Originally published by Canyon News on October 12. 
UNIVERSAL CITY – operating until November 5th 2016, the Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights re-opened for seasonal operation. Self-described as, “creepy” and as bringing a “terrifying twist” to past years’ scare zones, this Universal Studios Halloween experience tells visitors to, “Prepare for the scariest, most intense Halloween event in Southern California created by the sickest and most twisted minds in horror and the movie studio that invented the horror film genre.”
The lineup for the event includes seven horror film based mazes, a terror tram and various scare zones. The themes for each experience are based on various horror movies and TV shows.
The American Horror Story Maze is based off of the four season TV show which has won over fifteen Emmy awards and two golden globes during its airtime. The maze goes through various plotline’s in the series, from the Murder House, to Freak Show’s Circus Theme, to the Hotel Cortez, visitors see the same characters and locations from the show.
The Purge scare zone is likewise based on the movie series The Purge. The premise of the dystopian film, which debuted in 2013, is that the government instituted an annual 12-hour event where all crime is legalized. Medical emergency services as well as police services remain unavailable during this period, and citizens are left to fend for themselves as their neighbors go on to commit various crimes.
Diana Gutierrez, a Los Angeles local, told Canyon News, “After I watched the trailer for The Purge themed scare zone, I got really scared. My girlfriend is a horror movie fan, and wants me to go to the event, however, I think it might just give me a heart attack.”
The experience also has other maze and scare zones inspired by the following horror TV shows and films: A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, The Walking Dead, The Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Krampus, and the Halloween film franchise. The event also has performances by the Jabbawockeez who won the first season of “America’s Best Dance Crew.”
Gutierrez remains undecided about her attendance at the event.
Cori Bratby-Rudd 