5 Ways to Spend Halloween 2018 – Price Guide to USS Halloween Horror Nights, Zouk Halloween & More

Looks like scaredy cats like me really can’t catch a break. The lunar 7th month is over so the Chinese ghosts are finally back in hell, but guess what? It’s now time for Halloween – the ang moh spooky season. Oh, joy.

But I accept that I’m the anomaly – everyone else I know loves getting frightened out of their wits. Haunted houses and horror-themed celebrations are wildly popular in Singapore even though Halloween is not even remotely close to being an Asian tradition whatsoever.

But just because you didn’t grow up carving Jack-o’-lanterns and going trick-or-treating doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate Halloween in Singapore. Here are 5 cool events and activities to check out for Halloween 2018.

 

Halloween price guide (2018) – HHN8, movies, VR gaming and more

What	Where	Price
ACM After Dark	Asian Civilisations Museum	Free
Outdoor Popcorn Cinema	SCAPE 4th floor rooftop	$8.40 and up
Scream Asia Film Festival	Cathay Cineplexes	$13
Zombie-themed VR gaming	Zero Latency	$48 and up
Halloween Horror Nights 8	Universal Studios Singapore (USS)	$53 and up
Zouk Halloween 2018 – Boogie Wonderland	Zouk Club	$55

 

Literally have a “night at the museum” at ACM After Dark – free entry, 27 Oct 2018

Let’s kick off with a mild, more kid-friendly activity – the Asian Civilisations Museum’s Halloween event. Not much has been revealed about the programme for ACM After Dark, except that it will feature themes revolving around supernatural beliefs and ancient traditions. There’ll also be live performances, a movie screening, and paranormal talks.

If you come dressed to impress, you may walk away with 1 of 3 mystery prizes. Admission is completely free, and for this one night, the museum will be open until midnight.

 

Go on a “best horror movie” binge at The Cathay and Scape – from $8.40 per ticket, 21 to 28 Oct 2018

Ah, there’s nothing like cuddling up to your Halloween date, watching some of the best horror films of all time, right? If that sounds like the perfect pak-tor, there are 2 options for you:

Outdoor Popcorn Horror Cinema by SCAPE – $12 per ticket, 26 Oct 2018

Outdoor Popcorn Horror Cinema is a pop-up movie experience that will be held at the 4th floor rooftop of SCAPE. They will be screening the 1960s horror flick Psycho, which – aside from the gory bits – is more than anything a psychological thriller. Tickets are $12, but if you buy it through the app it is $10 ($2 off) and if you use the promo code “POPCORN30” it is $8.40 (30% off).

Scream Asia Film Festival by MM2 Entertainment and Cathay Cineplexes – $13 per ticket, 21 to 28 Oct 2018

If say, you’re a mozzie magnet and you prefer to be indoors, there’s the Scream Asia Film Festival. The event will screen a curated selection of 11 feature films and 1 short film from Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, UK and USA. For the film trailers and schedule, check the official Scream Asia Film Festival website. Tickets are $13 per show, and the screenings are at the Cathay Cineplexes.

 

Experience a VR zombie apocalypse at Zero Latency – from $48 for 30 mins

Move over escape rooms, it is the age of VR games now. Zero Latency is a social gaming arena concept, and the brand hails from Australia. It uses free-roam virtual reality technology, so what happens is that you put on a pair of VR goggles, go into a huge empty room, and shoot your enemies. There are 4 games, 2 of which are zombie-themed. They’re not exactly FOR halloween, but it still makes for a pretty appropriate activity, no?

Zero Latency VR packages	Game options	Price
Off-peak package	Any of the games, but on Mon to Thu 11am to 4.30pm only	$48
Package 1	Zombie Survival + Engineerium (total 30 mins)	$59
Package 2	Singularity (30 mins)	$59
Package 3	Zombie Survival x 2 (total 30 mins)	$59
Package 4	Outbreak Origins (30 mins)	$59

It’s $59 for 30 minutes of play time, whether it’s 2 or 1 game. There are no discounted tickets – the only way to get it slightly cheaper is to go during off-peak hours (Monday to Thursday, 11am to 4.30pm).

 

Experience Halloween Horror Nights 8 at USS – from $53 per ticket, selected nights in Sep & Oct 2018

Year after year, Universal Studios Singapore (USS) hosts the biggest, most extravagant Halloween event in Singapore – Halloween Horror Nights. Basically, the family-friendly attraction closes at 6pm and reopens at 7.30pm as a nightmarish theme park with haunted houses and rides. This year, there are 5 haunted zones – Stranger Things, Pontianak, The Haunting of Oiwa, Pagoda of Peril and Killuminati.

