Looking For A Good Scare?

It's Halloween season, folks! The relentless masked killers from Rogue Pictures’ horror-thriller hit, “The Strangers,” will make their theme park debut with vivid appearances in “House of Horrors: Meet the Strangers,” one of many terror-filled mazes featured in Universal Studios Hollywood’s ”Halloween Horror Nights” event, beginning on Friday, October 3.

“The Strangers” deadly stalkers, “Doll Face,” “Pin Up Girl” and “The Man in the Mask,” will join a “murderers’ row” of Universal notorious celluloid creature that includes The Wolf Man, The Mummy, Frankenstein’s Monster, Chucky and “Psycho’s” Mother Bates.

There will be no escaping “The Strangers” at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights event. The deadly masked creatures will also be found stealthily roaming the dark byways of the park in their own “scare zones.”

A torturous playground for horror fans, this year’s “Halloween Horror Nights” will also feature a rare and exclusive first look at Universal Pictures’ highly anticipated re-imagining of the genre classic, "The Wolfman," debuting on LED screens aboard the “Terror Tram: The Nightmare Tour.” The “Terror Tram,” unique to Universal Studios Hollywood, expands this year to double the length of previous Halloween tram experiences.

"Halloween Horror Nights" begins on Friday, October 3 and will extend over an expanded 13-night run concluding Saturday, November 1. Tickets to "Halloween Horror Nights" are on sale now at www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com

Universal Studios Hosts Horror Film Contest

“Where Nightmares Come Alive” is the theme for Universal Studios Hollywood’s first Halloween short film competition, a virtual film festival timed to coincide with the launch of the annual Halloween Horror Nights event that will invade the Entertainment Capital of L.A. for 13 nights this October.

Prospective filmmakers are invited to submit 90 seconds to three minute film shorts on DVD that support the theme, “Where Nightmares Come Alive.” Selected films will be judged by a panel of horror industry professionals including director Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever) and actor Bill Moseley (Repo! The Genetic Opera, The Devil’s Rejects) as well as Universal Studios Hollywood executives. Criteria will be suspense, relevance to theme and overall “chill” factor. The top 10 shorts will be posted online from September 10 – 22 for public voting. Additional information on rules and regulations is available online at www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com/Nightmares. All entries must be received by September 3, 2008.

The winning “Where Nightmares Come Alive” film will be announced on September 25th and the filmmaker(s) will enjoy a screening at Halloween Horror Nights “Eyegore Awards” ceremony in front of celebrities, studio executives and media, tickets to the event and a $1,000.00 cash prize. The “Eyegore Awards” salute actors, directors, writers and musicians for their significant contributions to the horror and sci-fi genre. Past recipients have included: Janet Leigh, Roger Corman, Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, Clive Barker, Patricia Arquette, Jennifer Tilly, Stephen Sommers, Joss Whedon, Karen Black, Corey Feldman and Shawnee Smith.

This year’s “Halloween Horror Nights” kicks off on Friday, October 3rd and will breath life into the horror classics "A Nightmare on Elm Street," "Friday the 13th" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” It will redefine the “Terror Tram” as guests navigate an interactive environment within the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park and a haunted backlot amid the Psycho House, Bates Motel and “War of the Worlds” film set.

Fire burns Universal Studios sets

A huge fire tore through a lot at Universal Studios Sunday, destroying a King Kong exhibit, a set from "Back to the Future," a video vault and a streetscape used in many movies and TV shows. It was the second fire in nearly two decades to hit the site.

Officials at Universal said there were no serious injuries and that the damaged footage can be replaced.

"We have duplicates of everything," said NBC Universal President and Chief Operating Officer Ron Meyer. "Nothing is lost forever."

According to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Michael Freeman, the fire broke out on at 4:30 a.m. on a sound stage and was contained to the New York-themed lot. Several hours lated 400 firefighters were still trying to extinguish the flames.

"It looked like a disaster film," said Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge.

The cause of the fire is unknown, and damage is estimated in the millions of dollars.

MTV has announced that the 2008 MTV Movies Awards will still go on as scheduled Sunday night at the Gibson Amphitheatre, which is in the adjacent Universal CityWalk.