The Dark Arts have taken over Warner Bros. Studio Tour London! Over the last few weeks, fans who visit the Studio Tour have been stepping into the underbelly of the wizarding world. This celebration of all things Dark has culminated in the eerie and exciting Hallowe’en event, Nox. Over the course of two nights, this special after-hours experience for Harry Potter fans had plenty of treats… and a fair few tricks along the way.
We thought it would be fun to rank seven of our favourite unnerving moments. Fair warning – this list contains a lot of Death Eaters. What can we say? They’re just that scary.
7. Trick or Treat
Kicking off our list is the trick or treat stations placed throughout the Studio Tour. It just wouldn’t be Hallowe’en without this iconic tradition. There were so many delicious goodies to collect! Why is this number seven on our list then? Well, while it is a real perk, this falls firmly in the ‘treat’ part of Hallowe’en rather than ‘trick’ making it less spooky and more yummy.
6. Floating pumpkins
Next, we have the floating pumpkins in the Great Hall. Walking through those famous doors you’re immediately hit with Halloween vibes – from the eerie lighting to the house tables bedecked with a spook-tacular feast. The highlight? Floating pumpkins as far as the eye can see – there has to be at least a hundred! One look at their grinning faces and you know you’re in for a gourd time.
5. Death Eater wand combat
At number five we have the Death Eaters doing their wand combat. At various points throughout the evening, they would get into formation and progress through the tour. At Platform 9 ¾ , they put on a show of strength and pyrotechnics, cursing the crowd with their wands. But their biggest show of strength had to be on the Hogwarts Bridge. These were Death Eaters on a mission – cross them at your peril! The only reason that this is lower down on the list, is that we could keep a safe distance away from the Dark Lord’s followers. If they were any closer, we might have keeled over with fright.
4. Goodbye Ollivanders
Going to Ollivanders is a rite of passage for every young witch and wizard. Imagine if it was destroyed? Imagine no more – we got to see exactly what that would look like. There were flames. There was smoke. There were Death Eaters. And there we were unable to tear our eyes away from a terrible yet oddly magnificent scene – perfect for Hallowe’en.
3. Not Hagrid’s hut!
The dastardly Death Eaters marched through the Studio Tour in that gracefully evil way, showing off their wand combat round the Vanishing Cabinet before sending Hagrid’s hut ablaze in a shower of light, smoke and sound. Bone chilling but fun, and definitely one of the most haunting moments of the night.
2. Walking through the Forbidden Forest
The Forbidden Forest is creepy enough on its own. The Forbidden Forest at night with fog everywhere and only a lantern to guide your way? Now that’s scary. As we were guided through the Forest we got the sense that we were bring watched, whether by Buckbeak or the not-so-friendly Acromantula we just didn’t know. The fog was that thick, the forest that eerie, it just had to be near the top of our list.
1. Death Eaters round ever corner
The time has come to reveal the spookiest moment of the night and that was… the Death Eaters. They were everywhere. We were constantly checking over our shoulder as they would appear out of the blue and we would jump out of our skin. Everything about them was terrifying – from their costumes to their intricate masks and their penchant for staring into your soul whilst pointing their wand at you. They never spoke… and that just added to their eerie presence. So, Death Eaters of the Studio Tour, you take the top spot – perfectly horrifying.
We had a terrifyingly terrific time at Nox and can’t wait to see the future events from Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – Christmas is just around the corner! Visit the Studio Tour’s website for more information and to book tickets for 2025.
