It's almost Halloween season, and everyone knows what that means: a brand-new selection of terrifying and immersive haunts at Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights (HHN). This year, the legendary HHN event has plenty of fan-favorite IPs driving some of its biggest haunted houses, including Five Nights at Freddy's, Terrifier, Jason Universe, Fallout, and more.
Universal Studios Hollywood invited The Direct out to enjoy the festivities this year, and we're here to provide readers with our rankings of 2025's haunted houses. For those new to The Direct's rankings, remember that these are not judged based on how scary they are. Instead, they are evaluated by their immersion, atmosphere, creativity, and overall execution.
Be sure to check out how we ranked this year's Halloween Horror Nights houses over in Orlando.
Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights 2025 Houses Ranked
8.) Poltergeist
Lots of Empty Black Hallways
The Poltergeist maze is solidly at the bottom of the list this year—not to mention, it's also a repeat house from 2018, one that doesn't feel notably relevant or interesting in 2025.
However, there are some undeniably neat gags in this maze that fans of the film will enjoy. The real downside of the haunted house is that at least 20% of it is filled with black, empty hallways. With this being a repeat house, HHN could have easily spent some money expanding those parts of the maze for 2025.
7.) Five Nights At Freddy's
Someone Dropped the Ball In Hollywood
In an insane twist, the maze that made the number one spot on the rankings for Halloween Horror Nights Orlando this year ended up almost at the bottom of the list in Hollywood. Why might that be?
Well, the layout and general room ideas of the Hollywood version of this maze are about the same as the Orlando one. However, each and every element is executed notably better in Orlando as opposed to here. It's something that is immediately evident, as Hollywood only has Freddy Fazbear (whose animatronic also doesn't look as good) on stage alone instead of being joined by the rest of his band.
We also ran across multiple instances of animatronic setups not triggering or being entirely out of commission.
While it's not a terrible maze, the fact that it could and should easily be of the same quality as the Orlando maze makes this version a notable disappointment.
6.) Fallout
A Lot of Potential Left on the Table
Hollywood's version of the Fallout haunted house is maybe slightly better than its Orlando counterpart. The two differ, and there is a little more mileage to some of its set pieces (especially one with a large radiated bear), though there are notable absences as well.
However, it's never too interesting and will give most a resounding meh after finishing the experience. There are also several points where it could have done more with what it was offering.
I hope the response to this maze overall doesn't scare Universal Studios from doing more from Fallout in the future, but I hope it pushes it to better execute its ideas for the next one.
5.) Scarecrow: Music by Slash
Another Repeat Maze for the Year, But It Remains a Hit
This is another repeat maze for this year's Halloween Horror Nights in Hollywood, originally from 2022, which is not the best choice for lineup selection. Usually, it would get placed lower on the list. However, what makes this rank higher is that it's still an incredibly well-done house.
Also, as a fan of scarecrows in horror (a severely underutilized monster in the genre), more of them are always wanted during the Halloween season. As an added note, many in our party felt that this remained the scariest maze of the year when the night was all said and done.
Honestly, most won't notice the added music by Slash. It's not bad by any means, but it fades into the atmosphere and never sticks out enough to be the center of attention.
4.) The Horror of The Wyatt Sicks
Another Stroll Through Horror With Wyatt Sicks
The Horror of The Wyatt Sicks is wildly different at both Orlando and Hollywood, with both coming from the mind of modern wrestler Windham Rotunda, who people also know as Bray Wyatt. Each version of this house is well executed.
However, the Hollywood version edges out the Orlando one. Hollywood's production value is fantastic, and it also feels like you're walking through a twisted horror movie you somehow never knew about. This maze also had one of my favorite faux wall/mirror gags at HHN.
3.) Monstrous 3: The Ghosts of Latin America
It Doesn't Work Out So Well for the Kids In this One
The Monstrous line of haunted houses at Halloween Horror Nights has been a fan-favorite string of original mazes. Monstrous 3: The Ghosts of Latin (potentially the final installment) does not disappoint. It remains just as creative, scary, and inventive as every house before it.
This haunted house features some inventive and scary setups, many of which lean into an impressive scale as they introduce attendees to La Llorona, La Muelona, and La Siguanaba. From seeing dead children floating in a lake to kids eaten as they sleep, this maze might make one lose sleep.
2.) Jason Universe
An Incredible Improvement on Its Orlando Counterpart
It's rather crazy how much better the Jason Universe maze is in Hollywood than it is in Orlando. While the Orlando one is set firmly at the bottom of our rankings, Hollywood's Jason Universe deserves to be on the opposite end of the spectrum.
This is clearly the maze that Jason Universe wanted to pull off, and it's full of creativity. There are countless interesting set pieces to admire, and plenty of iconic kills have been reenacted (though, sadly, there is no sleeping bag kill). Also, there are different Jasons to admire from multiple films in the franchise.
1.) Terrifier
Art the Clown Dominates Halloween Horror Nights
It is clear that if there were ever a winner for Halloween Horror Nights, it's Art the Clown from Terrifier. The villain is the perfect choice to be at HHN, and his infectious energy and playful demeanor give a unique vibe to his haunted house.
There's never a shortage of set pieces to look at or gags to appreciate as you walk through this maze. It is an excellent (or fittingly dreadful) journey through Art's funhouse of carnage.
When it comes to the whole getting-wet element of the maze, Orlando's maze incorporates it much better (and in an organic manner) than Hollywood's. Though it's worth noting that both the Hollywood and Orlando mazes share a handful of differences, each of them remains one of the best houses at HHN this year.
BONUS — Terror Tram: The Blumhouse
A Stroll Through Modern Horror
It's always difficult to rank The Blumhouse Terror Tram alongside the haunted houses because they are not truly the same type of experience. However, the tram is always worth a mention.
After getting off the tram, attendees walk through several sections of themed trails, all pertaining to some of Blumhouse's biggest movies and franchises.
The big focus of this year's setup was on The Grabber from Black Phone 2, followed by M3GAN, who would appear in every section, even if it wasn't her own film. Surprisingly, even The Purge section was interesting this time around, mainly because it was visually appealing and stimulating.
What keeps me from loving this year's Blumhouse setup is the complete lack of Happy Death Day representation, all replaced by lackluster Insidious setups.
Be sure to check out how The Direct ranked the haunted houses at Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights in 2024.
