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Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood event
Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood 2007 logo
Halloween Horror Nights 2007
Slogan Jack’s Carnival
Year 2007
Icon Jack the Clown
Icon attraction Terror Tram: Horror Comes Home
Number of haunted mazes 4
Number of scarezones 5
Preceded by Halloween Horror Nights 2006
Followed by Halloween Horror Nights 2008

"There are some places where evil is born, and others that were born evil. The Bates Motel, Camp Crystal Lake, The Hewitt House, 1428 Elm Street. It's scary enough that Jack Schmidt believed these places were real. What would be even scarier...."

"Is if he was right..."

"It's October and Halloween is closer than you think. Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface are waiting for you at Jack's carnival. Are you ready?"

Halloween Horror Nights 2007 took place at Universal Studios Hollywood. This year, Ringmaster Jack (Schmidt) brought forth the Carnage Killers (Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Leatherface) to assist him in his destruction on the Universal Backlot. While Jack was the main antagonist of the story, it is uncertain whether to count the clown as an Icon as he didn't appear in most of the adverts. Instead, The Carnage Killers took center stage.

This was the first year that Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Florida used the same thematic- that the event took place in Jack's sick and demented carnival- although the theming was not as prevalent in Hollywood. This was also the last year an Icon from Orlando was borrowed (Creative Director John Murdy didn't want to continue using original characters that he didn't create).

Event Nights[]

October: 5-6, 12-13, 19-20, 26-28, & 31, 2007

Theme/Story[]

"There was one man in particular, who took his obsession with these films a bit too far. His name was Jack."

It has been debated whether violence in horror films can induce violent behavior in others. That's where the clown comes in.

On October 31 2006, during Pavel Pranevsky's assault on the backlot, a man in clown makeup and a garish outfit was arrested for stabbing attendees of a movie theater in Universal Studios Hollywood. He was deemed insane and sent into an asylum called Shadybrook.

The man was identified as Jack Schmidt, although not much was known about his past. He told facts about himself to an unknown psychologist. He was a horror fan who particularly aspired the films of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; their villains in particular; and took it upon himself to follow in the footsteps of these veritable slashers. To him, everyday was Halloween, a day to embrace the inner demons of mankind and unleash terror upon the masses.

Eventually he broke out of his cell and murdered a guard, and broke out of Shadybrook Asylum. Eventually, his psychologist was sent postcards from his former mental patient, which were "taken" from the places of the Bates Motel, Camp Crystal Lake, 1428 Elm Street, and the Hewitt House. The psychologist was able to piece together the psychopath's plan: to take guests into these realms and come face to face with these slashers.

Jack believed that the very essence of fright and barbarity was conceived by a place where movies are made: The Universal Backlot. For you see, Universal, while not creating the horror genre by itself, has created the horror movie genre, as The Phantom, Frankenstein, The Mummy, and etc. were both the first movies of horror and their monsters the earliest of movie terrors.

Seeing this has a way to gain power of the darkness, Jack announced that he would be holding a "Carnival" that would take place at Universal Studios Hollywood and the "Hacklot". As The Ringmaster for this psychotic fair, he would bring forth his childhood heroes, The Carnage Killers, consisting of the Sensational Slasher Artist, the Masked Master of the Machete, and the Chainsaw Wizard, as the "main attractions", as well as various other freaks like him as "Freakshows" who would show guests the horrors of The Big Top. In spite of the threat, Universal didn't take his warnings too seriously, much to the chagrin of his psychologist.

This was a huge mistake: somehow Ringmaster Jack managed to bring his favorite "heroes" to life, and together they would stand tall among the children of the night as they wreaked devastation on Universal, transformed to The Carnival of Carnage.

Jack Presents: Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface[]

Despite being the main antagonist, Jack Schmidt/The Ringmaster surprisingly didn't appear in a lot of the marketing materials, aside from some print media. Much of the marketing revolved around the Carnage Killers, Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface.

