Halloween Horror Nights has so much hoppening and there's so little time to do it in. The hours race by like summer camp kids fleeing from Jason. But there are a few tools you can use to get an early start on the fear ... err, fun. Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood early entry access is one affordable way to jump-start your night, but is it the best way? Read on to explore all of the Early Access options at Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood. We've recently shifted our time-saving advice to using Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood Early Access or an After 2 p.m. ticket without Express to save money. (We love Express when it's in the budget, but you can do it all without Express when you arrive early.)
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FAQs
- What time do Early Access houses open? Some houses open 90-120 minutes early for guests with select Halloween Horror Nights tickets, such as Early Access Add-On and the After 2 p.m. Day & Night Combo. Save on your After 2 p.m. Day & Night Combo tickets and General Admission tickets when you purchase through Undercover Tourist.
- Is Super Nintendo World open during Halloween Horror Nights? Yes! New for 2026, Super Nintendo World is open from 7 to 10 p.m. for all guests.
- Is Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift open during the event? Only select ticket holders can access this new coaster during HHN. The After 2 p.m. ticket, Express tickets and R.I.P. Tours provide same-day access to the new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift coaster from 7:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. (subject to change).
- Which houses open early? The houses and opening times vary each night, so check the Universal Studios Hollywood app for the most updated information during your visit.
- Do Early Access tickets sell out? Yes! The add-on Early Access tickets sell out quickly, so buy way in advance or get the After 2 p.m.ticket.
- What time should we arrive? If you have the Early Access add-on arrive by 4 p.m. just in case they let Early Access ticket holders in early. If you have a daytime ticket, you can get your wrist band in the park starting at 3 p.m.
For daytime park guests, the park closes at 6 p.m. on Halloween Horror Nights. Attraction and ride entrances close at 5:30 p.m. and the escalators down to the Lower Lot may close at 5:15 p.m. People with Early Access wristbands on can still go down to the Lower Lot. Day guests and passholders may be down there. However, Early Access houses are limited to only people with Early Access tickets and the 2 p.m. Day & Night combo tickets, giving those guests the advantage in getting a jump on those Early Access houses. Now, let's discuss the new Early Access ticket and other forms of early entry for Halloween Horror Nights in Hollywood.
Early Access Tickets for Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood
For a limited time, Buy a Day, Get a 2nd Day FREE for General Admission Tickets at Universal Studios Hollywood! Valid for visits through Dec. 16, 2026
In 2023, Universal Studios Hollywood introduced an Early Access ticket add-on, and it's back for 2026. It's a game changer. No matter which ticket you purchased (even discount tickets through Undercover Tourist) you could go to the Halloween Horror Nights site and purchase a Halloween Horror Nights Early Access ticket. You must also have a Halloween Horror Nights admission ticket to enter the park with this Early Access ticket.
Note: If you plan to purchase an Undercover Tourist discount general admission ticket and add on an Early Access ticket through Universal, first check the availability of Early Access for your date before purchasing. Early Access will sell out for every date! (The After 2 p.m. tickets through Undercover Tourist usually have better availability.)
The Early Access ticket gets you entry into the park at 5:30 p.m., which is an hour and a half before the event kicks off and general admission ticket holders enter. However, on busy nights, Universal might let Early Access guests in as early as 4 p.m. and may even open some houses as of 5 and 5:15 p.m. The event officially begins at 7 p.m. Getting in early is a huge advantage. So, what's open early? Select haunted houses and food locations open early at staggering times. These early houses are located all over the park. Mostly in the Lower Lot and the area behind the Wizarding World.
Early Access ticket holders should arrive by 3 or 4 in case they can get in early. It might be in your best interest to get to the gates at 4:30 p.m. or earlier to be near the front of the line to get in for Early Access. Which brings us to our top advice: Buy an After 2 p.m. ticket to avoid the unknown.
Pros of Early Access Ticket:
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- You arrive early before most other guests.
- It's affordable, at $20-25 per ticket.
- If you are nervous about the scares, you can start your night while it's still light out and ease your way in.
- You can access haunted houses with shorter lines.
- You have time to get some food and drinks, fill your water bottle and go to the restroom before the night kicks off.
- Beat the crowds. The guests who enter at 7 p.m. face long lines getting in and may need to arrive early anyway to get near the front of the line to get in.
- Use the Early Access turnstiles to the left of the entrance.
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Cons of Early Access Ticket:
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- You are technically not the first guests in the park.
- Early Access tickets are selling out quickly. You need to plan ahead if you want to purchase this ticket.
- The houses open at 5:30 p.m. (sometimes 5 p.m.) and the park gates open at 5:30. Do you see the problem? It takes some time (about 20 minutes) to walk to the Lower Lot and take the four Starway escalators down to the Lower Lot (or walk behind the Wizarding World). So may not get to to the houses until Early Access is underway. But sometimes they let the Early Access guests in early.
- Does not include access to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift.
- Some other guests have an advantage over Early Access guests. Who? Let's discuss.
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After 2 p.m. Day & Night Ticket
Another ticket gets you in the park even earlier than Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood early entry. The 2 p.m. Day & Night ticket gets you in the door at 2 p.m. This ticket has several great aspects.
