Credit: Universal Studios OrlandoHalloween Horror Nights 2025 promised to be one of Universal’s biggest years yet, and for the most part, it delivered. Some haunted houses had guests screaming and clutching the nearest stranger, while others fizzled out with weak scares or confusing storylines.
That’s always been the charm of HHN—you never quite know which house will blow you away and which one will leave you shrugging as you head to the next. This year had no shortage of creativity, but it also had its fair share of letdowns.
Before diving into the rankings, let’s quickly set the stage for what HHN really is.
What is Halloween Horror Nights?
Halloween Horror Nights is Universal Orlando Resort’s annual Halloween spectacular, where the park transforms into a nightmare-filled playground. Guests wander through scary zones packed with terrifying actors and experience elaborately themed haunted houses. These houses often feature original Universal creations alongside fan-favorite franchises from movies, TV, and even video games.
Universal raises the bar each year in set design, effects, and scare tactics. But with ten houses on the lineup, not everyone can take the crown. Here’s how they stacked up this year.
#10. Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks
This one had plenty of buzz, but the concept fell flat. The idea of cult-like wrestlers going rogue—killing camera operators, attacking crew members, and torturing other wrestlers—sounded bizarrely intriguing. Still, in execution, it came off as more silly than scary.
Yes, the cult members had unsettling moments, but the overall storyline felt like something out of a parody rather than a nightmare.
#9. Grave of Flesh
This house had potential, but it simply didn’t stand out. The concept of being dragged into your own grave was chilling on paper, and there were a couple of decent jump scares, but the experience never reached the level of detail or tension that other houses pulled off. For many guests, it was forgettable—a quick stroll rather than a terrifying plunge.
#8. Dolls: Let’s Play Dead
At first, this one seemed promising. Guests were shrunk down to toy-size, navigating oversized props that gave an incredible sense of scale. But the actors dressed as odd-looking dolls weren’t intimidating in the slightest. The scares lacked intensity, and worse, they were predictable.
Instead of being stalked by vengeful, evil toys with a Child’s Play vibe, visitors saw reenactments of what the dolls’ owner had done. A stronger storyline could’ve elevated the story, but the end result was more “meh” than menacing.
#7. Galkin: Monsters of the North
This house brought something different to the table. Guests wandered through a snowy village, constantly warned by villagers that monsters were near—only for the creatures to strike moments later.
The warnings heightened the tension, and some of the grisly scenes, like slain parents on a table, were chilling. A young girl, appearing to tell guests about the deaths, added an extra eerie layer. It wasn’t the scariest house of the year but had an atmosphere that stuck with people.
#6. El Artista: A Spanish Haunting
There’s no denying this house was beautiful. The set design was jaw-dropping when guests stepped inside and saw the manor’s exterior. The problem? It wasn’t particularly frightening. With fewer jump scares and minimal gore, it leaned more on mood than horror.
The story, told through journal entries, was challenging to follow when you were focused on keeping up with the crowd. While the “art comes to life” theme was clever, it lacked other houses’ raw, visceral punch.
#5. Hatchet and Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters
This house had a playful energy that made it stand out. From the moment you approached, with a dead horse and cowboys on display, you were drawn into the story. The demon-versus-cowboy showdown inside kept the tension going, even if the jump scares were light.
It felt more like an immersive tale than a straight-up horror experience. Still, it worked because it leaned into its western-horror mashup with flair.
#4. Fallout
Even without playing the game or watching the series, this house was easy to follow and a blast to experience. Between giant robots popping out, a blood spray scene, and the main character’s clever moments of dark humor, it balanced scares with personality.
The bunker sets were impressive, and the action-packed scenes made it a fan favorite. Hardcore Fallout fans probably got even more out of it, but newcomers, like myself, still had plenty to enjoy.
#3. Terrifier
Fans hyped this one up as the gore-fest of the year, and while it delivered some truly grotesque moments, it didn’t quite live up to expectations. The bathroom scene reeked with an added smell effect, and the chainsaw sequence cleverly used silhouettes and aftermath props.
Scare actors brought Art’s unsettling presence to life, with one even waving and maintaining creepy eye contact with me in the playground scene. They weren’t messing around in this house.
The wet path, however, was underwhelming—just a drizzly hallway rather than the bloody soak many expected. Still, it was an intense, jump-filled house that shook many guests. It was also just a collage of the three films rather than a sequenced progression, which jumbled the storyline.
This house definitely had the scares, but it was more of a meshed-up handful of grotesque deaths rather than any kind of story to follow.
#2. Jason Universe
This house tapped straight into Friday the 13th lore, moving from Jason’s mother’s summer camp murders through the films’ iconic kills. The finale made this house unforgettable: a long, narrow hallway where Jason kept appearing just inches away, again and again.
The relentless pacing left guests with no break, making the scares rapidly pile up. It captured the essence of the films perfectly, giving longtime fans the immersive experience they craved.
#1. Five Nights at Freddy’s
The biggest surprise of the year. While it wasn’t the most intense house, it was the most imaginative. Towering animatronics stalked guests, giant hands swiped at them, and huge heads swung toward the crowd. It truly felt like stepping into the game and movie. Universal nailed the details, making the animatronics look authentic instead of cartoonish or stationary machines.
The scares were creative, going beyond basic strobe-light moments to deliver something fresh. Even without extreme gore, it stood out as the most polished, immersive, and memorable house of HHN 2025.
Looking Ahead to HHN 2026
Overall, Halloween Horror Nights 2025 was packed with creativity and scares. Some houses fell short, either from weak storylines or underwhelming execution, but others blew guests away with detail, intensity, and clever design. Whether you were braving Jason’s endless assaults or dodging Freddy’s towering animatronics, there was something for every kind of horror fan.
Universal keeps raising the bar, and if this year proved anything, it’s that next year’s HHN will be even harder to predict and even scarier to survive.