The calendar page has turned from September to October, bringing with it increased sightings of jack-o’-lanterns, giant skeletons, and dilapidated storefronts converted into pop-up costume shops. Yes, All Hallow’s Eve grows ever closer – and at Universal Studios theme parks, they’ve been counting down the day to October 31 for a few weeks now, thanks to the gore-splattered return of the annual Halloween Horror Nights event. Now in its 33rd year – and running through November 3 – HHN has lunged from the fog with 10 all-new haunted houses based on popular film franchises and original concepts from the twisted minds of Universal's creative team.
Determined to stifle my screams when the inevitable jump scare got the best of me, I attended the event's opening night in Orlando. And while I failed that whole no-screaming thing seconds after arriving (thanks a lot, sneaky chainsaw guy.) I survived the evening, returning with a full report on what you can expect from this year's festivities. Like last year, I’ve sorted those reactions into a list of superlatives, so if you're looking for a guide to which house spills the most fake blood or where you'll find the best fuel for your future nightmares, read on before braving the season's scariest vacation destination.
Bloodiest Bang For Your Buck: Slaughter Sinema 2
Shortly after entering Slaughter Sinema 2, a man celebrating Mardi Gras in a seedy motel lunges forward and vomits…something…on me. In his defense, the inebriated individual had just been gutted by a toothy, blade-wielding court jester who danced a disturbing jig upon committing the gruesome act. Of course, this is all pretty par for the course in a haunted house that brings a handful of gory grindhouse flicks to life across multiple, self-contained rooms.
A sequel to 2018's similar celebration of '70s B-movies, this year's take crams a ton of inspired, campy concepts – from murderous punk rock skeletons and mummy strippers here, zombie cyborgs and Santa's psychotic elves there – into a single house. If you're short on time, Slaughter Sinema 2's varied, standalone mazes have got you covered…like a blood-soaked Christmas sweater.
Most Terrified Live Performers: The Museum: Deadly Exhibit
This original concept sees a mundane visit to the local folklore museum go sideways when its latest attraction, "The Rotting Stone," proves to be more than a big rock with a menacing name. An evil entity encased within this geological specimen seeps into the surroundings, possessing statues, exhibits, the walls, and even the furniture (I’m still trying to erase the disturbing "desk monster" from my mind.)
The most unsettling part though, is the live actors portraying the guides, security guards, and other museum employees scrambling to wrap their heads around what the hell is happening. Missing limbs, bleeding out, and losing their sanity, the staff's palpable dread and anxiety steals the show. Deadly Exhibit also features some slick effects and cool creature designs, but it's the fear on the characters' faces and terror in their cries that stuck with me long after I left the park.
Best High Fantasy Village Gone Horribly Wrong: Goblin's Feast
At another park, during a different event, Goblin's Feast's charming, atmospheric setting could host a Renaissance faire or Lord of the Rings' fan festival. Quaint cottages capped with smoking chimneys, cozy taverns playing jaunty string music, and a water wheel spinning by a wooden staircase adorned with pumpkins welcome you into a warm, high fantasy-inspired world.
This sense of comfort is quickly stripped away, however, when you realize the attraction's cast of orcs, witches, and goblins are giddily gorging themselves on human flesh. As you pass mythic creatures munching on concessions that are conspicuously larger than the average ren-faire turkey leg, you accept the fact that you're likelier to become a meal than meet a hobbit in this house of horrors. Judging by the "Catch of the Day" sign hanging beside a pleading, caged prisoner, the monsters' sense of humor is as healthy as their appetites.
Best Universal Monster Movie That Was Never Made: Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines
Some of Halloween Horror Nights' best houses have made guests feel like they're trapped in one of Universal's old school monster movies. This year's event continues that trend, delivering Eternal Bloodlines – an original story that finds monster-hunting scion Saskia Van Helsing teaming up with the Bride of Frankenstein to face off against Dracula's daughter, She-Wolf, and the mummy Anck-Su-Namun.
Like the classic creepshows that inspired it, Eternal Bloodlines forgoes excessive blood and gore in favor of spotlighting the “oughta be in pictures” quality of itselaborate set design, detailed costumes, rich characterizations, and enveloping atmosphere. Guests enter through a snowy, gothic graveyard before navigating candle-lit crypts, creepy cathedrals, and immersive, dread-inducing outdoor environments. The gorgeous maze is further complemented by an all-women cast, led by the crossbow-toting Van Helsing, a compelling character who could easily make the leap from Horror Nights to movies, TV, or the Universal Classic Monsters’ corner of the upcoming Epic Universe theme park.
