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Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood -Preview!

Published

4 years ago

September 7, 2022

So, it’s that time of year again when we can expect cooler temperatures, colorful leaves, and a lot of seasonal treats! The nights begin to start sooner, and I feel happiness and calmness when I walk outdoors; the spooky season is upon us, which means Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights is just around the corner.

We had the privilege of taking a behind the scene look at two of this year’s mazes that were still under construction for the event – ‘Universal Monsters Legends Collide’ and ‘The Horrors of Blumhouse.’ We met with Creative Director John Murdy, who spoke humbly and excitedly about this year’s Halloween Horror Nights.

First up was ‘The Horrors of Blumhouse,’ which I was super excited about after watching The Black Phone (which is what part of this maze is inspired by). Murdy explains how this particular maze came about:

“Working with Blumhouse goes back to 2013; with Insidious, we’ve had a long relationship working with them. In the past, there were a couple of things different with these Horrors of Blumhouse from the mashups we did the previous two times. One, they were in a different location; we always used the movie theatre facade to set it up as if you were going to a Blumhouse horror film. Two, we always used three properties. We changed things this year twofold; one, when I saw Freaky, I thought I could have done the whole house on Freaky, actually. The first time I sat down to design this, I got to the end of my conceptual design and realized I had used up the entire house. It was always understood that we would use Freaky and The Black Phone. There was just so much content in mind that we didn’t need three films; we felt it would be better to expand on the two we had. Second, we are in the Waterworld queue, and there is this big overhead shade structure that is not so easy to take down; it is incredibly difficult to take down, and so we are limited on the height that we can go with this location, so that necessitated the different concept for the facade.”
-John Murdy, creative director. universal studios hollywood – halloween horror nights.

Creative Director John Murdy Speaks About “The Horrors of Blumhouse.”

We made our way through the theme park to check out the second maze on the agenda, ‘Universal Monsters Legends Collide.’ If you’re a Universal Monster fanatic, you will think this house is off the chain. I can already tell that this original house will be a fan favorite! Murdy goes on to explain how the concept of this house was brought to reality:

“This is the fourth in a string of houses we’ve done to reinvent the Universal Monster brand for Halloween Horror Nights. This goes back to the house we did in 2018, Universal Monsters and 2019 Frankenstein meets the Wolfman, and last year we did the Bride of Frankenstein Lives, and now we are doing Legends Collide. Similar to Bride of Frankenstein Lives, this is an original story that we created and brings together three monster characters that all the classic Universal Horror Movie Monsters from the 20s, 30s, 40s, & ’50s never actually shared screen time, and that is The Mummy, The Wolfman, and Dracula which is amazing that never happened.”
“We co-developed this with our sister park in Orlando and the creative team over there, Charles Gray, who is the creative director of this particular house, and Michael Aiello, who has been associated with Horror Nights for a very long time; he is a different role right now, he focuses on the front end development with me on setting the slate and conceptualizes things, my art director Chris Williams, and myself. Coming out of Bride [of Frankenstein] last year, when we started talking about what we wanted to do in March last year, I had an idea of what I wanted to do while we were building Bride. Dracula, The Mummy, and The Wolfman is an original story I wanted to set up. Orlando had a different idea, they tried to set there’s in Egypt, and we went back and forth. I said, ‘why don’t you do part one, and we do part two, and we will just make it one big thing.’ Suppose you took the time to go to Orlando and Hollywood. In that case, you’d see two different experiences that were part of a larger story.”
-John Murdy, creative director. universal studios hollywood – halloween horror nights.

Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights begin Thursday, September 8th. Purchase tickets by clicking here. Be sure to check back to read up on our 2022 review!

Coverage Links:

Michael Myers Returns

The Horrors of Blumhouse

The Weekend Joins Forces With Halloween Horror Nights

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Exclusive: ‘Key of Bones’ Reveals New Poster and Cannes Fantastic Pavilion Gala Screening

Published

12 hours ago

May 14, 2026

Anthony Pernicka

The curse is heading to Cannes.

iHorror is exclusively revealing the brand-new poster for Key of Bones: Curse of the Ghost Pirate ahead of the film’s screening this Saturday at the Fantastic Pavilion Gala during the Cannes Film Festival.

The supernatural horror-comedy will screen as part of the Fantastic Pavilion festivities during Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival, marking another major moment for the indie production as momentum continues building toward the film’s Fall release.

