Halloween has been a film franchise for over 40 years, and Universal Parks & Resorts Halloween Horror Nights have been going strong for over 30 years. It’s unsurprising then that the Halloween franchise and its various entries have made regular appearances at Horror Nights in that time. This year, as the newest movie, and the last, at least for now, Halloween Ends makes its way to theaters, a house based on the original film will return to HHN, but this year the house will see some significant changes, specifically, it will include 100% more Jamie Lee Curtis.
CinemaBlend got a chance to preview some parts of Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights, which will be extra gross this year, before the event kicks off on September 8, and Creative Director John Murdy revealed that while some of the houses at this year’s event are ones we’ve seen before, they have seen significant updates. It’s been seven years since a house based on the original Halloween was at Universal Studios Hollywood, and back then Jamie Lee Curtis’ character Laurie Strode did not appear, but that has been rectified this year as the ending has been redone. Murdy explained…
We did some tweaks to Halloween and it was mostly because the last time we did the original was 2015 and we didn't have Jamie Lee in it at all. She wasn't even a character. It's cause you're focused on the scare and you're like, Michael Myers, Michael Myers, Michael Myers. But because of the trilogy her stock has risen considerably. She was always important but now she's even more important to the franchise. So we really wanted to feature Jamie Lee and so we re-did the whole ending of that house.
It’s completely understandable why Jamie Lee Curtis’ character wasn’t necessarily a focus in the Halloween house previously. As John Murdy says, the focus is on the scares, so the focus is on Michael Myers. The goal is to make it feel like the masked killer is trying to kill you, not another fictional character.
However, since 2015 we’ve seen an entirely new Halloween trilogy get created, and Jamie Lee Curtis is core to those films. In the original Halloween she is little more than a potential victim running for her life, but the new trilogy is about how Laurie Strode has handled her own survival, and her goal of killing Michael Myers. The evolution of Laurie Strode is important, so you need to see where it starts.
Since the original Halloween is the only other movie in the franchise that is canonical to the current trilogy, it makes sense to give her at least some attention. We can be all but certain that the new Halloween trilogy will make an appearance at a future Halloween Horror Nights, so maybe it will act as a sequel to this house. Halloween Horror Nights gets underway at Universal Orlando Resort on September 2 and at Universal Studios Hollywood September 8.
