This past week, I had the pleasure of attending Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights in Hollywood. Let’s talk about this year’s haunted mazes:
- The Weeknd’s After Hours Nightmare
The Weeknd’s maze was the main event of this year’s Horror Nights and was heavily marketed online. It was also a major deal for Weeknd fans like myself. The maze was based on the series of music videos from the After Hours album. It features a Vegas-inspired casino, a hall full of mirrors, surgeons with extreme facial plastic surgery, people’s faces wrapped up in gauze, and even a frog monster dressed in The Weeknd’s suit. It followed the music videos to a T, and the amount of detail that went into everything was incredible. Not to mention the amazing music playing in the background the whole time. I did get a good jumpscare from one of the creepy surgeon ladies.
2. Killer Klowns from Outer Space
This one scared me the most! It features bright, neon colors with clowns popping out of each corner you look. It feels as if you are walking through a haunted carnival from another planet. Some of the costumes and makeup were so good that I could not even tell which were real people and which were props. If you’re terrified of clowns, I recommend skipping this one.
3. Terror Tram
This maze takes you on a tram ride down to the actual sets of three Jordan Peele horror movies, including Us, Get Out, and NOPE. Since you were on the actual sets, it was a much more open space, and the actors could follow you or come at you from any angle. It definitely felt like I was transported into the movies. The actors were insanely good and they totally freaked me out, especially the ones in red jumpsuits holding scissors from Us. I would have to say that this one was my favorite I have ever been to.
4. The Horrors of Blumhouse
This one had the longest wait to get in by the end of the night. However, after getting to the front of the line, it was worth it. The maze brings together the thriller The Black Phone and the horror-comedy Freaky. As you walk through, every other room has “Wednesday, the 11th”, “Thursday, the 12th”, than “Friday, the 13th” written on the walls. Again, the attenton to detail is insane and the actors take it to a new level.
Unfortunately, I was not able to go through all 9 haunted mazes because the lines took so long to get through. I did get the chance to go on all the Universal amusement park rides, which were just as fun. If you love Halloween, Universal, or The Weeknd, I highly recommend you go this year. It concludes on October 31st!