SINGAPORE, Sept 30 — The creators of Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) know exactly how to hit a nerve — by striking close to home. When the annual event held at Universal Studios Singapore returns next month for its fifth year, it will be strong on the horror elements that Singaporeans can identify with.
This year’s attraction features three locally themed haunted houses: Hell House, which is about the burning of paper effigies in Chinese funeral rites; Siloso Gateway Block 50, which puts you in the midst of a viral zombie epidemic that has broken out at a block of old HDB flats; and The MRT, which brings to life train legends and sightings chronicled in author Russell Lee’s “True Singapore Ghost Stories.”
The fourth haunted house is set in a tunnel and is the event’s first dark house, in which visitors will have to feel their way around.
There are also three outdoor “scare zones”, one of which is locally themed: “Hungry Ghosts” features unearthly characters from local and regional cultures. The strong local twist has to do with “this year being the year of great Singapore celebrations”, said HHN’s executive producer Andrea Teo. “It’s interesting that the people from Singapore find the houses that are Singaporean-based much scarier than our guests from overseas, who find the tunnel much scarier. I think what’s in your mind and what’s part of your context and your upbringing make a big difference to what you find scary or not.”
“Upping the local content this year is a big plus for us because there’s a lot more identifiable material,” agreed creative director Markham Gannon. “There are so many Asian superstitions and practices ... the availability of content for us will never run dry. We inject an extraordinary circumstance into something that’s very familiar, so it’s very disconcerting. We think that will really up the fear factor. And for tourists, it’s different from what they’re used to, so they get such a broad experience.”
Collaborating with author Lee was one way in which they brought the scare experience closer to home. “We wanted to use the local branding of Russell Lee’s ghost stories because we thought a lot of our audience would have read and been familiar with them,” Teo said. “The challenge was taking elements (out of stories) because we couldn’t really lift a story wholesale — there wasn’t one that fit.”
Because of that, “The MRT” was the attraction that took the longest to put together. “To create an entire house based on MRT cabins and stations would have been very boring. But then we came up with the idea of (exploring) what is under the tracks. Then, another person said, ‘How about if there’s a backstory about why they shouldn’t have built on this site?’” shared Resorts World Sentosa’s assistant vice-president of entertainment Wee Thye.
“It’s not just an indoor (environment). You go into the station, then a cabin, then onto a track, then underground.”
Visitors also go through a “vortex” that takes them back in time.
It is not only thrill seekers who get an extra dose of the shudders: The creative team had a blast designing the attraction, too. “All levels of the creative team, from directors to sound designers, had a lot of fun because it’s something they are so familiar with,” said Wee. “It’s local mah.” — TODAY
* Halloween Horror Nights 5 takes place on selected nights from October 2 to 31 at Universal Studios Singapore. Standard tickets are S$68 (RM212). For more details, visit www.halloweenhorrornights.com.sg
