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Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights 2020, What We Know So Far

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Universal's Halloween Horror Nights

Theme parks are not having a great year, they have had to shut down indefinitely, but does that mean the highly popular Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights will also be a victim of self-isolation in 2020?

There isn’t a real answer yet, but there are some clues.  iHorror has reached out to Universal for answers but they have yet to respond. We have compiled what we know so far.

What we can say is that Orlando Weekly reported on April 21 the event will still happen, but with many changes. Those changes will probably be extensions of the social distancing rules in place right now. If that’s the case, will cast members and costumed performers actually be able to get in your face, or will compressed air be the only mode of jump scares?

Although “house” (the term used for the haunts) construction doesn’t usually begin until May or June, time is ticking.

A recent video made by Universal Hollywood enthusiast Five Fires (video below) on YouTube broke down a flyover of the park recorded by helicopter pilot Micah Muzio. The footage is void of any signs of Horror Night house construction which concerned fans.

One person commented that audition announcements usually go up at the park around June or July so there might still be some time.

As early as April 6, Universal Orlando tweeted that the event is still on track:

“Hello! At this time there are no changes to the announced schedule for this year’s event,” Universal Orlando wrote.

That’s hopeful, however, if this coronavirus pandemic has taught us anything it’s that things can change rather quickly.  As an example, Universal Hollywood sent out this tweet on April 9 saying the parks will be closed “at least” until May 31. Does “suspend operations” mean construction too?

There are also other changes this year when it comes to licensed franchises. Disney now owns Fox, and we all know how they hate sharing their titles. Warner Bros. is planning to do their own Halloween haunt.

If Halloween Horror Nights does happen, Universal will have to get inspiration from their own catalog or develop original concepts. They do own the rights to this year’s horror hits Invisible Man and The Hunt, both would make great attractions.

Netflix has offered plenty of ideas for houses too, such as the popular Stranger Things houses, or even one based on its House on Haunted Hill.

Rumors have been circulating that a Beetlejuice house is on the slate as one of this year’s entries.

So in a nutshell iHorror readers, Halloween Horror Nights has not been officially canceled, even though the studio is being tight-lipped about details. If it does happen there will be social distancing changes for sure.

We will keep you posted as we get more information so keep checking back for more updates.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlrfjGwpUNo

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‘Evil Dead’ Film Franchise Getting TWO New Installments

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It was a risk for Fede Alvarez to reboot Sam Raimi’s horror classic The Evil Dead in 2013, but that risk paid off and so did its spiritual sequel Evil Dead Rise in 2023. Now Deadline is reporting that the series is getting, not one, but two fresh entries.

We already knew about the Sébastien Vaniček upcoming film that delves into the Deadite universe and should be a proper sequel to the latest film, but we are broadsided that Francis Galluppi and Ghost House Pictures are doing a one-off project set in Raimi’s universe based off of an idea that Galluppi pitched to Raimi himself. That concept is being kept under wraps.

Evil Dead Rise

“Francis Galluppi is a storyteller who knows when to keep us waiting in simmering tension and when to hit us with explosive violence,” Raimi told Deadline. “He is a director that shows uncommon control in his feature debut.”

That feature is titled The Last Stop In Yuma County which will release theatrically in the United States on May 4. It follows a traveling salesman, “stranded at a rural Arizona rest stop,” and “is thrust into a dire hostage situation by the arrival of two bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty-or cold, hard steel-to protect their bloodstained fortune.”

Galluppi is an award-winning sci-fi/horror shorts director whose acclaimed works include High Desert Hell and The Gemini Project. You can view the full edit of High Desert Hell and the teaser for Gemini below:

High Desert Hell
The Gemini Project

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‘Invisible Man 2’ Is “Closer Than Its Ever Been” to Happening

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Elisabeth Moss in a very well-thought-out statement said in an interview for Happy Sad Confused that even though there have been some logistical issues for doing Invisible Man 2 there is hope on the horizon.

Podcast host Josh Horowitz asked about the follow-up and if Moss and director Leigh Whannell were any closer to cracking a solution to getting it made. “We are closer than we have ever been to cracking it,” said Moss with a huge grin. You can see her reaction at the 35:52 mark in the below video.

Happy Sad Confused

Whannell is currently in New Zealand filming another monster movie for Universal, Wolf Man, which might be the spark that ignites Universal’s troubled Dark Universe concept which hasn’t gained any momentum since Tom Cruise’s failed attempt at resurrecting The Mummy.

Also, in the podcast video, Moss says she is not in the Wolf Man film so any speculation that it’s a crossover project is left in the air.

Meanwhile, Universal Studios is in the middle of constructing a year-round haunt house in Las Vegas which will showcase some of their classic cinematic monsters. Depending on attendance, this could be the boost the studio needs to get audiences interested in their creature IPs once more and to get more films made based on them.

The Las Vegas project is set to open in 2025, coinciding with their new proper theme park in Orlando called Epic Universe.

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Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date

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Jake gyllenhaal presumed innocent

Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s in ‘Presumed Innocent’

Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.

These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:

According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”

Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.

Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.

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