Halloween season is officially here with the opening of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood. The event kicked off on September 4th and continues on select nights through November 2nd. This year features plenty of houses, live shows, scare zones, and much more. The full lineup of houses includes some heavy hitters:

  • “Fallout” will take guests into the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Prime Video’s critically acclaimed series.
  • “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” based on Blumhouse’s hit movie where nothing is as it seems at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.
  • “Terrifier,” inspired by the slasher film franchise that brings the twisted world of Art the Clown to life.
  • “WWE Presents: The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks” immerses guests in the world of WWE, going head-to-head with Uncle Howdy in an experience that features The Wyatt Sicks and honors the legacy of Bray Wyatt.
  • “Jason Universe” features horror movie icon Jason from the infamous Friday the 13th films.
  • “Poltergeist, based on Amazon MGM Studios’ supernatural cult horror classic, will bring guests “into the light.”
  • “Scarecrow: Music by SLASH” puts retribution at the forefront in which Mother Nature seeks vengeance on the homesteaders for their sins of the past that will be carried out by farmland scarecrows. SLASH’s original score will deliver an unnerving sense of fear as guests navigate the ominous corridors of the haunted house.
  • “Monstruos 3: The Ghosts of Latin America,” the final chapter where three ghostly legends of Latin America await.
  • “Terror Tram: Enter the Blumhouse” enables guests to disembark the Studio Tour tram and set off on foot to encounter some of the most iconic villains from Blumhouse’s popular horror franchises over the past 15 years.

There’s also live shows like The Purge: Dangerous Waters and Chainsaw Man at the event for people who want to take a break between the scares.

The Houses Are A Bit Of A Downgrade In Some Spots Compared To Previous Years

We’ll go through the houses and rank them from the worst to the best. Opening night was busier than usual this year, so I didn’t get to go through all of the houses twice, but I didn’t have any issues going through them that would cloud any judgment. It’s time to dig in.

9. Five Nights At Freddy’s – C+

This house had some pretty major issues going for it on my walk-through. One, a good portion of the animatronics were either inoperable or hidden behind curtains. I’ve seen in Orlando, that they have the full band in the big opening set piece, but here, it’s just Freddy and the other two are hidden. Outside of that, they did add more actual scare actors to this house other than just being animatronics or puppets. Like A Quiet Place last year though, this house suffers from a majority of the scares being from animatronics or puppets.

The animatronics when they’re working are a thing of beauty though. Freddy and all the various characters look great. You just have to roll the dice and hope that they work properly and that you get some of the scares with them. Otherwise, they’re shadowed in darkness and you can’t really get a good look at them. For fans of the movie and the games, this might be a better experience, but as a haunted house, it’s definitely not worth the almost 2 hour wait it was getting on opening night.

8. Terror Tram: Enter The Blumhouse 15th Anniversary – B-

I have upgraded this one since my original grade I posted on X/Twitter last night for a couple of factors. One is that they put a lot more scare actors and effort into something that normally isn’t amazing in the Terror Tram. The actual tram ride is much the same, this time around M3GAN takes over the tram and you see a sizzle reel of Blumhouse’s best movies like Halloween (2018), The Black Phone, Black Phone 2, M3GAN, Freaky, Happy Death Day, Ma, and much more. Once you get to the tram stop, there’s the iconic moment where M3GAN awaits guests and then she calls out the villains to chase everyone with chainsaws. This part never gets old.

Once you’re off the tram and walking to the dulcet tones of chainsaws, you go through several themed areas based around Blumhouse films like The Purge, Black Phone, M3GAN, and The Exorcist: Believer. Then there’s a section at the end with an all-star scare from Freaky and Happy Death Day. It definitely feels like more effeort went into this and each section is like a mini haunted house.

However, this is still the Terror Tram and it not having an original theme for multiple years now is wearing a bit thin. We all love Blumhouse, do a big haunted house and have the Tram be something original.

7. Poltergeist – B

This one is the only repeat house and it brings the classic film to Halloween Horror Nights. The facade looks fantastic with lights flickering and the sounds of the movie echoing through the night. I didn’t get the chance to do this house when it was previously at Horror Nights, so this was a new experience for me. Most of the house is fantastic, going through famous scenes in the film and it has plenty of scare actors, effects, and monsters. If you love Poltergeist, you will enjoy this house.

Where it gets a bit of a detraction is from the amount of black hallways with nothing going on in them. There’s one black hallway that actually features a scare, but they break up the action too much.

The finale section with the graves is awesome and has some of the best scares in the event. This is still well worth walking through and its usually a much shorter time than Terrifier. Just remember if it is really hot out, the queue for this is in the Curious George parking lot and that gets quite stuffy.

6. Scarecrow: Music By Slash – B+

I thought this was a strange choice to have Slash do the music for, but then again, his first house was Clownz 3D, so maybe it does make a bit of sense. There are some great scares here, which after going through a second time, I updated my grade from a B to a B+. The story does leave something to be desired though. I couldn’t really tell if there was one at all, it seems like there might be something about a house/farm going into foreclosure and the scarecrows killing the bankers, but I’m not entirely sure.

There’s one section where you get scares from all sides with multiple scare actors that’s some of the best Horror Nights has ever done. Slash’s music pumps throughout which helps this house along and it’s different enough from the previous iteration and even the version done at Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas.

