Written by Jesus Figueroa
@ThisFunktional
Contributed by Anastasia Reptar
Every year Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights is the go to Halloween attraction of the haunt season in Southern California and for 2025 the attractions make it an event that’s not to be missed.
While Halloween Horror Nights has seemed to be have a formula that keeps the event a hit year for year, this year the event director seems to push things forward and make changes that amplify what makes this event the one of the best of the season.
The mazes are slightly longer, more detailed, and have diverse themes which has something for everyone – horror fans from all genres most notably slasher, pop culture, and classic horror.
While my guest, Anastasia Reptar, and I had a difference in opinions for the top attractions, it was agreed upon that things felt different, but different in a good way.
Years past each maze seemed to differ in length, some being 3 minute walks and others being about 7 minutes.
This year all mazes seem to be an average of just about 5 minutes, all equal and none having any more prominence than another.
The best part of all of them being similar in length is that rating them was easier because length was not the major factor that boosted one over another.
Top Attractions
| @AnastasiaReptar | @ThisFunktional |
| TERRIFIER | FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S |
| FALLOUT | TERRIFIER |
| FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S | WWE Presents: THE HORROR OF THE WYATT SICKS |
It was difficult to pick the top mazes, this year saw the TERROR TRAM: ENTER THE BLUMHOUSE fall down the list all the way down to close to the bottom, this may be the only attraction that was hurt by the length of the mazes as it was shorter considerably.
TERRIFIER
“Terrifier,” inspired by the slasher film franchise that brings the twisted world of Art the Clown to life.
What made this maze one of the best is that it brought together the franchise and the maze felt campy and fun all while capturing the terrifying personality of Art The Clown. The walkthrough took about 5 minutes and there was a taste of each one of Art’s stylistic kills. Art The Clown also happens to be roaming around the park spooking guests and taking photos with those daring enough to ask for one spooktaculoar souvenir.
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S
“Five Nights at Freddy’s,” based on Blumhouse’s hit movie where nothing is as it seems at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.
For those eagerly anticipating the upcoming FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S sequel, this maze is a good way to help hold up for a while for the sequel. The maze is about 5 minutes in length and while the scares are jump scares, they are very similar to the scares the video game provides. The elements of the maze are a combination of the video game and the movie franchise. There are some iconic locations from both the movie and video game, most noticeably the security screens setup that the night guard has to sit in front of.
FALLOUT:
“Fallout” will take guests into the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Prime Video’s critically acclaimed series.
FALLOUT is brilliantly made, while it did feel like it felt just short of 5 minutes in length, it depicted the terror of the vaults in a fantastic way. The phases of the terror of the mazes walked through were bloody, gory, and just enough to be captivating and thrilling.
The addition of a FALLOUT food menu was brilliant because of the just incredible way the franchise plays with parody of real life foods. The Brahmin Burger and Loaded Cram Fries were delicious and worth trying, the desserts – Vault Dwellers Wedding Cake and Yum Yum Deviled Eggs (not actual deviled eggs) left much to be desired. The Wedding cake was overly sweet with much of it being a thick layer of frosting. The Yum Yum Deviled Eggs were fruity and not as sweet, but with the many different textures it was just strange when eating. The Nuclear Blast alcoholic drink was tasty, but having it look like a glowing drink there was no light inside the cup to capitalize on the glowing drink. The Raw Dawg drink was tasty and savory at the same time, it was refreshing.
WWE Presents: THE HORROR OF THE WYATT SICKS
“WWE Presents: The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks” immerses guests in the world of WWE, going head-to-head with Uncle Howdy in an experience that features The Wyatt Sicks and honors the legacy of Bray Wyatt.
Wrestling fans and pop culture fans will be thrilled by the incredible storytelling that happens with this maze. The maze not only brings in new elements to the WYATT Sicks, but also pays tribute to Bray Wyatt and the iconic Fiend. There may be a bit of a cameo of another spectacular Wyatt Sicks member. The Wyatt Sicks are well represented as well as the memorable red FireFly Funhouse door. The scares are greats with some menacing moments where the more intimidating members of the Wyatt Sicks creep up and get right into guests faces, but it’s all in good spooky fun.
