Universal Halloween Horror Nights 2026: We Ranked The Can't-Miss Haunted Houses In Orlando And Hollywood

Anyone who officially kicks off the Halloween season at the start of September gets our stamp of approval, and Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights is once again earning stamps aplenty in its 35th year. Both U.S. coasts are sharing major IP for houses based on Oscar winner Sinners, the all-time classic Hellraiser and more — with a special tribute to heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne in the mix — with differing houses based on original ideas. Along with a variety of Scare Zones, shows and the like.

Because there are so many different attractions to check out, as well as event-exclusive foods, drinks, and merch to peruse, there’s always a risk of not being able to enjoy every single experience. (And that’s not even taking into account those long lines.) So for those who want to stress less by knowing the absolute must-visit haunted houses before heading to each park, CinemaBlend is here for you, with a quick and spoiler-lite breakdown of what to prioritize and why.

This year’s event was so fun that we’re already thinking about which upcoming horror movies will be immediately successful enough to inspire must-see houses next year. But that’s in the distant future, so let’s focus on the fear…er…the here and now.

Can't Miss HHN 35 Houses At Universal Orlando Resort

Nick Venable: I was invited to Universal Orlando Resort for Halloween Horror Night 35's opening night, and thus had the advantage of experiencing nearly everything there was to experience. (Shout out to Jordan!) I was very pleased to discover that all of this year's houses were genuinely worthy of visiting in any capacity. The Fortnightmares area didn't quite do it for me due to a general lack of awareness on my part, but that was the only whiff for me. And away we go!

#5: Sinners

• Best House For: Blues music, vampire fanatics
• Be Sure Not To Miss: Annie
• Why It Deserves Your Time: Halloween rarely has as much scary swagger as Club Juke, and I love seeing any haunted house with so many Black performers on display. It's also the first Best Picture winner to get an HHN house.

#4: Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control

• Best House For: Longtime fans of HHN lore, fun-house-esque rooms
• Be Sure Not To Miss: The actual story behind the house, which is technically a prequel/preface to the very first HHN event.
• Why It Deserves Your Time: Jack the Clown is the greatest HHN icon of them all, at least in my mind, and each return is better than the last, and the same could be said for Dr. Oddfellow. Also, both the spinning tunnel room and the tilted room are classic amusement park gimmicks that never get old.

#3: Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness

• Best House For: Ozzy Osbourne fans, big animatronic creatures
• Be Sure Not To Miss: A few touching appearances from Ozzy himself in the pools surrounding the bases of the trees in the very first room of the house.
• Why It Deserves Your Time: Regardless of your level of Ozzy Osbourne fandom, each room brings life album covers, songs and pop culture moments in massive ways. It has quite possibly one of the coolest animatronic moments I've ever seen.

#2: H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular!

• Best House For: Fans of B-movie legends Elvira and Svengoolie, kooky and off-the-wall themes
• Be Sure Not To Miss: That disco dancer
• Why It Deserves Your Time: H.R. Bloodengutz is a hauntingly hammy hoot, and this house delivers the widest variety of ghoulish subject splatter - er - matter.

#1: Hellraiser

• Best House For: The most impressive set piece and use of IP, Cenobites fans
• Be Sure Not To Miss: Butterball!
• Why It Deserves Your Time: First, Clive Barker specifically requested the house showcase just as much sordid pleasure as tortured pain, and it shows. Second, you get to actually walk into the Lament Configuration, and it's impossible not to feel giddy. Third, Doug Bradley re-recorded Pinhead's highly quotable film dialogue for the attraction. It's truly the best of all worlds (and nether realms) for Hellraiser fans, and haunted house visitors all around.

Must-Try-To-See Beyond The Houses

• Downtown Clowntown: Not a good place for those who most fear clowns and characters on stilts, but for everyone else: a honkingly colorful eden. All the Killer Klowns from Outer Space costumes and set pieces are a delight.
• Nightmare Fuel: Blood Noir: Watching extremely athletic, attractive and charismatic performers in vampire costumes flipping, flying, fighting, and playing with fire is among the coolest things anyone can do in a theme park after midnight. (Or before it.) Watch out for the splash zone, though.
• HHN 35 Merch: After all the money spent just getting to the event, sometimes souvenirs can be hard to justify. Or impossible. Because you gotta buy something. How often are you going to find licensed Sinners or Evil Dead Burn merch out in the wild? And yes, I absolutely bought a coffee mug decorated like Hellraiser's Lament Configuration.

