The gates of Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood have opened, and this 12 months’s occasion has a number of the theme park’s largest debuts. Between Terrifier and Five Nights at Freddy’s, the headliner haunted homes actually pack a punch, with the fear titan-led Jason Universe home, based mostly on the Friday the thirteenth franchise, additionally serving to to energy a killer season begin.
However that’s to not say there have been some lows; surprisingly, HHN’s anticipated Fallout providing fell in need of expectations. Some repeat homes managed to carry sufficient pleasure, however the West Coast occasion—which is smaller than the model mounted by Halloween Horror Nights Orlando—would possibly show to create uneven experiences for park visitors who can’t shell out the additional dough for specific passes.
Specific tickets had been offered by Common for media to have the ability to overview all the homes, and that’s a key takeaway from the beginning: as theme park insiders, it was clear to us that it is perhaps close to inconceivable to go to all the homes if you happen to do normal occasion admission. In the event you’re locked in to that worth level, all the time make sure to prioritize 3-4 homes and one leisure providing—between the Blumhouse-themed Terror Tram, the stunt present The Purge: Harmful Waters, or the Chainsaw Man brief movie screening. In the event you actually need to do every thing in a single night time, upgrading to precise could also be your greatest wager.
I do have one professional tip from attending in previous years: the specific cross will typically be provided at 50% off close to the top of the night time and you should purchase in to race by all the homes in the previous couple of hours of the occasion. I’ve executed it myself. You possibly can solely take benefit if you happen to’re already within the park when the indicators go up on the ticket improve stations, so preserve an eye fixed out for that.
As an LA native, I’ve additionally merely unfold it out by shopping for a multi-night ticket (such because the “Frequent Worry” cross) and going as soon as every week to hang around for vibes and scope out shorter strains for homes I’ve missed or need to do once more.
Right here’s what we considered Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood for 2025:
The Good
Terrifier: Artwork the Clown has unofficially solidified his place as a Horror Nights icon. From the second you arrive on the occasion, the roaming silent clown killer chillingly charms together with his bag of demented tips. Personally, and like most going to the occasion, this was my first publicity to the character and the world of Terrifier, having been deterred by a number of the divisive discourse surrounding the gratuitous violence of the franchise. Nonetheless, the Terrifier home cleared up a few of my considerations and I believe the movies fall extra into an absurdist gore vibe versus the gritty gore style (assume extra Raimi than Roth).
There are extra horrific issues, I believe, within the Monstruos home with a toddler being eaten by La Llorona than something within the Terrifier home. Don’t let that lull you right into a false sense of safety. Artwork remains to be very hardcore however in a hilarious manner. We very a lot loved the Looney Tunes or reasonably Itchy & Scratchy aura on a really sick cartoony clown’s mission of demonic mayhem. The complete show of depravity was such a rollicking good time I went house and watched Damien Leone’s Terrifier 2 instantly. Artwork the Clown will get new followers (myself included) and this home will please longtime fanatics. Get all the way down to the Clown Cafe as quickly as you’ll be able to as a result of this one could have a protracted queue. And the water splash warnings? They’re for actual; convey a poncho.
Jason Universe: That is fingers down the scariest home in a standard sense. Jason stalks you alongside memorable Camp Crystal Lake deaths and with the long-lasting soundtrack, there are soar scares aplenty. In the event you’re laborious to “get,” you’ll recognize the eye to element in making a home that encompasses the Friday the thirteenth legacy. Even with an specific cross, this line was lengthy.
Professional tip: The Jason Universe-themed meals are low-key the HHN snack warfare winners. We suggest the gouda fondue bread bowl (we paid out of pocket for it); it’s steeped in Indignant Orchard cider and comes with inexperienced apple slices. It’s obtainable on the similar sales space because the Jason mask-shaped s’mores. It is perhaps the very best meals of the horror fest.
