Another year, another visit to one of our Halloween season staples, Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood. This is always one of our favorite events of the season, due in part to the sheer amount of things to do and see. The sights, sounds, and even smells keep your energy up all night, and we just really love the entire vibe from the second you set foot through security.

Our Haunted House Rankings

The real reason we all go year after year. Here’s our ranking for HHN 2025’s haunted houses.

#1 Terrifier

This maze was so fun, so gory, and so depraved. We found ourselves mostly cheering Art, which meant it wasn’t the scariest maze for us. But boy was it a good time! The set details were absolutely perfect. We were warned about the smell, but it was less stinky than expected—more of a locker room smell than actual poop (thank goodness). The scareactors we expertly cast. We’re only nitpicking here, but we did wish they could have used prosthetics instead of masks for all characters; prosthetics would have allowed them to match wild facial expressions to their body language. Still, a perfect haunt experience in our opinion.

#2 Five Nights at Freddy’s

We truly felt like we walked right into the video game. The opening scene had our jaws on the floor—it was an incredible spectacle. While we didn’t find the maze scary, it was a really enjoyable time. Maybe a good haunt intro for your younger horror/FNAF fans.

#3 Jason Universe

Jason is our man! This maze was an absolute blast and a fantastic homage to all faces of Jason, including the new mask! The kills were great, and seriously, WHERE DID THEY FIND ALL THESE GIGANTIC AND MENACING SCAREACTORS? We were fighting for our lives in this maze. The scariest offering of the night, in our opinion.

#4 Monstruos 3

Nightmare-inducing animatronics are back! While some scenes felt familiar from previous iterations, this maze still kept us scared and on our toes! It was expertly executed. No notes, we love this haunted house.

#5 Scarecrow, Music by Slash

High-energy, amazing set design, and just a lot going on in this one. The scareactors were very committed, and Slash’s pulsing soundtrack added a real urgency to the whole thing. Our only complaint? It was a very stinky maze. Bleh!

#6 The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks

We’re not familiar with the IP, but fans seem super happy with the representation. It had phenomenal set design with plenty of misdirection and good scares! We got more wet in this than in Terrifier?

#7 Fallout

We want more Lucy! We loved the scenes with the Ghoul and absolutely loved seeing some familiar locations from the show up close and personal. A solid effort, but we were hoping for a bit more.

#8 Poltergeist

Mostly the same as 2018. It had a couple of very well-executed scenes, but then it was just a lot of black hallways and overuse of boo boxes. Would have loved to see more improvements from the first iteration.

The Scare Zones

The mazes are the main event, but it’s the scare zones that keep the vibes going in between. This year’s streets had some great energy.

Art is Everywhere!

Beyond his incredible maze, we were thrilled to see Art the Clown roaming the event and interacting with guests. His silent, unsettling, and highly expressive antics provided some of the best spontaneous entertainment of the evening. Whether he was pantomiming brutal acts or just staring deeply into your soul, his presence made HHN feel like his own terrifying playground. He is the undisputed MVP of HHN 2025.

Our #1: Murder of Crowz

We’ve foolishly ventured into a massive crow’s nest, and honestly, we loved it. The murder was out in full force to defend their territory, but we still snuck in a quick hello to the baby bird.

The Rest of the Street Scares

• Chainsaw Clownz: What could go wrong? A lot. A whole troupe of evil clowns wielding chainsaws is exactly as chaotic and loud as it sounds.
• Carnival of Carnage: Stepping right up into this seedy sideshow where murderous clownz make your horrified screams part of the show was a high-energy transition zone.
• Noche de Brujas: We stumbled out of Monstruos 3 into this perfect complement. Evil, cackling witches from Latin American legends hunted us, trying to ensnare us with dark enchantments.

Fueling the Fear

Between the screams, we found some culinary and cocktail delights worth your hard-earned money.

• Best Drinks: Chucky’s Dive Bar wins. We loved The Charles Lee Ray ($18.00)—a devilish mix of Bourbon, fire whiskey, pumpkin puree, and ginger ale topped with dehydrated mangos. Get it!
• Favorite Food: The Rock N Glow tacos at Slash Bar (both beef and chicken. Vegan options were available too!) were the perfect post-maze fuel. Plus, the Slash Bar plays great rock tunes all night.

The Terror Tram & Purge Dangerous Waters

The Terror Tram was a bit of a repeat offender, featuring Blumhouse villains again. Unfortunately, crowd management was having major issues on the night we attended. We heard The Black Phone 2 voice-overs so many times it felt like a form of torture. While we actually like the Blumhouse theme, we’d just love to see more of a changeup.

On the other hand, the Purge Dangerous Waters stunt show was an absolute blast. Nonstop stunts and pyro had our minds blown, and it’s a great excuse to sit down for a bit to rest tired feet.

Overall, HHN 2025 delivers again on the fun and gore, making it a can’t-miss event for the 2025 Halloween season. Get your tickets and more details on their website at www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com/Halloween.