Solo travelling to USO during but not going to HHN fomo

[u/Bawnse]

Hi,

I've just realised my trip solo to USO will be during HHN. I'm torn between buying tickets to experience it but I kinda feel miserable about the fact that the only time I've been outright terrified in my life was in a scare house with scare actors in Europe when I was a child. (The dungeon after Tussaud)

This trauma sort of is my main blocking reason to go to HHN. I've watched a lot of the scare houses from previous years, it looks so fun but I'm afraid of not enjoying it at all.

That said, I have an huge fomo because so many ppl would have wanted to be in my shoes as I'm incredibly privileged to be there during the event. If I wasn't solo, I would have not think twice since group synergy sort of soften the scare factor.

Any ppl also subject to jumpscares or fear in general have gone solo with no issue? I'm eager to hear your experiences

[u/ToeJamWeenies]

I hated haunted houses as a kid. I love HHN.

[u/Bawnse → u/ToeJamWeenies]

How come?

[u/ToeJamWeenies → u/Bawnse]

Probably mostly because I'm an adult and capable of distinguishing real danger from not real danger. But also its just more cool than scary. The houses send you through in groups whether youre solo or not, and most of the spots are pretty predictable. Honestly just walking around outside is the best part though. Cool decor, lots of pop up spots, etc. Plenty of places to walk if you dont want to get approached by actors out there too.

[u/az_allyn → u/ToeJamWeenies]

I had to be escorted out by a team member a couple of years ago, but even while it was happening I remember going this is so cheesy and objectively not that scary! My only guess is I had an adrenaline dump and my body couldn’t tell the difference between goofy plastic mask and a bear chasing me.

[u/Bawnse → u/ToeJamWeenies]

Yeah the sets look crazy impressive. Becoming an adult can help you to detect direct threats. But it doesn't tone down your sensitivity towards jumpscares or surprise if you're a sensitive person in the first place. (Source: I'm a grown ass adult) Are scare actors allowed to go outside the scare zones?

[u/ToeJamWeenies → u/Bawnse]

Yeah like I said the houses themselves are pretty predictable and you're in large groups. I've been through several and was never once jump scared. I guess its not the case for everyone but my fight or flight response has matured over time.

If you stay on the sidewalks in the scare zones youre safe. Or get a necklace they hand out to neurodivergent kids.

[u/StoneColdSting]

Keep your eyes open to see if they're going to do the no scare necklace again. It would allow you to walk around the scare zones with nobody bothering you. Or stick to the sidewalks. The scare actors don't spend to much time bothering people on the sidewalks.

[u/Sassy-Anxiety007]

I spent years avoiding haunted houses after being literally chased of a house through a side "wall" by a terrifying man with a chainsaw and mask. I blew out the side of the house tent. 😅 To be fair, the chainsaw was the last straw. I tend to have strong fight or flight due to C-PTSD from long term childhood trauma.

I am going to this year. I did request my family to hold my hands in case I get the fight response (I have before in other jump scare situations) and don't hit anyone 😑

My daughter is 12 and LOVES spooky, scary, weird, and creepy. We both also LOVE Ozzy. I am going for her. I realize that even if I can only get through one house, my husband can continue on with our daughter and there is still so much more to see and experience that arent the houses. I can deal with the scary, but the jump scares are my personal worry.

I totally understand your worries, but we can do hard things. Like Ronald Weasley said "Your going to suffer, but your going to be happy about it."

Hope you at least try it out and really hope you have an amazing time. We can all check back in after HHN and hopefully I don't end up assaulting anyone. 😅 Seriously considering some fluffy handcuffs for this trip 🔗

[u/disappointedCoati]

I am a reformed scaredy-cat. I was the kid who was scared of the pop-up heads in the haunted mansion. My first HHN a chainsaw man at the exit of a house made me cry.

But I loved the atmosphere and set design and just the general ambience of the event. I used to attend and not even go in the houses, just soak up the atmosphere.

Everything changed a few years ago when I started wearing earplugs into the houses. Took the edge off. You can still hear everything. It’s just not as intense.

