The fog is beginning to roll back into Universal Studios Hollywood, which means Halloween Horror Nights is almost here!
Halloween Horror Nights has become one of Southern California’s biggest Halloween events, transforming Universal Studios Hollywood into a collection of haunted houses, scare zones, live entertainment, themed food, and plenty of chainsaw-wielding maniacs. Hollywood also has one major experience that separates it from the Orlando event: the Terror Tram, which allows guests to walk through portions of Universal’s historic backlot. This guide is specifically for Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, if you’re planning a trip to Florida this year we have a guide for the Orlando location as well!
Following the final reveals at Midsummer Scream, we now know the complete lineup of eight haunted houses, the theme of this year’s Terror Tram, the new scare zones, and several additional experiences coming to the event. Here is everything you need to know about Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood 2026.
Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood Houses Revealed So Far
Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood will once again feature a combination of major horror properties and original concepts created specifically for the event. Seven houses have now been announced, including the Hollywood-exclusive Killer Klowns From Outer Space, but additional reveals are still expected before the event begins.
Sinners
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is bringing Club Juke to Halloween Horror Nights.
Set in 1930s Mississippi, the house will place guests in the middle of the Smokestack Twins’ new juke joint as music, celebration, and community give way to a bloody vampire attack. Remmick and his followers have arrived, and guests will have to find a way through the club while familiar characters from the movie fight to survive.
Sinners feels like a perfect choice for Halloween Horror Nights. The movie has an incredibly distinct setting, fantastic music, and a group of vampires that should translate beautifully into a haunted house.
Stranger Things 5
Stranger Things is returning to Halloween Horror Nights for one final trip into the Upside Down.
Based on the fifth and final season of the Netflix series, this house will send guests back to Hawkins as Vecna prepares to finish what he started. Along the way, guests will encounter Demogorgons, the Mind Flayer, and other creatures from the Upside Down while joining the Hawkins crew for their final battle.
Stranger Things has already inspired several Halloween Horror Nights houses, but adapting the show’s last season gives Universal an opportunity to make this the biggest and most intense version yet.
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser
It is time to open the puzzle box and enter a realm of pure pain.
The Hellraiser haunted house will draw from the original film trilogy, bringing Pinhead and the Cenobites into Halloween Horror Nights. Guests will witness the Cenobites’ nightmarish rituals while journeying through a version of Hell filled with chains, hooks, and plenty of suffering.
I went hands-on with Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival during Summer Game Fest, so I am already deep in my Hellraiser excitement this year. Seeing the original trilogy represented at Halloween Horror Nights makes this one of my most anticipated houses of the entire event.
Evil Dead Burn
The Book of the Dead has been opened once again, and an entire family is about to pay the price.
Based on Evil Dead Burn, this house will take guests inside a family home consumed by an infernal force. Expect plenty of possessed Deadites, gruesome practical effects, and the excessive amount of blood that has become a defining part of the Evil Dead franchise.
Evil Dead and Halloween Horror Nights have worked well together in the past, and this new house sounds like it will continue that wonderfully disgusting tradition.
Dead, Deader, Deadest
The first original house revealed for Hollywood is Dead, Deader, Deadest, which is technically a sequel to the Universal Horror Hotel house featured at Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood in 2022.
The connection comes through the Deville family. Universal Horror Hotel introduced Maximilian Deville, the hotel’s murderous owner, while the new house continues that story inside the Deville Family Funeral Home. This time, the family has started using Ambrotox, a supposed miracle drug that can restore a corpse’s appearance without embalming.
Unfortunately, the drug has some serious side effects. After Ambrotox backfires, a century’s worth of corpses rises from the grave and begins terrorizing anyone unfortunate enough to enter the funeral home.
I love that Universal is returning to one of its original concepts and expanding its story instead of leaving it as a one-year experience. Original houses are often where the Halloween Horror Nights creative team gets to be at its strangest, and a failed mortuary drug unleashing generations of decaying bodies has plenty of potential.
Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness
Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood is celebrating 45 years of Ozzy Osbourne’s solo career with Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness.
Created in collaboration with the Osbourne family, the house will take guests on a nightmarish journey through Ozzy’s life, music, and constantly evolving collection of stage personas. His music will remain at the heart of every room, while the environments draw from the imagery found throughout his career.
