My Experience at Halloween Horror Nights (Hint – It Was Fabulous!)

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6346

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood is something I have wanted to do forever.  Considering my obsession with Halloween, all things spooky and movie studios, it’s kind of a shock that I had never been.  The rather steep ticket prices – as well as the fact that everyone told me I shouldn’t bother attending unless I was also going to purchase a Front of Line pass – are what deterred me year after year.  When my best friends, Robin and Steffi, announced that they were coming to visit us from Switzerland for a week in mid-October, though, I decided that they were not leaving America without a nighttime visit to Universal.  Not only is Halloween Horror Nights a perfect way to celebrate my favorite holiday, but Robin is obsessed with The Walking Dead and the park features a maze themed after the AMC series.  So we headed right on over there after picking them up from the airport.  While this is not my typical Haunted Hollywood column, because I always had so many questions about Halloween Horror Nights (if it was worth the cost, if Front of Line passes were necessary, if the crowds were prohibitive, etc.), I thought a post on our experience would be a good idea.  (I do have to apologize for the quality of my photographs – they were all taken on my iPhone and, being that lighting was low at the park, are not the greatest.)

[ad]

In short, I loved, loved, LOVED Halloween Horror Nights.  The ticket prices may be high (we paid $90 a person, but the rates fluctuate depending upon which night you attend and how far in advance you are purchasing), but they are worth every penny!  We opted not to buy Front of Line passes and, as it turns out, we really didn’t need them.  For those who have never attended or looked into attending, Front of Line tickets run about $200 a person (that includes admission to the park).  Again, the rates fluctuate depending on the date you attend and how far in advance you are purchasing (late in the game, Front of Line passes cost about $260 per guest!).  Our group (read: the Grim Cheaper) just wasn’t willing to pay that much, which, in hindsight, was a good decision.  While the lines were definitely long (some over 100 minutes), it is my opinion that Front of Line tickets are not at all necessary.

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6569

Because Robin and Steffi were extremely tired from their long flight (and had been awake for more than 24 hours straight at that point), we only stayed at Universal for about two and a half hours.  During that time, we were able to go through two mazes and grab a bite to eat.  While we, admittedly, saw very little of what Horror Nights has to offer, we had a blast and definitely felt that we got our money’s worth.  Heck, just being there and walking through all of the Halloween madness was worth it!  And had we arrived when the park opened and stayed until closing, we easily could have experienced most of the attractions sans Front of Line tickets – especially considering that early admission (two hours before the park actually opens) is offered every single night for free, during which time a few select mazes are accessible.  So my best advice for enjoying Halloween Horror Nights is to skip the pricey Front of Line tickets and instead get to the park right at 5 p.m., when it opens, and stay until closing at 2 a.m.

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6566

I would also suggest purchasing a hotel package if you don’t live in the area.  We opted to go that route and our package included tickets to the park and a King Bed Corner Room at the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City.

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6336

Our room was large and had a queen-sized sofa-bed, which was perfect for our group.  The Hilton is also within walking distance to the park (it’s about a block to the Universal Studios entrance) and shuttle service to CityWalk is provided, as well.

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6337

Our room also boasted incredible views of the park!

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6388

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6549

It happened to be cloudy the night we attended Halloween Horror Nights, which made for the perfect ambiance.  Even our hotel looked spooky!

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6385

As I said earlier, just being at Universal, seeing all of the frightening décor and witnessing the many masked figures, aka the “scareactors,” who walk around terrorizing guests was an experience in and of itself.  Throw in the multitude of chilling attractions and it was pretty much the perfect night for me!

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6537

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6352

The first maze we hit up was The Walking Dead Attraction (which is now open during the day and year-round).

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6520

I have never seen The Walking Dead (I know, I know – I’m missing out), so I did not really know what to expect, but the maze was uh-maz-ing (pun intended!).  I honestly felt like I was walking through a live movie set – the decorations were that good.  Add to that the fact that scareactors were jumping out at every turn and the whole thing made for an absolutely terrifying experience.  We all screamed our heads off the entire way through.  (Though photos were allowed inside and I did attempt to take some at the beginning, with scareactors jumping out at us regularly, I became afraid I might drop my phone and opted to put it away rather quickly.)

The Walking Dead Attraction 2

My favorite portion of the evening, though, was hands-down the Terror Tram!  As part of the attraction, guests are not only able to walk right through the Bates Motel set from Psycho . . .

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6573

. . . but right up to the Bates house . . .

