We were determined to make the most of our Mom’s Night Out at Halloween Horror Nights! We hit up every single haunted house at Universal Studios Hollywood this year plus the Terror Tram and we found a mini maze outside of Killceañera! We did it all!!! Here’s how we ranked them from favorite to least favorite!
#1 Hellraiser
The ’80s Hellraiser movies were such a perfect choice for a haunted house! There were Pinheads everywhere, and his Cenobite friends looked SO good. They really went all out trying to scare us, and the costumes, gore, and creepy details were fire. This one was such a fun surprise and easily one of our favorites!
#2 Sinners
And honestly, this one was almost tied for #1! Sinners is one of the new mazes this year, and it was SO well done. The jump scares were actually really good, the actors looked just like the characters, and the sets were incredible. The glowing eyes?! SO cool. The costumes were also amazing. Definitely one of the standouts of the night.
#3 Evil Dead Burn
This one was personal. My friend was traumatized by Evil Dead as a kid, especially by the opening scene… and somehow this maze managed to traumatize her all over again. So I guess that means it was VERY effective! There were tons of jump scares, and this maze definitely delivered.
#4 Killceañera: Music by Slash
How can you NOT love a haunted house featuring music by Slash and a quinceañera gone completely wrong?! The concept alone makes this one worth experiencing. It was fun, creepy, with tons of jump scares and definitely one we’ll remember.
#5 Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness
Okay, this one probably scared ME the most! The actor at the beginning went ALL OUT and chased me through three rooms. We love Ozzy, so it was really cool seeing the HHN version of Prince of Darkness. The only reason it landed in the middle of our list is that the maze didn’t really have a strong storyline or theme tying everything together. It was basically just a bunch of Ozzy moments. But that opening scare? He got me.
#6 Stranger Things 5
This one was a little bit of a letdown for us. There was almost too much Vecna, and similar to the final season, the house felt like it had a lot going on without much actually happening. There were so many opportunities for scares that just weren’t being used, actors weren’t popping out of windows, and there were noticeable gaps where we expected more interaction. Maybe the crowds played a part (it’s a super long wait, if Stranger Things is a must see then head to the lower lot when you arrive!), but overall, the house felt underwhelming. Maybe we’re just officially ready to move on from Stranger Things.
#7 Terror Tram Starring Art the Clown
Unfortunately, we hate to say it, but the Terror Tram, which is usually one of our FAVORITES, didn’t really do it for us this year. It starred Art the Clown, and maybe we just didn’t connect with the character because we’re not very familiar with him. I know clowns can be terrifying, but Art felt more silly than scary to us. That said, there were some really cool photo ops, so we’ll give it that!
#8 Dead, Deader, Deadest
I honestly don’t know what else to say about this one. It was kind of a… dead maze. HA! Not the worst of the night, but definitely not one that stood out to us. Under the black lights, there were a lot of glowing makeup which looked cool and definitely gave a unique visual effect but there wasn’t much else that made the house feel particularly memorable.
#9 Killer Klowns from Outer Space
And last place goes to Killer Klowns from Outer Space. This was actually my first time doing this maze because I’m not a huge fan of clowns. My friend has seen the movie and, according to her, it’s basically a B-movie that’s pretty stupid. That seems to sum up this haunted house, overstimulating, a bit run down and stupid. We also did this one toward the end of the night, maybe we were just DONE.
Bonus: El Circo de La Muerte Mini Maze
Not included in our official ranking but it’s a fun bonus to check out at HHN.
A funhouse mini scare maze is located right outside the Killceañera exit. A scare actor led us inside. I was a little hesitant to enter since no one else walked in with us. But there were two actors waiting inside and of course they got me!
Overall, we had such a fun night at Halloween Horror Nights 2026! Some houses absolutely nailed it, while others were a letdown.
Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood takes place select nights Aug. 28–Nov. 1
