Ranking ALL 10 Haunted Houses At Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights 33
Haunt season started early this year with the opening weekend of Universal Studios Orlando Resort’s 33rd annual Halloween Horror Nights. Deemed the best Halloween Event for the last 14 years, you could imagine our frightful elation when we received a personal invitation to their exclusive opening night media event. We can’t thank the folks over at Universal Studios Orlando enough for this sinister and surreal opportunity.
Speaking of, this year’s event features two NEW icons, the terrifying and merciless sisters Sinister and Surreal. Sinister is the bearer of physical pain and anguish, while Surreal uses psychological and emotional torture on her unwilling victims.
We had the opportunity to experience all 10 haunted houses and scare zones up close and personal with permission to film during the tour. Filming is not allowed in ANY of the houses ever; this was specifically for media coverage. With some big-name properties this year including “Insidious”, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”, “A Quiet Place”, and an array of exponentially well-done original houses, there’s just about something for everyone. Now, let’s get to the good stuff; our official ranking of all the houses at Halloween Horror Nights Orlando 33.
(Merchandise presented at the media event)
Official Rankings:
10. The Museum: Deadly Exhibits
Something had to take the bottom spot, and it unfortunately was this house. You’re taken through a Folklore Museum that has been plagued by the curse of the newest exhibit “The Rotting Stone.” Mangled security guards and museum patrons, stone-faced creatures along with a mash-up of other ancient relics that have come to life...
On a positive note, this house did have a pretty cool set design, but it became a little repetitive and not much to look at almost halfway through. The overall theming of a “haunted museum” didn’t really peak our interest and ended up becoming forgetful compared to the other houses we experienced, leaving us wishing we got more out of it.
9. Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines
This ranking might be a hot-take, but it has to be said that we were a little disappointed by this house. By no means at all was this a bad house, just compared to other iterations of the Universal Monsters houses that we’ve seen in the past, this one just didn’t hold up. You are in the midst of an epic battle where Saskia Van Helsing and the Bride of Frankenstein have teamed up against Dracula’s daughter and her creatures of the night.
Overall, the set design of this house was STUNNING and the all female cast absolutely killed their roles. A hauntingly beautiful score was crafted by musical composer Sara Barone specifically for this house as well. We loved the women empowerment presented throughout, but it ended up becoming a little lack-luster for our taste.
8. A Quiet Place
Normally, we’re all for IP (intellectual property) houses. There’s just something about seeing your favorite film or television show brought to life right before your eyes. As for “A Quiet Place”, we knew it would be tough to execute a “quiet” house with eager and sometimes rowdy crowds. With that being said, this house did what it was supposed to, but it just wasn’t our favorite.
Scare actors that were present in this house actually used ASL to communicate with guests and each other to enhance the “quiet” affect, which we thought was a fantastic touch. The puppetry work for the alien creatures were done well, but the lighting in the house was almost pitch black in some spots (sometimes a good thing) but in this case we wished we were able to appreciate the design to its full capacity. It just really didn’t deliver as many scares as we would have liked.
Goblin's Feast
(Screenshot taken from recorded video with permission for media event)
7. Goblin’s Feast
If you’re looking for that quirky “fun” house this year, you’ve got it with Goblin’s Feast. Inside the Goblin’s Tavern, YOU are on the menu. We absolutely enjoyed this house a lot more than we expected. One second we were laughing, and the next we were being bombarded by a ravenous goblin from every corner.
After doing a few runs of this house, you can really pick up on the immense detail that went into the design. The enormous stone goblin featured in one of the rooms was astounding to see and all of the cast played into their roles well, their chemistry was prevalent. We think our new favorite line from any house so far has to be “IT’S NOT READY YET!”
6. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
“Who ya gonna call?!” The nostalgia factor was strong here. Even though this house is based solely off the newest film in the franchise (Frozen Empire), the Universal Orlando creative team definitely made it a point to add a couple nod’s to the original “Ghostbusters” as well. What can we say? They know what the people want! This house was an absolute blast. From the temperature effect to give that icy chill down your spine, to the absolute movie quality set design of the house itself, and the copious amount of scare actors placed throughout; they never skipped a beat.
