Ranking the Haunted Houses of Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights 2024

Admittedly, I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat. I watch horror films from the safety of my home, peeking through my fingers. But somehow, I found myself screaming in terror at 10 terrifying haunted houses during Universal Orlando's annual Halloween Horror Nights event.

So, why would someone who’s terrified of horror willingly spend hours surrounded by monsters, demons, and the macabre? Because despite losing my voice by the end of the night, Halloween Horror Nights (HHN for fans) offers much more than just jump scares. The creative teams behind the houses are as inventive as they are eerie, and the scare actors truly dedicate themselves to bringing their chilling characters to life.

Beyond the scares, there's an entire team of makeup artists, costume designers, lighting experts, sound technicians, and countless other staff who make this event come to life. Despite the terror, stepping into the haunted houses at Halloween Horror Nights feels like being transported into the eerie worlds crafted by these artists. Amidst my screams, I can't help but be amazed by the creativity on display. It's this awe that draws me back year after year… along with the fact that I’m getting pretty good at laughing through another successful escape from a house.

To help you prepare for your adventure, I’ve ranked all 10 houses from this year's Halloween Horror Nights. However, my rankings go beyond just how scary each house was. Most of these houses I would gladly go through again, and the few I’m less eager to revisit are only because of how truly terrifying they were. Ultimately, my rankings reflect how excited I would be to walk through each house once more.

That being said, rankings are always subjective. You’re likely to have a totally different list than mine, and that’s part of what makes Halloween Horror Nights so great. Each house offers its own blend of storytelling, set design, creative characters, and heart-pounding scares. Whatever type of horror you enjoy, you'll find it here.

Keep reading to see how my rankings stack up against yours — see you in the mist.

Ranking the Haunted Houses of Halloween Horror Nights 2024

1. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Inspired by the latest entry in the "Ghostbusters" series, this house brings new thrills while honoring the classics. You’ll step into Ray’s Occult Books shop before venturing into chilling scenes from "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire." Along the way, you’ll encounter Garraka, the villainous ice god who seeks to freeze the world in his evil grip, as seen in the film.

As you explore this house, you’ll come face-to-face with ghosts from the latest movie, including a swarm of Stay-Puft marshmallow men, alongside iconic characters like Zuul, Slimer, the library ghost, and even Vigo the Carpathian from "Ghostbusters 2." And of course, you’ll witness the Ghostbusters in action, using their proton packs to capture spirits.

What truly impressed me about this house was the set design. Some rooms were so vast and detailed that I didn’t want to leave. I could have spent hours just admiring the intricacy of each scene. But of course, that was part of the plan. While I was lost in the beauty of it all, Garraka seized the moment to jump out and scare me... repeatedly.

2. Slaughter Sinema 2

This B-movie horror-inspired house serves as the sequel to Slaughter Sinema, which first appeared at Halloween Horror Nights in 2018. Both houses are set at the fictional Carey Drive-In theater in Carey, Ohio, a regular HHN location and the real-life hometown of one of the event's creators.

Entering Slaughter Sinema 2 feels like being thrust into the middle of eight gruesome horror films. From a Mardi Gras murder scene to a strip club haunted by soul-sucking mummies, the house takes you on a wild, bloody ride. What makes it so enjoyable is the variety — it’s like experiencing eight mini haunted houses all in one.

Some of my favorite moments include "Blood and Chum," where you’re submerged in an underwater shark attack featuring a massive puppet, and "Killer Kringles," which will have you rethinking your place on Santa’s naughty list.

3. Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America

This house brings to life three terrifying legends from Latin American folklore — Tlahuelpuchi, La Lechuza, and El Silbon. These aren't the kinds of tales you'd want to share with your kids before bedtime. Tlahuelpuchi is a bloodthirsty female vampire who preys on infants, La Lechuza is a shape-shifting witch who transforms into an owl, and El Silbon is a tormented spirit who carries a mysterious sack filled with bones of unknown origin.

You don’t have to imagine the terror — as you walk through Monstruos, you'll experience firsthand how these legendary creatures stalk and slaughter their victims. The character design and gore in this house were impressive, and I appreciated how the characters paid tribute to real-life cultural legends with a rich historical context.

La Muerte, the embodiment of death, is a recurring figure throughout this house. While she represents death itself, her presence is more hauntingly beautiful and melancholic than outright frightening. Her sad and elegant portrayal offers a poignant contrast to the darker, more terrifying moments in the house, balancing out the chilling tales without pulling you away from the grim legends.

4. Triplets of Terror

Halloween Horror Nights has a long tradition of slasher houses, often inspired by iconic films like "Halloween" or "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." This year, however, Universal introduced a brand-new slasher with Triplets of Terror. The house centers on the Barmy triplets — Melody, Harmony, and Junior — who, for reasons unknown, brutally murdered their family on their ninth birthday. Every decade, they commemorate this horrific event by recreating the murders in a new town with fresh victims.

I ranked this house highly because as I walked through it, I realized it was practically begging to be adapted into its own slasher film. The house takes you through time and space, revisiting each gruesome crime scene, culminating in a nightmarish recreation of the triplets' twisted ninth birthday celebration.

In most haunted houses, you're uncertain about what horrors lie ahead. But with the Triplets of Terror, it was even more terrifying knowing that all three siblings were lurking in the shadows of each room, just waiting for the perfect moment to leap out and catch me off guard.

5. Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines

For several years, Universal has dedicated a house to the legendary monsters that put the studio on the map. This year's edition features an all-female cast, with the Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula's daughter, She-Wolf of London, and the ancient Egyptian princess Anck-Su-Namun leading the terrifying charge every night.

In this house, Saskia Van Helsing, the daughter of the famous vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing, teams up with the Bride of Frankenstein to face off against Dracula's daughter, who has joined forces with She-Wolf and Anck-Su-Namun for a battle to the death. The sheer number of monstrous threats coming at me left me so frightened that I struggled to fully follow the storyline.

I didn’t even realize who won the epic battle (I won’t spoil it for you) until my group discussed it afterward. But what I did notice was the stunning set design, from Anck-Su-Namun's eerie Egyptian tomb to Dracula's imposing castle. The strong female character lineup definitely earned this house major points in my book.

6. Major Sweets Candy Factory

Every year, one house stands out as the 'comic relief' of Halloween Horror Nights. This time, it’s Major Sweets Candy Factory. Expanding on the story from 2022’s Sweet Revenge scare zone, Major Sweets has invited a group of school children for a field trip to his candy factory, and you’re one of the lucky adults chosen to chaperone the excursion. But be warned: Major Sweets' candy may sound sweet, but it turns the kids into bloodthirsty maniacs.

While this house is packed with plenty of scares and a disgusting amount of gore, it’s the over-the-top antics of Major Sweets, Miss Treats, and the candy-crazed kids that injects a playful tone into the experience.

If you get the chance to visit this house, keep an eye out for two large red buttons hidden inside. These guest-triggered buttons can raise the scare level and make the experience even more intense.

7. A Quiet Place

There are three films in the "A Quiet Place" series, but this house draws from the first two. For those unfamiliar with the films, they are set in a world overtaken by alien creatures that are blind but hunt based on sound. The films' premise gave Universal the challenge of creating a haunted house as quiet as the movies themselves. This stark silence was a sharp contrast to the usual loud sounds and music of other houses, making it all the more eerie.

Instead of the usual cacophony of noise, the house was mostly silent, with terrifying creatures lurking in the darkness, only to jump out without warning. The eerie quiet heightened the tension, and any distant noise instantly made me think an alien attack was imminent. Staying true to the films' theme (with a deaf character in the first two), Universal included American Sign Language throughout the house. They worked closely with members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community to ensure the ASL was accurately and respectfully incorporated.

As much as I enjoyed this house, the quiet atmosphere was more unsettling in concept than in reality. While I was hoping for near silence, it’s hard to achieve that with a crowd of terrified guests screaming in fear. I also expected that we, as the visitors, would sometimes trigger the noises, alerting the aliens to our presence. My own expectations may have affected how I experienced the house, but I’m looking forward to revisiting it with a fresh perspective next time.

8. The Museum: Deadly Exhibits

The Museum: Deadly Exhibits is set in the Museum of International Folklore, where a new and cursed exhibit, the Rotting Stone, has been unveiled. As you might expect, this ancient artifact is causing some serious chaos. What I really enjoyed about this house was that it wasn’t just the museum visitors and staff who were being affected by the Rotting Stone — even the exhibits themselves were being overtaken.

Even though I’m a self-proclaimed scaredy-cat, I didn’t sprint out of this house with my heart racing. It wasn’t the most terrifying experience, but I really appreciated the originality of seeing inanimate objects spring to life.

Several exhibits began to shift and animate as the Rotting Stone’s power spread. I can honestly say this house marked my first encounter with a haunted sail and cursed wallpaper — and I absolutely loved it.

9. Insidious: The Further

I’ll start by saying the only reason I ranked this house so low is because it was so terrifying that I never want to walk through that massive red door again. Based on all five films in the "Insidious" franchise, this house drops you straight into the Further — a dark, twisted dimension home to demons and the restless souls of the dead.

The scares in Insidious: The Further are, quite simply, unrelenting. It’s easily one of the scariest haunted houses I’ve ever experienced at HHN. It’s not just the constant jump scares, but the way they catch you off guard.

There are rooms packed with curtains and drapes that could be hiding demons (and, of course, they are). Then there are other rooms so overcrowded with demons and ghosts that I honestly didn’t want to keep moving forward. When I finally made it out, my heart was still racing for a solid 10 minutes. I even heard other guests talk about collapsing from the sheer fright they felt in this house.

The demons and environments in this house were perfectly in line with the films. The characters looked like they walked right out of the screen. I have friends who ranked this as their number one house, and I totally get why. As someone who can’t even be near a balloon without jumping out of my skin when it pops, this house rattled me to my core. I’m not sure I ever want to venture into the Further again.

10. Goblin's Feast

Who doesn’t love a good feast? Well, you might not want to join this one if you're human. In this goblin, orc, and witch-infested village, *you* are the main course. There were goblins gnawing on body parts lurking around every corner, and it certainly kept me screaming.

At the feast, there was one massive, terrifying goblin sitting at the table that I couldn't look away from (which also gave his wife the perfect chance to sneak up on me), but overall, this house didn’t quite resonate with me. I've heard plenty of people call it one of their favorites, so don't just take my word for it. Maybe I'm just not a goblin fan.

Bottom line

I've said it before, and I’ll say it again: not a single house this year missed the mark. Every one brought something unique and exciting to the table, and I can't wait to dive back in. But I should probably let my voice recover for a few days before I jump into Halloween Horror Nights again.