Universal Studios Hollywood: Halloween Horror Nights 2023

Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood is an annual, highly anticipated Halloween event held at Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. It typically runs from early September through October and is known for offering a spine-tingling, immersive experience for fans of horror and Halloween. This event is terrifyingly fun and filled with haunted houses, scare zones, live entertainment, and much more, with many houses and merch centering around beloved tv series or films in the horror genre. We went for opening weekend and much is new for the 2023 season; read on to hear our tips, tricks, complaints, and what made us go ahhhh! Or, if you’d rather, jump down to the TLDR for reviews only. Also be sure to check out our social channels for video content from this year’s houses and scare zones!

Open the gates! Into the fog we go for another season of Halloween Horror Nights…

Let me start by saying this: no one does set design like Universal Studios. I mean, duh right? They are a film studio, it’s their whole deal, particularly in Hollywood. The attention to detail in the sets and the production quality are unmatched. They have the money to spend, and they spend it. Dreadful Danny and I do not worship at the altar of HHN like I know a lot of haunt fans do, so be warned now, we do have (constructive) criticism to offer. Overall though, 2023 Halloween Horror Nights (or should I say Horror Nightz brought to you by the letter Z in 2023) was an absolute blast and in both of our opinions, better than last year. I really love when a haunt overhauls their mazes and shows and the result is for the better.

We are both Universal season pass holders, so we went around 2pm on the Sunday of opening weekend to take advantage of the free parking that comes with the Gold pass and to beat the Horror Nights influx in the parking structure. This was easy enough, and we grabbed 2 raised glazed vegan donuts from Voodoo Doughnut and walked through the shops at City Walk. I really wanted that Hello Kitty x Chucky purse, and knew it was already sold out but was hoping against hope it might have been there. Alas, they were gone. The other merch was very cute, I love the displays they put together each year and the vignettes for the IP houses never disappoint. I’m a huge Universal monster lover, and really enjoyed the options for merch this year in that regard, although the color schemes weren’t my fav so I didn’t buy anything. We then popped into the park itself and it was approximately as hot as the surface of the sun, so we really just poked our head in more shops, took a few photos while it was light out, and confirmed there is a plant-based option at the Chucky BBQ spot (more on that later). PLEASE NOTE, if you are a season passholder and you have an HHN ticket, if it does NOT include early entry you will have to exit the park along with everyone else and re-enter at 6:30pm with the masses. We exited the park in search of AC and drinks and sat at the bar at Antojitos Cocina Mexicana in City Walk. They have 3 HHN specialty drinks on the menu of which we tried the Midnight Margarita (pictured in the food photo gallery below) which was really good! We asked for it to be ‘less sweet’ for our second round and it was perfection. In years past we have also had drinks at Margaritaville (RIP Jimmy B) and they typically also have HHN specific drinks on their menu. I really enjoy extending the experience of HHN in this way, just being able to relax and make it a cute date moment before the fog starts rolling.

Around 6pm we went back through security and queued up; they opened the gates around 6:30pm. I thought they would do the opening ceremony at, you know, opening. But maybe since it is still a bit light out at 7, they held the ceremony at 8pm. We popped into the Día De Los Muertos Plaza which had some upgraded props and photo ops that were really fun. They have two different bars with multiple drinks that didn’t sound too sweet. Neither of us enjoy sweet cocktails, and most theme park cocktails go hard on the syrup and sugar. We tried two of the premium margaritas and unfortunately our bartender was not it, and I found neither to be drinkable. (Thanks Danny for downing both like a champ). They come in cute souvenir cups that light up, which for the price, they better. We didn’t have any other drinks but later in the night we did try to check out the Peacock Halloween Bar but it was closed for some unknowable reason (they did have Bride of Frankenstein meeting even though the bar itself was closed), and we did check out the Stellar Bar and the vibe was really great there, too! I love a retro nostalgic vibe and there were still seating options, along with a separate lounge for Express and RIP tour ticket holders - definitely worth checking out but no vegan food options at this bar. It would be so easy to offer vegan cheese for the pizza fries, but alas. Universal Studios consistently disappoints me in the vegan food arena so my expectations were in the floor, therefore I was pleasantly surprised! There is a vegetarian option on the Chucky BBQ menu, and nothing in the ingredient list sounds like it would not be vegan so I feel like you could easily veganize this if you talk to a staff member. There were multiple marked vegan options at the Cocina that looked really good, I was so proud! We finally tried the vegan shepherd’s pie at Three Broomsticks and it was a 3/5, but a great option to sit down and enjoy some AC on a hot night. I will continue to beg Universal for vegan options, but 2023 HHN made huge progress.

