Universal's Hollywood Horror Nights - Full of Distasteful Sexual Content

Last night, we took a trip to the Hollywood Horror Night at Universal Studios. I plan to write the Universal Studios theme park a detailed letter of my disgust, requesting a refund.

We went with a few college friends of ours, as well as a couple of teenagers. The Universal website promoting the event says, "This event may be too intense for young children. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13." I assumed that this was because of the graphic violence. Both of the teenagers we brought were over 13 years old, and were not easily scared. I did not realize that we would be exposing them to graphic sexual content, bordering on pornography.

First we rode the tram. They let you off on the back lot for a haunted house scene of sorts, utilizing sets of movies. While it was scary, it wasn't anything I didn't expect. Then we decided to go see some of the shows.
Having previously visited Universal Studios during the day last summer, we had seen the "Fear Factor Live" show, and figured it would be something we would all enjoy. At the beginning of the show, they give a very brief audio disclaimer informing you that the show contains some "adult content" which may not be suitable for young children, and suggesting that you may want to leave before the show starts if you think you may be offended. However, the lights then immediately go out, and the show starts.

The show starts off with two young women and two young men doing a very sexual dance. It reminded me very much of something one would see in a strip club. All four dancers were scantily clad- the girls basically in bikini bottoms, and the men in nothing but their underwear. Then, at the end of the dance, one of the girls pulls her t-shirt off and throws it into the crowd, continuing the show in her bra.

Then the "Fear Factor" part of the show starts, with actors portraying the "celebrity characters," Satan, Paris Hilton, Sadam, and Michael Jackson. They start showing a video of the judges, with each of them mentioning how they are hoping to bang Paris Hilton and Michael Jackson in a threesome. As the "competition" continues, a scantily clad "Lindsey Lohan" and "Jessica Simpson" come out to have a bitch fight.

Following the fight, one of the judges, "Howard Stern," gets slaughtered, and the two hosts come back out with his body parts. One of them has a dummy of Harold's head in his hand and says, "I got his head." Then the other one holds up a fake penis and says, "No, I'm pretty sure I got his head," and opens his mouth as the other host replies, "Don't put that in your mouth!"

We were about to stand up and leave, figuring it couldn't get much worse, when the host said, "You know what we need now? Some more tits and ass!" Out come the dancers, again. This time one of the girls is doing a chair dance, basically humping the chair. One of the men lifts her up upside down exposing her barely covered crotch, which he essentially nuzzles in his face.

As the next segment of the show begins, the host explains that they are strapping electrodes to Satan and Sadam's balls, and that was about when we decided that it apparently could get worse, and we got up and walked out.
I have never felt so betrayed in my life. I have been to Universal Studios many times, and have even seen that show. I felt like I could trust Universal Studios that they would not put a guest in such an uncomfortable situation, sitting beside a 14 year old watching a strip tease.

While there is a warning about not bringing young children, there was no mention of content that would be inappropriate for teenagers. If Universal Studios makes a movie that has sexual content in it, then it is rated "R" and labeled with the reasons for which it is rated "R." For instance, the Universal film, "Meet the Fockers" is rated PG-13 for "crude and sexual humor, language and a brief drug reference." The Fear Factor show was beyond PG-13 in content. I would go so far as to say that it was beyond R in content, yet there was no warning of the very sexual images in the show.

Although I do think that the show was not funny, and I personally feel it was in poor taste, I am not upset that the show exists- I am upset that it did not have an appropriate warning. If "The Mummy" ride can have several signs warning you that it is an intense high speed roller coaster, then there could have been signs posted outside the show warning that the show contained "crude and sexual humor, language, and partial nudity." The audio disclaimer at the beginning of the show could have given some warning of the sexual content, but it did not.

Unfortunately, my horrible experience at Universal Studios Hollywood Horror Night did not end there. To try to make up for the bad experience, we then tried one of the mazes, in which I was squirted in the eye with what I suppose was supposed to be fake blood. Later, without the teenagers this time (just in case), we decided to see the "SlaughterWorld" show (where the WaterWorld show normally is). As we were walking in, one of the staff members directed us to some seats on the far end of the stadium, where we could sit to not get wet during the show. This was appreciated, considering that it was 1:00 a.m. and getting cold. As we were walking across to those seats, a character squirted me in the head (at point blank range) with a high powered squirt gun. It went right into my ear. I frequently have ear infections and sinus trouble, so I cannot tell you how upset this made me. I can still feel water in my ear, and I would imagine that I may be feeling the beginnings of an ear infection.

Overall, our experience at Universal Studios Hollywood Horror Night was horrible! There are still several dates left for this show. I highly recommend that you do not attend this event, but if you do, I strongly urge you not to take anyone under 18!