Attraction Profile
parkworld-online.com Haunted Hayride Nowhere to hide in LA this Halloween!
Whilst guests at Universal Studios Hollywood can experience The Walking Dead Attraction year-round, the Los Angeles area is currently hosting many seasonal scare attractions for the Halloween period. At Universal itself, Halloween Horror Nights presents “Seven all-new terrifying mazes based on the most frightening films and television shows ever” including American Horror Story, The Exorcist, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Nightmare on Elm Street. For 2016, Knott's Berry Farm has added two new haunted mazes to its Knott's Scary Farm/Halloween Haunt – “the granddaddy of Halloween events” – featuring demonic samurais and sadistic farmers plus a new scare zone stalked by the legendary headless horseman, However, an attraction called Fear VR, which guests experienced while strapped to a wheelchair, has been removed from Knott's and sister parks California's Great America and Canada's Wonderland after complaints from mental health advocates. Just a few blocks from Knott's,
things are somewhat more family- friendly at Disneyland where Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party can “make
dreams and screams come true at the ghoulest celebration of the year
...filled with Halloween fun and Disney magic.” Whilst guests are encouraged to arrive in fancy dress, costumes that include objectionable material, those that are excessively torn or expose excessive portions of the skin and/or objectionable tattoos, are prohibited. Masks may be worn as long as they do not cover the entire face and eyes are visible. Universal Studios, incidentally, is advising guests that masks and costumes are not allowed, just “your own terrified face will be enough.” The iconic Queen Mary, berthed in Long Beach Harbor since 1968, is not to be outdone by its neighbouring theme parks. Its Dark Harbor event promises to take visitors “from the darkest depths of your deepest hidden fears,” using narrow passageways, stairs and steerage of the Queen Mary to introduce its oceanic-themed spooks. Griffith Park, the “Central Park of LA,” is home to the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, which this year includes a new feature named Secret Society. For the first time, “guests will leave the safety of the hay wagon to confront the society's members.” On a milder side, the beautiful 1926 Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round is re-themed the “Scary-Go-Round.” The Haunted Shack in Torrance district of the city is probably the longest-running independent Halloween
attraction in Los Angeles, starting back in 1997. Its creator describes himself as “that one guy on the block that always goes over the top for Halloween.” Operating on October 31 only, it's fun, simple and has the lowest admission of all the LA Halloween attractions: it's free. Glassell Park will once again presents Creep Los
Angeles. Themed around Erebus Burwyck, a controversial artist of the 1970s, whose famously said “I don't live in darkness; darkness lives in me”, visitors are invited to enter the mind of this tormented artist and get lost inside a world of twisted art and intimate terror. Perhaps one of the most twisted event this
Halloween season is Alone, a site-specific, “fully- immersive and existential experience that explores the range of human emotions.” It occurs only once, Sunday, October 30, at an undisclosed location. What is distinctive about Alone is that the performers will and do touch the visitors, as they perform and participate in a ceremony signalling the onset of the Anthropocene epoch, the converging period of geological time where humans exert the dominant influence over the Earth's ecosystem. According to past reviews, it's very cultish and not for the squeamish or those that don't like being pushed around a bit. Have a safe Halloween everyone.
onto one a drop rides. For the drop ride, my then-27-year-old son talked me into it. I told him never again. For The Walking Dead Attraction, I walked behind him, my fist clinging to his T-shirt, not letting him get more than a foot ahead of me, hoping the live actors wouldn't make a grab for me. Take my boy, but not me. No, the actors don't touch you, but they expertly come within inches of you. One zombie did make such an attempted grab at me, and my scream was louder than my drop ride scream. “Dad,” my son laughed, “my kids – your grandkids – love this stuff!” I'm sure they do. I'm just old grandpa.
Impeccable design As with everything else Universal, The Walking Dead Attraction is perfect, and it's definitely horrifying, due to its impeccable set design, layout, props, lighting, sound effects and actors. But just as I'll never ride another drop ride, I'll never visit The Walking Dead Attraction again. Do I recommend it? It's your choice. I didn't find it offensive or tasteless by
any means. It's entertainment, like a horror film. But I like horror films that are eerie and supernatural, not blood and guts. Consequently, I prefer Disney's Haunted Mansion over The Walking Dead Attraction. To each his own. What impressed me, however was how Universal Studios continues to push
the envelope. Certainly, the writers and creators of The Simpsons, Harry Potter and The Walking Dead deserve the lion's share of credit for their visions, but Universal Creative deserves credit for daring to present those visions to us so boldly.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Walking Dead Attraction mark the culmination of a five year plan that has seen 75% of the Hollywood park completely reimagined, and had its logo overhauled to boot. Other new attractions added since 2013 include Transformers: The Ride 3D, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Super Silly Fun Land and Fast & Furious – Supercharged. “This is a very exciting time for Universal Studios Hollywood,” highlights park
president Larry Kurzweil. “The dramatic changes that have taken place over the past five years have substantially altered the look, feel and experience of our park to redefine us as an entirely new destination.” Whether it's here, in Orlando, Singapore or upcoming new parks including Beijing, one has to wonder: What next, Universal?
48 SEPTEMBER 2016
Dark Harbor
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