If you like corn, you will be at home here.

5. The Horrors Of The Wyatt Sicks – A

This house is a delightful tribute to the career and life of Bray Wyatt and the faction his brother started with the Wyatt Sicks. There’s some fantastic costumes from the characters of the group and even some versions of The Fiend. For fans of the group, this is a dream come true.

The real test is for people who don’t care about WWE. And I think this house does the job of scaring them. The visuals and everything are a great combo for a house that might surprise people. There’s also plenty of easter eggs for WWE fans sprinkled throughout.

4. Fallout – A

Fallout was one of the houses that I was most intrigued by. This is based on the Prime Video series and features some of the characters from that show like the Ghoul and Lucy. As for the set design, this was the best in the entire event. It feels like you’re walking through the show. The makeup for the ghouls and other characters is also fantastic.

There’s one scare near the end that’s an epic scene with a character firing at a monster that was really well done. Overall, this is just a fantastic house and a great experience. This line also doesn’t get that long throughout the night, which is a plus.

3. Monstruos 3: The Ghosts Of Latin America – A+

The previous two Monstruos houses have been perfect examples of how to do a house based on folklore. This time around we have the trilogy with this final chapter. Plenty of monsters await, including La Llorona, and your guide La Muerte. This house takes you through with some great set design and a scare from La Llorona that made me jump backwards. Like the previous houses, this also has some terrifying animatronics, especially of kids getting eaten by monsters.

It’s sad to see that this is the final chapter for these monsters, but they’ve always been some of the best scares in the park. The scare zone outside the house is also the best in the park. The scare actors in that zone always seem to have the most fun with guests.

2. Jason Universe – A+

The top spot was a tough battle between a new age horror icon and a classic horror icon with Jason. In the end, they’re both fantastic haunted houses and easily the best of this year. The Jason Universe house in Hollywood focuses on the story of influencers taking over Camp Crystal Lake and Jason coming back to kill all of them. As someone who despises influencer culture and the fact that they get opportunities over real journalists at events like this, this was great.

There are plenty of different Jason eras shown off including the Baghead Jason, a broken mask version, and the new version from the Sweet Revenge short film. You get a lot of different smells in this house, including marshmallows and what might be burning flesh. Overall, this is a love letter to Jason and seeing him rip the heart out of an influencer brought a smile to my face.

1. Terrifier – A+

This was easily the most anticipated haunted house of the season and it did not disappoint. Art the Clown is a revelation at this point. He’s a horror icon, so seeing him with his own Halloween Horror Nights house was a delight. This house goes through several scenes from the first three movies, and you get an evolution of Art as a character as well. The kills are glorious. Any thought that this would be a wet house, was a bit overblown. They do shoot water at you during various portions of it, but on a scale of water gun to Waterworld, this is definitely a water gun.

My only real gripe is that there’s only one Sienna actress in the entire house. She’s such a popular character and the foil to Art, that it would only make sense she would show up more than once. The finale is amazing and if you like the kills of the Terrifier series, this is the main event.

Other Notes About Halloween Horror Nights 2025

There’s plenty of food and drink options at Horror Nights 2025 as well, I didn’t get the chance to sample them all, but from other journalists that were there that tried it, the Slash Bar has great drinks and food. I tried one of the drinks in the Universal Plaza that’s themed around Day of the Dead, the La Muelona Margarita, it was the right amount of sweet and I’m a sucker for cherries. The only disappointing thing is that the Clown Cafe is more of a stand than a full-fledged restaurant. It’s right outside of the Terrifier house and has some exclusive cookies and an Art the Clown donut.

The other noteworthy bit of scare actor hype is that they have roaming Art The Clowns around the park. It seems like the people of Universal Studios Hollywood have been better than Orlando about following him around with their cameras out, so be on the lookout for Art messing with you as you go through the park. He could show up anywhere!

Tickets Are On Sale NOW!

A variety of tickets are available for sale. Click here to purchase tickets and for Terms and Conditions. Details for each ticket type are subject to change.

  • General Admission: general admission ticket to Halloween Horror Nights
  • Universal Express: One-time (per day) express access to each participating haunted house, ride and attraction. Does not include early event access.
  • Universal Express Unlimited: Unlimited express access (per day) to each participating haunted house, ride and attraction. Does not include early event access.
  • Frequent Fear Pass: Experience up to 33 nights (based on your selected first visit date during purchase) of General Admission to this year’s event. Valid on select nights only; blackout dates apply. Does not include early event access.
  • Ultimate Fear Pass: Experience the scares over and over for up to all event nights (based on selected first visit date during purchase). No blackout dates on return visits. Does not include early event access.
  • After 2 PM Day/Night: Daytime General Admission to the Theme Park after 2:00 p.m. and same day evening General Admission to Halloween Horror Nights.
  • Early Access Ticket: Early access, beginning at 5:30 p.m.(subject to change) to select haunted houses prior to event opening. A Halloween Horror Nights admission ticket must be purchased separately.
  • R.I.P. Tour: Enjoy V.I.P treatment with an evening of first-class horror, expert shared guided tour of the haunted house, exclusive experiences along the way and a gourmet dinner.
  • Pass Member Special Pricing: Platinum Annual Pass Members can reserve their complimentary Halloween Horror Nights General Admission ticket, select nights apply.

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