Pros of After 2 p.m. Ticket:
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- You get daytime admission and Horror Nights admission.
- Early Access houses are included with this ticket.
- Includes same-day access to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift from 7:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
- You are in the park if they open houses early.
- Access rides and attractions that will close early for the event.
- Choose a regular ticket or upgrade/buy one with Universal Express. (Express is good for one-time use for each ride during the day AND each ride and attraction at night.)
- You are already in the park and may be ready to jump in line for the most popular houses before the Early Access ticket holders even enter the park.
- You can eat before the event, bring in water and get refills before the night starts.
- Catch daytime characters and Universal monsters such as monster Minions, Frankenstein and his bride, and Beetlejuice. You might get to see Hello Kitty witch!
- Use the 2 p.m./Early Access turnstiles to the left of the entrance.
- If you are nervous about being scared, you can start your night while it's still light out and ease your way in.
- Includes access to Super Nintendo World before the event at between 7 and 10 p.m during the event.
- It has much better availability than the Early Access tickets, which are selling out quickly.
- Save on After 2 p.m. tickets through Undercover Tourist.
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Cons of After 2 p.m.:
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- It costs a little more than adding on Early Access.
- Three hours before Early Access is not a ton of time, but you can do a few rides and attractions.
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Annual Pass or Full Daytime Ticket
If you are a Universal Studios Hollywood annual passholder (or a ticket holder with a ticket for general daytime admission and a ticket for Halloween Horror Nights or someone who added on Early Access), you can arrive early with your pass (or tickets). Use the turnstiles to the right of the entrance before the crowds arrive.
Once in the park, you can check in for Horror Nights near the turnstiles or behind the Box Office to get a wristband that allows you to stay in the park after the park closes. Check-in starts at 3 p.m. You may not access mazes before 7 p.m. (unless you also have Early Access). But you can access other parts of the park and can hop in your must-do lines early. If you add on Early Access, which is pretty affordable, then you can access those houses. General admission and Early Access have the same check-in areas. Different wristbands differentiate access.
Pros:
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- You get daytime admission and Horror Nights admission.
- Access rides, attractions and characters that will not be part of the event.
- If you already have a pass, it's no extra cost to get in early.
- You avoid the lines outside the park.
- You have time to eat, drink and use the restroom before the event kicks off.
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Cons:
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- It can make for a long day.
- Buying a full-day ticket and a Horror Nights ticket can add up. But you can at least save some green with discount Universal Studios Hollywood and Halloween Horror Nights tickets through Undercover Tourist.
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General Admission at 7 p.m.
We mentioned having a ticket that gets you in the park at 7 p.m. That's when most guests can enter the park. We don't recommend it if you can find a way to gain early entry at Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood.
If you have general admission with no way to get in early, arrive early so you are at least near the front of the line. Lines can get scary long at 7 p.m. They might start letting guests in as early as 6 p.m. on crowded nights, but you won't be able to access the houses. Once you enter the park, hit the two Upper Lot houses first and the Terror Tram. Save the Lower Lot for when lines drop off later in the night. You can check wait times in the app and on park signage.
Pros:
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- No more money spent or added on.
- You can save up to $43 with discount tickets from Undercover Tourist.
- You can start with the full event open to you (only frighteningly fun vibes when you enter).
- No need to leave work early to get there.
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Cons:
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- All the guests using ways to get in early are already in the park and in line, so you have a slight disadvantage. Hit the Upper Lot houses, show (if important to you) and Terror Tram before heading to the Lower Lot. Upper lot houses sometimes have the shortest lines when they open at 7 p.m. It varies based on what was open during Early Access.
- You are going to need Universal Express to do it all.
- Entry lines are long. You should probably arrive by 5:30 or 6 p.m. before the event opens so you can get in the park ASAP once the gates open.
- No access to Super Nintendo World.
- You'll be restricted from certain areas before 7 p.m.
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If you cannot arrive early, we advise you to get Universal Express if it's in your budget. That way, you can still accomplish all the houses, shows and Terror Tram. Don't have an Express ticket? It doesn't hurt to ask about upgrading at the park or buying the After 11 p.m. Express upgrade (if it's available) for a lot less money.
Which Houses Are Open During Early Access and in What Order?
Most houses opened early in 2025!
A few houses open at 5:30 p.m. (or even earlier)! You can hop in line early for them if you like. Early Access house wait times and opening times appear in the Universal Studios Hollywood app. House availability and opening times during Early Access are subject to change per night. Check the Universal Studios Hollywood app to see house opening times for your visit.
On the nights we visited, most houses eventually opened early except for one, which opened sometime between 6:30 and 7 p.m. On opening night of 2025 and our return visit, all of the houses opened before the event officially began.
Here are opening times we experienced on a busy Thursday night (actual start times can vary each night) in 2025 (hop back for 2026 houses and updates):
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- 5:00 p.m. Terrifier (located in the Upper Lot behind Hogsmeade). This was a priority house to hit first as we later saw wait time of 190 minutes!
