Ultimate Guide to Universal Halloween Horror Nights 2025

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It’s time for monsters, mayhem, and a whole lot of fog machines. Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights (or HHN) is back once more for an unforgettable season of terror, and sprinting away from scare actors wielding chainsaws. Running from August 29 through November 2, its 34th year is also set to be the longest season yet.

While we’re expecting bigger scares to coincide with its beefed up runtime, 2025 feels different in other ways, too; for HHN 34, Universal is leaning harder than ever into pop culture juggernauts and fan-favorite franchises. Of course, the annual horror spectacle always reserves a certain number of haunted houses for recognizable IP, and their original houses this year still drip with nightmare-inducing creativity and many a mangled human flesh costume. But compared to previous iterations, this lineup is particularly stacked with nods to everything from gaming fandoms (Five Nights at Freddy’s), to streaming obsessions (Fallout), wrestling lore (WWE’s Wyatt Sicks), and cult-slasher devotion (Terrifier and Jason Universe).

The event, which takes place at both Universal Studios Florida in Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, California, is a little more like a horror All-Stars arena come to life this season, where characters you’ve probably cosplayed and argued about online are suddenly in your face and assaulting all your senses at once. But whether you’re a diehard fan who’s been making the pilgrimage for years, or a first-timer who just wants to survive one night of mayhem, HHN 2025 still promises fresh frights for every taste.

Rolling Stone got an exclusive look inside Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights houses including Five Nights at Freddy’s, Fallout, and more. Here’s your guide to what’s lurking in the mist this year at HHN 34, from the new houses and scare zones, to survival tips for making the most of your night.

When Is Universal Halloween Horror Nights 2025?

Halloween Horror Nights 34 kicks off August 29, 2025, and runs on select nights through November 2, 2025. The event operates from 6:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., typically on Wednesday through Sunday, and requires a separate ticket to enter. If you’re visiting the theme parks during the day, make note of when Universal Studios Florida will be closing for the event (usually at 5 p.m.). You can access the theme park early starting at 3 p.m with a Scream Early ticket.

HHN 34 features 10 haunted houses, four scare zones, various street experiences, and two live shows, including a variety of event-specific, spookily-themed food and drink. Universal also keeps most of its popular attractions open during the event, as well, and you may even find a surprise or two in unexpected places (like Death Eaters roaming the streets of Diagon Alley).

Universal Halloween Horror Nights 34 Houses

Every year, Universal reinvents the HHN formula with a mix of original nightmares and franchise crossovers. This year brings ten new haunted houses, each packed with enough nightmare fuel to last you till All Hallow’s Eve. We braved the houses to give you an insider’s look at all the blood, guts, and more.

Five Nights at Freddy’s

The blockbuster video game turned movie phenomenon finally gets its own house, and it’s a dream come true (or perhaps a nightmare realized). Set in the eerie corridors of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, where the animatronics aren’t just getting a “little quirky” at night, it’s a supernatural survival game as you navigate haunted hallways in a fight to escape. Crafted in collaboration with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, the experience features exact animatronic and puppet replicas of Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy (even Mr. Cupcake makes an appearance) that will make you question or childhood arcade nostalgia.

The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks (WWE)

If you’re a wrestling fan (or even if you’re not) you’ve probably heard whispers about Bray Wyatt’s haunting WWE persona. While you step into the twisted, theatrical world of Uncle Howdy and Wyatt’s cult-like imagery, and the larger-than-life characters close in on you, this house is less about jump scares than it is about total immersion. It also doubles as a tribute to Wyatt, who died in 2023, with emotional nods to his legacy: the WWE and Universal creative team loaded it with video content, including a video-screen tunnel featuring ten WWE personalities past and present (there’s also a show scene with Wyatt’s signature lantern sitting atop a rocking chair).

Terrifier

Art the Clown doesn’t mess around. This house is grotesque given the source material, so anticipate a parade of famous kills from the films (including the full-body hacksaw kill) along with new kills from working with director Damien Leone. HHN is also no stranger to getting gross on the olfactory front, with a vomit smell emanating from 2024’s Insidious house and 2023’s infamously nauseating The Exorcist: Believer. In this house, they’ve pumped in scents of salted flesh, bleach, and yes, even poop. You’ll also endure a blood-soaked finale where you literally get drenched with warm water that smells like iron-laden blood (there’s a reason why they’re selling rain ponchos outside of this house). If you’re squeamish, maybe skip this one. If not, welcome to HHN’s most extreme house this year.

Fallout

Post-apocalyptic horror gets its moment in the spotlight with a house inspired by Amazon’s hit Fallout series. You’ll wander through locations from the show, including Ma June’s Sundries, Vault corridors, and even a New California Republic HQ under siege. Easter eggs for longtime fans abound, as Amazon worked with Universal’s creative team throughout filming the second season, so expect to see a teased Season 2 character cameo. While not particularly “scary,” it’s a true video game come to life and a love letter to the series.

