This year, Universal Studios Florida flipped things around a little in regard to their scare zones, cutting back the total number to four, but also adding two new “street experiences.” Now that the event has been underway for a couple of weeks, we’ve spent time enjoying everything HHN 2025 has to offer.
Check out our reviews and rankings of all six scare zones and street experiences, plus video walkthroughs of each zone, from lowest to highest.
HHN 2025 Scare Zones and Street Experiences
#6 – Club Horror
Location
Club Horror is located in San Francisco, at E on the map below.
About Club Horror
Universal describes Club Horror as “Welcome to Club Horror — the all-night street party where the beat’s bumping, the vibe’s electric and everyone’s dying to get in.”
It takes over the small area of real estate usually occupied by a scare zone in San Francisco — the pathway between the Fast & Furious Gear Shop/exit and the waterfront. It has a DJ, dancers on platforms, a bar trailer, and seating. There are no Scareactors or scares here.
Fun Facts
- A “club” zone is not unprecedented for HHN! The year 2001 featured the Ooze Zone, which was essentially a foam party zone. HHN in 2002 over at Islands of Adventure had a dance party area called Studio 666.
Video
Watch our video of Club Horror and the Mel’s Die-in Zombies below.
Review
It’s almost unfair to compare this to the other experiences, because it’s in a completely different category. For that reason, I’m going to give it a rating based on what it’s supposed to be. It sits as our least favorite street experience, regardless, but does it do what it set out to do?
Well, yes. Does it do it well? That’s less clear-cut.
The DJ knows what the crowd wants, that’s for sure. After dark, there’s usually a crowd hopping (literally). The dancers draw an audience, and their light-up props are fun.
The bar trailer is a little disappointing, since it’s the only bar at the event that doesn’t have special cocktails. The menu is limited to canned beverages only. For a venue advertised as an experience, it would have been nice to see a better setup with a unique menu.
The biggest issue with Club Horror is that it doesn’t really solve the problems inherent to the space. San Francisco has been a problem as a scare zone for years now, especially since zones have become a haven for selfie seekers and content creators. The other zones have managed the crowding by spreading out small stages with mini-shows or vignettes, while leaving the bulk of the pathways clear for traditional Scareactors and plenty of space for guests to walk through.
San Francisco, however, is very narrow. It becomes a bottleneck very quickly, even if people don’t have a reason to stop in the middle of the walkway. Anything of interest brings the crowd to a standstill. This current situation is much safer for Team Members, which is a win, but not any easier to navigate as a guest.
It might be more successful if the dance floor and seating areas were swapped, putting the crowd back closer to the Gear Shop and out of the main pathway.
Rating
Club Horror earned a rating of 3 out of 7, taking #6 overall.
#5 – Mel’s Die-in Zombies
Location
Mel’s Die-in Zombies is located in Hollywood, at C on the map below.
About the Mel’s Die-in Zombies
For years of Halloween Horror Nights, a much-beloved tradition is the Mel’s Die-in sign. It’s the regular Mel’s Drive-in neon sign, but Universal turns off the “r” and “v” for fun.
Last year, Universal began to sell Mel’s Die-in merchandise for Annual Passholders during HHN. This year, it’s a more prominent part of the event.
Review
Don’t go for the torches and pitchforks yet! I love this. It’s such a fun addition that really hits the heart of the fans.
It’s just that Origins of Horror was such an improvement from the last few years that it got bonus points, and the zones were all so good this year. The competition was stacked.
Outside Mel’s Die-in is a horde of zombies serving up the normal Mel’s fare, some prime cuts of people and other dishes long gone bad.
A couple of the zombies are even carhops, complete with light-up roller skates. Turn of the century music plays, and the zombies interact with guests as they pass by. While HHN may be focused on the scares primarily, having a little silly Halloween fun adds levity and whimsy (something we also love about Ghoulish).
If the zombies return in the future, we think a great way to plus this experience would be to add more spectacle. The classic cars were (understandably) moved to make room, but the Scareactors are energetic and ready to have fun with it. Give them some sets, more props, or even some vignettes like the zones have.
Rating
Mel’s Die-in Zombies earned a rating of 5 out of 7, taking #5 overall.