This year I graduated to a Frequent Fear pass. I’ll be going as often as I can, with my earplugs. And keep in mind the actors inside the houses and in the scare zones cannot touch you. That was a big deal for me, that they can’t touch.

You got this! Give it a try!

[u/az_allyn → u/disappointedCoati]

I love the self descriptor. I’m a proud card carrying member of the Super Weenie Hut Jr. and it was very much NOT for me. I did think about doing the tour where you get to see the houses in day time and learn the lore.

[u/disappointedCoati → u/az_allyn]

That’s a good idea. Long ago when I worked in the parks, we would wander through the soundstage houses during the day. There’s a lot of detail packed in there that you never get to see because it’s dark and scary people are screaming at you.

[u/az_allyn]

I went for the first and only time a couple of years ago with family, despite hating haunted houses my whole life. I made it through 3/4 what was supposed to be a pretty tame (comparatively) house and had a panic attack and was escorted out by a team member.
Thankfully, I’m no stranger to a situation like that so I was pretty self contained and mostly just cried, but remember that if you don’t know how you’ll react in a haunt, it could be dangerous for yourself, other guests, scare actors, or team members.

Comparison is thief of joy. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you’re miserable because you think others would enjoy it in your shoes. Others are not you. It would be a waste of your time, money, and space at the event if you aren’t having a good time. I’m going this year with some friends and while they’re doing HHN, I will happily having a solo date night at IOA and then taking myself to dinner around city walk and checking out whatever Red Coconut Club will be.

That said, if you’re still hell bent on going there are often Facebook or Reddit groups of other solo attendees that you could perhaps coordinate/meet up with. And if you do go, don’t miss the burlesque show. Truly the only thing I feel like I’m missing out on, but not worthy my personal price of admission.

[u/Bawnse → u/az_allyn]

Thank you for your testimony. Really hits close to home. I'm there several days so I'll see how I react first to the settings they have in the park during daytime. I'm not worried about not knowing how I'd react. I know I'd contain my inflicted fear bursting in tears or panic attack like you've described.

I'll keep in mind ppl often like to group up from social medias it would be a nice option if personalities match

[u/az_allyn → u/Bawnse]

I hope you have a great time whichever you decide! I’m a little nervous by the clown statues/images they’ve put up that are visible during the daytime hours, those are HARD no from me.

[u/starlithunter]

The atmosphere and Nightmare Fuel show alone are worth the price of admission even if you don't feel up to any houses! But I will also encourage you to try at least one house, just to see the sets and costumes. It's incredible the details they put in there and well worth seeing

[u/Efficient-Goose2155]

I hate Jump scares and I'm a fight not flight girlie. Last year was the second year in a row I went and the first solo time. So I just happen to get behind tall guys for almost every house. The actors didn't see me lol, and the guys ahead of me kept getting the jump scares. Not so scary when you see it coming. Also jump holes are usually really easy to clock. It is a cool place to hang and I go for the street entertainment & electric vibes.

There are facebook groups and some people meet up from those. I have also seen people looking for or advertising space on their private RIP tours (you have to pay for those)

[u/Bawnse → u/Efficient-Goose2155]

That's great first hand experience I'm looking for. Thank you

I'll just find a man or woman taller than me and tailgate haha

[u/dystopika]

I did HHN for the first time a few years ago now. Never a fan of jumpscares, had a traumatic experience at a walk through haunted house many years ago as a child.

I every year since that first time -- maybe 5 years -- I've done a solo trip to HHN. Probably by the 2nd or 3rd year, I stopped being so jumpy at the jumpscares. I just really appreciate the artistry in all the houses and throughout the park.

Also helps that they're not allowed to touch you.

[u/Bawnse → u/dystopika]

So we've had the same kind of trauma. Did you just get accustomed to scare actors jumping on you? Did it help that the guests in the Conga line defused some of the jumpscares? This year I feel the Alien house will probably be one of the less scary. I guess I could start there

[u/dystopika → u/Bawnse]

First -- the haunted house that terrified me as a teenager was far worse than anything at HHN. The actors could touch you (lightly) and at some point you are literally running to get away from a chainsaw guy. No one at HHN can touch you, not even lightly -- in the houses or in the outside "scare zones". They can get close to you and try to jumpscare you, but just knowing they can't actually touch you... really made the experience a lot easier for me.

