Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights Terrifies Terrifically

Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights opened to an epic eight-house event this past Thursday. We were hosted by Universal Studios and invited to the Media Night opening to check out each haunted house, the theme park’s spooky scare zones, the revamped Terror Tram: Starring Art the Clown, and more.

Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights’ annual bi-coastal horror event is always an exciting affair. Creative Director John Murdy and his team pulled out all the stops this year with an exciting list of event offerings. Thursday’s opening night event at Universal Studios Hollywood was no exception, as the sold-out ticket sales can attest to. With a mix of returning franchises and new debuts, HHN Hollywood has proven yet again that it’s the premiere event to kick-off spooky season in SoCal. As a part of Media Night, we were able to visit all eight haunted houses, the Terror Tram, multiple scare zones, and interact with scare actors throughout the night. Here’s our official ranking of each house, some of the food items, and overall thoughts.

HAUNTED HOUSES

1. SINNERS

Taking the top spot this year is Sinners, based on the 2025 film. This sprawling house served up some of the most memorable scenes from the film, including Sammy’s Club Juke solo, Cornbread’s attack, and the final vampire battle. What stood out are the state-of-the-art special effects both within the house and on the scare actors. To recreate the glowing vampire eyes from the film, hair and makeup teams applied stringed lights to the front of the actors eyes, providing a uniquely terrifying appearance we’ve never seen before. The house also features Remmick, who is quickly hoisted upward into the darkness immediately after his jump scare.

The N.O.C. Scare-O-Meter: 4.5/5

2. HELLRAISER

In second place is Hellraiser. What stood out is the use of the main villain Pinhead throughout the house, rather than just utilizing the character in one scare room. The moments he does appear depict exceptional hair, makeup, and costume work by the Universal Creative team. What truly stands out in this house are the lighting effects, ambient music, and scare actors. From mood lighting and strobing effects, to intense jump scares and spooky vibes, this house pulls on the films’ storylines in delivering a flow that almost makes you want to run out of there screaming.

The N.O.C. Scare-O-Meter: 5/5

3. EVIL DEAD BURN

Rounding out the Top 3 houses is Evil Dead Burn. I personally have found the Evil Dead films to be scarier than the Hellraiser franchise, and this house does a strong job in leaning into the film’s story and providing a well-designed flow. From the creepy exterior that sets you up in a forest-inspired setting, to the house-like interior filled with Deadites around every unsuspecting corner, this particular house feels like you’re actually stepping on-set of the Evil Dead Burn film.

The N.O.C. Scare-O-Meter: 4.5/5

4. OZZY OSBOURNE: PRINCE OF DARKNESS

The Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness house was the perfect tribute to the late rock icon. Each room paid homage to some of his most memorable songs and albums. This particular house notably had some of the longest wait times that lasted most of the night, regularly hovering between 50-100 minutes. I recommend prioritizing this as one of the first houses you visit if it’s at the top of your itinerary.

The N.O.C. Scare-O-Meter: 3/5

5. DEAD, DEADER, DEADEST

One of this year’s brand new original houses, Dead, Deader, Deadest pulls its inspiration from the deceased, featuring the Deville family-owned funeral home where the dead come back to life after an embalming drug backfires, terrorizing those in their presence. The practical effects in this house were outstanding, and the attention to detail is worth special mention. One room in particular threw me completely off-guard. The morgue immediately stood out with its ice-cold temperature and fog effects from the second you walked inside. This was one of the best uses of practical effects across all houses.

The N.O.C. Scare-O-Meter: 3.5/5

6. KILLCEAÑERA: MUSIC BY SLASH

Another original house in this year’s lineup, KILLceañera: Music by SLASH tells the story of a girl who seeks revenge against her bullies by inviting them to her quinceañera, where she invokes evil spirits to terrorize them. The location of this house is where the previous three iterations of Monstruos have taken place, next to Mel’s Diner. By drawing inspiration from Latin-American lore and backed with music by hard rock legend Slash, KILLceañera delivers a beautiful tragedy in a terrifying way. This is another house where the costume design was stunning, along with detailed hair and makeup artistry for each of the scare actors. My favorite scare room? The unsuspecting Mariachi band ready to give you the performance of a lifetime.

The N.O.C. Scare-O-Meter: 4/5

7. KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE

Killer Klowns from Outer Space was the least scary house for me. The main reason it isn’t at the bottom of my rankings is because the set design and costuming were very well executed. It also had no shame in leaning fully into the camp and ridiculousness of the original film it’s based on. The bright colors, creepy clown scare actors, and carnival music all came together to provide a hauntingly wacky experience. For those who may be a little more timid when it comes to HHN, this might be a more palatable haunted house for you to experience. Unless you’re terrified of clowns, than you may want to avoid this one because they certainly do not hold back on the amount of creepy clowns scattered throughout this house.