- 5:00 p.m. Five Nights at Freddy's (located in the Lower Lot) — This was another one to prioritize before 7 p.m. It rivaled Terrifier for longest wait times. You can start lining up at 4 p.m.
- 5:15 p.m.Poltergeist (located in the Upper Lot behind Hogsmeade). We hit this after Terrifier.
- 5:30 p.m. Jason Universe (located in the Lower Lot)
- 5:45 p.m. Scarecrow: Music by Slash (located in the Lower Lot)
- 6:15 Terror Tram (visit by 7:45 p.m. for the shortest wait. We walked right on at 7:40!
- 6:30 p.m. WWE Presents: The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks
- 6:30 p.m. Monstruos 3 (a good place to start if you do not have Early Access)
- Just before 7 p.m. Fallout (a good place to start if you do not have Early Access)
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We used Early Access time to cross the busiest houses (Terrifier and Five Nights at Freddy's) off our list. That put us in good shape for the night. You can visit at least three to four houses during Early Access if you start as early as possible.
Other places open early such as some food locations and rides.
Halloween Horror Nights Early Access Park Plan
It helps to know where to go and when, as well as which houses to prioritize during Early Access. Here is the order we followed and our the times we entered each house in 2026:
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- Terrifier at 5:18 p.m.
- Poltergeist at 5:33 p.m.
- Jason Universe at 6:07 p.m.
- Five Nights at Freddy's at 7:10 p.m.
- Snack and drink (we got Hogwarts Meat Pies in the Wizarding World because they are delicious and have no line! and grabbed a bottled soda from a store to skip food lines.)
- Terror tram at 7:40 p.m.
- Scare zones
- Horror Nights snacks and drinks at Hollywood and Dine
- Fallout 9:28 p.m.
- Monstruos at 10:15 p.m.
- Drinks at the Dia de los Muertos bar
- More scare zones
- Scarecrow at 11:38 p.m.
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We did not do the following attractions because we already experienced them in the past and chose bedtime instead. But we had ample time to accomplish the following as well during the event:
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- WWE Presents: The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks — We would have hopped in line about 11:35 with a 30-minute wait.
- Chainsaw Man: The Chaos film at DreamWorks Theatre
- The Purge: Dangerous Waters
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We recommend starting with the two upper lot houses past the Wizarding World and then making your way down to the Lower Lot. Alternatively, you could start in the Lower Lot and complete all the houses there before hitting the Upper Lot. But crossing the most popular houses off your list before 7 p.m. will put you in good shape for the night. And if the nights we visited are an indicator for what will be open early for the rest of the season, you should be able to get about four houses done before the event even officially begins!
By 7 p.m. all the houses are open to every ticket holder. Most attendees head to the Lower Lot first, so shortly after 7 p.m. the lot is full. While we normally complete the Lower Lot all at once to avoid spending precious time going back and forth on those escalators, this year we opted to leave the crowded Lower Lot to hit the Terror Tram with zero wait. Then we circled back later to finish up with Scarecrow towards the end of our night. The app and signage can help you find the shortest waits. So use those tools to guide you. Most of the time we waited fewer minutes than the posted time.
The consistently longest queue was a tie between Five Nights at Freddy's and Terrifier in 2026. Prepare yourself to be waiting in line (unless you have Express or Early Access/After 2 p.m. tickets!). For example, Terrifier had a 10-minute wait during Early Entry, but jumped up to 240 minutes after 7 p.m. on opening night. It hit 180 minutes on a return visit. We recommend taking advantage of the Early Entry opportunity to get the most popular houses under your belt before heading down to the Lower Lot. Some houses may hold a consistently low wait time throughout the night.
The houses in the Upper Lot and the Terror Tram are easy to get back to once you have completed everything in the Lower Lot. Be aware that the last Terror Tram departs at 11:15 p.m. Don't wait until the end of the night for this experience or you will miss it.
You may see lines temporarily close due to capacity. Keep an eye on the app before heading to a house.
Which Halloween Horror Nights Early Access Tickets Provide Access to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift?
There's a brand-new coaster that rolls into town before Halloween Horror Nights 2026. Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift reaches speeds of up to 72 m.p.h. Only certain tickets give you access to this coaster during Halloween Horror Nights.
Who has access to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift during Halloween Horror Nights?
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- The After 2 p.m. ticket includes access to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift from rom 7:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. The regular Early Access Add-On does not.
- Halloween Horror Nights Day & Night tickets include Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift.
- The Express Pass and Express Unlimited tickets include access to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift.
- Express Add-On tickets include access to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift.
- R.I.P. Tour guests can access Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, as long as it fits in the tour itinerary. You may need to visit this on your own, as the houses are the priority during the tour.
- The General Admission with Early Access add-on tickets do NOT include Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift.
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Hopfully, we've helped you determine which ticket or add-on option is right for you when it comes to Early Access and other Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood early entry options. Don't pay scary high prices. Save on Halloween Horror Night tickets through Undercover Tourist. You can save up to $4 on an After 2 p.m. ticket and up to $43 on General Admission (and then get the Early Access Add-on through Universal).
Related: Your Screamin' Guide to Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood
Related: How to Maximize Your Time at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood
Keep hopping!
