The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

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Universal Studios Hollywood kicks off Halloween Horror Nights

Calling all zombies, monsters, ghosts and goblins, Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights is back with yet another 10 days of creatures from all walks of life and enough spooks, blood, gore and more for even the most Halloween crazed fan.

The Eyegore Awards kicked off the opening night of Halloween Horror Nights, and the event did not disappoint as the Zombies and other celebrities took the red carpet.

The event was hosted by Michael Barryman (“The Hills Have Eyes”) and honored Eyegore Award winners, Roger Corman (writer/producer/director), Patricia Arquette (“A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors” and “Stigmata”), Shawnee Smith (“Saw”), Corey Feldman (“The Lost Boys,” “The Lost Boys 2: The Tribe” and “Friday the 13th”), Don Mancini (creator of the “Chucky” films), and Sheri Moon Zombie (“Halloween” and “House of 1000 Corpses”).

Other guests included David Arquette, who accepted the award on behalf of Patricia, and Rob Zombie, who accepted the award on behalf of Roger Corman.

The Globe Theatre in Universal Studios was made to look like a carnival freak show as women dressed up as conjoined twins and bearded ladies were two of the attractions.

On Friday and Saturday nights in the month of October Universal Studios will be infested with zombies and monsters, specifically Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Leatherface, all of whom are ready to jump out from any corner at any moment.

With four haunting mazes, the terror tram and four gory live shows, Universal is definitely a place to check out for the shock driven and open-minded.

However the park does have specific scare zones called “Zombie Invasion,” “Deadwood,” “Haunted London,” The Black Death” and “Hellbilly Hoedown,” where attendees are more likely to be swarmed by zombies with chainsaws and other noisemakers.

The four mazes featured this season are based on the movies of the three serial killers that Universal has proclaimed as a theme this Halloween, “A Nightmare on Elm Street: Freddy’s Nightmare,” “Friday the 13th: Camp Blood,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Back in Business,” and the original maze which runs all year long, “Universal’s House of Horrors.”

Although the shows like “Slaughter World 2” and “Chucky’s Insult Emporium” were funny to the adult crowd, they were definitely far too sexual and vulgar in language for younger audiences.

“Slaughter World 2,” which played off of the original “Waterworld” attraction, gained audience attention by the stunt world and visual effects, but the plot to the mini drama was less pleasing for the mind. The plot depended on an over-used joke about “seamen” to carry its weight.

“Chucky’s Insult Emporium,” on the other hand, gave the monstrous doll a chance to pick on audience members with improvised stand-up comedy. The overly sexed jokes were generally targeted toward women and homosexuality. Although funny, audience members were left with the eerie feeling that they probably shouldn’t have been laughing.

The zombies that crept the walkways in the theme park did a fairly good job at startling crowds, but were also easily taken out of character or distracted when attendees gave them a dose of their own medicine.

“Bill ‘ Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure” was possibly the most amusing attraction in the park. The dynamic duo went back and forth through time as they parodied pop culture. Punch lines included Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, “Pirates of the Caribbean,” Donald Trump and Rosie O’Donnell, and cheerleaders.

Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights will surely provide a fun night, as long as attendees are not easily offended or scared, but if nothing else the walk through of some of the most infamous movie sets is guaranteed to be an interestingly haunting one.

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