When visitors enter the Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights in Universal Studios Hollywood this year, they’re immersing themselves in cinematic legacy.

This West Coast haunted house is situated in Sound Stage 12, the original sound stage where Universal built its horror reputation.

“In 1931, this was the setting for Dracula’s castle in ‘Dracula.’ That same year, it also became Frankenstein’s lab in ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Bride of Frankenstein.’ Over the years, iconic films from ‘Back to the Future’ to ‘Scarface’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ have also been filmed here,” explained John Murdy, the creative director and executive producer of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, during a behind-the-scenes look with YSL News.

This illustrates the key differences between Halloween Horror Nights in Hollywood and Orlando. Here are six distinctions to help you choose which event to experience.

Origins

Universal Studios Hollywood originally began as a movie studio and then transformed into a theme park, while Universal Studios Florida was predominantly developed as a theme park with some production service capabilities, including the former Nickelodeon Studios.

Although both locations still engage in production, Hollywood sees significantly more activity. Consequently, while both Halloween Horror Nights boast high-quality sets and costumes, many of the talent in Hollywood comes from the film and TV industry.

“We have a prop master and a small staff dedicated to Horror Nights all year round, but we also bring in industry professionals as events approach,” Murdy explained. “Our production team includes designers who work on major films; we recruit their talents when they have downtime between projects.”

Event Sizes

In terms of overall scale, Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights is larger than its Hollywood counterpart.

This year, Orlando hosts 10 haunted houses and five scare zones, while Hollywood features eight houses and four scare zones, along with its popular Terror Tram showcasing renowned film locations.

Focus and Themes

Hollywood’s event primarily features haunted houses based on popular films, whereas Orlando incorporates more original concepts.

<p“Initially, my vision for this event was to focus solely on branded content, which we did for several years,” Murdy noted, explaining that he envisions the haunted houses as immersive horror films. Eventually, original content was introduced into the mix.

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

Meanwhile, Orlando includes a higher number of original attractions.

“Creating original haunted houses is highly enjoyable and some of our guests’ favorite experiences,” shared Lora Sauls, assistant director of Creative Development and Show Direction for Art and Design at Universal Orlando Resort, with YSL News.

This year, six of Orlando’s haunted houses are original, such as Slaughter Sinema 2, which features eight mini-themed segments combined. “Our fans really appreciate the originality, and some of these may become standalone houses in the future,” Sauls added.

Creative Approaches

Murdy is in charge of crafting stories for Hollywood, while smaller teams bring original houses to life in Orlando.

“We collaborate with a character designer, a scenic designer, and a show director in a group of three. They are assigned different houses to develop based on original storylines,” Sauls explained. “They dive into the details of the story, the locations, and the characters.”

Varying presentations

Even if the parks utilize the same theme for a haunted house, the overall experience can differ.

“When we create a shared property for both locations, we collaborate to outline the primary story elements or scene breakdowns, fully aware that the experience will vary from coast to coast due to the distinct physical spaces we occupy,” Murdy shared.

In addition to physical differences, there are also artistic variations. For instance, Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines in Hollywood features an original score composed by Grammy winner Slash, while the Orlando version includes music from Emmy-nominated composer Sara Barone. Moreover, each version presents unique decorations.

Diverse audiences

Guests attending Hollywood’s HHN primarily come from the surrounding area, though some travel from afar. In contrast, Universal Orlando attracts many tourists alongside its loyal local followers.

Both locations provide multi-night tickets for those eager to experience more.

Which location to choose?

For horror enthusiasts who love intellectual properties and desire to explore iconic soundstages and film sets, Hollywood is the place to go. However, for those in search of heightened scares, Orlando is the better option due to its additional haunted houses and distinctive original themes. Many fans even choose to visit both parks.

Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights operates on select nights until November 3 in both Hollywood and Orlando.

The reporter for this article was granted access to Halloween Horror Nights by Universal Studios. YSL News retains control over the editorial content.