John Murdy returned to Midsummer Scream this weekend to take fans behind-the-scenes of Universal Studios’ upcoming Halloween Horror Nights. During the panel, Murdy announced a new haunted house, Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America. He also gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at this year’s Universal Monsters Unmasked maze.
New To Halloween Horror Nights – Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America
Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America will feature three monsters from various myths and legends across Latin America. During the Midsummer Scream panel, Murdy walked fans through each of the new characters, offering first looks at their designs and exploring their creepy histories.
In Monstruos, watch out for…
- Tlahuelpuchi, a vampire/witch with bird-like talons originating from the Tlaxcala region of Mexico. She undergoes an intricate ritual to transform into Tlahuelpuchi, which involves walking in a cross formation over fire until her legs separate from her body.
- La Lechuza, aka the owl witch, originating from Mexico. She’s known to mimic a baby crying to draw in unsuspecting prey. The HHN house will include a giant animatronic La Lechuza in her nest decorated with the bones of her prey.
- El Silbón, originating from the Los Lanos region of Colombia/Venezuela. He walks around whistling, carrying a bag of his father’s bones on his back. He’s known to attack drunks and womanizers, ripping out their spines. The final part of the Monstruos maze will see guests traveling through El Silbón’s bag of bones.
- Muerte, the grave digger. In addition to the three monsters, this HHN original character will greet guests and guide them along their journey.
The walk-through design of Monstruos draws inspiration from gothic Mexican architecture and crypts.
Plus, a new scare zone!
In addition to Monstruos, Murdy revealed a new scare zone inspired by Latin American haunts. Except this time, the haunts are completely fictional and invented for HHN. El Terror de las Momias brings to life classic (and totally fake) old-timey horror flicks featuring mummies, zombies, and more.
Universal Monsters Unmasked 2023
During the panel, Murdy also discussed this year’s iteration of Universal Monsters Unmasked. The original inspiration comes from wanting to mark the 100th anniversary of Lon Chaney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame. With a setting in the catacombs of Paris, it felt natural to bring in the Phantom of the Opera as well. The house will also see two famous (infamous?) doctors fleeing London to wind up in the catacombs: the Invisible Man and Dr. Jekyll. Plus, you’ll encounter an original character, Madame Squelette.
A Horror Nights staple for a while now, Slash returns to compose the music for Universal Monsters Unmasked 2023.
Outside of UMU, you might still catch a glimpse of an unexpected but welcome Universal Monster. Murdy says fans can look out for the Bride of Frankenstein during HHN this year.
Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights kicks off in September. Until then, check back to THS for more updates.
