Halloween Horror Nights 2012: La Llorona Makes Its Return

Universal Studios Hollywood announces the chilling return of ‘La Llorona,’ the fearful story of melancholy and murder that has terrified Mexican and Latin American children for generations, to its Halloween Horror Nights event of authentically disturbing mazes.  Beginning September 21, 2012, the 500 year-old legend comes to life anew in the maze, ‘La Llorona: Cazadora de Niños’ or ‘Weeping Woman: The Child Hunter.’

‘La Llorona: Cazadora de Niños’ will feature immersive environments depicting scenes and imagery of a rural Mexican village.  This year’s maze will tell the haunting story of ‘La Llorona,’ a beautiful girl named Maria from a poor village who desperately sought to win the affection of a rich nobleman.  Rejected and grief stricken, she drowns her children in a river.  Overcome with anguish, she drowns herself in a bitter end.  According to legend, Maria’s tormented and distressed spirit wanders the earth, eternally piercing the night with mournful cries, “My children!  Where are my children?” ? giving rise to her name, ‘La Llorona’ or ‘The Weeping Woman.’  La Llorona’s frail, drenched body lurking throughout the dead of night will invariably elicit unwavering dread from the helpless village inhabitants or maze guests, as her presence signifies impending death.  

The ‘La Llorona: Cazadora de Niños’ maze will lure guests into rotting chambers and crypts flanked by decomposed and tortured souls who have met the cruel fate of death and the mournful cries of ‘La Llorona.’  The maze disturbingly journeys guests through the mind’s eye of a child’s nightmare seeded with all the dread, gore and evil that can be imagined.

“At its core, La Llorona is a ghost story so we’re building off the very successful elements of last year’s haunted attraction by adding brand new special effects that speak more to the paranormal side of the story.  It’s like tapping into a child’s imagination and creating physical manifestations of those fears.  Ultimately, we hope it leads to an even more terrifying experience,” said John Murdy, Creative Director at Universal Studios Hollywood.

“Last year we brought the legend of La Llorona to life for the first time as a maze at “Halloween Horror Nights”.  It was wildly popular with guests familiar with the story and those introduced to the legend for the very first time,” said Murdy.  “At that time, I had the opportunity to speak with many of our guests who shared their personal stories of La Llorona, particularly how she haunted their dreams as children.  I found this to be a particularly compelling perspective, and created this year’s maze to tell the story of La Llorona through the eyes of a child.”

Beginning September 21, 2012, Halloween Horror Nightswill bring 19 fear-filled nights with numerous terror-filled “Scare Zones” and unrivaled film production quality mazes uniquely themed to today’s most definitive horror properties to deliver the most compelling, spine-chilling, haunted attractions.  This year’s “Halloween Horror Nights” dates are: September 21, 22, 28, 29 and October 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 31. 

This year’s featured “Halloween Horror Nights” haunted attractions include: “The Walking Dead: Apocalypse,” based on AMC’s Golden Globe-nominated, Emmy Award-winning, series; “Welcome to Silent Hill,” based on the popular video games and film franchise; an encore performance from legendary shock rocker, Alice Cooper in a new 3D maze, “Alice Cooper Goes to Hell 3D” and a reimagined “La Llorona: Cazadora de Niños” maze based on the terrifying Mexican and Latin American legend that terrified children for centuries.  Watch the announcement videos on Universal Studios Hollywood’s YouTube Channel.  Additional mazes to be announced shortly.

Updates on “Halloween Horror Nights” are available at HalloweenHorrorNights.com and also on Twitter and Facebook, as Creative Director John Murdy reveals a running chronicle of exclusive information.  Fans are invited to follow John Murdy on Twitter at: Twitter.com/HorrorNights or via Facebook at: “Halloween Horror Nights – Hollywood”

Universal Studios Hollywood SM, The Entertainment Capital of L.A.SM, includes a full-day, movie-based theme park and Studio Tour; the CityWalk entertainment, shopping and dining complex, the Universal CityWalk Cinemas, the “5 Towers” state-of-the-art outdoor concert venue, and the Gibson Amphitheatre concert and special event arena.  World-class rides and attractions include the intense, award-winning ride, “King Kong 360 3-D” on the famed behind-the-scenes Studio Tour, “The Simpsons RideTM,” “Revenge of the MummySM —The Ride” indoor roller coaster and “Jurassic Park® —The Ride,” as well as the critically-acclaimed mega-attraction, “Transformers™: The Ride—3D.”