An Article from the Gargoyle, Vol. XXXI, No. 2 about Halloween Horror Nights XI from this link here written by. lisi armstrong.
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The streets are shrouded a thick, gray fog, loud music pulses from every crevice. People linked together arm in arm pass quickly through the darkness, fear courses through every inch of their body. Suddenly, a dark figure appears from a behind a tree, yells “BOO!” And shrieks arise from the crowd as its pace begins to quicken. Finally they can see light at the end of the foggy pathway and the feeling of security returns. That is, until they turn the next corner at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights.
What started 11 years ago as a two-night event has now morphed into a 19 night celebration of all things ghostly, ghastly and gory. Each year the event grows larger, drawing crowds from all over the country, and the scares keep getting better. Kim Grommol, manager of the scenic department, and Adrian LePeltier, senior director of development, explained that the idea behind this year’s new additions was a desire to design something different to truly scare people. With much enthusiasm and pride, the pair described how these new attractions will exploit people’s need for security and fear of being alone.
This fall’s HHN features 5 new haunted houses, which have been in the works since January:
Run—Simpl put, Run is nothing but a chain-link fence maze. Sounds perfectly harmless, right? Not when you have chainsaw-bearing masked football players lurking behind the fences, ready to jump out at any moment. And to add some more fright, the Gameskeepers are constantly rear-ranging the fences to open new pathways and close others, making it easy to get terribly lost. While water drips from the ceiling and the Gameskeepers intentionally split up groups of friends, panic quickly sets in and the only relief is to find a way out of the maze.
The Mummy Returns: The Curse Continues—-Following in the popularity of maze-like attractions, this one features characters and settings of the summer’s namesake feature film. Cobwebs line the ceiling and walls of the tombs and the temple where the evil mummy lurks to seek his revenge. His mindless minions ensure that the visitors encounter utmost difficulty in escaping the maze.
Pitch Black—Hands down, this is the most highly anticipated haunted house of the year. The entire house is enveloped in darkness with only the flicker of a strobe light here and there. Inside, visitors encountered hanging bodies, various types of flooring and mysterious ooze lining the walls, which they have to touch in order to make their way through the house. Ghouls pop out at the most unsuspecting times, making hearts pound and feet move even faster than before.
Scary Tales—- This house is a fairy tale ride gone very, very wrong. Different scenes inside depict gruesome versions of classic fairytales like Alice in Wonderland, Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White. Dead bodies hang from the ceiling in one corridor, while another room features a giant oven, compliments of Hansel and Gretel. With zombies clawing at you from beneath the glass floor in one room and an evil troll patrolling his bridge in another, Scary Tales will frighten most of those brave enough to enter.
Superstitions—Typical urban legends and superstitions (think black cats and broken mirrors) abound in this smaller haunted house. Drenched black cats dangle from the ceiling while a mirror maze makes exiting difficult. With more “scare-achters” inside to jump out at inopportune moments or to simply follow behind the entire time, Superstitions offers a genuine scare.
In tradition with past years, several sideshows and wandering “scare-yachters” populate the grounds at Universal, including the infamous Rat Lady and Jack, the evil clown. But it’s the new haunted house that give the celebration an edge. With a design team committed to excellence and terrible frights galore, this year’s Halloween Horror Nights exceed those in years past by far.