Universal Orlando Drops Express Pass From Every Multi-Night Halloween Horror Nights Pass After 23 Years

A Halloween Horror Nights add-on that ran for more than two decades is gone. Universal Orlando has confirmed it is discontinuing every multi-night Fear pass that bundled Express Pass, killing off a product the resort had sold in some form since 2003. For the regulars who build entire Octobers around repeat event nights, it removes the only way to buy Express bundled into a multi-night pass.

What is affected: All four multi-night tiers lose their Express option: Rush of Fear, Frequent Fear, Frequent Fear Plus, and Ultimate Frequent Fear. The add-on previously granted one skip-the-line entry per haunted house on each night the pass was valid.

Universal's statement on the change is brief and does not elaborate on the reasoning:

As we continue to evaluate our offerings in an effort to provide the best Halloween Horror Nights experience for all Guests, we have discontinued all Fear with Express Pass products. Other Fear pass options will go on sale soon.

Without a multi-night Express option, repeat guests are back in the standby lines. Photo: Inside Universal.

A 23-year-old product, and a steep price curve

The Fear pass with Express was not a niche add-on, it was the enthusiast tier, and its price history explains a lot of the reaction. Inside Universal editor-in-chief Brian Glenn laid out the climb in an opinion column:

Back in 2010, a Frequent Fear Plus Pass with Express cost around $240. By 2019, it had climbed to roughly $460. Last year, it was approaching $950 before tax.

Last season's Fear passes with Express ranged from roughly $629 up to $1,199 depending on tier. Removing the option strips Express from all four multi-night tiers, leaving the non-Express versions as the only multi-night passes Universal has said it will sell.

What you can still buy

Multi-night Fear passes are not disappearing outright. Universal says the non-Express versions will go on sale soon, though the company has not officially confirmed a date. Single-night Express Passes are unaffected and remain available, priced by date starting at $170 and climbing toward $280 on peak nights. A guest who wants to skip lines can still do it, just one night at a time and at single-night pricing.

The rest of the upcharge menu is intact as well, including Premium Scream Night, the R.I.P. Tour, the Behind the Screams: Unmasking the Horror tour, and the Scream Early ticket. Single-night event tickets are already on sale.

What HHN 35 looks like

Halloween Horror Nights 35 runs select nights from August 28 through November 1, 2026 at Universal Studios Florida, marking the event's 35th anniversary. The lineup is built around ten haunted houses plus scare zones and live entertainment, with Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow serving as this year's icons. Eight of the ten houses have been announced so far: Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control, Sinners, Stranger Things 5, H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular, MADLANDS: Caged Cannibals, Cybergoria, INVASION: Alien Abduction, and Hellraiser.

Sources

• Inside Universal: Universal Orlando discontinues Express Pass option for Halloween Horror Nights 35
• Inside Universal: Opinion, the great Halloween Horror Nights Express debate
• Blog Mickey: Universal discontinues Express Pass add-on to Frequent Fear passes
• WDW News Today: Universal Orlando discontinues multi-night HHN tickets with Express Pass
• UOFan: Halloween Horror Nights Frequent Fear passes with Express discontinued

Image credits: Halloween Horror Nights 35 key art by Universal Orlando Resort. Queue photo by Inside Universal.