“Stranger Things” returns this year for Halloween Horror Nights 2023. This year, the house is based on season four, with Vecna as the antagonist.

The “Stranger Things” phenomenon does not look to be going away. With the fifth season of “Stranger Things” appearing on Netflix sometime in the future, we should be seeing more of the Netflix craze.

The history of “Stranger Things” houses at Halloween Horror Nights has been mixed. We will just say that the house based on season one in 2018 was pretty good. So, how was the “Stranger Things” season four house for Halloween Horror Nights 2023?

Fans of “Stranger Things” Will Enjoy This House

If you enjoyed the most recent season of the Netflix show, we predict you will find this house enjoyable. The incredible bad guy, Vecna, plays a major role in this house. Guests walk through a journey through the Vecna plotlines in this house.

As Universal describes this house, “Join the Fight Against Vecna. Don’t let Vecna get in your mind as you take on the scariest season of Stranger Things yet. Try to resist his gruesome curse before the ultimate showdown in his blood-red Mind Lair.

Season 4 of Netflix’s original series “Stranger Things” is brought to life in a terrifying all-new haunted house that transports guests to Hawkins, Indiana where they will be immersed in the eerie Upside Down for a heart-pounding experience while traveling through iconic scenes. Guests will confront their deepest fears and come face to face with otherworldly creatures like demobats, and even Vecna himself within his blood-red Mind Lair in a race against the clock to escape and save mankind from his deadly curse.”

In this house, when you think Vecna will leave you alone, then he finds you again in this house. Make sure you are looking both ways or the fear power of Vecna may take over your trip through the house.

Some of the sets constructed for this house look amazing.  However, this house focuses more on the plot of season four than the exquisite set design.

The team in charge of costuming should receive high marks on their scorecard for this house. We found the costuming added to the experience.

We found most of the scares to be predictable but enjoyable for Halloween Horror Nights fans. Based on our opening night run through the house, this house might be vulnerable to poor runs during cast changes. Since this house is in a larger soundstage, Universal had plenty of space to work with. Universal shows incredible skill in creating incredible haunted houses in smaller spaces that feel bigger. This house felt big enough, with maybe a few too many areas of empty space. Those may have been areas needing scare actors that we missed.

Overall, we enjoyed this house. We also enjoyed the “Stranger Things” show. If, by some chance, someone in your group does not know about Vecna, this house may be less exciting for them. Still, we think this house makes a great addition to Halloween Horror Nights 2023.

Our only question involves whether it will be worth the long waits in the queue to enter this house. We suggest utilizing the Stay and Scream area in New York. However, expect to be joined by over a thousand close Halloween Horror Nights friends trying to do the same thing.