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Universal Studios Hollywood takes Halloween thrills to new extremes

Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights may be the scariest amusement park fright I’ve ever had.
    Universal Studios is easily the most visually frightening park during Halloween. The haunted festivities began around 6 p.m. when I dropped in on October 4. I was scared to death by the chainsaw guys who ran through the crowd when the park opened. In fact, there are plenty of ghastly costumed people with axes and knives, who took every opportunity to sneak behind me and freak the daylights out of me.
    There’s more horrifying surprises on the special Terror Tram. Consider it similar to the typical Universal Studios backlot tour, with the exception of the tram stops in the middle of the tour that allow visitors to get out and walk around the various movie sets, like the Bates Motel.
    I had to walk through the movie sets in the dark. If that wasn’t enough, more of those costumed freaks were popping in and out of the set with their chainsaws and scissor-fingers.
    Horror Nights also has plenty of special sets based on some of the creepiest horror films of all times. For starters, the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Back In Black” allowed me to relive the most horrifying scenes of the film, which played on some television screen while I waited in line to enter. I saw the helpless victims of the chainsaw zombies, with scars and severed limbs. I walked past clear body bags with dead corpses inside. One especially nasty scene included a zombie pushing a chainsaw right into a victim. And just for kicks, he jumped out and surprised me too.
    And there are plenty of other grotesque sets as well. The “Nightmare on Elm Street: Home Sweet Hell” maze was easily the most frightening out of all of them. Freddy Kreuger took every opportunity to leap out of nowhere and slam his scissor-fingers on a wall to freak me out.
    The “Universal’s House of Horrors: The Strangers” was also a good fright, even though I wasn’t that intimidated by the live actors’ plastic Barbie-doll masks and cheap ski masks. The people at the end gave me the biggest fright, jumping right at me with an axe.
    The only disappointing maze was “Friday the 13th: Camp Blood.” I know that Jason Vorhees looks creepy with a hockey mask. He also has a special scene where he’s stabbing a couple making love on a bed. But Jason hardly ever moves. He’s not going to scare anyone if he doesn’t move an inch.
    Universal Studios makes up for it with one of the raunchiest comedy shows by none other than Chucky himself. Even if I was a little creeped out with his naughty language, he was hilarious. There’s nothing more zany than hearing that naughty doll call women “bitches” and flip the bird.
    And in case anyone was disappointed by the mazes, they could even experience the newest addition to the park: “The Simpsons Ride.” And just for Halloween, Universal Studios plugged in some metal music near the end of “Jurassic Park” for that death metal atmosphere.
    Universal Studios Hollywood is the easily the most visually intense Halloween theme park. Even if people are disgusted by the gory bodies and foul language in the park, they will certainly get the scare of their life.

100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, CA 91608.

Hours: Opens 7 p.m. Closing hours vary by date
Tickets: $54 (at gate), Starting at $34 through the USU
 www.universalstudioshollywood.com

One Comment

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    What’s even scarier is that it looks like no editor took an axe to this story. What a frighteningly horrible article. For that much money, by one of Universal’s editors.

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