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Top five Halloween Horror Nights attractions ranked by scare factor

SINGAPORE – Halloween Horror Nights is in its fifth year now, but I had never been to one of the events. So this year, I decided to venture to the haunted spookfest held at Universal Studios Singapore for the media preview.

SINGAPORE – Halloween Horror Nights is in its fifth year now, but I had never been to one of the events. So this year, I decided to venture to the haunted spookfest held at Universal Studios Singapore for the media preview.

This year’s event features four haunted houses, three of which are locally themed; and three outdoor “scare zones”. And this Horror Night noob’s main concern was whether her jelly legs would hold up through the circuit. Here are my five most memorable attractions, ranked from least scary to “why didn’t I bring a spare pair of pants”.

 

SEVENTH MONTH PARADE: “HUNGRY GHOSTS SCARE ZONE”

I was quite calm as I walked by a hopping Chinese vampire, a well with a crying Sadako (that delightful long-haired girl from Japanese horror flick, The Ring), a parasol-toting spurned bride dressed in red and a dude who looked like a Har Par Villa gargoyle come to life.

We lingered for way too long in front of two undead wayang actors, who looked like they were increasingly feeling the pressure to perform, so that some journalists could take photos. Further on, a rotting corpse roared in my face. “Sexy,” I commented. He blew me a kiss. But we didn’t exchange numbers because there’s no reception in the Underworld.

 

BURN AFTER DEATH: “HELL HOUSE”

This was the most fun attraction, if you ask me, because it’s Asian hell taken almost to the point of parody. It was like walking into a paper house meant to be burnt as an offering to the dead, that’s filled with paper effigies – some of which are “alive”. The ghoulies here were almost as colourful as some of the visitors.

“I caught sight of my reflection in the mirrored hallway and scared myself,” one guy guffawed.

“That happens to me every morning,” I scoffed.

In one part of the house, they turn the heat up and fill it with smoke, to make you feel like you’re burning in hell. This is neat, but the haze outside is scarier.

 

SPOOKS ON A TRAIN: “THE MRT”

This attraction was designed in collaboration with Russell Lee, the author of the best-selling series, True Singapore Ghost Stories, and it’s about an underground train station in which pontianaks, toyols and hantu rayas have been unleashed. Thanks, Russell – I immediately wanted to get out of there. There were catacombs and a levitating baby. Zombie students swung drunkenly from grab poles and leered at me. They were almost as scary as the pole hoggers on the real MRT.

I made it out without peeing in my pants. (Of course, there were no real scares such as fare hikes, train disruptions and aunties who feel entitled take the priority seats.)

 

FREAKS AND MUTANTS: “CON’TER’MINATION SCARE ZONE”

This outdoor zone is designed as a top-secret dumping ground for the deformed and diseased. It’s a poignant reminder of those on the fringes of real-life society. But I was too freaked out to stop and consider their plight.

There were caged hospital patients on the rampage. There was a maniac with a chainsaw. And there was an enormously corpulent guy immobile on a mattress, his belly heaving mechanically. “That’s you in the future if you keep eating those cupcakes,” screamed my inner voice. I bolted.

Scariest of all were the other journalists trying to Snapchat while screaming and running dramatically away from the guy with the chainsaw.

 

HDB EPIDEMIC: “SILOSO GATEWAY BLOCK 50”

This one – about a block of old flats hit by the “HHN5” virus, which turns its victims into possessed zombies – is fantastically well designed. I walked through a creepily abandoned Pelican playground, through decrepit corridors, straight into people’s homes.

The households were a politically-correct mix of Malay, Indian, Chinese and Others. Thrashing victims had been tied to their beds. A guy in a Hazmat suit made me put my hands in the air, then blasted me with a spray of water.

“I’m scared,” whimpered the girl in front of me, so we put our arms around each other and walked through the rest of the attraction like Chang and Eng. It really helped. The last straw was a young boy (did the actor not have school the next morning?) who pestered me: “My mother died. Can you take me home with you?”

Uh, no. Me, raise a child? Scariest thought ever.

Halloween Horror Nights 5 takes place on selected nights from Oct 2 to Oct 31 at Universal Studios Singapore. Standard tickets are S$68. For more details, visit www.halloweenhorrornights.com.sg

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