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Halloween Horror Nights Ripped from the Silver Screen: Decoded

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida is almost here! September 25th will officially start Ripped from the Silver Screen. For the record, I hate to be scared, absolutely hate it, and it doesn't help that it doesn't take a whole lot to surprise me or sneak up on me. But there is something about Halloween Horror Nights that I can't get enough of. You couldn't pay me to go into one of the haunted house, but the details in the event are astounding. The make-up, costumes, decorations, and the vast array of shows are enough to keep me going every year.

I start checking the official Halloween Horror Nights website every July to get a look at the new theme. For the past five years or so, Universal has come up with these amazing back stories, and this year is no different. Unfortunately, this year it took me a quite a few visits to the website to figure out what it was.

 

Ripped from the Silver Screen's theme surrounds a mysterious old movie theater-the Universal Palace Theater. The icon of the event is appropriately called "The Usher", or Julian Browning-a mysterious, undead usher who haunts and cares for the theater. The Universal Palace itself seems to be an evil entity-it "attacks" those who do not show it respect, as Julian warns as he enters visitors to the website. 

Universal Palace Theatre's preferred method of attacks range depending on the movie being shown.

Trapped tells the tale of a man who rudely talked on the phone during the screening of a film. Other patrons forced him to leave, and he climbed to a higher portion of the theater to seek better reception. Officials found him days later, decomposing; his leg had become trapped in a twisted, rusty portion of a staircase, and he bled to death. A list of names covered with blood was found next to the body; these names, along with the "trap"-like death, relate to Saw.

 

 

Insane reveals stories of twisted, warped toys that had been found throughout the theater. Though the toys were placed in a Lost and Found, no one ever claimed them. Some theatergoers developed an intense fear of the toys; psychiatric reports revealed that one man was convinced that the playthings were deadly, and trying to kill him. A bloody pull-string from a talking doll-much like Chucky- was also found, linking these cases to Child's Play.

 

 

Missing shows images of three young pranksters who disappeared on Prom Night. The three young men had been banned from the theater for breaking rules, but entered the theater on that night through an emergency exit. Various clues were found in the sewers below the theater, including bloody flowers and wrenches, but the young mens' bodies were never found. This mystery is linked to the "Spawning" Haunted House; the creatures of that House most likely devoured the boys.

Electrocuted discusses a stormy night in the theater's history. Powerful bolts of lightning repeatedly struck the movie house. A power outage caused the movie being shown to stop, prompting an employee to open an electrical panel in the basement to fix the problem. When an even more powerful bolt struck the theater, the panel sent a shower of sparks onto a balcony, where a theatergoer secretly drinking whiskey was hiding. The electricity killed him and completely destroyed his interal organs-which he had planned on donating in the event of his death. This story is linked to the Frankenstein Haunted House.

Bloodless talks about a young bride who did not appear at the chapel on her wedding day. The woman was known as a fan of a particular horror movie, often going to the theater and reciting, line for line, the dialogue from the film. Police investigators discovered her body, dressed in its bridal gown, at the Universal Palace. The girl had been completely drained of her blood, and the roses she held had wilted-yet remained perfectly preserved. It is assumed that Dracula had somehow hypnotized the young woman and summoned her to be his new bride, as is described in the "Dracula" Haunted House.

Savaged is a plain, violent story. After a horribly gruesome murder at the the Universal Palace Theater, two young girls revealed that they saw a "beast" running through the screening room, attacking a man who threw popcorn at the screen during the film. The beast was a werewolf, tied to the "Wolfman" Haunted House.

Severed is a grotesque tale presumably set in the 1950s reveals that a family of theatergoers ordered meals from the concession stand of the theater. During the movie, the daughter of the family began to scream-she bit into a human finger in her hot dog. The other members of the family had already finished their meals, and fled the theater. Strangely, the consumption of human flesh transformed them into carnivores, unable to eat anything but raw meat. The family's plight is linked to the "Leave it to Cleaver" Haunted House and it's assumed that family are named the Meetz.

Strangled talks about Julian Browning himself, and how he came to be the guardian of the theater. While his favorite horror film-The Phantom of the Opera-was playing, in 1940, Browning engaged in a scuffle with a rude theatergoer. During the fight, Browning's flashlight was tossed through the screen, tearing it. As the usher went to retrieve it, he was somehow entangled in a sandbag's rope, causing him to die a slow, painful death of strangulation.

The Haunted Houses

 

Silver Screams - Julian Browning has been the usher in the Universal Palace since it opened in 1922, of course, he's been dead since 1940, but he still commands respect for his most beloved films from every patron. Buy a ticket to the Universal Palace, and let Julian usher you into a realm where the horror on the screen is ripped away to reveal a world that is truly terrifying.

Saw

 

 

For years you have witnessed the weakness of others through the Saw films, and reveled in obscure safety. The only way to gain redemption for this voyeuristic obsession is to truly know what it means to bleed, to feel weak; to experience pain. Jigsaw will give you this experience. Happy Halloween. Let the games begin.

The Wolfman

 

 

Pure. Animalistic. Rage. Take a journey through England's countryside and come face to fangs with one of the most terrifying creatures to ever explode from the silver screen. Forget everything you thought you knew, and prepare yourself for the sights and sounds of the newest addition to Universal Pictures' legacy of horror. Based on the new Universal Picture The Wolfman.

Chucky: Friends til the end

 

 

Ever wonder what happens when good toys go bad? Chucky has been hard at work, tinkering with your favorite childhood playthings. Nothing is what it seems as you step inside and experience what its like to live in Chucky's world. This is no Child's Play.

Dracula: Legacy of Blood

 

 

Welcome to Castle Dracula on the night of "The Calling." Vlad Dracul bids you welcome - be you one of the chosen women who has been called or merely a mortal man. Those who have been chosen must decide whether to join the Dark Prince in everlasting life as his brides, or reject his offer and suffer for all eternity. The blood must be renewed. The fate of the legacy hangs in the balance - Dracula's legacy of blood.

Frankenstein: Creation of the Damned

 

 

It has been a fortnight since his creation caused the castle to be engulfed in flames. Doctor Frankenstein now continues his work to perfect the art of resurrection and regeneration, surrounded by his creations. The Creature has also returned, to make the Doctor pay for the pain and suffering he has had to endure. The Creature will destroy everything in his path to gain redemption, and you are now caught in the middle of this epic battle.

The Spawning

Something "different" has moved in among the sewers of Wyandot County, Ohio. The locals claim that these creatures, these "Sculders," are two feet tall, with the body of a snake. As a volunteer member of the local water district, it is your civic duty to venture into these pipes and restore the flow. But beware, the locals are wrong about the "Sculders" and the only thing that will be flowing is your blood as it leaves your lifeless body.

Leave it to Cleaver

 

 

In this gory 1950s B-movie, Samuel Meetz works for the people of Carey, Ohio as a butcher, bringing them the freshest meat possible. With a steady livestock of transients and town lawbreakers with which to serve, and a staff of volunteers who will preserve their towns deadly secret by any means necessary, there is truly no end in sight for Samuel or his family business. As Sam always says: "Meet Me at Meetz...The Z stands for cannibal."

It looks like this year promises to be one of the best. 

 

To see how you can visit Halloween Horror Nights without having to pay a frightful price, stop by our Halloween Vacation Packages page at OrlandoMiniVacations.com