Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights: Hollywood vs. Orlando

When guests enter the house of “Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines” at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights this year, they will be immersed in film history.

The West Coast version of this house is located in the very same recording studio where Universal first made its name in the horror genre: Sound Stage 12.

“What it's really famous for is that it was the inside of Dracula's castle in 1931 for 'Dracula.' It was also the inside of Frankenstein's laboratory in 'Frankenstein' in 1931, also for 'Bride of Frankenstein.' But over the years, everything from 'Back to the Future' to 'Scarface' to 'Jurassic Park' has been filmed on the stage,” said John Murdy, creative director and executive producer of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, while giving USA TODAY a behind-the-scenes look at this year's event.

The distinction is emblematic of how different Halloween Horror Nights are at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando. Here are six differences between the California and Florida events to help travelers decide between the two.

Different origins

Universal Studios Hollywood began as a film studio that expanded into a theme park, while Universal Studios Florida was built primarily as a theme park with production capabilities that included what was then Nickelodeon Studios.

While production takes place in both locations, much more happens in Hollywood. Because of this, both events feature film-quality sets and costumes, but many of the people who work on Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights come from the television and film industries.

“We have a prop master and a couple of people who are on staff all the time and work on Horror Nights pretty much all year round, but then they're staffed with industry professionals,” Murdy said. “The same goes for our production designers. For example, our art director and production designer have a (core) of film designers, and they work on all these big movies, but then when they have a break between movies, we grab them.”

Various sizes

Like the Florida resort itself, Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights are larger than their Hollywood counterpart.

This year, Orlando's HHN features ten haunted houses and five scary zones, while the Hollywood event includes eight houses, four scary zones and the popular Terror Tram along famous movie sets.

Different priorities

Hollywood tends to have more intellectual property companies than Orlando.

“My vision for this event was to do brand work, and that's what we've focused on exclusively for many years,” Murdy said, adding that he sees the houses as living horror movies. It was only later that Hollywood added original content.

This year, the parks share four IP houses: Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines, Insidious: The Further, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and A Quiet Place. Hollywood has two more IP houses – The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Legacy of Leatherface. Hollywood also hosts an interactive talk show called “Late Night with Chucky.”

Orlando, meanwhile, is presenting more original content.

“Our original content properties are a lot of fun to develop and are some of our fan favorites,” Lora Sauls, associate director of creative development and show direction for art and design, entertainment at Universal Orlando Resort, told USA TODAY.

Six of Orlando's properties are originals this year, including Slaughter Sinema 2, which combines eight mini-themes into one. “Our fans will say they absolutely love it. You never know if this might be a completely new property in the future,” Sauls said.

Halloween Horror Nights 2024:Every house and every scare zone. Everything you need to know.

Different creative processes

Murdy writes all the stories for Hollywood, but small teams in Orlando work on the original houses.

“We work with a character designer, a set designer and a show director – a team of three. We give each of them the houses they'll be working on from original stories,” Sauls said. “They then dive deep into the story, where the locations are and what the characters will be like.”

Different design

Even though the parks have the same house theme, they may not have the same feel.

“What we always do with properties that we share on both coasts is we come together and work together to come up with some kind of basic story or plot points or scene layout for what we want to do in our experience, knowing full well that it's going to be a little different from coast to coast, and that's largely based on the physical spaces that we're occupying,” Murdy said.

Beyond the physical limitations, there are also artistic differences. For example, the Hollywood version of Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines features an original score by Grammy winner Slash, while the Orlando version was composed by Emmy-nominated composer Sara Barone. The two houses also have different décor.

Different target groups

Hollywood HHN guests are mostly local, although some fans come from all over the world. Universal Orlando welcomes many travelers in addition to its local fan base.

Both destinations offer multi-day passes for guests who want to come back again and again.

Which one should I choose?

Horror fans who value intellectual properties and want to walk through legendary sound stages and film sets should head to Hollywood. However, guests seeking more scares should opt for Orlando with its additional houses and unique, original content. Some fans visit both.

Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights take place on select nights in Hollywood and Orlando through November 3rd.

Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights: Hollywood vs. Orlando

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