Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank has an incredible studio tour in the day, but opened some of the nights for Horror Made Here for the Halloween season. This was the third year for the event which ended last night, so if you missed it, you can try next year. The ticket was very affordable compared to a rival theme park Halloween event. I compare it against the price of Disneyland ticket and this was less, not two and half times more. There is a security check and tram ride from the studio tour complex. You have your ticket scanned after a queue area of carnival rides. The entrance was filled with scare actor clowns. There was a drop ride in the center of the square and a stage with a dj. I was drawn to the house with the Joker, it had the Batmobile from Justice League parked outside, this was Escape from Arkham Asylum. It is based on the Batman: Arkham Asylum game from 2009 by Rocksteady Studios. I think Arkham Asylum was in the same building as Rosewood High School from Pretty Little Liars.
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Escape from Arkham, Warner Bros Horror Made Here, photo by the author.
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After you enter the gate, it leads up the steps to the asylum, paintings on the walls have been upgraded with Joker black light paint. Then, you get the photo op that is an inmate mugshot with the identification placard. Afterwards, you are lined up, the first time was by Dr. Harleen Quinzel, and later in the night, it was Harley Quinn. I like both, but it makes more sense with Dr. Quinzel. She leads you past Arkham Security with an empty desk to the courtroom of the Joker. He rules from a podium far above you and your fellow inmates, Dr. Quinzel brings you in, to get a welcome and introduction to the asylum by the Clown Prince of Crime. Next, you are taken to an elevator, from somewhere a female inmate appears to yell at you.
Then, you are taken past cells of inmates, the Riddler is there swiping at you with his question mark cane, there is visitor windows that seem to be crawling with insects! You continue on past a go go dancer in a cage. In a long cage is Two Face who menaces you with a cane that sparks against the cage! The next room has a wall of guns with the Penguin and the massive, man-eating plant of Poison Ivy. There is a hall with the tilted neon doors that made me kinda dizzy. This leads to the clown henchmen of the Joker, then the Joker himself, he points the way out. On the way out, you get a surprise and send off by Harley Quinn! I absolutely loved this house and everyone in it. Escape from Arkham Asylum is the ultimate Batman experience.
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The Joker, Escape from Arkham, photo by the author.
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Outside of the IT house is two photo ops, one in front of a ruined house with Georgie, the young boy victim at the beginning of the movie, in his yellow rain coat and red balloon. The other is with the sewer grate and Pennywise grinning from within. The IT Knows What Scares You house was next. No cellphones pics were allowed in this one. You enter the house, lights flicker, a man is frozen in terror in his chair. A headless man stumbles past you. There is the blood-covered bathroom with Beverly Marsh pleading for help. You walk out of the house and the mist where Georgie screams, “You’ll float too!” Henry Bowers taunts you. You re-enter the house and walk past severed limbs, creepy, and then slabs of meat. You walk outside and see the leper man groaning at you. Then, back into the house with red balloons, honestly the balloons creeped me out.
Georgie has you pick one of the three doors. Then into a room of clowns, wish there was a giggling sound, there is a clown who swiped at my eyes. You enter the lair of Pennywise with the floating body of Beverly Marsh. This finishes with Pennywise himself, but he was behind me so I wasn’t scared. So the timing wasn’t perfect for me. Then, I went to the Conjuring Universe house, this was a 45 minute wait since each room has a show component. In the queue area there is some headstones and the witch’s hanging body. Before you enter the house, to the left porch, Annabelle appears from the darkness, great effect that had the group ahead of me scream. The first room has bodies under sheets.
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Annabelle outside of the Conjuring Universe house, photo by the author.
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The guide with glasses prepares you and is going to take you to the Relic Room, but warns not to touch anything. This is a recreation of the basement room of the Warrens. A new guide, who is an expert, checks out the case, but Annabelle is missing. She leads you to the house on the other side with a new guide. Annabelle is there in a rocking chair. There is a wardrobe and some spirit drags a screaming victim back. I always wanted a scare actor to pretend to be part of a group and then attacked so you don't know if you are next. Then, you have to walk into the wardrobe, Carolyn is sitting with a sheet over her head, then starts screaming and twitching. I lost all rational thought then and just held up my arms as I walked through. I have been to Universal Studio Horror Nights and Knott's Scary Farm and the scares are usually grabs at your eyes or chainsaw sounds, but this was mental terror that I just lost it.
You end by the stairs and there is a picture of the Nun and an old man in a chair. A shadow moves to the picture, fingers appear on it, and the Nun races toward you and the old man rises from the chair! This was the most terrified I’ve been in any maze. I next went to Stage 48: Script to Scream which is part of the regular studio tour. There were displays of Tim Burton films. Costumes from Mars Attacks! (1996) and Sweeney Todd (2007), the outfits of Lydia with the Handbook of the Recently Deceased on a shelf, and the costumes of the Maitlands from Beetlejuice (1988). Across from them is the red wedding tux of Beetlejuice. There is also the lobster glove hand and a model of the town. I haven’t been to the studio in some time so it was great to see the costumes of Supergirl, The Flash, and Arrow.
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Jason at Nightmare at Camp Crystal Lake, photo by the author.
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The last area I saved for last since it was closing early, Nightmare on Camp Crystal Lake, there is a bit of a wait to board a tram that takes you to another part of the studio. There is bamboo stalks and a Camp Crystal Lake banner. Mist covers the lake and there is a dock, a woman is there, she screams and the water thrashes as Jason appears! He walks out of the lake with his machete. I’ve seen this in countless Friday the 13th films, but to be there in the woods, at night, with nothing around you is something else. You see tents, a burning house with a shadowy figure, Freddy Krueger appears. A woman runs past, Jason walks towards you, it is freaky with the echoing voice and pulsing music. It is all corny in a movie, but hear it at night, in a "forest." A victim is pined to a tree with archery targets below him. Then, you enter a cabin, there are rows of beds, a body is pined to the doorway. Bodies hang from the ceiling, Freddy threatens you, and more dead bodies are around a room.
Then, Jason, backlit stands before the exit. The beginning was spooky, but the house was regular scares to me. The tram back drops you off at Stage 48. I will say I like the scare actors wandering the square especially the bride with the bloody eye. Later, Jason and Freddy walked the square. Georgie wandered from the photo op and through the Arkham Asylum line. One of the best parts of Horror Made Here is that if you want a photo of a character or scare actor just wait. Groups of fifteen or so are in the houses there is some time in between to get a good pic. I saw people waiting at the exit of IT who took pics with Pennywise and of course the pics I took some in houses and some outside. This doesn't happen all of the time at other Halloween events. The drinks were water, lemonade, and sodas which was kinda disappointing with no ice tea or other drinks. The Lost Boys arcade had only a few basic games. You can develop your photo ops, but I was too tired at the end of the night. I absolutely loved the entire experience and hope you can go sometime!
#WarnerBrosStudioTour, #HorrorMadeHere, #EscapefromArkhamAsylum, ConjuringUniverse
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