5 Nights at Freddy’s: The sheer artistry of Jim Henson’s Creature Store’s puppetry and HHN performer work makes this one an all-ages all-timer with aplomb. The haunted “animatronics” charging at you or springing to life actually works and there are even sudden soar scares with lifeless youngsters creeping up on you as you hover awestruck round Chica or Cunning. Our solely criticism is that the stage present centerpiece at the beginning solely featured Freddy; Orlando’s HHN acquired the entire ensemble.
Chainsaw Man: This import from Common Studios Japan was an sudden shock. Anime followers will enjoyment of a particular HHN Japan theater brief, which brings the beloved characters (minus Pochita, sadly) right into a meta immersive expertise the place they must battle demons whereas attending HHN themselves. The combo of cute, spooky 2D animation and fourth-wall-breaking CG motion with a quick journey that includes the Chainsaw Man gang impresses and I hope we get extra abroad enjoyable making its manner stateside.
The So-So
Scarecrow that includes Slash: The HHN Hollywood Scarecrow lore grows with Slash offering a brand new rating. The scares and creature work all the time make this a standout. Nonetheless, we had been a bit underwhelmed by the music; we liked the riff composed by the rock legend however the boom-clap beat made us really feel like we had been comically in a corn whiskey business. It threw the spooky vitality off. Hit the bar after.
Monstruos 3: Celebrating the horrors of Latin American folklore has been a unbelievable staple of HHN and actually there’s nobody scarier than La Llorona (IYKYK) and her penchant for kidnapping kids and feasting on their souls. Alongside one other killer vengeful cryptid, La Siguanaba, this home makes for a stable scare-filled expertise; it simply felt a bit on the shorter facet or maybe we caught it whereas there was a forged change, which occurs typically.
WWE Presents: The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks: As an homage to the late wrestler who got here up with the leisure wrestling’s campy horror lore, this home is a sentimental and stable send-off. Nonetheless, as somebody whose horror WWE storylines had been Undertaker and Kane, I felt so misplaced and wasn’t certain methods to join the storyline in the home to the personas within the ring. May have had a bit extra cohesion however the set and costuming had been on level; we’ll give it that. Professional-tip: This one has a sequence of gross-smelling rooms, and also you’ll additionally get sprayed.
Terror Tram: Blumhouse taking up the backlot might have been nice nevertheless it finally ends up being extra like an elaborate meet-and-greet space than a hang-out. Until you notably need to meet Blumhouse figures of fright and get extra steps in, it’s in all probability greatest to skip. However if you happen to’re a horror film fan and need to discover the place the films are made, this can be a great spot. The photographs are all the time nice in order that’s an upside. Be warned: this expertise takes up almost an hour of your time so plan accordingly.
The Dangerous
The Purge: Harmful Waters: That is drained and whereas we recognize the trouble within the stunts, there hasn’t been a brand new Purge film in ages. This area might have been higher utilized, maybe by Fallout, and we’ll clarify why in a bit.
Poltergeist: Retire this one.
Fallout: As a fan of Walton Goggins’ Ghoul, there was not sufficient sassy and scary outlaw Ghoulussy put into this. The Vault scenes had been brief and targeted an excessive amount of on Lucy’s linear journey reasonably than giving us a best hits of the horrific moments from the Prime Video present. It additionally wasn’t scary in any respect and used up a lot area within the former Strolling Useless year-long home attraction space with few set items that it felt over ahead of we might have favored. For a property that’s going to ask lengthy queues, it’s not price it. A present on the Waterworld stage starring the Ghoul and Lucy squaring off towards figures within the wasteland and the Gulper might need been higher.
Professional-tip: The Fallout meals is a extra enjoyable expertise; we suggest the Roasted Radroach Legs but in addition had a specific affinity for the Roasted Stingwing. There’s additionally RadAway in pouches for you, in-universe-specific merchandise followers.
Common Studios Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood is open now by November 2. Get tickets here.
Need extra io9 information? Try when to anticipate the most recent Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every thing you could find out about the way forward for Doctor Who.
Trending Merchandise
