With Halloween just around the corner, there’s a big chance that West High students will be heading down to Universal Studios Hollywood to celebrate Halloween Horror Nights. Horror Nights is an annual tradition in which the popular theme park is decorated for Halloween, with various mazes and frightening attractions set to scare visitors silly. This tradition is not for the faint of heart, and for that reason, any West High students planning to participate in this year’s Halloween Horror Night’s festivities ought to be prepared with these helpful tips.

   The first thing any person attending  should want to know is that this season’s Halloween Horror Nights are busy. The crowds are brutal, and as a result, so are the lines and wait times. Kainalu Barricklow (12) suggests “be prepared to wait a while for any of the mazes, especially the popular ones like the Last of Us.” Barricklow, who went just a couple of weeks back when Horror Nights first began, is of the opinion that “the strategy is to always listen to the people in front of you. Be aware of your surroundings and you’re golden.” Barricklow couldn’t be more correct; especially with the theme park jam-packed with people, if you want to stick with your group and not get jumpscared every corner you turn, your best bet is to listen ahead and be prepared for people to jump out at you. 

   It’s inevitable that you’re going to get scared at least once – and it’s important to know that the scare-actors running around  can smell fear. Michael Oliveros (12), who’s been a regular at Horror Nights for  years now, says that the best way to not get targeted by anyone in a mask is to “be prepared to put on your poker face.” You have to keep a straight face if you want them to ignore you: “If you’re acting scared, you will be scared.” 

   One very important thing to note, especially for newcomers like Hanson Maravilla (12), who is “anxious to see what the mazes are gonna be like this year” is that you need to keep track of time. One of the main attractions, the terror tram – a tram that takes you to a far-off maze full of some of the coolest scares in the park – closes early every night. Be prepared to get in line before 11:45 PM for the tram, or you may miss the last trip out to their highly anticipated (and totally worth it) “Exterminatorz” attraction. Another thing to remember is that it’s fully worth it to stay all night long, until closing time at 2 AM. Get your money’s worth, and maybe pack a 5-hour energy drink to stay awake, because you don’t want to miss this terrifyingly fun Halloween activity.