NEW “EXORCIST” MAZE AT HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS IS BASED ON THE BANNED/UNRELEASED TRAILER OF THE TERRIFYING 1973 FILM

Creative director John Murdy and art director Chris Williams, the grandmasters behind Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights (HHN), treated ScareLA attendees to a preview of their newest haunted mazes and scare zones this weekend, announcing that the newest marquee experience is The Exorcist.

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The maze is loosely based on an early trailer of the classic 1973 film that was unaired and banned from television. The trailer uses a frightening series of black-and-white images and blood-curdling sounds to promote the story of a two priests who battle against the evil forces who have possessed a young girl. Here’s that trailer.

Each year, Universal Studios has been conducting surveys of their HHN guests, and each year they get the same results: The Exorcist is the number one request that people have been wanting to see. So, after 11 years of trying to get the rights to the film, Murdy and Williams say they’re ecstatic that they finally landed the “big dog.” And here, Murdy explains how his own upbringing made The Exorcist such a real, visceral film experience for him.

But they faced some challenges adapting the film to the theme park: for example, the entire film basically takes place in one location: the little girl’s bedroom, so how do you create a continuous walk-through attraction with just a single location? Well, they’re confident they solved that dilemma, promising that this year’s event will present some new ways of experiencing the mazes (although they didn’t reveal how they’ll do that). But they did show some scenes that they promise will be included. Those include:

The confrontation between good and evil -- Regan possessed by demons, and Father Karrass.

The confrontation between good and evil — Regan possessed by demons, and Father Karrass.

The pagan demon from the archeological dig in Iraq shows up in Regan's room.

The pagan demon from the archeological dig in Iraq shows up in Regan’s room.

The demon Pazuzu, who shows up in super-short inserts.

The demon Pazuzu, who shows up in super-short inserts.

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The arrival of Father Merrin, the Exorcist.

The famous 180-degree head spin.

The famous 180-degree head spin.

Gross.... the Green Pea Soup scene.

Gross…. the Green Pea Soup scene.

The scene where Regan levitates off the bed.

The scene where Regan levitates off the bed.


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