PHOTOS, VIDEO, REVIEW: Ghoulish! A Halloween Tale Lagoon Show at Halloween Horror Nights 31

Katie Francis

PHOTOS, VIDEO, REVIEW: Ghoulish! A Halloween Tale Lagoon Show at Halloween Horror Nights 31

In addition to all the terrifying houses and epic food, Halloween Horror Nights 31 features two shows, including a new lagoon show called Ghoulish! A Halloween Tale.

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Ghoulish! A Halloween Tale

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The entrance to Central Park, which serves as the viewing area for Ghoulish!, is across from Mel’s Drive-In. Performances are usually on the hour between 9:00 p.m. and midnight, but be sure to check the sign or the Universal Orlando Resort app for up-to-date showtimes.

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There’s an arrangement of music before the show kicks off, including Halloween-themed tunes such as “Monster Mash,” “Season of the Witch,” and “Horror Movies.” The show is loosely themed to a horror record with a follow-along picture book. Much of the show’s soundtrack was designed specifically for Ghoulish!, including the covers of recognizable songs.

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The opening theme, a custom track, plays as the narrator tells us that our story “begins on this cold, dark night of All Hallows Eve.”

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The next segment plays to a cover of “Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was one of our favorite tracks.

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This segment features water screen projections of a menacing moon, spooky forest, and wolves howling.

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The next part has a retro haunted house motif to a version of “Black Cat” by Janet Jackson.

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You can spot Lil’ Boo during this segment, just to the right of the center projections on the warehouse façade.

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The next section features a remix of “House of Fun” by Madness.

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Ghosts and dancing skeletons are the stars of this segment, which transitions to a rendition of Alice Cooper’s “Skeletons in the Closet.”

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A smiling skeleton leads into the next segment.

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Devils and hellish beasts come out to play to a cover of Rihanna’s “Disturbia.”

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Given that he’s had both a house and his own bar this year, it only seems appropriate that The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” would be featured in the show.

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And with a musical flourish, the show comes to an end.

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This may be an unpopular opinion, but we loved Ghoulish! It was well done, and had a good amount of dimension, incorporating the fountains, water screens, lasers, and multiple synchronic projections on the buildings. The music was fun, the album motif was fun, and the graphics were fun. It’s just plain fun!

It wasn’t overly scary, but we don’t think it wasn’t supposed to be. The lagoon shows before this (especially the original Marathon of Mayhem ) have been celebrations of the event, and this was a good fit with the October 31st theme. It was a good time, like a C-ticket attraction. If you’re in the area near showtime, be sure to stop and watch, but it’s not worth planning your whole night around. 

Watch our full video of Ghoulish! A Halloween Tale below!

Location of Ghoulish! A Halloween Tale at Halloween Horror Nights 31

The show is on the Universal Studios Florida lagoon. The viewing area is in Central Park, with the entrance across from Café La Bamba.

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