Here are all the mazes from Universal Studios' Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights 2024, ranked from worst to best.
Most of these rankings will be based on their production value, the strength of the atmosphere, and creativity. So, the overall scare factor won't be the key focus here, seeing as I'm someone who doesn't get actively frightened in experiences like this.
Universal Studios Hollywood HHN Mazes Ranked
8.) The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy
Look, there will be plenty of people who like this maze. After all, it has lots of random, fun-designed characters and set pieces.
However, The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy falls a little flat for me when it comes to theme and consistency.
The maze is inspired by their albums Dawn FM and Diving Comedy, but honestly, the story as you walk through also seems a little nonsensical. Despite that, one of the core ideas was exploring the horrors of becoming famous.
Even though it is at the bottom of my list, I'd still recommend going through it. Even the worst HHN maze of the year is worth experiencing–after all, you could love it.
7.) Insidious: The Further
Based on the popular horror franchise, Insidious: The Further is generally at the top of many people's lists, but I personally wasn't all too impressed with it.
It has some neat setups, but it feels like there was a lot more room to utilize its iconic red demon.
What the maze did have, however, was plenty of red curtains to help participants feel extra isolated. They also loved their stretch painting canvas setups, and utilized it quite often.
There's also a setup with a person puking in a toilet that smells horrendous, and it makes me wonder why they felt the need to add that element. After all, the room is literally just a mannequin man vomiting––nothing more.
6.) Dead Exposure: Death Valley
Then there's Dead Exposure: Death Valley.
Sure, the theming isn't too exciting, but Universal actually managed to pull it together for an entertaining experience.
The story unfolds in an engaging way as attendees walk through, which is unique in of itself, as not every other maze has a storyline like that. Fans walk through a a laboratory as you watch it slowly fall apart and devolve into the zombie-ridden hellscape the title teases.
For me, my favorite room was the one with the monkey experiments, as it included some really neat puppets/animatronics on display.
5.) Monstruos 2: The Nightmares of Latin America
Up next is Monstruos 2: The Nightmares of Latin America, which takes place in a house during Dia de los Muertos––the Day of the Dead. It's a sequel to Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America from 2023.
While the El Cadejo (a dog-shaped spirit) was overused in the maze, the other monsters that show up are wonderful. This includes El Charro, El Cucuy, and more in a variety of frightening scenes.
Its original concept really elevates the maze and makes it feel fresh. The true highlight was a wonderfully creepy image of prolonged fingers reaching out from under a bed.
4.) Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines
Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines' strength is its compelling story, which is pretty engaging as participants walk through it and experience it unfold.
The big hook of the maze is how it follows an alternate, all-female line-up of the classic Universal monsters: Bride of Frankenstein, Saskia Van Helsing, She-Wolf of London, Egyptian princess Anck-Su-Namun, and Dracula's Daughter.
The sets, creatures, and atmosphere are all great. There's also an awesome beheading gag later in the maze that was fun to watch, even if you already know what's about to happen.
If there was room for improvement, some of the scares and moments are super brief, so perhaps a few more seconds here and there would be good.
3.) Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Next is Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which lets fans walk through the recent film. It feels like it was ripped straight from the screen to reality.
The production value was top-notch, with so much to look at and find in each room. Cute little Stay Puft Marshmallow Men are sprinkled throughout as well, which is nothing short of a fun time to witness.
The final set piece doesn't disappoint, with a scare actor in an impressive Garraka outfit that is probably one of the best practical outfits of the year.
The downside? Well there's nothing cold about this maze. It ironically feels like there was no effort to pump in cold air, which was a consistent talking point in our group.
2.) A Quiet Place
A Quiet Place was the biggest maze HHN was banking on, and, for the most part, it didn't disappoint.
There are some seriously impressive full-size puppets and animatronics on display for the terrifying creatures, and they are a sight to behold. The maze is at its best when you're walking through a faithful recreation of some of the most iconic moments in the series.
Surprisingly, only the first two movies are represented here, and not the most recent installment, Day One.
The small flaws with the maze, however, include the partial puppets throughout the experience that sit alone in black curtain boxes and simply feel unfinished. The maze is also supposed to punish those who are louder as they walk through, but I personally did not notice any of those effects—but it's a great idea in theory.
1.) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Legacy of Leatherface
At the very top of the list is Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Legacy of Leatherface. This maze celebrates the entire franchise for its 50th anniversary, and it does a wonderful job at that.
The atmosphere and theming is absolutely top notch, and seeing all the iconic characters and locations from the franchise is always a blast.
Be warned, however: this maze is incredibly gross and gory, which may bother some. Visitors will walk through hanging carcasses, bones, and even hanging skin suits––which were unsettling, to say the least.
I often feel that added rotting scents tend to ruin mazes and are unnecessary. However, here, there was a good balance where the smells didn't cause you to gag but still helped you feel like everything around you was disgusting.
BONUS: Terror Tram: Enter the Blumhouse
While the Terror Tram is not the conventional horror maze experience, it still is setup in a similar fashion. This year's Blumhouse theme was very well done, and would rank very high went compared to the other mazes offered.
With the Blumhouse theme, fans get to walk through various scenes and atmospheres inspired by the studios' biggest movies. The biggest standouts were the setups for both MEGAN and Happy Death Day.
For those attending HHN, make sure to set aside the time to visit the Terror Tram, as it does tend to close earlier than most other attractions in the park.
Halloween Horror Nights is now running at Universal Studios in both Orlando and Hollywood through November 3.