Jason Universe

Jason Voorhees has slashed his way into HHN before, but this year is next-level. While Jason Universe isn’t tied to one film, it is an unrelenting gauntlet of Jasons from across the Friday the 13th films 1-8. From creepy cabins and misty forests to shattered lodges, Camp Crystal Lake comes alive (and so does Jason). Multiple killers mean no safe corners, including a jump scare-heavy hallway chase scene that rivals last year’s Insidious house curtain room.

El Artista: A Spanish Haunting

This house leans into Gothic, atmospheric terror, and designed by the same creative who worked on the iconic Dead Man’s Pier: Winter’s Wake, we knew it was going to be a banger. Set in 19th-century Spain, you’ll follow tormented artist Sergio Navarro who decides to seek inspiration in La Casa Creación, an isolated Spanish manor, only to have his creations cursed by darkness. While there’s no official icon of this year’s HHN, Universal Creative team member Lora Sauls spoke to us about how this house’s storyline fits into the narrative of this year’s event.

“The more we developed [HHN 34] and were using a conservatory as our overall thematic, we thought we should put the Conservatory in El Artista, because all of these artists have been drawn to this house. The house is manipulating their work, right? So their work has become all of our event. If you look up at the windows in the house, you’ll also see there’s no stained glass. That’s because that glass has been busted by all of the creatures from [the scare zone The Origins of Horror] — the Gargoyle, the Crow, the Cat, the Bat, they’ve all broken out and are running loose in our event.”

Expect twisted sculptures, haunted paintings (“Our graphic team here at Universal did most of the paintings, and you’ll see in some of the locations, a few of the paintings reference other scare zones”), and ghostly apparitions woven into the fabric of the house.

Gálkn: Monsters of the North

An original concept steeped in Nordic mythology, this one pulls you into icy landscapes crawling with creatures from ancient legends. The winds howl in your ears, and towering beasts emerge from the blizzard. It’s as visually stunning as it is terrifying.

Dolls: Let’s Play Dead

If you already hate dolls, congratulations, because this house might just ruin your life. This isn’t your average “toy story”, as you become doll-sized and witness the unnatural creations of a twisted little girl. Life-size dolls attack (including a particularly creepy figure made up of baby heads), and eerie giggles echoing through the halls. Universal’s design team leaned hard into uncanny valley horror here, so you’ll never think about playtime the same away ever again.

Hatchet and Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters

Imagine a hellish Wild West where red-hot lava demons are crawling out of Hell’s Well and trying to possess everyone, melting everything in their path. This house is a mashup of spaghetti western aesthetics with supernatural horror, featuring demonic bounty hunters Hatchet and Chains chasing souls across cursed saloons and desert wastelands. Gory gunfights with monsters? Check.

Grave of the Flesh

Another fresh-cooked scare from Universal’s own dark imaginations is all about your funeral. You’ll enter your grave and then pass through the gates of the underworld, oozing dread as the soil walls tighten in and flesh-eaters who feed on the dead will be waiting for you. This is a pretty claustrophobic house, full of the skin-crawling, rotting horror of the dead that just won’t stay dead.

Halloween Horror Nights Scare Zones and Live Shows 2025

The streets between haunted houses are also teeming with danger for this year’s scare zones and live shows:

Where to Buy Halloween Horror Nights 2025 Tickets Online

If you’re looking for how to buy HHN tickets for this year’s event online, look no further. There’s single-night to multi-night passes still available, and even VIP experiences. A single-night ticket to HHN starts at $85.99 per person, plus tax, and if you want to add Express to your single-night ticket, it starts at $179.99 per person, plus tax. For multi-night tickets, there are a couple options, each with the ability to add Express, but all Frequent Fear Pass Options with HHN Express are currently sold out.

But there are a couple of ways to find discount tickets to Universal Halloween Horror Nights — if you know where to look. Universal Orlando resort uses authorized ticket resellers like Undercover Tourist to sell discount tickets. Check calendars (often interactive at reseller sites) before buying, because pricing vary by date, typically rising toward October weekends and peak scare nights.

Sellouts are possible, so if you’re planning a single-night visit, buy your ticket as soon as you can. Some resellers (like AttractionTickets.com) allow free cancellation or date changes before your trip, so check terms when purchasing. HHN tickets typically come as e-tickets, so you can scan your barcode directly from your phone at the gate, no printouts needed.

Halloween Horror Nights Survival Tips

Ready to sink your teeth into queue strategies? Here’s how to conquer HHN, and remember, never go alone.

It may sound obvious, but remember to your tickets early, because HHN sells out on peak nights (especially weekends in October). Guests already in the park can queue early for select houses with Stay & Scream, and it’s still the best way to hit fan-favorite houses with minimal wait. When the event does hit full swing, we suggest prioritizing Five Nights at Freddy’s, Terrifier, and Fallout (those will definitely see the longest waits this year based on our experience at Premium Scream Night).

If needed, use the “No-Boo” Necklace: introduced this season and available for $20, when you wear it this lets actors in scare zones know to skip you. Just note: it doesn’t work in haunted houses. Happy hauntings!