As for ticket type, if you can afford it, we highly HIGHLY recommend getting the normal Universal Express ticket for HHN. One of the big reasons we go in September is due to slightly cheaper ticket options because the Express ticket is going to cost you upwards of $200 but it is worth it if you only plan to attend once. If you do get Express, we really suggest hopping into a house with a low wait time early in the night in the GA line so you can go through again later with your Express ticket; more bang for your buck! We were able to get through the 4 Upper Lot mazes and Terror Tram in less than 2 hours on a Sunday night with Express, it just gives you so much more time to hang out in the scare zones, enjoy the atmosphere, shop, etc. I have seen many, many reviewers suggesting you haul it down to the Lower Lot to start your night, and I have to say I disagree. Unless you have early entry, I would not suggest that plan. I would start in the Upper Lot with Chucky and Universal Monsters: Unmasked - these are both way back past Wizarding World and the Chucky maze stayed over a 60 minute wait for GA all night, the majority of the night it was a 100-120 minute wait. I will also warn that they really leaned into utilizing smells to enhance the atmosphere in many of the houses this year, so just be aware of that if you have a sensitivity to smell. They also made sure to up the amount of water spurts in the houses, so you will likely get splashed in a handful of houses.

We started with Evil Dead Rise which is in the old Walking Dead building and repurposed from last year’s Horror Hotel. I have seen the Evil Dead Rise film, Danny has not. He felt a little lost on the story cohesion and I would agree with that. We both thought this house was lacking overall but there were a few standout scenes and animatronics (hello the bathtub moment)! Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America house was right next door, so we did that next. Wow! Definitely the star of the show this year for both of us. Absolutely insane set design, costuming, story. Minor rant: There was a room in this house where the actor was ripping a spine out of something, and you could tell he was having fun with his character and he got in my face really making me feel immersed in this story and I temporarily paused just to enjoy the moment unfolding; one of the robe workers came over to me and sternly told me to keep it moving. This is what bothers me most about HHN - please do not get me wrong, I am appreciative of the amount of support staff they have to keep their actors and the visitors safe (one in every single room of every single house), but it really detracts from the atmosphere and ability for the actors to have any autonomy over what they do (which is already very minimal at HHN), and limits your ability to savor any part of the houses. It makes me really sad that so many folks work so hard on these sets, on making and embodying these characters, just for us to be yelled at to move as fast as humanly possible through these houses. I know they want a high throughput so everyone can enjoy the mazes (and so they can optimize their profits…) but it made me really upset in this house and I thought it was worth including in this review. That being said, we were smiling ear to ear throughout the entire house and then you exit right in the midst of the El Terror De Las Momias scare zone. This scare zone was largely recycled from year’s past with some upgraded costuming and character design - overall it was fun!

From here we went through Wizarding World, and I’m so glad they finally allowed Death Eaters to roam during HHN; they also keep them to the right in that side alley, so for those that don’t want to be scared while in WW it’s easy to avoid. It’s very clear that Universal invested in lighting for 2023 as they have projections in various areas on the ground/on buildings that really make an attempt to keep you feeling immersed throughout the park. They had some projections going on for the journey over to the Chucky and Monster mazes which I appreciated. They have the Chucky popcorn buckets available at multiple stands throughout the park with one greeting you as you get into this area of HHN. As for the house itself, I really loved it. I thought they did a wonderful job of making it true to the films and character of Chucky. There were iconic scenes from the films and show throughout the house, and the animatronics and sets in this were an absolute blast. It isn’t scary at all, with very few actors, and honestly it adds to the vibe for this particular IP. (Again, the wait times for this were high all night, so I would recommend knocking this out first.) The Universal Monsters: Unmasked house was such a bummer, imo. I feel like my expectations were understandably high because, hello, Universal Monsters are what positioned Universal to be at the forefront of horror in the first place. These were underrated monsters which I’m sure someone has an appreciation for, but it just felt like they did them a disservice and the house was largely empty save for the scenes being played out up and away from where you walk. We then made our way to the Terror Tram which is themed as The Exterminatorz this year; the wait time was only about 5 minutes for GA but we used our Express anyway since we knew we would only want to do this once. I really enjoy the tram experience each year, even though it’s usually lacking in overall cohesion. They made this character called Larry Larva which is giving Dollar Tree Beetlejuice vibes 100% and honestly? We didn’t hate it! Nothing about this was scary but it was super goofy and fun; I don’t have an issue with bugs so maybe if you find bugs to be really disgusting then this might hit a little harder in the scare area. We stopped to take a photo with Norman as is tradition, and again really enjoyed the Jordan Peele walkthrough - the actors here seem to have more autonomy over their scare choices similarly to a scare zone, so we really appreciated that. Don’t expect a lot other than a goofy fun time from the terror tram and I think you’ll have a great experience.

