Halloween Horror Nights 2026 is underway at Universal Studios Hollywood, bringing another year of haunted houses, scare zones, and plenty of familiar faces from across the horror genre.
This year’s lineup features eight haunted houses, along with the return of the Terror Tram, now starring Art the Clown. It’s a diverse lineup, spanning major properties like Sinners, Hellraiser, and Ozzy Osbourne, and original concepts like Dead, Deader, Deadest, and KILLceañera.
And for the most part, it’s another strong year.
Like our Orlando review, we’re moving away from traditional rankings and numbered scores and using a tier system instead. Haunted houses can change quite a bit throughout the run of Horror Nights. A great walkthrough can completely change your opinion of a house, while bad timing can make an otherwise strong house feel flat. The tiers are meant to give a better idea of where each experience generally stands rather than arguing whether something deserves half a point or not.
With that said, Hollywood has a pretty sizable Upper Tier this year. Five of the eight houses landed there for us, along with the Terror Tram, with Dead, Deader, Deadest standing out as our favorite of the event.
The Houses
Upper Tier
Dead, Deader, Deadest
Sometimes you just need to let the Horror Nights creative team off the leash.
Dead, Deader, Deadest is an entirely original house, unlike concepts like Scarecrow or Dead Exposure, which are tied to previous Orlando houses, allowing the Hollywood team the freedom to develop the house as they saw fit.
The result is spooky, gross, and plain ol’ fun.
The house plays with plenty of familiar funeral home clichés, but twists them into something that borders on dark humor, along with genuinely nasty imagery and effective scares.
It all builds toward a fantastic finale, where the house unloads with a gauntlet of ghoulish attacks before sending you out the house’s exit.
Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness
Much like its Orlando counterpart, the easiest way to describe Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness is that the vibes are indeed metal AF.
Hollywood’s version, however, focuses more directly on Ozzy in different forms across the eras of his music, using the imagery that has surrounded his albums and career.
That means a lot of Ozzy… Ozzy Bat. Ozzy Wolf. Ozzy Conductor. You get the gist.
The house uses those different versions of Ozzy to bring the album-inspired visuals to life, creating an experience rooted in the wonderfully twisted history of the Prince of Darkness. The music gives the house an energy unlike almost anything else at the event, while the visuals embrace the darker, more theatrical side of Ozzy’s legacy.
It’s loud, weird, dark, and unapologetically Ozzy.
Sinners
Sinners captures the vibe of the film almost immediately as you enter, throwing you right into the memorable “I Lied to You” sequence, even finding a way to bring the film’s striking bridging-the-eras visuals.
The casting is also great, which matters especially for Sinners, where so much of its identity comes from its characters.
But once the vampires start their attack on Club Juke, the house really kicks into another gear.
The glowing-eye effect used on the vampires is the standout, and probably one of the most talked-about things from Horror Nights on socials. It’s incredibly effective in person and has already produced some fantastic photos and videos from Opening Weekend.
Between the atmosphere, casting, music, and some impressive moments, Sinners captures much of what made the film work in the first place. Our only complaint: It’s short.
Hellraiser
Hellraiser is more of a light book report of a haunted house, taking us through the first three Hellraiser films and recreating their characters and memorable moments from the franchise.
For fans of Hellraiser, it’s a faithful trip through the films that represents the source material well. It embraces everything you’d expect from it: Cenobites, chains, grotesque imagery, and plenty of Pinhead. The darker environments and disturbing visuals make this one of the more traditionally “horror” houses in the lineup.
The masks are fantastic, the visuals are great, and there are some unique decoy scares that play with your expectations about where the attack is actually coming from. A great scare comes from Pinhead and the Pillar of Souls before the house’s finale (which also features a nod to the DJ being killed by CDs that eventually become the CD Cenobite).
It’s the perfect franchise for Horror Nights.
Terror Tram starring Art the Clown
Art takes over the Terror Tram this year, and the result is chaotic delight.
It’s brutal, bloody, and ridiculous in all the ways you’d expect from Art the Clown, while also making full use of something no other haunt experience can replicate: Universal’s actual backlot.
The Terror Tram’s existing sets and environments work incredibly well as Art’s holiday playground, making the experience feel bigger and more chaotic than a traditional house.
One drawback, ironically, is Art’s own popularity.
Crowds can create some serious backups throughout the experience, and when you’re stuck shuffling through a packed section of the backlot, some of that chaos and energy naturally gets lost. That’s something to keep in mind if you’re visiting during a peak period.
But when everything is flowing properly, Art and the Terror Tram are a match made in bloody heaven.
Mid Tier
KILLCeañera: Music by SLASH
KILLceañera feels fresh enough to feel new, but a sense of familiarity keeps it from reaching our Upper Tier.
Part of that comes from the return of some monsters we’ve previously encountered in the Monstruos houses. While the quinceañera setting gives the concept its own personality, there are moments where it can almost feel like “Monstruos Lite”.
