Halloween Horror Nights is back for the 2025 season, featuring a lineup that delivers a strong mix of fan-favorite franchises, horror icons, and pop culture powerhouses.
This year, with all the popular properties being featured, guests can expect big crowds and long waits, but the payoff is worth it.
So, what were our first impressions of this year’s event? The first weekend tends to have that “new car smell” when it comes to rankings, and hyperbole finds its way into the discussion. Another thing to keep in mind is that unless outright stated, none of these issues fall on the actors and are not a reflection of their performances. They are the heartbeat of the event and give it their all night in and night out.
It’s very possible, and very likely, this could change; but after opening weekend, here’s where we stand: (Some Spoilers. Video links to each house and zone are included in the title.)
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
HAUNTED HOUSES
Jason Universe (★★★★½)
Nostalgically scary fun! This is the perfect example of “Less is More,” and it works with resounding success. Jason is back with a vengeance as we return to Camp Crystal Lake and come face-to-face with a whole bunch of Jasons recreating iconic kill scenes from the franchise. Shoutout to the bow & arrow scene!
Monstruos 3: The Ghosts of Latin America (★★★★½)
It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s still one of the best houses at the event once again. While La Muelona and La Siguanaba get their moments, the house is carried by the always reliable scary, La Llorona, with some new scares and returning favorites. If this is the last time we visit the Cemetery of the Lost, it was the perfect finale for the trilogy. Thanks for the memories, Muerte.
Terrifier (★★★★¼)
Universal fully embraces the gore of the Terrifier franchise, recreating many of the iconic kills while also introducing new ones, and delving into a bit of meta near the end of the haunt. Unfortunately, all the Arts have masks instead of make-up, so some of the punch gets taken away from seeing Art’s sadistic emotions.
Terror Tram: Enter the Blumhouse (★★★★¼)
Universal took what made last year’s Terror Tram so excellent and improved upon it, creating mini-haunted house runs mixed in with scare gauntlets, packing in a lot of scares. Having said that, we do think it’s time to let these Blumhouse characters retire for a bit.
The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks (★★★★)
The West Coast version pays homage to the legacy of Bray Wyatt, presenting a different take on the Wyatt Sicks – creating a fictional world, weaving together his lore and the supernatural to our spooky delight. Wrestling fans will surely love it, but even if you’re not a fan – the set design and scares make it worth experiencing.
Scarecrow: Music by Slash (★★★★)
A returning house with a twist. The soundtrack Slash composed fits well, and we can’t wait to own a copy to listen to at home – but this is pretty much the same house from 2022. It’s still a great house, and the soundtrack adds a different vibe – but a little bit of that shine is gone.
Five Nights at Freddy’s (★★★¾)
We try not to compare Hollywood vs Orlando – but this is literally a carbon copy of the Orlando version, save for the first scene’s animatronics and the ghost kids using masks instead of make-up. So we’ll echo our review there – From a technical standpoint, it’s one of Universal’s most impressive houses to date. While we may not be the target demographic, we still enjoyed the experience, even though we didn’t find it particularly scary. However, fans of the franchise are surely going to love it.
Fallout (★★★½)
Universal milked all the horror they could from the first season of the show, achieving great success, especially with an intense finale where ghouls break out of freezer compartments. Unfortunately, the experience is quite short. However, the set design and theming are impressive and will definitely appeal to fans of the franchise.
Poltergeist (★★★)
A repeat of the 2018 house, faults and all. This is my first time experiencing the house, so I enjoyed it – but understand some frustrations from older fans who experienced it in 2018 with no new tricks, especially as the house suffers from the dreaded “darkness and long black hallways” trope.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
SCAREZONES
Noche de Brujas (★★★★½)
The scare zone brings Latin American witchcraft folklore to life in an atmospheric way. It’s located just outside the Monstruos 3 haunt, so its aesthetic and mood connect directly to the maze. The Witches are dressed in richly detailed outfits influenced by folklore and are always on the scare.
