This year, Universal Studios promised us one of the most star-studded Halloween Horror Nights to date and with mazes featuring “Terrifier”, “Fallout” and “Five Nights At Freddy’s”, fans would be hard pressed to disagree but did they deliver on the scares?
As a longtime “Terrifier” fan, I am astonished to see the success of what started as a small indie project flourish into one of the biggest horror franchises in the past 20 years. Although the franchise has been heavily criticized for its use of extreme gore, fans left the third and latest entry disappointed, citing it as the most tame film in the trilogy.
Fans wary of the maze need not fear the lack of gore, for there are guts and blood to be had in the Terrifier maze. Many of the series most iconic deaths are viscerally recreated and feature effects that make use of all five of your senses. From the smell of cooking flesh by the clown cafe, to the blood splattered on you throughout, The Terrifier maze is not to be missed.
We now transition from a rising horror icon to a legend. The Jason maze is a gauntlet of horrifying and grotesque scenarios that faithfully recreate the sights, sounds and smells (yes even smells) of the “Friday the 13th” series. I was disappointed by the small amount of gore present in the maze but the jump scares more than make up for it.
The undeniable main event this year was the “Five Nights At Freddy’s” maze. The original “Five Nights At Freddy’s” or FNAF, computer game was released in 2014 and became an instant classic for Generation Z. The franchise has grossed hundreds of millions of dollars and made a whopping $297 million in its feature film debut.
The maze like the series wasn’t violent, instead it builds on the roots of the series to create a chilling yet nostalgic environment. Once again Universal proves that its ability to create movie-like mazes is unmatched.
This year Universal made a big push for spooky experiences that take place outside of mazes. The “Chainsaw Man” show for example is a 4D theater experience that takes around 30 minutes to complete. It sees the viewer join Denji, Power, Aki and Kobeni as they fight against the powerful Halloween Demon. While the experience wasn’t inherently scary it was an action packed adventure full of laughs, just like the anime.
Where Universal dropped the ball was in its themed foods and drinks. Bare-bones doesn’t even begin to describe the food available for purchase doing Horror nights. The $20 chocolate cupcake had a tough texture with a bitter jam flavor and overtly sweet icing. If you decide to visit, save yourself the time and money.
