My Experience At Movie World Fright Nights!

Hi all!

Today I am going to be sharing my personal experience at Movie World Fright Nights! If you didn’t know, Movie World is Australia’s equivalent of Universal Studios and hosts its own version of Hollywood Horror Nights during Halloween season. This year, the main attraction was the IT maze and if you know me, you know that IT is my favourite horror film and book. I had no choice but to go! I decided to take a solo road-trip to the Gold Coast and spend the night at a motel before returning to my hometown the next day. The event started at 6pm and ran until 11pm. As I went by myself, I was not permitted to enter the Panic Rooms (themed escape rooms that require two people minimum) and wasn’t as interested in the park rides. I was there purely for the mazes. There were five in total: 1.) IT, 2.) The Conjuring, 3.) Doll Haus, 4.) Zombieland and 5.) Death Row. I told myself that if I managed to complete at least three mazes without tapping out, I was a brave soul. If I did all five, I was a legend. Without further ado, let’s look at how I went!

Spoiler alert: It was one of the best nights of my life!

1.) IT 

Without a doubt, the IT maze was the best event of the night! It was also the most popular, which meant I was waiting in line for almost two hours! If I had known, I would’ve purchased a Fast Pass. However, it was worth the wait and once I went through it, I immediately wanted to go back again. It featured a few pieces from the actual films and plenty of Pennywise jump-scares! As you can see below, the entrance was via the Funhouse clown’s mouth, which progressed through a winding maze towards a terrifying, climactic ending. I was never scared by my beloved clown, only happy to see him. I wish I could have taken photographs, but it was not permitted.

I want to mention that the most anxiety-inducing part of the entire evening was not the mazes themselves but the monsters parading through the park. As I went by myself, I was constantly targeted by them. I spent a lot of the night screaming and running from zombies, clowns, demons and hillbillies carrying axes. It was fun don’t get me wrong, but it definitely worked me up the most. There was one particular clown that had me convinced he would murder me and my entire family. I did everything possible to avoid him!

2.) The Conjuring 

The Conjuring maze was the fourth one I entered, so yes, I completed all five. I am unbelievably proud of myself! It helped that as a person on my own, I was forced to join groups. I was also usually at the back or the middle, so whenever I heard the front person screaming, I knew to expect something horrifying around the corner. I predicted before I even arrived that this particular maze would be the scariest of the lot and I was 100% correct. I screamed the loudest when The Nun ran at me! It had so many jump-scares and features from Annabelle, Valak, The Crooked Man and Bathsheba. It was truly well done and my second favourite event of the evening. Do not miss this one!

3.) Death Row 

Death Row was the biggest surprise of the evening for me. I was so apprehensive about it before I left but I’m really glad I took the chance to walk through it. It was my third favourite maze. Not only that, I met some absolutely lovely people in line who shook my hand and introduced themselves to me. They invited me to join their group and wished me well at the end. Their kindness just added to the overall experience. You enter via a hole in the wall and move through a chaotic prison filled with blood-thirsty inmates. It featured some really cool demonic nurses that reminded me of those from Silent Hill. One of them came right up to my face and cackled. It was terrifying in the best way!

I also want to mention that IT was the only maze held in the centre of the park. The other four mazes were located in the same area, past Wild West Falls. I really appreciated this because it meant I didn’t have to keep walking past the monsters and could literally exit one maze and enter the next. It helped that the wait times weren’t nearly as long and I was able to finish all five by 10pm, giving me one hour left before Movie World closed.

4.) Zombieland Double Tap

Zombieland Double Tap started off strong but fizzled out by the end. I loved the fun atmosphere and definitely jumped a few times but in the last room, where the biggest scare was meant to lie, there was nobody there. It was so strange that the guy in front of me turned around and said “huh?” I don’t know if this was intentional, or the zombies were having a toilet break LOL. I wish it had been more exciting. It had the potential to be much better than it was. My favourite part was the zombie behind the chain-link fence, screaming and running up and down.

5.) Doll Haus

In last place, we have Doll Haus. I was so looking forward to this one, as dolls are one of my favourite horror sub-genres, but it was, dare I say…lame? I expected this maze to be full of dolls and there were hardly any. The creatures were dressed as ballerinas, which didn’t suit the theme. I didn’t like the way they looked. It was also located in a very strange place. If I hadn’t asked somebody, I never would have found it. I don’t recommend this one. I wanted more.

Overall, I had an absolute blast. The park was alive with spooky spirit. I’ll never forget walking under the sign and watching the opening scene where the monsters are first released into the different precincts. It was great getting to meet people that love horror and Halloween like myself. The mazes were excellent (aside from the last two mentioned), and despite being chased by chainsaw-wielding masked figures, I loved every second of it. I would 100% return and do it all again. It was truly a night to remember.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed! Have you ever been to an event like this? Please share your experiences in the comments. 

Peace & Love xoxo