“Insidious: Into the Further” is one of the newest attractions at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios. The maze is filled with characters and scenes from “Insidious” that help bring terror to life.
John Murdy, the creative director of Halloween Horror Nights led a behind-the-scenes tour of the new maze, giving a sneak peek into what it takes to create new horrifying attractions.
Guests enter the maze through the front of the re-created Lambert house from “Insidious.” The maze begins with creepy images from the film that seeks to make the audience feel as if they are inside the actual movie. As the disturbing setting sinks in, guests get the feeling that there is something wrong with the house.
The intensity of the frightening experience builds as guests venture deeper within. The sinister tricks become more frequent as you get closer to the “Further.”
Scare actors in full costumes are strategically placed throughout the attraction for maximum fright.
There are several different scenes taken from the films that guests will find in the daunting maze which are filled with special effects, lighting, images, audio clips and scents that will plunge you deeper into the horror.
An old woman and long haired fiend terrorize the maze along with other ghostly counterparts from both films who all make their paranormal presence apparent.
Murdy describes one of the rooms as “a visual and audio cacophony,” that is meant to distract and confuse the maze goers before a big scare.
“It’s hard to translate that kind of subtle horror into what we do,” said Murdy.
This attraction is the first paranormal movie that was turned into a maze at Halloween Horror Nights. Murdy worked directly with the director of the “Insidious” film franchise, James Wan, about how to really bring the movies to life in the maze.
“The ghosts in ‘Insidious’ are physical. When they enter our world, they are real people,” said Wan.
Wan made this point to Murdy, which eventually opened the door to the creation of the thrilling maze.
Murdy talked about the amount of detail and planning that it takes for this event every year. Murdy said that even though the park does not start the physical production until June, it is a year round process to create Halloween Horror Nights.
Murdy is excited to see it all come together and ensures fans that there are scares around every corner.
Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights is open on select dates beginning Sept. 20 through Nov. 2.
John Murdy is very active on his Twitter feed. Follow him @HorrorNights and receive passwords for some free give away items when you attend Halloween Horror Nights. He also tweets fun facts about the event and tips on the can’t miss attractions.
