Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights 2023! Pro Tips + Everything you need to Know

This past weekend we got to experience all the horror of Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights. Let me tell you, there was plenty of screams and laughter coming from this family.  Halloween Horror Nights are one of Southern California’s premier Halloween event, and definitely one of the best things to do this Halloween season. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to have the best time at this monstrous event.

We are big Halloween fans so we checked out both Knott’s Scary Farm and Universal Halloween Horror Nights in one weekend whirlwind of fun and screams. While we love both, Universal is by far superior with some of the most intricate and dynamic mazes. In addition, they have amazing scare zones and the Jaberwockeez Show.

Halloween Horror Nights Houses & Mazes

The mazes that Universal creates are not only frightening but they are so incredibly well done, you will feel like you are part of the movie or tv show. Let’s go over each of the upper lot mazes first.

Universal Horror Hotel

This is one of the mazes that typically has the shortest line, but it’s a fantastic maze. Located in the former walking dead maze, this one is a much improved maze. As you travel through the hotel you will be haunted by the 1920’s serial killer. There were so many jump scares we found ourselves racing through the maze.

Scare Meter 8 out of 10

Horrors of Blumhouse

We started off our night of fear at this maze as it was located right by the entrance.  Prepare to hear the haunting sounds of the black phone as you explore this maze. There are plenty of jump scares in this maze however not as many as the rest of the mazes we explored.

Location: WaterWorld by the entrance of park

Scare Meter – 6 out of 10

La Llorona: The Weeping Woman

This is probably the 2nd scariest maze of the night and the line was not too bad compared with some of the other mazes. La Llorona will is known to haunt your nightmares but also when you are awake because I have never seen my family move so fast as we jumped from one scare to the next

Scare Meter: 10 out of 10

Universal Backlot Mazes

It is quite the trek to the Universal Backlot mazes so be prepared for that, but once you get there you will encounter 2 mazes plus a fun photo spot.

Halloween

This maze is intense and one of the best mazes in the park. I don’t know if it is just the classic Halloween music that gets me, but this maze had us jumping out of our skin. There are so many misdirections that you don’t know where Michael Myers will appear from. This was all of our favorite maze and one you must visit.

Expect long lines for this maze as it is definitely one of the most popular.

Location: Upper Lot past Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Scare Meter – 10 out of 10

Scarecrow the Reaping

I personally thought this maze was going to be my least favorite but it turned out to be one of my faves. The maze takes you through the year in the most frightening of ways. You start off through an abandoned farm and immediately you find yourself racing for cover as creatures emerge from everywhere. 

Location: Upper Lot past Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Scare Meter – 9 out of 10

Lower Lot Mazes

The Weekend: After Hours Nightmare –

This is pronably the second most popular maze in the park with wait times reaching over 2 hours on our visit.  Guests get to relive all the Weekends plastic surgery nightmare as you enjoy his music and sets. Don’t let the music fool you, this is still a very scary maze with an ending that will definitely get you to jump.

Scare Meter – 8 out of 10

Location: Lower Lot next to  Transformers: The Ride – 3D

Killer Klowns from Outer Space

We were really excited to do the Killer Klowns maze as well clowns are pretty frightening in general. You will navigate your way through an abandoned amusement park and well as you guess numerous clowns that jump out from everywhere.

Location: Lower Lot, next to Transformers the Ride

Scare Meter – 8 out of 10

Universal Monsters Legends Collide

We did not get to explore this maze as honestly we were so tired from all the yelling andlaughing we did through out the parks. Here you will see all your classic monsters from wolf man to Dracula to the mummy.

Halloween Horror Nights – Scare Zones

There are several Scare Zones which are great to walk through as you navigate the park. Often times you will find yourself being chased by creatures with chainsaws, demented monsters and so much more. The scare zone at the beginning of the park is by far the best with pyrotechnics, evil characters on stilts and so much more.

Terror Tram

The Terror Tram is back and has some amazing sets that you can walk through. We got off the tram and walked through the set from Jordan Peele’s latest film, NOPE. While, it does not provide as many jump scares as some of the mazes. We also got to walk through the War of the Worlds set with the giant 747 that appears crashed on set. it is definitely worth checking out.

Scare Meter: 3 out of 10

Jabbawockeez Show at Halloween Horror Nights

Jabbawockeez is the hit hip hop dance group that gained it’s fame by winning America’s Got Talent.

The first show is at 6:15 pm, with additional performances throughout the night. If you have an express pass or RIP Tour there is exclusive seating for those guests.

Halloween Horror Nights 2022 – Open Rides

There are several rides that are open in addition to the mazes. These rides do get to be pretty busy as well. If you plan to ride a lot of them I highly recommend the Express Unlimited Pass.

• Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride
• Transformers: The Ride – 3D,
• The Simpsons Ride
• Jurassic World: The Ride
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was open this year for Halloween Horror Nights. so it s was great to ride the rides in that land.

RIP Tour ($279-$409 per person)

We almost booked this tour as I hear it is amazing. The RIP Tour includes:

• Special VIP entrance to Halloween Horror Nights
• Complimentary valet parking for one vehicle (also saves you a very long walk)
• Exclusive themed photo opportunities
• Buffet dinner at VIP dining room and lounge
• Exclusive tour of the world-famous Studio backlot
• Unlimited Express access to all haunted houses and select rides
• Exclusive lounge area in the Lower Lot for drinks and desserts during your tour
• Private VIP trolley transportation to backlot haunted houses (which is a long walk)
• Reserved VIP seating for one showing of Jabbawockeez
• RIP lanyard

How to Score Discount Tickets!

We scored our tickets through ARES Travel. They had the best pricing available. You can save up to $58 per ticket. The tickets get emailed to you in minutes and you simply print them and take the tickets right to the entrance.  Check out their current prices here!

Pro Tips for Universal Halloween Horror Nights

Buy your Tickets Early – Tickets sell out for most nights and express passes sell out the fastest.

Visit on Sunday or Thursday:

Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights gets extremely busy. To get through the most amount of mazes go on Sundays or Thursdays. Saturday nights are the busiest.

Express Passes to Save the Day:

If you must go on a busy night, I highly recommend getting one of the Express passes. We got the unlimited pass to also have access to the rides, however the regular express pass might be plenty as you get access to each maze one time. You can get through all the mazes in just a few hours with an Express Pass.

The difference in lines is incredible. We waited at the most 10 minutes while the normal line was 180 minutes!

Do Early Entry & Head to the Back of the Park First:

Take advantage of the early entry and head to the backlot. There you can get through 3 scare mazes.

Food:

On the weekends, food lines are long. I would recommend eating beforehand. The lines do die down later in the night, but for the most part expect a good wait.

Safety: 

A lot of my followers on Instagram  asked me about safety at the event. We never felt uncomfortable at the parks. You enter through metal detectors, there is security and Police throughout the park to make sure everything is under control. I did not see one incident throughout the evening. Universal did an exceptional job.

Overall, Universal Halloween Horror Nights is a pretty amazing experience, especially if you enjoy being scared throughout the evening.

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