"The Thing" is creeping its way into Universal's theme parks in time for Halloween.
The
upcoming thriller will be adapted as a maze for the company's Halloween
Horror Nights event at both the Hollywood and Orlando parks.
Although
both parks feature Horror Nights, they typically don't share the same
mazes. But "The Thing" is one of Universal's higher-profile releases
this fall, and the studio has been increasingly eyeing the Horror Nights
franchise as a way to promote its thrillers that bow around Halloween,
considering the crowds it draws each year.
Halloween Horror Nights begins Sept. 23 and continues on select nights through Oct. 31.
"The Thing" bows Oct. 14.
U
had been considering a maze or promo for its update on "The Wolfman,"
but opted not to when the film's release date shifted from fall 2009 to
February 2010.
"The Thing" is a reboot of Roger Corman's 1982
original, in which a group of researchers in an abandoned scientific
research facility in Antarctica find themselves infected by an alien
creature that can transform itself into an exact replica of any living
being.
Theme park designers partnered with the film's producers,
Strike Entertainment's Marc Abraham and Eric Newman to replicate the
sets, audio, musical score, creature and characters referenced in the
new pic.
"We want people to live the film and experience the same
terror that affects the film's characters," Newman said. "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."
Contact Marc Graser at
marc.graser@variety.com
