It’s often been said that “good things come in threes.”
For fans of FX’s “American Horror Story,” that will most definitely be the case with this year’s “Halloween Horror Nights” at the Universal Orlando Resort & Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. For the 2016 edition of the ultimate Halloween event, they’re building one massive maze that will then pay tribute to three separate installments of this critically-acclaimed horror anthology series.
Why did HHN – when it was building a haunted house to celebrate this particular IP – opt to go supersize? To hear John Murdy, the Creative Director at Universal Studios Hollywood and the executive producer of “Halloween Horror Nights” talk, it’s because the source material sort of demanded it.
“‘American Horror Story’ is one of the most disturbing television shows ever produced, and with such perverse storylines unfolding with each installment, ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ is undoubtedly the only place that could create a living version of the nightmares that Ryan Murphy dreams up,” Murdy said. “Plus, as a fan favorite, ‘American Horror Story’ has been the number one requested maze from our guests and we’re excited to let them know that we listened to them and are bringing ‘American Horror Story’ to life.”
So which three seasons of this FX series have been selected to receive the HHN treatment? Appropriately enough, the first “American Horror Story” installment to be honored will be the groundbreaking mini-series that introduced Ryan Murphy & Brad Falchuk‘s sick storytelling style to the world, 2011’s “Murder House.” This portion of that maze will bring guests face-to-face with the evil spirits who possess the Harmon estate.
The next installment to be showcased at this year’s “Halloween Horror Nights” will be 2014’s “Freak Show.” And guests really won’t want to dawdle in the sinister sideshow that makes up this portion of the “American Horror Story” maze. Because one never known when the murderous & deformed Twisty the Clown is going to pop up.
And as for the third & final portion of this AHS -themed haunted house, HHN is celebrating the most recent season of this FX mini-series, 2015’s “Hotel.” So keep a close eye out for the Countess as you wander through the halls of the Hotel Cortez.
Mind you, it’s going to be quite the challenge to do justice to this Emmy Award-winning television series. Especially when you take into consideration “American Horror Story” ‘s dedicated & passionate fan base. But Mike Aiello, the Director of Entertainment Creative Development for Universal Orlando Resort, feels that his team is more than up to the task.
“‘American Horror Story’ is engaging for so many reasons, one of them being the fantastic way each installment of the series reveals completely new characters and stories for its viewers. It’s that constant evolution that makes this popular series a perfect fit for Halloween Horror Nights – and we can’t wait for our guests to experience some of the horror they’ve seen on the show,” Aiello stated.
So you’d like to encounter the Countess and/or are willing to take your chances with Twisty, the fun starts on Friday, September 16. Which is when Universal Studios’ “Halloween Horror Nights” officially kicks off on both coasts.
For further information on the 2016 edition of Halloween Horror Nights at either Universal Orlando Resort or Universal Studios Hollywood, please visit www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com.
This article was originally published in the Huffington Post on Tuesday, August 16, 2016