September 30, 2014 – This year’s Halloween Horror Nights VIP Experience is a curious beast. For first time visitors looking for an all-inclusive experience that includes unlimited Front of Line access, special entertainment, valet parking and a personal guide, well, look no further – the VIP Experience is perfect for you. For experienced Horror Nights fans that are looking to build upon successive VIP tours with a new and unique experience…well…you might want to look elsewhere or downgrade your ticket to a Front of Line pass. But before I get into that, let me talk about what the VIP Experience…
Author: Jon Fu
September 19, 2014 – With Halloween Horror Nights beginning tonight, we thought we’d give you a quick update on some of the projects occurring at Universal Studios Hollywood. With Flintstone’s Bar-B-Q and Louie’s walled off (or in the former’s case, demolished), the Upper Lot continues to be the centerpiece of development. Not only is construction for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter taking full swing, but the Studio Tour bridge, Springfield, Fast & Furious: Supercharged and more are all occuring on site as well – with hoards of construction workers and equipment occupying a sizable portion of the theme park.…
September 19, 2014 – Halloween Horror Nights is now just mere hours away, and that means the park is decorated all over with hints of gruesome and gory decorations. Most of these decorations correspond to the scare zones that will be infested in dark, so while it may not make a lot of sense in the daytime, at night the corresponding scareactors running around will match up. Let’s see what’s out there! Photo Index » Park Entrance » Face Off » The Purge » Dark Christmas » Dracula Untold » Mask-A-Raid » Terror Tram: Invaded by the Walking Dead »…
September 10, 2014 – Flintstone’s Bar-B-Q has been demolished to make way for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Inside Universal has learned. Built in 1975 as a riverboat to the once adjacent lake, the venue was later repurposed to the current Flintstones theme. The surrounding area used to host Flintstones themed carnival games which were eventually removed last year alongside the closure of the Adventures of Curious George. Flintstone’s Bar-B-Q closed on September 1 alongside Universal’s House of Horrors. Jon Fu Jon Fu is the editor-in-chief of Inside Universal. Jon originally founded InsideUniversal.net in 2006 as a summer hobby…
September 8, 2014 – Universal has begun beta testing in-park WiFi for guests, Inside Universal has learned. Currently billed as a service offered on a “limited beta-test basis” by Comcast Business, public wireless access points can now be reached near Universal Plaza and throughout the Lower Lot under the “UNIVERSAL” SSID. While Universal has operated an intranet service (and its associated infrastructure) for park employees for a number of years, this is the first documented instance that the park has offered internet access to the general public. Such a service could offset the park’s notoriously impacted cellphone network, which has…
September 6, 2014 – Shrek 4D has begun construction for its new permanent queue, Inside Universal has learned. Built to accommodate the anticipated Wizarding World of Harry Potter themed land, the Shrek 4D queue has largely consisted of black barricades and white tents as a temporary stopgap measure to offset the attraction’s decreased footprint. With the demolition of the Adventures of Curious George playground and the Gibson Amphitheater, the attraction has seen its queue extensively modified – with much of its original line pushed back and rerouted in an effort to remain operational in the midst of the park’s ongoing…
September 3, 2014 – Universal Studios Hollywood continues its 5-year transformation with the closure of yet another attraction – Universal’s House of Horrors. To properly send this experience into the studio vaults, we must recognize that Universal is not only closing one attraction, but five distinct attractions that have been built upon each other over time. Without a doubt, House of Horrors has housed the most hidden easter egg gags than any other attraction in the park. Having been created from leftover remnants of such past attractions as E.T. Adventure and Back to the Future: The Ride as well as…
September 2, 2014 – While attraction closures are usually bittersweet and filled with emotion from the cast, crew and fans, Universal’s House of Horrors’ closure may have been especially so. Given soundstage 28’s planned demolition, Universal’s House of Horrors stood as one of the last bastions of Universal’s classic movie monster genre. With the attraction’s closure, horror fans saw the last major trace of Universal’s monster lineage removed from the theme park and studio that started it all. However, despite the somewhat somber atmosphere, Universal’s House of Horrors went off with a celebratory send off with the cast and crew…
Update – August 27, 2014 – Contrary to our initial report, Louie’s Pizza & Pasta and Ben & Jerry will remain open whilst the surrounding area undergoes construction in preparation for Springfield. Flintstone’s Bar-B-Q, on the other hand, will be demolished for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We apologize for the initial error. August 26, 2014 – Louie’s Pizza & Pasta, Flintstone’s Bar-B-Q and Ben & Jerry’s may close on September 1, Inside Universal has learned. Surrounding much of Simpsons Plaza, Louie’s and the adjacent Ben & Jerry’s counter-serve restaurants are part of Universal’s original Upper Lot district, originating…
Update: January 30, 2015 – Universal has released additional concept art for Fast and Furious: Supercharged, detailing the new Studio Tour tram design. August 26, 2014 – Universal’s world famous Studio Tour trams will likely receive a special 50th anniversary design, Inside Universal has learned. Lining the exterior of the tram, a selection of Studio Tour vehicles will mark the 50th anniversary of the theme park with a commemorative 50-year badge alongside the “Universal Studios” text in gold print. Likewise, a special blue and off-white paint scheme is expected to line the guardrails, though the final design and iteration of…