Five Tips for Halloween Horror Nights

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood has become one of my favorite traditions! This year there has been a lot of talk about how long the waits are - but if you plan ahead, you can avoid the worst of it! Here are my top five tips for making the most out of your Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Updated for 2026

Tip One - Halloween Horror Nights

Get to Universal Studios Hollywood early!  Our ticket time was 7 PM, which is the general admission time. We arrived to the parking lot at 5 PM. This gave us time to walk around Universal City walk and check out the merch before headed through security. Once we made it through security around 5:45 we joined the general admission line. The general admission line began letting people in at 6:30 PM. Once inside, we were able to access food at the Fall Out themed quick service restaurant as well as Chucky‘s Bar. They allowed general admission to enter at 6:30. Please note: There were no opening Scaremonies for this early entrance however it did get you to the mazes quicker and we just returned for a later showing of the Scaremonies.

New this year: they have less lines open. Moving to the far left will help your odds. The center move quickly too. The ones near the box offices were a huge mess! Try to avoid them.

Tip Two - Halloween Horror Nights

Head straight to the Stranger Things maze if that’s your priority, this is one of the longer wait times and if you can get here first, this should save you time. To get to the maze head down to the lower lot. Be sure to do all the lower lot activities if that is where you start, you will not want to go up and down multiple times throughout the night.

Tip Three - Halloween Horror Nights

I highly recommend purchasing the Express Pass. I know it does take away from your budget, but if you just forego a couple snacks or one merchandise item, you will get to experience everything. Every year that I have done the express pass, I have made it to every maze, each scare zone, and dine at one quick service location. I also always go on at least three amusement park rides.

Typically, there are only two mazes that have a huge wait but this year with the addition of the Ozzy Osbourne maze, you will find yourself waiting in three very long lines and the express pass. Will save you a ton of time.

Tip Four - Halloween Horror Nights

Download the Universal Studios Hollywood app. When you open the app select attractions and scroll to haunted houses. This will help you keep an eye on everything that you this will help you keep an eye on all the times for the mazes. This will help you gauge when and where you want to be. I typically start at the lot behind the Wizarding Word, move to the Lower Lot, then back up top for the shows, scare zones and final mazes but the wait times will help you know where the best place is to maximize your time.

Tip Five - Halloween Horror Nights

Save your shopping until the end. We like to explore the larger shop towards the entrance/exit of the park at the end of the night. You will find a scattering of everything around the entire park at this location. This saves us from carrying things around all night and it helps us to make a final decision on what we really want to buy.

Now given all these tips, I highly recommend that you take care of yourself because this is a marathon and not a sprint! I saw a couple of people wavering towards the end of the night. I even saw one person faint during the last attraction. Please remember to drink water, stay hydrated, and take care of yourself - SoCal fall is still a warm time of the year.

If you are looking for one time of the year to visit Universal Studios Hollywood this is the right time! This is such a fun experience and if you pace yourself and get there early, you’ll be able to experience it at all! Happy Hauntings!

Disclaimer: We received media tickets to fully experience the event to create this review – all opinions are my own.