Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights kicked off the Haunt Season for 2025 with what is their strongest year yet. Running select nights now through November 2, Halloween Horror Nights confronts horror fans with 2 shows, 4 scare zones, 8 haunted houses, and the Terror Tram along with attractions like Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Transformers: The Ride-3D, Jurassic World-The Ride, Revenge of the Mummy-The Ride, and The Simpsons Ride.
We don’t know that we have ever been able to confidently say this but there are no stinkers in the bunch. Not one. From the scare zones to each house, they range from good to phenomenal. The two show offerings are easily the most divisive, but we wouldn’t deem anything bad.
Universal has also introduced the new HHN Dining Pass that we detailed here. Our hands-down favorite is the Fallout Loaded Cram Fries with a few other tasty choices. We also point out the things we feel you can’t skip with a – DO NOT MISS marker.
SHOWS
There are two shows this year. One is a returning favorite and one is an import from Japan.
The Purge: Dangerous Waters – DO NOT MISS
The Purge: Dangerous Waters returns to the Waterworld arena and we couldn’t be happier. The show hasn’t undergone any noticable changes, yet somehow when we saw it, it was the best it has ever been. Same story, The Purge is happening and a group of elites plan to hold up in a fortified fortress complete with a lagoon. That’s when rebels begin to infiltrate the stronghold and it’s a fight to the death. There are jet skis, explosions, stunts, and best of all, lasers. In all seriousness, this year’s cast nailed it and we had a blast.
Chainsaw Man: The Chaos
Being totally unfamiliar with Chainsaw Man, but always interested in a new offering, we gamely entered the Dreamworks Theater to see Chainsaw Man: The Chaos. An import from Halloween Horror Nights Japan inspired by the hit Japanese manga and anime series now streaming on Crunchyroll, The Chaos is an original storyline depicting an epic battle between a fiendish monster and Chainsaw Man and his pals. We are meant to believe that we are checking out another cutesy Halloween show featuring the adorable Smiley the Jack O’ Lantern then The Chaos happens.
All in Japanese with english subtitles, this is a bold choice for Hollywood but this isn’t the best fit. While the show utilizes the digital mapping technology in the Dreamworks theater, the absence of the 3D element is glaringly apparent. No amount of in theater effects can really make up for that. Still, it wasn’t awful, just a strange fit since it was clearly custom made for the Japan park. Go for the dazzling projections and enjoy the motion chair massage.
Terror Tram: Enter the Blumhouse
(Upper Lot)
Closes before park closing. Check times on park schedule.
Universal Studios Hollywood is a unique creature in the theme park world as it is both that and a literal working movie and television studio. The flagship attraction of the park is the world famous Studio Tour which offers guests a chance to jump aboard a tram and ride around the lot for a behind the scenes look at production. During Halloween Horror Nights, this iconic attraction is transformed into the Terror Tram offering an entirely new expereince.
This year we have Terror Tram: Enter the Blumhouse. Celebrating 15 years of creating horror films, Blumhouse invades the backlot near the Bates Motel, the Psycho house, and the War of the Worlds set. Guests begin aboard the tram, where this year, M3GAN hacks into everyone’s fears and cooks up some terrifying fun.
Once again, the marriage of Blumhouse properties and the Terror Tram works. Guests are driven to the Bates motel and are forced to traverse scenes from Blumhouse films like Insidious, Black Phone 2, M3GAN, and The Purge. The open air sets give energetic performers plenty to work with and they use every square inch of space. Along the way, you can stop for pictures with both M3GAN and Norman Bates too if you choose.
This is a unique experience that is that is worth checking out.
SCARE ZONES
Chainsaw Clownz and Carnival of Carnage – DO NOT MISS
From the front entrance to the Universal Plaza it’s wall to wall CLOWNZ. As the hyperactive troop of chainsaw killers chase you into the park, you are led into a Carnival of Carnage scare zone near Universal Plaza. The flame towers are flanked with an army of psychotic merrymakers out for blood.
Noche de Brujuas – DO NOT MISS
Easily the best scare zone of the night, Noche de Brujas is the nightmare you are dropped into after leaving Monstruos 3: The Ghosts of Latin America. densely decorated and populated with creepy talent, this space cast a spell on us.
Murder of Crowz – DO NOT MISS
Murder of Crowz returns to the frantic crossroads in front of the entrance to Hogsmeade. The costumes, the centerpieces, and the performers have all leveled up to create an even more murderously fun spot at the event.