Hollywood’s version will begin with Ozzy’s childhood in Birmingham, England, before following his transformation into the Prince of Darkness. Guests will enter the Osbourne Asylum, inspired by Diary of a Madman, and encounter different versions of the legendary musician, including Madman Ozzy, Werewolf Ozzy, and the Prince of Darkness himself.
I love the music-based houses at Halloween Horror Nights. They are some of the best embodiments of the creative freedom that makes this event special. Universal is not restricted to recreating scenes from a movie. Instead, the team can take an artist’s music, album artwork, public persona, and career and combine everything into an entirely new horror experience.
Ozzy is also one of the most natural choices Universal could make for this type of house. His career is filled with dark fantasy, monsters, madness, and decades of horror imagery. More than just another haunted house, Prince of Darkness sounds like it will be a wonderfully loud and fitting celebration of Ozzy’s legacy.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space
The Killer Klowns have landed at Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood for a brand-new, Hollywood-exclusive haunted house.
Guests will be hunted by the alien Klowns as they invade Earth and begin harvesting humans for food. Anyone captured risks becoming trapped inside one of their cotton candy cocoons before being transformed into a gooey, gruesome snack.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space has a long history with Halloween Horror Nights. The cult-classic movie inspired houses at both Hollywood and Orlando in 2019 before returning exclusively to Hollywood in 2022. The Klowns will also appear in Orlando’s Downtown Clowntown scare zone this year, but Hollywood is the only park receiving a complete Killer Klowns house.
I have always enjoyed how Halloween Horror Nights embraces the movie’s mix of comedy, science fiction, and horror. The colorful Klown designs and ridiculous weapons give Universal plenty of opportunities to create scares that are funny, creative, and surprisingly disturbing. I am curious to see how this new house separates itself from Hollywood’s 2022 version, but I am certainly happy to welcome the Killer Klowns back
KILLceañera: Music by SLASH.
The final house revealed for Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood was KILLceañera: Music by SLASH, an original concept inspired by quinceañeras and Latin American horror.
The house follows Lola, a 15-year-old girl preparing to throw the “party to end all parties.” However, this is not a normal birthday celebration. Lola plans to take revenge on everyone who has ever wronged her by inviting the ghosts, monsters, and malevolent entities from the stories she heard as a child.
Her deadly quinceañera will take place inside the ruins of her childhood home, with Lola appearing on the balcony before guests even enter the house.
This will serve as the next chapter in Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood’s exploration of Latin American horror following the conclusion of the Monstruos series. I have always enjoyed Universal’s original folklore-inspired houses, and KILLceañera sounds like another creative way to introduce guests to cultural traditions before twisting them into something horrifying.
Longtime Halloween Horror Nights collaborator SLASH composed the music for the house, including an original song called “15 Candles.” John Murdy wrote the lyrics, and Lola will perform the song during the experience.
That makes KILLceañera the first original Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood house to feature a song with written lyrics performed by a character inside the story. The actress portraying Lola will also appear on the facade and lip-sync the song from a balcony. Because her face needs to remain visible during the performance, the character will use prosthetic makeup instead of a traditional mask.
Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood Scare Zones Revealed So Far
Scare zones transform the streets of Universal Studios Hollywood with detailed sets, atmospheric lighting, special effects, and roaming scareactors. Unlike the haunted houses, there is no queue or escape route. You simply have to walk through and hope you are paying attention to everything lurking in the fog.
FORTNITEMARES
Fortnite is dropping into Halloween Horror Nights with a live-action FORTNITEMARES scare zone.
Guests will enter Freaky Fields as the Storm spreads across the area and unleashes a collection of frightening enemies. The experience will feature recognizable elements from Fortnite, including the Battle Bus, familiar FORTNITEMARES characters, and some new additions created exclusively for Halloween Horror Nights.
I have been incredibly excited by almost every Halloween Horror Nights announcement this year, but FORTNITEMARES is the first one that has left me feeling a little unsure. Fortnite has certainly featured plenty of horror characters and Halloween-themed events, but it does not immediately feel like the best fit alongside properties such as Hellraiser, Sinners, and Evil Dead Burn.
