Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights is calling in the Ghostbusters

Need another reason to visit Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights this year? The Ghostbusters have answered the call of the popular Halloween theme park event.

Who ya gonna call? Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights knows the answer. The Ghostbusters are coming to the premier Halloween event this year. Are you prepared to meet the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man?

Every year, Universal looks for new and innovative ways to plunge people into their deepest, darkest fears. While some of the original haunted houses focus on the root of fright, other haunted houses feature popular characters and movies.

For the first time ever, Ghostbusters is coming to the annual Halloween event. This year marks the film’s 35th anniversary, and its characters have been etched into pop culture history. From their uniforms to phrases like “don’t cross streams,” there are aspects of the movie that everyone just knows.

According to Universal Studios, the Ghostbusters maze experience will be based on the original movie. With Peter, Ray, Egon, and Winston prepared to save New York City from evil spirits, will the brave mazegoers get slimed during this experience?

Check out the preview clip for the maze here:

Looking at the video, it appears that the haunted maze will be back in the New York area at Universal Orlando, which makes sense. Last year, this area contained the Poltergeist house. It will be interesting to see if there are hidden items leading up to the entrance. Given the iconic New York City visuals already there (the library, for example), there could be a lot of intriguing and unique opportunities to utilize them.

Universal Orlando also established that various creatures will make appearances. From the voracious Slimer to the Gozerian, there are many chances to add in creatures that evoke both fear and laughter. And of course, the experience wouldn’t be complete without the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

Adding this haunted experience is an interesting choice for Universal. While not specifically stating that there is an ’80s theme to this year’s event, many of the houses have that ’80s vibe. From the return of the Stranger Things experience to the Universal’s Monsters experience, there is a little bit of that throwback feel in each one.

Also, the theme of the Ghostbusters maze isn’t above encompassing fear and frights. This film finds the perfect balance between funny and frightening. Those moments of perceived calm are followed by big screams. It’s part of the reason the film (and the franchise) was so popular.

In a way, this experience, and even the Stranger Things experience, are exciting because they aren’t about the gore and guts. People can become desensitized to the extreme. Sure, a gory scene might haunt your nightmares, but the nugget of realism in something scary stays with your psyche much longer.

The Ghostbusters maze is part of Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. It will be featured at both the Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Hollywood. The Orlando event begins on September 6, and the Hollywood event begins on September 13. Both Halloween events require separate tickets.

Universal made the call to the Ghostbusters. Are you prepared for the response?