“I
don’t know what’s in there, but it’s weird and pissed off, whatever it
is.”
In
June of 1982, horror master John Carpenter unveiled to the world his
remake of the 1951 Sci-Fi Horror film “The Thing from Another World.”
For the past 25 years, The Thing has been praised as one of the
greatest horror films of all time. The films’ fan base has done
nothing but increase over the years, and now during its 25th year
since release, the minds behind Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights
has decided to pull the terrors of the film from the silver screen and
bring them into the physical world.
During
a conference with TJ Mannarino (the director of Universal's Art and
Design) and Michael Burnett (the supervisor of Prosthetics and
Makeup), we learned that the team has a huge fondness for the property
and are extremely excited to have the opportunity to work on this
attraction for the 25th anniversary.
“The
story ended 25 years ago, our story takes up 25 years later," explains
TJ, “Where the remains of Outpost 31 are open for investigation.”
As
explained to us, the house will be in an industrial setting and take
place in Florida, rather than the arctic. The two stated that because
of its 25th anniversary, the public is aware of the film. “We're
telling you a story you are familiar with - based on the creatures,
the characters, and settings,” the two told us, “People know what to
be afraid of, people know the horrors this creature can bring, but
what people don't know is how the terrors will be brought out.”
We
learned that during research, the Horror Nights design team spoke with
many people who worked on the film, and were even given the
opportunity to browse the archives.
From
our understanding, and the photos that were given to us at the
conference, the prosthetics team is going above and beyond with the
creature designs this year. We were told that the house will utilize
puppet and make-up techniques to achieve some of the effects for the
“things,” and that the designs would stay true to the film. “We wanted
to look at specific things that would be an homage to the movie,” Mark
told us, “Some of it will be immediately recognizable if you've seen
the movie, but still very terrifying if not.”
Additionally,
Mark assured us that they "have a lot of things, all different shapes
and sizes."
Needless
to say, this is just more amazing news from an already
amazing-sounding event. Halloween Horror Nights: Carnival of Carnage
was assured to take us back to a “simpler time.” TJ told us that this
year they’ve stepped away from technology and digitally printed
posters to bring in handmade signs, and an overall vintage feel. “Not
that it will be anything less,” says TJ, “We are going to have very
simple, but still very creepy environments.”
The
Thing is a concept that Universal has played around with for years,
and finally they felt that 2007 was the right time to move forward
with the concept. Once again, we dig deep into the vault archives to
find something of related interest – below you will find the treatment
for The Thing as featured in an early concept for Halloween Horror
Nights: Islands of Fear in 2002. Even though the storyline is
completely different to "The Thing - Assimilation," hopefully some of
the concepts from this treatment stick with the new version, as the
below house concept is absolutely stunning.
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Universal Studios
THE THING
The mystery
and the horror of John Carpenter’s The Thing comes alive
in an immersive experience at Universal Studios’ Halloween
Horror Nights.
Celebrating the twentieth Anniversary of the cult alien
favorite as well as the anticipated release of the
Computer Artworks video Game, The Thing brings guests into
the demolished remains of Outpost 31 in the Icy cold of
the Antarctic and pits them against a shape-shifting
creature from outer space.
You and your team are the first to enter Outpost #31,
after no contact with the camp for weeks. Originally
thought a downed transmitter, you find the Outpost in
ruins.
QUEUE
You enter the experience through ripped containment
tunnels. Holes allow for the icy chill of the Antarctic
wasteland to fill the space. Eerie sounds of howling wind
echo as the Cold air blasts at you. A star curtain drop
behind the façade of the Outpost creates a cinematic view
as our guests await their turn exploring the devastated
research station. Weather reports and file footage from
Outpost 31 play on rescue equipment monitors. Construction
lights guide you forward as you prepare to enter the
outpost. Snow puddles line the experience.
ENTRY
You step through a section of tenting. A wooden walkway
stretches through the space. A snow machine fills the area
with simulated snow. Huge holes have been ripped in the
tent allowing ice-cold air to blast in. Shredded pieces of
plastic hang down in your path as you continue forward
through the icy darkness. A frozen body sits against the
compound wall. As we approach the corpse we see the hands
and face have been ripped outward with great force.
COMPOUND
You step forward into a dark barrack. A single light
source flickers as the power sporadically comes in and
out.
The windows are boarded and the furniture has been
overturned. Burn marks outline the figure of a scorched
human on our left.
Bursting through a section of wall on our right we are
startled by the maniacal and crazed MACREADY. The lone
survivor of Outpost 31. He rushes at us, begging for us to
“get out before it’s too late” and to “Destroy the camp”!
He reveals his left hand which has transformed into a long
tentacle with a miniature head at the end. He starts to
transform as blood oozes from his chest.
We rush forward.
HALLWAY
A dark, twisting corridor lays out before us. We move
quickly and cautiously knowing that something is waiting
for us.
The walls are cold and slick, covered with some type of
gooey residue.
We hear the sound of something moving ahead of us, but can
see nothing.
From above us a large mass of tentacles and wet, matted
fur drops down. It violently shakes at us, dropping down
and recoiling.
We duck into an open door at the end of the hallway that
leads us into…
DOG KENNEL
The Dog Kennel compound of Outpost 31. Chain link panels
force us to wind through the darkness. The forms of
suspended dogs surround us. We move into the large portion
of the kennel. Heavy Chain link surrounds us on both sides
ending in an a-frame above. A strobing red alarm light
illuminates the form of a beastly DOG-THING. It snarls at
us and lunges. The fence is electrified and sends a shower
of sparks towards us. The Creature recoils in pain,
filling the chamber with an unsettling howl.
RADIO ROOM
The main communications station of the Outpost. The radio
equipment is smashed and sparking. An axe is embedded in
the body of a scientist, pinning him to the wall.
From behind a bank of radio transmitters lunges the obese
form of BLAIR. Blair was the main research scientist at
the facility, but now his face has been transformed into
the hideous mask of a deformed dog. Snarling at us, he
moves quickly at us, a bloodied axe in his hand. He
triggers a deafening roar that sends us around another
bank of equipment and into the darkness of the medical
lab.
MED LAB
Rushing forward, we find the dark remains of the med lab.
Blood covers the walls. Positioned gurneys with covered
bodies force us through the area. Blood soaked sheets
cover the bodies. Our presence triggers the corpses, and
they begin to move underneath the sheets.
We move quickly, waiting for one of the dead to spring at
us and come face to face with the hideous uncovered body
laying on a medical table. His torso has been shredded,
leaving a large open cavity, devoid of internal organs.
Suddenly a huge bloody THING rises through the body, a
mass of muscle and faces, tentacles and dog.
We dodge the beast, escaping it’s clutches and heading for
our only exit. As we close in on the open doorway a
SPIDER-HEAD leaps out at us.
THE REC ROOM
We move into the devastated rec room of the Outpost. To
our right we find an upended pool table sitting vertical
and blood-stained. A broken window allows for a bitterly
cold blast of wind to assault us.
Suddenly, though the pool table hurtles a THING. With a
human body and a mass of flesh and tentacles for a face,
this creature jumps towards us.
-INCOMPLETE-
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Unfortunately,
the transcript in our archive ends in an incomplete state. I remember,
however, that when I first read this concept I was furious they never
went through with it. By the sounds of it, my grudge can end as "The
Thing - Assimilation" is sounding to be all this and more.
Halloween
Horror Nights: Carnival of Carnage runs 23 select
nights from September 28th through November 3rd.
