Yesterday, Daily Dead headed out to Universal Studios Hollywood for their launch event in honor of the park’s newest attraction that celebrates AMC’s hit series The Walking Dead. For years, walkers and their human counterparts from the show have been a huge part of Universal’s Horror Nights in the fall, but now John Murdy and special effects legend Greg Nicotero are bringing the thrills and chills of The Walking Dead world to the park all year round, which is really cool (especially after losing the House of Horrors in 2015) and is no doubt something fans of the show should experience for themselves.
Right before we had the chance to head into the maze itself, The Walking Dead event was interrupted by none other than Negan himself (well, the version of Negan that will be terrorizing folks at Universal), who kicked things off with a proverbial bang, as shown in our footage and photos from the event to give you a look at what to expect from The Walking Dead attraction once it opens to the public on Monday, July 4th.
I won’t ruin too many of the surprises that await you upon entering The Walking Dead maze, but it was mentioned at the launch event that the attraction will be updated regularly to reflect the latest seasons, and I love that commitment to keeping things unexpected for fans. The maze itself is incredibly detailed (we were greeted by a voiceover from Negan, a fantastic nod to this last season) and you have to make your way through several different environments before you’re finally safe from the clutches of The Wolves. It’s not nearly as intense as The Walking Dead mazes we’ve seen at Horror Nights (it’s meant to be for guests 13 and up), but that doesn’t mean it still isn’t a lot of fun, as I had a blast doing my best to avoid walkers at every turn.
Also, the animatronic work is top-notch, and when you get to the scene with walkers dangling inside the backs of trucks, be sure to really take a look at that work in particular, because as a special effects geek, I loved that room.
Check out our photo gallery and brief video below, and if you’re either in the Los Angeles area or are planning to be out that way in the near future, absolutely be sure to visit The Walking Dead attraction at Universal, as it’s evident from just one walk-through that a lot of living dead love was put into this endeavor. I honestly cannot wait to go back again later this year.
Heather A. Wixson was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, until she followed her dreams and moved to Los Angeles in 2009. A 14-year veteran in the world of horror entertainment journalism, Wixson fell in love with genre films at a very early age, and has spent more than a decade as a writer and supporter of preserving the history of horror and science fiction cinema. Throughout her career, Wixson has contributed to several notable websites, including Fangoria, Dread Central, Terror Tube, and FEARnet, and she currently serves as the Managing Editor for Daily Dead, which has been her home since 2013. She's also written for both Fangoria Magazine & ReMind Magazine, and her latest book project, Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume One will be released on October 20, 2021.
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