In less than two weeks, Universal Orlando will be opening the gates of terror at Universal Studios Florida, inviting guests in to experience ghoulish monsters, terrifying creatures, and more during Halloween Horror Nights 24. With the event just a few weeks away, Universal Orlando is still teasing the event and getting guests excited about what terrors reside at Universal Studios Florida. Advertisements have started appearing on Coke products, inside Publix stores, and billboards have started to go up around Orlando. Today, we take a sneak peek into the event, which will officially open on Friday, September 19th.
This year, Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida will feature a total of eight houses, four scare zones, and two shows. During tonight’s media preview, we were able to chat with some of the creative minds behind the event and get a little bit of the gory details about the upcoming event.
Video-Get an up close look at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights 24 at Universal Studios Florida
Houses:
Halloween
Everyone has been dying to know… which Halloween will the house be based on? The house is based on the original Halloween John Carpenter (1978), although it does have nods to the other Halloween films. The house uses little to no make up to recreate the face of Michael Meyers, but the masks are pretty creepy.
While we don’t have any photos to share with you for Halloween, we were able to get a sneak preview of the house. Although no photos or videos of the house were permitted, we do have a spoiler-free review on the house which you can read by clicking here.
The Walking Dead: End of the Line
This is the third consecutive year The Walking Dead will be part of Halloween Horror Nights. The Walking Dead house will be the longest house ever in the history of Halloween Horror Nights and will take guests scene by scene of Season 4. Picking up from where last year’s Walking Dead house left off, guests will start in the prison and they will end at Terminus.
This year will feature an exciting new look of The Walking Dead as there will be use of prosthetics as well as many recognizable walkers straight from the show.
Alien VS. Predator
Alien VS. Predator will feature it’s own storyline, created by Universal’s creative team. The storyline will be blended with the iconic Aliens and Predators.
The house will feature a good blend of live-action actors as well as puppeterring. With the use of puppets in 2013 inside American Werewolf in London, Universal learned a lot about puppeterring and implemented what they learned into Alien VS. Predator.
Dracula Untold: Reign of Blood
Dracula Untold will be themed within the Gothic period and guests will see Dracula go through changes and become more montrous. The house is based on the upcoming film Dracula Untold which will open in theaters on October 10th, a week earlier than originally announced which gives guests the chance to experience the house and then see the film (or vice versa).
From Dusk Til Dawn
From Dusk Til Dawn is another vampire house, but is very different than Dracula Untold, offering an entirely different experience. The house will take guests through the TV show and will take them through the bar the….Twister (yes, the word ‘titty’ was omitted).
Giggles and Gore Inc.
Evil clowns aren’t born, they’re created. And they’re created at Giggles and Gore Inc., where guests will have the opportunity to experience watching these clowns be created. Giggles and Gore Inc. will be brought to life in a variety of ways, including the use of make up, masks, and possibly the use of prosthetics. However, it still remains unconfirmed whether or not everyone’s favorite clown, Jack, will make an appearance.
Dollhouse of the Damned
One of Universal’s original creations, Dollhouse of the Damned, will feature just about every kind of doll you can think of. According to Michael Aiello, one of the creative directors of the event, it is also a very creepy house. It takes every imaginable doll and twists and dements them. Dollhouse of the Damned is also one of the few houses where the characters were actually created before the house and the house was created entirely around the characters.
Roanoke: Cannibal Colony
Universal likes to create houses on occasion that are historically based. Taking the story of the lost colony of Roanoke from the early days of exploration and settling in North America, Universal tells the story of what happened (or could have) to the colony. They were a colony of cannibals and they ate themselves.
Roanoke is being called a house that feels like “old school” Halloween Horror Nights.
Scare zones:
Yes, scare zones are back in full force this year at Halloween Horror Nights! With four different scare experiences in the street, guests are likely to find some surprises along the way along with some scares. In comparison to the last few years for scares in the streets, the scare zones this year will feature a defined start and end to them, containing the scares to specific areas of the park.
Face-Off
Based off the hit TV-series Face Off, guests will see a variety of monsters from the show. Face Off hits very close to home for the Horror Nights team as many of the contestants on the show have worked for Universal in the past as make up artists for Halloween Horror Nights, including Doc who was recently featured on Season 7.
MASKerade Unstitched
In MASKerade, guests will enter the scare zone through enormous candles, filled with the faces of outsiders who have been tossed into the wax. The dancers of the scare zone are trapped and they begin to cut off their own flesh and sew it back on to try and recreate themselves.
This scare zone also features a chandelier that hangs above the scare zone, which I’m sure will look quite beautiful while lit.
The Purge: Anarchy
The Purge will be located in the New York section of the park and will feature elements from both the first and second films, but taking place mostly within the realm of the second film. Universal’s own New York area will add to the feel of the anarchy. Guests will encounter the bread box truck, motorcycles, and more.
Blood Bayou
Normally a New Orleans theme is left for Mardi Gras, which takes place early in the year at Universal Studios, Universal decided to implement a Louisiana based scare zone into this year’s event.
Guests will find this scare zone to be full of surprises as each hour on the hour, a voodoo queen will make a live sacrifice. Guests will also find jars around the scare zone, putting guests right into the middle of the voodoo as the voodoo queen may need contents of the jars during her sacrifice.
Shows
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure
Bill and Ted will be making a return to Universal this fall for Halloween Horror Nights. This hilarious show is a satire show of some of the most popular bits of popular culture from the last year.
This year also marks a big anniversary for Bill and Ted as the original film turns 25.
Rocky Horror: A Tribute
Returning for a second consecutive year, Rocky Horror: A Tribute features some of the most iconic scenes from the film, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Also celebrating a milestone this year is Rocky Horror, which celebrates 40 years. The show will feature updated video as a tribute to the film.
Be sure to follow along with us on Friday, September 19th as we will brave the horrors at Universal Studios Florida. Follow us on Twitter @BehindThrills, Facebook /BehindThrills, and Instagram @BehindThrills.
Check out even more pictures from tonight’s preview in the slideshow below:
Slideshow: Halloween Horror Nights 24 Preview
For more information about Halloween Horror Nights, visit the official website by clicking here.