Here’s how much the HHN8 tickets cost:

Halloween Horror Nights 8 (HHN8) ticket options	Ticket prices	Things to know
General admission (Maybank cardholders)	$53 (off-peak) / $63 (peak)	Free coke (22oz)
General admission (Mastercard cardholders)	$53 (off-peak) / $63 (peak)	Free $5 retail voucher, online only
General admission	$58 (off-peak) / $68 (peak)	Free lanyard
Maybank “Buy 3 Get 1” bundle	$174 (off-peak) / $204 (peak)	Online only
“$10 off” bundle for 4 pax	$232 (peak, applicable to Fridays only)	Online only

Obviously nobody has ever succeeded in getting me to go for Halloween Horror Nights, so I won’t be able to comment on how truly frightening these attractions are. But I can tell you how to get discounted HHN8 tickets.

If you get it from the official site, the cheapest way to get tickets is to use either a Maybank or Mastercard credit card. It’ll be $53 (off-peak) / $63 (peak). Off-peak days are Thursdays and Sundays, while Fridays and Saturdays are peak. If you get it from KLOOK, it’s $52.50 (off-peak) and $62.50 (peak) respectively. For the full experience, you’ll need to top up at least $30 to play zombie laser tag.

Halloween Horror Nights 8 (HHN8) add-on experiences	Price
Zombie laser tag experience (Maybank cardholders)	$30
Zombie laser tag experience	$38

From what I read, if you go on peak days you can expect to wait up to 2 hours to get into the attractions. If you’re worried about not being able to see them all, consider the Frequent Fear Pass ($120, or $105 for Maybank cardholders).

 

Go for the annual Zouk Halloween party -$55 per entry, 27 Oct 2018

According to Mean Girls, Halloween is the one time of the year girls get to dress up in barely-there clothing and nobody can say anything about it. Of course, this never happens in Singapore and nobody goes to clubbing for such lewd reasons…

This year, Zouk’s Halloween theme is “dance floor dystopia” and the club will be transformed into a kind of retro disco with a spooky twist. $55, entitles you to entry into both Zouk and Capital. No discount, sorry.

The only way to not pay this exorbitant cover charge is by impressing the bouncers with your costume. Bear in mind that this is entirely at the management’s discretion, and you’ll probably need a very elaborate costume to make it. But although the chances are slim, you should try anyway because if you do a good enough job, you may be able to take home some pretty damn attractive prizes (they had me at “$500 Sephora hamper”).

Zouk Halloween Best Dressed Competition Prizes

1st place:

• 3D2N Genting Dream Port Klang (Kuala Lumpur) cruise for 2
• 1 pair of tickets to Kevin Hart’s The Irresponsible Tour
• Crusher Wireless headpiece from Skullcandy
• $500 Sephora hamper
• 1 x bottle of Martell NCF
• 1 x Perrier-Jouët Champagne
• 1 pair of ZoukOut 2018 tickets
• $400 Visual Mass voucher

2nd place:

•  2D1N Deluxe Room stay at Village Hotel Katong
• 1 pair of tickets to Kevin Hart’s The Irresponsible Tour
• X-Mini Nova+ earphone
• 1 x bottle of Martell NCF
• 1 pair of ZoukOut 2018 tickets
• $300 Visual Mass voucher

3rd place:

• 1 x bottle of Martell NCF
• 1 pair of ZoukOut tickets
• $200 Visual Mass voucher

Best social media prize & other giveaways

• Skullcandy goodies
• 1-night stay at XY Hotel
• ZoukOut 2018 tickets
• Visual Mass gift cards

For those who want to club-hop in the Clarke Quay area, make sure you bring the most important “document”. Not your IC lah – your credit card!

Here are some recommended cards for cash back, rewards and more perks when you spend on entertainment (bars and clubs).

Of course, you should never apply for a credit card for a one-off celebration like Halloween. Because entertainment cards tend to have different perks for different establishments and spending categories, you should pick one that suits your “everyday” lifestyle best.

For instance, the DBS Live Fresh card may not have the best cash rebate programme, but they have exclusive perks and discounts at Zouk & Capital. So if you find yourself spending hundreds balling at Zouk every weekend, you could probably get the most utility out of this card.

Want to find out more? Check out our guide to the best entertainment credit cards or compare the entertainment credit cards on the MoneySmart website.

How are you spending halloween this 2018? Share it with us in the comments below!