HAUNTED HOUSES
Honestly We can’t remember a more consistent year than this. There isn’t a single bad haunted house in the bunch. Each one is different, offering various levels of fear, fun, gore, and nostalgia. This is also one of the most technologically accomplished line ups in recent memory with houses that feature fully animated figures and intricate puppetry to great effect.
We also point out the ones we feel you can’t skip with a – DO NOT MISS marker.
Fallout
(Upper Lot)
What if the atomic panic of the 1950’s led to a nuclear war? Located on the upper lot near the Universal Plaza is FALLOUT. The haunted house based on the Amazon Series that is based on the hit game series is a decidedly short but highly detailed journey through a alterno-retro-post-nuclear war wasteland. The journey begins in the vaults where surviving humans have created a subterranean society in the hopes of maintaining civility. We soon wander above ground and come face-to-face with popular characters like The Ghoul and find ourselves in places like the Super Duper Mart.
Visually stunning, Fallout is a comic, caustic, fully realized creation.
Five Nights at Freddy’s – DO NOT MISS
(Lower Lot)
Based on the popular video game/movie franchise we have Five Nights at Freddy’s. A quasi-Chuck-E-Cheese type of 90’s arcade and fun zone for kids, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria has been abandoned. Rumors swirl that the creepy clunky animated figures that would entertain children have now come to life. Let’s go in then!
While we found the movie to be bland and overwritten, this house is a fun, immersive spectacle that has to be seen. It’s not scary, per-se. But it is exciting and features picture perfect recreations of the creepy characters featured in the film and video game. As we make out way through the abandoned pizza palace, the maniacal machines are around every corner, hoping to make you part of the cast.
Not scary, but impressive, the Five Nights at Freddy’s house delivers.
Terrifier – DO NOT MISS
(Upper Lot)
No question, this was the best house of the night. Done. The hyper-violent film franchise comes to life with the ringmaster of cruelty, Art The Clown, gleefully showing off his acts of ghastly violence in a twisted funhouse awash with blood. We enter the façade of an abandoned carnival funhouse that was featured in Terrifier 2. However this time, the doors are open and Art is welcoming guests through his macabre creation.
The house plays as a sort of highlight reel of Art’s most notorious kills from the three-film franchise including the hacksaw kill from part one, the extended death scene from part 2, complete with bleach and salt in the wounds, and plenty of chainsaw moments. We even get to say hello to the pale-faced girl and stop by the Clown Cafe. There is one bit that finds visitors backstage in the house that doesn’t seem to land like it should, but Art is there so who cares? The finale takes us to Terrifier 3 and Art’s Evil Santa scene. and all is well again.
Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood Creative Director John Murdy really seems to get what makes Art the Clown such an enduring and iconic character. In every scene Art rides a fine line of showmanship and rage, eager to show off his talent, and ready to turn on his audience in an instant. We have to point out the remarkable character work that each Art the Clown performer gave to their work. Capturing David Howard Thornton’s genius is a hard thing to do. Doing it in a haunted house where gusts have an average of 3 seconds to see your bit makes it almost impossible. They pull it off beautifully.
A lot was made of the water and smell effects that were waiting for us in this creation. We experienced something that ended up being very tame. Yes, there was a water spray here and there, the much feared bleach smell was mild, and the usual poop smell in the bathroom scene was faint. Maybe we got lucky, but it wasn’t bad.
Overall, I can’t remember a house at Halloween Horror Nights that I had this much fun in.
WWE Presents: The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks
(lower Lot)
Located in the extended queue of Jurassic World, we have WWE PRESENTS: THE HORRORS OF WYATT SICKS. The house aims to immerse 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. Full disclosure, we knew little of the characters, the lore, and the storylines, much less anything about the WWE. Throw any apprehension out the window. This is a fun experience regardless.
We approach a dilapidated shack in the bayou where a lot of awful stuff is going on. Masked specters linger in mirrors and lunge to capture us as we make our way through the mayhem. The sets here were detailed, very inventive, (my favorite moment was in the attic) and always interesting. This was fan service done right, an homage to the brilliant work of Bray Wyatt, and a walkthrough that entertained.
Jason Universe
(lower Lot)
If you love Jason, get ready to dive into the JASON UNIVERSE house. We approach the entrance that resembles a scene deep in the forests of Camp Crystal Lake. A would be tour guide is impaled on a nearby tree as Crazy Ralph warns us not to visit the cursed campgrounds. We enter and it is a pastiche of Jason Vorhees best moments from the original franchise. It’s all here. We have young Jason, burlap sack Jason, the adoption of the iconic hockey mask, and more. The ubiquitous score from the movies, complete with the “ki, ki, ki, ma, ma, ma” vocals drones throughout. The in this house is, once again, on point and wonderful.
