BILLED as America's best Halloween event, Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights 21 is not for the faint-hearted.

For the past 21 years, the Florida theme park has been transformed into a place of nightmarish thrills and unbridled terror for five weeks of freaky fun.

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Movie-quality settings, superb costumes and special effects combine to produce a truly spinetingling Halloween experience for the tens of thousands of visitors.

I knew I was in line for a few shocks when I saw the worried looks on the faces of those queueing alongside me.

But nothing would prepare me for the chills I would experience from this Lady Luck-themed event.

Eight haunted houses, six scare zones and two live shows packed with a cast of monsters and nasties…it was never going to be an experience for those of a delicate disposition.

My Halloween "nightmare" started when I ventured into the muggy Orlando night, only to come face to face with what looked like a scene from the horror classic The Fog.

Teams of ghouls, zombies, freaks and Grim Reapers leered at me from behind carefully-constructed sets as I picked my way through clouds of mist and smoke.

My nerves were already jangling as creatures of the night grabbed at me from the darkness.

This was what the creators called a "scare zone".

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The actors are trained to frighten visitors out of their skins by creeping up on them and jumping out of the shadows. And in my case it definitely worked. In another scare zone, named the Nightmaze, I tip-toed through an ever-changing labyrinth of darkness, not knowing what would appear from the shadows around me.

But this was just the start of my ordeal.

Next stop was one of the eight haunted houses designed to give horror fans a claustrophobic and edgy Halloween experience.

Having queued just a few minutes to take my place inside The Forsaken, I was quickly transported into a re-created Spanish fort where the spirits of Christopher Columbus' missing fourth ship had returned to haunt park-goers such as myself.

Minding my own business as I carefully paced through the corridors of the sprawling house, I was suddenly sent flying when what I can only describe as a grisly ghoul grabbed at me from the recesses of the ship.

I screamed like a teenage girl as I clutched a friend for support.

Thankfully my legs didn't buckle and I remained on my feet - just.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I eventually emerged from the house into the fresh night air.

But I still had seven more houses to visit. In Nevermore I explored the horror behind the works of Edgar Allan Poe and, on visiting The In Between, I experienced a threedimensional spinning vortex that left me dizzy to the core.

I should add that if you fancy a break from horror you could always take a diversion from the haunted houses to watch the two live shows on offer.

Enjoy a satirical sideswipe at the biggest names in entertainment and pop culture with Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure and then take a lesson in drumming mayhem with the Death Drums sideshow.

But the creepiest experience of the night came with a visit to The Thing - an exclusive take on the soon-to-be released Hollywood movie of the same name.

In this house a group of researchers have been holedup in an isolated Antarctic outpost after becoming infected by a monstrous being from another planet.

Paranoia and fear gripped me as I was transported into the world of a band of intrepid explorers as they battled the horrific creature for survival.

I literally did not know what was going to jump out of the shadows at me next in this thrill-a-minute experience.

If you enjoyed the suspense of the British horror franchise 28 Days Later you will love the experience of The Thing.

Halloween Horror Nights 21 is an electrifying experience not to be missed. But remember, as the creators say: "Be careful what you wish for...because your fate is in the hands of Lady Luck."

Halloween Horror Nights 21 runs on selected nights until October 31.

FactFile

Halloween Horror Nights Frequent Fear Pass tickets can be bought for £55 from universalorlando.com For more details on the event log on to halloweenhorrornights21.com

Orlando FlexTicket Plus includes14 consecutive days of unlimited access to Universal's Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, Wet 'n' Wild - Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando and Aquatica, Florida's newest waterpark, plus admission to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Ticket also includes entrance to Universal CityWalk plus free coach transfer between the parks and costs £189 for adults and £179 for children.
Book park tickets and holiday packages with Travel City Direct on travelcitydirect.com or call 0844 557 6965.