Halloween Horror Nights 2023 Brings “The Last Of Us” and “Stranger Things 4” To Life

The haunt season has begun and Universal Studios Hollywood‘s Halloween Horror Nights goes big with brand new mazes inspired by popular movie and TV show titles such as The Last Of Us, Stranger Things 4, The Exorcist: Believer, and Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count. A total of eight mazes are featured during this year’s event, as well as Terror Tram and two new live performances.

The Mazes

The Stranger Things 4 maze focuses on the latest season of the Netflix series, taking you through various scenes such as Chrissy falling victim to Vecna at the trailer park, the Rainbow Room, and Vecna’s lair. The production design is both beautiful and haunting. The tension builds as you make it further into the maze when Vecna jumps out at you at every corner. Fans of the Stranger Things franchise should not miss this maze.

The Last of Us maze follows the story and aesthetic of the video game rather than the HBO series. Joel and Ellie can be seen throughout the maze acting out various dialogues from the game. Infected such as the Clicker and the Bloater are in every corner, jumping out for a scare before Ellie and Joel shoot it back. Between the set, scareactors, and sound design, this maze really puts you inside the video game.

The Exorcist: Believer is based on the trailer for the upcoming Exorcist film. As you walk through the disorienting maze, you’ll hear lines from the trailer such as “the body and the blood”. Visually, this maze is not as intricate as Stranger Things 4 or The Last of Us, but there are still some pretty shocking scenes like a levitating Angela in the hospital with projectile vomit a la Regan MacNeil.

Stranger Things 4, The Last of Us, and The Exorcist: Believer mazes are all located in the Lower Lot of the park, and we recommend heading there first if these three are high on your list.

Another maze based on a popular IP is Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count. Inspired by the Peacock TV series of the same name, this maze features many gruesome and graphic scenes of the possessed doll on his killing spree. All the Chuckys you’ll encounter inside this maze will be animatronic or puppets, including the giant Chucky in the forest.

Other mazes for this year include Evil Dead Rise, Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America, Universal Monsters Unmasked, and Holidayz in Hell. The Monstruos house definitely caught our attention. Located in the Parisian Courtyard, this maze features monsters such as Tlahuelpuchi, La Lechuza, and El Silbon. The creature design and set are fantastic, and it is packed with scares around in every corner.

Don’t forget to head down to Terror Tram! This year’s theme is The Exterminatorz, where Larry Larva and his bug exterminators are looking to wipe out the humans. Once you make it through the Exterminatorz, you’ll walk through Jupiter’s Claim from Jordan Peele‘s film Nope.

For a look into some of the mazes from Halloween Horror Nights, check out our video below.

Live Performances

There are two brand new shows this year, replacing the Jabbawockeez dance show since the venue has been torn down to make room for the upcoming Fast & Furious rollercoaster. The Purge: Dangerous Waters is located at Waterworld, and is an EDM-fueled water and stunt show where a politician escapes to an island in the hopes of hiding until the Purge is over.

Blumhouse: Behind the Screams is an immersive experience featuring costumes and props from Blumhouse titles such as M3GAN, Freaky, The Black Phone, and the upcoming movies The Exorcist: Believer and Five Nights at Freddie’s, housed in the pre-show area. Located inside the Dreamworks theater, The Grabber from The Black Phone can be seen in the front of the theater interacting with guests. Inside the theater, guests can watch a presentation of past and upcoming Blumhouse films, but things quickly go array as the equipment fails. The presentation ends with a special live performance from M3GAN.

What Else Can I Do At Halloween Horror Nights?

There are three new scare zones this year, Ghostz, Toyz, and El Terror De Las Momias. You can also visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to catch a glimpse at the Death Eaters.

Halloween Horror Nights will run on selective nights: September 8-10, 14-17, 21-24, 27-30; October 1, 4-8, 11-15, 18-22, 25.29, and 31. Tickets and details can be found at www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com.