All the Haunted Houses at Universal Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights, Ranked

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As a long-time horror enthusiast and regular attendee of HHN (Halloween Horror Nights), I must say this year has been nothing short of terrifyingly fantastic! The Texas Chainsaw Massacre house was an instant classic, harkening back to the golden age of slasher films with its gritty, visceral atmosphere. The jump scare involving the “dummy” was particularly unsettling, and I’ve gotta admit, it got me good!

Although Universal Studios Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights often steals the spotlight, the event at Universal Studios Hollywood is equally thrilling, sometimes even surpassing it. This marks the 23rd year of this spine-tingling event, which has been delivering chills to visitors since 1997 during the spooky season. We had a chance to explore Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights and are now ready to rate all eight haunted house attractions for this year, starting with the least scary and moving up to the most terrifying.

8. Insidious: The Further

As a devoted horror enthusiast, I can’t help but express my admiration for the “Insidious” franchise, which has been one of the most chilling phenomena in the horror genre over the past decade. With five movies (soon to be six), and multiple haunted houses at HHN throughout the years, it’s safe to say that this series has truly made its mark. This year, the “Insidious” house, titled “The Further“, pays tribute to all the terrifying entities that inhabit this supernatural world. What makes this haunted house exceptional is the abundance of skilled scare actors who seem to appear out of nowhere, startling visitors to the rhythm of “Tiptoe Through the Tulips.” I’m always thrilled when a house offers an ample dose of jump scares, and this one certainly does not disappoint.

What’s the reason behind it being ranked last on our HHN Hollywood list? Here’s the explanation: There’s a room in this haunted house that mimics a bathroom scene with a mannequin vomiting into a toilet, and they even pump in a foul odor of vomit. frankly, Universal, we don’t require such intense realism. It’s simply revolting. We can comprehend the use of vomit smells in past attractions like The Exorcist. Nevertheless, the Insidious house should not induce nausea in its visitors.

7. Dead Exposure: Death Valley

2021’s “Science Gone Awry” horror maze invites visitors into a clandestine government lab hidden in the arid desert. Lately, things have gone awry within these walls, but we’re unsure of what exactly caused the chaos. The lab is filled with hazardous waste, flickering flames, and an alarming number of deceased bodies enclosed in plastic bags. It’s the experimented-on monkeys that truly unsettle us, as they make their appearance at the start of the experience. This setup is downright chilling. Although this maze features numerous toxic waste-zombified creatures, it seems a majority are merely static dummies rather than live actors. Additionally, there’s a blood-streaked trail on the floor that appears to lead to something more terrifying. Despite the impressive theming, the absence of effective jump scares places this maze lower in our rankings.

6. Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines

Year after year, Universal Studios delivers a haunted house experience themed around their classic Universal Monsters, which laid the groundwork for modern horror cinema in the ’30s and ’40s. This year’s offering was titled “Eternal Bloodlines,” where visitors journey alongside a female Van Helsing descendant as she battles creatures of the night. The Bride of Frankenstein and assorted ghouls are prevalent throughout, but encounters with Dracula, the Wolfman, or Frankenstein’s monster aren’t frequent until the finale. While “Eternal Bloodlines” was an enjoyable experience, it didn’t quite match up to 2022’s “Legends Collide” and last year’s “Unmasked” when it comes to Universal Monsters-themed haunted houses.

5: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

We didn’t particularly enjoy the movie “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” but this haunted house does an impressive job of capturing its details and storyline. Upon entering, you step into Ray’s Occult Books, a significant location from the film. As the tour continues, you visit various places depicted in the movie’s plot. The standout moment is when a group of firefighters from the 1900s are frozen stiff by supernatural forces. These “frozen” actors were so convincing that we genuinely believed them to be dummies and were startled when they seemed to “unfreeze,” creating quite a frightening experience.

As a gamer exploring the Frozen Empire’s haunted house, I jolted now and then at the sight of Slimer and the odd Terror Dog. Frankly, this isn’t your typical spine-tingling haunt, Ghostbusters just doesn’t deliver the scares like other franchises might. However, I wouldn’t want you to miss out on strolling through the Ghostbusters’ firehouse, chasing ghosts with them. Though it can’t match up to the incredible Universal haunted house that re-created the original Ghostbusters back in 2019, that one remains a top pick for me.

4. The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy

In this year’s HHN, you’ll find the third haunted house themed around global superstar The Weeknd, leading you through a harrowing exploration of his deepest night terrors. Primarily consisting of twisted nightclub settings populated by demons, psychedelic visuals, and grotesque renditions of the artist in various tormented states, it’s quite a chilling experience.

3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Legacy of Leatherface

This year, Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre celebrates its 50th anniversary, and naturally, HHN decided to create a haunted house to pay tribute to Leatherface and his twisted kin on their golden jubilee. As soon as you step into the Hooper & Henkel Meat Processing Plant and encounter a fright actor wearing a decapitated cow’s head, it’s clear that you’re in store for a nightmarishly fun experience. Upon entering, Leatherface and his deranged family eagerly welcome you with roaring chainsaws, and the sight of numerous corpses of their unfortunate victims, waiting to be served as dinner, only adds to the chilling atmosphere.

The best jump scare moment comes as one of the twisted family members rips the face off what looks like a dummy on the table, exposing his mutilated musculature underneath, only for him to suddenly move and scream bloody murder, revealing he’s not a dummy at all. This got a real yelp out of us. We noted some unpleasant odors wafting in, but nothing that revolting. Between that, all the barrels of decomposing corpses, and human meaty bits thrown all over the place, this one is definitely the most revolting haunted house at HHN this year.

2. Monstrous 2: The Legends of Latin America

Latin America has a vibrant spooky mythology of its own, which HHN has explored before. A few years back, they gave us the Legend of La Llorona house. And this year, they’ve sequelized Monstrous: The Legends of Latin America with a part 2. From the start, where you enter a dusty crypt with crumbling skeletons, you know you’re in for some good theming. The first monster who jumps at you is El Charro Negro from Mexican folklore, who appears as an undead mariachi.

In this haunted house, several truly spine-tingling hellhounds bark menacingly at you. Yet, amidst the terror, El Chuy stands out as the most intriguing inhabitant. His enormous paws mysteriously appear from beneath a child’s bed in an impressive visual trick. But the most chilling moment comes when his massive head bursts forth from a cave wall, sending shivers down your spine. That breathtaking finale scene is what makes this one stand out among all the others.

1. A Quiet Place

The popular horror series “A Quiet Place” has finally earned a haunted house at Universal HHN, long overdue given its modern era success in terror. Although “A Quiet Place: Day One” is fresh on our minds, this haunted attraction centers around the initial film. It transports visitors to the isolated Abbot family farmhouse from the original movie, and actors are scattered throughout the house to emphasize the need for absolute silence, or else the monsters will detect you and make you their meal.

In this spooky mansion, the Death Angels – enigmatic extraterrestrial characters from the popular series – are undoubtedly the main attraction. These Death Angels often take the form of towering, shrieking mechanical creatures, some of which are among the finest HHN has ever produced. The level of detail on certain animatronics is so exquisite and cinematic-worthy that one seems to float above a baby’s crib, reenacting a chilling scene straight from the movie. With its animatronics and numerous fright spots, A Quiet Place sets a new standard for HHN Haunted Houses. It’s an experience you won’t want to miss this season.

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2024-09-20 19:03