Yahoo Lifestyle I Love Spooky Sh*t, So I Did Every Haunted House At Universal Studios, And Here's My Hot Takes
WARNING: This post contains gifs with flashing lights and strobe effects. Please proceed with caution.
**Spoilers ahead for Halloween Horror Nights!**
Hello! My name is Angelica. You might recognize me as the person who writes a ton of the horror, true crime, and generally spooky articles you read here on BuzzFeed. As you can probably guess, I love all things Halloween, so it's become a tradition of mine to make the journey to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios every single year to scare the absolute hell out of myself in their various haunted houses. This year, of course, was no exception.
Angelica Martinez / BuzzFeed
Universal Studios Hollywood kindly invited me to the opening night of this year's HHN, so I went through every single haunted house the park had to offer for the 2024 season, ranked them, and determined a "scare level" for each. Let's get into it, shall we?
9.Dead Exposure: Death Valley
Angelica Martinez / BuzzFeed
This haunted house was not what I was expecting at all. It's described as "an original concept house with petrifying radioactive zombies," and, given the name "Death Valley," I assumed it'd have something to do with extreme heat or being in the desert. The maze actually runs through a laboratory, where apes operate on humans, visitors duck through hallways of hanging body bags, and zombies run amok. While I was bracing myself to get blasted by a heater or walk through a flaming hot room, the vibes were totally opposite. In fact, there was actually a "cold room" in the maze, which — in the 103º LA heat — was an absolutely welcome surprise.
All in all, I wouldn't consider this house all that scary. There was a pretty even mix of animatronics and scare actors, and it was heavy on the jump scares. So much so, in fact, that we got spooked by a zombie outside the house before we'd even fully stepped in. However, my personal favorite part of this maze was the aesthetic of it all. The walk is lit by bright green radioactive barrels, neon beakers, and glow-in-the-dark sludge, all of which create a fun, spooky vibe. The set was intricate and really cool to look at — whenever there was a pause in the line, I had no shortage of things to check out while I waited.
All in all, I think this house is a great choice if you want a ~spooky experience~, but not necessarily a scary one. If you're someone who likes to watch scary movies but covers their eyes when something bad is about to happen, this is definitely a good fit for you.
Scare level: 3/10
Overall: 3.5/10
8.Terror Tram: Enter the Blumhouse
Angelica Martinez / BuzzFeed
This year's Terror Tram — which gets you off your feet for a hot minute and loads you on the iconic Universal Studios tour trams to zip around the backlots — was inspired by Blumhouse's horror catalog. More specifically, it boasted appearances of characters from five of their most famous franchises: M3GAN, The Black Phone, Freaky, The Purge, and Happy Death Day.
If there's one thing to know about me, it's that two of my comfort scary movies are M3GAN (an icon, allergic to not serving) and Happy Death Day (criminally underrated), so I was pretty stoked about this. Getting off the tram, we walked into a crowd of masked menaces with chainsaws and some familiar faces like M3gan. The terror tram experience is kind of a combination of a haunted house and a scare zone (those areas of the park between attractions where scare actors target you). It's outside and offers a little more breathing room than the rest of the park, but that also means you can more or less see when someone is getting ready to come give you a fright.
I always have a soft spot for the terror tram. As usual, it's not the most scary, but it's a breath of fresh air from the lines and crowds. They really went all out on The Black Phone (a movie I unfortunately did not love) and The Purge — the latter of which was super immersive. I really wish there'd been more to the Happy Death Day section of the maze, which felt a little barren and short compared to the others.
I wouldn't consider it a must-see, but it's fun, and it only runs until 11:15, so if it's on your list, make sure to head over early!
Scare level: 2.5/10
Overall: 4/10
7.A Quiet Place
Angelica Martinez / BuzzFeed
TBH, I really thought this house would be higher up on my ranking. I watched A Quiet Place: Day One earlier this summer, and it got me. The silence, the building suspense, the stakes — me and my noisy as hell cat would not make it out alive. While this maze was only based on the first two films — A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II — I think the same sentiments are true about them, as well. I was expecting this haunted house to have a similar vibe, but it didn't quite deliver.
First of all, the house was loud. The music and background effects were blaring when we first walked in, and I was a bit disappointed that they weren't utilizing the eerie silence of the films and the distant screams of guests further along in the maze to build tension. The scares — most of which were flashing lights and animatronic Death Angels popping up — were repetitive and quickly became rather predictable. There weren't many jump scares from actual people. Instead, most of the scare actors were playing characters from the movies, adding to the overall setting and vibe of the haunted house, but not necessarily being scary. While the haunt is the first at Universal to feature American Sign Language, it's far too dark to make any of it out, and it definitely wasn't as much of a highlight as the maze's description made it out to be.
