Yes, it’s still August—but Halloween is already in the air at Universal Studios Hollywood. Recently io9 was invited to a “lights-on” (not operating at full spooky capacity) tour of two of the theme park’s Halloween Horror Nights attractions: “The Horrors of Blumhouse,” featuring The Black Phone and Freaky, and “The Universal Monsters: Legends Collide.”
Led by HHN West creative director John Murdy, the tour included first looks at the set pieces (including some extremely gruesome props), and hints about where to find the Easter eggs, for those who will be looking while running from the various resident monsters. There are definitely some spoilers here if you’re planning a visit and would rather go in blind, but if you’d like a preview of where the scares may occur to brace yourself—or simply want to get a behind the scenes look at how these cinematic worlds are recreated for this Halloween event—keep reading!