After a year without a traditional Halloween, theme parks have big (and earlier) resurrections this year. Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights returned on Thursday (September 9th, 2021) and it delivered a fresh version of the classic event. The event was also a bit of Halloween comfort food, offering the return of favorite mazes and themes from the past and a new festival vibe.
Halloween Horror Nights 2021
In the past, Universal offered the scariest of the California theme park Halloween events. And while that may still be true, the event has softened a bit this year to offer more areas to relax and enjoy the Halloween spirit as well as a new festival area with a Dia de los Muertos theme.
At the heart of this year’s event is this new festival area. A bar, food, photo opportunities, superb decorations, an automated puppet show, and characters set the theme. This is also a bit of a safe-zone where you won’t have to worry about monsters scaring you. It uses a Halloween/Dia de los Muertos theme, but it’s more of a joyful experience. I very much like this area and it really does help make the whole even feel more approachable and well-rounded.
Let’s look at the mazes first…
Universal Hollywood HHN Mazes
In addition to the three brand new mazes, The Haunting of Hill House, The Bride of Frankenstein Lives, and The Terror Tram: The Ultimate Purge, there are also some returning favorites and some which are inspired by things guests have loved in the past. After a difficult year and a canceled 2020, the HHN team decided to deliver a greatest-hits sort of event to get fans back in the mood.
You’ll find that this year’s HHN offers a wide variety of scare levels. It isn’t all gore and chainsaws this year (though there’s plenty of that), it’s also about story, drama, and details. In some ways, the event feels much more like Halloween than we’ve remembered in the past.
The Haunting of Hill House
Universal has a real headliner with Netflix’s critically-acclaimed series “The Haunting of Hill House.” This one is so big that they built versions in both Universal Hollywood and Orlando. (Keep reading all the way to the bottom for some photos we were able to take INSIDE this construction of this haunted experience!)
The Haunting of Hill House series follows members of the Crain family who are plagued by long-dormant fears stemming from their time living in the menacing Hill House as children and then forced to face the ghosts of its grisly past. Iconic scenes from the series have been recreated for the maze, including the Red Room, Hall of Statues, The Tall Man, The Ghost in the Basement, and The Bent-Neck Lady.
You walk into the maze through a giant mural of Hill House.
The sets are detailed and filled with special effects.
While the show is a slow burn, the maze is decidedly quicker at getting to the punch.
As you navigate this one, don’t just wait for things to pop out at you, try to look at the walls… not just for scares… but because this maze is GORGEOUS.
On the scare scale, this one is a 5 out of 10, but it’s a design 10.
Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives
With an original score by SLASH and an elaborate original script, “The Bride of Frankenstein Lives” is the most ambitious project at this year’s event. It was also my personal favorite maze. The story is important to this attraction, which is essentially the unmade sequel to the classic Universal Monster film The Bride of Frankenstein.
The story follows the Bride’s attempt to bring Frankenstein’s monster back to life. In the process, she needs to harvest body parts from villagers, capture Dracula’s daughters for the everlasting life in their blood, and become a mad scientist to achieve her ultimate goal… LIFE!
You don’t really need to know the story (though it helps if you do) to enjoy this one. Beautiful sets, classic monsters, and lots of surprise jump scares. But on a deeper level, there’s a story here about a monster slowly learning how to play the role of a god. It’s pretty deep for a maze, and incredibly beautiful. Well done Universal, I’m planning a return trip just to show this maze to some friends.
(I’ve got even more on this one for you at the bottom of the article)
Terror Tram: The Ultimate Purge
The Universal Tram takes you to the backlot for a journey into the nightmarish world of The Purge. The Purge is a one-night event when all crime is legal; however, as the latest film, The Forever Purge depicts, members of an underground movement believe that The Purge should be every day – and plan to overtake America through a relentless campaign of mayhem and massacre… but that’s just the story being played out around you. The real reason to visit this experience is to be dropped off on the lower lot and get to walk through the iconic Bates Motel, Psycho House, see Norman Bates up close, and then traverse the epic crashed DC10 set from War of the Worlds. They could have Sponge Bob dancing in circles and I’d still think this was fabulous. But add the drama, knives, axes, chainsaws, and murderous denizens of The Purge to the mix and this is just off the charts amazing.