Carnival of Carnage/Chainsaw Clownz (★★★★)
It’s safe to say that this is just one large scare zone with different sections. Despite getting clowns with chainsaws again, the actors are having too much damn fun scaring and interacting with guests for us to crticize it too much. Art the Clown and the new Fire Towers for the Opening Scaremony are great additions that help keep the area feeling fresh.
Murder of Crowz (★★★½)
We love the Crowz! However, the main issue with the zone is its limited size. It’s very small and doesn’t differ much from last year’s zone. Given how much people adore the Crowz, this can result in significant congestion in the area.
Art the Clown roams the streets of Universal Studios Hollywood, including the walkway to H-Lot and the Lower Lot, which enhances the feeling that “Nowhere is Safe.”
There is an “unofficial” zone located near the Terror Tram entrance, called Hellbullyz. It’s too small in substance to offer a review, but it is a nice bonus zone!
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
SHOWS & ENTERTAINMENT
The Purge: Dangerous Waters (★★★★)
Year 3! Aside from a few minor tweaks, this show is essentially the same as last year. Despite being a repeat, it remains an excellent addition to the Horror Nights experience, showcasing fantastic stunt work and surprising brutality.
Chainsaw Man: The Chaos (★★½)
A port over from Universal Studios Japan, the biggest issue is that it clearly was a “plug and play” show instead of an experience tailored explicitly for Hollywood. Anime is a niche genre, and the Chainsaw Man concept is relatively outlandish, so it’s already a tough sell. It is undoubtedly a strong candidate for a Horror Nights experience, but they need to create a customized Hollywood version of it and take advantage of the DreamWorks Theater tech.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Food is once again a main focus this year. Many items aren’t just tasty, they’re Instagram-worthy. While many of the options prioritize style over substance, we were pleased with the selection available. If you want to try multiple offerings, we recommend investing in the Dining Pass. For $65 plus tax, you receive six redeemable items: two entrées and four sides, snacks, desserts, or drinks.
The Carne Asada Nachos, made with tortilla chips topped with carne asada, pico de gallo, queso fresco, and guacamole, surprised us with both their delicious taste and hearty portion size. The Esquites, which consist of corn sliced off the cob, topped with grated cotija cheese, cilantro, and tajín, offered a great flavor with a nice spicy kick.
The Tostitos Salsa Verde The Walking Taco (beef birria, red consomé, red onion, and green onion served over Salsa Verde Tostitos chips) was good, but needed a cheese sauce or sour cream.
Pamela’s Smoked Brisket Mac and Cheese from the Jason Universe BBQ booth (creamy mac and cheese topped with smoked brisket and BBQ sauce) left us a bit disappointed as it was a small portion for the price, and our order was on the cold side.
The Sunflower Glasses cookie sandwich, inspired by Art the Clown’s glasses, is playful and is one of our favorite items of the year – featuring a nice balance of tart lemon and sweet raspberry.
The Yum Yum Deviled Eggs resemble savory deviled eggs but are actually a dessert (featuring coconut panna cotta, pineapple, and mango toppings, accompanied by Tajín). It’s a fun twist, but some may find the texture off-putting.
Slash’s Top Hat Cake (vanilla bean sponge, mango habanero gelee, pineapple compote) strikes a balance between sweetness, fruit, and texture, with just enough pepper flavor without being spicy.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Halloween Horror Nights 2025 is shaping up to be a fantastic year, even with some returning experiences. While there are enough new attractions to keep things fresh, there is a risk of them feeling “too familiar” if it’s kept around. Admittedly, we know that the SoCal haunt scene tends to allow properties to remain for several years before they are retired. We know that 2025 will be the final year for Monstruous, but we hope that some of the other returning favorites this year will either be refreshed or retired for the 2026 season.
Other than that observation, Halloween Horror Nights 2025 proved once again why Universal Studios Hollywood remains a leader in horror entertainment, offering a little something spooky for everyone.
Halloween Horror Nights 2025 takes place on select nights through November 2, 2025, at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Stay tuned to Inside Universal for all the latest news on Universal Parks & Resorts and follow along on our forums & discussion boards.
Looking to book that HORROR-filled Universal vacation? We recommend using our friends at MEI-Travel to help plan your next trip to Universal Orlando or Universal Studios Hollywood.
