An article concerning Halloween Horror Nights II written by Patricia Bates from Amusement Business.
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You may need a strong stomach to see the gore at "Halloween Horror Nights" at Universal Studios Florida, but not to digest the "Boiled Blood Soup" or the "Baked Black Widow Filet."
Those are among the items on the "monster menu" during the Orlando themer's Halloween promotion, which runs Oct. 23-24 and 29-31.
In 1991 a Florida newspaper writer gave the Dungeon Of Terror maze at the park a "five-chainsaw rating." This year the restaurants should get "five butcher knives" for their cuisine.
Finnegan's Irish Pub will have for appetizers the "Man-Eating Shrimp From Murky Waters with Slimy Seaweed, Vampire Style." That's the name for jumbo spicy shrimp on a bed of seaweed, splattered with cocktail sauce; it's $5.75. The "Slippery Seafood With Nine Herb Sauce & Inky Noodles," $4.95, is seafood in a sauce with white wine and Pernod over black squid-ink pasta.
"Last year on Halloween, people ate less because they were caught up in the excitement," said Executive Chef Steve Jayson. "So we've been more price-conscious this year with the selections. Everything fits a theme."
As for the "Boiled Blood Soup," it has "creepy snails" and "moldy mushrooms" in it. It's actually a casserole simmering with tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, wine, herbs and escargot for $4.75.
The "Sleepy Hollow Fungus Salad," $2.95, was "gathered from the dark and moldy forest coves." It's really a "variety of a fresh wild mushrooms marinated and grilled" with fine herb vinaigrette over baby bibb lettuce and radicchio.
Halloween Horror Nights entrees include the "Impaled Swordfish Flesh On a Witches Broom Bristle With Swamp Greens" for $12.95. It comes on a rosemary stick and is chargrilled over greens. The "Baked Black Widow Filet With Spider Web Sauce" is aged beef made in the Wellington style in a puff pastry shaped like a spider and has two sauces for $14.95.
Tempting desserts include "Blood Orange Sorbet," $1.75, which is made from blood oranges, a citrus fruit which has red streaks in it. Another is "Dracula's Cheesecake" torte topped with "Coffin Dust" (or powdered sugar) for $3.25.
There will be some "Hard Cooked Chicken Embryos Wrapped In Hideous Sausage" for $4.25. These are Scotch eggs, boiled with pork around them and fried.
"The quality of what we have is never compromised," said Jayson. "We do, however, take creative liberties with our presentation during the Halloween Horror Nights activities."
Universal Studios Florida will show some of the best scary films of all time during both weekends. Hours are extended from 6:30 p.m. to midnight. There's a "Dungeon Of Terror," with maniacs, druids and vampires. The "People Under The Stars" soundstage has 16,000 square feet of space, with coffins, torn torsos and eyeless faces. The resident mutants will bleed on guests.
At the "Psycho House," photos can be taken next to zombies. In another area, music from "Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue," with the Universal Monsters, can be heard. "Robosaurus" is a car-crushing ghoul that is four stories tall, weighs 30 tons and has 40-ft. flames coming from his mouth.
Traveling through time, Bill & Ted trick or treat in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure." It has visual effects and stunts. "Thunderdome" returns, with the queen of darkness and her henchmen on the park's Hollywood Boulevard.
Some tourists are locked in body-sized cages, and sent to an acid-bubbling vat to become "skeletons." The Pendragons will spellbind other audiences with illusions, and costumed misfits will be roaming throughout the lots.
Universal Studios Florida will also have a "Rock Inferno Monster Mash" with "screamin' demons," and a video wall. On Halloween weekend, the famed Wolfman Jack will be there.
Tickets for the Orlando attraction are $22.95 through the box office or through Ticketmaster. Pass holders and visitors from mid-October on can upgrade their ducats, and come back again for $12.95 to Halloween Horror Nights. There are discount coupons from Pepsi and Pizza Hut, too.
Later in the fall, Thanksgiving feasts will be served. There will be pies such as mincemeat, sweet potato, pumpkin, pecan and more. "We start planning for the holidays about three to four months out," said Jayson. "Last year, New Year's Eve was our largest day, and we had champagne at our carts, and sit-down meals in many of our restaurants."
On Valentine's Day, there are romantic dinners for couples. St. Patrick's Day is for street parties. Easter also means a bounty. There are barbecues and picnics on July 4, and traditional goodies on Christmas.
For Halloween Horror Nights, the food staff averages 600 in the day and 300 extra for Halloween evening, said Jayson.