The Walking Dead Attraction Review!
Jondee here at Woodbury,
The Walking Dead mazes are incredible at Halloween Horror Nights. Now, there is the Walking Dead Attraction all year round at Universal Studios Hollywood. It officially opened on July 4th for the summer season. First I’ll note that I love Walking Dead, the first season, the following seasons departed from the comic book and turned into it’s own. The attraction opened at 11 a.m. It is set in the London street that leads down to the Despicable Me: Minion Me attraction. I thought that Universal had it with the upper level for shows and kid attractions, but Walking Dead is a little off the beaten path. I like the smashed helicopter and the queue with covered corpses and darkened hallways. I had the shudder from HHN with the short circuiting lights, but I hoped there would be more HHN touches like slamming fists on walls sounds, cobwebs, and even the chainsaw. You see the Harrison Memorial Hospital from season one complete with “Don’t Open Dead Inside” warning. There is a line and groups are let in, but this has the shortest wait time, 10 mins., of any attraction at Universal.
The maze has an assortment of video screens, brilliant use of Walkers and shadowy figures, fallen Walkers mannequins, and actors as Walkers and heroes defending the West Georgia Correctional Facility, season 3 and 4. One blasts Walkers on the level above you and urges you to move on while he provides covering fire. There is the Bicycle Girl, a burning cabin, and Walkers at every corner. I love the cage of Walkers, you know one is going to reach out to grab you, and of course the heavy carwash drapes that need to part to move on. If you get confused, I saw one exit, there are cast members to guide you on. You can take photos, but not flash, don’t recommend it, instead have fun walking the maze. This is a fun walk through, not intense like HHN, but a great improvement over the Van Helsing maze that went past its prime. Still, I would hope that there were props and costumes from the show at the end or in the queue.