Universal Monsters Remix: Resurrection is Halloween Horror Nights’ tribute to Universal’s long legacy of inventing and contributing to the horror genre. Featuring the likes of the Wolfman, Frankenstein, Chucky and other classic Universal monsters, this year’s maze features the music of Figure as guests wander through elaborately crafted pathways and corridors.
Let me start with the good: as you would expect from a year-round maze, Universal Monsters Remix is probably the most varied maze experience you could get at Halloween Horror Nights. What do I mean by varied? Well, guests venture up-and-down stairs, through elaborate set pieces, through spinning tunnels and on top of narrow bridges. From the perspective of a Horror Nights guest that has never visited Universal during the day, Monsters Remix probably offers the most interesting and elaborate experience relative to temporary mazes that are often set up for easy removal when the event is finished. Having said that, here’s the bad:
Nothing has changed.
I’m not the type of person that would recognize a reused SAW prop in Black Sabbath 13 3D, but I did recognize practically all the effects, props and scare actors from this incarnation of Monsters Remix. Chucky? Check. Go-go dancer? Check.
Yes, at the heart of it, Monsters Remix is an overlay. But they could do so much more than to simply add a different dubstep artist as the maze’s backing track. Whatever they need to do, they need to do it fast because this layout and format is wearing very thin. For someone who thinks highly of Universal’s maze output, this was a disappointing effort. But then again, who knows. Average, everyday guests might enjoy this format, and if last year’s satisfaction ratings are anything to go by, we could see Monsters Remix on the top of this year’s list.
For me personally, this one’s a dud.
