Event Coverage – Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood 2015
Dread Central Staff
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As someone who worships the October season like a ritualistic pagan, the opening night of Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights is like the grand rite – Halloween just wouldn’t be complete without it! Every year, John Murdy and his team bring together the best movie properties to get us up close and personal with our favorite monsters, and this year he has plenty more inspired madness in store for us.
After the traditional red carpet experience, DC writer Sean Decker and I grab some much-needed libations from the bar and head out to experience the park in its fully glory.
The first maze up is also the night’s best: Halloween: Michael Myers Comes Home. And boy, is it good to have him back! In recent years, theme parks have tended to embrace only the latest and hippest movie properties, so you really have to hand it to Universal and Murdy for going back to the original classic. Thankfully, you won’t find hobo-Michael or Rob Zombie music playing anywhere as this attraction is dedicated almost entirely to John Carpenter’s classic, with a faithfully recreated Myers house (complete with shadow projection of Michael stabbing his sister on the outside window). We enter to see little Michael in his clown outfit standing at the top of the stars and are led through a series of the film’s most famous set pieces. But the real icing on the cake is how Murdy throws in little nods to Halloween 3 throughout: The Silver Shamrock commercial plays on the living room television – and in a couple of spots, children wearing the Cochran masks pop out of the woods to give you a jolt. That’s the sort of fan-driven love that makes me smile!
Photo Credit: David Sprague and Andrew Kasch
Next up: Insidious: Return to the Further. This franchise has always pushed my Haunted Mansion happy buttons and it’s a universe that practically begs to become a haunt. Horror Nights did a bang-up job with the maze tie-in for the first film several years ago and once again, they’ve done a damn fine job recreating the feel of these movies. As “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” blares, we’re jolted by multiple Joe Bishara demons jumping out the darkness, and a rubber Lin Shaye getting strangled in her chair. While Blumhouse has spent a lot of effort in the past doing their own Purge events, I wouldn’t mind a yearly Insidious haunt.
The next two mazes are on the Universal backlot and only reachable by tram. I know this is only because the park is under construction for their massive Harry Potter exhibit, but this is something I’d like to see made permanent. Populated by zombies and numerous Purge villains, the backlot sets are MASSIVE in scope and really give you an authenticity that you don’t get being in the park itself. The first attraction here is Crimson Peak: Maze of Madness (whoever came up with that name must be pining for del Toro’s At the Mountains of Madness as much as we are). It’s always interesting going into a haunt that’s tied into a movie none of us have seen yet, but if the movie is anything like the sights and sounds on display here, we’re in for an instant classic. Of all the mazes here, this is the one that most got under my skin as we witness a Bava-inspired Victorian castle full of terrifying ghosts and grotesque creatures. There’s definitely a lot more to this movie than is being relayed to us in the trailers, that’s for damn sure!
AVP: Aliens vs. Predator is mostly a repeat of what we saw last year, but it’s a really fun maze – way better than the shit show that inspired it. Nothing beats witnessing a Queen Alien up close and personal, and I got my first authentic jump-scare in ages when a facehugger victim jumped out at me just as I thought we were out of the maze.
Afterwards, we take the tram back up to the park and check out This Is the End 3D. I give Universal full props for trying to turn a horror-comedy into a maze, but this one landed completely flat for us. It’s mostly a series of black-lit rooms with the names of the actors scrawled on the walls and the same demon from the movie repeated ad nauseam.
Thankfully, that’s more than made up for with The Walking Dead: Wolves Not Far. I haven’t been much of a fan of Universal’s previous Walking Dead mazes, mainly because zombie attractions today seem like old hat. But with a backdrop taken from the show’s cannibalistic Terminus city, we’re treated to much more than another played-out zombie apocalypse. Here we get a Texas Chainsaw-worthy look as many unlucky victims face the chopping block in the slaughterhouse and the memorable sets from the show are recreated beautifully here. Just like the most recent season, this maze brings some much needed life back into the property.
Last but not least we hit the Terror Tram, which takes us through the usual route next to the Bates Motel – only this time, The Purge has been declared and masked psychos are running amok. It’s all in good fun, but as always, the real treat is being near the Psycho house, and I keep hoping that one year they’ll do a full Pyscho-driven tram experience. How cool would it be to actually get to go into some of the rooms at the Bates Motel? Maybe witness the shower-stabbing person? A fan can dream…
Having gone to the opening night festivities of Halloween Horror Nights for ten years straight, I can easily say that this has been one of their strongest years yet and absolutely worth the visit. One word of caution: Some of the lines have staggeringly long wait times, some as high as two hours (and there were several traffic jams inside the mazes). For this reason, a front-of-the-line pass is a must purchase if you want to experience everything the park has to offer. But if you love Halloween as much as I do, it’s well worth the price of admission.
Tickets are available for purchase at HalloweenHorrorNights.com/Hollywood, including a “Killer Deal Nights” ticket option with discounts of up to $25 on select dates as well as a Front of Line ticket option, which enables guests to enjoy priority access to each “Halloween Horror Nights” maze, “Terror Tram,” Jabbawockeez show, and theme park attractions. Advance purchase is recommended as event nights will sell out.
Remaining “Halloween Horror Nights” dates in Hollywood, CA, are: September 25, 26, and 27; October 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, and 31; and November 1, 2015.
For more information about “Halloween Horror Nights” at Universal Studios Hollywood, visit HalloweenHorrorNights.com. Join the “Halloween Horror Nights” conversation using #UniversalHHN on Facebook at Halloween Horror Nights – Hollywood and Instagram; Twitter and Periscope @HorrorNights. Add username “HorrorNights” on Snapchat for nightly live content, and watch the terror come to life on the Halloween Horror Nights YouTube Page.
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