| Halloween Horror Nights Orlando attraction | |
|---|---|
  | |
| The Darkest Deal | |
| Attraction type | Haunted House |
| Event | Halloween Horror Nights 32 |
| Park | Universal Studios Florida |
| Area | World Expo |
| Year | 2023 |
| Housed in | Sprung Tent 1 |
| Based on | Original/The Legend of Robert Johnson |
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The Darkest Deal (Haunted House) was one of the ten haunted houses that were featured during Halloween Horror Nights 32. It was located in Sprung Tent 1.
History and Location[]
On July 28th, 2023, Universal would announce that an original haunted house loosely based on the urban legend of Robert Johnson would be featured during Halloween Horror Nights 32 that year. The house would feature a Blues musician named Pinestraw Spruce, who sells his soul to a mysterious entity known as The Collector in exchange for fame and musical glory.
In 2006, Universal built two hurricane-proof tents behind the World Expo area of the park specifically for holding Halloween Horror Nights haunted houses. This house would be located in the southernmost one (called Sprung Tent 1).
The codename for the haunted house was Tomato because tomatoes are thrown on stage.
Description[]
Fame is Fleeting. Fear is Forever.[]
Blues musician Pinestraw Spruce will have to face the music after meeting with The Collector and trading his soul for musical glory. You and your squad learn the terrible price of fame.
In the Mississippi Delta, blues musician Pinestraw Spruce meets at a crossroads with a diabolical entity known as The Collector to make a deal: his soul for musical glory. Guests will witness his big break performing for a crowd before The Collector drags him to Hades with the other musicians who learned the terrible price of fame in “The Darkest Deal.”
Backstory[]
The story would begin in the Mississippi Delta, where up-and-coming Blues Musician Pinestraw Spruce would come across a crossroads. There, he would encounter a mysterious entity called "The Collector", who offers him a deal: The Collector would offer Pinestraw musical fame and glory in exchange for his soul. Pinestraw would accept his offer, and would go on to be a smashing success, playing in a variety of different juke joints and bars.
Throughout his rise and fall, The Collector would follow Pinestraw in order to ensure his debt would eventually be paid. At one point, he would possess a bar patron and speak through them in order to make his presence known. At the end of the house, Pinestraw would wind up in Hell, joining other musicians who also learned the terrible price of fame.
Settings[]
- Bub's Lounge
- Cornfield
- The Barrel House of Blues
- Graveyard
- Swamp/Ravine
- Mother Spruce's Shack
- The Barrel House Blues
- Hell
Queue and Facade[]
The house’s queue consisted of an old, run-down juke joint named “Bub’s Lounge” with an outhouse and well outside.
Haunted House[]
Guests enter into Bub's Lounge and transported into a dirt-scented cornfield. Pinestraw can be seen with his guitar in hand as he makes a deal with the Collector. The Collector pulls out the contract and flashes towards guest as Pinestraws' name begins to project on the dotted line.
Guests make a right pass the two as they are quickly met with the Collector in his true form on their right and continue forward into Bub's Lounge where a bar regular can be seen on the right rocking out to Pinestraw Spruce who can be seen on the stage playing guitar while a demon can be seen behind him in a projection on the wall as guests are distracted a demon attacks on their left. The bar regular is temporarily possessed by the Collector and also periodically attacks guests.
Guests exit the lounge and enter a graveyard where a projection of a musician can be seen playing on an instrument on a tombstone. This would serve as a distraction for a ghoul to attack guests on their left. Continuing on, they would see a projection of a trumpet playing on a gravestone as they move forward, only to be attacked on their right by another spirit wielding a trumpet. Guests continue through the graveyard as some of the tombstones glow as they approach. Guests then take a left and are attacked by a spirit on their right as they exit the graveyard.
Guests enter the swamp where Guests are partially underground in a tunnel of some sort with a broken bridge above them, and the aroma of dirt returns, stronger than ever. The Collector emerges from the soil on the left, then after turning the corner, the Collector strides towards guests. Guests then enter a decrepit shack where on the left, a rocking chair is rocking by itself.
Guests then walk through a dark corridor where on their left they're met with Pinestraw's mother churning a bowl asking why Pinestraw had left her. This serves as a scare for guests passing by her as she is briefly possessed by the Collector, after which a Goat Demon attacks guests from behind a curtain.
Guests would exit the room and walking a path that would lead around to the Barrel House Blues, guests are attacked by a ghoul on their right as they begin make a turn right towards the Barrel House passing by a static man sitting in a chair on their left.
Guests entered the Barrel House and see Pinestraw mid performance as he is interrupted by the Collector who tells him the contract is fulfilled and proceeds to take his soul as guests walk pass the static figure of the Collector can be seen sitting down on their right as they exit the room, a demon can be seen popping out of the piano next to them on their left.
Guests then enter a corridor of Hell where a demon attacks on their left and the collected Pinestraw Spruce with his guitar in hand is embedded in a stone wall forever as his prison on their right, which features the instruments and faces of the Collector's previous victims. Continuing forward, guests are attacked by Samhain on their right as they rush towards the Collector, who can be seen on their left beckoning them that they're his forever as they exit the house and followed by one more demonic scare on the right.
