Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood 2025 Delivers The Scary Goods
It’s not Halloween Season in Los Angeles until the Entertainment Capital of LA says it is. Halloween Horror Nights 2025 at Universal Studios kicked off this week, and I’m excited to report that it features one of the best mazes the Halloween Horror Nights team has done in years. In fact, you might call it a work of “Art”.
I’m also excited to report that some of my notes from my 2024 review were implemented into the layout this year (more on that in a bit…). So here’s the skinny, ranked from best to worst, so you can maximize your trip to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood!
TERRIFIER
Full disclosure: Damien Leone is a friend—as are many of the producers and folks involved in the Terrifier franchise—so I’m incredibly biased, BUT… The Terrifier maze is the reigning champ at Halloween Horror Nights 2025. It’s also the best new attraction since The Purge: Dangerous Waters debuted in 2023.
Not only does this trip through Art the Clown’s deranged funhouse perfectly capture the insane—and insanely gory—tone of the hit indie franchise, but it also brings the movies to life in incredible ways.
Art doesn’t just jump out of the dark to scare you; he interacts with you. He taunts you. All while offing his victims with over-the-top glee and lots and lots of blood spray.
Fair warning: You will get wet. Get in line for this one early, because it’s going to be crowded ALL season.
THE PURGE: DANGEROUS WATERS
I am so happy The Purge: Dangerous Waters has returned for its third year, because I still don’t think Universal has found a way to repurpose its existing park infrastructure for Halloween Horror Nights in a better way. This reimagined stunt show perfectly encapsulates The Purge movies and is a can’t-miss attraction, especially if the tragic rumors about Universal demolishing Waterworld are true. The clock to see this show could be ticking…
MONSTRUOS 3: THE GHOSTS OF LATIN AMERICA
Back for its third and final installment, the Monstruos mazes have been consistently strong attractions the last few years, and they made sure to stick the landing here. It builds to an absolutely, ahem, monstrous climax with La Llorona animatronics that will haunt your dreams.
POLTERGEIST
A classic maze makes its triumphant return. If you haven’t had a chance to experience the Spielbergian nightmares that await in Cuesta Verde, this maze is a must. Capturing the look and feel of this Tobe Hooper-directed classic, Poltergeist includes some of the most memorable animatronic monsters Halloween Horror Nights has ever featured.
(Side Note: I got to go through this maze with wrestling legend Chris Jericho, so you never know who you might bump into at Universal Studios!)
SCARECROW: MUSIC BY SLASH
I know people love Halloween Horror Nights for its movie-licensed mazes, but I am a sucker for a good original haunt, too. Scarecrow delivers exactly what I was hoping for. Terrifying scarecrows come to life in a well-realized, darkly Southern nightmare—complete with death by corn-on-the-cob—all set to the twangs of the legendary guitarist (and noted horror obsessive) Slash.
My one note: crank the music!
JASON UNIVERSE
On screen, Friday the 13th may be relegated to doing hard cider commercials, but at Halloween Horror Nights, Jason Voorhees is very much back from the (un)dead. The newly kicked off JASON UNIVERSE brand comes to Halloween Horror Nights for blood, recreating memorable Camp Crystal Lake moments and even more memorable kills. One with a bow and arrow hits its mark.
My JASON UNIVERSE experience was made even MORE special, because I went through the maze with Friday the 13th Part III star Larry Zerner, who played fan-favorite Shelly! Larry’s glee was contagious, especially as he bravely asked Jason for his hockey mask back.
(Fun Side Note: Larry Zerner is a very successful entertainment attorney in Los Angeles, repping Terrifier writer/director Damien Leone and doing the deal for Terrifier to appear at Halloween Horror Nights. So, thanks for that, Shelly!)
After that, we scored a Jason S’more. This was a BIG win after last year’s heartbreak of missing out on the Ghostbusters S’more. Luckily, the Halloween Horror Nights Gods heard my prayer and actually put the JASON UNIVERSE maze near the sweet treat, rather than making us schlep across the park only to find it was sold out.
TERROR TRAM: ENTER THE BLUMHOUSE
The perennial HHN time-suck, The Terror Tram, is back with another iteration of ENTER THE BLUMHOUSE. This year, though, they’ve made subtle improvements to the attraction, rejiggering it and making better use of the famous studio back-lot, especially when it climaxes with The Purge, where you’re chased through the epic Spielberg War of the Worlds plane crash set.
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S
My friend Emma Tammi’s wildly popular Five Nights at Freddy’s movies now have a maze at Halloween Horror Nights, and it’s sure to be one of the most consistently busy mazes of the night. If you’re a fan of the game or a fan of the amazing Henson-designed puppets, it’s worth it if you’ve got an Express Pass. Just don’t expect more from this maze beyond the incredible mascots.
WWE: THE HORROR OF THE WYATT SICKS
My pal, WWE writer Rob Fee, has been doing an incredible job keeping the legacy of Bray Wyatt alive on TV, and that legacy is now further cemented with a Halloween Horror Nights maze. Walking through the attraction with two non-wrestling fans, I could see their confusion at what feels like a re-skinned Texas Chainsaw Massacre maze, but fans of the Wyatt Sicks will recognize all of their WWE characters’ lore come to life. Wrestling fans need only apply.
CHAINSAW MAN: THE CHAOS
I always complain about the lack of jack-o-lanterns at Halloween Horror Nights, and Chainsaw Man might be the strangest answer to that complaint: a foreign-language anime with a demonic pumpkin, samurai swords, buckets of neon blood, and the titular chainsaw. A great way to get into air conditioning and rest your feet, but only if you have an Express Pass.
FALLOUT
Look, I don’t know much about the video game, and I haven’t watched the show yet, so I might be the wrong audience, but Fallout felt like a miss here. It felt less like an exciting use of the license and more like an excuse to reheat ideas from last year’s DEAD EXPOSURE: DEATH VALLEY maze. If there’s one attraction you can skip this year, it’s this.
The Final Verdict?
With five must-see mazes, Halloween Horror Nights delivers the goods this year for any ticket level. While there are still some things I miss around the park, the new scare zones deliver the goods, too. More than anything, though, 2025 will be remembered as the year Art the Clown took over Universal Studios and cemented himself in the annals of horror—by sticking his chainsaw right up it.
Joe Russo is a three-time BloodList screenwriter whose feature film credits include the Peyton List and Bob Gunton-starring horror film, THE INHERITANCE, the Bruce Willis-starring HARD KILL, the Ryan Phillippe, Ving Rhames, and Kate Bosworth-starring THE LOCKSMITH, the Neal McDonough-starring SOUL MATES, and the Lifetime thriller THE AU PAIR NIGHTMARE.
As a producer, Russo’s feature credits include the Mickey Rourke-starring horror anthology NIGHTMARE CINEMA and the Zac Efron and Russell Crowe-starring THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER for Apple TV+, which premiered at The Toronto International Film Festival. In the podcast space, Russo produced seven seasons of the award-winning horror series POST MORTEM WITH MICK GARRIS.
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