This house is just classic Friday and Classic Jason. As a fan of the oft-underated fifth film, A NEW BEGINNING, I was sad not to notice anything from that enrty but I digress. Maybe one day we will get a deep cut house with reckless reggie kicking ass but until then…
Poltergeist
(Upper Lot)
If you don’t love the original film, Poltergeist, you need to check your pulse. That said, It’s a joy to see the suburban home of the Freeling’s once again at Halloween Horror Nights. I will say though that while there were a few very minor updates made, this is almost identical to the first iteration we experienced in 2018. That’s both good and bad. There are scenes that feature stunning puppetry and moments that feel as if they were pulled from the screen. There are also long stretches of black hallways in between the fully realized sets.
It’s a shame because what is quite good. We have that awful clown, the coffins in the pool and, of course, the crawling steak. Added to that kitchen scene is an actor portraying the poor investigator that is just raiding the kitchen for a midnight snack. Such moments of chaos and horror are great, but they are broken by boo boxes. Hit this house first and early. It’s great, but if the crowds get backed up in the house and you reach a stand still, it could ruin the experience.
Scarecrow: Music by SLASH
This is the second appearance in Hollywood for this brilliant original concept, but now it’s Scarecrow: Music by SLASH. Plussed with a propulsive new score from legendary guitarist SLASH, this house takes on a grittier tone. We approach an old depression-era dustbowl farm house that has been taken over by nature. In fact, it’s the scarecrows and the crows that have flipped the script on the invasive farmers, taking over their home.
Smushed into what seems like a more slender layout, Scarecrow still works with it’s low amber lighting, the earthen smell of hay and burlap, and the new score. Again, the talent here sells it and we are transported to an cruel world of country chaos. Will you get out alive?
Monstruos 3: The Ghosts of Latin America – DO NOT MISS
The final chapter in what has been a spectacular series of houses in Hollywood, Monstruos 3: The Ghosts of Latin America treats us to lavish sets and violent folklore from Latin America. where three ghostly legends of Latin America await. Once again our decayed storyteller La Muerte, invites us for a final trip into the crypts this time to learn about La Llorona, La Muelona and La Siguanaba.
Once again, Murdy holds nothing back with the sorrowful La Llarona scenes. Dead children float face down in the water as this weeping figure hopes to lure you to the same fate. The actors portraying this tragic ghost were amazing, slinking around corners and lunging from the dark.
La Muelona, the Molar Woman, is a violent flesh hungry ghost that survives by tricking young women into debauchery and sin. Basically she is the embodiment of the bad crowd your family warns you about. Here appearance is, no question, terrifying with her massive fangs and bloodied mouth.
Then there is La Siguanaba. This woman figure looks beautiful from behind, luring men out into the forest, only to reveal she has a horse head, sometimes even a horse skull for a face. This creature is wonderfully disturbing and another great addition to the collection of Latin-inspired tales at HHN.
Yes, this house ended with blackness and boo boxes, but it worked here to frightening effect.
Tickets
Buy your tickets ahead of time online here. There are a lot of options that offer a number of ways to see as much as you can and get the best bang for your buck.
We STRONGLY advise getting the one-time express pass in whatever ticket package you choose. Lines for the houses can skyrocket well over 2 hours and, frankly, that’s a waste of time. Another way to save cash is to grab a general admission, but tack on the early entry for $15 and then plan to hit those houses first.
Additionally they are offering the Frequent Fear Passes for $179. This is a great deal for locals that can pop in to just do a few things here and there and return on another day.
The Verdict 8/10
Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood has delivered what we feel is their strongest, most consistent year yet. Every house is good. We have never been able to say that with confidence until now. The scare zones are fun, and made exceptional by the fiercely energetic actors. They literally never stop moving through the crowds and narrowly missing guests with their tools of destruction. The Terror Tram, again, is great. Even the shows, which is something that Hollywood has struggled with in the past, are entertaining. I would love to see an update to the Purge next year, but really it’s a staple that I hope stays for a while.
Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights begins September 4 at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Tickets for Halloween Horror Nights at both Universal parks are now available. Multiple ticketing options are being offered for guests looking to experience the events this fall.
Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights
The event runs on select nights from September 4 through November 2. A range of ticket options is now available, including General Admission, Universal Express, After 2 P.M. Day/Night tickets, and the Early Access Ticket, which grants entry to select haunted houses starting at 5:30 p.m. (subject to change). Guests can also choose from premium experiences like the R.I.P. Tour, or return multiple times with the Frequent Fear Pass and Ultimate Fear Pass. Click here for tickets and full Terms and Conditions.