I will give this haunt its flowers for the intricacy of the set, which is what ranked it above the previous two mazes for me. If you're a big fan of the movies, it definitely feels like you're walking through bits and pieces of it. They did a great job at recreating the Abbott family's farmhouse, and it was really, really cool to see it up close. There are tons of uber-immersive set details that fans of the films will love, and I wish I'd gotten to take a closer look at a couple of the rooms to take it all in.
We started off at this house, assuming it'd garner a pretty long line as the night went on, and I'd definitely recommend doing so! It was a good, dip-your-toe-in warm-up of the spookier houses.
Scare level: 2/10
Overall: 4.2/10
6.Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines
Angelica Martinez / BuzzFeed
I think Eternal Bloodlines can be described in, more or less, one word: OK. It was, all in all, pretty middle of the road. This haunt featured an all-female cast of classic Universal monsters, including the Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula’s Daughter, She-Wolf of London, the mummified Egyptian princess Anck-Su-Namun, and Saskia Van Helsing. Without giving too much away, the characters essentially split up into two alliances, fueled by Van Helsing killing Dracula and Dracula seeking revenge, to battle it out.
I would split this haunt into two distinct halves. The first was slow and plot-heavy. It intended to establish characters and the storyline, but was super repetitive. At one point, the line through the maze lagged a bit, and we were in a room hearing the same line and watching the actor do the same arm motion over and over, almost like they were animatronic. The "in-between" spaces between rooms — which are typically dark corner "rooms" or hallways that separate each set — had posters that further moved the plot along. Overall, the first half felt like it was a little too focused on making viewers understand the storyline, which in and of itself wasn't actually all that scary, just vaguely spooky. Despite the repetition, there were just too many moving pieces and characters for something so short, and it felt a bit overwhelming. Unlike the other houses, I didn't feel like I was a part of the story, but rather like I was watching a play unfold.
The second half of this maze, though, really packed in the scares. Major props to the scare actors, because they were giving it their all and completely turned this maze around, in my opinion. This ranked higher for me than the previous three mazes, particularly for the variety of scares it had. There were fewer animatronics and more real-life actors, which made it less predictable and a bit more thrilling than the previous ones.
I wouldn't necessarily label this a must-see, but if you have a chance and love an old-school spooky vibe, I'd recommend giving it a go.
Scare level: 3/10
Overall: 5/10
5.Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Angelica Martinez / BuzzFeed
This haunt is inspired by the latest Ghostbusters installment, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. When I think of Ghostbusters, I don't consider it a scary movie by any means. I was expecting this to be a light, perhaps kid-focused maze, but boy, oh boy was I mistaken.
This house absolutely nailed the balance between nostalgia and horror. It reminded me a lot of the Stranger Things house from Horror Nights 2023, which was so elaborate that it felt like I literally walked through my TV screen and onto the set. I barely even noticed when there was a pause or backup in line, because there was so much to take in, from the lab to Ray's Occult Bookshop. I'd have loved to take my time walking through each of the rooms because it was so intricate and felt exactly like the movies. The storyline was clear and gave just enough details to follow along if you weren't familiar with the films, but wasn't overly repetitive if you'd seen them.
There were far more scares in his maze than I anticipated, and I loved every second of it. I shrieked my way through it and had an absolutely delightful time. A few personal highlights of mine were the "pictures" that shifted into windows and had scare actors behind them, and the double-sided hallway of scares.
All in all, I was so, so pleasantly surprised by this house. It was definitely a highlight of the night for me. I did not expect it to go as hard as it did AT ALL, and I exited the maze, wanting to go right back in again. This is a must-see and a great palate cleanser between some of the more intense houses.
Scare level: 5/10
Overall: 6.5/10
4.Monstruos 2: The Nightmares of Latin America
Angelica Martinez / BuzzFeed
I was so, so excited for this house, because it's a sequel to one of my favorites from last year, aka Monstrous: The Monsters of Latin America. There's truly no shortage of spine-shivering Latin American myths and legends to pull from, and I am so happy Horror Nights chose to highlight some of them again. This year's roster included the dog-shaped supernatural spirit El Cadejo, the boogeyman El Cucuy, and the nightrider El Charro.
My absolute favorite thing about this house every year is the attention to detail. The set was so well done and elaborate, and they pumped this barn-like, musty odor into the rooms to bring it to the next level. The separators between rooms were strings of bones and burlap sacks, which were a bit disorienting and made it hard to see scares coming. Speaking of scares, they were frequent, mostly done by scare actors, and unexpected. The exit to this maze also led straight into the Luchadores Monstruosos scare zone, so juuust when you think you're out of the maze, you get spooked again.