*Actor Jeremy King, Actress Gina Vitori, Writer/Director Tony Armer, & Actress Melissa Chick*

Filmed in Key West, Key of Bones: Curse of the Ghost Pirate follows a local waitress, a ghost tour guide, and an unlucky tourist who accidentally awaken a pirate curse tied to the infamous Anne Bonny. What follows is a wave of ghosts, supernatural chaos, cursed treasure, and paranormal mayhem spreading across the island.

Written and directed by Tony Armer, the film stars Gina Vitori, Melissa Chick, Jeremy King, Chad Newman, Benjamin Healy, Ty Spann, Kitty Clements and Vincent De Paul.

*Gina Vitori as Mary Read* *& Jeremy King as Christie*

Key of Bones also marks one of the first feature film productions connected to iHorror, expanding the brand beyond horror coverage and into original filmmaking.

The newly released poster leans into the film’s mix of pirate mythology, paranormal horror, cursed treasure, and the eerie atmosphere of real haunted locations in Key West. It offers another glimpse into the movie’s supernatural adventure, comedy, and ghostly chaos.

If you’re attending events in Cannes this weekend and would like to catch the screening of Key of Bones: Curse of the Ghost Pirate, visit Fantastic Pavilion for event schedules and screening information.

For more on the film, visit www.KeyOfBones.com

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Universal’s Horror Make-Up Show Ends 36 Year Run

Published

2 days ago

May 12, 2026

Piper St. James

The Horror Make-Up Show at Universal Studios Orlando has closed its doors after 36 years of entertainment. But not permanently.

The long running show that combines horror, comedy, and interactive demonstrations is next in line for a makeover at the Florida theme park. Besides the E.T. Adventure, The Horror Make-Up Show is the only other remaining attractions at Universal Orlando from its opening day.

A Brief History of the Make-Up Show

The idea for the show originated from an attraction at Universal Hollywood called The Land of A Thousand Faces. Land ran from 1975-1979. The twenty minute show entertained an audience of up to 1,700 visitors in an open air venue. The show taught the audience about movie makeup. Additionally, two volunteers were chosen to be transformed into the Frankenstein monster and his bride.

Despite the show’s popularity, The Land of A Thousand Faces was closed to make room for a new experience at Universal Studios Hollywood.

An Era of Gods and Monsters

Lon Chaney

Explained with movie clips, Universal’s Horror Make-Up Show explains the humble beginnings of makeup and special effects in horror movies. Starting with the classic Universal monsters such as Frankenstein’s Monster, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Phantom of the Opera, this era heavily features the work of Lon Chaney.

Lon Chaney’s contribution to the world of horror makeup greatly impacted the industry for decades to come. Many of his creations were the results of self experimentation. In fact, his extreme dedication to his craft earned him the nickname “The Man of 1,000 Faces”.

While we do know how he did some of his makeup effects, Chaney took many of these secrets with him to the grave when he died in 1930.

Rick Baker

Another important name in the industry that Horror Make-Up mentions is Rick Baker. Baker created the incredible werewolf transformation in An American Werewolf in London (1981). It was his work in this movie that earned him his first Academy Award for Best Make-up in 1982. This would be the first win for the make-up artist in a long line of achievements.

Perhaps Baker’s second highest achievement was his work in Michael Jackson’s music video Thriller. Baker’s make-up transforms the pop singer into a werewolf among a hoard of zombies. The makeup artist even makes a cameo in the video as one of the undead.

Other movies Baker helped bring to life with his craft include; The Howling, Men in Black, and The Wolfman (2010).

A Blending of Technologies

As seen in An American Werewolf in London, Rick Baker did not only use prosthetics to create horror movie magic. Baker and his team designed the animatronics and “change-o” heads, limbs, and other props to create the groundbreaking transformation from man to werewolf.

The combination of prosthetics placed directly onto the actor in combination with robotics began the blending of technologies used to create the next generation of monsters.

The Horror Make-Up Show continues its education of the genre as technology expanded into the computer era. The final clips shown on screen demonstrates the latest evolution of horror make-up in Universal’s The Mummy (2017).

Computer generated imagery is layered over physical practical effects to create the amazing hieroglyphics covering the character of Ahmanet, played by Sofia Boutella. It is the partnering of these two technologies that the host of the show claims creates the best and most convincing effects in modern day horror.

