Common Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights has lengthy celebrated filmmaker, actor, author and composer John Carpenter and co-writer and producer Debra Hill’s 1978 unbiased slasher “Halloween.”
The annual occasion has themed walk-thru sights after a number of movies throughout the “Halloween” franchise and the film’s antagonist, Michael Myers, has actually turn into synonymous with the season, HHN artistic director and govt producer John Murdy mentioned.
“It might be in my high 5, all-time basic horror movies,” he mentioned of the unique “Halloween” film. Horror Nights has featured the franchise a complete of six occasions all through its historical past and for the 2022 haunting season, occasion producers went again to the start to discover what makes Myers the final word bogeyman and actress Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode the style’s most beloved closing lady.
“Everybody who noticed the primary film embraced Laurie Strode and so they’ve carried me for 44 years and I'm her and he or she is me, and I really feel that love from the followers,” Curtis mentioned on the crimson carpet throughout the Halloween Horror Nights kick off on Sept. 8. The “Halloween” attraction is one in every of eight interactive experiences friends can discover this yr — together with Scarecrow: The Reaping, The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare, Common Horror Resort and extra — because the occasion runs choose evenings by way of Oct. 31.
“Michael Myers is the catalyst, however that is actually Laurie’s story,” Curtis continued. She was simply 19 years outdated when she starred within the movie and mentioned they spent 17 days filming it, largely in South Pasadena, and he or she was paid $8,000, she mentioned. She had no concept the movie would turn into as iconic because it has, not to mention that in her 60s she’d reprise the function for 3 extra movies, the final of which, “Halloween Ends,” hits theaters on Oct. 14.
“What I’ve tried to do is have integrity about her and her reality,” she mentioned, noting that she was pleased when David Gordon Inexperienced, the director of the final three “Halloween” films, gave an trustworthy have a look at what Strode’s life could be like after turning into a sufferer of horrible violence in her teenagers. “She was remoted and afraid and I assumed that was a intelligent method of actually acknowledging what all of this actually means. She has been brutalized and we present what occurs to individuals who have been brutalized like that. Laurie Strode represents survival to the core.”
Visitors can stroll by way of an in depth reproduction of the Myers residence in Haddonfield, Illinois, and relive probably the most terrifying moments of the unique movie. Though Myers might be coming out for scares round each nook, Murdy mentioned the main focus of the attraction this yr is absolutely on Strode.
“The followers all the time love seeing Michael Myers and we’ve lined that floor with ‘Halloween’ earlier than, however we wished to vary issues up a bit this yr as a result of Jamie Lee Curtis’ inventory has risen a lot with the brand new trilogy of movies and he or she’s turn into much more of a badass within the course of,” he mentioned. “Once we did the maze in 2015, consider it or not, the Laurie Strode character wasn’t even in it; It was simply Michael. So we wished to deliver again Laurie and create a couple of new surprises alongside the best way.”
Curtis mentioned that regardless of starring in a number of horror movies, she strongly dislikes being frightened.
“I believe after 44 years and a whole lot of remedy I perceive that’s why I'm so good in these films,” she mentioned. “These emotions and that emotion and people reactions that come from me, these are all actual. So now that it’s all coming to a blazing finish, I believe that’s the good takeaway for me.”
She isn’t the one one which’s been traumatized by Myers. Within the movies, he’s often called The Form, and he wears blue coveralls and a plain white, latex masks.
“The simplicity of that's scary,” Murdy mentioned. “The masks, it’s clean, it’s impassive and the masks tasks no matter your fears are onto it as a result of it’s simply this white canvas. You may just about present that masks to anybody and so they’ll know what it's.
“I consider Michael Myers the identical method that I consider the shark in ‘Jaws,’” he continued. “They’re each killing machines. Michael has the backstory with him murdering his sister, Judith, when he was slightly child after which escaping from Smith’s Grove Sanitarium and all of that, however as soon as he’s in movement, he’s simply relentless. He’s precisely just like the shark in ‘Jaws’; He’s a predator and has to maintain doing what he does.”
After all Myers is made scarier with the assistance of slightly film magic and a few well-timed, jarring music. Carpenter’s iconic movie rating can also be an necessary a part of the HHN attraction.
“It’s one of many only a few items of music on this planet of horror that's immediately recognizable whether or not you’ve seen the film or not,” Murdy mentioned. “I believe the Bernard Herrmann’s music for the bathe scene in ‘Psycho’ is a type of iconic items and John Williams’ rating for ‘Jaws,’ too. Everyone is aware of the principle theme to ‘Halloween,’ however I believe they neglect the opposite nice items of music which are in that film. We actually mine all of it as a result of it’s an awesome rating.”
Halloween Horror Nights
When: 7 p.m. choose evenings Sept. 8-Oct. 31
The place: Common Studios Hollywood, 100 Common Metropolis Plaza, Common Metropolis
Tickets: $72-$102 basic admission; $179-$289 Common Categorical; $219-$329 Common Categorical Limitless; $112-$154 After 2 p.m. Day/Evening Passes; $319-$449 R.I.P. Tour; $199 Frequent Worry Move; $329 Final Worry Move. All tickets are on sale now at universalstudioshollywood.com.