Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) returned to Orlando from Aug. 29-Nov. 2. HHN has been known for being shockingly scary since its creation in 1991, but as of late, many people have found the horror and scare factor to be tuned down.

Given the popularity of HHN, many believed that Universal Orlando would increase the horror of their houses, but the opposite seems to be true instead.

HHN has also endured controversy recently over the “No Boo” pass, or as it is called at Universal Orlando, the “Deathly Afraid Necklace.” This pass allowed guests to experience HHN with reduced scares in the scare zones, when the whole purpose of scare zones was to induce intense fright.

As a result, people have been claiming the “Deathly Afraid Necklace” was one of the reasons the scarriness of HHN was turned down this year. When an attendee was near someone with the “Deathly Afraid Necklace” that attendee also seemed to be subject to the effects of the pass: not getting scared.

This year, HHN had ten houses, including Five Nights at Freddy’s, Terrifier, Funhouse, Fallout, The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks and many more. In the past few months, people have been excited about the Five Nights at Freddy’s and Terrifier houses, but some were soon disappointed by their lack of scariness.

“I thought that the Five Nights at Freddy’s house was so cool because of the detail on the animatronics, but I didn’t really think it was that scary,” freshman Elliani Lopez said.

Additionally, there has recently been controversy online over the smell of the Terrifier house. Some people have a positive attitude towards it, saying that it makes you feel like you are actually in the movie. On the other hand, some have said that it smells like feces and other unsanitary things — way too real for their comfort.

Over the years, HHN always had many different types of scare zones with different creative themes and horror factors, but as of recently, some have said that a few of this year’s scare zones were boring or less creative.

The scare zones this year were The Cat Lady of Crooked Lane, Mutations: Toxic Twenties, Masquerade: Dance With Death, and The Origins of Horror. Even though these scare zones seem to be both creative and scary, actually experiencing them proved anticlimactic.

“I didn’t really think that the scare zones this year were that scary, but I did think that some were really creative, especially the Cat of Crooked Lane one and the Masquerade: Dance with Death,” sophomore Valentina Castillo said.

Even though some of the houses and scare zones have not been as fun or scary to guests, there are still some things that may add extra scares and excitement to HHN. Many people have been spotting Art the Clown from “Terrifier” and the Grabber from “Black Phone” walking around the park scaring people and causing friendly havoc in the scare zones.

Over the years, wait times and prices have always been at the center of debates on whether it is worth it to go. Some people have said that this year’s wait times ranged from two-three hours for some of their new popular houses such as the Five Nights at Freddy’s, Terrifier Funhouse and Fallout houses.

HHN prices have been consistently pricier over the years. Single-night tickets start at about $82.99, but vary by date with prices increasing to around $122.99 on popular nights. The Express Pass is then an additional cost, priced around $149.99- 249.99 per night and varying by date, not including the admission ticket.

The RIP tour, another additional cost, is a private, guided VIP experience for up to 10 people, with prices ranging from $3,500-5,000, including unlimited house access and other perks. The costly nature of HHN leads people to wonder if the experience is even worth it given that it is seemingly getting less and less scary over the years.

Additionally, many have been expressing their concerns on whether it is worth it to attend since the park opens at 6:30 p.m. and closes around 2 a.m., which people say is not enough time due to the extended wait times.

“I thought that the wait times were out of control,” freshman Gia McKaig said. “I only got to go through four houses because the wait lines were so long and because I didn’t have any time left.”

Even though this year’s HHN was a disappointment to some, many still look forward to next year’s new houses and scare zones, hoping that the wait times and prices will lower, and most importantly, that the event will be more horrifying.