SCARECROW: MUSIC BY SLASH
“Scarecrow: Music by SLASH” puts retribution at the forefront in which Mother Nature seeks vengeance on the homesteaders for their sins of the past that will be carried out by farmland scarecrows. SLASH’s original score will deliver an unnerving sense of fear as guests navigate the ominous corridors of the haunted house.
As a top maze, SCARECROW gets an honorable mention of the creativity and spectacular soundtrack. The amazing part of this maze is that there are so many amazing different scarecrows, different farm animal scarecrows make it for a wonderfully frightening maze.
MONSTRUOS 3 THE GHOSTS OF LATIN AMERICA
“Monstruos 3: The Ghosts of Latin America,” the final chapter where three ghostly legends of Latin America await.
This maze is very similar to the previous year’s maze, with myths/legends being presented in a wonderful manner. The progression of this maze is nice as it is yet another 5 minute walkthrough. The scares are not there much, rather it seems to work by telling the story of each of these ghosts rather than scaring people at every turn.
Least Favorite attractions:
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| TERROR TRAM: ENTER THE BLUMHOUSE | |
| POLTERGEIST | |
| JASON UNIVERSE |
The part of this year’s event that least impressed did so not because they were bad, but rather they left something desired.
TERROR TRAM: ENTER THE BLUMHOUSE
“Terror Tram: Enter the Blumhouse” enables guests to disembark the Studio Tour tram and set off on foot to encounter some of the most iconic villains from Blumhouse’s popular horror franchises over the past 15 years.
The Terror Tram is usually one of my favorites scary movie attractions because it starts from the moment the tram ride starts, while the tram ride sets the scenario usually, the walkthrough takes guests through what almost feels like three or more short mazes. This year, it was sectioned off as different attractions, it just seems sectioned off, but more like an exhibit and not a maze. The sections are about a minute walkthrough, very cramped and with little to no room to enjoy the small sections or each part of the walkthrough. While the walkthrough was usually from 10 to 15 minutes, this one felt more like 7 minutes cutting things off much earlier than usual.
POLTERGEIST
“Poltergeist, based onAmazon MGM Studios’ supernatural cult horror classic, will bring guests “into the light.”
While the maze did a good job at mirroring the movie, it does not fully emerge the guests to the point of making it more than just a spooky walkthrough. The POLTERGEIST franchise is fantastic and one of my favorites scary movie franchises because of the manner it is able to build up stories, but the maze does not do the same, rather it felt like a disheveled maze that never fully materialized.
JASON UNIVERSE
“Jason Universe” features horror movie icon Jason from the infamous Friday the 13th films.
Another maze that failed to impress was JASON UNIVERSE. While Jason is such an iconic horror/terror monster, the maze takes a bit from the many different movies, but only feels like it was the best parts of previous year’s mazes.
As every year for the past few years, with the VIP pass going to the farthest maze, SCARECROWS, and working to the front of the park makes it easy to enjoy every maze in 4-5 hours, but with the long lines General Admission guests may only be able to make it to maybe half of the mazes, depending on the mazes and wait times. The RIP Tour passes become well worth the money as there is a guide that will takes RIP Tour guests on their own path through the mazes and right to the front of the line in their own private line.
A variety of Halloween Horror Nights ticket options for Universal Studios Hollywood are available, including General Admission, Universal Express, After 2 P.M. Day/Night, the Early Access Ticket,which provides entry to select haunted houses beginning at 5:30 p.m. (subject to change), in advance of the scheduled 7:00 p.m. event opening time, the R.I.P. Tour and popular passes, Frequent Fear Pass and Ultimate Fear Pass, which enable guests to experience the scares again and again. Click here to purchase tickets and for Terms and Conditions.
For a deeper dive into the scares, check out the Discover Universal Blog. For more information, visit www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com/Halloween.
For a deeper dive into the scares, check out the Discover Universal Blog. For more information, visit www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com/Halloween.