Best Return of a Scare Zone Character: Major Sweets Candy Factory
There’s no higher honor for an original Halloween Horror Nights character than graduating from one of the event’s open-air Scare Zones to the headlining slot in a haunted house or maze. Such is the case with Major Sweets, a 1950's candy-making mogul who tests his sugary treats on unsuspecting children in one of this year’s haunts.
As the story goes, this wicked Willy Wonka has opened the doors to his factory and invited the local school kids on a field trip they won't soon forget. When the tykes sample the sinister sweets, they transform into murderous psychopaths who target their adult chaperones with especially creative kills – like being force-fed confectionery ingredients through assembly line tubes.The result is a darkly comedic, graphic romp where the blood flows as freely as the corn syrup and the red licorice might actually be spilled entrails.
Best New Nightmare Fuel: Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America
The fact this house's least scary scene involves a frantic woman screaming over a bloody baby carriage is saying something. But we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves: Based on the most frightening creatures in Latin American folklore, this maze offers a sort of crash course on the vampiric Tlahuelpuchi, the bone-collecting El Silbon, and the towering owl-witch hybrid La Lechuza – the last of which ranks as one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen.
Because this house covers a trio of creeps in quick succession, it tends to favor shocking set design over nuanced storytelling. But it's an effective approach that guarantees the most memorable, nerve-fraying scenes – like a tavern full of victims who've just had their spines ripped out – will return to me on many a restless night.
Best Fake True Crime Case: Triplets of Terror
Cashing in on the public’s unquenchable thirst for true crime, Triplets of Terror tells the fictional tale of the Barmy children, a trio of disturbed siblings who apparently celebrated their ninth birthday by brutally murdering their parents. Old newspaper clippings with sensational headlines – "Ritualistic Killings," "Decapitated Heads Discovered" – fill the walls, while a faux podcast fills us in on gory details.
We soon learn that the Blarmy kids like to reenact their evil deeds every 10 years, a fact that's graphically communicated through the maze's next several rooms. Masked psychos wielding a variety of bats, knives, and power tools crash suburban birthday parties, resulting in plenty of terrified revelers, obscenely creative decapitations, and, of course, blood-splattered birthday cakes.
Best Movie-Based House: A Quiet Place
Retelling the events of A Quiet Place and its sequel, this house immediately earns points for its clever use of sound – or lack thereof. The experience is actually surprisingly loud, but you quickly realize most of the audio – from foreboding chittering to ferocious roars – comes from extraterrestrial “Death Angels” lying in wait.
Subtler details and spine-tingling touches – such as "Missing" posters pinned to a wall, a woman frantically attempting to calm a crying baby, and characters communicating through sign language – also do their part to sell the series' “stay silent, stay alive” concept. It’s particularly impressive during an event that so often relies on sound to power its scares.
House That's Better Than Its Source Material: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Much like the The Exorcist: Believer house from Halloween Horror Nights 32, this maze based on Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is more fun than the movie it's based on. That's because it feels less like a faithful adaptation of the film and more like a fan-pleasing highlight reel. For starters, its incredibly immersive sets – from a detail-packed Ray's Occult Books shop to a realistically frosted-over firehouse HQ – truly make you forget you're actually in a theme park.
That same authenticity and immersiveness carries over to the many character encounters, which include a rogues’ gallery of Ghostbusters' baddies – including Garraka, Vigo, terror dogs, and Slimer. Toss in a spot-on, spook-slaying Janine Melnitz and inventive, liberal use of Frozen Empire and Afterlife’s mischievous Mini-Pufts, and this bout of bustin’ made me feel good… even though I didn't care much for the movie.
Best Jump Scares: Insidious: The Further
No one does jump scares better than Halloween Horror Nights, and it turns out that specific skill – honed across 33 years and counting – is an especially good fit for a house based on the current reigning champion of big-screen jump scares. Presented as a sort of "greatest hits" of the Insidious series, the maze opens with the series’ signature towering red door before taking fans through a scene where Tiny Tim's version of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" plays.
But between that infamous entrance and terrifying tune are numerous, heart-stopping encounters putting you uncomfortably close with familiar, nightmare-conjuring creeps, from the Lipstick-Face Demon and Long Haired Fiend to the Bride in Black. Elevated by the sky high production values and committed scareactors we've come to expect from HHN's houses, these relentless encounters are some of the event's scariest.
