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Universal Studios Hollywood is notorious for its spooky annual Halloween transformation, when a series of ghoulish interactive “mazes” inspired by classic horror films pop up around the California theme park.<\/p>\nUniversal Studios Hollywood is notorious for its spooky annual Halloween transformation, when a series of ghoulish interactive “mazes” inspired by classic horror films pop up around the California theme park.<\/p>\n
While last year's “Halloween Horror Nights” were canceled due to the real-life terror of Covid-19, organizers are betting that customers in 2021 will be more in the mood for an evening of frights than ever before.<\/p>\n
“Horror always does extremely well in the most challenging of times,” creative director John Murdy told AFP on a recent behind-the-scenes tour.<\/p>\n
“The ‘Universal Monsters' movies… when were they made? ‘Frankenstein' 1931. ‘Dracula' 1931. ‘The Mummy' 1932. ‘Bride of Frankenstein' 1935.”<\/p>\n
That remarkable string of seminal spine-chillers is often credited with saving the Universal Pictures studio from bankruptcy during the Great Depression — the worst economic collapse in US history.<\/p>\n
“These were huge hit movies in their day,” said Murdy. “Horror always speaks to the present fears of society, and it becomes an escape.”<\/p>\n
Visitors — seeking goosebumps and gore, or otherwise — have already been welcomed by theme parks around Los Angeles, which mostly reopened in April after a year in which Covid-19 ravaged the second-largest city in the United States.<\/p>\n
California Governor Gavin Newsom chose Universal Studios Hollywood as the site for his June “reopening day” event, which celebrated the ending of nearly all Covid-19 restrictions, although some measures such as mask-wearing have since been restored.<\/p>\n
Masks are not a problem inside this year's Halloween mazes, where most performers are already clad in elaborate face coverings as they transform into zombies, vampires and Frankenstein's monsters.<\/p>\n
– Ladies' fright night –<\/p>\n
One of this year's mazes, called “The Bride of Frankenstein Lives,” is a brand-new sequel to the 1935 movie.<\/p>\n
It imagines that the monster's undead mate survives the film and works to bring him back to life again in a makeshift lab — donning a handy surgical mask as she carries out her experiments.<\/p>\n
“It's an extra creative challenge,” said Murdy, of the Covid-19 measures.<\/p>\n
Along with the usual gallons of fake blood, rumbling sound effects and special smoke and light effects, the maze contains real movie props from a more recent Universal horror — 2004's “Van Helsing” starring Hugh Jackman as the monster hunter.<\/p>\n
Murdy was inspired to give the Bride of Frankenstein her own maze because she only appears for “about five minutes” in the 1935 film.<\/p>\n
In a departure from the usual canon of horror movies, “Bride of Frankenstein” is part of a bid to highlight the genre's often overlooked female characters, featuring terrifying hordes of Dracula's daughters.<\/p>\n
The maze exits into a “scare zone” in which the She-Wolf of London can be found roaming.<\/p>\n
Other female-centered installments this year include an “Exorcist” attraction, and a new “Haunting of Hill House” experience based on the Netflix TV series.<\/p>\n
“I have a six-year-old daughter, and I wanted to create those female characters for my kids,” said Murdy, who had the help of fellow horror fan Slash from Guns N' Roses for the maze's soundtrack.<\/p>\n
“Horror teaches us how to deal with our own fears in our everyday lives,” Murdy added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Universal Studios Hollywood is notorious for its spooky annual Halloween transformation, when a series of ghoulish interactive “mazes” inspired by classic horror films pop up around the California theme park. While last year’s “Halloween Horror Nights” were canceled due to the real-life terror of Covid-19, organizers are betting that customers in 2021 will be more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":71843,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n