There is so much happening all at once here at Universal Studios Hollywood that it’s tough to keep up. But we’ll do our best to bring you the latest news and info from this fast-changing park. Prepping for the future, Universal is adding a massive new parking garage. We also see that they are using new ways to engage guests at the front gate who are interested in maximizing their day at Universal. We have the sad news that the popular House of Horrors attraction may be in peril just after the Halloween hijinks close this year. Speaking of Halloween, the entire lineup for Horror Nights has been announced. We then cover the cavalcade of construction with new pics from the Fast and Furious – Supercharged addition to the Studio Tour, more work on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and a photo update from Springfield across from The Simpsons Ride. We even throw in a little bit of news from the Universal Experience with some new additions. Let’s ride the movies!

New Parking Garage

The work is becoming a lot more apparent here as the new parking garage structure at the far end of CityWalk begins vertical construction. This new structure will also be the housing area for the tour busses that bring thousands of tour groups to the park.

Front Gate Info

At the front gate, Universal is trying a new tactic in engaging visitors. Uni is already way ahead of the game in offering easy-to-spot team members who are there to offer information. But tThey have recently begun using additional people to stand atop pedestals and direct the crowds.

We also see that there are new VIP experience kiosks front and center to offer guests front of line access to the attractions. It’s a lot more expensive but on busy days, but if you are in from out of town, it is more than worth it.

House of Horrors Closing for Good

It truly pains us to have to report that the Universal’s House of Horrors attraction will be closing for good on September 2nd, the day after Labor day. It will briefly return on September 19th to guests of Halloween Horror Nights as SyFy’s Face Off: In The Flesh maze, but will close permanently after Horror Nights. The official plans for this spot are to expand shopping and retail and to cary the grand entrance theme from front gate to the Universal Plaza.

The change makes perfect sense as it will give a nice first act to the park that has up until recently suffered from being a little too piece meal. Still, our beloved, year-round, Halloween oasis will be gone for good.

For now, let’s take a trip through and savor the scares.

Halloween Horror Nights

Speaking of scares, Universal Hollywood has finally announced its entire lineup of mazes and scare zones. Most notable is the absence of the Bill and Ted show. They are instead adding an extra maze to entertain guests. Would you rather have Bill and Ted or a new maze? Beginning on September 19th we will be able to experience the following attractions.

Below is the full listing of mazes and scare zones.

The Walking Dead: The End of the Line

“The Walking Dead: The End of the Line,” inspired by Season 4 of AMC’s Golden Globe®-nominated and Emmy® Award-winning TV series. The bone-chilling maze will place guests at the heart of a harrowing journey to seek sanctuary at Terminus, an elusive destination that promises community for all. Mirroring the terror that befell the residents of the West Georgia Correctional Facility, now overrun by savage walkers, the experience will send guests fleeing from the fallen prison into unknown territory as they stage a desperate battle for survival against flesh-eating walkers and ruthless humans.

Terror Tram: Invaded by the Walking Dead

The engrossing television series will seep into other parts of Universal’s backlot with predatory walkers prowling the secluded wooded areas of the movie studio. “Terror Tram: Invaded by the Walking Dead” will take guests down the daunting path to Terminus, interspersed with landmarks and walkers from Season 4, including the “burned moonshine cabin,” “charred walkers” and “mud walkers.”

From Dusk Til Dawn

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From cult horror film to breakthrough television series on El Rey Network, “From Dusk Till Dawn” will add a terrifying maze to its credits when filmmaker Robert Rodriguez’s acclaimed supernatural show debuts as a menacing new “Halloween Horror Nights” experience at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort, beginning Friday, September 19. This all-new maze, inspired by the critically acclaimed television series, will thrust guests into the deviant world of “From Dusk Till Dawn,” where they will encounter sordid mythological creatures known as “Culebras,” serpent-like vampires who have tormented the earth for centuries. Residing within the elusive and sinister nightclub, “The Twister,” located just over the Mexican border and above cursed ancient ruins, the “Culebras” prove to be a band of immoral and depraved beasts with a deadly agenda. As guests navigate the maze and venture deep within the bowels of “The Twister,” they will find themselves face to face with a cast of perverse characters, including exotic dancer, Santanico Pandemonium, a mysterious and irresistible “Culebras” femme fatale and Queen Vampire. Based on the film of the same name, “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series” is a supernatural crime saga centered around bank robber, Seth Gecko and his violent, unpredictable brother, Richard “Richie” Gecko, who are wanted by the FBI after a bank heist leaves several people dead. While on the run to Mexico, Seth and Richie encounter former pastor Jacob Fuller and his family, whom they take hostage. Using the family RV to cross the border, chaos ensues when the group detours to a club populated by vampires and are forced to fight until dawn in order to get out alive. The series deepens the tone of the film, From Dusk Till Dawn, upon which it is based, adding new characters and backstories that expand the Mesoamerican mythology behind the creatures inside the club.

