Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights 2025: Dates, hours, haunted houses and ticket tips

Halloween Horror Nights has once again taken over Universal Orlando, transforming the park into a playground of fear, frights and jump scares for its 34th year.

First launched in 1991 as a modest three-night event called Universal Studios Fright Nights, HHN has grown into one of the most popular Halloween attractions in the world. Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights 34 runs through Nov. 2, operating Wednesday through Sunday from 6:30 p.m. until 2 a.m. ET.

Each fall, hundreds of thousands of horror fans descend on Orlando to experience an ever-changing lineup of haunted houses and scare zones. Every year HHN reinvents itself with 10 new houses designed to thrill and terrify, mixing original concepts with experiences inspired by hit franchises from film, television and video games.

Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights 2025 haunted houses

• Fallout: Based on the video game series and Prime Video show, this house lets guests explore Vault 33, post-nuclear Los Angeles, the Wasteland and the horrors of a ruined civilization.

• Five Nights at Freddy’s: Inspired by the hit game and 2023 movie, this house features Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, where possessed animatronics stalk visitors.

• Jason Universe: A re-imagining of the Friday the 13th franchise, this original house resembles the summer camp where Jason Voorhees became a horror icon.

• Terrifier: Adapted from the cult film series, this house features grotesque kills by Art the Clown in his twisted funhouse — considered the goriest house of HHN 34.

• WWE Presents: The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks: Inspired by WWE’s “Wyatt Sicks” faction and the late star Bray Wyatt, this house takes fans backstage at a live event with dark, horrifying twists. Wrestling fans will spot plenty of Easter eggs.

• Gálkn: Monsters of the North: An original concept set in a snowbound village overrun by monsters and demons.

• El Artista: A Spanish Haunting: A 19th-century Spanish mansion is home to a tortured artist whose creations come chillingly to life.

• Dolls: Let’s Play Dead: Guests shrink to toy-size in a killer dollhouse, chased by murderous dolls from a little girl’s dark imagination.

• Grave of Flesh: Set at a funeral where visitors are dragged into the underworld, stalked by flesh-eating creatures.

• Hatchet & Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters: A new concept set in an Old West town overrun by demons, with bounty hunters Hatchet and Chains in pursuit.

Scare zones at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights 34

Beyond the houses, HHN guests must cross through scare zones — themed outdoor areas staffed with actors eager to terrify. This year’s lineup includes:

• The Cat Lady of Crooked Lane: A sinister figure luring trick-or-treaters to transform them into cat companions.

• Mutations: Toxic Twenties: A toxic spill turns a 1920s mobster neighborhood into chaos.

• Masquerade: Dance With Death: A grand ball where guests turn out to be vampires.

• The Origins of Horror: A chilling garden filled with statues paying tribute to HHN’s legacy.

Tips for surviving Halloween Horror Nights crowds and lines

Halloween Horror Nights is big business, with analysts estimating attendance at about 1.5 million people each year in Orlando. The downside: massive crowds and house wait times stretching for hours.

Ticket options to cut wait times include:

• Express Pass: Lets you bypass regular lines, starting at $199 plus park admission (from $89.99).

• R.I.P. Tour: A premium guided tour with VIP entry, valet parking and a reception. Prices start at $449.99, not including admission. Guests can complete all 10 houses in less than three hours.

• Scream Early Ticket: Starting at $60, this option grants entry to Universal Studios Florida at 3 p.m. Guests can enjoy the park before heading to a Stay and Scream area at 5 p.m., getting early access to houses before general admission crowds arrive.

How to see all 10 HHN 2025 haunted houses without Express Pass

With a good plan — and comfortable sneakers — it’s possible to tackle all 10 houses without buying Express passes.

1. Start at the back of the park after early entry, moving through the Masquerade and Cat Lady scare zones to the sprung-tent houses: Hatchet & Chains, Dolls, Gálkn and Fallout.

2. Then cut through the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and pass the Jason Universe house for now.

3. Continue through the Toxic Twenties scare zone to the soundstages near the front, where five houses sit beneath the closed Rip Ride Rockit coaster. Do them in this order: Terrifier, Grave of Flesh, El Artista, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks.

4. Save Jason Universe for last, when lines are shorter.

By following this strategy, fans can maximize their chances of seeing every house before the park closes at 2 a.m.

For those who don’t need all 10, pick the must-see houses and focus on those. But for completists, this plan offers the best shot at conquering HHN 34 in a single night.