Universal Studios Hollywood - Halloween Horror Nights and the normal madness

To conclude our USA trip, we visited Universal Studios Hollywood, just a few minutes walk from our hotel, the Hilton Universal City in Los Angeles.

Initially, it was planned as a day trip, but spooky posters for the Halloween Horror Nights tempted us to visit the amusement park one night earlier.

These promised us numerous scary attractions, called Mazes, based on the movies and TV series Freddy vs. Jason, The Exorcist, The Walking Dead, or American Horror Story, where masked actors were supposed to give us a fright in an authentically creepy film set.

We must admit that we felt a bit uneasy before entering the first haunted house 'American Horror Story'. After all, we didn't know what to expect. And it turned out to be very eerie, but also somewhat funny at the same time, so we dove into the other attractions.

But the Halloween Horror Nights were not only an exciting experience for us because of the haunted houses, there was also a studio tour through the sets of several films, but in a horror version, just like during the day.

During the day, you also won't be left alone on the studio tram to be chased by horror clowns in the dark.

Of course, at the end of the path where we had to walk, a tram took us back to the main area.

There, we could also enjoy the regular attractions, partially at night. When else can you see Krustyland, whose ride opens at night, or Hogwarts (unfortunately, the attraction is not open at night) bathed in eerie light after dark.

In summary, a visit to the Halloween Horror Nights is an absolute recommendation for all horror film fans, and it's definitely worth visiting Universal Studios at night to experience it in a different way. However, be aware that if you are terrified by creatures like zombies, horror clowns, or chainsaw maniacs, you should think twice about visiting because you won't be spared even at the exit, where this year the participants of The Purge awaited us.

For the whole family, however, a day trip to the amusement park is recommendable. This awaited us the next day. Since the evening before, we had already visited some regular attractions in addition to the scary attractions, our day was quite relaxed.

We started by going to Hogwarts, where a unique 4D roller coaster awaited us, which really made you believe you were flying on broomsticks with Harry Potter and his friends.

But the Simpsons Ride in Krustyland, as well as a 4D roller coaster where you 'transformed into a minion', made us feel like excited children again.

In the Simpsons world, where there was a large selection of restaurants, just like in the entire amusement park, we were finally able to enjoy a delicious lunch at Krusty Burger, as every Simpsons fan has always wished for.

But a ride on the Jurassic Park water ride, as well as a photo with a roaring raptor, are an absolute must during a visit to Universal Studios.

However, what would a visit to Universal Studios Hollywood be without the famous studio tour during the day.

During this tour, you get to see the set of 'Jaws', a Western town that was used for multiple John Wayne movies, Wisteria Lane from Desperate Housewives, the City Hall from 'Back to the Future', and so on... Additionally, the studio tour is interactive, so you get saved by King Kong from dinosaurs, drive fast cars with the characters from Fast and Furious, and find yourself in an episode of Bones, experiencing an earthquake in the subway, where large amounts of water threaten to flood in from the outside.

But don't worry: we survived everything safe and dry ;) 

This tour should definitely not be missed during a visit and, if possible, should be done early in the morning, as it is unfortunately not a secret tip and waiting times for the attractions get longer throughout the day.

Our day and the previous evening at Universal Studios Hollywood were a lot of fun for us. The studios have become one of our favorite amusement parks, and we would visit again anytime. If you're visiting Los Angeles, don't miss out on this fun, as the park offers not only great attractions for children but also for film fans of all ages worldwide.

And if you happen to be there on a weekend in October and enjoy getting a little scared, you should definitely add a visit to the Halloween Horror Nights ;)

Your Claudia and Peter