The Exorcist
Universal has brought back one of their all-time most popular mazes, based on the iconic film The Exorcist. This maze was in a tent the first time it was created, this time it’s been moved into a soundstage next to the Transformers ride on the lower lot. So, while it will feel familiar, it’s also elevated a bit. Oh, and watch out for pea soup…
I loved this one the first time I saw it and I still feel the same. I also REALLY appreciate that this isn’t a blood and guts maze, this is a psychological thriller! Very well executed and lots of fun to experience in person.
Pandora’s Cabinet of Curiosities
Based upon the surprising success of the Curse of Pandora’s Box at the 2019 event, is the new but familiar Pandora’s Cabinet of Curiosities. Like the first version, this is an 80’s style blacklight maze and I LOVE it. Again, not gory, this maze is all about the effects and monster masks. Lots and lots of old-time Halloween fun. No wonder fans loved it.
The maze is located in a new spot next to Hill House. They are accessed via a new route for the event. You walk through Wizarding World of Harry Potter all the way past Hogwarts Castle and then take a path down the hill below City Walk at the base of a parking structure.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The demented Leatherface and his family with unrelenting chainsaws are serving up people in the family restaurant. This maze is classic Halloween Horror Nights fare. There’s chainsaws, gore, and nasty smells. Many will feel this is the scariest maze of the event. And while this one isn’t my speed, I did appreciate it and can see why Universal brought it back yet again.
The Walking Dead
So, this one is a bit of a cheat as it’s really the old Walking Dead theme park attraction. However, the attraction officially closed in March of 2020 and never reopened to guests – even the sign and crashed helicopter were removed (makes sense since it’s located directly next to the Secret Life of Pets attraction). So, all they’ve done is reopen the attraction for HHN. But it is the most complete Halloween maze in many ways. It has a brilliant fully themed interior queue, every inch of the maze is purposely built out with elaborate multi-story sets, there are animatronics, superior lighting, and it’s the most balanced experience. Unfortunately, it’s entirely the same as it’s been since it was first unveiled in July of 2016.
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
This one is a classic! Again with that word, but that’s sort of the feel for the whole event this year.
This was the final maze I experienced for the evening and I couldn’t have selected better. Halloween is based on the classic slasher from Trancas International Films. With his haunting white mask and signature steel knife, the relentless Myers is ready to resume his killing spree and terrorize the people of Haddonfield as he hunts for his niece Jamie to finally seek his revenge. But it’s also got lots of themes from your childhood which make this maze both terrifying and nostalgic.
There’s a very effective and VERY scary mirror maze segment in this maze that managed to shock me multiple times. Very, very well done.
Halloween Horror Nights Scare Zones 2021
Universal claims that there are three scare zones this year, but two of them sort of run together at the entry to the park and the other is at the Exit of the Bride of Frankenstein maze… all on the upper lot. There are no scare zones on the lower lot this year nor near the backstage mazes. That’s unfortunately the weakness with this year’s event. There needs to be a bit more connective tissue between the mazes since they are all spread out so far. Still, we enjoyed the small scare zones offered this year.
Join me for a video walk-through the Upper Lot scare zones and a quick chat about this year’s Halloween Horror Nights:
- “Universal Monsters: Silver Scream Queenz,” adjacent to the “Bride of Frankenstein Lives” maze, is the first all-female scare zone featuring The Bride of Frankenstein, Anck-Su-Namun The Mummy, Dracula’s Daughters and She-Wolf of London. I absolutely LOVED this scare zone. It works extra well since it seems to flow naturally from the Bride of Frankenstein maze into the scare zone. Lots of fun. I visited this zone 3 times!
- “Chainsaw Rangers” is a diabolical gang of chainsaw-wielding maniacs who strike upon those entering Halloween Horror Nights.
