Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights is back in business and lurking for you.
This year's scream theme is Ripped from the Silver Screen, and the theme park is tricked out with more carnage and creature features than ever. The Wolfman and Jigsaw star in elaborate promotions for upcoming movies. Chucky's back, along with Frankie and Drac, plus some real cut-ups working in a gruesome butcher shop.
Universal's annual (fake) bloodbaths in Orlando and Los Angeles were recently named the nation's best Halloween event by Amusement Today for the second consecutive year. The parks are pulling out all the stops — and a few internal organs — to make it a threepeat.
Halloween Horror Nights features eight horror houses, six "scare zones" in the streets, live theater and amusement rides, most of them recently previewed. Here's a rundown, with horror houses rated one to four skulls for scare factor, and a guess of what MPAA ratings they might receive.
Steve Persall can be reached at persall@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8365. Read his blog, Reeling in the Years, at blogs.tampabay.com/movies.
Leave It to Cleaver
By far the goriest attraction offered, a meat packing factory has people going through the grinder, with rib cages hanging on hooks and body parts displayed like deli specials. The cheery nature of clown-masked butchers is a nice, sick touch, along with the smiling Mr. Meatz showing off his store and cannibal puns. If the mound of ground Chuck (or Mary, or whomever) doesn't turn your stomach, you deserve a horror house of your own. (NC-17) Chucky: Friends to the End
Absolutely the best set design of any Universal horror house starts with a whirling, psychedelic catwalk that completely messes with equilibrium. From there, it's a tour of Chucky's macabre doll factory and toy chest, with Barrel of Monkeys pieces leaping from shadows, plush toy pelts nailed to walls and creepy Bozo the clown inflatables. Even when nothing happens, you're convinced it will. That's terror. (PG-13)
Silver Screams
My personal favorite, with a full-scale reproduction of a vintage theater marquee and box office leading to this year's Halloween mascot, undead usher Julian Browning, shown here. He directs guests through series of blood-splashed set pieces based on such films as Shaun of the Dead, The Strangers, My Bloody Valentine and The Thing, lending variety to the jump-and-boo scare tactics. (R)
The Wolfman
Not too scary but it offers a sample of sets and sounds from the 2010 remake starring Benicio Del Toro. A gypsy campsite looks authentic enough for Maria Ouspenskaya to inhabit, and tall trees give a number of wolfmen ample camouflage for stalking prey. Lots of cadavers and ranting actors but we don't get a good look at a wolfman until exiting, a strong finish for an atmospheric attraction. (PG-13)
Saw
After six Saw flicks, the franchise finally gets its own showcase. Tour the dank laboratory where Jigsaw creates elaborate death traps, and see a few of the most memorable ones in action. I'm partial to the hysterical woman with power drills aimed at her temples, getting closer when she won't dip her hand into acid. Like the movie series, it gets repetitive, but devoted torture-porn fans won't mind at all. (R)
Dracula: Legacy in Blood
Leading off with corpses showing how Vlad the Impaler got his nickname, the tour winds through a room of caskets and a rotunda of fear in which Dracula's brides scarily introduce themselves. This horror house depends the most on sudden shocks, so be wary of each nook and cranny. Legacy in Blood could use more Dracula and fewer shrieking brides, but it's a fine warmup for scarier houses. (PG-13)
The Spawning
If you skip one horror house this season, this should be it. The theme is okay: A strain of creatures called Sculders (an X-Files reference to agents Scully and Mulder) are living in the sewers of a rural town. The execution is something less, with too much emphasis on things hanging from the ceiling, and Sculders in unconvincing mutant lizard suits. Move along, nothing to see here, folks. (PG)
Frankenstein: Creation of the Damned (Not previewed)
Our group missed the remodeled Frankie attraction because of a safety drill that evacuated the soundstage. Nice to know that Universal plans for such situations. We're told the action involves a grisly showdown between Dr. Frankenstein and his creature. The squeals of exiting patrons who completed the trip suggest scary fun.
Halloween Horror Nights
Details: Universal Orlando's "Ripped From the Silver Screen" theme brings modern day horror films to life with eight haunted houses, six scare zones, live shows, roaming zombie cast members and more. It's at 1000 Universal Studios Plaza, Orlando. No costumes and masks allowed. Too graphic and intense for kids under 13.
Dates: Runs Thursdays through Sundays, plus a couple of Wednesdays, through Oct. 31. Full schedule online.
Hours: Gates open at 6:30 p.m. The park closes at midnight except Fridays and Saturdays, when it closes at 2 a.m.
Prices: General admission tickets are $69.99, but Florida residents can save up to $30 with advance, online purchase at halloweenhorrornights.com. A tip: Buy tickets as far in advance as possible since the event often sells out, especially weekends.
Call: 1-800-837-2273.
Video: Go behind the scenes at entertainment.tampabay.com
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