I think haunted houses that aren't inspired by pre-existing films or franchises are way more difficult to execute, because viewers aren't coming in with that same pre-existing knowledge. You have all of five minutes to set the scene and be scary, and I'd bet most people aren't familiar with El Cadejo, El Cucuy, and El Charro. This house not only effortlessly told a creative, easy-to-follow story, but it did so without being confusing, overwhelming, or repetitive like Eternal Bloodlines. While I wouldn't consider it the best house at Horror Nights, I do think its one of the best original houses this year by far.
Scare level: 5/10
Overall: 7/10
3.The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Legacy of Leatherface
Angelica Martinez / BuzzFeed
As expected, this haunted house — which celebrates the 50th anniversary of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre — is gore-central. Rather than the standard black separators between rooms, this maze had us walk through hanging skin suits, strings of bones, and huge, heavy carcasses that bounced between us. There were tons of double-sided scares (where actors are on both sides of you, ready to pop out), and they had me so on edge that on more than one occasion, I yelped at the sight of a poor out-of-costume employee in the corner, simply doing their job to guide the line.
When I wasn't screaming, I was sniffing in some strange, vaguely rotting scents that really painted the full, gruesome picture. Between that, the flashing lights, the sound of chainsaws whirring, and people popping out every which way, it was pure sensory overload. My shoulders were up to my ears by the time I walked out. So, in other words, it was great!
Scare level: 7/10
Overall: 8/10
2.The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy
Angelica Martinez / BuzzFeed
I had no idea what to expect from this house, and I was blown away by it. I absolutely did not think I was going to love it as much as I did, and I'd definitely consider it a must-see underdog from this year's roster. The maze is an immersive experience curated by The Weeknd, and is part two of a trilogy that began with his 2022 haunted house The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare. The year's edition was inspired by his album Dawn FM and Dante's Divine Comedy.
First of all, the line for this maze is A) air-conditioned and B) hyped up by a DJ playing The Weeknd's music, so it was already a great time before we even stepped foot inside the haunt. We led the pack inside, where we walked straight into literal "Blinding Lights" that were so disorienting that we couldn't figure out which way to turn to continue into the house. A lot of the maze had that effect, actually — utilizing lights, mirrors, and repetition to confuse views. Even the hallways — which were blank "waiting rooms" in other mazes — were chock-full of scares. For example, one was covered in giant eyeballs, some of which were secretly fostering scare actors that jumped out at us.
The haunt essentially took us on various floors via an "elevator" and into the horrifying reality of being famous. Hands reached out to grab me, paparazzi flashes blinded my eyes, and a stalker fan broke into the bathroom I was in. I felt eyes on me at all times, and — with all the mirrors — sometimes those eyes were my own. The whole thing is uber-overwhelming and disorienting, which makes it scary in a different way than the other mazes. Aesthetically it was cool as hell, and overall it was a blast.
Scare level: 8/10
Overall: 8.5/10
1.Insidious: The Further
Angelica Martinez / BuzzFeed
I walked up to this house and said, "NOPE, NOPE, NO THANK YOU!" Before you even walk in, a creepy silhouette can be seen in the attic from the outside of the house and they blast that horrifying "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" song from the movies. Listen — I was absolutely horrified by the Insidious movies as a kid, so, naturally, I was both very excited for and dreading this house. And, as expected, it got me goooood.
To say I screamed my way through this maze would be an understatement. It was...a lot, in the best way possible. It was chock-full of scares, and unlike most of the other houses, the "halls" in between rooms were pitch black. I had no idea if someone was about to jump out, and I couldn't see a thing in the room I was about to walk into. All I could hear was the screams of the people in front of me. In one of the halls, I swore I could feel something crawling on me. I stepped forward and felt like there were more things crawling all over me. Turns out, there were these teeny-tiny, almost invisible strings hanging from the ceiling, and the sensation gave me literal goosebumps
This house had it all. During a scene where someone was vomiting, they pumped an absolutely foul odor into the room that — you guessed it — smelled like puke. There was one foggy hallway filled with creepy-as-hell mannequins and —surprise! — one of the mannequins was a scare actor that made me jump at least a foot into the air. There was absolutely no downtime in this house. Scare actors popped out of hidden doors at every turn. There was a perfect variety of scare tactics, from animatronics to scare actors to sensory overload. Without a doubt, this was a 10/10. No notes, absolutely horrifying.
Scare level: 10/10
Overall: 10/10
That's all, folks! Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios is running now through Nov. 3, don't miss it! Tickets for both Orlando and Hollywood are available now...if you think you're brave enough, that is.
