It may not be film news, but something awesome is happening this October. No, I am not talking about SAW IV. I am talking about the new partnership between Universal Studios and New Line. Together, the two are bringing our favorite horror icons to celebrate this years Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando and Hollywood.
If you are unaware of what Halloween Horror Nights are at the theme parks, shame on you. During the month of October, the Universal Studios theme parks transform into a ghoulish, terror ridden experience once night falls. Its not for the faint of heart, and makes Six Flags Fright Fest look like the It’s A Small World ride at Disney.
Finally, after years of of declining, New Line has partnered with the movie/theme park giant to introduce the worlds of Jason, Freddy and Leatherface into their month long scare-a-thon.
“It’s something we’ve been approached about for decades now, and we have chosen not to do it,” he says. “We just didn’t feel like the partnerships were right, or that there was an understanding of what the properties represented. Critical for us was that this was really about the movie series and not just the characters. It was really about the world of FRIDAY THE 13TH, the world of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, the world of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, and then the characters that emanate from them which we all know—Jason, Freddy and Leatherface.”
..fright fans and regular attendees will view actual life-size iterations of each villain’s hallowed grounds, including Freddy’s 1428 Elm Street dreamland, the Hewitt family’s backwoods digs and Jason’s Camp Crystal Lake killing fields—each with their own sensory experiences specific to their environment. Imhoff says this is a direct result of the symbiotic relationship and understanding that Universal offered from the start.
I think I need to take a cold shower. If you’re thinking that this will end up being a Jason/Leatherface/Freddy dance along, think again. New Line VP of Merchandising concludes that it is “definitely not for kids” as they have enlisted the expertise of guru Michael Burnett (EVIL DEAD 2, NIGHT OF THE CREEPS) to make sure the scares keep on scaring.
To read more, click here. And to check out whats in store at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, Click Here.