Every Haunt I’m Visiting This Year (With Dates & Tips)
Every fall, I make it a mission to dive headfirst into the spooky season by hitting as many haunted attractions as I can so that I can review them here for you. From iconic theme park haunts to new immersive experiences, I love seeing how each event brings Halloween to life in its own unique way. This year, I’ve put together my 2025 haunt list—a mix of longtime favorites and some new stops I’ve been dying to check out. Below, you’ll find a quick guide to the events I’m planning to attend, complete with dates and highlights for each. Some of these don’t have much information yet, but I’ll be sure to update as we grow nearer to haunt season!
From last year’s Halloween Horror Nights!
Dark Harbor (Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA)
Dates: Select nights from September 19 through November 2, 2025 - Pre sale tickets are on sale now
Each fall, the legendary Queen Mary transforms into its own haunted festival—complete with immersive mazes, scare zones, live entertainment, themed bars, and over 800 monsters. New for 2025: returning favorites like Feast (in its final chapter, “The Final Cut”), Breakout: Maximum Security, and a brand-new maze bringing the Voodoo Priestess back to Dark Harbor, for a total of SIX mazes for 2025, Voodoo: The Queen’s Curse. Read our thoughts on last year’s Dark Harbor here.
Halloween Horror Nights (Universal Studios Hollywood)
Dates: Running on select nights from September 4 through November 2, 2025. Tickets are on sale now (be sure to read our past reviews to see which ticket we would recommend)
Hollywood’s premier horror event brings eight haunted houses, multiple scare zones, and the popular Terror Tram. This year they are set to have some of the most anticipated IP mazes yet, including Five Nights at Freddy’s and Terrifier. Expect movie-set quality scares, intense atmosphere, excellent themed merch, and an evening you won't forget. Read our thoughts on last year’s HHN here.
Horror Unleashed (Las Vegas – Universal, Area15)
Dates: Now open year-round, since August 14, 2025. Tickets are on sale and sold by entry time.
Vegas’ new permanent haunt has finally arrived. Located within Area15, this 110,000 ft immersive attraction includes four haunted houses—The Exorcist: Believer, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Universal Monsters, and Scarecrow: The Reaping—plus themed bars, live shows, and horror-inspired eats. I love that this will be available any time of year and that I finally get to meet Jack.
Knott’s Scary Farm (Buena Park, CA)
Dates: Select nights from September 18 through November 1, 2025. Tickets are on sale now.
Southern California’s longest-running Halloween event transforms every corner of Knott’s Berry Farm into a terror-filled playground. Expect mazes, scare zones, roaming monsters, eerie lighting, and fun shows. This is the final year for both The Grimoire and Mesmer, and we have 2 brand new mazes — The Zoo and Mary. Read our thoughts on last year’s Scary Farm here.
The following haunted attractions are on my watchlist! I hope to be able to make it to them all, but it will depend on my spooky schedule!
Dates: Select nights from September 26 through November 1, 2025.
Brand new for 2025 looking much of the same as last year’s Fear Farm; same location, same zombie survival maze. It sounds like they will be requiring waivers upon entry and are aiming for a very immersive and high intensity experience.
A farm-themed haunt that plays on fears of rural isolation and eerie harvest nights. 2025 location and scheduling not yet announced.
Dates: Select nights from September 26 through Halloween.
BACK for 2025 as a reimagined Fright Dome in the Circus Circus, Las Vegas! No doubt they heard Horrors Unleashed was screaming into town and needed to join the fun — and I can’t blame them! I have been following their social media and it seems like it’s going to be a great time. FOUR houses and SIX scare zones, along with potential for a dark rollercoaster ride? I really am excited about this one and hope that I can make it out.
Castle Dark
Dates: Select nights from September 19 through November 2, 2025. Tickets are on sale now.
This is honestly the perfect entry level haunted attraction. You can read about my experience last year here. For 2025 they are back with 3 totally new mazes!
Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns
I’m not sure of exact dates at this time, but I do believe discount pre-sale is live. If you enjoy Halloween but don’t want any of the frights, this is the one for you! A visually stunning, family-friendly celebration of jack-o’-lantern art and displays. This year it is moving to the South Coast Botanic Garden, and I’m really excited to check it out for the first time.
