Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood is back with one of the best seasons in years! No shade to the last few years, 2022 just feels like all the pieces are falling into place at the right time. The mazes…I mean… HOUSES (that feels wrong but alas, we have to cater to the Florida crowd it seems — if you don’t know what I’m talking about, refer to this article from Attractions Magazine) are scary and beautiful, the merch is fire, and we event get Death Eaters at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

After visiting twice this season, (honestly hoping to squeeze a third time in) here are my 2022 haunted house rankings:

1 – The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare – takes guests into the twisted mind of multi award-winning artist The Weeknd filled with grotesque characters and themes inspired by his music and short films.

Look, I’m a fan of The Weeknd (I was there when he had to cancel the second Los Angeles show, waiting for his return in November) but I still wasnt sure how this would play out. I loved it. I loved it so much. The distorted music, the creepily realistic and murderous Abels, the botched plastic surgery victims, and the ENERGY! The scareactors the 2 nights I visited were on fire! 

2 – Terror Tram – expands to include a cinematic twist of Jordan Peele’s blockbuster films in a crossover experience that reimagines Us, featuring The Tethered whose uprising invades the all-new Jupiter’s Claim set from the filmmaker’s latest pop nightmare, Nope.

The Hollywood Harry part was alright, but getting to physically walk through the Jupiter’s Claim set rocketed this one to 2nd place! The Nope and Us mashup somehow worked out amazingly, with audio and choreography playing out as you walked through the scene. It was great to spot the little nod to Get Out as well. A well done haunt to compliment these fan-favorite films.

3 – La Llorona: The Weeping Woman – features the legend of La Llorona who comes to life to terrorize the living as she mourns the children she murdered.

This house has been one of my top favorites since it’s predecessor La Llorona: La Cazadora de Niños in 2012. It’s still up there for me. The giant props and animatronics are the stuff of nightmares and the storyline based on Mexican lore makes my skin crawl.

4 – Scarecrow: The Reaping –  finds that Mother Nature’s retribution against the homesteaders for their sins of the past will be carried out by the farmland’s scarecrows who are now guardians of destruction for anyone who crosses their path.

I found it ear-ily (get it? Cause the corn…) similar to Knotts Scary Farm’s PumpkinEater, just featuring different produce. The gorgeous facade made me hopeful, but my first time through it was BAD. We conga-lined nearly the entire way through it, making it hard to get into the spirit. The unfortunate conditions did give us a chance to admire the set design and great attention to detail. Our second visit was much more lively and left space for scares. While I felt like many of the scenes were a little been-there-done-that, I did appreciate that they were done very well. The crow room was my favorite and something that sufferers of ornithophobia (fear of birds) will dread.

5 – Universal Horror Hotel – lives up to its reputation as the original owner, who was executed years ago for his dastardly deeds, continues to haunt the place today.

I really dug the main antagonist, Maxie Deville, the hotel’s serial killer owner. The hotel sets looked great and some of the walls would disappear to display newspaper clippings of his atrocities for added flair. A solid house with a Hollywood theme that makes perfect sense for its location.

6 – Universal Monsters: Legends Collide – expands on the thrilling legacy from Universal Pictures as the most notorious horror icons, The Wolf Man, Dracula and The Mummy, come together for the first time ever in an epic battle.

I definitely liked this house but it made me miss The Bride of Frankenstein Lives from last year. I wish we could have enjoyed another year or two with the bride before we were introduced to the new Universal Monsters design, but we still had fun! This house wasn’t particularly scary to me, but it was still enjoyable, fast-paced and full of jump scares.

7 (Tie) – Halloween – ventures back to where it all began in an eerily authentic haunted house that depicts the most chilling moments from the critically-acclaimed original film.

I get why it is still around with Halloween Ends in theaters right now, but I’m ready for this maze to retire. The set design and audio cues are lovely and somehow the simplistic mirror finale scene still gets me screaming. The addition of the Laurie Strode face actor was very cool. I still like this one, I’ve just seen it so many times in recent years that it doesn’t do as much for me anymore.

7 – (Tie) MGM’s Killer Klowns from Outer Space –  traps guests in a frightening funhouse of murderous clown-like creatures.

I love this tribute to one of my favorite movies of all time! They aced the Officer Mooney scene and really brought some of the wackiness from the movie to life. With the announcement of the official video game coming in 2023, I wonder if there will be cause to bring this back for yet another year.

8 – The Horrors of Blumhouse – brings to life Blumhouse’s supernatural thriller The Black Phone and horror-comedy Freaky. 

This house sadly just wasn’t good. The Black Phone section featured one solid scene and a lot of missed opportunities. A couple of the Freaky face actors were spot-on, but their enthusiasm couldn’t make up for the dead space and overall thrown together feeling of it. Fortunately we did this maze early in the night both times I visited so things only got better from there!

As you can see from my rankings, the 2022 Halloween Horror Nights houses as a whole were top notch. We were thrilled to have The Wizarding World of Harry Potter open with its illuminated green fog and roaming Death Eaters — they’d better have it again next year! Add the themed bars (including The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare Bar), scare zones, specialty food and drinks, Jabbawockeez dance show, spooky tunes in The Simpson’s Springfield and more and you’ve got yourself a frightfully delightful evening with plenty to do if you return a second, or even third time. 

And, if I do make it a third time, someone please keep me away from the merchandise. This year we’ve been blessed with a whole line of Lil’ Boo swag including shirts, accessories, glassware and much more! The Weeknd has his own design in a sweatshirt and T-shirt that was selling out left and right (snagged in my size — shout out to my friends LJ & Frank!). There are amazing pieces featuring Universal Monsters, Michael Myers, Killer Klowns, Nope and lots more. Bring your allowance, there are plenty of places to spend it.

Halloween Horror Nights tickets can be purchased online or at the Universal Studios Hollywood front gate, providing guests with Early Event Admission to select houses, beginning at 6pm each night of the event (subject to change). Various ticket options are available for purchase; click here for more information.