Is Halloween Horror Nights Better in Hollywood?
For nearly three decades, banners saying ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ have been raised at not one but two different theme parks in North America. The first, which began as ‘Universal Studios Fright Nights’ in 1991, is arguably the best-known of any theme park Halloween event in the country- Halloween Horror Nights Orlando. The Orlando campus has a whopping 541 acres of space in which to place eight to ten mazes and any number of scare zones, making it a perfect venue for the event. The second, which began hosting its own Halloween event in 1997, is Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood. This event, while smaller, has the advantage of operating on the grounds of a national production backlot which is very much alive and thriving to this very day, giving it access to some of the freshest and most immersive props and visual effects in the industry. So, which campus puts on the best version of Halloween Horror Nights? To make that determination, let’s take a look at the seven deadly things that make HHN the event that it is on both coasts.
Production Quality
Fans of Orlando’s event have every reason to brag about its production quality. From scarezones to houses to icons to the “opening scaremonies”, Halloween Horror Nights Orlando has been long revered as the flagship event of the haunt industry as a whole. But where do all of those amazing props, set decorations and costumes come from? Yup, you guessed it - shipped directly from the Universal Studios Prop House in Hollywood! Being right on top of the source for all things spooky allows Universal Studios Hollywood to make realtime, sometimes day-of changes to its houses and scarezones as deemed appropriate based on guest reactions. The smaller acreage of the park and the reduced number of houses also forces Universal Creative to get even more ‘universally creative’ than usual. The result is often a better house with that many more set pieces, animatronics and unorthodox switchbacks, all of which work together to make a more intense and captivating experience for the guests. Even costumes and lighting are a step above at Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, reducing the park’s reliance on darkness and curtains to hide the actors for a proper scare. Plus, how cool is it to be able to face Dracula’s daughter on the same sound stage where the original Dracula (1931) was filmed?
Winner: Hollywood
Scale
When it comes to scale, there is simply no disputing that Orlando has the leg up on its SoCal sister. Universal Studios Hollywood occupies a mere 415 acres on property, much of which is allocated to backstage lots, studio soundstages and functioning production sets that day guests are unable to access. The square footage of the theme park itself is considerably less, and although some of the notable mazes are set back into the backstage lots and allow for more effective use of the available space, the property is a far cry from the 1,291 acres occupied by the Universal Orlando Resort. Although “bigger” isn’t always “better” in and of itself, the award for event size goes to Universal’s Florida parks.
Winner: Orlando
Houses
Although we feel that the IP-based houses and mazes (Ex. A Quiet Place, Insidious: the Further, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, etc.) are better-executed at Halloween Horror Nights in California, the fact of the matter is that IP licenses are typically shared by both parks each season and that you’re likely to see all these intellectual properties on both coasts. For example, if Universal Parks and Resorts Vacations were to procure a license to use Blumhouse’s ‘M3GAN’ as the subject material of a maze or a scare zone, it serves them best to deploy that license in both California and Florida for half the cost and double the return. Thus, if we have a ‘Quiet Place’ house in Hollywood, then we’ll likely have a similar house in Orlando, as well. Since these intellectual properties effectively cancel each other out, the remaining material to be judged is comprised of ‘original’ houses - of which Orlando traditionally offers ten, and Hollywood traditionally offers eight. While some houses will be misses, others will be home runs; houses at HHN are a numbers game, and Orlando simply has more numbers. To this end, we have to give it up for Orlando as the better event for house fanatics.
Winner: Orlando
Scare Zones
Scare zones are a key component of any theme park haunt, but they are particularly important for an event like Halloween Horror Nights. Scare zones do not require any queues or any fast passes and they effectively serve as a ‘drum roll’ for the main attractions; they get you acquainted with the production value, scare tactics and overall haunt experience that you’re likely to have in the houses without outright locking you into the experience with tight walls and conga lines. Thus, it’s important that the scare zones be representative of the event as a whole from lighting to costumes to set dressing. Unfortunately, Hollywood simply doesn’t have the space to execute a scare zone on the same level as that of Orlando. That’s not to say that Hollywood doesn’t have some terrific scare zones filled with incredibly energetic and passionate actors - it’s just to say that their are fewer of them, all pushed together towards the front of the park and watered down to avoid creating congestion in the public walkways. On the basis of overall ‘wow’ factor alone, Orlando wins the hand.
Winner: Orlando
Above: The ‘Murder of Crowz’ scare zone at Halloween Horror Nights in Hollywood, 2024.