That being said, Universal has described Freaky Fields as an evolving, high-stakes environment rather than a traditional static scare zone. If it takes full advantage of that idea, FORTNITEMARES could still surprise me. For now, this is one I will need to see in action before I am completely sold.
El Circo de la Muerte
El Circo de la Muerte will take over French Street with a terrifying Mexican circus inspired by the traveling carpas of the 1920s and 1930s.
The zone will feature a sinister ringmaster and several sideshow performers, including a dancing bear and a bearded lady on stilts. This should pair nicely with KILLceañera by giving the event another original experience influenced by Mexican history and culture.
Hackerz
Hackerz will bring chainsaw-wielding killers into the New York Street area. It sounds like a more straightforward scare zone, but sometimes all you need is darkness, loud noises, and several people running toward you with chainsaws.
Blood Bog
Blood Bog will be located near the Studio Tour rotunda and feature swamp creatures covered in ghillie suits.
This placement could work incredibly well because the area is already surrounded by trees and vegetation. If the lighting and costumes are handled properly, the creatures should be able to blend into the environment before jumping out at unsuspecting guests.
Halloween Horror Nights Street Experiences and Character Encounters
Alongside the traditional scare zones, Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood will feature several roaming characters and smaller street encounters. Because these experiences are not necessarily restricted to one large zone, it may be much harder to predict where the monsters will appear.
Murder of Crowz
The Murder of Crowz is returning with its terrifying family of bird creatures. This time, the group will include father, mother, and baby crow characters.
These creatures have become fan favorites because of their unusual movements and incredible costumes, so it is great to see Universal continuing to expand the flock.
Shriek of the Banshee
Shriek of the Banshee will introduce one of the wildest new creature designs of the year: a four-legged stilt walker.
That alone immediately has my attention. Four-legged stilt performers can move in some incredibly unnatural ways, and encountering one in the dark sounds absolutely terrifying.
HamiKuma
HamiKuma, the adorable but gruesome Halloween mascot from Universal Studios Japan, is returning for a meet-and-greet experience.
The character is extremely cute, although I am interested to see how easily that enormous costume can move around. Either way, HamiKuma’s continued presence in Hollywood shows how popular the mascot has become outside Japan.
Mr. and Mrs. Skeleton
Mr. Skeleton and Mrs. Skeleton will also appear during the event. They should offer another fun character interaction for guests who want something slightly more playful than the traditional scareactors.
Art the Clown Stalk-Around
Art the Clown will not be contained to the Terror Tram. His popular stalk-around experience will return, allowing different versions of Art to appear throughout Universal Studios Hollywood.
This was a fun idea last year, but I still think Universal needs several Art actors operating around the park for it to be truly effective. If there is only one Art surrounded by a massive crowd of guests trying to take photos, the encounter loses some of its unpredictability.
With enough performers, Art could appear almost anywhere and make guests genuinely nervous about running into him.
Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood Terror Tram: Everyday is Artmas!
After the popularity of last year’s Terrifier house, Art the Clown is returning to take over the entire Terror Tram.
This year’s experience will feature an original Christmas-themed storyline called “Every Day Is Artmas!” Art arrives to celebrate the holidays a little early and puts his own extremely bloody spin on familiar Christmas traditions.
Guests will encounter several twisted holiday scenes while walking through the Universal Backlot. The Bates Motel will become Art’s “12 Slays of Christmas,” while other sections will include a Christmas tree farm, a nutcracker-inspired area, and Art’s Christmas Cafe. There will even be a demented take on A Christmas Carol called “Santa Art Is Coming to Town.”
The story will also explain the destruction on the War of the Worlds set: Art used a flak gun to shoot down Santa’s sleigh.
The Terrifier house was one of last year’s biggest hits, so giving Art an even larger playground makes perfect sense. I also have to say that the departure from the Blumhouse-focused Terror Trams of recent years is welcome. This concept sounds creative, ridiculous, and perfectly suited to Art the Clown.
Ice Nine Kills will help bring Artmas to life by creating heavy new versions of classic Christmas carols, including “Joy to the World,” “O Christmas Tree,” and “Carol of the Bells.”
