Did Universal Studios Hollywood over-react when it cancelled the remaining “Bill & Ted” shows for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights?

Jim Hill

11 years ago

Here's a tricky question for all you theme park fans out
there.

If you buy a ticket for an after-hours, hard ticket event
like Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights — which states right on the
brochure that you're handed as you come through the turnstiles that " …
this event is recommended for mature audiences only" …

… and that " … additional warnings and restrictions
are posted at each maze and attraction" —

… and you then queue up for a stage show like "Bill
& Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure," where a pre-show video
repeatedly warns you that the presentation you're about to experience parodies
movies, TV shows & pop culture and contains graphic violence, crude humor
and sexual situations …

Photo by Jim Hill

… With that many warnings, are you then allowed to say
that you were offended by this show? Particularly if the pre-show announcement
suggests that if you're someone who's easily offended, you should then probably
leave this venue before the show actually gets underway?

(L to R) Bill & Ted,
Michael Jackson & Justin Bieber, and the Wicked Witch of
the West & Kim
Jong-un. Photo by Jim Hill

Look, I'm not here to argue whether the Superman bit in this year's "Bill
& Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure" was homophobic or not. But what
I would like to talk about here is personal responsibility.

(L to R) Tonto, a shirtless
Superman, Bill & Ted, Glinda the Good Witch
and Gandalf the White. Photo by
Jim Hill

And if I'm an adult who's queuing up for a show where there
are numerous warnings which clearly say that " … this show is for mature audiences only"
and that it " … may contain language & events that may be offensive
to some," I'm going to assume — as a thinking, reasoning adult who can
actually process information as it's presented to me — that the show which I'm about
to see will be fairly adult in nature.

Photo by Jim Hill

And if that show doesn't sound like something I want to see
… Well, I have two feet. More importantly, free will. And if I really feel
like it, I can just get out of line for a show like "Bill & Ted's
Excellent Halloween Adventure" and then go see something else.

Miley Cyrus and Kim Jong-un
after the Supreme Leader of North Korea
shoots the former "Hannah
Montana" star after she reprises her awful
performance from the VMAs.
Photo by Jim Hill

Speaking of which … Unlike so many of the other people out there online who have condemned "Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure," I
actually got to see the 2013 edition of this show when I experienced the
Hollywood version of Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights back on
September 27th.

Bill & Ted look on as
Wreck-It Ralph takes out those two wicked wenches, Nicki Nimaj
and Amanda
Bynes. Photo by Jim Hill

And look, I'm not going to pretend that this theme park show was the
height of subtlety & sophistication. I mean, the climax of the 2013 edition
of "Bill & Ted" (which riffed on the storyline of "The
Wizard of Oz
") came when Brian (i.e., the talking dog character from Fox's
"Family Guy") killed the Wicked Witch of the West by peeing on her.
That's hardly what anyone could call sophisticated fare.

"I'm melting, I'm melting … " Photo
by Jim Hill

But what I can tell you is that this year's "Bill &
Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure" was energetically &
enthusiastically performed by a talented group of young people …

Photo by Jim Hill

… who — because a handful of members from the online community reacted strongly
to a video clip that was taken out of context from this live stage show (which
— let's remember — featured all sorts of warnings on site about how
"Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure" was for mature
audiences and featured crude humor & sexual situations. Which is why this
show — which parodies movies, TV shows and pop culture — wasn't for the
easily offended) — are now out of work.

Photo by Jim Hill

Look, I know that NBCUniversal doesn't want to
be seen as being insensitive to the gay community. Which is why " … After
thoughtful consideration, Universal Studios Hollywood has made the decision to
discontinue production of the Halloween Horror Nights' 'Bill & Ted' show
for the remainder of its limited run."

Photo by Jim Hill

But the audience that I saw this show with clearly got that
"Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure" was an equal opportunity offender. Which is why they
laughed loud & long as this year's edition of that show made fun of homosexuals
& pompous celebrities & bad movies & ruthless world leaders.
"Bill & Ted" went after a wide array of topics. It wasn't just one
single group of people with a specific sexual preference who then got singled out to be the target of this year's show.

But you know what I worry about the most? The chilling
effect that may now happen at other theme parks as a direct result of Universal Studios
Hollywood's decision to cancel "Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween
Adventure" for the remaining nights for Halloween Horror Nights 2013
(which are October 24-27, October 31, and November 1-2).

I mean, are the people at Knott's now going to have to be
more circumspect about the sorts of pop culture gags that they allow to be
presented at that Scary Farm tradition, the Hanging?

You know what's really ironic about all this? The 2013 edition of The Hanging
actually includes a bit about how gay Universal's "Bill & Ted's
Excellent Hollywood Adventure" can sometimes get.
It started with the Wicked Witch of the West (Yes — just like this year's
"Bill & Ted" — this year's Hanging also riffs on "The
Wizard of Oz") taunts the Sheriff of Calico Square by saying …

WICKED WITCH: What will become of your precious posse when I
turn them into zombies? Zombies. Sleep, sleep.

The Wicked Witch then turns waves her hand. The citizens of Calico
Square all fall to the ground and then slowly rise
as hungry, halting, stumbling zombies. Who then lurch towards the sheriff up on
his gallows.

ZOMBIES: Must eat brains.

Just as quickly, the zombies now turn to the stage right exit.

ZOMBIES: Must get to job at Universal.

SHERIFF: (Calling after the zombies as they exit) Are you working the Walking
Dead maze?

ZOMBIES: No. Writing Bill & Ted show. Not gay enough.

SHERIFF: (Turning to audience now) Wow. We got that joke out
of the way pretty early this year.

As someone who grew up in the late 1950s / early 1960s and then
applauded when people like Lenny Bruce & George Carlin fought long &
hard for the right to perform sometimes crude & offensive comical material in
front of adult audience, it would really bother me if the politically correct — as
part of some well-meaning effort to protect the feelings of the greater gay
community — inadvertently wound up taking the edge off of two Halloween traditions that Southern
California theme park fans have really come to love over the years, "Bill &
Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure" at Universal Studios Hollywood &
The Hanging at Knott's Scary Farm.

But what do you folks think? Did Universal do the right thing when it pulled
the plug on the remaining "Bill & Ted" shows for this year? Am I
the one who's now over-reacting?

Your thoughts?