Clowns 3D Music by Slash

Infused with the rocker’s hell-raising electric guitar riffs, the ominous new “Clowns 3D Music by SLASH” haunted attraction is no laughing matter as it unmasks the psychological disorder known as Coulrophobia, a disturbing condition affecting those with an extreme and irrational fear of clowns. The psychedelic 3D maze will horrify guests, taunting and tempting them with terror and treats as they parade through “Sweet Licks Frozen Clown Pops Family Amusement Center,” a dilapidated roadside attraction and one-time thriving ice cream factory run by deranged siblings and their mad clown father, Sweet Licks. As this demented trio schemes to restore the family business by luring visitors with free ice cream, guests will soon find themselves on the menu as the key ingredient of a sick new high-protein ice cream concoction.

Dracula Untold: Reign of Blood

Dracula Untold: Reign of Blood” will introduce guests to the sadistic Transylvanian ruler Vlad Tepes, known as “Vlad the Impaler,” who infamously tortured his enemies by impaling them alive with a wooden stake and suspending their bodies. The foreboding maze will also shed an ominous light on the one-time hero, turned blood-thirsty-tyrant, who chose to embrace unholy powers in order to defeat his enemies. “Dracula Untold: Reign of Blood” will spiral guests through Dracula’s eternal damnation, where the thirst for blood is never-ending.

AVP: Alien vs. Predator

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AVP: Alien vs. Predator is a sci-fi horror franchise that brings together the two iconic species spawned from two blockbuster films, Alien and Predator, to create a terrifying crossover of eponymous monsters in a raging battle against mankind struggling to survive amid the chaos that ensues from these two vengeful creatures. To mark the 35th anniversary celebration of Alien, and the 10th anniversary of AVP: Alien vs. Predator, “Halloween Horror Nights” guests and fans of these celebrated films will have a chance to live the horror of these diabolical beasts as they come face to face with the terror of Aliens and Predators. The terrifying new “AVP: Alien vs Predator” maze at Universal Studios Hollywood will answer the proverbial question asked by mankind since the beginning of time: Are we alone in this dark, vast universe? “AVP: Alien vs. Predator” will once and for all shed light on the answer when it brings to life the violent creatures cohabitating our world as it pits two rival alien species in a fight to the death with Earth as their battleground. This menacing maze will uncover a dangerous alien spaceship carrying a race of hunter aliens known as Predators and a threatening new alien life form that uses human hosts to propagate its species. After crash landing in a remote section of America and escaping to the countryside, the alien and predator become hunter and prey with guests caught in the crossfire.”

An American Werewolf in London

Guests will begin their horrifying journey as they enter “The Slaughtered Lamb,” the English countryside pub movie fans will instantly recognize, and experience first-hand what the tavern patrons in the film meant when they cautioned, “Stay on the road, keep clear of the Moors and beware the moon.” After stumbling upon the overgrown wasteland known as the “Moors,” maze-goers will be forced to traverse through dense fog amidst sounds of savage growls and unknown peril ahead. Along with “The Slaughtered Lamb” pub and the Yorkshire Moors, guests will recognize other memorable scenes and characters from the film – including the London Underground and gun-wielding demon soldiers. The famous “transformation scene” that inspired the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to create an Oscar® for achievement in makeup will also be featured in the remarkable maze experience.

