Universal Studios Hollywood HHN 2025: My RIP Tour Experience Was Worth Every Penny

By Jaimz Dillman

When given the chance to hop on a plane for 24 hours in LA, I knew the only thing to do was a Halloween Horror Nights RIP Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Taking a 9 a.m. flight put us in California around 2:30 p.m. with a small layover in Houston. Great start! Unfortunately, taking over 45 minutes to get a rental car and then more than an hour to drive to the motel set us back, and we lost a little daylight and regular park time. We weren’t really there for rides, though, so after changing and regrouping, we headed to our included valet parking, arriving just before the event started at 6 p.m.

I hadn’t been to the West Coast park in 16 years, so talk about a change. Their CityWalk is far more compact and packed with offerings we don’t have in Orlando. A quick stop at Pink’s Famous Hot Dogs was a must before our tour later that evening.

A big difference in the VIP Tour in LA is that you can check in and get your lanyard as soon as you enter the park, then return to the lounge for your scheduled tour later. This gives you Express Pass access to any open rides and houses beforehand. We decided to save most of the event’s offerings until we had a guide, so we had time to wander.

I always forget that while California only has one park, it’s massive. The two levels make it feel even bigger, and HHN was spread throughout both the upper lot and down the mountain.

We started by taking four escalators down, traveling under the still-under-construction Fast and Furious coaster, and ending up at the Terror Tram. As this park still relies heavily on trams to shuttle guests through attractions, it was an easy transition to use one for HHN. This year, the experience celebrated Blumhouse and its 15 years of frightful filmmaking.

Each group was dropped off on the backlot and greeted by Megan and icons from The Black Phone, Insidious, The Purge, The Exorcist, and more. Chainsaws revved as we made our way through movie scenes and sound bites with fantastic photo ops and scareactors who got up close and personal.

We returned to the VIP lounge to check in for our tour at 8:35 p.m., met the rest of our group, and met our guide, Vera, who was super fun. We were ready to tackle eight houses, enjoy a private dinner, and catch the stunt show before the park closed at 2 a.m.

It seemed to us that the lighting in Hollywood’s houses was a bit better than Orlando’s, allowing us to see more of the sets and performers. The floors are also carpeted, which took some getting used to.

The IPs were the same as Universal Orlando’s this year: Fallout, Jason Universe, Terrifier, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and The Wyatt Sicks, with Poltergeist added as another returning IP house from past years.

Rounding out the eight mazes were Scarecrow: Music by Slash and Monstruos 3: Ghosts of Latin America.

Each had its strengths, but standouts for us were Scarecrow and Jason, both packed with great scares and incredible atmosphere.

I’m not a clown fan, so the Chainsaw Clownz and Carnival of Carnage scare zones at the entrance were not for me. The Día de los Muertos area, however, was colorful and beautiful with stilt walkers, photo ops, and a VIP-only bar with no lines. Perfect for a busy night when you’d rather spend your time shopping or exploring. A walk through Noche de Brujas brought us up close to witches and cauldrons, while Murder of Crowz featured killer birds descending on attendees.

We also stopped by Chucky’s Bar, hosted by everyone’s “friend till the end,” for a couple of themed cocktails. The Charles Lee Ray had a nice ginger bite and was topped with dried mango, while the boba drink was fun but difficult to drink through the paper straw. Prices weren’t listed anywhere, but cocktails across the park were around $20 each plus tax and tip.

Our mid-tour dinner stop featured a buffet of hot and cold dishes, carving stations, desserts, and non-alcoholic drinks like coffee, sodas, and tea. A highlight was our private meet-and-greet with Art the Clown, who mingled among the diners and posed for photos with various props. I’m not usually a clown fan, but this guy was more mime-like—still a psycho killer, but a surprisingly friendly one. I got a few photos with him, and we continued to see him pop up throughout the park. I’ve been to HHN Florida eight times so far this year and have only caught glimpses of Art moving quickly through crowds. He’s much more visible in California, at least from my experience.

After dinner, we caught the final Purge stunt show of the night, which amps up the gore for HHN audiences. Using the Waterworld set, the kills were juicy, the stunts high, and the actors fierce.

Once we finished all eight houses, we parted ways with our wonderful guide Vera and made our way back through CityWalk to retrieve our rental car from VIP.

Was it worth the money to do an RIP Tour? Unequivocally, yes. Our guide was amazing at navigating the night and maximizing our time. Having HHN admission included in the price was a huge plus, and the included dinner made it an even better value. Given that we only had a single day in LA, this was the best way to experience a full Halloween Horror Nights event without missing a thing.

Now that I’ve done this tour, I’m not sure I’d do HHN any other way in California. As an Orlando passholder, it’s tempting to book one here to compare, but the price not including event admission gives me a bit of hesitation.

Additional info and tickets are available at:https://www.universalstudioshollywood.com