Halloween Horror Nights is one of the things I look forward to the most every single year; it’s a Halloween event put on by both of the Universal parks (Orlando and Hollywood) that starts in late September and goes until Halloween/early November. What makes Halloween Horror Nights distinct from other events are the films the mazes are based off of. 90% of the mazes done at the Hollywood event are based off of a film, and a fair number of the mazes in Orlando receive the same treatment. Now, the trend appears to be movie tie-ins, with The Thing: Assimilation announced as the first maze today.

In a press release from Universal (which can be found at the bottom of this post), a few details about the maze are revealed. Apparently some semblances of the alien creature will be featured throughout the maze, and my assumption is that the live actors will play the scientists trapped inside of the Thule station; although I can’t rule out the possibility of them playing a version of the shape-shifting alien (the thing, in question).

Check out the entire press release below, and be ready to face what fear fears most at Halloween Horror Nights this fall.

ORLANDO, Fla.,  UNIVERSAL CITY, Ca. (July 19, 2011) — An abandoned scientific research facility in the midst of a vast and frozen Antarctica will set the stage for “The Thing,” an all-new horror maze inspired by Universal Pictures’ upcoming film, at both Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights events, which begins on September 23 and continues on select nights through October 31. In the thriller “The Thing,” paranoia spreads like an epidemic among a group of researchers as they’re infected, one by one, by a mystery from another planet.   The new haunted house will offer guests an unprecedented first-hand preview of the much-anticipated thriller in advance of its October 14 release. Guests will find themselves in a series of face-to-face encounters with “The Thing,” an alien creature that can transform itself into an exact replica of any living being. “The Thing” maze will recreate the spine-chilling suspense from the film, confronting guests with the paranoia and fear that comes from being trapped inside the film’s Antarctic Thule station. The shape-shifting alien could be anywhere or anything.  Will they survive?   Eerily authentic, “The Thing” maze will feature elaborately designed and disturbingly real alien creatures and sets. They will match the film’s terrifying intensity and provoke both a memorable and disturbing experience. Universal’s theme parks have partnered with the film’s producers, Strike Entertainment’s Marc Abraham and Eric Newman (Dawn of the Dead) to create an experience that is authentic to the film. The sets, audio, musical score, creature and character references are all based on the thriller.   “We want people to live the film and experience the same terror that affects the film’s characters,” said Newman. “Our collaboration with Universal’s creative teams brought the vision of the film to life.  We’re excited for Halloween Horror Nights guests to experience ‘The Thing’ in this frighteningly real way.”