Monster thrills return to Universal Orlando as Halloween Horror Nights unveils 10 haunted houses

Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights is back, delivering a movie-quality lineup of scares across 10 haunted houses this season. The after-dark event runs on select nights through Nov. 2 and carries a clear caveat: it is not suitable for children under 13 and is not for the faint of heart. Beyond the scares, guests can expect a fully stitched-together experience that blends pop culture staples with original concepts, all set in a park transformed after hours into a labyrinth of cobwebs, tombs, and lurking shadows.

The offering this year spans high-profile franchises and fresh scares alike. Guests will wander through a retro-futuristic wasteland inspired by Fallout, step into Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria from Five Nights at Freddy’s, confront Art the Clown in his Terrifier-inspired Funhouse, and sprint from Jason Voorhees as he makes his mark in Jason Universe. The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks channels WWE’s most infamous on-screen villains, part of a lineup that Universal describes as ten houses strong, with five additional original concepts prepared by the park itself. Original entries include El Artista: A Spanish Haunting, which places visitors inside a 19th‑century Spanish manor where a tormented artist seems to bend the living world to his will. In another corner, Dolls: Let’s Play Dead shrinks guests to the size of toys hunted by mutant playthings, while Grave of Flesh stages a funeral that turns into a chase with immortal figures of human flesh. <br>

In addition to the house lineup, Universal has peppered the park with roaming ghouls, vampires, zombies and chainsaw-wielding monsters who drift among the rides, food stalls and merchandise stands. For those seeking more spectacle, Club Horror offers an undead DJ, two live shows with pyrotechnics and illusion, and fountains illuminated to the rhythm of a creepy score. The park notes that guests can enjoy selected rides, food and merchandise themed to the event as part of the experience. One-night tickets start at $89.99.

The house slate is a mix of familiar jump-scare fixtures and more cerebral fright. The Spanish‑tinged El Artista: A Spanish Haunting casts a pall over a grand manor, emphasizing an artist whose tortured mind bleeds into his surroundings. The dolls feature a claustrophobic, shrink-wrapped world in which toys become hunters. Grave of Flesh channels a macabre send-off to life, turning a funeral into a chase with undead figures closing in from every angle. In the broader catalog of experiences, returners will recognize appearances from the big screen and the ring, while first-timers will encounter the park’s own handcrafted nightmares designed to resonate long after the gates close.

For many guests, the thrill is not limited to the walk through the haunted houses. Universal emphasizes a fully enveloping mood—soundtracks that mix with pyrotechnics, dramatic lighting and projection effects on the park’s fountains—to build a symphony of fear that moves between streets and stages. The ongoing live shows and the undead DJ at Club Horror provide rhythm to the night, turning what could be a static walk-through into an immersive, theater-like experience. And while the emphasis is on scares, the event also anchors itself in seasonal fun with themed food, limited-edition merchandise and photo opportunities that capture the moment before a scream.

Tickets and scheduling details anchor the practical side of the experience. The event is spread across select nights through early November, with nightly operations subject to weather and capacity. Universal also underscores the age guidance, advising families and guests to gauge suitability before venturing into the darkness. The price point for a single-night experience starts at $89.99, with potential for variation by date and access tier. Fans of horror and pop culture alike have widely awaited a return to a park that has long leaned into the idea that fear can be as much about atmosphere and storytelling as it is about raw shocks.

As a cultural touchpoint in the Halloween calendar, Halloween Horror Nights remains a barometer for the year’s scariest ideas, blending cinema, video game icons, and original concepts into a single, sprawling event. The mix of familiar faces and new nightmares gives visitors a reason to queue up again each season, whether they’re chasing the nostalgia of a well-worn franchise or experiencing Universal’s latest brain-teasing terrors for the first time. With the 2025 edition, the emphasis continues to be on a cinematic, immersive journey through fear, crafted to feel as if guests have stepped onto the set of a feature film rather than a theme park midway.