UNIVERSAL CITY, Ca., ORLANDO, Fla., (July 14, 2014) — From cult horror film to breakthrough television series on El Rey Network, “From Dusk Till Dawn” will add terrifying maze to its credits when filmmaker Robert Rodriguez’s acclaimed supernatural show debuts as a menacing new “Halloween Horror Nights” experience at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort, beginning Friday, September 19.

This all-new maze, inspired by the critically acclaimed television series, will thrust guests into the deviant world of “From Dusk Till Dawn,” where they will encounter sordid mythological creatures known as “Culebras,” serpent-like vampires who have tormented the earth for centuries.  Residing within the elusive and sinister nightclub, “The Twister,” located just over the Mexican border and above cursed ancient ruins, the “Culebras” prove to be a band of immoral and depraved beasts with a deadly agenda. As guests navigate the maze and venture deep within the bowels of “The Twister,” they will find themselves face to face with a cast of perverse characters, including exotic dancer, Santanico Pandemonium, a mysterious and irresistible “Culebras” femme fatale and Queen Vampire.

Based on the film of the same name, "From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series” is a supernatural crime saga centered around bank robber, Seth Gecko and his violent, unpredictable brother, Richard "Richie" Gecko, who are wanted by the FBI after a bank heist leaves several people dead.  While on the run to Mexico, Seth and Richie encounter former pastor Jacob Fuller and his family, whom they take hostage. Using the family RV to cross the border, chaos ensues when the group detours to a club populated by vampires and are forced to fight until dawn in order to get out alive. The series deepens the tone of the film,From Dusk Till Dawn, upon which it is based, adding new characters and backstories that expand the Mesoamerican mythology behind the creatures inside the club.

“Universal Studios’ ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ event is the ideal platform to take fans of ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ to literally experience the terror of stepping into the show,” said Robert Rodriguez.  “It has been an incredible opportunity to work closely with the Creative teams at both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort to bring this maze to life with such detail and authenticity.  This maze will capture the visceral excitement and thrills of the series, and I can’t wait to experience it myself.”

A versatile and award-winning filmmaker, Robert Rodriguez is renowned for directing a variety of successful and groundbreaking film sagas, including such cult horror classics asPlanet Terror, Machete, Grindhouse and From Dusk Till Dawn, upon which El Rey Network’s hit television show, “From Dusk Till Dawn:  The Series” is based. Rodriguez is also the Founder & Chairman of El Rey Network, a 24-hour, general entertainment English-language cable channel which debuted in the U.S. in December 2013.

“Robert Rodriguez’ genius in pushing the boundaries of the horror genre is a perfect pairing for ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ as we continue to intensify our event with the most credible horror voices within the entertainment industry,” said John Murdy, Creative Director for Universal Studios Hollywood and Executive Producer of “Halloween Horror Nights.” “This radical new maze will give fans of ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ an unprecedented opportunity to experience the show’s Mesoamerican mythology and will come to life with the same attention to detail and production value that Robert’s work is known for.”

“Robert Rodriguez’s vision of ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ has translated so well into a maze experience,” said Michael Aiello, Director of Entertainment - Creative Development, Universal Orlando Resort.  “We will feature the over-the-top gore that the show does so well and our guests will come face-to-face with Robert’s unique and wickedly cool take on the vampire mythos that is completely authentic to the show. From the Nightclub interiors to the inner sanctum of its tombs, these bloodthirsty beasts will be everywhere and have a thirst that can’t be quenched.”

Universal Studios’ “Halloween Horror Nights” events have a more than 20-year history of creating incredibly entertaining, horrifying Halloween experiences that are consistently rated the nation’s best. The events on each coast feature highly-themed, disturbingly real, haunted mazes based on everything from films to nightmares – and streets filled with hundreds of specially trained “scareactors.” In addition to the “From Dusk Till Dawn” maze, other announced mazes include, “The Walking Dead:  The End of the Line.”

