You look at the calendar, it flips from August to September. The wind picks up outside, the forces of evil and scary things rise from their slumber and take to the streets of Universal City in California. That which was dead comes back, Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood is here and open for business. Now, that rise also coincides with a mass of people, scarier than the zombies from the Night of the Living Dead. No, we’re not talking about actual zombies. We’re talking about all the other people trying to go through all the haunted houses at the same time as you.

Most people worry about the lines that come with a visit to Halloween Horror Nights. Either you can follow this guide, or you can just buy the Universal Express Pass or RIP Tour to basically cut ahead of the lines. That’s a nice option, but for some people, spending $300+ on a night at a theme park isn’t financially tenable. That’s where the guide to getting the most out of your visit to Halloween Horror Nights comes in. If you stick to the plan, you’ll have time to eat, time for the bathroom, and you’ll get through all nine houses/Terror Tram at the Hollywood event.

Follow Along If You Want To Live (And Get The Most Out Of Your Money)

So, in previous years, with the layout, it was easily the smartest thing to head to the two houses that are through The Wizarding World. This year, that might not be the best strategy. There are now four houses on the lower lot, and that trip takes the longest to make on foot. After two visits to the park so far, Insidious: The Further still gets the longest wait times in the park and that should hold through the busiest season. The other house down there, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire gets significantly smaller wait times, usually capping out at 30 minutes for this slower season. That means that if you can manage it, getting the early access ticket (between $10-20 extra) is pretty smart.

“Pretty Lady” Leatherface welcoming guests to The Legacy Of Leatherface house.

The lower lot houses in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Legacy Of Leatherface, Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines, Dead Exposure: Death Valley, and The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy all had differing wait times, but at peak hours they were all on the higher end. Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Weeknd both got the highest wait times. So, for this year, we’re changing the strategy. If you get the early access ticket, going to Insidious: The Further is smart, but heading down to the Lower Lot houses is the smartest bet.

The alternate path that crowds seem to follow is that they all head down to the lower lot first, at park opening. Then they head back up to the houses/Terror Tram near the middle of the night. You can counteract this, and try to pass up the crowds for Monstruos 2: The Nightmares Of Latin America and A Quiet Place earlier, and then take your bets for the lower lot. This is a risk, because on a Friday/Saturday, the biggest crowds arrive between 8-10:00PM. If you want to take the plunge and arrive around 11:30PM, you can do that and circumvent a lot of the longest lines as the night goes on.

M3GAN waiting for the Terror Tram to arrive at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights.

The only wrinkle in this is trying to get to the Terror Tram, which closes earlier than the rest of the houses. The Terror Tram is also the worst to wait for because it’s not the best attraction this year, and it’s really just walking through the backlot and not necessarily a house.

If you’re heading through all the houses and you arrive at around opening time (or you get the early entry), if you time it right, you should get through everything by like 12:00-12:30AM. That also leaves you some time to grab food, drinks, or hit some rides as well. The rides (besides The Mummy) are all quite short during Horror Nights.

Too Long, Didn’t Read All Of That, The Guide Summarized

  • Arrive at Universal Studios 7:00PM or earlier if you get the Early Entry Pass
  • Head down to the Lower Lot, jump in line for Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Legacy of Leatherface or The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy
  • Do the other “big line” house from above
  • Go to Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines
  • Finish up with Dead Exposure: Death Valley
  • Grab food if you need it, Leatherface’s BBQ is quite good or the tacos in the Dia De Los Muertos square
  • Do the Terror Tram
  • Head up to do A Quiet Place and Monstruos 2
  • Finish up the night with Insidious: The Further and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

That plan, or even in the opposite order, should be the best way to go about getting through all of the houses at Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood in one night. You don’t need the Express Pass, but you do need to hustle. Walking around aimlessly and making return trips to faraway places like the Lower Lot or the parking lot houses is a recipe for disaster.

Grab tickets for Halloween Horror Nights right here! The event runs from September 5th to November 3rd!

For more on Halloween, make sure to check out THS Fright-A-Thon.

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Halloween Horror Nights 2024 Review – The Best Scares Ever [Fright-A-Thon]