Moving Forward

Hardcore horror movie fans of the Horror Make-Up Show will be some of the first to say while entertaining, the show is indeed outdated. The names Lon Chaney, Rick Baker, Dick Smith, and Tom Savini certainly deserve to be immortalized in horror history. However, there is so much new blood that should be acknowledged for their contributions to the genre that continues to propel it forward.

Artists such as Damien Leone (Terrifier), Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead), Todd Masters (Final Destination), and Eryn Krueger Mekash (American Horror Story) are all examples that have continued the evolution of visuals in the genre.

Damien Leone, Philip Falcone, and a victim in the make-up chair!

As touched upon in the original Make-Up Show, the best results in movies is when practical effects are blended with computer generated effects. Using just one style versus the other runs the risk of looking “too fake.” Using both techniques can also be more budget friendly and less time consuming for the actor in the make-up chair during the creation process.

The Future of the Horror Make-Up Show

Universal Studios Orlando is expecting to re-open their doors to the new Horror Make-Up Show during the winter of 2026. However, they have not yet announced what changes will be made, or what the future show will look like. The most the theme park has announced is the show will be:

“featuring classic and modern horror properties along with shockingly fun surprises – all while staying true to the comedic and irreverent vibe that guests love.”

What were your favorite moments of Universal Orlando’s original Horror Make-Up Show, and what do you hope they bring to the table when they reopen? Let us know in the comments!

News

Koji Suzuki Built the Well. The Author of ‘Ring’ Trilogy Dies at 68

Published

6 days ago

May 9, 2026

Luna Gray

There is a specific kind of damage Ringu does to you, and it is entirely the phone call’s fault. You get through the whole movie thinking you are watching it from outside, and then Sadako’s voice comes through the receiver, and you realize you were inside it the whole time. Koji Suzuki, who wrote the 1991 novel that started all of this, died May 8 at a hospital in Tokyo. He was 68.

The premise fits on a napkin. There is a cursed videotape, you watch it, a phone call tells you that you have seven days. What Suzuki actually built inside that premise is harder to shake than the premise itself. Sadako is not a slasher villain. She is not hunting you because you wronged her. She is the embodiment of a child who was dropped into a well and has been there ever since, and the curse moving out from her is not really about revenge. It is about the impossibility of forgetting that something terrible happened and nobody came. You cannot outrun a concept like that. You can only try to understand it before the seven days are up.

What He Built

Ring came out in Japan in 1991. Spiral followed in 1995 and immediately went somewhere people who thought they had the series figured out were not expecting, pushing the mythology into science fiction territory that still catches readers off guard. It won the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers. Loop completed the trilogy by becoming a meditation on simulation, biology, and what memory actually is, none of which you would expect from a book that started with a videotape.

Suzuki was not a writer who wanted to do the same thing twice. His 1996 collection Dark Water was adapted into a well-regarded Japanese horror film in 2002 and an American remake with Jennifer Connelly in 2005. The story in that collection about the water tank on the roof of the apartment building is one of the most quietly devastating things in his bibliography. The man knew how to use one small wrong detail.

What It Became

Hideo Nakata turned Ring into Ringu in 1998 and something got loose. American horror had spent the 1990s being very clever about how clever it was, doing the Scream thing, making sure you knew it knew the rules. J-Horror walked in from a completely different direction and did not know what a knowing wink was. It was slow and sincere and interested in grief and possession and the residue violence leaves in physical spaces long after the people involved are gone.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse, Takashi Shimizu’s The Grudge, Higuchinsky’s Uzumaki: the entire movement traces back to the ground Suzuki’s novel prepared, and Sadako crawling out of that television became one of the most recognizable images in horror’s last fifty years.

Gore Verbinski made The Ring in 2002 and ensured that anyone who had somehow missed the Japanese original was now on board. Two separate horror renaissances on two different continents inside a decade is not a record that gets broken easily.

What He Meant

Horror has a short list of writers who actually changed what the genre thought it was allowed to do. Suzuki is on that list. Every cursed-content story since, every found footage premise, every creepypasta, every haunted stream, every piece of internet horror built on the idea that something terrible is already moving through the medium you are currently inside: all of it lives downstream from what he started. He wrote a novel about a videotape and it turned out to be about something much harder to shake than a videotape.

He received the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel in 2012 for Edge. The Horror Writers Association gave him the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.

Sadako is still in the well.