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iHorror Previews Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights 25

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While there are dozens of haunted attractions throughout the USA, one Halloween-related event trumps them all: Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights in both Orlando and Hollywood. iHorror was privileged enough to be invited to a recent media preview night for the huge 25th annual Orlando event, and we’ve got the full low-down on what is likely to be HHN’s best line-up to date. Below you’ll find the skinny on all haunted mazes, shows, and scare zones, as well as photos designed to give the curious an early look at what’s in store.

FreddyvsJason

Halloween Horror Nights, HHN, Run, Insidious, Freddy vs. Jason, Body Collectors, Publicity

Freddy vs. Jason - Boiler Room

Leading the pack of nine haunted mazes this year is Freddy vs. Jason, arguably the biggest name to grace this year’s event. According to HHN head honcho Mike Aiello, the maze will begin in Camp Crystal Lake and showcase some of Jason’s greatest kills, before heading over to Elm Street and taking guests inside some of Freddy’s most iconic moments. Then, the maze ends with the big showdown between the two icons, ending in a result some may not expect. Wanna know who wins? You’re gonna have to go to HHN and find out.

AmericanWerewolf

Next on the maze docket is the return of the fan-favorite maze based on an An American Werewolf in London, which is consistently cited by HHN devotees as one of the greatest ever. This year’s maze will be an almost exact recreation of that triumph, although HHN designer Charles Gray assured us that there would be even more werewolf madness for visitors to enjoy/run from.

Jack the Clown 2

One of the coolest mazes by far is 25 Years of Monsters and Mayhem, presented by returning Halloween Horror Nights icon Jack the Clown. As you might imagine, this attraction features characters from some of the best past mazes and scare zones ever to grace HHN’s hallowed history.

RUN 1

BodyCollectors

Expanding on that theme, the mazes RUN: Blood Sweat and Fears and Body Collectors: Recollections capitalize on HHN’s deep past bench by each combining ideas from two previous mazes to create one new frightening bouquet of terror. RUN combines a Running Man-style deadly game show with the population of the deadly Hellgate prison, while Body Collectors combines the titular ghouls with the residents of the Shadybrook asylum that terrorized guests as part of the Psychoscareapy series of attractions.

Purge

Insidious - The Further

Also gracing HHN 25 are mazes based on popular Blumhouse Productions horror series The Purge and Insidious. Both feature iconic moments from all films in their respective franchise, with the former placing guests right in the middle of the annual event where all crime is legal. We press folk got the opportunity to tour the Insidious maze before we left for the night, and wow was it amazing. Even the most hardened HHN vets are unlikely to see some of the craziest scare moments coming. One word: shotgun.

TWD

Asylum in Wonderland

Rounding out the list of haunted mazes are The Walking Dead: The Living and the Dead and Asylum in Wonderland 3-D. The Walking Dead maze takes guests on a journey through season five, including stops in Terminus, the basement of a flooded store that will feature underwater walkers, and the infamous revolving door where poor Bob met his doom. Asylum in Wonderland is an Alice-focused expansion of HHN’s beloved Scary Tales series of mazes, and seeks to answer the question of whether the young woman is really going on adventures in Wonderland or is just really freakin’ nuts.

Body Collectors 2

Of course, monsters and mayhem aren’t only confined to the haunted mazes, as HHN 25 has created five all new scare zones full of horrific scenes ready to scare the pants off attendees. These include a section featuring the aforementioned escaped residents of the Shadybrook Asylum, a section reuniting all of HHN’s famed icons, a section putting a steampunk spin on classic fairy tales, a section focusing on the primal evils that serve as the roots of Halloween itself, and the All-Night Die-In, which alternately features appearances by classic Universal Monsters and modern boogeymen like Chucky and Freddy.

Jack the Clown 1

Finally, HHN guests can take in the 2015 installment of staple comedy show Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure, and brave The Carnage Returns, a new show hosted by Jack the Clown himself. If all that wasn’t enough, most of Universal Studios’ normal rides will be open too.

HHN 25

Halloween Horror Nights 25 begins Friday, September 18th and runs on select nights until November 1st. If you’ve never attended, you really need to. There’s nothing else that celebrates the horror genre quite like HHN, and there’s nothing like the breathless feeling you get when placed inside some of your favorite films of all time.

 

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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