Universal Studios Unveils ‘The Last of Us’ House for 2023 Halloween Horror Nights
The Last of Us is set to unleash its “infected” on Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights.
The Naughty Dog and PlayStation award-winning video game set in a postapocalyptic America, overrun by mutated fungus-infected humans, will come to life as a haunted house beginning Sept. 1 at Universal Orlando Resort and Sept. 7 at Universal Studios Hollywood. The house, the first to be announced as part of the 2023 event, arrives amid the game’s 10th anniversary year.
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“As a massive fan — and frequent attendee — of Halloween Horror Nights, we are honored to have The Last of Us included in this year’s lineup. It has been an incredible thrill for us at Naughty Dog to collaborate with Universal, bringing the world of the game to life, focusing on even the tiniest details that our fans know so well,” Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann said.
Guests on both coasts will have to survive a brutal journey of carnage and mayhem alongside fellow hardened survivors and the game’s protagonists, Joel and Ellie, while navigating the Pittsburgh Quarantine Zone. Inside, fans will glimpse iconic game locations including The Hotel Grand and a labyrinth of dark and dank tunnels, and come face-to-face with terrifying Clickers, Raiders, Runners and Stalkers, as well as the band of hostile humans known as The Hunters.
“We are excited to bring The Last of Us to life in a terrifying haunted house that is true to the spirit of this popular video game featuring our heroes, Joel and Ellie, Clickers and more,” said Lora Sauls, assistant director, creative development and show direction at Universal Orlando Resort.
“The world inside the game offers a multitude of suspenseful and horrifying opportunities to provide guests with a one-of-a-kind experience that can only be found at Halloween Horror Nights,” added John Murdy, executive producer of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood.
The popular game, which debuted in June 2013, garnered wins at the WGA Awards, Annie Awards, British Academy Video Games Awards, D.I.C.E. Awards and Game Developers Choice Awards, among other honors. Earlier this year, HBO aired the debut season of a TV adaptation starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
Halloween Horror Nights, which began at Universal Orlando in 1991 and at Universal Studios Hollywood in 1997, is an annual event featuring both IP-based and original houses and horror attractions. Recent years have featured houses themed around The Weeknd’s After Hours album, Halloween and Black Phone, The Walking Dead, classic Universal Monsters, American Horror Story and Nope‘s Jupiter’s Claim set, which was added to the Hollywood park’s backlot tour.
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