Monstrous: The Monsters of Latin America
(Screenshot taken from recorded video with permission for media event)
5. Monstrous: The Monsters of Latin America
Where to even begin with this one? An original concept house from Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights that was repurposed into a house for Orlando. This one was definitely high up on our hype list and it did not disappoint. The monsters that were featured included La Lechuza, El Silibon, La Muerte, and Tlahuelpuchi; urban legends that we may not have been that familiar with but had their story told through out the house.
The design of these creatures is absolutely horrifying. The gigantic La Lechuza puppet/animatronic was actually borrowed from Hollywood’s house and truly is a masterpiece. The graveyard aesthetic design depicted was also enjoyable and really amped up the haunt factor. All around an enjoyable house.
4. Major Sweets Candy Factory
Chaperones of a field trip to Mr. Sweets Candy Factory realize that there may be something wrong with the candy and it’s affecting the kids… and we don’t just mean with cavities. The Sweet Revenge scare zone from 2022 was so well received by HHN goers that the Universal Creative team created a house based on it for this years event; Major Sweets Candy Factory.
Jolly old Major Sweets and his ally Miss Treats are as unhinged as ever and now we’re caught right in the middle. Well executed scares in a boiler room-esque candy factory makes for a great setting. Not to mention this house smells AMAZING. It’s always enjoyable to see a returning title come back to the event, especially when you finally get a backstory. Keep an eye out, this house also uses guest triggered effects. In this case, it’s big red buttons you can push and a candy dish that will sure give you a surprise.
3. Slaughter Sinema 2
A sequel to the 2018 original house “Slaughter Sinema” which featured several rooms depicting different B and C grade mock-up horror films. Some wackier than others, this house was just as fun as the first one. This time with an all new line-up of films playing at the Carey Drive-In.
Some of our favorites were Heavy Metal Hell 3-D, Killer Kringles, Mummy Strippers: Unwrapped, and Mardi Gras Murders. A house that has a little something for everyone. Each theme differed so much that it really felt like you were walking into a different movie scene every time. If you’re a fan of anthology-style houses or horror, this one will definitely be up your alley.
Triplets of Terror
(Screenshot taken from recorded video with permission for media event)
2. Triplets of Terror
An original slasher house you say? We’re listening... Join the Blarmy Triplets for their birthday celebration as they recreate the heinous murders of their entire family. This one was pretty much everything you want to see in a haunted house. A good setting (killer birthday party), creepy character design, the story behind it, and of course… scares. They definitely got us good in this one MULTIPLE times.
We had to note how spacious this house seemed as well which made for a lot of optimal scare points that were hidden out of sight. The podcast aspect and backstory that was presented through out the house was an unexpected addition and definitely made everything connect. The vibes of this house give “House of 1000 Corpses” and we’re absolutely here for it.
1. Insidious: The Further
Saving the best for last at our number one spot… Insidious: The Further. One of the absolute scariest houses we’ve been through at the event in quite sometime. If you’re a fan of the “Insidious” franchise like we are, than this house was made for you. Showcasing all of the most terrifying demons: The Bride in Black, The Man Who Can’t Breathe, Key Face, and of course The Red Faced Demon. Journey through the further where evil lurks around every corner. This house left us absolutely speechless, you felt as if you were right in the movie.
We got double scares, triple scares, and even scared from behind. These scare actors went hard for every single run through we did and that is exactly why it made it to our number one spot. Along with the literally movie quality façade. The dedication and hard work that was put into this house could definitely be seen and made for an even more haunting experience. If you go to the event this year, this is the MUST SEE house for sure.
Insidious: The Further
(Screenshot taken from recorded video with permission for media event)
Well, there you have it! Our final ranking and full review of all 10 houses from opening weekend at Halloween Horror Nights Orlando. Again, we truly wanted to thank Universal Orlando Resort for graciously inviting us at Macabre Daily to their media event. See you all in the fog for the rest of the season!
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