After canceling the event in 2020 due to the pandemic, Halloween Horror Nights is “back with a vengeance” at Universal Studios Hollywood! I got the opportunity to check out this year’s crop of mazes on opening night and am ranking every single one of them for you so you know what to prioritize when you visit the park during HHN’s run from September 9th to October 31st.
The event did feature some returning mazes and brands like The Walking Dead and Terror Tram, which had a Purge spin this year, but I had my eye on a new maze celebrating one of my absolute favorite shows of 2018, Mike Flanigan’s The Haunting of Hill House. Inspired by the 1959 Shirley Jackson novel, the Netflix smash hit put the spotlight on the Crain family. Hugh and Olivia Crain (Henry Thomas and Carla Gugino) move their five children into Hill House in attempt to renovate and sell the mansion. However, while there, they encounter paranormal forces — forces that follow them even when they leave Hill House, changing the course of their lives forever.
HHN also sees the return of two slasher movie icons who often have a presence at the event - Michael Myers and Leatherface. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre maze brings you into the 1974 original while the Halloween maze embraces the fourth installment, The Return of Michael Myers. And speaking of genre legends, there’s also the stellar Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives maze, which features some of the strongest production design of the entire event.
You can find out how I ranked all eight Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights mazes in the video at the top of this article. But, when you visit the event, make sure to hit some of the non-maze attractions as well. There’s a handful of scare zones throughout the park, a great Dia De Los Muertos-themed bar with an excellent menu and some A+ “scareactors” interacting with the guest and, of course, a whole bunch of favorite Universal Studios rides are in operation including the Revenge of the Mummy indoor roller coaster and nighttime rides on Jurassic World.