Universal Orlando celebrated the final night of Halloween Horror Nights 25 on November 1st. A day after the event concluded, Michael Aiello, Director of Creative Development for Entertainment at Universal Orlando, announced 2016’s dates on Universal Orlando’s official blog. He also announced that they are “already hard at work on Halloween Horror Nights 26.” Rumors have been circulating about possible haunted houses but none are official. I believe Universal’s HHN team may have to search for the most horrifying and/or successful horror films throughout history to top the 25th event.
The Conjuring
The Conjuring is said to be based on a true story. In the film, the Perron family move into a home in Rhode Island to begin their new life. During their stay, the family begins to realize strange things happening in the house — clapping noises were heard; photo frames were falling; and demon figures were aiming at the family, specifically the mother, Carolyn. Because of the terror brought upon the family, Carolyn contacts Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal investigators, to examine the house. In their investigation, the Warrens discover the house and area is “a whole area steeped in a satanic haunting that is now targeting the Perron family wherever they go” as Kenneth Chisholm writes on IMDb. To bring an end to the evil, the family must defeat it at the source.The Conjuring received a rating of 7.5 out of 10 on IMDb and was fairly well rated by critics throughout the web. The film has an eerie story, a story that basically sticks to your mind even days after you watched the film. The frightening case of the Warrens makes for an excellent haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights. Guests could begin their menacing experience by entering the Perron’s farm house and witnessing the sounds of clapping, the sight of shifting frames, the smell of corpses, and the sudden appearance of demon figures.
The Conjuring trailer:
Sinister
Sinister is from the producer of Paranormal Activity and Insidious, which was by far one of the best haunted houses at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights event for these simple reasons: the house had a breathtaking facade, phenomenal sets, and delivered prime scares that no other haunted house offered. You should take note that Sinister has received fairly well ratings; the 2012 film was rated 6.8 stars on IMDb, which honestly is not a bad rating. To be fair, the 2010 Insidious film received a 6.8 out of 10 rating on IMDb as well while the 2013 Insidious film received a 6.6 out of 10 rating on IMDb; the Insidious haunted house performed excellently at both Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood.
Description of the 2012 Sinister film:
True-crime writer Ellison Oswald (Ethan Hawke) is in a slump; he hasn’t had a best seller in more than 10 years and is becoming increasingly desperate for a hit. So, when he discovers the existence of a snuff film showing the deaths of a family, he vows to solve the mystery. He moves his own family into the victims’ home and gets to work. However, when old film footage and other clues hint at the presence of a supernatural force, Ellison learns that living in the house may be fatal.
Just reading the storyline already sparks the mind and develops an eerie image. Horror films with any kind of paranormal activity seem to be some of the best rated and most frightening kinds of movies because of the paranormal activity involved. Paranormal activity is something of which cannot be explained and wholly understood. It is something that is unknown and can take over one’s mind. As experienced with the Insidious haunted house, paranormal houses are some of the best and most horrifying out there.
Sinister (2012) trailer:
The Exorcist
The Exorcist is a classic drama/horror film directed by William Friedkin and released in 1973. The film received a whopping 8 out of 10 rating on IMDb and won awards including the Academy Awards, USA in 1974, and the Golden Globes, USA in 1974. In the Exorcist, Regan, a teenage girl, plays with an Ouija board and begins to display strange behavior — she makes mysterious noises and has abnormal strength — after playing with the spiritual board. After her bizarre actions, Lieutenant William Kinderman calls for a priest to perform an exorcism on Regan.
At the time of its release, the Exorcist was one of the most horrifying films ever produced. According to listverse.com, if adjusted for inflation, the Exorcist would be the top R-rated film of all time. The Exorcist was and is still a top horror movie. A plentiful amount of horror gurus comment that the film was the best and scariest horror movie ever released while others say today’s horror films can learn from the Exorcist. The unnatural and disturbing nature of the film would allow Universal to almost entirely bring the film to life and place you as a witness, creating an upsetting mood and providing gruesome scares that will haunt you forever.
The Exorcist trailer:
This article was originally published on November 13, 2015.
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