Universal Studios’ 33rd annual Halloween Horror Nights has a stacked lineup of haunted houses sure to entice any level of horror fan. Each house held its own immersive experiences from famous works of horror. The horror experience runs throughout the entirety of Universal Studios this time of year, with Halloween themes around every corner, which fans of the event call the ‘fog’.
I’ll start with one tip to make sure you get the full experience. Get the express pass; if you just have the regular pass, there is the potential to be stuck in lines all night and waste time, which means you may not get to see every house. I was able to do all the houses in one night with the express pass.
I went through all of these houses by myself, but, if you are easily scared, I recommend taking a friend along.
I will give an honest first-time review of each house in the order I viewed them and their thrill level on a scale of one to five, with one being the worst and five being the best. My basis for each house’s thrill level was based on how many jump scares there were and how each house’s decorations were set up.
The first haunted house I viewed was based on the movie, “A Quiet Place.” This haunted house was immersive with lots of props and detail. There were replica monsters from the movie. It made you understand just what could happen if you made any noise in the film’s world. Near the end is where the biggest thrill was, with a big monster head jumping out at you. A Quiet Place house was a solid three out of five stars.
The next house I went through was also based on a movie, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” I prepared for this house by watching the recently released movie. While it was Ghostbusters, it was not something I’d have thought of as a haunted house, but it worked surprisingly well. The house paralleled the plot of the movie. The actors were very good in this house and gave out tons of jump scares. There was even a stilt walker that played the main ghost antagonist. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was four out of five stars.
My next haunted house stop was Insidious: The Further. The way that this house followed the disturbing and creepy feeling that the film franchise provides was extraordinary. As soon as I walked in, that chilling film music was playing with an eerie quiet feeling as I approached the film’s famous red door. As I slowly crept toward the door, it got bigger until it was ten times my height. This wasn’t the end of the creepiness, as there were several immersive actors dressed as these scary demons and even more of the film’s eerie music playing the whole way through. Insidious: The Further was my highest-rated house coming in at five out of five stars.
Triplets of Terror was a great haunted house. It was based on these possessed triplets who were reenacting the murders of their whole family. The actors were really good and felt like they knew to try and get me at every turn, but it didn’t quite live up to the Insidious house. The set and décor added to the story of the house, making it feel like the crimes the triplets committed were personal. Due to the excellent prop realism and jump scares, I gave Triplets of Terror four out of five stars.
The next house that I visited was Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines. It was a solid haunted house with classic horror character themes. There were female classic characters here, such as the Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula’s daughter, mummies and other monstrous characters. The scare level wasn’t bad, but it was not as thrilling as the other houses, which could be mainly attributed to the scare actors. They were menacing and did great in their roles, but the mummies and vampire actors didn’t work for me. They mainly relied on the distinct lighting with a simpler makeup style compared to the other house’s scare actors. Overall, Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines earned three out of five stars.
Walking through the Slaughter Sinema 2 haunted house was a great experience. The way this haunted house was set up made you feel like you had multiple scares spread throughout each room. A new movie scene was introduced with a respective poster at each room you entered. You started off with a movie called The Mardi Gras murders, then The Killer Kringles, followed by Night of the Undead Clowns and other movie-themed scares. It was a milder prop set compared to some of the effects of the other houses. With some decent gore and engaging actors, this house held its higher thrill level. Slaughter Sinema received solid three out of five stars.
Major Sweets Candy Factory was an underwhelming haunted house. It wasn’t terrible but, compared to the other haunted houses, it was not as expected due to the lower number of jump scares and scenes. The basis of this house was the kids turning on the adults at the candy factory after the candy had some crazy side effects. There’s not much to say about this haunted house, with Major Sweets Candy Factory receiving two out of five stars.
The haunted house, Monstrous: The Monsters of Latin America, was a great walkthrough. I enjoyed the use of the stilt walkers, finding the actors here most effective on a level of scariness compared to other stilt walkers in the park. You are introduced to some Latin American folklore characters such as Tlahuelpuchi, a vampiric bird creature, La Lechuza, the owl witch, and El Silbón, or the lost soul, with a death spirit known as El Muerte as the guide. The jump scares were great in this house, but it didn’t get a high score compared to the other houses because I was unfamiliar with the characters. The house had some qualities but would’ve had more impact if I knew the character’s lore. Monstrous: The Monsters of Latin America got three out of five stars.
Nearing the end of my night, the next haunted house I went through was Goblin’s Feast. There were several swamp-style settings with goblins and similar creatures getting ready for a feast. The jump scares were effective and made me jump at every turn. The actors got me to each new room, but I still wasn’t a fan of the theme. The music choice in the first part of the house had a major influence on the score as it sounded like a sea shanty, which made no sense. It was also a lot more lit up which took away from what the actors were doing and brought their thrill level down in this portion of my scoring system. The second part of the house was more enjoyable on a thrill level with a lot lower lighting. The actors played into this using every pulse they could to jump out at me. Even though I had mixed feelings about this haunted house, Goblin’s Feast was awarded three out of five stars.
My final house, The Museum: Deadly Exhibits, was good but also overstimulating. I enjoyed what I saw, but the noise level ruined a part of this haunted house for me. It was a museum-style haunted house that overtook the exhibits and the workers. The house effectively used props and actors to communicate its main theme of decay. There was only one visual aspect that I would have changed: the lighting. The lights were just a little too jarring to the point throwing off the thrill experience. I don’t think it was the worst haunted house, but the small details kept it from rating more highly. The haunted house, The Museum: Deadly Exhibits earns two out of five stars.
2024’s Halloween Horror Nights was overall a success. The cumulative experience of each haunted house, scare zone, food and other rides is what every scary thrill seeker likes. While it is fun, it can be expensive, so get a group of friends together to plan a trip and see what the ‘fog’ is all about.
