By snoadmin
Your eyes adjust to the sudden dim lighting of what appears to be a camp site. You walk past a tree and see a man trying to escape a bear trap. He screams at the top of his lungs as blood gushes out of his leg. You turn around and a white light blinds you momentarily. You scream as a large figure looms towards you with a machete. No this isn’t pretend, this is Friday the 13th recreated by Universal Studios and you’re smack in the middle.
This year’s 2010 Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, Hollywood is sure to bring plenty of scares and send anyone running for the hills who dare to attend.
Of the five mazes featured this year, a sneak peak of the Friday the 13th maze was provided for the media on Monday. Creative Director John Murdy walked me through the maze and gave a glimpse into one of the most infamous horror films made into reality.
After a few years of being discontinued, Halloween Horror Nights was brought back to life in 2006 with the help of Murdy, among others. Murdy says he really enjoys creating the mazes and wants the audience to “feel as if you’re in a horror movie or walking right through it”.
There will be certain parts of the maze that may not be directly from the movie. Some references that were made throughout the maze may be scenes that were never used in the 2009 version or ideas that Murdy came up with on his own. Of the 12 movies within the Friday the 13th series, the 2009 version was used to serve as an inspiration for the maze this year.
The maze is split into three parts: Camp Crystal Lake, the Voorhees home and the underground tunnels where Jason stores his victims. There will be three versions of Jason — sack head, unmasked and masked — to scare.
Murdy used a variety of scare tactics to “psychologically prey on guests” with the use of sound bites from the film, lighting techniques and smell. After guests run through the camp grounds, they walk into the Vorhees home. Each room reeks of gore and destruction to give a real ambience of being an abandoned home. Mother whispers aloud “Kill Jason, kill” as guests venture through the living room to the kitchen to Jason’s bedroom and the bathroom. The final room is a hallway to the underground tunnels where Jason keeps the bodies of his victims. The gore gets worse with every second as attendees rush to the end…or so they think.
This attraction is definitely not for those who are squeamish and especially for those who can’t sit through slasher films. Murdy calls it “R-rated mazes” and seriously warns younger audiences or the faint of heart to think twice.
Among Friday the 13th, there will be “A Nightmare On Elm Street,” “Saw: Game On,” “Rob Zombie’s House of A 1,000 Corpses in Zombievision (3D)” and “Vampyre: Castle of the Undead” mazes for guests to endure.
Scare zones include La Llorona, Nighmarez, Klownz, Lunaticz and Pigz, each in front of their appropriately-themed maze.
The Terror Tram, hosted by Chucky, will take patrons down to the sets where hundreds of monsters will be waiting to scare.
Tickets will be on sale through the Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights website, at the theme park and on campus. Attraction dates vary and can be viewed at halloweenhorrornights.com.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.