The N.O.C. Scare-O-Meter: 3/5

8. STRANGER THINGS 5

The Stranger Things 5 house marks the end of an era for the franchise, both on streaming and for HHN. While the house itself felt like a walk down memory lane as it highlighted some of the most popular moments from Season 5 of the hit series, HHN has featured a Stranger Things haunted house in the past. As a result, there wasn’t a sense of novelty to the overall house flow, and the appearances of Vecna throughout the space didn’t provide the same frightening jump-scare moments I was hoping for. By no means does this make Stranger Things 5 a bad house, as it will certainly resonate with those who are a fan of the series and will appreciate its character appearances, set recreations, and Easter eggs.

The N.O.C. Scare-O-Meter: 2.5/5

NEW EXPERIENCES

TERROR TRAM: STARRING ART THE CLOWN

The Terrifier haunted house from last year was a massive hit, and was easily my favorite house of the 2025 HHN season. However, this year Hollywood brought Art the Clown back in a new format. Replacing the multiyear run of Blumhouse from the Terror Tram, this fan-favorite experience was revamped into a Christmas-themed haunted scare zone based on the Terrifier franchise, with variations of Art the Clown making appearances throughout the backlot of the theme park. Guests can board the Studio Tour tram and are taken to the Bates Motel section of the backlot, where you’re set loose down a creepy path featuring Art and his unique torture and kill demonstrations along the way.

NIKKI FROM OBSESSION

Main character Nikki from Obsession makes her HHN debut this year. A roaming scare character that can be found throughout the theme park, Universal Studios has created an interactive aspect to her performance. Each night of HHN, the Universal Studios Horror Nights Instagram page will release a code word that guests can say to Nikki if they find her. She will then decide whether or not the guest is worthy of receiving a “One Wish Willow” calling card, which contains a phone number that guests can call to hear a disturbing message. Interacting with Nikki was a fun experience, and the actor portraying her stayed very true to her possessed nature throughout the night. Check out our interaction with her here.

FOOD

After exploring all of the houses, it was time to chow down. HHN Hollywood boasts a large and impressive selection of themed food and drink options this year, along with a dining pass to get more bang for your buck. Sticking with the Sinners theming for the night, I tried the Pecan and Whiskey Bread Pudding, the Burnt Ends Walking Taco, and the Prohibition Punch. For a comprehensive list of all HHN-themed foods and beverages, you can find them on the Halloween Horror Nights Dining webpage.

Burnt Ends Walking Taco — $18.99

This snack is found at the Sinners-themed City Snack Shop on the Upper Lot. Having eaten walking tacos before, I was pleasantly surprised with how savory and filling this snack was. Served in an oversized Fritos chips bag, it’s made of Fritos Scoops, whiskey BBQ sauce pork ends, and sprinkled with 2-toned cheddar cheese. Don’t let the bag size fool you! Between the amount of Fritos and sizable pork bites inside, I felt mostly full after eating this.

Pecan and Whiskey Bread Pudding — $8.49

This dessert is also found at the City Snack Shop. It features brown sugar pecan bread pudding and is drizzled with whiskey butterscotch sauce. As a bread pudding fan, I really enjoyed this sweet and savory snack. The pecan bread pudding flavor was very prevalent and tasty. However, I will say that the butterscotch sauce didn’t pull much of the whiskey flavor through, and the dessert was served cooler than I’d prefer. But overall, this makes for a yummy dessert.

Prohibition Punch — $18.00

The Prohibition Punch is one of four Sinners-themed beverages found at Club Juke, also known as Mulligan’s Pub on the Upper Lot across from the The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash attraction. This beverage is made of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select whiskey, lemonade, honey, orange bitters, and garnished with a dehydrated lemon slice. The drink is layered on top with a blackberry hibiscus float. I found the main lemonade layer to be perfectly balanced, while the blackberry hibiscus float provided a nice counter to the overall citrusy and tart components of the drink.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This year’s Halloween Horror Nights event in Hollywood delivers a strong showcase of new scares, fun foods, and thrilling entertainment. With the season just beginning, I look forward to returning in a few weeks to see how the event develops its groove and prepares for the height of Halloween festivities in October. John Murdy and his team continue to highlight the newest franchise releases, while also tapping into cultural relevancy across the HHN offerings, making for a fun experience that people of all backgrounds can enjoy.

For sneak peeks at each of the Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights houses and our interactions with scare zone actors like Nikki from Obsession, you can view them on our Instagram. Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights runs from now through November 1. You can purchase your tickets HERE.