Halloween Horror Nights 2026 (USH) - Speculation & Rumors

[Wishmaster]

I mean sure true but last year was just built different

FNAF, Terrifier, Jason, Scarecrow, WWE, and Fallout. Like I'm sorry but on paper thats a killer line up, along with them improving the Blumhouse tram from the year before it with Insidious.

This year is solid but for sure its going to be more hitting different and like I said I'm very open for it to be amazing and hoping many of these house surprise me in how amazing they are lastly, I think almost any line up this year would be hard to top last year.

Every decade has 2-3 years that’s built different. 2010’s had 2016 & 2019 (Mine is 2016/2017). You can go back to the 2000s as well. I literally said in the thread last year to enjoy it cause it won’t come back the same. 2027 has a chance to be the 2nd year that’s built different. It comes and goes.

 

[rageofthegods]

Hellraiser and Sinners are enough to put this year above the last for me tbh.

 

[Freak]

Hellraiser and Sinners are enough to put this year above the last for me tbh.

Agreed. I’ve been posting as far back at the HHN Vault! (Any of you remember the Vault?) Back then we were talking about how much we would like to see a Hellraiser house! It was also requested every single year in the 2010’s. It’s gonna be surreal to finally see that official announcement!

 

[deadbydawn]

Ages ago, Knott's did do the Grudge (although to be honest, I believe it was technically Grudge 2). It was the first (and maybe only?) IP maze they ever did.

But even Shadowlands was fun and unique. I know HHN messed up with an unfortunate Asian "Fu Man Chu" like costume a while ago which has likely made them skittish to revisit Asian culture. I also realize that there's a very large Latin market in LA that's well worth tapping in to, so I do get why they'd lean into that. But enough time has gone by to give it another go. Can you imagine Uzumaki as a maze?

Knott's has also done Quarantine, Beowulf, and Evil Dead as far as IP goes. It's been a long time, though.

Agreed. I’ve been posting as far back at the HHN Vault! (Any of you remember the Vault?) Back then we were talking about how much we would like to see a Hellraiser house! It was also requested every single year in the 2010’s. It’s gonna be surreal to finally see that official announcement!

This would (will?) be awesome. It's been on my wishlist for years.

 

[DTH]

Last year sucked on paper and in person, I don't care what anyone says lol it was the best year post-Covid in terms of quality builds, but also more than half the event had already been done before. Imo, we are far from what this event used to be 2013-2019 in terms of scariness & gruesomeness, and even then, there were some weak years, but still nothing quite compares to 2007-2012, 2014 & 2016.

This current lineup makes me think this year could be the year we at least get back to 2019 territory in terms of tone. Again, all the props to last year in terms of how much budget was put onto the streets and in the mazes, but HHN has been catering too long to try to please everyone and bring in new audiences. It's a business, yes, that part makes sense to me, and they brought back the "premium event" aspect last year for sure, but also let's stick to making this the scariest event too. Murdy talked about that being his goal last year and I just don't think that tone can be reached with 3.5 repeats, WWE, Chainsaw Man, and 2 video games that aren't that scary. With this lineup, they can definitely get there.

 

[Lc.]

Only thing I can see being crap your pants scary is like Evil Dead Burn if the agility and ferocity portayed in the trailer is translated well to the castin direction for the scareactors. Otherwise I think the originals will knock it outta the part interms of scares again.
HHN for years now hasnt been scary to ME but thats just cuz of how long and even involved I've become with the event. The last Insidious house while defnintely the scariest house that year based on reactions, wait times, and GSAT scores alone. I found myself sad I wasn't as scared as I wanted to be like I was in 2017. But thats ok since I find a new appreication for the event in otherways like in the design and ambience they go for.
The event is still scary, last yr I saw so many people drop from operations, even in unexpected places like Fnaf and Poltergiest. I just think some people dont realize desensitization exist and then get disappointed they didnt fall to the floor like they did there in there eariler years, like of course you aren't your wiser now lol. Unexpected suprises when caught of gaurd is still fun to see tho.

Anyways I predict a cat scare in Ozzy, iykyk

 

[DTH]

I just think some people dont realize desensitization exist and then get disappointed they didnt fall to the floor like they did there in there eariler years, like of course you aren't your wiser now lol. Unexpected suprises when caught of gaurd is still fun to see tho.

This is true and possible for some people, but also take into consideration there are other Haunts. I'd believe desensitization if most of us on this board had only been going to HHN, but there are plenty of scary events all across SoCal that can bring it and chances are if someone frequents this board, they are a Haunt-goer in general.

