Author: Brian Glenn

The Horrors of Blumhouse will be returning to this year’s Halloween Horror Nights, bringing to life in all-new mazes at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort, beginning Friday, September 14. Partnering with the creative minds at Blumhouse Productions for the 2nd year in a row, Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort will each feature a “best-of” compilation maze, including some of the most popular, horrific scenes from the Blumhouse catalog; which will be different for each coast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCjVMI2ai4M&feature=youtu.be At Universal Studios Hollywood, “The Horrors of Blumhouse: Chapter Two”  will feature the films Unfriended and Truth or Dare. Guests…

Aventura Hotel has officially welcomed its first guests and is now open as the 6th on-site resort at Universal Orlando. The 600 room hotel is very technologically driven and features a contemporary, modern design. The shape of the hotel, officially, is called Trefoil; and Universal’s design team really embraced the shape by utilizing it in signage, furniture, and decor. The selling point of the hotel is the views, as well as offering all of Universal’s on-site amenities for a low cost. Guest rooms come with floor-to-ceiling windows that offer incredible views. Each room includes a tablet that controls your TV, the…

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Universal Orlando has started setting up the streets to transform into their respective scare zones for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights. As of now, only Central Park is being staged for the Twisted Tradition scare zone. In the coming weeks – props, lighting, rigs, and more, will be added to other areas of Universal Studios Florida for the popular Halloween event. In Twisted Tradition,  the zone will be centered around rotting pumpkins with “Fetid beings” inhabiting the area. The popular Central Park pumpkins have returned, adorning the trees along the Park’s pathways.…

In this episode, Drew and Brian catch-up with the latest Halloween Horror Nights house announcements, including Seeds of Extinction, Poltergeist, and Halloween 4. In addition, we discuss our experience at the newly-opened Universal’s Aventura Hotel. Direct Download and iTunes You may download this episode directly here. You may also subscribe to the Inside Universal Podcast on iTunes. In addition, you can also follow us on Spotify to listen to podcast episodes on their app.

Universal Orlando has confirmed “The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad” is set to close officially on September 15th. The stunt show featured Sindbad and his wisecracking sidekick Kabob perform death-defying stunts in an attempt to rescue the beautiful Princess Amoura from the evil witch Miseria and her ghoulish henchmen. The show originally opened along with Universal’s Islands of Adventure in 1999. Universal has not announced a replacement at this time.

Universal Orlando has announced that their AMC Theatre will be closing to make way for their new partnership with Cinemark Theaters. To begin the process of the transformation, the AMC Theater will be closed all-day on September 14th. Beginning the next day, on September 15th, the theaters will re-open under the new partnership and will begin their transformation; taking several months to upgrade and remodel the auditoriums. New, reclining, Cinemark Luxury Loungers with extendable footrests, cup holders, and plush seating will be installed in each of the 20 auditoriums. In addition, a new Cinemark XD auditorium will be added. XD auditoriums…

Universal Orlando invited members of the media to tour around and get a first look inside the new Aventura Hotel. Once it officially opens on Thursday, Aug 16th, Aventura will be Universal’s 6th on-site hotel and be priced in the “prime value” category. Universal Orlando initially approached the design of Aventura knowing that the hotel would occupy a tight footprint and need to be very tall. Liking the form of the new Towers at Cabana Bay, Universal wanted to replicate the success of that and create a “gateway” as guests enter through Adventure Way. When designing past resorts, the goal…

It was announced today that an all-new maze based on “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers” will be coming to Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights. Based on the fourth installment in the classic slasher series created by John Carpenter, the mazes will transport guests to the suburban town of Haddonfield, Illinois on Halloween night where Myers has escaped Smith’s Grove Sanitarium and is hungry for revenge. This time, he relentlessly stalks his niece Jamie as his next victim, stopping at nothing to kill her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc1b2wf354g&feature=youtu.be Guests will follow Myers as he escapes…

Universal Orlando has announced the dates for next year’s Mardi Gras 2019 event. The event will be taking place nightly from February 9 to April 4. Mardi Gras has become a popular staple at Universal Orlando, featuring a nightly parade and concerts featuring the biggest acts. For 2019, the French Quarter Courtyard will be returning to offer Cajun cuisine favorites, and Universal is teasing all-new parade floats that will be featured in the parade. The concert lineup will be released in the coming months. Stay tuned to Inside Universal for more on Mardi Gras and the Universal Parks & Resorts.

Get ready to go “into the light” as the supernatural horror film, Poltergeist, has been announced as a haunted house for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights for both Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood. Directed by Tobe Hooper and produced by Steven Spielberg, Poltergeist premiered in 1982 and was a commercial and critical success. Characterized as one of the scariest films of all time, the film focuses on the Freeling family whose home is invaded by malevolent spirits that abduct the family’s youngest daughter. The film stars Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, and Zelda Rubinstein. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHZJwSLA8lE The mazes will take guests…