Scareactors[]
- Pinestraw Spruce x2
- The Collector x7 (Humanoid x2, Demon x2, Ghillie x2, Full-Form)
- Goat Demon x2
- Tommy Parker
- Grover Gray
- Bass Ghost
- Russian Doll
- Skeleton
- Old Mama
- Possessed Bar Patrons x2
- Possessed Man
- Hell Demon
- Piano Demon
Quotes[]
- "I just want to play on the big stage, and become famous!" - Pinestraw Spruce
- "I will do what you ask. You give me you soul." - The Collector
- "Deal. Music is my life." - Pinestraw Spruce
- "The Deal is done. Hahahaha!" - The Collector
- "Glory and greatness are yours..." - The Collector as Pinestraw performs on stage
- ”AAAHHHH!” - Possessed Bar Regular
- "You're not the first. YOU'RE NOT THE FIRST" - Victim Spirit
- "I am everywhere!" - The Collector
- "Soon. Very soon..." - The Collector
- "Why did you leave me son? To die? - Mother Spruce
- "I will collect your soul!" - The Collector possessing Mother Spruce
- "Tonight, get the hottest ticket in town! Pinestraw Spruce is playing at the Barrel House Blues!" - Radio announcer
- "It's everything you asked for. Right this way..." - The Collector
- "Contract fulfilled. Your soul is mine!" - The Collector collecting Pinestraw's soul
- ”No! Too soon!” - Pinestraw pleas with the Collector before his soul is taken
- “(Bleating)” - Samhain
- "YOU'RE MINE FOREVER!" - The Collector
Pictures[]
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Videos[]
Soundtrack[]
Trivia[]
- The house's main story and theme was based off the classic Americana myth of "selling your soul for fame." Specifically, the story closely resembles the legend of Delta Blues musician Robert Johnson, who is said to have sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads in exchange for musical talent & fame.
- The house followed Pinestraw Spruce through things such as Juke Joints as if guests were almost his bandmates witnessing the deal and his rise and fall.
- Guests would see The Collector throughout the entire house, through encounters such as him possessing a patron in a bar in order to keep an eye on Pinestraw and to ensure his debt is eventually paid.
- The house would incorporate Blues music all throughout the house, which according to Charles Grey was "the best part about creating the house".
- The house features an original blues score by Charles Gray, VP of Art & Design at Universal Orlando, as he’s a big music fan.
- Graves in the house feature life spans of 27 years, as a reference to the infamous “27 Club." Robert Johnson, who is mentioned above, died at the age of 27, and is considered the first member of the "27 Club."
- Some of the names of the graves in the cemetery of Sugar Belvadere, Buster, Tommy Parker, Bobby Cordero, Roberto "El Brujo" Fuentes and Oliva "Sin Amor" Alvarado.
- If you look closely Satan's name is scratched on The Collector's contract.
- Eddie's Schmidt's can be seen scratched out of one of the promoter's posters in the first bar scene.
- The clock on the wall in the bar reads 10:32, a reference to the event's 32nd year.
- A poster for Skip "The Entertainer" Hamer performing at The Ambassador Ballroom Next Friday Night, The Ambassador Ballroom was the main setting of the Mardi Gras Tribute Store.
- This year, the Art and Design team would hide frogs in each of the houses as an Easter egg for fans to discover. This house’s frog could be seen sitting in the graveyard scene on a gravestone wearing horns similar to The Collector.
- The piano in The Barrel House Blues ending was reused from the Ghost Town: The Curse of Lightning Gulch haunted house during Halloween Horror Nights 26. The effect was supposed to have a sliding door but because of damage done to it during the use of the effect decided to put a curtain on the boo hole to make it easier for the scareactor.
- The bridge that could be seen behind Pinestraw Spruce and The Collector during the signing of the soul would be where guests would revisit in a later scene in the house with the bridge broken and leading guests to go underground and continuing their journey.
- A crocodile can be seen under the broken bridge scene.
- A raccoon can be seen hidden in Mama Spruce's scene.
- A John Williams: Giuliani Guitar Concerto in A Major/ Vivaldi Guitar Concerto in D Major and A Major / The English Chamber Orchestra / Colin Tinley, Harpsichord can be seen hidden in Mama Spruce's scene.
- Before heading into the final scene of the Barrel House Blues, there's a metal door that reads Southern Delight Spirits and next to door the logo is a devil-like figure.
- According to one of the scareactors, the saxophone ghost is that of Tommy Parker, as his name is on the nearby grave with a saxophone on it. He is also given the nickname “Saxophone Marley.”
- If guests listen carefully, they can notice something. At the beginning of the house, the music is a little rough but calm, like Pinestraw's current talent and state. But as you go through the house, the music gets more polished, as Pinestraw grows more talented, however the music also turns more frantic, as he's realizing the Collector is following him everywhere.
- At the beginning of the house, The Barrel House Blues looks run down but later in the house as Pinestraw has reached the height of his fame, the Club has a nice and pristine look to it.
- A undead victim at the ending outside of the Barrel House Blues bar resembles similarly to the Harper Leather undead zombie from the Graveyard Games from Halloween Horror Nights 29.
- On the shelf in the bar was a bottle called "Lazy Bastard Bourbon", this is a little nod to the late Rick Spencer former Tech Supervisor/ former creative manager of Art & Design for Universal Orlando and Halloween Horror Nights for 21 years. He was also known for playing the titular character The Lazy Bastard in the LT investigations during Halloween Horror Nights: Reflections of Fear. He had passed away in 2021
- Some of the names on the gravestone walls were: Marcus "EL Bocazas" Serfino, 1800-1917 Bobby Cordero, 1905-1932 Roberto "El Brujo" Fuentes 1884-1944 Olivia "Sin Amor" Alvarado, 1888-1915 Loraiyn Souls, 1901 - 1928 Big Momma Robinson, 1895 - 1922 Sugar Belvadere, 1889 - 1916 Buster Washington, 1885 - 1912 Tommy Parker, 1903 - 1930
- The wall gravestone of Loraiyn Souls was a nod to Lora Sauls, Manager of Entertainment Creative Development at Universal.