Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights 2022 Haunted Houses Ranked

This past weekend saw the official launch of Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights, which delivered all manner of terror to guests in attendance. As any Halloween fan can tell you, few celebrations capture the spirit of the season as lavishly as Halloween Horror Nights, as it unleashes a staggering production value for a variety of different frights, with its haunted houses, scare zones, and live shows. In addition to its reputation for its expansive festivities, each year sees the event allowing fans to immerse themselves in the terror of their favorite franchises, but also in entirely original experiences. Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort runs select nights through October 31st.

Given the popularity of the event, some attendees will see long wait times that prevent them from checking out all ten houses, so we’re here to break down the must-see attractions for those attending this year’s event. Of course, for the most devout fans, Halloween Horror Nights offers the R.I.P. tour, as well as express passes, which allow expedited access to the houses to make sure you can check out all of the fear the event has to offer. You can see the full breakdown of ticketing options at the official Halloween Horror Nights website.

Scroll down to see our complete ranking of the ten haunted houses offered at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort.

Honorable Mention – Scare Zones

While not official haunted houses, the various Scare Zones around the park are worth seeking out, so whatever you might have planned at the event, make sure to walk through each to experience them for yourself. With this being the 31st year of the event, the park embraced the spirit of all things October 31st, with Scare Zones like Conjure the Dark, Horrors of Halloween, and Scarecrow: Cursed Soil all exploring iconic components of the holiday. The standout Scare Zone might be Sweet Revenge, which focuses on an evil candy-maker whose treats turn children into homicidal maniacs. The blend of innocent and playful disguises coinciding with bloodthirsty murderers makes for a disturbing experience that could potentially have earned an entire haunted house to itself.

10) Hellblock Horror

Even in Hell, some figures are too deadly to be let loose, with this house taking you on a journey through the darkest corners of a prison meant to contain the deadliest of demons. The nature of this experience means that most of the demons that guests will encounter are clad in matching prison jumpsuits, with only their masks and makeup evoking terror. These challenges make the creatures themselves feel a bit less frightening, as they resemble more low-budget haunted attractions in which masks were purchased from a store, and by putting them in a relatively expected setting of an institutional prison, the experience feels more like an arbitrary blend of tropes as opposed to a fully realized experience.

9) Descendants of Destruction

In the not-too-distant future, society has crumbled into chaos, forcing survivors to look to one another when it comes to food sources, as cannibals are mutated into ghoulish subterranean monsters. Similar to the arbitrary themes of Hellblock Horror, Descendants of Destruction also fails to solidify itself as a unique experience, instead blending together predicted components of a post-apocalyptic scenario. However, the actual sets themselves do offer guests an experience that heightens the tension the further you venture into the tunnels, creating an immersive experience that offers a crescendo. On the downside, the attraction feels like it lifted elements from Mad Max: Fury Road, The Hills Have Eyes, and The Descent, but on the plus side, these are all compelling worlds to draw influences from.

8) The Horrors of Blumhouse

The latest collaboration between Halloween Horror Nights and Blumhouse Productions is a double-feature of terror, with two abbreviated houses being offered, the first of which serves as a tribute to Freaky while the second is an homage to The Black Phone. The Freaky house walks audiences through the events of the film, but guests will feel more like bystanders to the murder spree than actually being fearful of the events unfolding. While it’s more of an issue with the source material, Freaky also lacks any unsettling iconography to intimidate viewers, as the killer was just known for sporting a red leather jacket as opposed to an intimidating disguise.

The Black Phone house is the superior of the two experiences, yet while the film itself embraces supernatural themes, the house leans more into the presence of Ethan Hawke’s Grabber. The mask from the film immediately makes the journey tenser than the Freaky house, as the Grabber makes his presence known around multiple corners while guests navigate the makeshift prison of his decrepit basement.

7) Universal Monsters: Legends Collide

Haunted houses in years past have featured various incarnations of the iconic roster of the Universal Monsters, with this year seeing The Wolf Man, Dracula, and The Mummy all coming together for an unexpected battle royale. When The Wolf Man is tipped off to an Egyptian relic that could cure his lycanthropy, he pursues this cure, only to rendezvous with The Mummy and Dracula, who have plans of their own.

As a frightful experience, Legends Collide might not necessarily be the most intimidating, but its effectiveness comes from the diversity of its scares and the overall narrative which brought these characters together. The narrative almost feels like it could be the premise for an actual crossover, with this house being the closest we’ll get to such a story anytime soon. Plus, each night of the event, the winner of the collision changes, which will surely inspire guests to return on multiple occasions.

6) Fiesta de Chupacabras

In a small Latin American village, guests will immediately feel on edge as the seemingly celebratory tone of the community is juxtaposed with a disturbing secret they are keeping. While we might not be encountering monsters or demons at every turn, the countless villagers who are all sporting creepy masks that serve as tribute to an unseen beast will eventually lead towards the discovery that the welcomes we’re receiving are because we are expected to be guests of honor for the main attraction. 