The band has always been incredibly creative when transforming horror properties into music, so this feels like a natural collaboration. Lead singer Spencer Charnas joined John Murdy during the Midsummer Scream panel and shared a short sample of the band’s take on “Joy to the World.” Based on what we heard, the Terror Tram should have one of the most memorable soundtracks of this year’s event.
Obsession at Halloween Horror Nights
One of the most mysterious announcements from Midsummer Scream involved Nikki from Curry Barker’s Obsession. A teaser featuring the character appeared at the end of the panel, but Universal stopped short of explaining exactly how the movie will be represented at Halloween Horror Nights.
John Murdy suggested that Nikki’s appearance could be a bit of a “Where’s Waldo?” experience, which makes me think we might see one or more Nikki actresses roaming the park. Instead of placing her inside a traditional scare zone, Universal could allow Nikki to appear unexpectedly throughout the night and leave guests wondering where she might turn up next.
However, I do not think that will be the only way Obsession is incorporated into the event.
My prediction is that Obsession could take over the DreamWorks Theatre with an interactive show similar in spirit to Late Night with Chucky. Instead of another talk show, Universal could turn the theater into a twisted dating show featuring Nikki and audience members participating in speed-dating-style questions.
It would be a creative way to play with the movie’s themes while giving Halloween Horror Nights a new interactive experience. Universal could even have several Nikki performers roaming the park beforehand, teasing the show and searching for potential “dates.”
For now, none of this has been confirmed. We only know that Obsession is somehow making its way into Halloween Horror Nights. Still, between Murdy’s “Where’s Waldo?” comment and the currently available DreamWorks Theatre, a combination of roaming Nikki encounters and an interactive dating show feels like a strong possibility.
Unmasking the Horror Tour Comes to Hollywood
For the first time, Universal Studios Hollywood will offer an Unmasking the Horror Tour.
This daytime, lights-on experience will give guests a behind-the-scenes look at how the Halloween Horror Nights houses are created. The Hollywood version of the tour will include KILLceañera: Music by SLASH and Sinners, with photography permitted in designated areas.
This is a very cool addition for fans who love learning how the event is made. It could also be a great option for people who are fascinated by haunted houses but are too scared to experience them during Halloween Horror Nights.
Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood Dates
Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood 2026 will run for a record 42 select nights from September 3rd through November 1st, 2026.
The currently scheduled event dates are:
September 3–6
September 10–13
September 17–20
September 23–27
September 30
October 1–4
October 7–11
October 14–18
October 21–25
October 28–31
November 1
The event officially begins at 7:00 p.m. each night, although select ticket options provide earlier entry. Dates, hours, and available experiences remain subject to change, so check Universal’s official calendar before planning your visit.
Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood Tickets
Halloween Horror Nights is a separately ticketed event, meaning standard daytime admission to Universal Studios Hollywood does not automatically include access.
Several different ticket options are available for 2026:
General Admission — Starting at $77
General Admission provides entry to Halloween Horror Nights on one selected event night. It includes access to the haunted houses, scare zones, Terror Tram, entertainment, and participating attractions, but it does not include Early Event Access or Express privileges.
One important restriction for 2026 is that General Admission does not include access to the new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift roller coaster during Halloween Horror Nights.
Early Access — Starting at $20
Early Access is an add-on that allows guests to enter select haunted houses beginning at approximately 5:30 p.m., before the event officially opens at 7:00 p.m.
This can provide a major head start, especially if some of the year’s most popular houses are included in the early-access lineup. A separate Halloween Horror Nights admission ticket for the same date is still required.
After 2 P.M. Day/Night — Starting at $117
The After 2 P.M. Day/Night ticket combines daytime admission to Universal Studios Hollywood after 2:00 p.m. with admission to Halloween Horror Nights that same evening. It also includes early access to select haunted houses beginning at approximately 5:30 p.m.
Unlike standard General Admission, this ticket includes limited access to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift during Halloween Horror Nights.
After 2 P.M. Day/Night Universal Express — Starting at $309
This option combines daytime park admission after 2:00 p.m., Halloween Horror Nights admission, Early Event Access, and one-time Express access to each participating haunted house and attraction.
It also includes access to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift during its designated Halloween Horror Nights operating window.
Universal Express — Starting at $249
Universal Express includes Halloween Horror Nights admission and one-time Express access to each participating haunted house and attraction.
