When you talk about Universal and Horror in the same conversation, it’s hard not to bring up Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film, Jaws. Jaws holds an incredibly large amount of cultural significance. It started the trend of summer blockbuster films and established the idea of high concept film narratives, suited for the new form of television advertising, and the auteur cinema of the ‘New Hollywood’ movement. However, within the niche culture of theme park enthusiasm, Jaws is perhaps most important for another reason, Jaws: The Ride. Whilst this may not be true for the casual Halloween Horror Nights attendee, most hard core fans of the event are huge theme park, or at least Universal theme park, enthusiasts. Thus, the ever present nostalgia and longing for this Jaws attraction of Orlando’s past, is in the hearts of many Halloween Horror Nights fans and it’s no surprise that the demand for this house can be found online almost every year.
So, why hasn’t Universal done it yet?
After all, they own the rights to this film so it’s likely not a licensing problem. When pondering this question, most fans come to the same conclusion; Jaws just isn’t suitable to be adapted into a house. I myself have thought this exact thing on numerous occasions throughout the years, as I wrestle with the repeated disappointment of my favourite shark not getting his own house. However, as the years have gone by and Universal’s creative team has gotten increasingly, well…creative, this reason just really doesn’t hold up. When The Exorcist was announced to be at Halloween Horror Nights 26, fans were excited but a little bit confused.
Reagan is certainly pretty terrifying and the thought of coming face to face with her is enough to send chills down anyone’s spine (and believe me, it was definitely terrifying in actuality too), but this was not the problem. Anyone who’s seen the film will know, the majority of its scenes take place in one room, the bedroom. Now, don’t get me wrong, being locked in a room with Reagan would certainly be effective, but as far as capacity goes, I don’t think I’d be joining the back of that line. To overcome this, the creative team reached into their minds and came up with the most perfect solution. Instead of just experiencing the horror as we do in the film, from the perspective of those around her, we also actually enter Reagon’s mind and come face to face with Pazuzu, the demon possessing her. In addition to this, moments in this house were more abstract, with a tight corridor of vomit soaked mattresses and a hallway of broken windows to simulate the priest’s fall. This house was certainly not the scene for scene recreations we are used to seeing, but my did it work. Similar techniques have since featured in other houses including The Shining and Poltergeist. Therefore, when it comes to the underwater threat of Jaws, a similar technique would also have to be used.
Whenever I discuss the possibility of a Jaws house, I always draw on a house at a different event, Alton Towers Scarefest, to display just how possible this house could be. Darkest Depths debuted at Scarefest in 2019. This house takes you on board a sinking ship and underwater to encounter sirens and a kraken. Most obviously, this house is an excellent example of how an underwater experience could be simulated. The most impressive and immersive techniques utilised are screens which project swimming sirens and the salt water stench that truly makes you feel like you are inhaling a mass of seawater. Expanding on this, Universal could also use their large budget to make huge shark puppets, similar to the werewolves featured in the An American Werewolf in London house. Technically, it’s not too hard to imagine how Universal could take us into the world of Jaws.
Beyond this, we would also have to pay the quaint town of Amity a visit, where Mayor Quimby and a gun wielding Quint could provide more light hearted jump scares.
If I was lucky enough to design this house, I’d begin in the film’s opening scene with the iconic theme song playing. However, I’d provide guests an underwater perspective, with the girls legs hanging above us, distracting us from the incoming shark puppet scare. From here, we’d return to the shore of Amity, encountering the jump scares previously described and some iconic locations along the way. Then, as in houses like Ghost Town: The Curse of Lightning Gulch where the most impressive set was not the facade but rather the town’s exterior encountered about half way through, we would see a large recreation of the Ship Orca. We would then of course board the ship, then walk down a corridor that simulates the hunt for the shark similarly to the one that simulated the Priest’s fall in The Exorcist. Finally, we would return to the water and witness Quint being eaten alive with water (blood) spraying everywhere. Then, as we are exiting, a burnt Jaws would lunge at us, similar to the conclusion of Jaws: The Ride.
Would you like to see a Jaws house at Halloween Horror Nights?
