It’s the spookiest time of the year, and everyone is gearing up for the season’s festivities. Back home, I never really celebrated Halloween, but this year when friends invited me to join them at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights (HHN), I couldn’t refuse.
Before I went, I heard rumors online that the Orlando HHN had introduced a “Deathly Afraid” necklace. These lanyards came with an illuminated pendant that proclaimed the wearer “deathly afraid,” informing scare actors to take it easy with them. The lanyard is meant to offer a “less scary” experience but makes no guarantees for a scare-free night. Despite my own disappointment that these necklaces were not offered at the Hollywood location, it would be a great future inclusion to all horror events.
Since attending HHN and reading more about these necklaces, I have come across a startling number of people who genuinely believe that anyone who may want this necklace fundamentally doesn’t deserve space in these events.
While HHN “Deathly Afraid” necklaces appeared to be quite a recent feature, only being released in August 2025, Knotts Scary Farm actually introduced a similar “No-Boo Necklace” in 2023. There was a considerable mixed response, with crowds booing throughout the announcement. In the case of HHN, there exists a large number of comments on various platforms saying “Don’t want to get scared? Don’t go to HHN! Go to Disney.” The sentiment was strong: if one was too scared to do a horror event, then the space wasn’t meant for them.
However, many also held the opinion that the necklaces would bring in new guests who were previously hesitant, with users claiming “I need this because I want to go but I’m a huge scaredy-cat and [have] never been able to go! Maybe this will work!” The main thing that stood out to me was the additional price tag on these necklaces. Ranging from $15-20, it certainly lent validity to comments saying “Imagine spending over $100 to be scared to have to pay more money to not be scared.”
During my time at HHN, I was relieved to find that scare actors were not allowed to touch guests when scaring them on the boardwalk. While I didn’t find the night that scary overall, I know I don’t react well to being grabbed. I can handle jump scares, and I enjoy the spooky festive atmosphere, but was concerned about accidentally hurting or hitting a scare actor if they grabbed me unexpectedly. In other parks where grabbing or touching is allowed as part of the scare, a Deathly Afraid necklace would help greatly. Guests without a scare necklace sometimes resort to holding a spoon or food in their mouths. The presence of things in people’s mouths poses a choking hazard if startled, so most scare actors will avoid scaring these people.
There are innumerable reasons why one would want to go to a horror-themed night, even if one did not intend to be scared. One could want to accompany friends, experience the general spooky atmosphere, engage with media or just get in a festive mood.
Horror nights are about more than being scared. To me, horror nights are a way to experience the satisfaction of overcoming fear. When you go into a haunted house, you know that you are safe; you can emerge from the other end of the house unharmed, save for perhaps a heightened heart rate. The surface-level desire may be to chase the adrenaline of fear, but the real emotion that satisfies is the sense of accomplishment from emerging on the other side. These necklaces do exactly that. They reduce the sense of insecurity, the cautious whisper in the back of your head that says that being on the boardwalk is a genuine threat. The necklaces bring control back to the wearer. Of course, they don’t entitle the wearer to being left completely alone — the necklaces can’t be seen from the back, for example — but they do mean wearers can take a small measure to make their nights more enjoyable.
HHN doesn’t only have haunted houses or horror events. Some of the rides are still open throughout the night, and there are live shows in various themed locations in the park. People who have a condition that limits their ability to enjoy scares should still be allowed to enjoy other aspects of the park like everyone else. The necklace offers choice, and for those who wish to be scared throughout their experience, I say go for it! I don’t think others wearing this necklace will impact anyone’s ability to be scared. As a matter of fact, the necklaces should, in theory, redirect the scare actors’ efforts to guests without it.
These necklaces should be offered at lower prices and at other locations. Universal’s Horror Nights might not have been as frightening for me, but other local events or theme parks have been known to be more intense. These necklaces would do a lot to make these spaces more accessible for those with specific needs and make the space more welcoming to newcomers who may be nervous or hesitant. If these necklaces could be made more readily available at accessible prices, it could bring more liveliness to Halloween and horror events.
Contact Levi Lee at Leev@oxy.edu
