Here’s What to Expect from the Haunted Mazes at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights 2023

John Nguyen

Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood are prepping up for a spooky time for its upcoming Halloween Horror Nights. So far we have The Last of Us haunted maze based on the popular PlayStation video game and Stranger Things where guests will experience the horrors of the Upside Down. Today, Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood have announced three new haunted mazes: The Exorcist Believer, Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count and Universal Monsters: Unmasked.

The three newly announced mazes are inspired by Universal’s very own horror franchise: The Exorcist, Child’s Play and Universal’s Monsters. The Exorcist: Believer is an upcoming horror film from director David Gordon Green (2018’s Halloween), and Universal Studios is bringing the film to life with its haunted maze. Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count will be based on the USA & SYFY series, and Universal: Unmasked is inspired by Universal’s iconic monsters.

Halloween Horror Nights begin at Universal Orlando Resort on Friday, September 1 – November 4, and at Universal Studios Hollywood Thursday, September 7 – October 31.

You can purchase tickets at https://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/.

Check out the details for each of the newly announced mazes below for Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood:

The Exorcist: Believer

Courtesy of Universal Studios

Synopsis: Inspired by Universal Pictures’ terrifying new horror film from Blumhouse and Morgan Creek Entertainment (in theaters Friday, October 13), “The Exorcist: Believer” haunted house will unleash an entirely new level of terror to Halloween Horror Nights. In this new chapter, guests will be transported to a bustling street market in Haiti, where an innocent purchase of a strange folk doll with three eyes leads to the opening of a demonic portal, the awakening of sinister spirits and the subsequent disappearance of two 12-year-old girls in the U.S. The girls are found three days later with no memory of what happened to them. After the girls begin to exhibit unsettling behavior, it soon becomes clear that only an exorcism can save them – and everyone who comes in contact with them, including unwitting guests, is suddenly at risk of losing their souls.

Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count

Courtesy of Universal Studios

Synopsis: Inspired by the hit USA & SYFY series and cult classic films, “Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count” casts this killer doll as the star of his very own haunted house for the first time. A true sadistic killer, Chucky has been mired in the agony of disrespect he feels from his peers at not being taken seriously. Thus begins his quest to turn his haunted house into a living slaughterhouse by killing every person who enters.

Universal Monsters: Unmasked

Courtesy of Universal Studios

Synopsis: Lurking sixty feet beneath the bustling streets of the City of Lights, the dank Catacombs of Paris house a much darker secret. . . The all-new haunted house “Universal Monsters: Unmasked” takes guests down into the infamous burial grounds where every corner and crevice overflows with millions of skeletal remains and even more sinister secrets. Deep within the Catacombs, Universal’s most notorious creatures – The Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dr. Jekyll and his deranged alternate personality Mr. Hyde, and Dr. Jack Griffin, aka The Invisible Man – also lie in wait as they bide their time and seek vengeance against guests after the opening of the Catacombs to public visitation. These desperate and dangerous fiends have become filled with a rage toward guests navigating the twisted tunnels of their underground labyrinth home. It is here, in the darkness, where they hunt these trespassers and where the sounds of guests’ screams will go unheard.

The Last of Us

Courtesy of Universal Studios

Synopsis: The Last of Us haunted houses on both coasts will propel guests into a world of carnage and mayhem as they follow in the footsteps of the game’s protagonists, Joel and Ellie, who endure a brutal journey in a world overtaken by a fungal virus that turns humans into various forms of a new threat known as the Infected. As guests encounter the Infected – Runners, Stalkers and Clickers – along with The Hunters, a band of hostile humans, they will need to navigate the Pittsburgh Quarantine Zone, including iconic locations from the video game such as the creepy and desolate The Hotel Grand and a labyrinth of dark and dank tunnels, in a desperate attempt to escape and survive.

Musician Slash is working with Universal Studios Hollywood on an original score for Universal Monsters: Unmasked.

Stranger Things

Courtesy of Universal Studios

Synopsis: The “Stranger Things” haunted house mirrors the mind-bending twists and supernatural terror of Season 4, immersing guests in a heart-pounding experience alongside valiant characters from the series, including Eleven, Max, Eddie and more. Guests will find themselves on the front line of Vecna’s deadly attacks on the citizens of Hawkins while traveling through iconic scenes, including the notorious Hawkins Lab, the enigmatic Creel House and Vecna’s chilling mindscape. Along the way, guests will confront their deepest fears and come face to face with otherworldly creatures like demobats and even Vecna himself. In a race against the clock, guests find themselves in the ultimate showdown within Vecna’s blood-red Mind Lair, striving to escape and save mankind from his deadly curse.

Universal Orlando Resort

Universal Orlando Resort features five new original haunted houses and five scare zones. Check out what guests can expect below:

Dr. Oddfellow: Twisted Origin

A demented, late-night circus led by an evil ringmaster and notorious icon looking for human souls to fuel his dark intentions.

Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate

A horrific twist to a frightening, yet familiar tale and sinister battle between Fire and Ice.

YETI: Campground Kills

Blood-soaked campgrounds deep in the trenches of mountains where vicious, bloodthirsty monsters have returned with a vengeance.

The Darkest Deal

Selling their souls for fame where they quickly learn a deal can be more than they bargained for.

Bloodmoon: Dark Offerings

A colonial cult looking to slaughter those who dare refuse to worship the Bloodmoon.

Scare Zones

Universal Orlando Resort will feature five scare zones with Dr. Oddfellow and the scare actors out in full force. Check out the official description below:

  • Come face to face with the devious legend who is promising immortality for those who dare to enter “Dr. Oddfellow’s Collection of Horror”
  • Cower in fear as the signs of the zodiac come to life in “Dark Zodiac” where Dr. Oddfellow uses his power to transform the zodiac signs into horrifying horoscope creatures
  • Venture into the “Jungle of Doom: Expedition Horror” where Dr. Oddfellow’s twisted and bizarre experiments combine elements of nature and animals to create vicious jungle creatures looking to satisfy their cravings
  • Attend a music festival crashed by bloodthirsty vampires let loose by Dr. Oddfellow in “Vamp ’69: Summer of Blood”
  • Stumble upon Dr. Oddfellow’s crates and cages that once housed monsters of all kinds who have escaped in pursuit of chaos in “Shipyard 32: Horrors Unhinged”

More experiences and themed food will be available. Here’s what to expect:

  • Guests can enjoy the all-new disturbingly entertaining show, “Nightmare Fuel Revenge Dream,” that features a new dreamer confronting the creature that’s been turning her dreams into nightmares.
  • While shopping the latest Halloween Horror Nights merchandise and treats in an all-new Tribute Store, guests can enter a mysterious NYC Comic Book Shop and experience the “Tribute to Terror” by stepping into the pages of this original, terrifying, horror comic book.
  • Guests can enjoy a drink at the Red Coconut Club as it will once again transform to the Dead Coconut Club donning a new theme and menu.
  • When guests want to take a bite out of the horror, they can enjoy a monstrous menu of all-new food & beverage items, including Bloody Campground Poutine, El Pastor Torta and Sour Apple Pie Funnel Fries, in addition to returning fan-favorites like Pizza Fries.
  • New this year, Peacock’s Halloween Horror Bar will feature themed libations within an ominous nightclub vibe, photo opportunities, and more.
  • For those dying to experience this year’s “killer” food & beverage before the event even opens, Taste of Terror will offer guests an exclusive preview of select items that will be featured at Halloween Horror Nights select nights from August 10 through August 26. For more information and to purchase tickets to Taste of Terror, click here.