Universal Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights 2025 Scare Houses, Ranked

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When people think of Halloween Horror Nights, Universal Orlando usually comes to mind – and for good reason! However, the original Universal Studios in Hollywood also puts on a fantastic event, even though it has fewer haunted houses due to space limitations. As they celebrate their 25th Halloween Horror Nights in 2025, this year’s event delivered some truly frightening haunted houses. Here’s a ranking of all eight houses, from the least scary to the most terrifying.

8. Fallout

Prime Video’s *Fallout* series was a huge hit last year, and the video game itself has been popular for years. Everyone seems to love its unique post-apocalyptic setting with a retro 1950s vibe. However, the *Fallout* haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood wasn’t one of our favorites. It wasn’t *bad*, exactly – there were some cool elements like the impressive vault door, the desolate wasteland scenery, and a generally creepy atmosphere that matched the show. The Ghoul made a few appearances, though we wished there were more. The biggest issue was that long sections of the house lacked jump scares or actors trying to frighten guests. We did really enjoy the giant mutant bear, though! Overall, we just felt that the *Fallout* franchise deserved a more spectacular haunted house experience.

7. Five Nights at Freddy’s

As someone who didn’t grow up with it, I don’t know much about the popularity of *Five Nights at Freddy’s*. From what I understand, it’s based around a creepy, abandoned pizza place similar to Chuck E. Cheese, with haunted animatronics and ghost children. I have to say, the haunted house’s design is fantastic – it really feels like stepping back into an 80s pizza parlor. The animatronics themselves look amazing! However, despite looking great, they aren’t particularly frightening. And there just aren’t enough people jumping out to scare you, beyond a few ghostly kids. Considering how popular this franchise is, the haunted house is surprisingly short, lasting only a little over four minutes. So, top marks for atmosphere and design, but it only gets a passing grade for actual scares.

6. WWE Presents: The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks

I don’t follow wrestling, so I wasn’t familiar with the Wyatt Family and wasn’t thrilled to see their name attached to a haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights. I’ve been disappointed before when HHN bases attractions around celebrities with no real connection to horror. While I discovered the Wyatt Family *are* somewhat related to the horror genre, the house, *WWE Presents: The Horrors of The Wyatt Family*, surprisingly delivered a genuinely creepy atmosphere and some good scares. It felt less like a wrestling-themed attraction and more inspired by films like *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre*, which I actually appreciated. I’m not sure there’s a clear story, but it definitely has everything you’d expect from a good haunted house this year.

5. Jason Universe

Having Jason Voorhees at Universal Halloween Horror Nights is always a treat. This year’s haunted house, inspired by *Friday the 13th* (though legally can’t use that title!), brought back a lot of classic scares with “Jason Universe.” It doesn’t use the official name, but the attraction is packed with references to Jason’s most famous kills from throughout the film series. They even included all of his different looks, from the burlap sack to the hockey mask. The house had a perfect balance of jump scares and was a fun, nostalgic experience for fans. It really delivered everything you could want!

4. Scarecrow: Music By Slash

I’m really excited about the return of *Scarecrow* to Halloween Horror Nights! It’s back with a fresh take, and this year it’s called *Scarecrow: Music By Slash*. Basically, you’re walking into this super creepy, isolated farmhouse overrun with scarecrows – and some seriously unsettling hillbillies, of course. Last year’s version was called *The Reaping*, but this time, Slash – yeah, *the* Slash – created the soundtrack. I’m curious to see how his music enhances the experience, but even without that, the whole thing has this fantastic, classic Americana horror vibe. It’s genuinely scary too, with scare actors lurking around every single corner!

3. Poltergeist

As someone who grew up in the 80s, the movie *Poltergeist* really stuck with me, so I was excited to see it as a haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights after an eight-year break. They nailed all the classic elements – the terrifying tree, the iconic face-ripping scene, and tons of those creepy clown dolls that scared so many of us. The house featured plenty of jump scares with the clown, and the ending, with all the rising corpses, was a perfect recreation of the film’s climax. I even found myself yelling out a line from the movie! It truly captured the feel of *Poltergeist*. The only reason it doesn’t get a higher rating is because it’s very similar to the 2017 version, without much that’s new, but it’s still a really great experience.

2. Monstruos 3: The Ghosts of Latin America

We’ve experienced *Monstruos: The Ghosts of Latin America* for the third year now, and it continues to be one of the best haunted houses at Halloween Horror Nights. The 2025 version is fantastic, expertly showcasing spooky Latin American folklore. We especially love the El Muerto character in the catacombs, and La Llorona – both as a live performer and a massive animatronic – is a prime example of what HHN does best. Our only minor issue is the name, *Monstrous 3*, which suggests it’s a new sequel. It’s actually a blend of elements from the previous *Monstruos* houses, but it’s so good we don’t mind! We’re hoping for a *Monstrous 4* next year.

1. Terrifier

Let me start by saying I’ve never watched any of the *Terrifier* movies – I once heard about a particularly gross scene and immediately decided they weren’t for me. Despite that, this haunted house was genuinely the most disturbing I’ve experienced. You don’t even need to know the movies to be freaked out by a scary clown killing people! This maze was full of ‘Art the Clown’ jump scares around every corner, and some areas were just incredibly disgusting (let’s just say one bathroom was particularly awful). I usually dislike artificial smells in these mazes, but here, it really added to the unpleasantness, which is exactly what you want in a good scare. Overall, for the complete haunted house experience, *Terrifier* gets our highest recommendation.

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood is happening on select dates through November 2nd.

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2025-09-23 00:04