Halloween Horror Nights 2025 in Hollywood: A Memorable Night

Intro

I was just starting my Los Angeles trip and had already had an amazing afternoon in Universal Studios Hollywood, exploring it and doing all the attractions during the day. But at night, the main event, and what made me come all the way here to the West Coast, was starting: Halloween Horror Nights 2025. I was so excited so have the first of 4 Universal related Halloween events this year, and some of the houses in there had me hooked.

So without more preamble, this is my experience in Halloween Horror Nights 2025 at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Haunted Houses

Having 8 and not 10 houses like in Florida is a little let down, but the caliber of these ones in Hollywood had me really looking forward to walking through them. I got an Express Pass to make sure to go on all of them like in years past, and even started getting in line early just to make sure I will accomplish this.

I was at the Lower Lot, and after a quick look at Super Nintendo World, I went to get in line for Five Nights at Freddy’s which was already 120 minutes long. I do not know if this decision of doing the regular line for the first house was correct, but it definitely affected the rest of the night like a domino effect. I still decided to get in line and hope for the best.

• Five Nights at Freddy’s

Get ready for the night watch at the creepy, abandoned Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, where nothing is what it seems and possessed animatronics are lurking around every corner.

In preparation for this even I had seen 4 Jason movies, the entire first season of Fallout, 3 movies of Poltergeist and the 3 Terrifier movies, so I would be ready to spot any Easter Egg in the houses. I never played FNAF but I saw the first movie in theaters and was familiar with the story.

Being able to take pictures in Hollywood is good and bad. Good because I can capture this amazing facade, but bad because a couple of times the person in front of me would just stop to take pictures and not move.

Before I got my full opinion on the house, I wanted to give it the full rundown again with my Express Pass since I had not use it for this house.

Nice animatronic of Freddy.

So I went in it 2 times, and it was very disappointed. Not too many animatronics and scares. The effects did not work for me. I feel like human like actors and sounds are more effective. And I know it’s not fair to compare but after later going to Orlando, this was definitely a cheaper version of what it could have been. Unfortunately it’s a 5/10.

• Scarecrow: Music by Slash

At an abandoned Depression-era farm, vengeance takes root. Scarecrows are taking revenge on those who ravaged the land. The only harvest that will be reaped is you. Features an original score by Slash.

Also located in the Lower Lot, this house disappeared from my mind as soon as I walked it. It definitely scare me at some points but it was very forgettable. In Las Vegas, at Horror Unleashed, I would have eventually a way more amazing experience, definitely one of the best houses of all the events combined this year. So yeah, Hollywood so far had not been good: 7/10.

• The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks

Go head-to-head with The Wyatt Sicks as they lure you through the ominous doorway to their shadowy realm. You’re about to meet your match.

Not very familiar with this lore, and decided not to look into it (not interested in the WWE at all), I entered this house with no expectations. To my surprise it was pretty good, and the one in Orlando was definitely better but not bad at all: 8/10.

• Jason Universe

The iconic horror villain Jason Voorhees is coming for you. Step into his terrifying world, from his sinister shack in the woods to the summer camp where it all began.

Having watched 4 of the many Jason movies, I was kind of familiar with the lore, but I still was lost a little bit trying to identify what was happening. The sets and production were great and this was definitely the more scary house so far: 8.5/10.

• Fallout

Face your fears in post-apocalyptic LA. Escape from the vaults to the wasteland and confront the formidable bounty hunter The Ghoul.

The show was ok when I watched it, but not the best thing ever. I had seen some videos on YouTube of people criticizing this as the worst house of the event, but I have to disagree. Although, it could have been way better in the scary department, the production was amazing. I did get scare by the big rat or animal towards the end: 6/10.

• Monstruos 3: The Ghosts of Latin America

One wails. One bites. One beguiles. La Llorona, La Muelona and La Siguanaba await in the dark. Three legends La Muerte wants you to meet, but you’ll wish you never did.

3 female monsters, including one from Colombia, are the main protagonists of the sequel to the very well received Monstruos houses from last years. Hands down the best house in terms of balancing Production value and scares: 10/10.

• Terrifier

Try your luck against Art the Clown in the Terrifier funhouse. You’ll witness his grotesque handiwork of torture and be exposed to the spatter of his victims. It’s a whole new level of gore!

I liked the 3 films of Terrifier, although the first one did not make sense for me at all lol. The house itself was good, and was the more similar to the counterpart in Orlando: 9/10.

• Poltergeist

Spirits will lure you through the TV’s glowing whisper into a surreal landscape, where you’ll be menaced by the rage-fueled Beast.

By this time late in the night the wait times for Express were in the 45 min range. Like I was in shock. I had finished all the houses in 2023 by 10 PM, and this year, it was almost 1 AM and was still in line for the last house. But I had to do it, also after having watched the 3 movies (horrible by the way). The house itself was very forgettable, many scenes from the movies tho: 7/10.

Terror Tram: Enter the Blumhouse

Since the Terror Tram closes way before the event ended at 2 AM, as soon as I got to the Upper Lot, I hoped on the Express Line and got on the tram. I was not about to wait 60 minutes for this, on top of all the time it lasts (about 30-45 min).

I got to see this amazing Hollywood sign now the lights on, before we were dropped on the Blumhouse area where you literally have to walk kind of like a Scare Zone.

No, you do not have to stay with the same people you came with, you are sort of free in this area, but you have to go at a pace anyways. Besides the famous Blumhouse characters, Norman Bates was also present.

And, yeah, the most famous Blumhouse characters were all over the place. I do not know, but the toxic insects from years pass was a more interesting experience. I also felt that the walk through was kind of fast. I did rushed a little bit at the end because I noticed that the clock was ticking and I still had to do all the houses and scare zones on the Upper Lot.

Scare Zones

• Murder of Crowz

You’ve foolishly ventured into a massive crow’s nest. Now the fearsome flock will descend upon you and peck your bones clean.

This was my first Scare Zone and it delivered. I liked the scare actors and decoration around.

• Noche de Brujas

Evil, cackling witches from Latin American legends will hunt you and ensnare you with dark enchantments. It’s the night of the witches!

Probably the most impressive of the Scare Zones in Hollywood, I really liked the ambiance and the scare actors here. The only problem was trying to get to any place in this area of the Upper Lot. Between Fallout, Monstruos, Dia de Muertos, and the scare zones, walking around was a mess. They even use ropes as some sort of stop light, which makes it a little bit frustrating to move around.

• Carnival of Carnage and Chainsaw Clownz

A lot of people are terrified of clowns. Well, we’ve decided to give chainsaws to an entire troupe of evil clowns. You’re welcome.

The carnival’s in town! Step right up and enter a seedy sideshow where murderous clownz make your horrified screams a part of the show.

It was so hard for me to identify which one was either of them, but I guess the one with more chainsaws was the clown one lol. Both were fun and added the necessary ambience this kind of events require. I think this year surprisingly I preferred the scare zones more than the houses, and that says a lot about HHN 2025 in Hollywood.

Roaming Art the Clown

The iconic Art the Clown from Terrifier was all over the place. In Orlando in the 2 times I went to HHN I never saw him, whereas in Hollywood, he was there interacting with guests. They definitely need to do more of this in the upcoming years. Universal should also copy the Disneyland’s Oogie Boogie Bash formula, and have meet and greets with their iconic characters from the houses. This would definitely draw a lot of people from the lines at the houses making the event more streamlined for everyone.

Chainsaw Man: The Chaos

Lose yourself in a wild original storyline as Anime characters Denji, Aki and others battle the Halloween Horror Nights Devil.

I do not know how I got stuck in here, but here I was, at Chainsaw Man: The Chaos, a very long subtitled video of a poorly plotted anime story. I was like “let me out of here” the entire time. I felt like I wasted so much time, not only in the preview area but then actually exiting the theater. This definitely did not work for me. And, for the record, I do love some Japanese storytelling.

This also being in the same theatre as the Po! Kung Fu Panda experience took me out.

The Purge: Dangerous Waters

It was almost midnight when I decided to get to The Purge: Dangerous Waters, a show that I had already seen, of a franchise I never care to watch. I know I have been mostly negative on this post, and especially since I am writing it after going to the Orlando event (far superior) a couple of times, but being able to sit down and enjoy the effects, music, plot, stunts, and energy from the audience felt like a good time. I only wished they had tweaked it a little bit more so it doesn’t look exactly as previous years, especially with the twist.

Dining Options

I came with a list of things I wanted to try, especially after seeing videos on YouTube. Many things looked so good, so let’s go back in time to the Lower Lot and see what I got right when the event had just started.

I was quite hungry at the beginning, since I did not get much during the day, so I got the Pamela’s Smoked Brisket Mac and Cheese from Jason Universe Barbecue. It was actually pretty good

Also in the lower lot, and after doing Jurassic World The Ride, I went to SLASH Bar and got my only alcoholic drink of the night.

It was pretty cute, and of course this is a theme park alcoholic drink, so it did not give much of alcohol (drink responsibly though).

Another great area for dining and drinking was the Dia de los Muertos plaza in the Upper Lot. Having these little break areas make this park compete with Orlando that does not have any. They had Latin music blasting here, lights, great food and amazing drinks. Plus, they had some skeletons scare actors roaming around and even dancing. Plus, some beautiful photo props.

Just amazing.

I came to this area, and had to leave because the Purge show was going to start, but then I came back immediately to get the Beef Birria Tacos with Red Sauce. I ate it all so fast. It was really good. But again, if I was not rushing from place to place due to the crowds, and long waits in the houses (even with Express), I would have enjoyed this area even more.

Towards the very end of the night I went to the Clown Cafe, located backstage next to their house.

From here, I got the legendary Sunflower Glasses, which were an amazing bite to end the night.

Rides & Attractions

Some attractions were opened, and they were included with the Express Pass. I know most people do not come to HHN for the rides, but I had to take full advantage of my EP. The first one I hit was Transformers The Ride, and thankfully, since I could not go on it in Orlando lol.

Most of my favorite ones were in the Lower Lot, so I also did Revenge of the Mummy, the best roller coaster here, at least until they open Fast and Furious: Hollywood Drift next year.

And no, I did not use Express to get on Forbidden Journey™ and Flight of the Hippogriff™, since I had done them earlier, but thankfully, because the night was cutting it really close to the end of the event. I did love the projection show on the Hogwarts Castle tho. And also, well, you have to pass by it to go to the haunted houses.

Super Nintendo World

Another reason why it took me so long to leave the Lower Lot was because Super Nintendo World was exclusively opened during the event for Express Pass and Early Access holders. So, I scanned my ticket and went to enjoy the land, and their only attraction in here.

Even the characters were out. It was weird seeing Princess Peach during a Halloween Horror Nights event.

Mario Kart Challenge is just so good. I like going on it. It is always a good time. Not sure if I would waste time doing the regular with HHN regular tickets, but I know this is perfectly possible with Express.

Merchandise

I did not explore the stores so much, only in the afternoon before my Early Entry started, and in CityWalk, but I liked the shirts and other items this year. I got my nephew a Five Nights at Freddy’s shirt for the Orlando event.

Conclusion

Overall, Halloween Horror Nights 2025 at Universal Studios Hollywood was a fun and thrilling experience, but not without its flaws. While the event delivered impressive sets, strong theming, and some amazing highlights like Monstruos 3: The Ghosts of Latin America and the Terrifier house, it definitely felt more crowded and disorganized than in past years. Even with the Express Pass, the long waits made it hard to enjoy everything at a relaxed pace. The scare zones, however, were a pleasant surprise — full of energy, creativity, and great atmosphere — something that sometimes overshadowed the haunted houses themselves.

The food and drinks also stood out, especially around the Día de los Muertos area, which added a festive touch and gave guests a place to recharge between scares. I appreciated touches like Super Nintendo World being open during the event and seeing characters like Art the Clown roaming around; those moments made the night feel unique to Hollywood.

At the end of the day, it was a good kickoff to my Halloween season on the West Coast, even if Orlando still holds the crown when it comes to overall execution and quality. Still, there’s something special about experiencing the event right next to real Hollywood movie sets — it adds an authentic, cinematic feel that you just can’t find anywhere else.

Now, I was so excited to see what Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas had to offer, but you will see that in the upcoming posts.