Universal Orlando's Horror Make-Up Show
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (October 2017) |
| Universal Orlando's Horror Make-Up Show | |
|---|---|
Pantages Theatre | |
| Universal Studios Florida | |
| Area | Hollywood |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | May 1, 1990 |
| Opening date | June 7, 1990 |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | Live show |
| Designer | Universal Express available |
 | |
Universal Orlando's Horror Make-Up Show (previously titled The Phantom of the Opera Horror Make-Up Show and The Gory, Gruesome and Grotesque Horror Make-Up Show) is a live show located at Universal Studios Florida that opened on June 7, 1990, along with the theme park. It is a live demonstration of Universal Pictures' legacy of horror movies, with particular emphasis on prosthetic makeup. It was inspired by the former The Land of a Thousand Faces show (1975–1980) at Universal Studios Hollywood. It is also notable for being one of two original opening-day attractions still in operation at Universal Studios Florida, the other being E.T. Adventure.
Show summary
Waiting area
The show is housed within a recreation of the
Main show
The show is mostly scripted, with some parts improvised between the actors and/or the audience. Sometimes, the actors may improvise quips about celebrities or about a single or all members of the audience.
It is hosted by Alex Ross (played by a male or female actor) and Universal Studios' creature creator and visual effects artist Mark James (also played by a male or female actor, in which case, if the latter, the character is instead named Marty James). While Ross is looking around the stage for James, the latter enters the theater with a large knife dug into their heart and briefly interacts with audience members before "dying", and revealing to the audience that it is a fake.
A montage of clips from gory scenes of Universal horror films is then shown on screens on both sides of the stage, showcasing the many films that Universal Pictures has released, becoming the creator and pioneer of
After this, Ross peeks behind the curtain, and a
For the finale, James reveals their secret project: a motion capture vest which controls the movements of an "animatronic" werewolf named Eddie. Ross and James call on their volunteer from earlier to come back onstage to help demonstrate this effect (before taking a picture altogether). However, after the volunteer returns to their seat, Eddie comes alive and chases James backstage, before the latter ends the chase by seemingly killing Eddie offstage and returning to the stage bloody and bruised.
Guests leave through a hall featuring multiple posters of Universal horror films on the walls such as The Birds, Jurassic Park, and Psycho before exiting into the shared gift shop with The Bourne Stuntacular.
Previous versions
The show and lobby featured numerous other reincarnations in the past. From 1990 until 1997, the lobby featured posters from classic Universal horror films and also had a live introduction from The Phantom of the Opera. For various film releases from 1997 and forward, the lobby has been changed to feature clips and props from The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), The Mummy Returns (2001), Van Helsing (2004), etc.
The main show itself had some minor refurbishments in the past to fit the re-theming of the lobby. From 1990 until 2004, the main show would instead feature clips from Universal horror films such as The Thing and An American Werewolf in London, and the audience volunteer would have their picture taken with The Phantom of the Opera. For the finale, James would step into a transportation device based on
Films featured
The show originally featured clips from the films Brazil (1985), Hellboy II: The Golden Army and Jaws. Present clips shown throughout the show include:
- An American Werewolf in London
- Army of Darkness
- Bride of Chucky
- Bordello of Blood
- Bride of Frankenstein
- Creature from the Black Lagoon
- Demon Knight
- Dracula (1931)
- Frankenstein (1931)
- The Frighteners
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)
- The Lost World: Jurassic Park
- Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
- Mulholland Drive
- The Mummy (1932)
- The Mummy (1999)
- The Mummy (2017)
- The Mummy Returns
- The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
- Psycho (1960)
- Psycho (1998)
- Shadow of the Vampire
- The Thing (1982)
- Van Helsing
- Virus (1999)
- The Wolf Man (1941)
2002 incident
In August 2002, a woman was selected from the audience to participate in the show. After being scared by Eddie, the "animatronic" werewolf, during the finale, the frightened woman fell off the stage and landed on the steps, breaking her leg. She was rushed to the hospital and released shortly afterward without any further injuries. Since the incident, the audience volunteer has been asked to return to their seat before the jump-scare happens.[1]
Universal Studios Japan version
A short-lived iteration of this attraction titled Monster Make-Up premiered in Universal Studios Japan in 2001, and closed due to a lack of interest from guests. The theatre went through several temporary replacements until being rethemed to the Sing on Tour attraction in 2019.[2][3][4]
References
- ^ "Read The Smiths :: Ten Most Horrifying Theme Park Accidents". www.readthesmiths.com.
- ^ "Universal Studios / YMMV". TV Tropes. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
- ^ "Universal Studios Japan Getting Major New Show in 2019". Park Pass. 2018-09-30. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
- ^ "Monster Makeup | LRA Designs". Retrieved 2023-01-19.
External links
- Universal's Horror Make-Up Show at Universal Orlando Resort