Evil Dead, Rocky Horror Picture Show coming to Halloween Horror Nights 23

At midnight Eastern Time, John Murdy, the creative director of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, tweeted:

Just confirmed: @EvilDead maze coming to HHN 2013!

It was confirmed shortly after by the official HHN Orlando twitter account (@UORHHN) that the Evil Dead maze would also be making an appearance on the East Coast.

This announcement came after a day of heavy speculation that started when a photo leaked of a flyer that is included with the DVD/Blu-Ray of Evil Dead (which was released today, July 16). The flyer includes details of a contest in which the winner can receive a trip to experience the “Evil Dead Maze” at Universal Studios Hollywood or Universal Orlando Resort.

This particular Evil Dead haunted house will be based on the Evil Dead remake that was released to theaters on April 5, 2013. The Evil Dead franchise is a cult favorite horror franchise that started with the original Evil Dead from 1983. That version of Evil Dead, along with its two sequels (Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness) were directed by Sam Raimi, who most recently directed Disney’s Oz the Great and Powerful. Raimi produced the Evil Dead remake, and even though the new film is for all intents and purposes a complete reboot of the franchise, if you watch all the way through until the end of the credits you will see a reference to the previous films.

So far Evil Dead and The Cabin in the Woods are the only officially announced houses for Halloween Horror Nights 23. Strangely enough, both movies are based around the horror movie trope of young adults being terrorized while staying at a cabin.

This week we also learned that Universal is hiring actors and performers for two shows that will be held during HHN23. One of the shows is the returning favorite “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure,” while the other is a Rocky Horror Picture Show tribute. The Bill and Ted show will more than likely take place in its usual home at the Fear Factor Live stage, while The Rocky Horror Picture Show tribute will probably take over the Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue stage (which was used last year by the horror magician show “20 Penny Circus.”)

Halloween Horror Nights is Universal Orlando Resort’s signature event and runs on select nights between September 20 and November 2, 2013. See Universal Orlando’s Official Halloween Horror Nights page for details.