Editor’s note: Bruce Babcock is a contributor to Inside Universal’s coverage of Halloween Horror Nights.
August 21, 2013 – This year – arguably more than previous years – has been a year full of speculation in regards to Halloween Horror Nights. Due to ongoing construction throughout the park, several maze and scare zone locations have been compromised. As we near the start of the event, I thought this would be a good time to outline the announcements that have been made and to separate fact from speculation.
On the list of confirmations, we have Evil Dead, Walking Dead, Black Sabbath, Insidious, and Universal Monsters Remix: Resurrection. We know there will be a total of six mazes to match last year’s maze count, which leaves us with one final announcement. I think the final announcement will be something out of left field, much like Black Sabbath was. Lady Gaga, Resident Evil, Trick’r Treat have all been rumored as possible themes. Based on his recent Twitter activity, John Murdy has been shooting a fake movie and working with a certain mystery celebrity that should be revealed in the coming days.
Of course, one of the biggest questions this year has revolved around possible maze locations. A valid question given that Terminator 2:3D’s extended queue, Shrek’s extended queue, and the Wild West arena are all not available for this year’s event.
Given what we know so far, the Parisian Courtyard, the Jurassic Park extended queue, Universal’s House of Horrors, Revenge of the Mummy’s extended queue, and two locations on the backlot have been tapped as this year’s maze locations. Evil Dead will be located in Revenge of the Mummy’s extended queue, Walking Dead will be on the backlot metropolitan sets, and Black Sabbath will be in soundstage 747. Meanwhile, Insidious will make its way to the Jurassic Park extended queue while Universal’s Monsters Remix will return to Universal’s House of Horrors. This leaves the maze in the Parisian Courtyard near Mel’s Diner, which has yet to be revealed.
As far as scare zones, Universal has announced The Purge, Curse of Chucky, and the Walking Dead with a few open holes. Based on my predictions, I’m sure we will see the return of Klownz while The Purge will likely be the first scare zone guests encounter. The Curse of Chucky scare zone will also be located on Baker/London Street with chubby Chucky’s running around.
As one of this year’s most talked about franchises, The Walking Dead will be hosted on the world-famous Universal backlot. In addition to the standard Terror Tram route – which will feature Walking Dead – the metropolitan sets on the backlot will be transformed into a zombie infested scare zone for guests to walk through before having a choice between the Walking Dead and Black Sabbath mazes. The normal Tram loading area will depart for Terror Tram, and an additional loading area will be located on the lower lot to escort guests to the metropolitan area.
Fans should also keep an eye out for details on an all-new VIP Tour for Halloween Horror Nights, which Murdy is producing (unlike previous years). Fans who follow Halloween Horror Nights on Facebook and Twitter will also get an exclusive chance to buy the Killer Deal multiple night pass which is not offered as a general ticket option. This is a great option for Los Angeles locals, and tickets are expected to be on sale as soon as next week.
In all, I give John Murdy and his team huge props for being able to work around this year’s construction-filled environment. The guy truly wants to ensure that this year’s experience is not compromised and I have great respect for that. Bring on Universal Studios Hollywood’s “Halloween Horror Nights” 2013!
Bruce Babcock is a contributor for Inside Universal, specializing in Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights event in Hollywood.
Bruce is currently living in Southern California pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Cinema/Television Arts. He is a film fanatic with a specific interest in Universal classics and horror movies, and often attends local L.A. conventions looking for movie memorabilia and autographs. Bruce has been visiting Universal Studios Hollywood since he was merely 3 months old. A surprise VIP tour for his 15th birthday made him realize that movies are what he wanted his career to be in.
