Among the rumored lineup for Halloween Horror Nights 32 at Universal Studios Florida is a dragon-themed original house. Sources close to UPNT report this house is loosely based on the extinct Dueling Dragons roller coaster from Islands of Adventure.
Before The Wizarding World of Harry Potter took over much of The Lost Continent, a section of the land was called Merlinwood and featured Arthurian legends. One attraction was Dueling Dragons, a dual track coaster featuring an epic “battle” between the Fire Dragon Pyrock and Ice Dragon Blizzrock.
The Halloween Horror Nights house is said to also feature a battle between a “red dragon” and a “blue dragon.” It may or may not follow other Dueling Dragons theming, but the similarity is reportedly intentional.
After the Harry Potter takeover, Dueling Dragons became Dragon Challenge, and the queue used a lot of the same set pieces. The coaster was demolished and replaced with Hagrid’s Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure, but Universal Creative may have saved sets or props from the original.
Dueling Dragons
Dueling Dragons was an opening day attraction at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in 1999. It closed and became Dragon Challenge in 2010, before ultimately reaching its demise in September 2017.
The Bollinger & Mabillard coaster was unique at the time in that the launch was carefully timed to have both tracks’ cars moving in tandem, leading to moments where riders came within 18″ from one another. This effect was ended in 2011 after two separate incidents where riders’ loose objects fell and hit riders on the other train. Dragon Challenge operated essentially as two separate coasters after that.
Halloween Horror Nights 32
Halloween Horror Nights is an annual hard-ticket event held each fall at Universal Orlando Resort. It takes place on select nights between September and October (and sometimes November). This year’s event will be held from September 1 through October 31.
Admission is separate from regular theme park admission. You do not need theme park admission to attend Halloween Horror Nights, but if you have a day ticket, it allows you to stay in the park to wait rather than exit and re-enter when the event opens. Tickets are currently available.
Halloween Horror Nights 32 will feature 10 haunted houses, 5 scare zones, and an unconfirmed amount of live entertainment. “The Last of Us” is only the second confirmed house, with “Chucky” having been announced last year. A fan-made speculation map of the rumored lineup also includes “Demon Slayer,” “The Exorcist,” and Universal Classic Monsters houses, but these haven’t been confirmed. “Stranger Things” is also expected to return for a house based on the fourth season.
Guests can purchase Express Passes to skip the regular queue. RIP Tours offers a guided experience, with private and non-private options available.
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