It’s not a knock on the house’s quality, as it’s still a great experience with strong characters and environments, and another great SLASH score that helps set the mood. We’ve just seen enough of its DNA that it doesn’t have quite the same impact as something completely fresh like Dead, Deader, Deadest.
“15 Candles” is an earworm, too!
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
So we’ve reached an impasse with Killer Klowns from Outer Space; it’s still a great house, but it’s also been done before…
…Twice.
This marks the third time Killer Klowns has been featured as a house at Hollywood, and there isn’t enough new this time around to make the experience feel fresh.
It’s hard to poo-poo the house too much because the property works incredibly well and remains incredibly popular with the crowds. The Klowns are fantastic, the environments are colorful, and the entire thing captures the movie’s ridiculous fun.
If you’ve never experienced a Killer Klowns house before, you’ll probably have a blast, but returning Horror Nights fans have done this already.
Lower Tier
Evil Dead Burn
Evil Dead Burn makes a solid attempt to recreate the film’s intensity. The Deadites are relentless, and when the house gets moving, there’s an appropriately frantic energy to the scares.
Unfortunately, not much else about the experience stuck with us.
We didn’t find many scenes or moments to talk about afterward, especially compared to some of the memorable imagery throughout this year’s other houses.
Some of that probably comes down to our own disdain for the film itself, and fans of Evil Dead Burn may connect with the house considerably more than we did.
For us, though, it just never came together.
Stranger Things 5
Maybe it’s the source material. Maybe we’ve simply spent enough time in Hawkins. Whatever the reason, we just didn’t jive with this final Stranger Things house.
There are certainly some fine moments throughout, and fans of the series will get to see several recognizable scenes and characters brought to life. But there are also stretches where the house feels surprisingly spacious or empty, which can drain some of the energy out of the experience.
It’s especially noticeable compared to houses like Sinners or Dead, Deader, Deadest, where something constantly demands your attention.
After several trips into the Upside Down over the years, Stranger Things 5 ultimately feels like a fairly quiet goodbye.
There are things to enjoy, especially if you’re a big fan of the series, but as a haunted house, it was the one we connected with the least this year.
Scare Zones & Street Experiences
Hollywood’s scare zones have always relied on smaller pockets of atmosphere and characters scattered throughout the park.
This year, though, there’s quite a bit happening in the streets. Along with the traditional scare zones, Art the Clown can randomly appear around the park, while Nikki from Obsession also makes nightly appearances.
Upper Tier
El Circo de la Muerte
Our favorite scare zone of the year is El Circo de la Muerte.
Located as you exit KILLCeañera, the zone takes inspiration from the traveling circuses and sideshows of 1930s Mexico, giving it a distinct look and personality that helps it stand apart from everything else at the event.
The biggest thing working in its favor is that it actually feels like a complete idea. The costumes, characters, and atmosphere all work together, and it serves as a great companion piece to KILLceañera.
There’s also a small gauntlet that adds a nice fun detour to the usual scare zone experience.
Fortnitemares/Hackerz
Fortnitemares and Hackerz combine to make for a surprisingly fun entrance into Horror Nights.
Fortnitemares is obviously going to be divisive simply because it’s Fortnite, but the zone works better in person than you might expect. It’s a welcome party to the Halloween Horror Nights fun! The characters and energy make the zone feel active, especially as they interact with guests, either by scaring them or emoting with them.
Hackerz brings the chainsaws, adding a little more traditional Horror Nights chaos to the mix. Together, the two areas make for a strong opening stretch to the event.
Roaming Art the Clown
Sometimes you just need Art the Clown just wandering around to be effective.
In addition to starring in this year’s Terror Tram, Art randomly lurks around Universal Studios Hollywood throughout the night.
You never quite know where Art is going to show up, and that unpredictability makes the encounter considerably more fun than simply putting him in a designated photo-op location.
Art has become one of modern horror’s biggest characters, and Universal wisely lets him do what Art does best: cause chaos.
Mid Tier
Blood Bog
Blood Bog brings moss-covered monsters out of the bogs and bayous and into the streets of Universal Studios Hollywood.
It’s a solid little scare zone with some fun character designs, but it doesn’t have quite the same identity or space as the areas. It’s an enjoyable walk-through as you make your way to the Terror Tram, adding to the event’s atmosphere, even if you’re probably not going out of your way to spend a ton of time there.
Murder of Crowz
The Crowz are back.
Murder of Crowz has become a staple at Hollywood’s Horror Nights, and this year the family has moved near the front of the park.
At this point, you pretty much know what you’re getting. The costumes are still great, the characters are fun to watch, and we’re always happy to see the Crowz. There’s just not much new to say about them.
Shriek of the Banshee
Shriek of the Banshee is another smaller street experience, centered around a banshee.
It’s more atmosphere than a traditional scare zone, but that’s perfectly fine – especially as it features the awesome 4-legged stilt banshee. The smaller experiences help fill in the gaps to give Hollywood’s event a little more personality.
