August 12, 2013 – To coincide with the release of Insidious: Chapter 2, Universal has announced a new maze based off the Insidious franchise titled Insidious: Into The Further. Billed as a colaboration between Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood creative director John Murdy and Insidious’ director James Wan, writer and co-star Leigh Whannell and producer Jason Blum, Insidious: In The Further will follow the evil spirit “hellbent on bringing suffering to the living.” We’ve included the official press release from Universal below. Universal Studios Hollywood’s ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ Transports Guests into the Sinister World of ‘Insidious,’ Exploring the Darkest Corners of…
Author: Jon Fu
August 5, 2013 – In an effort to counteract the erroneous reports surrounding the temporary closure of Transformers: The Ride – 3D at Universal Studios Hollywood, we have received the following information: On August 5 at around 9:09 AM, Transformers: The Ride – 3D experienced an emergency stop caused by a fault in one of the ride’s four elevator systems, which usually have the ability to restart seamlessly using the attraction’s built-in automated computer system. However, in this specific incident, one of the elevators had been caught between the upper and lower floor of the building, prompting employees to alert…
August 6, 2013 – In this month’s edition, Jon and our Halloween Horror Nights contributor Bruce discuss Universal Plaza, Despicable Me, Fast and Furious and of course – Halloween Horror Nights. There’s also a bit of Disney mixed in at the end as well. The video and audio download are located below. Thanks for watching and listening! Audio Download the show in audio form from SoundCloud.com. Downloads are only available for one month after the initial recording. Jon Fu Jon Fu is the editor-in-chief of Inside Universal. Jon originally founded InsideUniversal.net in 2006 as a summer hobby aimed at providing…
August 5, 2013 – Black Sabbath is coming to Universal Studios Hollywood – this time in 3D. Inspired by the band’s recent hit album “13,” the new maze will incorporate 3D video and scenes inspired by the band’s haunting lyrics. We’ve included a video announcement and press release from Universal below. Black Sabbath Rocks Universal Studios Hollywood’s ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ as A New 3D Maze Inspired by the World-Renowned Band Joins the Line-Up of Blood-Curdling Haunted Attractions at the Award-Winning Extreme Terror Event Universal City, CA – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler from Black Sabbath, the celebrated, multi-platinum…
August 2, 2013 – The Summer of Survival continues to march on as construction on Universal Plaza, Despicable Me and Halloween Horror Nights continues in the midst of the peak summer season. While nothing major has occurred since our last update in July, we have documented some progress on the aforementioned projects – including a small update on the NBCUniversal Experience. So enough of me – let’s dig in. Busy, busy. They actually kept the tour running till 8:00 PM. Always eerie taking the tour at night. Plaza’s progress… The tower’s looking nice. Archway under the tower? Meanwhile, this structure…
Update: July 31, 2013 – Our initial predictions concerning Fast and Furious were wrong. Inside Universal has learned that the studio has become increasingly frustrated with the portrayal of its Fast and Furious franchise at Universal Studios Hollywood after the blockbuster success of Fast & Furious 6. This frustration eventually lead to the unplanned closure of Fast and Furious on the Studio Tour after producers from the film witnessed the attraction first-hand. At this point, we’re told Universal Creative is still at odds with what to do with the infamous dancing KUKA-cars, and that a successive plan has yet to…
July 26, 2013 – Following the show’s successful debut at last year’s Halloween Horror Nights event, The Walking Dead continues to march on – this time taking place in the midst of Season 3 from the critically-acclaimed television series. Labeled as a guest favorite by Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood’s Creative Director John Murdy, Walking Dead will continue to inspire a maze alongside this year’s Terror Tram at Universal Studios Hollywood. We’ve included photos from last year’s Walking Dead-inspired Terror Tram and maze below, as well as Universal’s official press release with reactions from John Murdy. AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ To…
July 16, 2013 – To coincide with the film’s home-video release, Universal has teamed up with Sony Pictures to bring Evil Dead to life at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights. We’ve included the press release (with video) below, as well as some analysis from our Halloween Horror Nights contributor Bruce Babcock. Universal Studios Hollywood Summons “Evil Dead” at Award-Winning Halloween Horror Nights Events Orlando, FL., Universal City, CA. (July 16, 2013) — “Once you unleash evil, it will consume you…” This fall, Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights will conjure unrelenting evil in elaborately themed haunted…
July 15, 2013 – The announcement of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter has spurred feverish speculation throughout the theme park community, with much of the discourse focusing exclusively on the possible roster of rides, shops and attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood. While these predictions are often fun and wildly creative (almost to a fault), the salient issues concerning Hollywood’s infrastructure and operations have been painfully ignored. As we’ve noted in the past, Universal Studios Hollywood has always been presented with a unique set of challenges that sets this park apart from other major theme parks. Simply put, the park’s…
July 8, 2013 – Much has been happening at the park lately. We’ve seen moderate progress with Universal Plaza and Despicable Me, the curious refurbishment and retheming of Universal’s Animal Actors and the start of construction for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights. Let’s dive in. Another gorgeous day in Hollywood. Sure beats the humidity. (sorry Singapore, Florida and Japan!) In case you wanted to stay a bit longer. Shame about the no-fireworks policy though. Starting at the entrance, we have…a minion? That’s more familiar. Wait times seemed to be a bit light. Surprising, given the holiday weekend. Plaza progress. Looks…