Summary
- The Last of Us video game is being brought to life at Halloween Horror Nights, giving fans the chance to experience the scares and action of the game in a haunted house.
- The focus on the game rather than the TV series allows for a more intense horror experience, with clickers and jump-scare gameplay being a highlight.
- The haunted house is a perfect opportunity to revisit the beloved original game while also introducing it to new fans who can step into the world of The Last of Us in an immersive way. The Pittsburgh quarantine zone provides a fitting backdrop with plenty of dangers to encounter.
It's spooky season at Universal, with all-new haunted house experiences coming to life for Halloween Horror Nights, where fans will be able to walk into one of the most popular games of all time, The Last of Us. The video game first debuted ten years ago but is still highly acclaimed by critics and fans alike for its impressive narrative, characters, and scares. The Last of Us continues to grow in popularity after being adapted into a television series earlier this year.
Screen Rant attended a press event that gave a sneak peek behind the curtain of Universal's new Halloween Horror Nights haunted house experiences. Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood creative director John Murdy discussed working with Neil Druckmann and Naughty Dog to bring the world of The Last of Us to life in the new haunted house, basing it not on the HBO series but on the acclaimed video game. Specifically, the attraction takes place within the confines of the Pittsburgh quarantine zone from the first video game. Check out Murdy's full quote below:
John Murdy: This is based exclusively on the video game. When we first met with Neil Druckmann and his team from Naughty Dog and asked him, "It's a big world, and what did you specifically want to focus on?" He very much wanted to focus on the first game, and specifically the Pittsburgh section within that game. So our entire house is set within the Pittsburgh quarantine zone. So when we were trying to pick what we would focus on for the facade to us, it was pretty obvious that we should do this, which is the entrance to the Pittsburgh quarantine zone or military zone, because it telegraphs right out front to anybody who might not be familiar with the game that we're in Pittsburgh.
Focusing On The Last Of Us Game Is The Right Call For Halloween Horror Nights
Halloween Horror Nights has grown into a massive celebration of horror, with beloved franchises coming to life through haunted houses and encounters as well as original stories meant to terrify fans. While The Last of Us series on HBO captured audiences' attention, the game leans more heavily into the action and horror elements, with clickers popping out and attacking players at every turn. This horror and jump-scare-style gameplay is the perfect set-up for a haunted house.
While The Last of Us series is a truly impressive adaptation in how it brings the world to life and retells Joel and Ellie's story, it focuses more on their character development and their relationship. Of course, clickers and other dangers are a huge part of the narrative, but it doesn't have the same level of scares as the game. This is also the perfect year to celebrate the original game, which debuted for PlayStation 3 ten years ago in 2013.
Halloween Horror Nights is the perfect opportunity to bring fans back to the original game that so many fell in love with while also introducing newer fans to the experience. The Last of Us house will undoubtedly bring in fans of the series who have never played the game but will get to experience it in a way never before seen as they step into the world. The Pittsburgh quarantine zone is the perfect backdrop for The Last of Us house with countless dangers for visitors to encounter, including the iconic clickers.