To learn more about the “From Dusk Till Dawn” maze featuring Robert Rodriguez and the series cast members, click here:  "From Dusk till Dawn" maze announcement video and here"From Dusk till Dawn" cast Q&A

About Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios HollywoodSM, The Entertainment Capital of L.ASM. includes a full-day, movie-based theme park and Studio Tour; the CityWalk entertainment, shopping and dining complex, the Universal CityWalk Cinemas and the “5 Towers” state-of-the-art outdoor concert venue.  World-class rides and attractions include the popular “Despicable Me Minion Mayhem” family adventure ride, the intense, award-winning ride, “King Kong 360 3-D” on the famed behind-the-scenes Studio Tour, the critically-acclaimed mega-attraction, “Transformers™:  The Ride-3D,” “The Simpsons Ride™,” “Revenge of the MummySM—The Ride,”and “Jurassic Park® —The Ride.”

Updates on “Halloween Horror Nights” at Universal Studios Hollywood are available online at HalloweenHorrorNights.com/Hollywood and on Facebook at: “Halloween Horror Nights – Hollywood,” on Instagram at @HorrorNights and Twitter at @HorrorNights as Creative Director John Murdy reveals a running chronicle of exclusive information. Watch videos on Halloween Horror Nights YouTube and join the conversation using #UniversalHHN.

Universal Studios Hollywood is part of NBCUniversal, a Comcast company. Follow Universal Studios Hollywood on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About Universal Orlando Resort

Vacation like you mean it at Universal Orlando Resort – where every heart pounding, jaw-dropping, goose-bumping second counts.  It is the only place where you can turn spending time with your family into spending time as a family. Together, you can soar above Hogwarts with Harry Potter, swing above the streets with Spider-Man, become a Minion in the hilarious and heartwarming Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ride, and join Optimus Prime in the fight to save mankind on the new mega-attraction, TRANSFORMERS: The Ride – 3D. And, coming this summer, you can step into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley.

Universal Orlando Resort is home to two incredible theme parks: Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure; four magnificently themed on-site hotels: Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort and the newest addition, Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort; and Universal CityWalk - a nighttime entertainment complex featuring a collection of nightclubs, restaurants and shops. And located just minutes from Universal Orlando Resort is Wet n’ Wild, Orlando’s premier waterpark.

Tickets and vacation packages for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando are on sale now at HalloweenHorrorNights.com\Orlando. More information about the event will be available soon. Updates on Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights are available on Facebook at Halloween Horror Nights – Universal Orlando and on Instagram at@HorrorNightsORL. Plus, fans can get exclusive updates from Creative Development Director Mike Aiello on Twitter at @HorrorNightsORL.

Universal Orlando Resort is part of NBCUniversal, a Comcast company. Follow Universal Orlando Resort on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About El Rey Network:

El Rey Network is a new English language network founded by maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. Curated by Rodriguez and his artistic collective, the network unites the most culturally diverse generation in history through fearless, badass and original content that awakens the renegade in everyone. The network's action-packed content is anchored by original signature dramas, feature films, grindhouse genre, cult classic action, and horror/sci-fi.

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We headed up to Universal Studios Hollywood this week to bring you an extensive update on the plethora of projects currently going on in the park. 

In addition, the new Starbucks has opened on the lower lot , the new pedestrian bridge is getting started and work is continuing on the new hotel that is replacing Fung Lum. 

The pace of the construction for Hogsmeade and Springfield continues to amaze us every time we head into the park. Just since our last mini-update this area looks a lot different. 

As a result of all of the construction, the Shrek 4-D queue has been consolidated a bit. 

As the area takes shape, the Flintstones Bar-B-Q continues to look more out of place. But the park needs the food location for now. 

With how close Springfield and Hogsmeade are to each other it's going to be interesting to see how they deal with the separation of them both. 

Can it just be open already? 

The building for Forbidden Journey and Hogwarts is starting to get closed off which should start freeing them up to work on more of the Hogsmeade buildings. 

Walls are starting to go up on the huge frame. 

As you can see to the right of the building, they still have a LOT of room to play with

A close up of the building. I don't really see anything other than steel, but if anybody notices anything of significance starting to take shape, by all means share it in the comments. 

Some Horror Nights construction is already going on, hard to believe in just about 2 1/2 months it's going to be time to get scared!! 

Down on the lower lot near Jurassic Park. Still can't tell what the maze theme is going to be.

The facade is obviously a house, but that doesn't really tell us much since pretty much every maze in this spot has had a similar facade. 

Stage 747 continues to get worked on, but I doubt it's a Boxtrolls maze. 

Heading over to the Terror Tram, not sure if this is a prop or it's just full of props. 