- New York Street becomes “Demon City” where bloodthirsty demonic-looking clubgoers prowl the night looking for their next victims.
Rides Open for Halloween Horror Nights
In addition to the Horror Nights attractions, the following rides will also be open during HHN this year: Jurassic World, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff, Revenge of The Mummy, Transformers, and The Simpsons Ride.
Wizarding World of Harry Potter is open for the first time this year for HHN. It’s the PERFECT spot to just chill out for a bit between mazes as there is lots of seating, plenty of access to good food and beverage, and the area is creepy without being overly scary… which makes it a safe place to relax! You’ll notice some special lighting and a spooky new track playing in the background.
Although there are just two mazes on the lower lot, there’s plenty of reason to take the long bank of escalators to get there. Three of the park’s big rides, all of them scary, are down there. Waits for the rides should be shorter than during the day. Prioritize mazes, but if you see a short line for a ride you like, do it!
USH HHN Entertainment
As far as entertainment goes, it’s just the hip-hop dance crew, Jabbawockeez, this year. We didn’t have time to see them, but the show isn’t new to us (they played at Knott’s Scary Farm for years before Universal picked them up).
Halloween Horror Nights Food & Merchandise
Universal Studios Hollywood has really stepped up their game in the food department for Horror Nights this year. Aside from Three Broomsticks being open for the event (which has great food in an eery setting) there’s the new Dia de los Muertos festival grounds, Leatherface BBQ, and special snacks and treats in various other locations. Here’s some of what we found.
Dia de Los Muertos Bar
– Selection of draft and canned beers
– Craft cocktails: Marigold Floral Crown, Smoked Margarita, and Chamoy Fireball (all served in a light up skull mug)
Little Cocina Menu (in the Dia de los Muertos area)
– Birria en su Consome
– Cheese Tamale
– Grilled Elote
– Horchata Churro Bites
– Chamoy Pineapple Spears
Leatherface’s Texas Family BBQ (on the lower lot near Transformers)
– BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich
– Texas Chainsaw Chili Nachos
– Bloody Beef Rib Bone
– Bloody Funnel Fries
– Monster Chili & Cheese Dog
– Texas Tea
Freakshow Vin Bistro
I stopped here for a little late night sandwich and some snacks. Wonderful, uncrowded (I had wanted to try the Little Cocina but it was quite crowded), my wine was pretty good and came in a light-up glass. Then I took my items just across the way to the Dia de los Muertos area to eat them.
– Freakshow Wines on Tap
– Freakshow Sangria
– Universal Monsters themed sweet treats
Spooky Minion Café
Just missed this one. They close the doors earlier in the event (at least they did on opening day)
– Takis Mac n Cheese
– Seasonal Felonious Float
– Minion Pumpkin Popcorn Bucket
While I was in the area, I couldn’t help but notice how creepy some of the cheerful things in the park can look at night under the right lighting.
Jurassic Drink Lab
I missed this one entirely. I’ll go looking for it on my next visit.
– Fritos and Takis Pies
– French Bread Pizza
– Cutwater Spirits on Ice
– Specialty Jurassic Cocktails
– Elysian Space Dust IPA
– Seasonal specialty HHN beer
Merchandise
Your best bet is to check out the Universal Store on the way out of the park. There’s a large selection of items from shirts and hats to masks and lunch boxes.
Universal Studios Hollywood HHN Tips
Halloween Horror Nights is almost always sold out, or very close to it (though they capped opening night at about a quarter of what I’m accustomed to). As a result of the crowds, you need to make a decision. If you want to see everything, consider adding the Express Pass to skip the lines. It’s expensive (and ranges in price depending on expected crowd level). If you don’t want to pay extra, you can still see a lot, but you’d be best off to arrive about an hour before HHN opens for the night. That will give you time for parking and to go through security.
For those without Express Passes, do your best to visit the event the exact opposite way the average guest would. Most guests will do the Upper Lot, then the Lower Lot, then the tram. This year Universal has added another area accessed via Wizarding World which is normally backstage. To make the most of your visit, I’d recommend heading straight to this new area (where Hill House and Pandora are located) via Wizarding World and walk all the way to the very back of the land by the backstage gates. Follow signs and team member instructions from there.