We took a break to just enjoy the scare zones and appreciate the atmosphere while waiting on the Blumhouse Behind the Screams show in the Dreamworks building. I really enjoyed the Toyz scare zone; I thought the story was clever and the characters and costuming was great. I think it was a slightly odd choice to have the stacks of stuffed animals as the entrance but I’m willing to look past that. They also had a little scenescape of creepy toys with marquee letters spelling “Toys” which as a marketer, that irks me - commit to the Z theme or don’t bother. Details, people! The Ghostz scare zone was largely nonexistent, a handful of folks in all white are darting around with chainsaws. Which, great, love that for optimum entrance/exit scares but what ghost have you ever seen in your life that is walking around with white hair, white clothes, covered in blood? Didn’t do it for me, folks. They have 2 stilt crow characters roaming throughout the 3 scare zones and your honor, I love them. I know they had the one black crow last year, and I’m happy they brought him back with a partner. They have The Grabber from The Black Phone greeting you outside of the Blumhouse show entrance which is a fun touch; really enjoyed that film. You can use your Express pass here as well and we only waited a few minutes before doors opened. They have a pretty wide variety of movie props from spooky Blumhouse films: M3GAN, The Black Phone, Happy Death Day, Five Nights at Freddy’s. You are encouraged to have a look around, take photos, etc. while you wait for the doors to open to the theater. The AC was on and the seats in there are super comfy. The show was fine! I won’t spoil it here, but if you just want to sit down and be entertained for a few quick minutes, it’s worth it. I would not recommend waiting for this if the wait time is longer than 30 minutes or so.

Time for the Lower Lot! Down the escalators we went and the view was beautiful as always. From this view you could really tell that they upped production quality with the lights and projections for the Lower Lot. Previous years it has just felt like it wasn’t considered, so I appreciate the extra efforts. There are quite a few HHN specific themed food offerings and bars as well as FOUR houses down there this year. I really felt like HHN merch throughout the park was lacking this year, in large part due to the construction in the Upper Lot and the addition of Super Mario merch in the Lower, but still worth noting that you can’t quite shop for HHN merch throughout like you used to be able to. The layout for the Lower Lot mazes is a little confusing this year in my opinion, so just be sure to check signage and ask a staff member if you’re in the correct line. Neither of us have played The Last of Us game which is what the house is based on, and I haven’t seen the show, so I was expecting to be a bit lost in this one. The story just didn’t hit because zombies aren’t something that really interests me (a lot of this house just reminded me of the Walking Dead walkthrough), but the last few monsters in this house were visually stunning. Danny really enjoyed this maze, so I think for fans of the game/show it will be a win. The Exorcist house is based on a movie that isn’t even out yet, which I think is a smart marketing decision and it’s a world most of us are familiar enough with anyway. This one was fine for me, they utilized some clever cluster scares which I always really enjoy. This was the house of many curtains, and Universal I’m just saying it was giving MAZE with all the tiny rooms and curtained twists and turns.

