image courtesy Universal Studios Hollywood, used with permission.
For anyone who hasn’t played the new album “13” backwards yet, this will be a surprise: the music of Black Sabbath will be adapted into a terrifying walk thru maze at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights in Hollywood.
Those who did pick up the rock legend’s most recent release know that if you play the track “God Is Dead” in reverse, you can hear lead singer Ozzy Osbourne scream, “See you on the Horror Nights crazy tram!!!!” Or so we’re told.
In a press release today, the details of the first haunted attraction based on the heavy metal legend’s music were announced:
The new maze, based on the darkest lyrics from Black Sabbath’s biggest hit songs and the only attraction at the horror event to incorporate 3D video, will also include scenes inspired by the legendary band’s recently released Billboard #1 album, “13.” A nightmarish landscape of doom will engulf guests as they enter “Black Sabbath: 13 3D” and traverse through horrifying graveyards, disturbing madhouses and bone-chilling battlefields.
“Tony Iommi’s dark, iconic riffs, Ozzy Osbourne’s haunting vocals and Geezer Butler’s foreboding lyrics provide the perfect soundtrack for ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ and endless inspiration for our new haunted attraction ‘Black Sabbath 13 3D’,” said John Murdy, Creative Director for Universal Studios Hollywood.
“We were all really excited when Universal Studios Hollywood approached us about doing a 3D ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ maze based on our music,” said Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne. “I’ve seen the drawings of what it will look like when it’s finished and it looks amazing. I can’t wait to walk through it on opening night in September.”
Anyone who grew up during the 80s knew one thing about Black Sabbath: they were leaders of a Satanic cult, and anyone who listened to them were devil worshippers. Well, that last part was pretty much true (seriously, I knew the kids who worshipped Ozzy – they all dabbled in homebrew occultism). As for the band itself being a proxy for Beelzebub himself… well, we can only wish. As for being a compelling inspiration for a Halloween maze, there is little debate.
Additional details from the release:
Guests will come face to face with a heart-stopping Lucifer and his bride, blood-soaked dead bodies and bubbling pools of “radioactive water” while song’s inspired by “Luke’s Wall,” “Iron Man,” “Paranoid,” “War Pigs,” “Electric Funeral” and – of course – “Black Sabbath” violently penetrate the confines of the maze at high volume.
“Black Sabbath: 13 3D” will be one of at least a half dozen mazes at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights, also including a returning maze based on AMC TV’s “The Walking Dead” and the recent remake of “Evil Dead.” Additional mazes will be announced in coming weeks, including one which will be revealed on Saturday at ScareLA: the Los Angeles Halloween Convention (CreepyLA is among the event’s producers).
Official updates on “Halloween Horror Nights” are available online at Halloween Horror Nights, on Facebook at: “Halloween Horror Nights – Hollywood,” on Instagram at @HorrorNights and Twitter at @HorrorNights as Creative Director John Murdy reveals a running chronicle of exclusive information. Join the conversation using #UniversalHHN.
