Sunway Lagoon’s iconic Nights of Fright (NOF) is back for the 10th time, running every weekend from September 20 to October 31.
This year there are nine exclusive, spooky haunted experiences in total:
- Scarytales Haunted Theatre: The Island of the Dolls
- Horrorwood Studios
- The Freezer
- Van Helsing
- Bone Man
- Silent Hill
- Whitechapel 2888
- Summer Camp Nightmares
- Alice
And of course, the whole park is joining in on the spooky fun, with four scares zones scattered about the space. Namely, they are:
- Slasher Street
- Karak Highway
- Day of the Dead
- Pontianaks, Pocongs & Pumpkins!
The Nights Of Fright Main Stage will also be showcasing various performances throughout the night. Sunway Lagoon’s regularly offered night amusement rides will also be available.
Globally renowned IPs
Celebrating its 10th rendition, Nights of Fright 10 is taking the horror experience to a global scale, featuring intellectual properties (IPs) from around the world in their haunted houses.
These internationally renowned characters and storylines will add a whole new dimension of terror to the event.
There’s the “Bone Man” from China, a haunting figure steeped in ancient mythology and folklore.
The Bone Man is a chilling reminder of the past, a skeletal entity said to roam in the afterlife, gathering the souls of those who dare to cross his path. His eerie, ghost-like presence will set the tone for an unforgettable horror experience as guests navigate through his realm, facing traps, haunted relics, and spine-chilling encounters.
Nights of Fright is also presenting a disturbing twist on Alice with a nightmare-filled wonderland where nothing is as it seems. This experience incorporates 3D glasses for that ultimate trippy effect.
One highlighted feature of NOF 10 is the introduction of Silent Hill, an iconic legendary horror franchise from the US.
Speaking to Michelle Soong, the Assistant General Manager of Marketing and Park Experiences from Sunway Theme Parks, we learnt that this attraction is a must-visit for all attendees this year.
“The creators of Silent Hill and the owners of the rights know about Nights of Fright,” she pointed out. “So, it wasn’t hard to convince them.”
Impacting the appetite for horror in Malaysia
“When we first started Nights of Fright itself, we thought of having a Halloween event that will scare Malaysians and tourists, and it would be an immersive event,” Michelle recounted. “Of course, we started small, because back then we had limited resources.”
But that has definitely changed over the past decade or so. Over the years, Nights of Fright has solidified its position as the iconic Halloween special in the Klang Valley and beyond. Now, the event is supported by not just attendees from Malaysia and neighbouring countries but also many strategic partners.
In total, the team is expecting between 100,000 to 120,000 guests. Michelle shared that the event is a profitable one for the company.
Given the massive response that Nights of Fright receives year on year, the team has been preparing intensively for it since last year. In fact, even during the ninth edition of the horror experience, they were already brainstorming for the 10th one.
“Creating that experience that is truly immersive is not something that is easy, and not every team can do it,” Michelle said. “Implementing what you see in a video game or a horror flick or even from Malaysian folklore into our product itself is crazy challenging.”
Persevering through these challenges, it’s no doubt that Nights of Fright has shaped and influenced the landscape for horror experiences in Malaysia.
Michelle shared that the number of people who sign up to be a scare actor for Nights of Fright is a testament to their presence in the Halloween community as well. This year, there were about 450 scare actors who auditioned, with the final lineup of characters comprising 66 actors.
Growing over the past decade, the team has learnt that a key value, ironically, is to be fearless in whatever they do.
“We can dream up the craziest experience, but of course, we will cater it to be Malaysian audience itself,” Michelle shared.
Six horror-filled weekends
Nights Of Fright 10 starts from September 20 to October 31, 2024, every Friday to Sunday, 7:30PM to 11:30PM at Sunway Lagoon.
That’s six weekends, plus one final day on Halloween itself.
Tickets are sold on Sunway Lagoon’s website as well as on Klook. Admission tickets (inclusive of popcorn and a devil’s horn accessory) start at RM128. There’s also a package with the Xpress Pass for RM226.
The Vulcan Post team got to experience one night of frights ourselves, so stay tuned for our review of the spooky experience.
- Learn more about Nights of Fright here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.
Featured Image Credit: Vulcan Post