House of Horrors at Universal Studios Hollywood to close September 1

You have probably already heard the news, which was first posted at Inside Universal, but here it is again: the year-round House of Horrors attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood will close its crypt on September 1. This in itself is typical, because Universal Studios revamps the walk-through for its annual Halloween Horror Nights in October; however, it now appears that the House of Horrors will not reopen after Halloween. Instead, the area will be transformed into “venue with dining, shopping and entertainment options,” according to Universal Insider.

Hollywood Gothique mourns the loss of this attraction, which not only kept Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, and The Mummy alive throughout the year, but also provided the only opportunity to savor old-fashioned Gothic horror during Halloween Horror Nights (which otherwise has come to be overrun by flavor-of-the-month monsters – i.,e, upcoming movies and shows seeking a little extra promotional boost). In fact, creative director John Murdy (a classic horror fan) specifically designed House of Horrors with Halloween in mind, turning it into as a series of rooms progressing from one horror movie scene to another, in order to “create opportunities to dramatically amp it up for Halloween.”

We enjoyed the House of Horrors in its various guises throughout the past few Halloweens (even when inappropriate characters such as Chucky and The Strangers were inserted), and the milder version during the non-October months was worth a visit now and again.

If you have never gone, you really should go now, before it is too late. Though we have found no official word from Universal, the timing of the closure suggests that House of Horrors will host one last Halloween attraction this October. We hope Universal makes it a worthy send-off.