will be out this year with the rest of the Psycho Circus. There will be Tortured Test-Subjects, Gothic Killer Cuties, Murderous Monsters, and of course chainsaws! Plus, the addition of projection mapping this year will make the experience feel bigger than ever.

Zombie de Dance

Oh and if you want to see the zombies dance, that’s an option too! Head over to the Gramercy Park Stage to see HAMIKUMA and the Psycho Circus on stage or a handful of other locations in the park to see the monsters bust some funky moves in Zombie de Dance special performances.

Personally, I caught the show in front of Mel’s Drive in. Decked out in gothic inspired costumes outlined with bright glow-in-the-dark accents, these party zombies were professionals. Even on opening night, they had mastered the crowd. Everyone in the crowd burst into dance at points in the show, but these zombies had moves that couldn’t be emulated too. Literally bending over backwards to entertain the crowd, these zombies stole my heart too. They captured cute, creepy, and cool all in one show.

Check the map to find out where to see your favorite type of zombie. And check the show schedule to find you all the zombie de dance showtimes. There are 6 in all, so you’ll have to choose carefully. And remember, the zombies only come out at night!

Look for them after 6pm. And if you have kids, plan ahead and locate the safety routes so you lead an escape mission without inspiring nightmares in the kiddos.

Biohazard™: The Extreme +

This survival horror maze, based on the video game Resident Evil 2, takes you into the Raccoon City Police Department. You have a choice of routes through the maze. Will you take the Leon route or the Claire route? Once you’ve made your decision, do your best to evade Tyrant, the mutated William Burkin, Licker, and an assortment of zombies while you complete your mission. You’ll get a final rank for your performance, if you escape!

Universal Monsters: Legends of Fear

Inspired by the crowd-pleaser maze of the same name from Universal Studios Florida, this attraction will keep you on your toes and put a lump in your throat. Set in a darkened cemetery, you meet classic monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and the Mummy.

Cult of Chucky: Chucky’s Hospital Ward of Madness

No matter how frightened you are in the pitch black hospital ward, with fog machines and strobe lights, you have to walk step-by-step through the attraction. Good luck! The Child’s Play psycho killer doll is in there somewhere. This one might be best to face with a group of friends.

Sherlock Holmes: The Curse of the Rose Sword

Because I’m a bit of a wimp, I decided this one was for me. This couldn’t be too scary, right?
Let me give you a few more in-depth details without too many spoilers.

The flashy theater, where you can usually catch a good Beetlejuice rock ’n roll show, was set up for a movie premiere. Classy show posters decorated the entrance lobby. On the way in, ushers hand guests a show-guide explaining the backstory so you can prepare yourself for the mystery about to unfold.

Just before the show began, as the lights were just starting to dim, I spotted Sherlock and his trusty sidekick Watson slip into front-row seats.

All in all the movie screening/murder-mystery lasted for about 35 minutes. Real-life actors appeared in color on stage, dramatizing the black and white silent movie on-screen. A lot of twists and turns you’d expect from a good Sherlock story took me on a mind-thrilling adventure. And one unsuspecting audience member was pulled into the drama. A rudimentary knowledge of Japanese would help you get the most out of the performance. The silent movie is shown with lines written both in English and Japanese, so even without language skills you can catch the main story line.

Although not terrifying, the performance definitely got my heart pumping and adrenaline flowing. Beyond the pitch black moments, blood-curdling screams, and grotesque displays of blood and charred bodies, there is definitely a reason this attraction is restricted to the 12+ community. This is one of those attractions that sneaks up on you. You think it’s not scary, but then you walk out being glad you didn’t die. Just the right amount of scare for my psyche.

“Rat-tat-tat” + Hollywood Dream-The Ride

The park’s main rollercoaster always has a fun selection of songs to choose from for your own personal ride soundtrack. During the Halloween period, the hit song Rat-tat-tat by J SOUL BROTHERS from EXILE TRIBE will be specially featured.

*With the exception of the Street Zombies and the rollercoaster, all the horror attractions are limited to the 12+ crowd. They’re pretty scary.Keep that in mind!

*Halloween attractions are very popular. Check the map & get the appropriate Timed Entry Tickets for the attraction you’re planning to see/experience.

■Special Decorations & Halloween Merch

There’s a surprise around every corner! I found Charlie Brown all dressed up and ready for his new starring role as a vampire in the Peanuts area.

The special Halloween merch is so extensive, there’s really no way I could cover it all. My personal opinion though, is that the Minion merch is the cutest. So that’s what I focussed on. Just look at these cute minion vampire headbands, and Halloween minion socks.

There’s even a sweater vest! Minions in the Dark is the theme and USJ even made vampire Minion crackers. There’s just something about being yellow, round, and having weird goggles, that makes really cute vampires.

But that’s not all! Look around the gift-shops and you’re sure to find your favorite characters all dressed up.

■USJ Halloween Food

Food! Food! Food! There’s so much Halloween food. I can’t cover it all, but here’s my best attempt.

Finnegan’s Bar & Grill near the Resident Evil (Biohazard) attraction serves a surf and turf Resident Evil Plate. The themed drinks are smeared with red streaks and I wouldn’t be surprised if they turned you into a zombie.

And of course, let’s not forget the Halloween Plate at the Three Broomsticks™ in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter™. Corn, chicken, Shepherd’s pie and the coveted Halloween lollipop.

The lemon-flavored cauldron cake is as fun to eat as it is delicious. Pour the “magic potion” over your cotton-candy topped cake and watch it transform before your eyes as “smoke” seeps over the decorative cauldron.

The On-the-Go foods from the food trucks in the New York area really do it up for Halloween. Get a Frankenstein Hot Dog topped in basil cheese sauce that looks eerily like the tone of the monster’s skin.

Try two kinds of Dracula Curry or a Wolfman Howling Grape Soda.

The Bride of Frankenstein will make you choose between a strawberry churrito or a cassis chocolate one, both of which remind you of the tall beehive hairdo that she is known for.

In the Minion area, even the pork buns have Halloween costumes!

If you’re in the mood for something a little classier, visit the Beverly Hills Boulangerie for a Baron or Baroness special Halloween cake.

Whatever you choose, you can’t go wrong! USJ has all the Halloween vibes to make your holiday fun, frightening and fabulous. Happy Halloween everyone!