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6528

Psycho House Horror Nights

. . . and onto the front porch to take a photo with Norman Bates himself!  The daytime tram ride does not allow visitors to get up-close-and-personal with the Psycho house (heck, guests aren’t even allowed to get off the tram during the daytime ride), so, for me, this felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6392

Y’all better be sitting down for this next part because it’s downright incredible!  Following the visit to the Bates home, guests are invited to walk through the War of the Worlds plane crash set!  Yes, you read that right – visitors are actually allowed to walk through the plane crash set from the 2005 film.

War of the Worlds Halloween Horror Nights

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6531

I’ve talked about the set – which is comprised of an actual commercial 747 jetliner that was chopped up for the movie – numerous times on my blog.  Heck, the site – or at least a free view of it – even made it onto My L.A. Must-Stalk List!

War of the Worlds Halloween Horror Nights 2

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6535

During the daytime tram ride, guests are only driven through the set, so being able to walk through it at a slow speed and see every aspect of it so closely was downright remarkable!

War of the Worlds Halloween Horror Nights 3

All in all, Halloween Horror Nights was an incredible experience and I cannot more highly recommend it!  It might be one of my favorite Halloween events ever!

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6381

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Hallloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood-6363

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Halloween Horror Nights takes place annually from mid-September through the beginning of November at Universal Studios theme parks in Universal City, Orlando, Japan, and Singapore.  This year, Halloween Horror Nights Universal Studios Hollywood runs through November 5th.  You can find out more information about the event and purchase tickets here.

A Free View of Universal Studio’s “War of the Worlds” Set!

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2443

Many moons ago, shortly after we first met, Mike, from MovieShotsLA, took me to a place that quickly became one of my very favorite “only in L.A.” spots –  a residential street from which the Universal Studios War of the Worlds plane crash set is visible.  And even though I always make it a point to take visiting friends to the site (which is located on the 3400 block of Blair Drive in the hills just south of Burbank), I somehow forgot to add it to My Los Angeles Must-Stalk List back in May.  I have since corrected the problem and figured that now was as good a time as any to blog about the location.  (I also just turned My Must-Stalk List into a page on my site in order to make it more accessible to my fellow stalkers.  I will be adding to the list as I discover more must-stalk locations, so check back regularly.  Smile)

[ad]

When Mike first took me to the 3400 block of Blair Drive, I was absolutely aghast at both the fact that such an amazing set piece was so openly visible from a residential street and that it had not, for whatever reason, ever been written about in any of my L.A. guide books.  That is the beauty of going stalking with someone born and raised in L.A., as Mike was.  He knows the city – and all of its little hidden treasures – like the back of his hand.  Mike had actually discovered this location back in the early ‘90s, before the War of the Worlds set even existed, while working for the radio station Power 106.  When he first began his DJing job, the station moved him into a hill-top house with several other DJ’s.  That house happened to be located on Blair Drive, directly across the street from what was then the site of Falls Lake – a 2.7-million-gallon water tank and green screen in the Psycho Flats area of Universal Studios.  (Falls Lake was moved a few hundred feet west in 2004 to make way for the War of the Worlds set, but you can still see it in the background of the pictures below).

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2419

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2434

According to the fabulous The Studio Tour website, the War of The Worlds plane crash shoot took place on January 5th, 6th, and 7th of 2005 and the set was then left, virtually untouched, to be featured as one of Universal Studios’ backlot attractions.  The only changes made to the set after the filming were the relocation of a few of the houses and the removal of some debris in order to provide a pathway for the tram to pass through during tours.  Otherwise, though, the scene appears pretty much exactly the same as it did onscreen.  SO INCREDIBLY COOL!  On a side-note, one of my favorite movie lines ever was uttered in War of the Worlds.  When Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise – and I canNOT believe that he and Katie Holmes are getting a divorce!) begins making peanut butter sandwiches for dinner, his daughter, Rachel Ferrier (Dakota Fanning), informs him, “I’m allergic to peanut butter!”, causing Ray to laugh and say, “Since when?”, to which Rachel states, “Birth!” LOL LOL LOL

ScreenShot5076

ScreenShot5081

The War of the Worlds plane crash set is so realistic, it is almost unbelievable!  I cannot even imagine living on Blair Drive back in 2005 during the filming and getting to witness not only the construction of the massive set, but the actual shoot.  How incredibly cool would that have been?!?

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2418

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2414

It is actually quite surprising that I like this location as much as I do being that I am absolutely petrified of flying, but I guess that is the magic of the movies!

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2417

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2424

As you can see below, when the Universal Studios tour tram passes through the crash set, smoke begins to rise from several of the props.

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2428

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2431

The set features an actual Boeing 747 airplane that the production team cut up and distressed.  Supposedly it cost $2 million in transportation fees alone to get the aircraft to the studio.

