A House-By-House Breakdown Of Halloween Horror Nights At Universal Hollywood [Fright-A-Thon]

A House-By-House Breakdown Of Halloween Horror Nights At Universal Hollywood [Fright-A-Thon] 7 min | 0 Overall, Halloween Horror Nights has really brought the fun this season! While I wouldn't say most of the mazes are particularly scary, the sets are incredibly detailed, the storytelling is stronger than ever, and there are so many little moments throughout that make you stop and appreciate the work that went into creating these worlds. What I think Halloween Horror Nights does especially well this year is take properties that we already know and find fresh ways to bring them to life. Whether it's the incredible dance hall energy of Sinners, the twisted world of Hellraiser, or the over-the-top fun of Killer Clowns, the mazes feel like more than just a series of people jumping out at you. There's an effort to create an experience, and when all of those pieces come together, it can be incredibly effective. Sinners Sinners is such a rule-of-cool house. The theming starts in the queue line, with 'This Little Light of Mine' setting the scene. Then you enter the surreal montage, continuing to bring joy. And then, BAM! Vampires. It's such a fun transition and really captures the movie's energy. Throughout the maze, there are so many moments that just look and feel incredible. The vampires' red-eye technique is incredibly impressive. They really tried to do something different and bring back the old-school energy of guest experience with Sinners, and it shows. However, these changes cause major backups because they're still trying to process people through at breakneck speed. If Universal can get over the need to run people through the maze and queue people through in smaller groups to fully experience that magic they've created, this would be one of the greatest Mazes they've ever done. If they don't, they'll continue to ruin their own creativity. Killceañera: Music by Slash Slash has returned to Halloween Horror Nights. Not with a maze named after him this time, but he's lending his incredible talents to the score of Killceañera! I always enjoy the original mazes vs IP at Halloween Horror Nights, and Killceañera is no different. I love how Universal takes the idea of a quinceañera and turns it into a full-blown revenge story, with Lola summoning creatures from Latin American folklore to get revenge on everyone who bullied her. And those back-to-back scares at the end are incredible. The scare actors' timing was absolutely perfect, and it got me good. Stranger Things 5 While Stranger Things is no stranger to Halloween Horror Nights, this year the maze dives into the final season. If you love the series, you're going to enjoy this house. It's very much a love letter for the fans, with recognizable moments and characters from the show. Was it scary? Not really. Does it have as cool a scene as Eddie playing Metallica? No. But keep an eye out for other memorable moments. Killer Klowns From Outer Space Killer Klowns is back and full of mockery fun. Every time a clown tries to scare you, it laughs at you. I don't know what's worse. The maze knows exactly what it is and leans into that ridiculous, over-the-top energy. It's not necessarily trying to be the scariest house of the night, but it's a good time and has that funhouse-style chaos that makes it entertaining. Dead Deader Deadest This maze is another original IP, drawing on Southern California lore and amping it up a bit. I will say that this is the sleeper house of the event. People are skipping it, and I'm telling you not to. I'm going to be honest, I didn't totally understand the story. The basic concept is that we're in the Deville Family Funeral Home, where this miracle embalming drug called Ambrotox has gone very, very wrong and brought the dead back to life. Once you know that going in, the house makes a little more sense, but I don't think the storyline came through as clearly for me while I was actually walking through it. But that didn't matter. It was gross, and it has a killer ending! Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights pays tribute to pioneer heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne in the all-original haunted houses, 'Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness,' inspired by his prolific solo career. RIP Ozzy Osbourne. The Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness maze is a love letter to one of the greatest ever to do it. Ozzy was incredible! The song choices throughout are fantastic, the story is really fun, and the effects are so good. The maze even has some fun with the iconic Bat Incident in 1982. This is one of those mazes where all of the different elements come together really well, giving fans exactly what they want. Everything works together to create a really great experience. Terror Tram with Art the Clown Terror Tram with Art the Clown was GREAT. And I never say that about Terror Tram! It's usually the one thing at Halloween Horror Nights I wander through bored, but it lets me take a break from the chaos of the park. I went in with pretty low expectations, and this absolutely exceeded them. Learning from the previous Blumhouse vignettes, there are more fun and interactive moments with Art the Clown before getting to the Bates Motel. Once there, every room has a show that is just as fun, silly, and gross as we expect it to be. Something is happening on both sides of you, never letting you take a breath. Then you turn the corner for even more fun and interactive silliness at Art's restaurant. Next, trudge up the hill to the War of the World area where they finally make it make sense why you're walking through airplane wreckage. I've never had more fun while walking through this area. It feels like the Tram was actually planned for Halloween Horror Nights and not an afterthought. Every moment of the show feels like they care about it and the guest experience, rather than rushing everyone through. However, they haven't adjusted how they allow people to board the tram. So, you still have team members yelling at you while you're trying to enjoy the effort and show they've put into the area. Slow the line. People will wait. Evil Dead Burn Evil Dead Burn is surprisingly a super short maze, but the scare actors are WORKING. They are giving it everything they have, and you can feel that energy as you go through the house. If you liked the movie as I did, this is a really fun house to experience. It's quick, but there's a lot of enthusiasm packed into that short runtime. Hellraiser Hellraiser was the scariest house of the night for me. It is SO good. Pulling from all 3 original films, this maze really nails the atmosphere, the scares, and that genuinely creepy feeling that makes you want to get through the house as quickly as possible. While you're moving through these iconic Hellraiser locations and moments, it never feels like you're just checking boxes from the movies. It feels like you're actually entering the Cenobites' world. So, if you're looking for the house that actually scares you, this is the one. So, if you head into the event expecting non-stop terror at every turn, you might leave a bit let down. However, you'll constantly stumble upon incredible set details, clever technical effects, or a scare actor truly giving it their all. There are definitely moments that make you stop and say, 'Oh, that's cool.' While some mazes certainly land better than others, the event as a whole feels like it's prioritizing a rich, immersive experience over simply trying to jump-scare you every five seconds. Maybe next year we can get back to both. For more on Horror, make sure to check out Fright-A-Thon.