Face Off: In The Flesh

The most twisted and gruesome character creations featured on Syfy’s hit competition series “Face Off” will be live and “In the Flesh” at both Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood’s “Halloween Horror Nights” events, beginning Friday, September 19. Nightmarish creatures will surround guests on both coasts as the macabre visions of some of the most talented up-and-coming make-up artists’ from the show are brought to life. Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights will feature an all new street experience with ten different character creations inspired by the acclaimed Syfy series, including a look designed by season 5 “Face Off” winner and Universal Orlando make-up artist, Laura Tyler. The hair-raising, horrifying characters will inhabit five unique and immersive environments within the scare zone, from eerie scarecrows that go to great lengths to protect a spine-chilling farmland to ghoulish brutes that haunt dilapidated castle ruins. Universal Studios Hollywood’s all-new “Halloween Horror Nights” maze, “Face Off: In the Flesh,” will recreate the morbidly disturbing inventions masterminded by visionary make-up special effects artists over the course of the show’s past six seasons. Twenty-two original “Face Off” designs – from human-insect hybrids to horror villains, ancient mummies and zombies – will cascade throughout the dark corridors of the terrifying new maze bringing to life multiple incarnations of these select characters and adding to the cast of characters designed to scare the life out of every guest. “Face Off: In the Flesh” will also feature new sounds from acclaimed electro house artist “Figure,” who returns to Universal Studios Hollywood’s “Halloween Horror Nights” with a haunting mix of electronica-inspired dance music.

Scare Zones

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A series of unnerving scare zones will also infiltrate “Halloween Horror Nights,” terrorizing guests as they navigate the darkness from one maze to another.

“The Purge: Anarchy,” inspired by Universal Pictures’ disturbing blockbuster thriller will terrorize guests this year.

“The Walking Dead: Welcome to Terminus” will awaken swarms of predatory walkers in a gruesome scare zone situated adjacent to the new “The Walking Dead” maze.

Additional scare zones will include, “Mask-a-Raid,” featuring hordes of blood thirsty cannibals masquerading as French aristocrats.

“Dark Christmas,” a Pagan-themed area where demonic creatures hunt disobedient children and drag them to hell.

And “Skullz,” based on the Native American legend of Wendigo, a malevolent supernatural half-beast monster with an insatiable appetite for human flesh.

French Courtyard

Now, let’s take a tour through the park to see how the Horror Nights maze construction is progressing. Here we see that the space used by El Cucuy last year is being used once again.

Mummy Queue

Could the Mummy queue be housing the Clowns Maze? The paint looks like it. But then again, that may be just leftovers from Black Sabbath from last year.

An American Werewolf in London (Jurassic Park Queue)

We know that this location will be home to the An American Werewolf in London maze. How different it will be from the Orlando version last year remains to be seen.

The Walking Dead

The drop off area into the walking dead zone is being used as a staging area at the moment.

Around the corner we see the Walking Dead maze under construction.

Stage 47

Inside Stage 47, the location of last years Black Sabbath maze, we see new black walls

Terror Tram

Nothing to see just yet on the Terror Tram route. They open in less than a month. It’s crunch time for the Halloween construction crews!

Fast and Furious – Supercharged

Moving on from Halloween to the summer of 2015, we see the construction site for Fast and Furious – Supercharged. Another 3D tram experience, this Studio Tram Tour attraction will provide a new high thrill finale to the tour, surrounding guests in the action and thrills of the movie franchise.

It appears that there are two show rooms in this location.

Then into a room where projections will surround the entire tram.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

We next gander at the progress over at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. More artistry and craftsmanship are appearing in the staging area as the rock and earth work continue.

Inside the park we see more of Hogsmeade pointing to the skies.

From inside the park we observe the show building for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Now almost completely enclosed, we will watch as more and more details are heaped upon this masterpiece of an attraction.

Starway

The protracted refurbishment of the Starway escalators continues.

The NBC Universal Experience

We popped into the NBC Universal Experience, adjacent to the Transformers attraction, and came upon a few new things. We saw that the exhibit promised costumes from the new film, Get on Up. But we were surprised by the new dioramas and props from the upcoming film Box Trolls. COOL!

Springfield

We close this mammoth update with a tour of the Springfield construction across from The Simpsons Ride. We are really excited to explore the shops and restaurants . . . Flamin’ Moe and a Krustyburger . . . YES PLEASE! At the moment, however, things are still a little indiscernible.

We’ve reached the close of this update and hope that you have enjoyed this journey through Universal Studios Hollywood. Fast and Furious – Supercharged and Springfield are on the way. Followed by the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2016. We can hear the cash registers ringing already.

So, what do you say folks . . . Flamin’ Moe or Butter Beer?

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