It’s that time of year again. The ghosts and ghouls are rising from their tombs, the fog is rolling in to add to the spooky aesthetic of the season, and Universal Studios has once again opened its Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando, Florida. Alongside original haunted houses that create creepy campfire stories all their own, popular franchises such as Fallout, Terrifier, the Jason Universe, the WWE, and Five Nights at Freddy’s have landed in the amusement park. We’re happy to report we had the opportunity to arrive in the theme park and rank the “best of the best” when it comes to the scary attractions.
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Before we jump into the rankings, we must start by saying that each of the attractions ranged from “good” to “fantastic,” in that there never felt like there was a Haunted House in the bunch that wasn’t up to par. Our ranking also isn’t based entirely on “scare factor” and is more based on our overall enjoyment of the houses themselves. We also took into consideration the aesthetic, originality, and production design in putting this list together. With all this being said, let’s get right into Universal Studios Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights 2025.
10.) Dolls: Let’s Play Dead
Dolls: Let’s Play Dead has an interesting hook, but its execution made it easily fall to the bottom of this list. For an original haunted house, the premise of being an attendee that has been shrunk to the size of a doll yourself is a worthy hook to bring in foot traffic, though the monsters themselves and overall aesthetic had a tough time hanging with some of the “big boys” of this year’s Halloween Horror Nights. Creatures that looked as though they would fit right in with Cid’s tortured toys from the Toy Story franchise were a neat touch, but many failed to elevate the scare factor.
The idea of having a demented little girl peering at you as you explore the damaged environment was another great bit of creative storytelling for Dolls: Let’s Play Dead, but it wasn’t enough to overcome some of its faults. We wouldn’t be nearly as harsh on Dolls were it a part of other haunted experiences throughout the world, but for Halloween Horror Nights, it simply didn’t swing for the fences like many of the other amusements here.
9.) WWE’s The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks
As a giant wrestling fan myself, hearing that there was going to be a Halloween Horror Nights house based on the “Wyatt Sicks” piqued my interest. Certainly, of all of World Wrestling Entertainment’s wrestlers, this bad of monstrous brawlers makes the most sense. Unfortunately, the characters and story of this house never quite seem to gel together, especially when attempting to inject the aesthetic of the WWE alongside characters like Uncle Howdy and Bray Wyatt’s The Fiend. A better route might have been to keep the wrestling aspect out of the tale entirely, foregoing the walls of televisions, and instead have audiences experience an original story with these characters.
There was something heartwarming about the experience in its tribute to Bray Wyatt, aka the Fiend, who tragically passed away at the height of his wrestling career. Unfortunately, there were some weaknesses to the overall experience that simply made it unable to be higher on this list. One specific example that sticks out is how the quick tribute to the “Firefly Fun House” could have been so much more than it was here.
8.) Five Nights At Freddy’s
This might be one of the rankings that gets us in the most trouble simply since Five Nights at Freddy’s has such a popular following, but we would be remiss if we didn’t stick to our guns on this one. The tribute to Freddy Fazbear’s humble abode would rank much higher on the list, I feel, if you were familiar with the source material, which is something of a similar complaint with the Wyatts’ attraction. The animatronics used in this Halloween Horror Nights attraction as solid enough on their own, with many of the environments from the game, and/or movie, recreated to a tee.
Ultimately, Five Nights At Freddy’s had the goods for die-hard fans, but for those who might not be as familiar, it might be lower on your “must see” list. Considering the house routinely had the longest wait times for the night, that might be a good thing for those thinking of running the Halloween Horror Nights gauntlet.
7.) Fallout
Fallout is a decent enough attraction in Halloween Horror Nights’ houses, but the fact that it isn’t so much based on a terrifying property does damage to it here in the rankings. Universal does a worthy-enough job here in recreating the events of Amazon’s first season, but the overall story of the house doesn’t come together as effectively as it could. There could have been more time dedicated to some of the make-up and outfits here as well, especially when it came to the Ghoul and his appearances throughout.
I will say, I did get some chuckles out of an old prospector simply jumping out at house-goers to yell, “Work, damn you!” Fallout was a worthy enough experiment to give a try, and some of its production and unique aesthetic can work, but it certainly has a tough time comparing to the houses that we have yet to mention on this list.
6.) Hatchet And Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters
I think now we’re getting into the part of our list where all the houses are quite strong in their presentation and are mostly vying for top spots in competition with one another. Hatchet And Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters takes park-goers through a western aesthetic that has one of my favorite entryways of any of the houses on this list, with a creepy elderly woman beckoning you inside. The house holds up throughout, with fresh and unique scares to help paint a picture of this wild western story gone wrong.