Much of the marketing was reused from Orlando's at the time, which revolved around an decrepit, evil carnival. Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface were usually seen together; although some posters showed a specific slasher separately (Jack also got one). The carnival freak names (Machete Master) were also borrowed from its sister event/carnival.

The commercial was the same one used at Orlando, directed by Dean Karr. It showed a man wandering around a gloomy carnival, entering a fortune teller's tent. The fortune teller showed cards of the Carnage Killers, only to reveal himself as Ringmaster Jack. The mental patient then summoned Freddy and Jason to lunge at him, and the end showed Leatherface tearing the man with his chainsaw while Jack Schmidt laughed maniacally.

And as for the event itself, Jack and the Carnage Killers appeared in person in the Terror Tram where the sets of Whoville, the Bates Residence, and War of the Worlds was converted into their own realms of fear; Jack putting some victim into a wood chipper at the end. Jack prowled the Upper Lot of the park in the “no zone” areas, and Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface each had their own mazes devoted to them.

The Event[]

While not as high-themed as Orlando, the theme of the event was that all the mazes, scarezones, and shows were part of Jack's carnival.

Attractions[]

Haunted Mazes[]

Terror Tram[]

Scarezones[]

  • Deadwood (Western Street): Enter the ghost town of Deadwood, where the skeletal inhabitants of the town's most notorious Villains still roam.
  • Haunted London (Baker Street): Step into the foggy streets of Old London, where Jack the Ripper and a host of other infamous characters are waiting for you!
  • The Black Death (French Street): Venture back into a medieval town during the Black Death, where the streets are crawling with plague infected villagers.
  • HellBilly Hoedown (Lower Lot): A family of inbred freaks are camping out in the lower lot, So far no one had the courage to evict them.

Shows[]

  • Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure (Fear Factor Stage): The boys from San Dimas return to the entertainment capital of LA with their most excellent time-traveling phone booth for a comedy satire of this year's pop culture and celebrity screw ups.
  • Dark Magic and Dirty Tricks (Animal Actor's Stage): Step into the Theater of Dark Arts where master illusionists are waiting to blow your mind.
  • Chucky's Insult Emporium (French Street Patio): Be insulted by everyone's favorite possessed psychotic doll.
  • Slaughter World 2 (Waterworld Stage): A spectacular tidal wave of death-defying stunts, awesome explosions and an ocean of thrills.

Rides[]

  • Jurassic Park: In the Dark
  • Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride
  • Terminator 2: 3D

Other Attractions[]

Pictures[]

Videos[]

Trivia[]

  • The first deal that John Murdy has ever made for Halloween Horror Nights was with New Line Cinema for this year. John flew to New York to pitch his idea for the event to producer Bob Shaye[1].
  • This was the second of the two times an Orlando icon was used; and will be the last time (see above). though it wouldn’t be the last time Hollywood shared similar marketing with Orlando; especially since 2012.

References[]

Halloween Horror Nights 2007
Characters: Jack the Clown (Event Icon)  • Freddy Krueger  • Jason Voorhees  • Leatherface (Sub Icons)
Haunted Mazes: A Nightmare on Elm Street: Freddy's Nightmare  • Friday the 13th: Camp Blood  • The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Back in Business  • Universal's House of Horrors
Terror Tram: Terror Tram: Horror Comes Home
Scarezones: The Black Death  • Zombie Invasion  • Deadwood • Haunted London • HellBilly Hoedown
Shows: Slaughter World 2 • Chucky's Insult Emporium • Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure • Dark Magic and Dirty Tricks
Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood
Event Additions: 1986  • 1992  • 1997  • 1998  • 1999  • 2000  • 2006  • 2007  • 2008  • 2009  • 2010  • 2011  • 2012  • 2013  • 2014  • 2015  • 2016  • 2017  • 2018  • 2019  • 2021  • 2022  • 2023
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