Wait times can become extremely long on busy nights, particularly during October. Express is significantly more expensive than General Admission, but it can make it much easier to experience the entire event in a single night.
The 2026 Universal Express ticket also includes access to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift from 7:00 p.m. until approximately 11:30 p.m., subject to availability and change.
Universal Express Unlimited — Starting at $289
Universal Express Unlimited allows repeated Express access to participating haunted houses, rides, and attractions throughout the night.
If you want to revisit your favorite houses without spending most of the event standing in line, this is one of the strongest options available outside the R.I.P. Tour. Access to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is also included during its designated event hours.
Frequent Fear Pass — Starting at $179
The Frequent Fear Pass provides General Admission to Halloween Horror Nights on up to 35 eligible event nights.
Your first visit is selected when purchasing the pass, with the remaining visits restricted to participating dates. Early Event Access, Express privileges, daytime admission, and access to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift are not included.
Ultimate Fear Pass — Starting at $299
The Ultimate Fear Pass provides General Admission to all 42 scheduled Halloween Horror Nights event nights in 2026 without blockout dates.
It does not include Early Event Access, daytime admission, Express privileges, or access to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift. However, for local guests who plan to visit several times, it can offer significantly better value than purchasing individual tickets.
Ticket prices and included benefits remain subject to change. The latest options can be found through the official Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood ticket page.
Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood R.I.P. Tour
The Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood R.I.P. Tour starts at $439 per person and is the event’s premium guided experience.
Guests receive admission to Halloween Horror Nights, access through a dedicated VIP entrance, and a guided walking tour in a shared group of up to 12 people. While accompanied by the guide, guests receive one-time priority R.I.P. entry to each haunted house and select attractions included in the itinerary.
The tour also includes:
Universal Express Unlimited access to participating haunted houses, rides, and attractions for the remainder of the night
A gourmet dinner inside the private VIP dining room
An exclusive backlot Halloween experience with VIP trolley transportation
Reserved VIP seating at a live show, depending on the tour itinerary
Special themed photo opportunities
Access to select cash-bar locations
A commemorative R.I.P. Tour credential and lanyard
Complimentary valet parking for one vehicle
Access to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift from 7:00 p.m. until approximately 11:30 p.m.
Daytime theme park admission and Early Event Access are not included. Guests must also arrive at the R.I.P. Tour reception approximately 30 minutes before their scheduled departure time.
What Changed About the R.I.P. Tour in 2026?
The biggest addition to the 2026 R.I.P. Tour is access to the new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift roller coaster. Standard Halloween Horror Nights General Admission and the multi-night Fear Passes do not include the coaster, making the R.I.P. Tour one of the ticket options that will let guests ride it during the event.
The starting price has also increased from $419 in 2025 to $439 in 2026. Otherwise, most of the major R.I.P. benefits remain familiar, including the guided tour, gourmet dinner, VIP trolley transportation, priority house entry, Unlimited Express access, and complimentary valet parking.
It is a $20 increase, but the addition of Hollywood Drift gives the tour at least one major new perk. The R.I.P. Tour is still easily the most expensive way to experience Halloween Horror Nights, but it is also the closest thing to a stress-free night at the event.
Final Thoughts
Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood 2026 has one of the most varied lineups we have seen from the event in years. Sinners, Hellraiser, Stranger Things 5, Evil Dead Burn, and Killer Klowns From Outer Space cover several completely different styles of horror, while Dead, Deader, Deadest and KILLceañera give Hollywood two original stories of its own.
The music-focused experiences could be some of the biggest highlights. Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness celebrates one of horror’s most recognizable musicians, SLASH is helping turn Lola’s quinceañera into a deadly performance, and Ice Nine Kills is providing a heavy Christmas soundtrack for Art the Clown’s Terror Tram takeover.
Add the expanded collection of scare zones, roaming character encounters, the mysterious Obsession teaser, and Hollywood’s first Unmasking the Horror Tour, and there should be something new waiting around almost every corner.
Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood begins September 3 and runs on select nights through November 1, 2026. If you are planning to visit the East Coast event instead, check out our Everything You Need to Know About Halloween Horror Nights Orlando 2026 guide for its complete lineup, dates, and ticket options.
