Larry Bones (left) and John Murdy (right) flank their newest creations for Halloween Horror Nights.

CreepyLA was once again on scene for what has become the annual launch of the Halloween press season: Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood’s makeup preview. Horror genre, theme park enthusiast, and international mainstream press all met up inside of Universal Studios Hollywood’s Globe Theatre to watch how the makeup “assembly line” works for your typical night of haunting.

We were able to watch as attractive models were turned into zombies from both TV’s Walking Dead series and the Evil Dead film remake, and a Frankenstein’s bride, as designed by a winner from SyFy TV’s Face Off. Masks and costumes were also on display representing Horror Nights additional mazes and scarezones, including a number of original creations for a 3D maze inspired by the music of Black Sabbath, old standby Chucky, eerie masks from “The Purge,” and an original take on the urban legend known as El Cucuy.

Masks from the Black Sabbath 3D utilize makeup that comes to life under UV lighting and 3D glasses.

Horror Nights creative director John Murdy spent the day handling press like a seasoned pro, leaving us with only one question to ask: what part of this year’s Halloween Horror Nights (his eighth as creative director) was the most challenging?

“Evil Dead,” he answered without hesitation,  citing the film’s use of practical effects over digital as the reason.

“It’s such a gorefest,” he said, noting scenes from the film that would be recreated, such as when one actor would puke on another, or another scene where a character will be seen cutting off their own arm.

Besides the technical aspect and having to repeat these acts every ten seconds, Murdy said, “You also have to get your actors to do it.”

Horror Nights makeup designer Larry Bones also answered that the Evil Dead was the most challenging project this year, noting the various subtleties in makeup used in the film that they wanted to recreate for the maze.

However, he said the Black Sabbath maze required the most research and development as it would be the first time he’d ever incorporated UV elements directly into the makeup, with details that would only show up under special lighting and utilizing 3D glasses.

Below, take a peek at some of our photos from the press event. Halloween Horror Nights opens September 20th – tickets now on sale!