Universal Studio Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights

Every year, at the beginning of October, Universal Studios Hollywood turns into one big real-life horror flick. Using inspiration from popular Universal Horror films, there are mazes, rides, scare zones, shows and of course, the Terror Tram.

I’ve been to Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights the past couple years and have never been disappointed. I always wonder how they are going to make it better next year.

Then they do.

Halloween Horror Nights 2009 has four brand new mazes, new scare zones (when you are walking place to place in the park), new shows and a revamped Terror Tram. Plus, all the rides (Jurassic Park … in the dark, Revenge of the Mummy and The Simpsons' Ride) are open.

The first maze is “Halloween: The Life and Crimes of Michael Myers.” There are a lot of good hiding spots, so there’s a lot of possibilities of someone popping out at you, which I view as a good thing. But don’t worry, if you do get scared and want to leave, there are a lot of exits. It’s a pretty good and original maze, so if the line is long, it’s worth your time.

The second maze is “My Bloody Valentine: Be Mine 4 Ever,” which is based on the 2009 remake of the original in 1981. A complete slasher flick, this maze was easily my favorite and I think my guest would agree. It’s set in a mine and this guy with a pick axe freaked the hell out of me. It was mainly due to the flashing lights that impaired my vision. Great maze, seriously.

The next maze is “Saw: Game Over,” based on the Saw franchise. This is probably the most talked about maze. If you are a fan, this maze will be your favorite. If you’re not a fan, this maze would be just ok. Not bad, but not great.

The last maze was “Chucky’s Funhouse.” This one is interesting, because it’s located in the House of Horrors daytime maze, so it’s very elaborate and long. If you’ve been to the maze in the daytime, it’s still pretty different, so I’d recommend going.

The mazes are completely different than last year, so make sure to catch them all.

The shows this year are “Rocky Horror Picture Show: A Tribute” and the “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure Show.” I missed both shows. I’ve never seen Rocky Horror, so I didn’t see the show. However, I heard positive reviews of it. I saw the “Bill and Ted Show” last year (It’s different this year) and thought it was funny. It’s basically a parody show and makes fun of current events.

The highlight of the night was the Terror Tram. In the day, trams go down to the Universal back lot, where they’ve filmed thousands of movies. You have to stay on the tram. But at night, you get off the tram and at literally five feet away from the Bates Motel and the War of the Worlds set. It is so much better than last year and it was cool that there was a full moon when I went. The new HD monitors are nice and you’ll see Jigsaw from Saw. He has a task for you.

Get the priority pass. I didn’t wait in any lines. Some of the mazes were a half an hour wait, so you save a lot of time. I had a priority pass and loved it. It’s a little more money, but it’s worth it.. If you don’t get the pass, get there early. It’s less crowded early.

I’ve been going to haunted houses since I was three. Seriously, I always loved Halloween haunted houses. My dad would take me to them. I’d rarely get scared. I’m a pro. Sure, I still got scared a couple of times. I was going to keep a count, but I forgot. I try to make it a game. How many times Idon’t get scared. I find it more fun. If you’re like me, I have a couple tips (Skip the bullet points if you don’t want tips. There is valuable information underneath):

• Don’t show your fear. The monsters feed on that. Even if you are scared, don’t show it. If you run away screaming, the monster may follow you especially in the scare zone, because they have a lot of room. Seriously. Act like it’s no big deal
• In the mazes, look at the people ahead of you. Not the people right in front of you, but the group before them. Usually the monsters that scare them try to scare you. It amazes me how many people get scared when the people ahead of them just got scared.
• Rely on your senses. For some reason, people don’t see this. I usually rely on sight, but there are blinking lights in all the mazes which makes it harder.
• Look for the hiding spots. Most of the time, I can predict where the monsters are hiding. On the sides.

Go to Halloween Horror Nights. It’s awesome, fresh and fun. Not to mention scary. There are a lot of times to go: October 3, 9-11, 15-18, 23-25, 28-31. The place opens at 7PM. Ticket prices vary. For example, some nights you can get 14 bucks off!

from www.huliq.com