See iconic scenes from “The Last of Us” come to life in Universal's terrifying walkthrough attraction

If, while playing the unflinchingly terrifying video game series The Last of Us, you've ever whispered to yourself, "Wow, I wish I could exist concurrently alongside a fungal apocalypse," well, now's your chance! Universal's creative team partnered with Naughty Dog boss Neil Druckmann to bring the iconic video game series (and now Emmy-nominated HBO drama that's gearing up for season 2) to life for its 32nd annual Halloween Horror Nights event, and the result is a must-do experience for gamers, adrenaline junkies, and emotional masochists alike.

Set in the Pittsburgh quarantine zone from the 2013 game, the attraction follows a similar storyline to the iconic chapter, which sees Joel and Ellie — voiced by returning actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson in their first return to the characters since the second installment — fighting back against human hunters, zombified runners, and even a massive Bloater, all beginning immediately after Joel's truck crashes into a dilapidated building in the city (just like it does in the game).

Joey Nolfi for EW 'The Last of Us' Halloween Horror Nights maze begins in the Pittsburgh quarantine zone.

"We brainstormed different ideas, different parts of the games, but for me it was important to try to have a mini story that has a beginning, middle, and end, where you're on a journey alongside Joel and Ellie," Druckmann, a creator behind The Last of Us, tells EW at the maze's grand opening at the Universal Orlando Resort. "From the first game, this is the most iconic part. When we built the game, we started with Pittsburgh, and then kind of built outward. It's the part where Joel and Ellie are really starting to work together and rely on one another."

Mike Aiello, Senior Director of Entertainment at Universal Creative Development, confirms that he and Druckmann tried "to recreate the source material faithfully" wherever they could, down to the smallest elements.

Joey Nolfi for EW Neil Druckmann and Mike Aiello on 'The Last of Us' Halloween Horror Nights walkthrough at Universal Studios Orlando

"The tiny details we know are major details when playing the game. Finding letters, finding key cards, generators, safes, all of those things we're able to plant in," he explains. "We're not drawing a tone of focus to them, but eagle-eyed fans who love this game, when they spot something like that, it means so much that that detail was given."

Read on to see more direct references to The Last of Us inside Universal's Halloween Horror Nights attractions, running now through early November at both the Hollywood and Orlando parks.

Notes from Ish

Joey Nolfi for EW; Naughty Dog A letter from Ish in 'The Last of Us' haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights.

Just like in the games, Ish isn't physically present at Halloween Horror Nights, but his impeccable all-caps penmanship is. You'll have to really look for it (it can be difficult to spot when you're recovering from your most recent jump-scare in a dimly lit corridor), but, about halfway through the attraction, a note from the elusive Ish rests on a shelf. Even if you're paralyzed by fear, you almost certainly won't have time to read the whole thing. (Universal employees are super efficient when it comes to ushering visitors in and out.) But rest easy knowing that the maze's note from Ish is a word-for-word replica of a note Joel finds in the game.

Also, that drawing of Ish is here, too. "That same drawing started in the game, has now been in the TV show, and is now in the theme park attraction," Druckmann says with a laugh. "This one kid's drawing has transcended media."

The second coming of Kyle

Joey Nolfi for EW; Naughty Dog Kyle's body and 'they didn't suffer' message from 'The Last of Us' haunted house at Universal's Halloween Horror Nights.

As if scaring the hell out of you throughout The Last of Us maze wasn't enough, Druckmann and Aiello also wanted to make sure you didn't forget that the narrative upon which the attraction is based is also super depressing.

Fans of the game will remember stumbling across the body of Kyle, a Pittsburgh resident who, as Joel reads across the leftover notes, partners with Ish during the outbreak. As Joel discovers, things didn't end well for Kyle, who'd worked with Ish to form a community of dozens, until several of the infected breached their borders. In a final act of mercy, Kyle killed several children who hid alongside him before committing suicide, shortly after scrawling "they didn't suffer" on the floor in front of their bodies for any survivors who might find their remains.

Generators for the theme park generation

Joey Nolfi for EW 'The Last of Us' Halloween Horror Nights walkthrough at Universal Orlando Resort.

Need a power-up? The games' generators (and their yellow wires) are back, but thankfully you won't have to hit the triangle button to fully experience the tools inside The Last of Us haunted maze. Druckmann promises that he and Aiello made sure the attraction was "over-filled with detail so that players are completely immersed" in the environment, no matter how seemingly small some references to the game might be. That includes the addition of blink-and-you'll-miss-them key cards and card readers that most will breeze by as they flash with green light in the corner of a dimly lit room.

Wall art

Joey Nolfi for EW 'The Last of Us' Halloween Horror Nights walkthrough at Universal Orlando Resort.

Cordyceps abound — and binding to bodies — in The Last of Us haunted walkthrough, with Druckmann and Aiello peppering the experience's walls with brief (but no less disturbing) images of brutally disfigured human remains ensnared in fungus.

Suburban fright

Joey Nolfi for EW Neil Druckmann inside 'The Last of Us' Halloween Horror Nights walkthrough at Universal Orlando Resort.

As Druckmann envisioned from the outset, the maze ends the same way the Pittsburgh portion of the game does: in the suburbs, where a live-action Joel actor helps cover guests from incoming infected by providing a startling round of defensive gunfire from a window above. It's reassuring to have a burly protector as a lookout — at least, that's what Aiello hopes you think while staring up into Joel's eyes in the moonlight.

"That's immediately one of the hot spots," Aiello says. "At the same time, as we're drawing your eye up there, we're distracting you from the fact that there's a Bloater in this room that's going to attack. That's the subliminal nature of how we use lighting and direct eyes to things we want you to notice."

Joey Nolfi for EW 'The Last of Us' Halloween Horror Nights walkthrough at Universal Orlando Resort features a message from the Fireflies.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• The Last of Us creator teases season 2 is 'ready to go' and responds to anticipation for third game

• The Last of Us showrunner on his favorite Easter eggs — and the Chernobyl nod in the video games

• The Last of Us showrunner is already preparing for some 'furor' around season 2: 'There usually is'