Roaming Nikki from Obsession
Nikki is probably the most divisive character that’s arrived at the event.
Rather than turning Obsession into a full haunted house, Universal has brought Nikki into the event as a roaming character, appearing in her blood-covered look from the film.
Given Obsession’s subject matter, it’s probably the best way to acknowledge one of the year’s biggest horror films without forcing the property into a traditional haunted house.
Unsurprisingly, Nikki has also been drawing quite a crowd whenever she appears, especially because she’s tied to the event’s nightly password game, where guests who provide the password can receive a keepsake prize.
For fans of the movie, it’s a cool encounter. For everyone else, well, mileage may vary. Given the nature of the character and the attention she’s already drawing, we’re just hoping everyone has fun with it, respects the performer, and nobody crosses any lines and makes things weird.
The Purge: Dangerous Waters
The Purge: Dangerous Waters returns to the WaterWorld stage once again this year.
We didn’t see the show this year, mostly because we’ve already seen it before and didn’t feel the need to carve out time for another viewing.
If you’ve enjoyed it in previous years, you’ll probably enjoy it again. At this point, it’s become a bit of comfort food for Horror Nights. You know exactly what you’re getting: fire, stunts, explosions, and plenty of Purge chaos.
But it may also be time to start thinking about retiring it.
The show has had a good run, but Horror Nights is at its best when there’s something new to discover. Hopefully, Hollywood eventually uses the WaterWorld venue to give us a completely new nighttime show.
Food & Drink
Unfortunately, this is going to be a pretty short section this year.
I was dealing with a stomach bug during my visit, which naturally didn’t have me itching to ingest a 22-foot-long Battle Bus dog… or much of anything else for that matter.
So, food and drinks mostly had to take a back seat this year.
It’s unfortunate because Horror Nights continues to put a bigger emphasis on its specialty food and beverage offerings.
Still, I’m just happy I was able to make it out to the event at all.
Pack your patience, though. We saw long lines for some of the more popular properties, including Fortnite and the “One Wish Willow” Churro.
Operations & Crowds
If there’s one area where Halloween Horror Nights continues to struggle, it’s simply having enough room for everything.
Early Entry remains one of the best ways to get a jump on the day. If you’re looking to knock out several houses before the larger crowds arrive, it works incredibly well.
Getting into the park for Early Entry, however, is another story…
The scene around the archway can best be described as chaos. Once you’re inside and moving, Early Entry does exactly what it’s supposed to do, but getting everyone through the front of the park could use some improvement.
And that brings us to the larger issue.
We think it’s time for Halloween Horror Nights in Hollywood to expand.
The event has become incredibly popular, and at this point, Hollywood feels like it’s bursting at the seams. You can only push so many people through the existing footprint before the crowds start affecting the experience.
Perhaps it’s time to revisit the Metro Sets?
Returning Horror Nights to the backlot wouldn’t magically solve every crowd problem, but it would give the event somewhere else to send people. More importantly, it would give the creative team additional space to work with. Obviously, there are logistical reasons why the Metro Sets haven’t been part of the event in recent years, and bringing them back is much easier said than done.
But Horror Nights isn’t getting any smaller.
At some point, the answer can’t simply be figuring out how to squeeze more people into the same amount of space.
Final Thoughts
Halloween Horror Nights 2026 at Universal Studios Hollywood is a very solid year.
Dead, Deader, Deadest gives Hollywood’s creative team the freedom to run wild with an original concept. Sinners captures the atmosphere of its source material incredibly well. Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness is an awesome tribute to the legend. Hellraiser delivers the grotesque imagery fans want, and Art the Clown proves to be a perfect fit for the chaotic nature of the Terror Tram.
Hollywood is at its best when it’s giving us something fresh.
It’s not that returning properties can’t work, but when you put those experiences next to something like Dead, Deader, Deadest, Sinners, or even Art taking over the Terror Tram, the difference becomes noticeable. Horror Nights is an event built around anticipation and discovery, and there’s something exciting about walking into an experience without already knowing exactly what you’re going to get.
One thing Hollywood continues to do extremely well is balancing the horror with the party atmosphere of Halloween.
It’s something that has always helped give this version of Horror Nights its own personality. Yes, you’re here to get scared, but you’re also here to hang out and enjoy Halloween.
Interestingly, one familiar piece of the Hollywood atmosphere is noticeably absent this year: dubstep.
Instead, the event leans much more heavily into rock, with some hip-hop and synth tracks sprinkled throughout the night. It’s a small change, but after years of that aggressive electronic soundtrack becoming almost synonymous with Hollywood’s event, you definitely notice it.
The biggest concern going forward isn’t really the creative side of Horror Nights; it’s the space. Halloween Horror Nights has become too big for Hollywood to keep pretending it isn’t.
For 2026, though, Hollywood has put together another very solid Horror Nights. The strongest houses are among the best we’ve seen from the park, the streets maintain that uniquely Hollywood mix of horror and Halloween party, and there’s enough here to make for another great year.
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