Halloween Horror Nights” has arrived in the form of ghastly figures wielding chainsaws and bloody daggers, crawling in and out of dark corners or through smoke laden streets to attack the unsuspecting passersby.
“It’s lots of fun, and I especially love the ghosts,” says Tiffany Mack, 10, out with her parents Paul and Annett Mack, at Universal Hollywood.
“Having a good time with my kid,” was Paul Mack’s response to what it was that he loved about Halloween.
Soldiers stand on a portion of the main street, while helicopter search lights comb the street below, warning spectators of biological hazards, while zombies driven mad by chemical exposure criss-cross the street pretending, rather convincingly, to hack off heads with chain saws.
“Halloween Horror Nights” features new attractions starring three of the most notorious madmen of the silver screen: Freddy Krueger of “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” Jason Voorhees of “Friday the 13th” and Leatherface from “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
These attractions are composed of long, navigable mazes with danger lurking at every corner, and scenes of gory terror straight out of the movies they’re modeled after.
” I don’t know . . . I like to get scared,” giggled Kristen Sanchez with her friend Cindy Morales, upon exiting “Friday the 13th – Camp Blood.”
This particular ride entails dark and narrow corridors filled with shrilling cries of the tormented, torn boiling flesh and hidden horrors with rushing aberrations, both real and imagined. Not recommended for the faint of heart.
Wandering the macabre, fog-filled streets of Universal City Walk one comes upon a foul-mouthed, bullet-ridden Tony Montana of “Scarface.” He is wielding an M-16 assault rifle and an uncanny accent that matches the Cuban gangster to a tee. “Say ‘ello to my little friend,” he proclaims before lowering his weapon and taking aim at his next victim.
Another vivid ride is the “Terror Tram.” After boarding and riding the back lot tram -suddenly the driver announces “we’re having mechanical problems, you’ll all have to get out and walk the rest of the way”
You find yourself wandering amid a rather realistic recreation of a crashed Boeing 747. Pieces of fuselage, flaming engines and landing gear are strewn among crushed and burning homes.
Amongst the horrific carnage are both the casualties and the dazed, yet walking survivors who will manage to scare the daylights out of you.
“This is kind of horrible,” says Virginia Baker, 24, while walking with her boyfriend through the mayhem. “It makes you glad it’s all fake,” she continues with a big smile!
It’s thrills and chills for young and old alike – make sure you wear comfortable shoes – and plan on spending three to five hours to see all that there is to offer.
Open this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 26 through 28, and Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. Closing hours vary. For more information call (800) 864-8377, ext. 5.
