On Monday evening The Hollywood News were lucky enough to be invited to the official UK launch of Halloween Horror Nights, the annual attraction at Universal Studios Orlando, which is now in its 26th year.
2016 looks like it may be the best yet judging from what we saw. We’re sworn to secrecy on a lot of what they have on offer this year, but we can divulge some news of a new maze that they have planned for September/ October. From September 16th, Universal Studios Orlando will unleash the wrath of Krampus, Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures’ Christmas-themed horror film co-written and directed by Michael Dougherty, in a sinister new “Halloween Horror Nights” maze.
Here’s some official blurb that we’ve just received from Universal.
The dead of winter sets the stage for the terror that’s about to unfold one cold, dank and dreary Christmas Eve as the fabled anthropomorphic “half-goat, half-demon” horned creature emerges to terrorize those devoid of holiday spirit. In scenes lifted from the film, guests will navigate the dysfunctional Engel family home to encounter the evil ancient spirit of Krampus – the dark shadow of Saint Nicholas – and his band of Dark Elves and sinister Gingerbread Men, who cause the family to fight to see the light of day.
If you need some reminding of this awesome film from the mind of Mike Dougherty, watch the trailer below.
You may remember that we reviewed the film incredibly positively on the site when it was release last December. It’s a wonderful blend of horror and comedy, and the Halloween Horror Nights tie-in is promised to be equally as good.
Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights will run at the Florida-based theme park (and its sister resort in Hollywood) from September 16th all of the way up to Halloween night itself, October 31st. On most evenings between those two dates, the streets of the theme park will be transformed into highly-themed scare zones where menacing “scare-actors” lunge from every darkened corner. We were told on Monday that an additional 1500 people both on the streets and behind the scenes are brought into to bring these movie-quality haunted houses to life. It is quite the production and we’re very excited to see what they’ve done this year. The event is so popular that it attracts thousands of repeat visitors every year, and is already starting to sell out – so grab your tickets while you still can.
We’ll be revealing more as the event draws nearer, so keep it THN for more news as it comes available!
