Diagon Alley
A typical London street bustles with Muggles with their heads buried in their cellphones and newspapers. A purple double-decker is parked next to a glinting fountain and a cheery Jamaican voice chuckles from somewhere inside. Most people miss the sign that marks the Leaky Cauldron. And most Muggles miss the entrance to Diagon Alley at Universal Studios.
Diagon Alley, which opened this summer, is the newest addition to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, connected from Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure by the Hogwarts Express. For those of you who are into the wizardry and witchiness of Halloween but not the terror and scares of Halloween Horror Nights, Diagon Alley is a perfect alternative.
The two stand-outs of the newest area of the wizarding world are undoubtedly the ride Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts and the Hogwarts Express.
Under the 60-foot, fire-breathing Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon, Gringotts stands in its blinding white marble, sturdy and encapsulating dragons, trolls and, in this ride, Lord Voldemort himself.
To get to the ride, you weave through hard-working goblins who ignore your very presence in the gold-flaked, high-ceilinged queue area. On the ride itself, you go to set up a Gringotts account and meet Bill Weasley on the way. He takes you down 9 miles to the vaults, and you plunge down into the bowels of the earth, speeding past stalactites (or is it stalagmites?), dragons and waterfalls (don’t worry, he stops you from getting soaked) to follow Harry, Ron and Hermione (played by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) through their journey of breaking into the Lestrange’s vault. The 3D thrill ride has been the most popular ride in the park since Diagon Alley opened, but the wait is honestly worth it.
After all the excitement of almost being burned by that dragon, you’ll need a calm meander through the shops in Diagon Alley. There’s the staple Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands, where if you’re lucky, the shop owner will pick you for the wand-picking experience. There’s Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes and the Magical Menagerie, and you can creep through the dark Knockturn Alley (don’t forget to stop in Borgin and Burkes — and, are those shrunken heads singing?). Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour can treat you to some happiness in a bowl with Butterbeer ice cream, along with other flavors specially made for the park.
Head back out to King’s Cross to catch the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9¾. You’ll need a two-park pass to get on the train, but you can upgrade in the station. After running through the column between platforms 9 and 10 (don’t worry, only the people behind you will see it), the wisened red Hogwarts Express emerges from billows of steam and your attendant leads you to your car. Don’t get caught up in your Muggle newspaper (the Alligator), though, because the rolling hills of England hold surprises as you travel to Hogsmeade.
You’ll run into beloved characters and see familliar scenes from the movies,. The Trolley Lady walks by, asking “Anything from the trolley, dears?” and just like Harry, you won’t want to return to the muggle world.
Halloween Horror Nights
October in Florida is practically synonymous with Halloween Horror Nights season. For horror fiends and fraidy cats alike, this year’s HHN is sure to inspire stress-induced sweating, a few chuckles and plenty of ear-piercing screams.
You have no chance once you enter the park to prepare yourself before you find your way in the middle of the first scare area: Bayou of Blood. You’ll be stalked by voodoo practitioners wearing bloodstained masks, just like you’re in the middle of the horror version of “Princess and the Frog.” Nurses sell baggies full of blood along the paths as you cowardly make your way to and from the house. You’ll also encounter The Purge, with murderous, mask-wearing people who blend into the crowd way too well; Face-Off based on the creatures from the Sci-fi show; and MASKerade Unstitched for the glamorous outfits that are hiding gruesome secrets.
The biggest house this year is based off “The Walking Dead” — and by big, I don’t just mean the most popular (though it easily is the fan favorite). Horror Nights veterans will remember last year overpopulated with walkers, but they tweaked it around this time. The Walking Dead: End of the Line house is the largest Halloween Horror Night’s has ever had, double the size with three times as many scareactors. Minor spoiler alert ahead if you’re behind a season. The house is set up to walk you through the latest “Walking Dead” season, starting when Rick and the gang are splitting up following the Governor’s attack. Notice the walkers look a little different, with the eye-bleeds evidence of the deadly sickness plaguing survivors. Keep your arms and legs close: There’s a horde coming your way with about 15 walkers confronting you. Don’t worry though, you’ll make it to Terminus soon enough.. or maybe worry about that.
Take a breather after that rotting-flesh-filled nightmare. Most of the rides in Universal Studios are still running at night. Or catch one of the shows: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure, where you’ll laugh at pop culture events like #bendgate, and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” with performers singing along to clips from the cult classic.
After that, jump back into the fray with a personal childhood fear of most 20-somethings that is brought to life in the Halloween house. Michael Myers lurks around every corner of the iconic house with his emotionless mask, ready to attack any and everyone with his butcher knife (or strangle you with a phone cable). Be warned, one room is filled with Michael’s... and not all of them are dummies.
There are houses for most types of fear: AVP for alien-phobes; Dollhouse for the Damned for those who know dolls are the scariest childhood toy; Giggles and Gore Inc. for those who want to know where evil clowns come from (they’re made, not born); Roanoke - Cannibal Colony for the history buffs; and Dracula Untold and From Dusk till Dawn for fangbangers.
So, there’s that. Be prepared to scream (or laugh at the wimps) your way through the night.
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 10/9/2014]
