As a Floridian, I’ve attended Universal Studios Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights several times. This year, I finally got the chance to go to the Hollywood park’s version of the event. I went into it with little knowledge, only knowing that Universal Studios Hollywood is a fraction of the size of its Orlando counterpart. After hearing all the hype, I went into it with high expectations. Here’s how it went:
The Crowds
I can’t lie, there were A LOT of people. In fact, we were lucky to stumble upon any haunted houses with a wait time of under two hours. That being said, we were only able to go through two of the houses. If you decide to go, definitely get there early and accept the fact up front that you probably won’t get to experience everything.
Terror Tram
We went for the terror tram first because it’s totally different from anything we have back home (and believe it or not, there was no line). If you’ve ever been to Universal Studios Hollywood, you’ll know there’s a tram ride that takes you through various movie sets. At Horror Nights, this is converted to the “terror tram.” Basically, the tram takes you partially through the normal ride route until you’re dropped off and left to walk the rest of the way (all while being met with numerous scares).
This year’s tram was bug-themed. You can expect to see giant mutant flies and spiders, some walking on stilts and others charging at you with chainsaws. Think of this like a big, winding scare zone, just with a lot less crowds to hide in. The theme was pretty cheesy, so I didn’t find it too scary, but it was still really fun.
My favorite part of the experience was getting to walk through the set of Nope, which was swarmed with the red jumpsuit-wearing and scissor-wielding characters from Us.
Haunted House
The one real house I went into was called “Universal Monsters: Unmasked.” Picture walking through the catacombs of Paris while being scared by classic monsters, such as the Phantom of the Opera and the Invisible Man. This house definitely got me a few times (it was for sure a lot scarier than the Stranger Things house I experienced in Orlando).
Scarezones
There were three scare zones: one filled with killer children’s toys, one themed to Latin America and one with just a bunch of chainsaws. Everyone I went with made the same comment; the scare actors in LA are a lot more intense than the ones in Orlando. It’s hard to explain, but they all just seemed more into it. I like to think I’m fairly tough to scare, but they made me jump several times.
As for my conclusion, while aspects of the event in Hollywood were scarier, I ultimately enjoy Orlando’s version more. There’s more to do and the crowds never feel quite as bad as they did in Hollywood. That being said, if you don’t hop between coasts like I do, definitely check out Horror Nights in Hollywood! The Halloween season really isn’t complete without a good scare or two.