Attractions
A good haunt - theme park or otherwise - is more than just its mazes. While the houses at Halloween Horror Nights are undoubtedly the primary draw for both coasts, it’s important to remember that an event like this also rides on the availability of other attractions as well; these might include scare zones, shows, rides, themed food booths or other attractions. It is here that Hollywood is really able to shine, bringing forth that traditional ‘razzle dazzle’ that Tinseltown has long been known for. In 2024, Universal Studios Orlando easily took the gold on food booths, with more than 25 unique event-specific food items offered across the park against Hollywood’s roughly ten. However, across the broader spectrum of attractions on the whole, Hollywood is a clear victor, featuring things like the “Late Night with Chucky” show, the “Purge: Dangerous Waters” show, four scare zones, 10+ food items and - above all else - the Terror Tram, which effectively adds three more localized scare zones to its lineup as well as another ride and a plethora of unique photo ops with posted photographers. Most of the park’s rides (10+) also remain open until the park closes at around 1am. While the “Nightmare Fuel” show at Universal Orlando is nothing short of spectacular, Universal Hollywood simply offers more despite working with less; from our point of view, this nets Hollywood the gold.
Winner: Hollywood
Scare Actors
As a result of the sound loops that comprise the main attractions of both events, scare actors inside the houses don’t have many opportunities to interact with or engage the park guests, nor do they have much creative flexibility. This does makes it that much more impressive when a scare actor finds a way to be creative - for example, the actor portraying Lee Abbott in ‘A Quiet Place’ exchanging a finger to the lips (‘hush’) and nodding to Katie on her way through the maze, or Leatherface from ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ giving me a frightening tilt of the head and a death stare directly into the camera lens. Generally speaking, though, the best actors in the houses are the ones who are able to align the timing of the jump scare audio with a perfect leap towards an unsettled conga line. Actors in the scare zones have significantly more freedom to play to their strengths and target specific guests, and you can tell that they love what they do by how well they do it. It would be narrow-minded and disrespectful of us to say that scare actors on the East Coast were collectively better or worse than scare actors than scare actors on the West Coast, or vice versa. The actors at both parks are passionate, dedicated, tireless and talented. To cite an industry phrase, they ‘scare because they care’ - and for that, both parks get an award.
Draw
Atmosphere
Like all other categories, this one is subjective - though this one is perhaps even more subjective than the rest. Between the two coasts, Halloween Horror Nights offers two distinct vibes that each reflect the unique character of the park it’s held in. Orlando’s event leans into an intense, almost aggressive energy that seems to draw inspiration from a metal concert. The atmosphere is heavy with repressed rage, hard rock music is blasting, and a raw, chaotic energy that envelops you as soon as you step into the event. It’s the type of place where you can feel the thrill of fear mixed with an undercurrent of rebelliousness. Hollywood, on the other hand, offers a more playful, eerie charm—like a spooky street party. The vibe here is much more laid back, with a sense of fun and festivity as well as the standard fear and anxiety that an event like this is required to offer. When we witnessed a proposal between two house queues, it became perfectly obvious that this event was more than a fun night out. For many, Hollywood’s event feels like home, and the scares are just one part of the experience. While Orlando’s intensity is perfect for those seeking a heart-pounding rush, Hollywood’s more relaxed (though still spooky) atmosphere feels like the ideal fit for those who enjoy a mix of scares and social fun. For us, Hollywood takes the win in this category.
Winner: Hollywood
Final Conclusion
Our first Halloween Horror Nights event was Orlando’s 2021 event, which happened to be the 30th such event for the Floridian park. On the one hand, that’s thirty years of operational history that we haven’t gotten to see - dozens if not hundreds of fan favorite houses, shows and scare zones and decades’ worth of operational improvements and advancements have come and gone without our ever having set foot in the parks - but on the other hand, our inexperience with Halloween Horror Nights removes bias and allows us to judge these events solely based on what they are today, and not based on what they were or might have been in the past. Having now experienced a Halloween Horror Nights event on both coasts and having had a proper go at rating both parks based on what they do best, the question remains…is Halloween Horror Nights better in Hollywood, or is it better in Orlando?
Much to the assured chagrin of our readers, our honest answer is - neither. As haunters with a deep appreciation for set design, immersive environments and imaginative storytelling, our goal is not to tear apart an event for what they did poorly; rather, we like to lift up an event for what it did well. In this case, both events excel in different areas and bring different vibes and flavors to the table. Orlando’s event is bigger, badder and better-known, but whatever Hollywood lacks in scale, it more than makes up for in production quality and a well-rounded experience. Though our personal preference was for the Hollywood event and for all the little things that made Southern California’s Halloween Horror Nights stand apart, we remain overjoyed and endlessly excited knowing that both events exist simultaneously. Halloween Horror Nights has not seen the last of us on either coast - but while we wait to see which one takes the crown next year, you can check out our vlog from the 2024 event in Hollywood to judge it for yourself!