Next, look at the wait time boards and see what the two lower lot mazes look like (Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Exorcist) and the Terror Tram. If the Tram wait doesn’t look bad, go there. Then head to the Lower lot. You may have to make some difficult decisions. If one or both of the mazes have a very long wait, either get in line or perhaps just enjoy the attractions (which will likely have short waits). The three Upper lot mazes can be saved until the end of the night. Keep in mind that this touring plan only works if you enter the event right at opening. If you are late, just look at wait times and head to the shortest wait.
Daylight Walk-Through of Two Mazes
Before the launch of Horror Nights, we were able to take a walk-through of two new mazes with the Creative Director of the event, John Murdy. with lots of extra lighting, you can see more of the detail you might miss at night.
The Haunting of Hill House:
We were able to take a walk through the construction of this epic experience with Universal Creative Director, John Murdy, who told us more about the inspiration and challenges creating this maze. These photos were shot about a week before HHN opened to the public.
There were two big challenges creating this experience. First, in the television show, Hill House is massive, but Halloween mazes are small in size and stature. The other issue was how to create the pivotal character of the Bent-Neck Lady as it wouldn’t be safe or comfortable for a scare-actor to spend an entire season with their head cocked to the side as if the neck was broken.
The HHN team addressed both of those issues with theatrical trickery. We won’t give too many secrets, as we want you to be surprised, but we do want to tease you with some of the gee-whiz sets and details which show just how much work went into creating a detailed environment that puts you smack dab in the middle of the story.
The sets in Hill House are detailed with crown moulding, replica wallpaper, statuary, and lots of surprise cutaways where the monsters can get you.
Like the TV show, this maze will reveal itself slowly. With smaller hauntings building to a psychic crescendo.
John pointed out that thousands of photos from the actual set allowed his team to recreate details such as furniture, plot points, and even wallpaper.
Some of the sets in this maze are so real that they really do look like they came right out of the show.
There’s lots of illusion in this maze, including theatrical scrims, pepper’s ghost, and deceptive lighting. In one particularly clever trick, an entire corridor wall dissolves to reveal the same space in a different point in time. I love it when a maze is more than just gore. This one is GORGEOUS!
Building an HHN maze isn’t easy. They can take more than a year to plan, obtain rights, design, construct, and then staff and train. For specific props, it can be enormously expensive and time consuming to recreate items from the source material, such as the statues below…
We visited while many props were still being installed and much was still wrapped or in production.
The detail and story elements in this maze are expertly executed. It feels like you are on set in places. While you’ll conga through in a never stopping line during the event, keep your eyes open on this one and really look for the little things that make it special… that is if you aren’t too busy screaming from the jump scares.
The Bride of Frankenstein Lives Walk-Through
Another experience which will be shared between Hollywood and Orlando is this Universal Monsters original creation. The monsters made Universal what it is today, and some of those iconic stories are nearly 100 years old now. So, the challenge was twofold, to honor a legacy and to make it scary enough for modern audiences.
Many of Universal’s classic monsters films had multiple sequels. But one leading lady was only seen once, the Bride of Frankenstein. The HHN team sought to correct that situation and give her the story she deserves. So, in a way, this maze is her sequel. While many movies have been turned into mazes, we’re not sure a maze has ever been turned into a movie. But this one might just deserve that opportunity.
The great challenge of this maze is to tell a story that the guests won’t know before entering. As a result, a lot of plot needs to be unraveled so guests will understand what they are seeing. We recommend keeping your eyes open and reading all the signage. Don’t worry, the messages are brief and audio cues help paint a picture. But we’ll help you a bit with this one as we think it will enhance your experience. I’ll focus on the story boards and leave most of the sets for you to discover in person.
As soon as you enter the maze, a mural tells you that “Something survived.”
