By MITCH STACY, Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. – Universal Orlando’s first foray into Halloween Horror Nights 21 years ago involved one weekend, a single haunted house tucked away in the back of the park by the “Jaws” ride and some people in store-bought masks jumping out of dark corners.
What was largely an experiment that first year has evolved into a monster draw for the Orlando theme park. Once the creative types figured out that people loved having the wits scared out of them and would pay for the privilege, the challenge was on to create something bigger and better every year. This time the event runs 25 nights in September and October and takes over the entire park, with eight themed haunted houses and mazes, two live shows, sophisticated makeup, film-quality set decor, gallons of fake blood and as many as 1,000 “scare-acters” involved. Planning and production takes place year-round now, and the event draws hundreds of thousands of people who pay $42 or more to attend.
“I think it all has to with escape,” says Patrick Braillard, a production show director and one of the gleefully demented minds behind the event. “People love to be transported, they love to be taken somewhere they’re not familiar with. So our job is to create eight immersive environments. When they walk in, they are completely somewhere else.”
The concept is basically the same as in the cheesy neighborhood haunted houses that spring up every year to raise money for charity: costumed characters jumping out of dark, creepy surroundings to make unsuspecting patrons scream. But for a generation raised on computerized special-effects, slasher movies, video games and the Internet, Universal and other theme parks that get into the scare business every October have had to step up their game. And that means realism.