The Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights 2021 Mazes Ranked

I sure do love Halloween! This is my favorite part of the year where I enjoy going to all the Halloween haunts and mazes that I can! I always start things off strong with a visit to Universal Studios’ Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights! They always put on an incredibly fun and creepy event!

No one was able to go to these kinds of Halloween events last year due to the pandemic, but I had the opportunity to attend this year’s event, and damn… it was great to be back to experience some Halloween thrills! I also got to take my teenage daughter for the first time, which was really cool! She had an absolute blast!

There were a lot of awesome mazes this year, and I ranked them for you below from best to worst. This year is definitely worth attending, though! There is so much great, scary Halloween stuff to experience!

Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives

No joke, this is easily the best Halloween maze that I’ve ever experienced! It’s super unique and it actually tells a great story, a story that I would actually love to see made into a film one day! I was super impressed with that and I would actually pay to go back to Halloween Horror Night to experience it again. The style, the art, the tone, everything about this maze was perfect.

This maze “picks up where the 1935 classic film ‘The Bride of Frankenstein’ left off, thrusting guests into chaos as the Bride becomes an unstoppable scientist and begins her mission to revive Frankenstein’s Monster. Her unwavering quest to find eternal life will come at a cost, and guests will soon find themselves entwined in a frenzied battle in their daring attempt to escape.”

The Haunting of Hill House

This maze is based on one of my favorite horror stories and TV shows of all time, and I was pretty excited to see how Universal would bring it to life for this maze, I have to say they did an incredible job! They managed to take you through the story and scare the hell out of guests walking through with its terrifying visuals. I was super happy with how this turned out.

The maze will feature “iconic scenes from creepy series including the ominous and powerful Red Room and the infamous Hall of Statues. The maze won’t follow a specific character or timeline, but guests will see apparitions of William Hall, the Ghost in the Basement, and the Bent-Neck Lady.”

The Curse of Pandora’s Box

One of the things that I enjoy about this one is that it’s completely original and it not based on any existing film or TV franchise. This one does something unique and different and it is inspired by the most fearsome creatures in Greek mythology. It’s a lot of fun to see the imagination that went into bringing this maze to life.

An ancient horror has returned to prey on those foolish enough to tempt the Fates. Enter Pandora’s Curiosity Shop, home to her infamous box. Once it’s been opened, all manner of evil will be unleashed. From her shop, you’ll pass through the Gates of Hades, guarded by a hellhound. Then you’ll face hordes of netherworld monsters, from snake-haired Medusa, to Arachne’s spidery snare. Greek mythology is about to become your monstrous reality.

The Exorcist

This one is always a classic. It’s not the first time we’ve seen this maze at Halloween Horror Nights, but they did a much better job this year with it than in years past. They put in a lot more detail into this one and it really paid off.

The scariest movie of all time has possessed Halloween Horror Nights again. But this time, the demon knows you’re coming. Enter the most haunting scenes from the film as the once-innocent 12-year-old Regan begins to act stranger and stranger, speaking in tongues, even turning violent. Her desperate mother consults doctors to diagnose the problem, but this is beyond their help, beyond their world. Watch in horror as Regan is transformed into a monstrous creature by Pazuzu, the demon possessing her. Try to survive a battle between good and evil, as a little girl’s soul hangs in the balance. The Exorcist is back, but this time the demon knows you’re coming.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

This is always fun to walk through, Halloween Horror Nights always has fun with Leatherface and what made this year fun for me, is that this maze was my daughter’s introduction to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre! It was funny talking with her after and asked her what she thought the movie was about based on the maze, and her responses were pretty damn funny!

Inspired by the 1974 iconic slasher film, the maze will “depict a harrowing and intense experience as guests try to outrun the maniacal Leatherface and his unrelenting chainsaw. Guests will embark on a killer journey through a series of familiar scenes from the film and eventually fall victim to a family of cannibals. From a dilapidated gas station to an eerie, old farmhouse, they will witness unimaginable horrors around every corner, soon discovering that nowhere is safe from the demented Leatherface.”

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Meyers

What makes this maze fun is that they center it around Halloween 4 instead of the original Halloween film. They tried to mix things up a bit by basing it on a sequel, and it works. They had a lot of fun retelling this Halloween story in maze form.

Evil has returned. Michael Myers has escaped, and he’s on his way back to Haddonfield spreading blood and mayhem in his wake. Your only hope is Dr. Loomis – Myers’ fire-scarred former psychiatrist. But will he get there before it’s too late? It’s clear that this time, Michael Myers is unstoppable.

Terror Tram: The Ultimate Purge

Going on the Terror Tram is always a treat. I enjoy walking around on the backlot and getting to see the Bates Motel and the Psycho house up close and in person. We also get to walk through the epic plane crash from War of the Worlds. This year they filled it with a bunch of Purge-themed killers. There’s really nothing new here which is why it ended up on the bottom of the list.

The Terror Tram is back. Unfortunately for you, some of the most iconic Purgers from each of the terrifying Purge films have taken over and are running rampant. It’s every man and woman for themselves as masked and costumed marauders are out to ambush anyone outside during Purge hours. So climb aboard the Terror Tram at your own risk. Because once you get off the tram it’s no rules. No laws. No escape.

Here’s a video of the experience we had in the the mazes!