Horrors Untold is an immersive puzzle book unlike anything you’ve experienced before. As the nights grow longer and the shadows creep in, prepare to be drawn into a perilous mystery. The lines between fiction and reality will blur as the book’s true purpose slowly reveals itself.
What you need: A pen/pencil. Scissors. Tape. An internet-connected device.
Synopsis
“Horrors Untold is a first-of-its-kind experience that dares you to explore the history and lore of Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) while solving a dark and chilling mystery – all told in a unique book form like no other. Part HHN guide, part original story – with mind-bending riddles and gameplay scattered throughout.”
Turn back now. I implore you…
First impressions
I’ll be honest, when I was offered the chance to review Horrors Untold, I was a little conflicted. Whilst the concept of a part-fiction, part-historical/factual, immersive puzzle book sounded very intriguing, I wasn’t sure just how much I would get out of the factual parts, having not experienced HHN for myself. It is a fairly hefty book that I expected to take me a long time to get through, but in reality, I was instantly drawn into the mystery and binged it over two days. I guess what I am trying to say is that you don’t have to be a HHN aficionado to appreciate and enjoy this experience. In fact, you are highly likely to step away from it feeling more of an urge to partake in this popular Halloween tradition than before.
If you are looking for an experience that blurs the line between fiction and reality, feels almost like “found footage” in paper form (think Blair Witch) and also features puzzles, and a well-researched history of Halloween Horror Nights – you’ll love this!
Presentation
The weighty hardback features a minimalist cover with a ritualistic symbol in blood red. This contributes to the ominous tone of the book, teasing the general vibe without giving anything away. The book is very text-heavy, so expect to do plenty of reading. That isn’t to say it includes no images; in fact, there are plenty of illustrations, website screenshots and other pictures peppered throughout. There is also a variety of page layouts, font styles and colours that keep the visual journey varied and interesting.
Turn back!
One aspect I love is that sections of text are crossed out, and mysterious annotations can be found on many of the pages. This further cements the idea that this is a living, breathing book that has been in the possession of multiple people before it has reached you. Don’t be afraid to add your own notes to the pages as you go; you may find these useful later on.
Gameplay
Horrors Untold can be approached in two different ways. You can read through each chapter, tackling the puzzle elements as you reach them. Or, you can read everything first and then decipher the hidden secrets. The first approach is how gameplay was intended, allowing you to slowly unravel the full narrative piece by piece. Should you opt to save the puzzles to the end, you’ll find that the helpful puzzle index at the back of the book is a lifesaver!
The phrase ‘helping hand’ is used very literally in this book. At the start, you’ll be tasked with cutting a hand out of one of the pages to assist you with puzzle-solving. How you use it, you’ll have to work out for yourself, but once you know, everything will click into place. Some may struggle with actually cutting into the pages, which you wouldn’t ordinarily expect to be doing, especially for a relatively expensive hardback book. I was hesitant at first, so I took up the option to print off a copy of the hand instead. As I progressed through the pages and started to embrace the spirit of the book, it felt really freeing to cut into it. One consideration is that this impacts the reader’s ability to regift the book. I did actually find that by the end of the experience, I didn’t want to part with it anyway.
One really fascinating aspect of this book is how it fuses a fiction and a non-fiction narrative. Both are equally compelling, with the HHN elements being well researched and informative, and the fiction feeling creepy and foreboding. As you interrogate the book’s pages, you’ll pull apart the narrative threads from three different narrators. Who they are and what their intentions are, you’ll have to read to find out. Needless to say, the book culminates in a chilling ending!
What is abundantly clear is how much love the creators have for Halloween Horror Nights. I can’t begin to comprehend how much time went into creating this book. If I enjoyed it so much, as someone who hasn’t experienced HHN before, I can only imagine how much it would be enjoyed by hardcore fans.
Your days are numbered. They are coming.
Puzzles
There isn’t a vast amount of traditional puzzle content, but what is there is well-integrated into the book. You can expect to encounter ciphers, along with pages that must be manipulated in different ways (cutting, bending etc). I wouldn’t recommend buying this book just for the puzzles. That isn’t to say they are bad, just that the experience isn’t really puzzle-focused in the traditional sense. Think of it as an immersive experience with added puzzles, rather than a pure “puzzle book”.
At the time of writing this article, I am still attempting to unlock the mysterious bonus ending that is said to be hidden within the pages.
Hints & Difficulty
Overall, the puzzles in this book aren’t too challenging. There is one element right at the start that I had some difficulty with, primarily because I was misinterpreting some instructions. Once I realised I was overthinking it, the rest of the process wasn’t difficult at all. I think it is good to remember that this is more of an immersive experience with puzzles added in, rather than the other way around. If you aren’t interested in the subject matter and just want to work through puzzles, you may find yourself disappointed.
At the time of writing, there are no official hints for the puzzles. The book is intended to be as immersive as possible, so you are encouraged to reach out to other readers. LumiNarrative are very happy for readers to reach out to them if they require any assistance.
Verdict
Horrors Untold
Summary
Horrors Untold is a unique and captivating experience that breaks the mould for what a ‘puzzle book’ can be. As a Halloween Horror Nights novice, I was surprised at just how much I got out of the experience. It’s packed with interesting historical facts about what is now a staple of American Halloween celebrations.
Do not be mistaken, though, this book isn’t just for Halloween. It can be read and experienced at any time of the year, but is best suited to the dark, cold evenings of autumn and winter.
Halloween Horror Nights may not have been fully on my radar before Horrors Untold, but based on this experience, I’m much more likely to partake in it the next time I am Stateside.
Disclaimer: LumiNarrative provided a copy of this experience in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences the content of my review. Neither Horrors Untold nor LumiNarrative LLC is affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Universal Studios, NBCUniversal, or Comcast. All Halloween Horror Nights properties and related items are © Universal Studios.
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