#4 – Origins of Horror
Location
Origins of Horror is located in the front of the park, at A on the map below.
About the Origins of Horror
For the last few years, this zone has been used as an introduction/set up for the event. This year is very similar. Though Sergio Navarro is “not an icon” but an “iconic character” and does not appear in the zone, his voiceover leads the opening scaremonies here.
HHN 34 takes place in the Conservatory of Casa Creación (the house at the heart of El Artista: A Spanish Haunting), and we enter the gates as we enter this zone. Flanked by stone gargoyles and overgrown flora, the hallmarks of horror are here.
Fun Facts
- The chainsaw wielding artists “carved” the five statues representing the IP houses.
- The stilt-walking crows were inspired by the crow characters of Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights.
- This is the first year that the Halloween Horror Nights neon sign is not lit in red. Instead, it’s turquoise, to match the color scheme for the Conservatory.
Video Walkthrough
Watch our walkthrough of Origins of Horror below.
Review
I’ve not been coy about how much I love the conservatory theme, and it does a lot for what is usually a terribly weak zone. Also new this year is the expansion into Minion Land, which we’ve been advocating for and are delighted to see. It really does help, though this is still the weakest official zone of the year.
There aren’t many Scareactors here, likely because this is another area of the park with bottleneck potential. The gargoyles are standing on little stages, but it works thematically because they appear to be part of the architecture. There are a couple Scareactors with chainsaws, who we’ve seen score a few great scares by utilizing the crow stiltwalkers as distractions.
Speaking of the crows, they are awesome. Stiltwalkers are often effective, but the bird-like movement, intimidating stares, and sudden flapping of wings seems to really unnerve people.
Our favorite, however, is the statue who hangs around the other statues. Each Intellectual Property (IP) house is represented by a statue in a cubby framed by stained glass, playing into the conservatory theme.
In the center is a float with pillars, pieces of bodies, and statues caught in the rubble and rebar.
And lurking among them is a Scareactor dressed as a statue with rebar sticking out, who strikes a pose and holds it until an unsuspecting guest crosses their path.
Overall, Origins of Horror doesn’t quite keep up with its roomier and more extravagant scare zone siblings, but it’s a major improvement over the last few years, and great for people watching.
Rating
Origins of Horror earned a rating of 5 out of 7, taking #4 overall.
#3 – Masquerade: Dance With Death
Location
Masquerade: Dance With Death is located in Hollywood, at B on the map below.
Backstory
Masquerade: Dance With Death takes place inside the Conservatory of Casa Creación in another era of time, where a group of vampires is hosting a masquerade ball. Humans beware — you’re the drinks, not the dancers.
Fun Facts
- The dancers remove their masks to reveal their vampiric visages before attacking victims.
Video Walkthrough
Watch our walkthrough of Masquerade: Dance With Death, plus the mini “shows” in the area below.
Review
Hollywood is a great space for zones with a lot of movement, and the Scareactors play on that very well. There’s only one show moment near the fallen chandelier, but the Scareactors have really settled into a rhythm with one another. There are lots of little moments between stalking guests where they dance or feast or otherwise behave much like you’d expect socialites at a ball to behave.
Not only does it work well for the story, but it also creates multiple opportunities for scares. Sleight of hand on a grander scale is a trick HHN does well.
The costumes are gorgeous, and we love the extension of the Conservatory.
Rating
Masquerade: Dance With Death earned a rating of 6 out of 7, taking #3 overall.
#2 – Mutations: Toxic Twenties
Location
Mutations: Toxic Twenties is located in New York, at F on the map below.
Backstory
The year is 1928, and Bzzzcon is debuting a brand new product: Rat-Tap-Tap Rat Poison. Unfortunately, on the night of October 13, a Bzzzcon truck full of poison becomes a casualty in a traffic accident. A getaway car full of stolen cash, driven by lackeys of the infamous mobster “Diamond” Joe Malone, caused a caustic collision, spilling toxic goo onto the streets.
Those who come in contact with the goo undergo an unsettling transformation with monstrous consequences.
Fun Facts
- If you enter the scene from the lagoon side, you follow the trail of destruction. The heist car drove through the Rat Poison sign and careened carelessly through the streets, with the crash site ending at Gramercy Park.