The terror tram path

Looks like they were doing some brush clearing

Hopefully we'll get some HHN news very soon. 

New York Street on the Upper Lot recently got some work done on the outside facades and it looks nice. 

Little things like this go a long way from looking at Universal Studios as a "Studios" park with some themed elements and looking at it as a "theme park'. 

There are a lot of "little things" going on around the park including an all-new Starbucks on the lower lot. 

This new Wait Times board was new to me, staffed by a couple of the great Universal Employees like Billy. 

Down on the lower lot, the new Starbucks is open

While I'm personally happy to have a Starbucks inside the park, sadly once you enter the store it's basically just a "Starbucks". There is no Universal themeing inside. Not even any movie posters promoting upcoming releases. 

The inside is also pretty small, but employees were doing a great job of keeping up as there was a bit of a line. Hopefully they'll add some kind of themeing down the line. 

Also, the Starbucks App/Starbucks card isn't accepted although you do get your AP discount. Drink and Food prices are in-line with a standard Starbucks. With the AP discount it's a bit less than your local Starbucks. 

Heading outside the park for a minute, the pedestrian bridge from the Metro Red Line station has started construction. 

Just from this one picture you can see that this bridge is needed and LONG overdue. 

As somebody who likes to take the Red Line I'm excited about this. Of course, this is assuming you can actually find parking at the red-line lots to be able to take the train. 

Hopefully a more permanent solution for getting people up and down the hill is coming. Currently there is a tram that runs about every 5-10 minutes. Or you can walk up the hill as I did. It's a nice little work out. 

Of course, since it was about 90 degrees I headed straight for Jurassic Park (still my favorite ride in the park). 

With the Single-Rider line, it was about 30 seconds. 

The summer splash fountains are on, so you get pretty soaked. 

A couple of quick tram notes, first, as always, lets check the production schedule. 

My favorite summer show AGT is being heavily promoted. But enough with the re-runs already. 

I found this kind of interesting ... this is the name of Meg Ryan's character in "You've Got Mail" (Don't ask how I knew that) and they just announced that her and Tom Hanks were going to be doing another movie together. Probably just a coincidence, but who knows. 

While not really paying attention to the Flash Flood I noticed this on the other side. 

I hadn't ridden on this side of the tram since Jaws reopened, so here is a shark picture. 

Noticed a LOT of tree trimming going on between Wisteria Lane and the Grinch sets. Hmmm. 

While on the subject of Wisteria Lane ... I think it's really time to ditch the Desperate Housewives spiel. The show's been off the air for 2 years now. 

Speaking of things that need to be re-done ... War of the Worlds is almost 10 years old. So old that there are actually cassette tapes in the crash scene. Kids, if you don't know what these are, ask your parents. =)

Just a couple of Fast and Furious pics for today. I didn't make it over to get overhead shots while we were there. We'll make sure we do that next time. 

Lastly, work is continuing on the new hotel where Fung Lum used to be. Not much to see yet. 

That's going to wrap it up for this look at Universal Studios Hollywood. It may be awhile until our next update as we are actually blocked-out for the rest of July (starting on July 11th). Make sure you check your AP's for block out days before heading to the park. We had originally planned on going on the 11th (oops). 

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CoasterMatt headed up to Universal Studios Hollywood just before the holiday last week and made sure to take some great pictures of all of the ongoing work going on at the park. 

Just a few pictures for today, we should have a bigger update for you in the next week or so including pictures of the all-new Starbucks that recently opened on the Lower Lot. 


If you'd like to see more of Matt's great pictures, you can check out his Flickr page. 

We'll start off with a picture of Forbidden Journey. It continues to grow at an alarming rate. It may look like a big box of nothing right now, but probably not for much longer. 

Springfield continues to take shape. You can see some of the Hogsmeade buildings to the left. 

Not Diagon Alley ... err ... Fast and Furious Supercharged. 

Down below, maze stuff is starting to take shape. No idea what maze this is yet but this is the location of Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2012) and Insidious (2013) among others. 

Looks like it could be a house of some kind? Doesn't really tell us much. 

Stage 747 continues to be worked on for HHN. I doubt this is going to be some kind of Airplane themed maze ... insert your favorite Airplane Quote in the comments below. Our favorite may get something special.

And that's it for this update. We know it's Monday and you are hard at work so we didn't want to take up too much of your time. 

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