But it doesn’t appear that one of those things was Frankenstein’s monster. He’s dead in the rubble. Or so it appears…
Simply, the plot of the maze is that the Bride has survived and finding the monster near death she seeks to save him. Thus begins her quest, and the plot of the story.
The monster is in terrible shape, missing his lower legs and horribly crushed and burned.
Along the way, the Bride is hunted by Dracula’s three daughters. But with an inner strength to save the monster, the Bride turns the tables and hunts the vampires down.
The vampires have the eternal strength of Dracula, so perhaps if the Bride is able to drain their blood and give it to the Monster she can save his life.
Eventually, the Bride has to learn how to actually save the monster and we see her slowly taking on personality traits of Dr. Frankenstein.
This maze has elaborate sets which light, spark, and feel like a classic Universal monster film.
The original Bride of Frankenstein film played with the ideas of man playing the role of a god and the intended and unintended consequences. This time around, it’s one of the monsters created by that process taking the power.
The story and sets are fabulous. I was blown away and really felt an emotional connection to the narrative as explained by John. My worry is that there will be too much for guests to absorb in the dark with monsters jumping out at them. My hope is they hear enough of the story to at least enjoy why the bride is transforming before their eyes. But with scary monsters, spooky lab sets, vampires, and some gruesome mutilations, I’d bet that crowds love this one even if they don’t pay attention to any of the story murals I showed you above.
Don’t miss this one, folks. I have a suspicion that we may see this one end up on the silver screen one day. Speaking of silver screens, the ladies of Universal horror get their own scare zone this year. You’ll enter directly into it as you exit the Bride of Frankenstein’s maze. Here’s what some of those sets look like during the daylight…
Halloween Horror Nights Tickets and Information
There are a variety of ticket types to choose from. All ticket prices are on a sliding scale depending on expected demand. We’ve listed the range for you below:
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- General Admission ($69 – $99): single night ticket to the seasonal event
- Universal Express ($159 – $259): admission to “Halloween Horror Nights” and one-time express access to each maze, ride and attraction
- Universal Express Unlimited ($199 – $299): admission to “Halloween Horror Nights” and unlimited express access to each maze, ride and attraction
- Day to Night Ticket ($99 – $139): after 2pm access to all daytime attractions plus Halloween Horror Nights
- Day to Night Ticket + Universal Express ($189 – $299): after 2pm one-time express access to all daytime attractions plus Halloween Horror Nights
If you’re looking to visit more frequently, there are tickets that offer plenty of access. And also a VIP tour through the haunt event.
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- Ultimate Fear Pass: guest with this pass can be scared all 32 nights of Halloween Horror Nights
- Frequent Fear Pass: guests can visit up to 26 select nights during the seasonal event
- R.I.P. Tour: Groups can scare in style with the R.I.P. Tour featuring one-of-a-kind experiences and photo opportunities with a VIP guide, trolley transportation, valet parking, gourmet dinner at the VIP Dining Room plus unlimited Universal Express access to mazes and attractions.
All tickets purchased online provide guests early admission with entry beginning at 6:00 p.m. each night of Halloween Horror Nights. Event dates are September 9-12, 16-19, 23-26, 30 and October 1-3, 7-10, 14-17, 21-24, 28-31.
Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights tickets are now available.
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Let’s Hear From You
After the devastating loss of full-blown Halloween events in 2020, it was amazing to return to Halloween Horror Nights in all its [frightening] glory!
Well, are you brave enough to venture into the Hill House maze? Are you planning a Halloweentime trip to either Universal Studios Hollywood or Orlando? And let me know what mazes you are most looking forward to in the comments below…
SPECIAL THANKS to Mike Kindrich for joining me to take photos and providing moral support. These events are really fun, but much better if you aren’t alone.
Don’t miss our recent visit to Universal Orlando’s 30th anniversary Halloween Horror Nights event, which launched earlier than the event in Hollywood:
Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights – 30 Years in the Making!
And their AMAZING new HHN Tribute Store which is really more of an attraction than a shop:
Universal Orlando Update – Halloween Creeps & Passholder Perks