UNIVERSAL CITY, United States, Sept 9, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - Universal Studios
Hollywood is notorious for its spooky annual Halloween transformation, when a
series of ghoulish interactive "mazes" inspired by classic horror films pop
up around the California theme park.

  While last year's "Halloween Horror Nights" were canceled due to the real-
life terror of Covid-19, organizers are betting that customers in 2021 will
be more in the mood for an evening of frights than ever before.

  "Horror always does extremely well in the most challenging of times,"
creative director John Murdy told AFP on a recent behind-the-scenes tour.

  "The 'Universal Monsters' movies... when were they made? 'Frankenstein'
1931. 'Dracula' 1931. 'The Mummy' 1932. 'Bride of Frankenstein' 1935."

  That remarkable string of seminal spine-chillers is often credited with
saving the Universal Pictures studio from bankruptcy during the Great
Depression -- the worst economic collapse in US history.

  "These were huge hit movies in their day," said Murdy. "Horror always
speaks to the present fears of society, and it becomes an escape."

  Visitors -- seeking goosebumps and gore, or otherwise -- have already been
welcomed by theme parks around Los Angeles, which mostly reopened in April
after a year in which Covid-19 ravaged the second-largest city in the United
States.

  California Governor Gavin Newsom chose Universal Studios Hollywood as the
site for his June "reopening day" event, which celebrated the ending of
nearly all Covid-19 restrictions, although some measures such as mask-wearing
have since been restored.

  Masks are not a problem inside this year's Halloween mazes, where most
performers are already clad in elaborate face coverings as they transform
into zombies, vampires and Frankenstein's monsters.

  - Ladies' fright night -

  One of this year's mazes, called "The Bride of Frankenstein Lives," is a
brand-new sequel to the 1935 movie.

  It imagines that the monster's undead mate survives the film and works to
bring him back to life again in a makeshift lab -- donning a handy surgical
mask as she carries out her experiments.

  "It's an extra creative challenge," said Murdy, of the Covid-19 measures.

  Along with the usual gallons of fake blood, rumbling sound effects and
special smoke and light effects, the maze contains real movie props from a
more recent Universal horror -- 2004's "Van Helsing" starring Hugh Jackman as
the monster hunter.

  Murdy was inspired to give the Bride of Frankenstein her own maze because
she only appears for "about five minutes" in the 1935 film.

  In a departure from the usual canon of horror movies, "Bride of
Frankenstein" is part of a bid to highlight the genre's often overlooked
female characters, featuring terrifying hordes of Dracula's daughters.

  The maze exits into a "scare zone" in which the She-Wolf of London can be
found roaming.

  Other female-centered installments this year include an "Exorcist"
attraction, and a new "Haunting of Hill House" experience based on the
Netflix TV series.

  "I have a six-year-old daughter, and I wanted to create those female
characters for my kids," said Murdy, who had the help of fellow horror fan
Slash from Guns N' Roses for the maze's soundtrack.

  "Horror teaches us how to deal with our own fears in our everyday lives,"
Murdy added.