Can't Miss HHN 35 Houses At Universal Studios Hollywood

Sarah El-Mahmoud: I was invited to Universal Studios Hollywood for Halloween Horror Night's opening night on Thursday, September 3rd, and had a blast with all the spooky offerings this year. Before walking through the arched entrance, I was most stoked to experience the houses for Sinners and Stranger Things 5, but found myself more entertained by the original offerings than I was expecting. Let's get into my favorites:

#5: KILLceañera: Music by SLASH

• Best House For: Slow-Burn Frights
• Be Sure Not To Miss: Before you walk into the maze check out above the house for a special performance.
• Why It Deserves Your Time: Every year there's a house that really feels like it can get under my skin and make me feel the suspense of a horror movie, and that was KILLceañera for me this year.

#4: Hellraiser

• Best House For: Gorehounds
• Be Sure Not To Miss: It's a long house, so it's easy to get stressed at the end, but stay steady to get all the wild scares.
• Why It Deserves Your Time: Whether you're a fan of the horror franchise or not, Hellraiser is one of the biggest and scariest houses of the year. It's full of gruesome scenes and jump scares that made me very unsettled.

#3: Sinners

• Best House For: The Cinephile
• Be Sure Not To Miss: All the curated atmosphere and details from Ryan Coogler's movie here. I know it's scary, but take some time to look up, around and through each room you move through.
• Why It Deserves Your Time: Sinners was one of our favorite movies of last year thanks to Ryan Coogler's chilling vision. The HHN haunted house pays wonderful tribute to the film by showing off its music, famous scenes and creepy imagery. If you love the movie, you'll feel like you've been inside it after venturing through this house.

#2: Ozzy Osbourne: Prince Of Darkness

• Best House For: All-Around Creepy Fun
• Be Sure Not To Miss: Grabbing some snacks before going in line. This one was the longest of the night, even with an Express Pass.
• Why It Deserves Your Time: Speaking as someone with little attachment to Ozzy Osbourne, I wasn't anticipating this house much, but boy does it deliver. It takes you on a literal "Crazy Train," and all through some fun horror-ific iconography in a way only a Ozzy Osbourne tribute house could.

#1: Dead, Deader, Deadest

• Best House For: The Most Original Scares
• Be Sure Not To Miss: All the sensory changes in a single house.
• Why It Deserves Your Time: Dead, Deader, Deadest is the Haunted House this year that had everything I truly want from a HHN attraction all wrapped up in one. This original house takes you through an abandoned funeral home and it felt that for a moment I was a dead body going through all the twisted experiences that come with that. Stuck in a morgue, incinerator and such, it's my favorite house this year.

Must-Try-To-See Beyond The Houses

• Nikki from Obsession is roaming around Universal Studios Hollywood: It's sort of this Where's Waldo situation because she's been seen all over. Keep your eyes peeled, and check out HHN's Instagram for the daily password to tell Nikki. If you're among the first 100 to find her, she'll give you a gift.
• One Wish Churro: There's a stand on the way to Hogwarts that sells a yummy churro that's packaged in a One Wish Willow box from Obsession. It tastes like an Oreo-flavored Churro, and the box is a great souvenir.
• The Shrieking Banshee: Another new creature stalking HHN (also by Hogwarts) is a huge Banshee who's menacing, but a lot of fun to be scared by.
• The Ozzy Bar: If you're looking for a spot to grab a quality cocktail (or mocktail), some great food and rock out to Ozzy Osbourne's music, check out The Ozzy Bar on the lower lot next to the Jurassic World attraction.

That's it from CinemaBlend's Nick and Sarah. Here's hoping we help you have the most fun and fright-filled time possible at Halloween Horror Nights 2026.