9 Reasons an R.I.P. Tour at Universal's Halloween Horror Nights Is Worth Every Blood-Soaked Penny

Wait times for most haunted houses can be 60+ minutes, but with a private R.I.P. tour, your guide will take you right up to the front and you go right in. Since there are so many houses to get through, this allows you to actually see them all instead of waiting in long lines and only getting to a few of them.

Our tour guide last year, Demi, was so awesome and made the night so much more fun. Before we entered any haunted house, she told us about the story behind it and any fun facts to go along with it. For example, for last year's Slaughter Sinema, she explained how that house was compiled of a bunch of different rooms that were ideas for previous haunted houses that just never came to fruition. Another fun fact: one of Universal's creative directors is from Carey, OH, and there were tiny references to his hometown throughout HHN (see slide 7).

So much time and thought goes into all of the small details for HHN, and with a private tour guide, you get to actually spot them and appreciate them all!

The actors in the scare zones that are scattered throughout the park love to have fun when they spot an R.I.P. tour walking through. During our tour, people with chainsaws chased us numerous times and a pack of killer clowns tried to convince us they were our new tour guides and to follow them instead.

While the regular R.I.P. tour includes special appetizers at a closed-off cafe before you start your night, the private tour lets you go there whenever you want. We wanted to go straight into a few haunted houses and weren't hungry until later, and that was totally fine. And once there, the food is included and is SO good. The peanut butter and jelly cupcakes were to die for.

You also can stop at exclusive R.I.P. tour bars throughout the park for some liquid courage in between haunted houses.

A private tour also takes back the curtain a little bit so you can see how some of the Universal magic comes to life. After we rode Revenge of the Mummy, our tour guide took us on a walking tour inside the ride so we could see it from below and watch people whiz by.

Nobody wants to go first when it comes to entering haunted houses (and if you do, you're a very brave soul). With a private tour guide, they always go first and hold up a little light to make sure you see where they are. It's very comforting in the sometimes pitch black.

Halloween Horror Nights features the Jabbawockeez show this year, and while you would usually have to wait in line and get a seat at the back, a private tour ensures you go right to the front with priority seating. You really can't beat that.

Because you don't have to wait in any lines, you can go through haunted houses (or go on rides) multiple times in one night. For the haunted houses, this is an awesome way to pick up on details you may have missed the first time through.

HHN is so much fun, and having a private tour guide just elevates that fun. You can to relax, eat, drink, and go at your own pace, because you have all night to do exactly what you want to do.