I've personally been going to Haunts since 1998. Things simply just ebb and flow. I feel like Knotts is on an upswing right now, for instance, since two years ago -- the best I've ever seen that event and I've been going to that event specifically for decades at this point. I also gather the data from the old timers and newcomers alike who go with me -- which is important, because we all experienced the same thing. It's not a surprise to me someone elsewhere may say the worst house I went through is the best, especially if that IP or theme is their thing -- it's just the roll of the dice sometimes -- but between multiple visits and varying people, that's how I've come to any conclusion.

Truthfully, I've been actually "scared" at these events over the last 30 years maybe a handful of times. I go mostly to soak in the vibe and see my friends get scared. But even then, HHN has had a decline post-2020 that they've been trying to push their way through that I feel is apparent and shouldn't be ignored. I think last year was big for them after a fairly dead 2024, so my hope is we can finally get back to how things were.

If anything, the good reviews of this event the last few years I'd amount more to "first timers," "the easily impressed," simply a different opinion, or hardcore fans of an IP before I'd ever think someone has been desensitized. That feels like a cop out answer.

 

[Jake S]

I just think that, like anything, it's subjective. I think Knott's Scary Farm has had mostly crummy houses for the better part of a decade. I still enjoy going because the vibe is truly immaculate and I love what they do with scare zones. I also, like many here, enjoy being able to go to a theme park event without worrying about navigating monstrous lines or paying a billion dollars to avoid them. But do I think the houses hold a candle to what Horror Nights has on offer? No, not remotely.

But that's not to say Horror Nights is beyond criticism. The Poltergeist house last year was an embarrassment, and if they bring back Killer Klowns this year ... yeah, that's embarrassing as all get out, too. Every year I say I'm going to try to do more local haunts, and every year my September and October are inevitably filled up with other things. But I think @DTH is absolutely right that if you want something that pushes the boundaries, you're much better off looking at independent haunts.

 

[Jerroddragon]

I say this every year but I’m so jealous of those of you who generally get scared at HHN

I get started but they can’t touch you, it’s a conga line, there are TMs with red lights in most rooms so while I love event but I go to the event for vibes

 

[highdefrex]

there are TMs with red lights in most rooms

Nothing kills a vibe faster than an apathetic twenty-something standing in the middle of the room ping-ponging the lightstick and yelling, “Keep moving!” if anyone stops for a split second to look at anything in the room.

(Admittedly and thankfully, the last year or two, the placement has mostly gone back to having them out of the way and yelling has been dialed waaaay back, but man, those initial post-pandemic years were rough with overzealous staff.)

 

[Mr_Pendington]

 

[bdubsCEO]

I just think that, like anything, it's subjective. I think Knott's Scary Farm has had mostly crummy houses for the better part of a decade. I still enjoy going because the vibe is truly immaculate and I love what they do with scare zones. I also, like many here, enjoy being able to go to a theme park event without worrying about navigating monstrous lines or paying a billion dollars to avoid them. But do I think the houses hold a candle to what Horror Nights has on offer? No, not remotely.

But that's not to say Horror Nights is beyond criticism. The Poltergeist house last year was an embarrassment, and if they bring back Killer Klowns this year ... yeah, that's embarrassing as all get out, too. Every year I say I'm going to try to do more local haunts, and every year my September and October are inevitably filled up with other things. But I think @DTH is absolutely right that if you want something that pushes the boundaries, you're much better off looking at independent haunts.

Was Poltergeist THAAAT bad? I liked the other-side clown room, the giant puppets and the coffin scares

 

[Jake S]

Was Poltergeist THAAAT bad? I liked the other-side clown room, the giant puppets and the coffin scares

In my opinion, yes, it was amateur from an event that charges as much as it does and packs in crowds the way it does. It felt totally out of place among what was, overall, a very good lineup.

 

[EAS]

Was Poltergeist THAAAT bad? I liked the other-side clown room, the giant puppets and the coffin scares

Honestly Poltergeist was my 5/8 of the houses for me last year (ahead of WWE, FNAF, and Fallout). The coffin scare was great, and I did enjoy the classic IP, notwithstanding the black walls and very fair critiques of the house. It helped that this was the first time I did it...

 

[mccgavin]

In my opinion, yes, it was amateur from an event that charges as much as it does and packs in crowds the way it does. It felt totally out of place among what was, overall, a very good lineup.

Of the 3 years I've been going to HHN Hollywood, I think Poltergeist was the weakest of any of the houses I've been through. It felt much more like a Howl-o-Scream house than anything else at HHN or even Knott's.