Haunt fans will be thrilled and terrified by the latest edition of Halloween Horror Nights as Universal Studios Hollywood has put together one of the best lineups of mazes in recent years and once again lived up to its own high standards for haunted attractions in Southern California.
Halloween Horror Nights 2026 kicked off on Thursday, Sept. 3 and will run on select nights through Nov. 1 with eight new haunted mazes, six scare zones and the Terror Tram.
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Let’s take a closer look at each of the eight haunted houses at Universal’s Horror Nights and rank them from best to worst.
1) Evil Dead Burn
Upper Lot behind Wizarding World of Harry Potter
The ancient Book of the Dead unleashes supernatural evil forces and twists victims into sadistic, shape-shifting, near-invincible monsters based on the latest film in the horror franchise.
I had no idea what was happening from a storytelling standpoint but that didn’t matter as I jumped out of my skin over and over again in this jam-packed maze full of scares.
Misdirection was the name of the game as great-looking “scareactors” came at me from everywhere and hit me from all sides.
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The kill scenes were graphic and dramatic with the most memorable one featuring a woman cutting off her own head with a knife to the throat.
Evil Dead Burn delivered everything I want and expect from a Horror Nights maze.
I even got “blood” splattered on me as I headed for the exit.
2) Hellraiser
Upper Lot behind Wizarding World of Harry Potter
A puzzle box opens a portal to a diabolical dimension where unspeakable pain and forbidden pleasure await based on the original Hellraiser film trilogy.
The Hellraiser maze starts off slow as you work your way through a labyrinth of chains hanging from the ceiling.
At first I wondered if all the “scareactors” were on a break before an uncomfortable and uneasy feeling set in.
Then the nonstop scares started coming — seemingly from everywhere all at once.
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At one point I got hit by six scares in a row. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. So much for everybody being on a break.
Pinhead and the Cenobites looked perfect along with some impressive animatronics and oversized figures throughout the maze.
3) Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness
Lower Lot behind Revenge of the Mummy coaster
Passengers board a Crazy Train in Ozzy Osbourne’s hometown of Birmingham, England, and take a journey through the musical career of the heavy metal pioneer.
I came in thinking Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness could be the best Horror Nights maze of 2026 and it lived up to expectations.
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There were tons of scares everywhere and the theatrical sets were beautiful. I was cowering in fear as the attacks came at me from every angle.
The 10-foot-tall Train Conductor Ozzy “scareactor” with a maniacal gap-mouthed smile on his face was my favorite.
Just when I thought it was over all the iterations of Ozzy came after me again.
4) Stranger Things
Lower Lot behind Transformers ride
A recreation of the battle to save Hawkins unleashes Vecna, demogorgons and a host of other horrifying creatures from the fifth and final season of the Netflix show.
Stranger Things serves as the tentpole attraction for Horror Nights as the most familiar horror franchise of the event.
This was the best looking maze of the night with some spectacular set design that made you feel like you were right in the middle of the action.
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Universal really leaned into the storytelling and characters in the Stranger Things maze that definitely had some good scares.
Expect long waits and the occasional conga line inside some key scenes for this popular maze.
5) Sinners
Upper Lot in former Walking Dead year-round maze
Step inside a 1930s Mississippi Delta juke joint overrun by vampires in a maze that pays tribute to the critically acclaimed blockbuster hit and most nominated movie in Academy Awards history.
The Sinners maze fell short of my high expectations.
A lot of the impact relies on a pair of scenes at the beginning and end of the maze, set in a before and after version of Club Juke.
The preshow scene in the juke joint at the beginning of the maze is intended to unfold over 90 seconds as the next batch of visitors prepare to enter the maze.
I walked through in about 10 seconds without pausing and missed nearly all the set-up of the story and introduction to the characters. Universal needs to staff the preshow so everyone gets to see and understand the set-up.
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Skipping the introduction to such a heavily story-driven maze makes it harder for the scares to pay off later.
The glowing red eyes of the vampires in the woods outside the bar were a simple yet impressive effect that helped add menace to the “scareactors.”
The second big scene in Club Juke near the end of the maze also went by too quickly to see all the action unfolding in the series of fights in the bar.
The now-you-see-me, now-you-don’t scare just before the finale was one of the best stunts of this year’s Horror Nights.
Expect the Sinners maze to have one of the longest wait times of the night.
6) Dead Deader Deadest
Lower Lot behind Jurassic Park ride
A zombie army of corpses rises from the grave and terrorizes the living inside the Deville Family Funeral Home in the original haunted house concept.
Dead Deader Deadest is one of the best original mazes ever created for Horror Nights with a clear storyline that takes you through the whole process of death from the funeral to the grave.
The ice cold morgue offered a blast of frigid air before heading into the heat of the crematorium that was also the best scene in the maze.
Another conga line inside the Dead Deader Deadest maze made it hard for the “scareactors” to work. I’m always amazed when the zombies are able to scare me even when I know exactly where they’re hiding.
The best scares in Dead Deader Deadest came during the rat-a-tat-tat finale when I was getting hit from all sides at once.
The original concept mazes tend to have the shortest wait times throughout the event.
7) Killceanera: Music by Slash
Upper Lot near Secret Life of Pets ride
An original concept maze set during a deadly coming-of-age quinceañera follows a teenage girl as she seeks revenge against everyone who has ever wronged her with a soundtrack by the Guns N’ Roses guitarist.
The latest in a continuing series of mazes showcasing Latin American myths and legends brings back some of the “scareactors” from previous incarnations.
I seemed to be one step ahead of every scare throughout the entire maze with the monsters popping out just as I walked through each scene.
The maze looked great with an easy to understand story. Maybe next time my timing will be better.
8) Killer Klowns from Outer Space
Lower Lot behind Transformers ride
Extraterrestrial clowns wrap their prey in cotton candy cocoons based on the absurd cult classic horror film from the 1980s.
It’s hard to pick a loser out of such a strong lineup of Horror Nights mazes, but Killer Klowns was certainly my least favorite of the night.
Think of Killer Klowns as a light, fun and silly palate cleanser amid all the blood, gore and violence of Horror Nights.
It was bright, colorful and totally ridiculous with more laughs than scares.
The maze ends with a rapid-fire series of jump scares along with a sharp-shooting clown behind a super-soaker water cannon that hit me in the ear with a blast and drenched my shirt.
I recommend leaving Killer Klowns to the very end of the night and skipping it entirely if you run out of time and have to leave one maze off your dance card.
The separate admission Horror Nights event is not included with daily admission to Universal Studios Hollywood. Universal is selling an Early Access Ticket that provides entrance to select haunted mazes 90 minutes before Horror Nights officially begins each night at 7 p.m. Horror Nights season passes, front-of-the-line passes and VIP tours are also available for the event.