Quick Guide To The Best Houses & Snacks at Halloween Horror Nights 2025!

Do you want to play a game? Where in Orlando, FL, or Hollywood, CA, can you find massive crowds, highly anticipated attractions, groundbreaking animatronics, and enough food to send you into hibernation? If your first guess involves a certain mouse with big ears, think again. We’re talking about the iconic Halloween Horror Nights, where fairytale princesses are swapped for killer clowns, and Mickey pretzels are replaced with greasy pizza slices dripping with blood (just kidding, it’s marinara). 

Today, we’re covering everything you need to know about this year’s event, from the most anticipated houses to the snacks that’ll keep you fueled as you embark on this jarring journey. So grab your flashlight, a couple of silver bullets, and maybe even a garlic necklace, because things are about to get spooky...

The Houses

Let’s start with the cream of the crop. It’s time to talk about this year’s houses. There are 10 in total, each hand-crafted and carefully chosen to plunge guests straight into the heart of their favorite horror stories. Some are based on iconic films and games (known as the "IP houses") while others transport you into brand-new nightmares of Universal’s own design (known as "original houses"). And this year? Early reviews say the creative team has outdone themselves, with many calling these some of the best houses ever built.

First up is the wildly popular Five Nights at Freddy’s. Fans of the hit game, and now movie, can step inside Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, where Freddy and his crew of killer animatronics lurk in the shadows, waiting to strike (and maybe even perform a song). 

While some say this house leans more fun than frightening, most agree the atmosphere and craftsmanship are top-notch. That’s no surprise, considering the Jim Henson Company helped bring these iconic monsters to life.

Up next is, for better or worse, the Terrifier house. And if you’ve seen the films, you already know what to expect: gore, gore… and just a little more gore, all of it courtesy of Art the Clown – arguably the most infamous horror slasher to emerge in the 21st century. 

This house offers fans something new: a choice. Toward the end of the walkthrough, guests get to decide between a “dry” path and the “wet” path. Without spoiling too much, I will say that, if you choose to go through what some fans are calling the “car wash” (wet path), you might just encounter a special someone from the films, donning their iconic angelic-warrior suit... So if you’re chasing the whole experience, take a page out of Patrick Bateman’s book and consider packing a raincoat.

When it comes to the original houses, there are a few that seem to be climbing everyone’s rankings, and we will start with those down in Orlando, as "Gálkin: Monsters of the North" and "El Artista: A Spanish Haunting" are giving guests plenty to talk about.

In "Gálkin", guests are transported to a richly detailed northern village where, according to the official website, “A wicked being rises from the dead, bringing a horde of monsters and demons from the fjords to wreak havoc on the townspeople.” Yeah, not to be cliché, but shut up and take my money.

Meanwhile, "El Artista" is getting rave reviews for its intensity. Fans praise its gripping storyline, gorgeous set design, and terrifying monsters – including bloodthirsty gargoyles lurking from every angle. The house also boasts the tallest façade in Horror Nights history, towering at 35 feet, showing that the creators weren’t afraid to push the limits. And from the sound of it, their gamble paid off.

As for those situated on the west coast, not only do you get the exclusive Poltergeist house, but you also get a Scarecrow-themed house, set in the Depression era, and backed with an original score by legendary rock star Slash. According to some of this year’s guests, the line for this house has often been 2 to 3 times longer than the line for the Jason Universe, which should tell us all that we need to know about this one.

The Snacks

Universal Studios makes it a priority to keep guests well-fed as they dash from house to house, and every year, they do it with creativity and flair. The food is always themed to the event, giving us new bites to try and plenty to talk about long after the night is over.

One of the most recognizable treats this year is the infamous cupcake from Five Nights at Freddy’s: a rich chocolate cupcake topped with cream cheese buttercream. But believe it or not, that's not the star of the Freddy Fazbear menu. That honor goes to the “Why Not Have Both Pizza & Pasta” slice. And yes, the name is a mouthful, just like the food itself. Imagine a classic slice of pizza loaded with spaghetti and meatballs. A single tear just rolled down my cheek. Forget the Sistine Chapel, this might be one of the greatest achievements of humankind.

Next, we have to pay a visit to our hockey-mask-wearing friend over at Camp Crystal Lake. Right beside the "Jason Universe" house, you’ll find a booth serving up spiral sausage and “bloody” s’mores. Both sound incredible, but the real sleeper hit here is the elotes. According to the official description, it’s “fire-grilled corn on the husk with your choice of cotija cheese and Tajín or Flamin’ Hot Cheetos." I don’t always go wild for corn, but I’ll take the word of seasoned Horror Nights fans, because many are calling this one of the top 3 snacks of the entire event.

Of course, I can’t dive into every menu item in mouth-watering detail, or this article would slowly turn into a novella. But I have to shout out a few more creations from Chris Colón, Universal Orlando Resort’s Executive Sous Chef of Research and Development. Highlights include the Yum Yum Deviled Eggs from the Fallout booth, the Death by Cheestick (a giant mozzarella stick) from the "Cursed Carnival", the “Mom, Cut Off The Crust” PB&J from the "Dolls: Let’s Play Dead" booth, and a fried carrot cake from the "Horrors of the Wyatt Sticks".

The crazy part? I’ve left out a dozen other treats. If you want to discover even more of this year’s devilish delicacies, be sure to check out the full menu online. 

And that’s a wrap on this year’s Horror Nights review. We hope we got your heart racing, whether from the terror of the houses or the mentioning of all the amazing snacks. If it’s the kind of night you’d sell an arm and a leg for (literally), then trust me, it’s worth every moment. In the words of Hannibal Lecter, I wish we could chat longer… but until next time, enjoy the mounting anticipation of another unforgettable spooky season!