Universal Studios Extends Its Horror Nights-like Halloween Event

Update: After testing out its Halloween experience, Universal Studios Orlando Resort has announced new dates for guests to visit the brand new haunted mazes, as well as the other spooky activities outlined below. The experiences will be open during regular park hours again during the weekend of September 26 and 27, before shifting to daily operation between October 3 and November 1. Universal has also released several photos of the new mazes, showing plexiglass or plastic barriers between the live performers and guests. You can check those out below.

Back in July, it was announced that Universal Studios was calling off its Halloween Horror Nights celebrations at both the Florida and California parks. While Universal Orlando Resort is open at limited capacity, Universal Studios Hollywood remains closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, though, it seems the Orlando parks do have something in the works for Halloween.

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This coming weekend, September 19 and 20, the park is holding an event dubbed "Halloween seasonal experience testing." Universal Orlando Resort tells GameSpot that currently, these are the only two days scheduled for the event. Given that the word "testing" is in the name, though, it would not be a surprise if this is expanded in the weeks to come.

Included in the weekend event is access to two new haunted mazes--Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives and Revenge of the Tooth Fairy, both of which are not recommended for guests under age 13. You can check out descriptions of the mazes, from Universal's website, below.

• The Bride of Frankenstein Lives: "We belong dead." The last words of Frankenstein's monster on that fateful night when his Bride rejected him. But his end was her beginning. Now the Bride is stepping out of the shadows to bring him back. And there’s nothing she won't do as she sharpens her brilliance by experimenting on unsuspecting victims. The mate will have her monster. And the monster his mate.
• Revenge of the Tooth Fairy: The innocent traditions of the tooth fairy hide a darker ritual. All children must give up their baby teeth to the goblinesque tooth fairies or pay a gruesome price. Step into an old manor that has been overrun by yellow-clawed fiends who extract teeth by force. It's an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

In addition to the haunts in the Universal Studios park, Islands of Adventure will feature trick-or-treating for those 12 and under. It's unclear how trick-or-treating in the parks will work, given social distancing measures.

Additionally, you'll be able to wear costumes while you visit, if that's your thing. It's important to note that unlike Halloween Horror Nights, this is not a separately ticketed event. Instead, these experiences will be available during normal operating hours for those that decide to visit the parks.

Universal Orlando Resort first opened its doors again in June, with a list of new rules and procedures to visit the theme parks. For more on those, you can check out GameSpot's first-hand report on the experience of visiting a park during the pandemic.