Despite not being immediately terrifying, it’s the underlying feeling that something nefarious is afoot that makes the overall experience of Fiesta de Chupacabras feel so tense, evoking a vibe similar to The Wicker Man, in which it’s the lack of obvious horror that makes for such a compelling adventure.

5) The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare

If you were designing a haunted house that served as a tribute to a musical act, The Weeknd might not seem like the obvious choice, which might be what makes this house so effective.

The house itself feels like many music fans’ worst nightmares, as you attend what feels like an exclusive and secret performance, only to realize there’s a reason why the nightmarish festivities are being kept a secret from the public. Without having to adhere to any one theme or atmosphere, there’s a wide variety of horrors, though surgical deformities become a common theme. By having the musician’s music pulsating through the house, it adds another bit of juxtaposition, as the tunes will pump you up as the monsters try to drag you down. Regardless of how familiar you are with his music, The Weeknd’s haunted house might be the most fun and adrenaline-pumping encounter throughout all of Halloween Horror Nights.

4) Bugs: Eaten Alive

In arguably the most visceral experience at the event, Bugs: Eaten Alive takes guests back to the ’50s to channel a retro spirit of a time when families were far less concerned with chemical effects as they were with killing pests by any means necessary. As one would imagine, these chemicals had an unexpected impact inside the home, with the insectoid invaders requiring much more lethal methods to be vanquished.

Those who are unnerved by bugs in general will surely experience immense anxiety in this house, as a number of different sensory experiences evoke the feeling of being surrounded by and even covered by creepy crawlers. Even those who aren’t immediately unnerved by creepy crawlers will appreciate the immersive experience and attention to detail, as the production design fully realizes the aesthetics of the era while also covering every inch of the set with bugs.

3) Spirit of the Coven

Witches have been a staple of horror storytelling for centuries, though they are typically only ever explored in a historical concept of centuries past or brought to life in more contemporary contexts. On paper, Spirit of the Coven feels like a bizarre mix, as it unfolds in a 1920s speakeasy and incorporates a coven of witches, though it’s possible that it’s this unexpected mix that makes the house such a success.

Similar to Fiesta de Chupacabras, Spirit of the Coven features guests venturing into an environment that is secretive and unknown by nature, only for the reveal that witches are running this prohibition-era establishment coming far too late, as there’s even more reason they want to go undetected by the general public. Right from the get-go, guests first encounter bartenders and various thugs who put us on edge, only to realize that these figures are far from the most frightening strangers we’ll be coming across.The escalation of the horrors is what makes the experience so thrilling, as the gradual progression into the seedier corners of the speakeasy means there isn’t an embrace of full-blown horrors until a point of no return. 

2) Halloween

The power of Michael Myers is undeniable, which might be why the Halloween villain has been featured not only in a number of films, but also in a number of previous Halloween Horror Nights houses. However, this year takes things back to where it all started, remixing the most chilling moments from the 1978 film in a way that still feels fresh.

With most attractions at Halloween Horror Nights that are modeled after movies or TV shows, their respective houses follow the timeline of those narratives, allowing for an organic escalation of horror. While this Halloween house brings to life the most disturbing moments of that film, it blends them together in an entirely unexpected way, putting guests on edge as we never know what scene could be right around the corner. From visiting the Myers’ homestead to navigating hanging bedsheets, the house ultimately feels like a remix of the original film’s greatest hits, proving once again the undeniable effectiveness of The Shape’s chilling presence.

1) Dead Man’s Pier: Winter’s Wake

The third iteration of Dead Man’s Pier, this year’s haunted house proves why the concept has been such a success, marking the rare feat in which an entirely original creation from Halloween Horror Nights is the most immersive and effective house at the whole event.

In a small New England fishing village, an underwater threat has emerged from a fog to infiltrate the sleepy town, with bizarre and aquatic horrors lurking around every corner.

Purely from a production perspective, the artistry on display in this house is staggering. While guests know that they are walking onto soundstages, you quickly forget about the outside world, walking through taverns, cabins, and docks that truly feel transformative. As the fog surrounds you, a chill fills the air, making you feel as though splashes of the frigid Atlantic waters are actually washing over you. Lighthouses cut through the fog above the buildings, tricking your mind into thinking there’s nothing but the dark sky above you and an aquatic Hell below you.

Part of what makes this house so discomforting is that both its emptiness and its monsters are equally bizarre, as abandoned homes make you curious about what happened to their former residents, while the creatures themselves seem less intimidating than concerned as to why you’ve ventured into their terrain. Guests will feel like they’ve walked right into the pages of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth, leaving us wishing we could spend hours on the set while also not being able to escape it quickly enough.

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You can see the full breakdown of ticketing options at the official Halloween Horror Nights website, which runs select nights now through October 31st.

Which house are you most looking forward to checking out? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!