One aspect of our list is how well of a story that some of these houses are able to present to park-goers, and while Hatchet And Chains might not be as strong as those higher on this list, it does a solid job of walking you through a nightmare of America’s past. Think Evil Dead meets Tombstone and that’s what you get with these demon bounty hunters.
5.) Grave of Flesh
The thing that works oh so well about Halloween Horror Nights’ Grave of Flesh is its environment, asking attendees to walk their way through the catacombs of a cemetery. Being told right off the jump from a grave digger that the corpses aren’t acting quite right is a great way to send chills up your spine. The progression of the maze itself, going from routine zombies to more subterranean creatures that look like mixes of demonic rodents and lizard-like abominations, is inventive.
Walking through Grave of Flesh can at times feel like a claustrophobic endurance test in the best way, as it hammers home the feeling of being trapped underground. There are some monsters whose design might be a tad confusing, but ultimately, it’s a minor quibble for an all-around solid spooky experience.
4.) Terrifier
This might be our most controversial ranking on the list, as we have to imagine that most park-goers might have Art The Clown’s introduction to Halloween Horror Nights a bit higher on the list. Terrifier deserves a high score here, thanks in part to doing an amazing job of effectively boiling down the gruesome kills of all three movies into one gory experience. Art gleefully dances, hacks, and slashes through scores of victims in what is easily the most gruesome house of the night, and it certainly swings for the fences as what might be the most popular house of Halloween Horror Nights.
Terrifier makes for one bloody, scary experience, though some elements brought it down a bit lower for us. Specifically, and again this is a minor quibble, there are some “Arts” of the experience who wear Art The Clown masks while others are in the full make-up to make them look as though they were ripped straight from the movie franchise. Art’s house is a worthy tribute to the horror juggernaut, especially with its final “Dry” and “Wet” paths, and it’s a testament to our remaining three houses that they managed to defeat this silent terror.
3.) El Artista: A Spanish Haunting
Even before walking into El Artista: A Spanish Haunting, you know that you’re going to be in for something special. Recreating a mansion draped in Spanish moss, the attraction might have our favorite story of the night in how it progresses throughout. You find yourself falling into madness as the “protagonist” is an artist whose paintings are coming to life and attacking anything unfortunate enough to step in their path. The creatures themselves are both original and disturbing, with the aesthetic being an extremely original one from step one.
Making an original haunted house seems like such a difficult task, but El Artista: A Spanish Haunting made it look easy. Everything clicks in such a way with each step as you’re bombarded with original scares and can often find yourself put off guard with what is about to come next. Many of the creatures could have easily been the “mascots” for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights if Art wasn’t the real deal.
2.) Galkin: Monsters of The North
Easily the best “original” haunted house of Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights for us was Galkin: Monsters of The North. While El Artista’s narrative might have gotten the edge in its Norse counterpart, the gore, creature designs, and production level in Galkin helped it get the overall higher rank on this list. Monsters of the North incorporates puppetry and automation designs, along with traditional costumed monsters, in an effective manner. The overall environment of this Viking-laced locale is also brought to life excellently, helping to sell the horrific setting with ease.
Were you to experience Galkin: Monsters of The North as its own attraction, separate from any amusement park, it might rank as one of the biggest haunted houses in North America, and that’s saying something. Of course, there could only be one entry that could reach the top of our charts, and it entails a visit to Camp Crystal Lake.
1.) Jason Universe
Pound for pound, Jason Universe was our favorite house as part of Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights without question. Even though Jason Voorhees’ experience didn’t have the same amount of blood as Art The Clown’s attraction or the animatronics of Five Nights At Freddy’s, the sheer ingenuity and storytelling of the house pushed it to the top of our list. Even if you’re not a fan of the Friday The 13th series, this house has the goods to send shivers down your spine.
What makes The Jason Universe house work so well is the idea that Jason Voorhees is “following you” throughout the experience. You’ll feel uneasy in the best way with each progressive step, and the methods Universal employs to make sure that Jason’s presence is always felt are ingenious. There’s one specific scare that works so well with an utterly simple method, aka a Jason will lurch your way from one side of the house, only for you to take one step before another Jason lurches at you from the opposite side of the aisle. It feels as though Jason is invading your mind as you get closer to the exit, while also paying homage to the hockey-mask-wearing slasher and his many iterations throughout the years. It was no easy task assembling the Halloween Horror Nights attractions into a ranked list, but placing The Jason Universe house at number one on the list was the easiest decision we made.
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