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2420

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2412

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2413

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2425

I visited Universal Studios way back in June of 2008 (you can read my post here) and snapped the below close-up photographs of the War of the Worlds plane crash set.  As you can see, it is nothing short of incredible – no matter which vantage point you view it from!

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2373

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2374

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2375

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2379

From the 3400 block of Blair Drive, you can also catch a glimpse of one of the Whoville sets from the 2000 movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas;

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2451

the back of the house where Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) lived in the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho;

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2441

the Old Mexico and Six Points Texas backlot areas;

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2440

and the Falls Lake green screen/backdrop.

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2429

Which I decided to have a little bit of fun with.  Winking smile

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios 1-

Be sure to “Like” IAMNOTASTALKER on Facebook here and “Friend” me on my personal page here.  You can also check out the IAMNOTASTALKER About Me page here and you can follow me on Twitter at @IAMNOTASTALKER.  And don’t forget to check out my new blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Big THANK YOU to Mike, from MovieShotsLA, for telling me about this location!  Smile

War of the Worlds set - Universal Studios-2433

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: The War of the Worlds plane crash set at Universal Studios can be viewed from the 3400 block of Blair Drive, just off of Barham Boulevard, in Los Angeles.

The 90210 Pilot Church

img_0285

A few days ago I sent Mike, from MovieShotsLA, a screen capture of the church featured in the pilot episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. I had a hunch he might know where it was located – and, sure enough, he did! He immediately called me and said “That’s the Spiderman church!” as it was also used in the filming of Spiderman 3. 🙂 God, he’s good! St. Brendan Church – or as Mike and I like to call it, the “pilot church” – was built in 1927 by Los Angeles area architect Emmett Martin.

screenshot476

screenshot479

img_0280

screenshot477

img_0277

img_0278

In the pilot episode of 90210, Brenda, not wanting her new twenty-something boyfriend Jason to know that she is only sixteen years old and still living at home with her parents, lies and says that she is attending UCLA and living in a sorority house named Sigma Rho Tau. After their first date, Jason drops Brenda off in front of her fake sorority house, which just happens to be located next door to a church. That church is St. Brendan and that sorority house is not really a sorority house at all, but the church rectory. As you can see in the above screen captures, all the producers had to do was add a sign with the sorority’s name to the outside of the rectory and cover up the stained glass window with a bulletin board – and voila, they had themselves a sorority house!

img_0274

While researching St. Brendan Church earlier today I remembered something very ironic from my past. I can’t even believe I’m admitting to this – in a public forum no less – but you only live once, so here goes! When I was in high school I receieved the Sacrament of Confirmation. At the time I was fifteen years old and deep in the throws of my 90210 obsession. So much so in fact, that I chose Brendan, after St. Brendan, as my confirmation name. In the Catholic faith, when ones receives the Sacrament of Confirmation, they are to adopt the name of a patron saint who is said to then guide and protect them. Confirmation candidates are supposed to study the history of the saints and find one that represents the type of Christian they want to become. But for me the choice was easy. Once I found out there was a saint named Brendan, that was it for me! Of course, the female version of the name Brendan is Brenda. 🙂 Yes, I was THAT obsessed. LOL Being that my mother wanted to kill me when she found out the saint name I chose, this little episode of my life has been a long running joke in my family. LOL So earlier today when I found out that St. Brendan was the name of the 90210 church, I just about fell out of my chair.

St. Brendan actually has quite a rich filming history. Besides the pilot episode of Beverly Hills, 90210, the church was also featured in Armageddon as the location of Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler’s wedding.

screenshot473

screenshot474

You can watch the wedding scene below:

It was the location of Stephanie Seymor and Axl Rose’s wedding in the Guns N’ Roses music video for the song “November Rain”.

screenshot480

screenshot481

screenshot486

On a side note – I must say that I absolutely LOVE Stephanie Seymour’s wedding dress from the video (pictured above). I am gonna have to get me one of those for my wedding! LOL As if!! 🙂 You can watch the “November Rain” music video below:

In the Season Four episode of CSI: Miami entitled “From the Grave”, my fave Horatio Caine confessed his sins at Saint Brendan.

screenshot471

The church was also featured in the 1953 version of War of the Worlds (as the location where the residents of L.A. gather during the final scenes of the movie), Spiderman 3 (the interior is where Topher Grace prayed for God to kill Peter Parker), Fight Club (Edward Norton’s cancer support group was held there), and an episode of Unsolved Mysteries. You can see interior pics of the church on the Saint Brendan website.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: The Beverly Hills, 90210 pilot church, aka St. Brendan, is located at 310 South Van Ness Avenue in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles.