Witches and Slashers and Clowns, OH MY: Halloween Horror Nights is Back to Terrify Hollywood

It’s that time of year again; Halloween Horror Nights takes over Universal Studios Hollywood with more scares than ever before. And I really do mean that.

As a lifelong horror fan and annual attendee of Universal’s Horror Nights, I can say that this year’s lineup was possibly the best out of the five years I’ve gone so far. 

Featuring big headlining mazes like Five Nights at Freddy’s, Poltergeist, Jason’s Universe (from the Friday the 13th Franchise) and Terrifier, as well as a handful of Universal’s original concepts, Universal truly elevated the horror level.

Before we dive in, I can’t reiterate enough how high my hopes were for this year. Do you know how long I have been waiting for Art the Clown to prance around Universal Studios with his beautiful, bloody smile? Let’s just say it’s been a long time coming for me. I was constantly refreshing Universal Studios Hollywood’s Tik Tok, Instagram and website waiting for any announcement for the mazes, and when I first saw the preview for the Terrifier maze, I screamed almost as loud as I do at H.H.N.

And boy, did I scream, gag and almost cry this year. The special effects, even down to the smells, in the mazes were top tier this year. But before I dive into how much I enjoyed the horror houses, let me talk about the scariest part of Halloween Horror Nights 2025.

I’m talking about the lines and wait times. There were two mazes I was forced to skip because the wait times never got lower than 90 minutes – Five Nights at Freddy’s and Jason Universe. I was just as excited as everyone else to see the animatronics that were towering over six feet jump out at me the way they do in the iconic video games or have Jason chase me out of Camp Crystal Lake with a machete. But was I excited enough to wait in a line that ranged from 90 minutes to three hours (you heard that right), not really. Sure, I could have purchased an Express ticket instead of General Admission, but I’m a full-time-job-hunting college graduate with a minimum wage budget trying to enjoy life. Express Tickets cost over $200, and with this year’s crowds, I’m not sure it would have made a difference.

The Terrifier and Poltergeist mazes are located in Lot H behind Harry Potter World. My boyfriend, Bradley Stripling, and I headed to both mazes at the end of the night around 1 a.m., thinking, “Surely, the crowds must have died out over there by now.” In actuality, there was a huge line pouring into Harry Potter World because capacity was reached in Lot H. I have never seen H.H.N. so crowded that lines built up to get to the lines to wait for the mazes. In my humble (broke girl) opinion, everyone should be able to enjoy Halloween festivities comfortably without needing to break the bank for an overpriced Express Pass.

That being said, despite the crowd, I did enjoy every maze I went through. So let’s get into my review for Halloween Horror Nights 2025 at Universal Studios’ Hollywood.

Based on the post-apocalyptic Amazon Prime show of the same name, the Fallout maze was every bit of gruesome fun as the show. The show was released last year and was a hit, and how could it not be after the success of the Fallout video game franchise that began in 1997. It’s no surprise that the maze was just as successful.

However, the maze was more fun for me than scary. The no-nose ghouls and the giant mutant bear head animatronic might have made me jump, but I was a little underwhelmed in terms of scares. The true magic of this maze comes from the nostalgia Fallout gamers feel when being immersed into the world they grew up playing in. The attention to detail to the T-Series Power Armor suit was amazing to see up-close after watching it in action in several episodes.

Bradley made a beeline for this maze and left with a huge smile on his face, while I was just happy to see him enjoying the night so far.

This recurring maze is a personal favorite of mine. Every year, Universal will add their own horrific flare to an urban legend from Latin America. This year, La Llorona, the weeping woman notorious for haunting children after she drowned her own, returned, and was joined by La Muelona, a wraith with a large mouth full of razor-sharp teeth who devours unfaithful men, and La Siguanaba, a shape-shifting spirit with a horse’s head and sharp teeth. I’ve never heard of the later two, but I will definitely be having nightmares about them now.

La Muelona and her victims are the first to greet H.H.N. goers with a jumpscare through flashing lights. The smell of dirt and grit is inescapable as you walk through her section of the maze, making you feel as if you are one of her decaying victims.

La Siguanaba waits for you in the dark when you turn the corner, her sharp teeth dripping with blood and guts as she lunges for your throat. I jumped backwards into Bradley because of how close she got. To capture the essence of her shape-shifting, you’re thrown into a mirror section dimly lit with seemingly no way out, until there’s a flash revealing the many monstrous forms this evil spirit takes.

La Llorona is no stranger to Horror Nights. She was featured in the first Monstruos maze in 2023, so I was very curious how they could make her scarier than before.

Well behold the subject of my upcoming nightmares. Never did I think I would see a giant La Llorona breaking out of a wall devouring a screaming child, but never say never, right? It felt so real, down to the crunching of the bones. Right when I thought that had to be the worst of it, I turned into a dark corner and was bombarded with back-to-back jumpscares from all three evil entities.

I’m not joking when I say that I ran out of the maze. I wasn’t met with safety, but instead ran straight into a scare zone called Noche de Brujas. This scare zone is a street experience themed around Monstruos 3, featuring sinister witches from Latin American legends, and it was just as terrifying as the maze.

Blumhouse is responsible for half of my irrational fears, especially the red faced demon that appears behind actor Patrick Wilson in “Insidious” (2010). This year, Blumhouse returned to the Terror Tram with 15 years worth of horror villains to utilize. With box office hits like “Megan” (2022) and “The Black Phone” (2021) and countless infamous franchises like “The Purge” movies, as well as many more, I knew that I was going to be in for it.

What I didn’t expect was a mini scare zone called Hellbullyz leading to the Terror Tram. In this zone, inbred weapon-wielding mutants stalk you as you make your way to the escalators. And boy, does it reek in this zone. I couldn’t get that dirty, rotting smell out of my nose even while I waited 25 minutes for the tram.

As for the Terror Tram itself, it was easily the best one I’ve witnessed in all five years I’ve attended Horror Nights. I loved getting chased by Megan and her crazy dance moves, and hunted down by chainsaw-wielding masked Blumhouse slashers like The Grabber and The Bayfield Babyface Killer. The Terror Tram then splits into sections from Blumhouse films – “The Black Phone 2” (2025), “The Exorcist: Believer” (2023) and a horrific mashup of all five Insidious movies. Seeing The Grabber’s new look in the upcoming Black Phone movie was a nice touch. As we’ve seen in the trailer, The Grabber sports ice skates and an axe to attack the protagonist and his sister. It’s no different in the Terror Tram. 

The Exorcist section was severely underwhelming for me, but that might be biased since I’ve shared my thoughts on how it’s an unnecessary sequel and let-down to such a staple in horror. The Insidious part of the Tram took residence in the infamous Norman Bates Hotel. Universal made use of the doors, giving them a red makeover to match the look of the red door that is often featured in the Insidious movies, symbolizing the Further, the dark realm where lost spirits and demons lurk. Behind the doors are each of the antagonists from the films ready to make you jump out of your skin.

I’m proud to say that I almost conquered my fear of the red-faced demon… maybe next year will be my year. The end of the section ends in a clash of terror, with every demonic character jumpscaring attendees one after the other.

The Horror of The Wyatt Sicks was created in partnership with WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) to honor the late Bray Wyatt. Playing on Wyatt’s twisted gimmicks from his 13 year long career, the fictional characters are inspired by Wyatt’s personas and costumes in the ring.

I honestly had no idea what to expect from this maze after finding out it was based on a legendary WWE wrestler and his brother, Taylor Rotunda, aka Bo Dallas. I was pleasantly surprised by how scary and gory it was. I walked through a room with pig corpses hanging from the ceiling that looked, felt and smelt far too real for my liking. The smell of rotting meat had many guests gagging while walking through the maze. Ever tried screaming while gagging on such a disgusting smell? I definitely would not recommend it.

