Thursday, October 22, 1998
Movie magic casts spell over park guests
ENTERTAINMENT: Experience horrifying mazes, comedy shows at
Universal Studios
By Terry Tang
Daily Bruin Contributor
Ambling around in a sea of fog, dodging walking corpses and
treading through carnage-plagued labyrinths may not seem like ideal
ways to spend a Friday night. With the sprinkling of some movie
magic, however, one theme park tries to cast its spell over
guests.
For the second year, monsters mash with movies in the form of
Universal Studio’s "Halloween Horror Nights II," a fright-fare of
mazes, live shows as well as the park’s regular rides. The studio
will open its doors to thrill-seekers every weekend through Oct.
31. With Hollywood artists creating the attractions, visitors can
count on a horrific and humorous salute to every classic creature
from Frankenstein to Freddie.
Clive Barker, director of such slasher flicks as "Hellraiser"
and "Candyman," designed a new maze for the trick-or-treat
occasion. Aptly titled "Freakz," the labyrinth takes guests on a
path of torturous scenarios, such as a bloody butcher pulling the
head off his human kill. Similar to the other three mazes, various
disfigured creatures stalk people, as they try to make it from room
to room without abandoning all for the nearest exit. But, according
to a few patrons, Barker’s maze did not do much to distinguish
itself from the rest.
"It was pretty predictable," says Greg Artavia of Whittier. "We
do stuff like this every Halloween at our house. They need to get
away from mazes and make it more like a movie studio where there’s
a lot of interaction in one room."
Fellow patron Mike Simmons of Orange County, however, enjoyed
the visual effects that "Freakz" offered.
"There was classic corpse action going on. The bunjee cord guy
is always good," Simmons says. "But at Knott’s Berry Farm, he jumps
laterally at you."
Science-fiction buffs will enjoy meandering through the
spacecraft setting of "Alien Assault." The extra-terrestrials,
which look like a casting pool for "X-Files" or "Star Trek,"
distinguish the maze from the cinematic "Crypt Keeper’s Screaming
Room" and "Classic Creature Features." The species vary from a
mechanical, snake-like creature popping out of a toilet to a
bulging-eyed, fluorescent alien who follows guests as they sidestep
all his dangling body bags.
Aside from painting a terrifying scene, each maze uses many
props to give guests a more interactive experience. Besides the
typical strobe lights and background screams, guests must wander
through curtains of blood-stained plastic streamers. The coldness
of the plastic, adorned with fake alien limbs, only adds to the
eerie ambience.
For those who want to escape labyrinths for laughs, "Horror
Night II" serves up a very campy performance of "Bill and Ted’s
Halloween Adventure II" at the "Wild, Wild West Stunt Show"
theater, one of seven live shows.
Sentenced by the courts to battle the Federal Communication
Commission’s greatest enemies, the most excellent duo squares off
against media figures like shock-jock Howard Stern with the aid of
characters straight out of box-office bombs such as "The Avengers."
With pop cultural references, ranging from "South Park" to the
Starr Report, the show makes plenty of raunchy jokes which will
amuse the college crowd.
Although the "Bill and Ted" show surprisingly did not come with
a parent advisory warning, the park slapped one on "Chucky’s
Wedding Chapel."
Every half hour, guests get the chance to exchange crude insults
with the star of "Bride of Chucky," while he sits in a window
looking down on the crowd, picking on individuals. Despite calling
people "ugly bastard" and making lewd gestures, some patrons
discovered they liked trying to outwit the devilish doll, who is,
after all, still just a doll.
Outside of the murky mazes and live performances, the studio
brings a killer nightlife to the park grounds. No matter where
guests step, they must come face to face with greeters who appear
as though they have risen from the dead, complete with powder white
complexions, bloody gashes and black-rimmed eyes.
In the spirit of Halloween, the zombies pick out random victims
to scare, which amuses some guests more than others.
"There are lots of surprises around for everyone. It’s not too
predictable," says David King of Lake Elsinore, as he watched a
friend run away, hysterical, from three chain-saw wielding men. "I
think (the zombies) are having a lot more fun than they get paid
for."
ENTERTAINMENT: Universal Studio’s "Halloween Horror Nights II"
runs through Oct. 31. Tickets are $34; advance sale tickets are
$24. For more information, call (818) 622-3801. CHARLES KUO
Visitors of Universal Studio’s "Halloween Horror Nights II"
venture through Clive Barker’s "Freakz" horror maze.
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