- The Flapper Scareactor on the speakeasy stage wears contacts that are UV reactive, so her eyes turn green.
- This is Bzzzcon’s fourth product introduced at HHN, but chronologically, it comes before the toxins featured in the fake B-movies Blood and Chum and Night of the Undead Clowns from Slaughter Sinema 2, as well as Exterminair from Bugs: Eaten Alive.
- The stolen cash is stored in bags labeled “Barmy Bank,” an Easter egg referencing the Barmy Triplets from Triplets of Terror at HHN 33.
Video Walkthrough
Watch our walkthrough of Mutations: Toxic Twenties, plus the mini “shows” in the area below.
Review
Most HHN scare zones are best at night, but this one is particularly elevated. The green goo found everywhere, from the props to the costumes, is UV reactive and glows for an added effect. It’s really, really cool. In the daylight, it just looks over-the-top, but that’s a small price to pay for how it lights up at night.
Back during construction, they had initially put down green splats on the concrete. The projected goo lighting is much better.
The New York scare zones have become known for their little vignettes, which continue this year. Each set has at least one Scareactor who performs a quick bit, and two have mini skits involving multiple actors.
The aforementioned speakeasy stage has a mobster attempting to enter before a flapper girl attacks him.
Our favorite, though, is the mobster and the Bzzzcon driver whose back-and-forth sets up the story.
Overall, this zone is a step above in terms of storytelling and performances, delivering the quality we’ve come to expect in this area.
Rating
Mutations: Toxic Twenties earned a rating of 6 out of 7, taking #2 overall.
#1 – The Cat Lady of Crooked Lane
Location
The Cat Lady of Crooked Lane is located in Central Park, at D on the map below.
Backstory
The story of The Cat Lady of Crooked Lane can be found on giant storybook pages throughout the zone. You can also watch it in video form here.
The story reads:
Deep in a forest on Halloween night,
the trick-or-treaters follow moon light.
The naughty children that dare to explore,
the old Crooked Lane, along the forest floor.
Cat eyes and pumpkins line the dim trail,
to the Cat Lady’s house, so withered and frail.
The Cat Lady of Crooked Lane stands on her stoop,
stirring her cauldron of special soup.
“She’s not a witch,” the children all say
as she pets her cats of orange, black, and gray.
She lifts her ladle and offers a taste.
They drink it all down, not a drop goes to waste.
The potion sets in turning hands into claws
and long feline teeth protrude from their jaws.
The children all scream as they become beast
and now hunt their friends to add to the feast.
The moral of the story, and it should be plain:
never trust the Cat Lady of ol’ Crooked Lane.
Fun Facts
- The Cat Lady of Crooked Lane was first seen as a movie poster inside Slaughter Sinema 2 from HHN 33.
- One of the trick-or-treater Scareactors carries a prop made to look like a copy of The Cat Lady of Crooked Lane.
- If you travel the zone from Hollywood toward Animal Actors, you will see trick-or-treaters in costumes later seen on cat Scareactors, illustrating their transformation.
Video Walkthrough
Watch our walkthrough of The Cat Lady of Crooked Lane, plus the mini “shows” in the area below.
Review
This is a hall of famer. It’s sure to be remembered and recalled fondly for years to come. Turning the Central Park pathway, which already provides a beautiful natural environment, into Crooked Lane and leading us to the Cat Lady’s house, was a stroke of genius.
The storytelling here is unmatched. The book pages are a cute touch, but unnecessary! The exposition and details are woven in, and the story unfolds as you walk.
The Scareactors are in different stages of transformation, and those who linger outside the Cat Lady’s house will be treated to a full transformation skit. The Cat Lady herself is a fun character, and her interactions with the cats are great. We also love the little walkthrough, which ties the zone aesthetically into the Conservatory and offers a fun, closed-quarter experience.
The zone is unique and refreshing. It’s exemplary.
Rating
The Cat Lady of Crooked Lane earned a rating of 7 out of 7, taking #1 overall.
Map of Scare Zones & Street Experiences
Directory:
A: Origins of Horror
B: Masquerade: Dance With Death
C: Mel’s Die-in Zombies
D: The Cat Lady of Crooked Lane
E: Club Horror
F: Mutations: Toxic Twenties
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