Bradley, who dubbed himself as Mr. Horror-Isn’t-Scary, even got jumpscared a couple of times in this maze. There was yet another mirror labyrinth within this maze, but instead of relying on cheap jumpscares, the real terror comes from the dread of trying to get out before Uncle Howdy and his brutal family members rip you apart.

It’s always nice to see an original concept maze do so well against the big headliners. Featuring an original score by musician Slash, the maze is full of eerie, yet fun country rock music. I was dancing my way through the 45 minute line

However, I have a personal vendetta against the scarecrow that sprayed me in the porta potty scene in the maze. If the goal was to have you crawling out of your skin from the scares and smells, then Universal got the job done. The scent was atrocious all throughout the maze. There seems to be a common theme of overwhelming the guests with jumpscares as a finale. While I love the adrenaline rush it provides, can my poor heart get a break, please?

Scarecrows featured some of the most unique gore I have seen in the horror genre, including death by suffocation using corn and straw. I love when a maze pushes its limits with the storytelling, special effects, acting and music. This maze had a little bit of everything, and was probably my second favorite of the night

Stephen Spielberg's 1982 film “Poltergeist” is a personal favorite of mine, so I had rather high hopes for this maze. Sadly, my expectations were not met. Most of the animatronics in the maze were not animated, often just placed there like a lifeless doll.

The giant entity known as “The Beast” in the film is one of the best special effects I have seen in a horror film. I cannot express my disappointment when I walked past this animatronic only to find it frozen in place. Another staple from the film, a creepy clown doll, was inputted as an anamatronic, but was also barely moving. As someone that’s a diehard fan of the movie, I have to admit that I’m disappointed I waited for 35 minutes for such a low quality haunted house

“Terrifier” (2016) generated one of the most recognizable faces in horror with Art the Clown. With Art’s looming presence at Universal Studios came the addition of other killer clowns in designated scare zones throughout the park. Chainsaw Clownz is located right at the entrance of Universal, and has made me consider if I have coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. Carnival of Carnage takes place on New York Street and features a maniacal carnival theme.

The wait times for Terrifier made me second guess if Bradley and I would be able to walk through. We never saw the wait times get lower than 100 minutes. Eventually, by 1 a.m. we decided it was time to beat the line and power through to see if all the hype surrounding the maze was accurate or not.

Safe to say, it definitely was. The scare actor playing Art truly committed to David Howard Thorton’s portrayal of the demon clown. His acting was a nice touch to waiting in a decently long line. There is a warning in the beginning of the line promising guests that they will get wet. I got sprayed almost as much as I do while riding the Jurassic Park water ride.

“Terrifier” (2016) goes for shock factor, adding in possibly the most bloody and disgusting deaths the horror genre has to offer. And speaking of disgusting, Art recreates a scene straight out of the movie when he smears fecal matter all over the porcelain tile wall to write, “Art was here.” Right as I was about to walk out of the section, I got sprayed by Art. I don’t know what I got sprayed with, nor do I want to know.

The best scare of the entire night was Art jumping from behind a Christmas tree donning a Santa Clause getup and swinging around a large chainsaw. He proceeded to laugh silently at people’s screams, revving his chainsaw in the process. I started to second guess if it was an actor at all, or if Thorton was actually the one in the costume.

Bradley and I collectively agreed that Terrifier was the best maze out of the 2025 lineup. It was interactive, had great costumes, had amazing special effects and felt like I was jumping into the Terrifier universe. Now that the bar has been set so high, I wonder how Universal Studios plans to top themselves next year

Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights runs from Sept. 4 to Nov. 2. Tickets can be purchased at the Universal Studios website under "Halloween Horror Nights” in the “Tickets & Offers” dropbar. I mean it when I say that this is a year you do not want to miss going to H.H.N.

Taylor Moore can be reached at bytaylormoore@gmail.com.