I’ve always been an admirer of Halloween Horror Nights from afar, but last year I took the plunge and visited both Universal parks to experience each event for myself. Needless to say, I came away eager to make this an annual ritual. For HHN 2026, Universal invited us back to its Hollywood park to see the new houses and experiences that are on offer. It’s an eclectic lineup of some obvious picks and notable surprises, with a gaming twist to bring it all together. Halloween Horror Nights is an event unlike any other and if you’re a fan of the spooky season like me – especially if you love haunted houses – this year’s iteration is a must-visit and it starts with the houses.
In honor of the late rocker, Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness captures the spirit of the Black Sabbath frontman in a way that I didn’t expect. Obviously, Osbourne‘s music permeates every facet of the haunted house, but the fun tributes to his iconic legacy are also sprinkled throughout. Specifically, the house leans heavily on “Crazy Train” to take you on a journey into a supernatural realm where versions of Ozzy slowly transform from the recognizable bespectacled Brit to something monstrous.
No spoilers, but my favorite moment in the house is a reference to one of Ozzy Osbourne‘s most renowned moments on stage and how the house flips the script and does something with it that had me smiling and laughing. The house is less about scares and more about paying tribute in a horror-fied way, and I think it achieves that goal with aplomb. From a strictly effects and technical perspective, I also consider this the strongest house of the bunch and it ended up being my favorite by the end of the night.
Sinners was the obvious IP choice for this year's Halloween Horror Nights. I think that this house captures the story of the fil, wherein a bunch of vampires try to invade a juke joint, and it highlights specific moments from the film with a sense of scope and scale that you don’t often see at Halloween Horror Nights. I also appreciated the way that the maze’s queue keeps you entertained and actually brought to life one of the more iconic sequences from the movie. I do think that one or two specific sections of the house do a lot of the heavy lifting for an experience that has you mostly walking through a few themed environments. But overall, I feel like it nails the film's vibe and that will be enough for most people.
If you had assumed that the Hellraiser house would be the most gruesome and violent, you would be right. From scare actors wearing suits that look as if they have been skinned alive to some truly horrific decorations, this house is packed with moments that will make your stomach turn. As expected, Pinhead permeates many of the house’s key moments, but it doesn't skimp on the Hellraiser references either. I think that Hellraiser typifies what a classic IP-inspired house should be. It captures the spirit of the film franchise, gives its most famous icon lots of opportunities to unnerve you, and fills the HHN grossness quota.
The Evil Dead Burn house has a gag at the very beginning that I think steals the show. The rest of the house is focused more on building a mood and a vibe than outright scares, but I do think that there are a few sections that were visually interesting and had some good scare moments. Evil Dead is a no-brainer IP to work with, but I do wish that there was more creativity on display. That said, every year there is usually a house that seeks to recreate those violent moments where the villains get their comeuppance, and Evil Dead Burn fills that role perfectly. It’s a showcase for effects work, more than anything else
Dead, Deader, Deadest is an exploration of all facets of what it is to be dead. From cremation to refrigeration, this is a journey a corpse can go through, and there just so happens to be some creepy funeral home workers and coroners to give you a little scare or two. I liked the story that this particular house told, and I enjoyed witnessing the way each room connected to the next. It’s a simple house, but an effective one.
The most fun house of the bunch is Killer Klowns from Outer Space. More colorful than any other house this year, Killer Klowns is surprisingly playful, with some genuinely good smells in an event that usually has a few that will make you plug your nostrils. Even as the clowns pop out of their “boo holes” and make you jump, they then start giggling, which is infectious in and of itself. The house gets to be more whimsical in the sights that you see, and I think that the HHN creatives went all out in terms of production. It’s not often that you come out of a house with a smile on your face, but Killer Klowns from Outer Space delivered that for me.
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