7 best things I ate at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights

The bloodthirsty and carnivorous menu at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights answers the question of what would happen if you let Leatherface, Chucky and the Ghostbusters kids run wild in the kitchen on one dark and eerie night.

Universal Studios Hollywood’s Executive Chef Julia Thrash hosted the media last week for a sampling of the 30-plus food and drink items at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights inspired by “Ghostbusters,” “A Quiet Place,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and other frightening film franchises.

“The big thing this year is we really wanted to make sure that we tied everything back into the mazes,” Thrash said during an interview at Universal Studios Hollywood. “If you look at all of the food, there’s something that ties directly back to either what you’re seeing in the maze or directly back to the film that it’s representing.”

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Halloween Horror Nights 2024 features eight new haunted mazes along with four scare zones and the Terror Tram on select nights through Nov. 3 at Universal Studios Hollywood.

What should you eat and drink at this year’s Horror Nights? Let’s take a closer look at the seven best things on the menu.

1) Mini Stay-Puft S’more

Marshmallow man, Hershey’s chocolate bar and graham cracker. Available at Studio Scoop on the Lower Lot.

The Stay-Puft S’more has easily been the most talked about food item at Halloween Horror Nights. The carmel-colored blow torched finish only added to the irresistibility of this delectable dessert.

“He is super popular,” Thrash said. “He’s super cute also.”

If you’re only going to get one thing to eat at Horror Nights, then this is it.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’ll get one up on the Upper Lot — because you will be sadly mistaken. This little fella is only available on the Lower Lot.

But how did it taste?

The Stay-Puft S’more not only looked great, but it also tasted ridiculously good. Squishy on the top with tons of chocolatey goodness in the middle and a graham crust finish on the bottom.

It was fun to bite off his little marshmallow leg — and very hard to not end up covered in stickiness. Which is part of the experience, of course.

Universal has thousands of the Stay-Puft marshmallow molds to keep up with demand, according to Thrash.

“We went through several trials of making a mold,” Thrash said. “We finally got a mold that we like.”

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2) Franklin’s BBQ Ribs

Pork ribs with Coca-Cola barbecue sauce served with a side of potato salad and barbecue baked beans. Available at Leatherface BBQ located on the Lower Lot.

The perfectly cooked ribs were moist, juicy, saucy and pull-from-the-bone tender. I liked dipping the potato salad in the little bowl of baked beans. There was an adorable fondant butcher knife stuck to the side of one rib that was the ideal sugar chaser.

The five ribs made for a full meal or just the right amount to share with a friend if you’d prefer to keep grazing throughout the night.

The backstory created for the Horror Nights food can get gross pretty quickly the more you think about it.

“They’re actually Franklin’s barbecue ribs,” Thrash said. “So if you remember in the movies, Franklin’s one of the first ones that dies. So it’s actually his ribs that we’re eating. Let’s make it as gross as possible.”

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3) Wooden Board Eclair

Dark chocolate mousse filled eclair dripped in chocolate ganache with a cocoa-covered nail. Available at City Snacks featuring “A Quiet Place” located on the Upper Lot.

I love chocolate and this eclair was chocolate overload — in a good way. Even the rusty nail driven into the pastry and dripping blood was dusted in chocolate.

“In the first movie, if you remember where she is pregnant and running down the stairs and ends up stepping on a rusty nail,” Thrash said. “This is that rusty nail.”

I couldn’t put the eclair down. And neither should you. Because somebody might ask for a bite.

In theory, you could share this eclair with someone you love, but it might lead to bad blood. Tell them to get their own — in a firm but loving way.

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4) Pam’s Brisket Sandwich

Smoked brisket sandwich with Coca-Cola barbecue sauce and creamy coleslaw served with a side of potato salad and barbecue baked beans. Available at Leatherface BBQ located on the Lower Lot.

The delicate and savory brisket soaked nicely into the cushiony bun while the slaw added a bit of crunch to every bite.

I ate the whole thing and wanted more — which is always a good sign.

“Leatherface is actually using body parts to make the sandwiches,” Thrash said. “So in this case, we’re eating Pam’s brisket.”

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5) Saw Blade Flatbread

Braised short rib, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, spicy tomato sauce and ranch drizzle on pita bread. Available at The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy Bar on the Lower Lot near Jurassic World — The Ride.

Let’s be honest here: The big selling point is the razor sharp saw blade crust. It looked cool on the plate and in my hand. And will look even better in Instagram feeds.

The shredded short rib on top was a little dry — but to be fair it had been sitting under a heat lamp for awhile.

The flatbread pizza was inspired by The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy haunted house.

“There’s a whole scene where there are people being cut in half,” Thrash said. “If you actually look very closely at the pita saw blade, there’s one side that is dark red. It’s just a spicy tomato sauce.”

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6) Dia de los Muertos Esquites

Corn off the cob topped with grated cotija cheese, cilantro and tajin. Available at Dia de los Muertos located in Universal Plaza.

The sliced corn kernels were sweet, juicy and the ideal accompaniment to anything on the menu at the Mexican-inspired Day of the Dead food stand. I couldn’t stop scooping up the side dish.

The Esquites would go good with the Beef Birria Tacos and a Horror-Chata cocktail.

“It’s a traditional dish that we are actually doing slightly different for Dia de los Muertos,” Thrash said.

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7) Friend Till the End

Tequila, lemon-lime soda, blue curacao, lime juice and orange popping pearls with an orange sugar rim and a rainbow pop. Available at Chucky’s Die Bar located behind the Animation Studio Store on the Upper Lot.

The refreshing cocktail wasn’t overly sweet — which is always a problem with theme park beverages. The orange sugar rim added just the right amount of sweetness — and was optional when you already had enough of a pucker.

The fun part was dipping the spiral lollipop in the cocktail and licking the liquor off it.

“We ended up doing the lollipop on the side so you can actually stir it in to create your sweetness,” Thrash said. “The orange popping bubbles tie back into Chucky’s color scheme.”