It’s that time again! Halloween Horror Nights has kicked off their 2024 event at Universal Studios Hollywood!
Hollywood has been on a hot streak since coming back from the COVID shutdown in 2020, featuring some of the best haunted houses in recent years, including original features like La Llorona, Monstruos, and Scarecrow: The Reaping.
This year, the lineup includes a diverse range of horror films, from the supernatural scares of Insidious to the lighthearted fun of Ghostbusters or the violence of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre – Halloween Horror Nights has something for everyone.
So, what were our first impressions of this year’s event? The first weekend tends to have that “new car smell” when it comes to rankings, and hyperbole finds its way into the discussion. Another thing to keep in mind is that unless outright stated, none of these issues fall on the actors and are not a reflection of their performances. They are the heartbeat of the event and give their all, night in and night out.
We should note that the first weekend was impacted by record-breaking heat in Southern California, with temperatures reaching 116 during the day, before cooling down to toasty 93 on Opening Night – so, unsurprisingly, there were a lot of missing spots.
It’s very possible, and very likely, this could change; but after opening weekend, here’s where we stand: (Some Spoilers. Video links to each house and zone are included in the title.)
Monstruos 2: The Nightmares of Latin America (★★★★½)
Another hit for the Latin American monsters! The maze is heavy on El Cucuy, which is by far the most interesting monster during this version and features some great scary moments. While El Cadejo and El Charro offer up some of their creepy moments, the scenes are very short.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Legacy of Leatherface (★★★★½)
Gory, grimy, bloody, visceral. Everything you love about Leatherface is brought to life wonderfully in the maze, capturing the essence of the Texas Chainsaw franchise. Each era of Leatherface has time to shine. Plus, we love the inclusion of Nubbins and Chop-Top!
The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy (★★★★)
The trippy horror returns in this follow-up to the popular 2022 house. Featuring one of the best facades in Horror Nights history, it kicks off the right tone of the weird and fun macabre of the Nightmare Trilogy – though it does seem to focus more on the Dawn FM album at times.
Terror Tram: Enter the Blumhouse (★★★★)
Terror Tram has tweaked their layout, becoming closer to a haunt gauntlet to a much better and more fun experience. While we wish more characters were utilized from the Blumhouse line-up, the actors are on their A-game in one of the best Terror Tram experiences of the modern era.
Insidious: The Further (★★★¾)
The ghosts & demons from the Insidious franchise do most of the lifting in this compilation house – but it feels more dedicated to the Red-Faced Demon. The lack of The Bride in Black feels like a missed opportunity considering she’s just as scary and an important part of the franchise. Either way, the lack of light and intensity of the actors make this effectively scary experience.
A Quiet Place (★★★½)
Surprisingly, the house is very effective at capturing the quiet world of the films – utilizing sound and ASL to great effect. The Death Angel animatronics and puppets are also very impressive, but the size of the creatures telegraphs where the scares will be coming from, unfortunately.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (★★★½)
There are some great special effects and the house does offer a bit more in the scares department compared to the 2019 version. With that said, the house is all dependent on timing, so if you miss any part of it – it may impact what you think of the house. For example, during one run, there were no actors in the finale.
Dead Exposure: Death Valley (★★★½)
Another original port from the Horror Nights – Orlando line-up, Hollywood offers up a nice twist to the Dead Exposure zombie story. The contrast of white walls with fluorescent greens and blood-stained walls & floors makes for some great visuals – but the house was pretty empty during most of our runs. Also, monkey!
Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines (★★)
This house just did not work for us. The need to set up the plot and tell the story affected the house’s momentum. There were some good scares, but the house also felt empty. We had a few runs where there wasn’t an actor in the first few scenes. The location being set in Sound Stage 12 is a cool detail, though.
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Luchadores Monstruosos (★★★★)
Departing from connecting to the Parisian Courtyard house, Luchadores ditches the scary for some spooky fun. The costumes are great and colorful, and the scareactors are clearly having a great time scaring guests.
Murder of Crowz (★★★¼)
We love us some crows! The crows are becoming a staple of Horror Nights after debuting a few years ago, and the zone makes great use of its small area – especially with the awesome Baby Crow animatronic. The best part of the crows is how they interact with guests, sometimes they’ll be silly, sometimes they’ll scare you, and sometimes they’ll feed the Baby Crow and dance.
Skull Lordz(★★★¼)
The giant throne props are an awesome tone setter walking into the heart of the park for Horror Nights, and Skull Lordz features some awesome costumes – but as always, this is all about the scare actors relentlessly scaring guests as they traverse the Upper Lot.
Chainsaw Punkz (★★★)
They’re Punks with Chainsaws. That’s about it, and that’s all that’s needed. The entry zone isn’t much of a “scare zone” than a location where the Punks chase guests, especially when the Blumhouse crew joined at the night’s end for the traditional chainsaw chaseout.
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The Purge: Dangerous Waters (★★★★¼)
Taking what worked in last year’s surprise hit – the show tightens up the stunts and plot for a much better show. It’s shorter, but a lot bloodier in the most enjoyable way. The Purge is a must-see show during Horror Nights.
There’s an idea here – but so far, it’s not working. Chucky feels handcuffed, and the questions don’t seem genuine so the jokes and insults are not landing to their intended effect. If they let Chucky off the leash, this may be received much better.
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The Early Access ticket, which allows guest an hour and half headstart in the Lower Lot before the event officially opens at 7pm still needs to work out the issue of houses not being fully staffed before the “official” start time. Echoing last year, if you utilize the ticket, just set the expectation that you may miss some scares.
Halloween Horror Nights features a well-balanced line-up of horror icons that cater to both classic and contemporary fans. The event takes a big risk by featuring the silent-inspired A Quiet Place and the effects-heavy Ghostbusters, but it pays off for the most part. Although not all the houses are equally successful, Halloween Horror Nights has firmly established itself as a must-visit event for any horror fan.
Halloween Horror Nights 2024 takes place on select nights through November 3, 2023, at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Until then, we’ll see you all in the fog!