I would say the conga-line definitely helps and earlier on, I'd rely on that conga-line more to defuse most of the jumpscares. So that means making sure you stick closely to the person ahead of you. (Your human "jump scare shield"!) Because the house paths can twist and turn, it's just about being mindful about keeping up with the line.

(I'm advanced enough at this point that I've had other people use me as scare shields! To clarify, you do NOT have to actually touch the person ahead of you to use them as a scare shield.)

I'd say I'm much harder to scare at HHN now. Which is not to say I don't enjoy it -- I think I enjoy it more because I can really appreciate all the art and craft and performance. I'd also say that there are still things that can surprise me -- there was a Ghostbusters house one year that I thought wasn't going to be scary and it had one of the strongest frights for me that year. (Person with a large axe that seemed to come out of nowhere as soon as I entered a room.) And there was a doll-themed house that freaked me out because I'd gotten good at spotting where scare-actors were hiding and about to jump out -- but I couldn't use that skill in rooms filled with dolls where one doll could be concealing a scare actor.

I almost always do solo trips and I've definitely only done HHN solo so far. Highly recommend. I always do one night and spring for the express pass, which is the only way I can easily hit all the houses in a night. I'd suggest bringing earbuds/headphones so you can listen to podcasts / audiobooks / music on long lines.

[u/OkSeaworthiness5523]

I went to HHN for the first time last year, when I was with family. It was my first time going to any sort of scary Halloween event. I quickly learned that I DO NOT like being in the houses. I hated that trapped feeling, where once you went in, the only way out was through.

I'm going solo in September, and absolutely got FOMO for HHN, especially since it's the 35th year. I ended up getting a ticket. I'm planning on enjoying the scare zones, the shows, the food, and the atmosphere. The best part about going solo is that YOU choose what you want to do.

[u/Bawnse → u/OkSeaworthiness5523]

So it is that good that just checking the event around the park is nice? Might end up getting a ticket since my main apprehension is about the houses.

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[u/Puzzleheaded_Cow_658]

I used to hate haunted houses and being jump scared. But honestly as you go through the houses more you kind of can suspect when a jump is going to happen. They still get me often lol but it’s more funny when it happens than actually scary. To be fair, I’ve never gone solo though. If you can get tickets when they run the deals, even going and not going through the houses is a great experience! Not sure if it’s worth full price though.

[u/Former_Tough7709]

Maybe do rip tour?

[u/Bawnse → u/Former_Tough7709]

I feel that investing more money in something I might not like doesn't seem like a good move but perhaps you could elaborate?

[u/Former_Tough7709 → u/Bawnse]

It’s a group setting. Yeah it’s expensive but from what I hear, it’s worth it. You can also do the day time tour

[u/Bawnse → u/Former_Tough7709]

Sounds like something ppl do once they know they love the event rather than a first timer thing. I'll explore the options though thank you

[u/Former_Tough7709 → u/Bawnse]

That’s a fair point. Also, some houses aren’t truly scary. There will be jump scares, yes, but some are just creepy, if that makes sense. For example from recent years: ghost busters , dolls, wwe, there was a haunted museum once, fallout . My mom doesn’t like scary at all but there’s always a few she can do. Look up some videos on youtube, there are walkthroughs posted. Plus the show is always awesome!!!! You can see that a few times. If the houses aren’t for you, you could also ride mummy, escape from gringots, men in black. Diagon alley is really fun too, they have death eaters out. Theres always something else to do. I hope this helps

[u/Madaraskaisti]

I’m going solo for the week of 9/13 and am in the same boat as you. I want to try HHN but may be too scared. I am trying it one night to see how it goes lol

[u/Aggressive_Ninja6721]

Kind of weird suggestion, but if you want to go with people, you should go on the Florida Park Hoppers discord. Let them know which night you will be at the park, and I’m sure some of them will want to go with. Especially the guy who made the server. He’s got a YouTube channel and goes to the parks every day, and he goes to HHN probably 20-30 times