I don’t know if you can tell this about me, but I live for a theme. I knew I was going to enjoy the Holidayz in Hell house but didn’t have any expectations - I don’t remember if we attended HHN when this house was premiered (reasons we started this blog…). BUT WHAT A BLAST! The music was the best part for us, we love us some EDM and it just made the vibe inside so much fun just like a holiday should be. The costuming was clever without being overly so, and the set design was gorgeous, I really loved the posters welcoming you to each new holiday. Genuinely a house I could do over and over again. And finally, Stranger Things 4! I had seen people raving about this house, and for good reason. I do wish they had an actor at the front of the trailer when you enter the house, details matter! But once you enter you are immediately in the world of ST4 without a doubt (except for the robed staff member telling you to hurry up). The actors in this maze did a wonderful job and big props to casting and costuming because they looked spot on to the beloved characters they were portraying. I’m so happy they put this house in a sound stage because it allowed them to work with high ceiling to create some of the most mind blowing set design I have ever had the pleasure to walk through. You really cannot miss this if you are a fan of the show; Vecnussy was out in force and it was everything!

We purposefully did not catch The Purge: Dangerous Waters show - we had gone to Disneyland the day before and our dogs were barkin’! I had already watched video coverage of the new for 2023 show and it was meh for me, but Danny is sad he missed it. They have a handful of showtimes throughout the night, so be sure to check and plan accordingly if you want to see it. It is a mashup of the usual Waterworld show and The Purge franchise.

The 2023 Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, aka "Horror Nightz", was such a perfect kickoff to the haunt season. The attention to detail in set design and production quality was exceptional, showcasing Universal Studios' expertise in creating immersive environments. HHN relies on timed and audio looped scares for their actors, therefore it is never very jump scary, hence why you will see consistently low scores for our overall scare factors, but it still packs a thrilling punch. You pay good money to attend HHN, so we feel strongly that small improvements should be made; despite that, we found the event to be an absolute blast and an improvement over the 2022 season. Some of these houses were true knockouts and we would highly encourage you not to miss them, especially if you are a fan of any of the franchises showcased this year. HHN calendar linked here for ease. We hope to see you in the fog!

TLDR

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TLDR 〰️

Boo’s Review:
Overall Haunted Attraction Rating: 3.5
Atmosphere Rating: 2.5
Vegan Food Rating: 2.5
Costume & Makeup Rating: 4
Scare Actor/Cast Rating: 4
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 4.5
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 2
Value for Money Rating: (taking into account Universal Express Pass) 3.5

Individual Attraction Name: Terror Tram…The Exterminatorz
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 3
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 4
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 2.5
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 1.5

Individual Attraction Name: Stranger Things 4
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 4
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 5
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 5
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 2

Individual Attraction Name: The Exorcist: Believer
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 3.5
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 3
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 3.5
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 2.5

Individual Attraction Name: The Last of Us™
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 3.5
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 4
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 3
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 2

Individual Attraction Name: Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 3.5
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 4
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 3
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 2

Individual Attraction Name: Universal Monsters: Unmasked
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 3.5
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 4
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 3.5
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 2.5

Individual Attraction Name: Evil Dead Rise
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 2.5
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 2
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 4
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 2.5

Individual Attraction Name: Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 4
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 5
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 5
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 3

Individual Attraction Name: Holidayz In Hell
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 4
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 4.5
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 4
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 3

Killer K8’s Review:
Overall Haunted Attraction Rating: 3.5
Atmosphere Rating: 3
Vegan Food Rating: 2.5
Costume & Makeup Rating: 4.5
Scare Actor/Cast Rating: 4
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 4.5
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 2
Value for Money Rating: 3.5

Individual Attraction Name: Terror Tram…The Exterminatorz
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 3
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 2.5
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 2.5
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 1.5

Individual Attraction Name: Stranger Things 4
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 4.5
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 4
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 5
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 2.5

Individual Attraction Name: The Exorcist: Believer
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 2
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 3
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 2.5
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 2.5

Individual Attraction Name: The Last of Us™
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 3.5
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 3
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 3
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 1.5

Individual Attraction Name: Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 4
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 4
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 3.5
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 2

Individual Attraction Name: Universal Monsters: Unmasked
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 3
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 3
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 4
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 3

Individual Attraction Name: Evil Dead Rise
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 2.5
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 2
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 3
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 1.5

Individual Attraction Name: Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 5
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 5
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 5
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 4

Individual Attraction Name: Holidayz In Hell
Individual Attraction Overall Rating: 4.5
Character & Story Cohesion Rating: 4
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 3.5
Scare/Intensity Factor Rating: 3.5

*Scores are out of a possibly perfect 5