Whenever John Murdy is about to announce a new house at Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights, he often teases the reveal with the quote, "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes."
Many horror fans likely know the phrase "something wicked this way comes" as the title of Ray Bradbury's 1962 novel. But the phrase originally hails from Shakespeare - specifically, from Scene 1 in Act IV of Macbeth. The line comes from the Three Witches (or, Wayward Sisters) who represent the Fates of classical mythology and foretell Macbeth's rise to power and eventual demise.
It's a great line - just one of many the sisters deliver in the play. Yes, these are the witches who first said, "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble."
So pardon me for wishing that the next time that Murdy posts the words, "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes," the house he is teasing is one based not upon some Universal Studios IP or original concept, but one based upon Macbeth itself.
Consider this: "Macbeth" is the greatest concept for a Halloween Horror Nights house yet to appear at Universal's annual Halloween event. Heck, the play is so feared that many actors refuse to say its name, referring to it only as "the Scottish play."
But within that play lies the foundation for great horror. Shakespeare's witches established horror tropes that endure to this day. Shakespeare filled Macbeth with all the ingredients for a modern Hollywood blockbuster: sex, violence, war, the supernatural, even payoff-delivering ironic death.
Granted, it's more proper to state that a modern Hollywood blockbuster succeeds because it has all the ingredients of a Shakespearean play, but you get the idea.
I love that Murdy and the creative team at Universal Studios Hollywood are exploring folklore in developing concepts for houses not based upon movies and TV shows, such as the Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America house that he announced at Midsummer Scream yesterday. Classic literature gave Universal many of its classic monsters that now have found homes at Halloween Horror Nights, including Dracula and Frankenstein's monster.
But more wonderful concepts await horror fans who look even further into literary history for inspiration. In addition to Macbeth, Shakespeare's Hamlet and Dante's Inferno could deliver amazing experiences if imagined as Halloween Horror Nights attractions. Just imagine that year's HHN icon... your AP English teacher.
[Update: John reminds me that USH did use Dante's Inferno in the concept for the Alice Cooper Goes to Hell in 3D maze (they were called mazes then) a decade ago.]
Our Theme Park Insider Rules for Writers state that you give up any claim on a theme park attraction idea if you post it on this website, so by the typing of my thumbs, consider this my invitation to Murdy - or anyone associated with Halloween Horror Nights or any other theme park Halloween event - to take this idea and start developing some Shakespeare-themed haunted houses for us.
As the man himself said, "Blood will have blood."
* * *
To help support Theme Park Insider while saving money on discounted theme park tickets, please follow the ticket icon links our Theme Park visitors guides.
And for more theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider's weekly newsletter.
As someone who staged a modern adaptation of Romeo & Juliet for a 9th grade English project, I now wish I could go back and do an HHN house version of Macbeth for 10th grade. So jealous of your students now!
You should check out Sleep No More at The McKittrick in New York City. It’s a re-telling of Macbeth set in a noir “hotel”. It’s the most voyeuristic and immersive experience I’ve had, following the characters that interest you into multiple rooms on multiple floors of the converted warehouse. You wear a mask the entire time (like Eyes Wide Shut). It’s intimate, creepy, exhilarating, and breathtaking. Every time you go, you will have a different experience.
Honestly, there are tons of works in the public domain now that could be used in an HHN house. I'm sure Universal has plenty of IP that they have licensed for films that will never come to pass that they could utilize at HHN.
I'll never forget that the author Clive Barker always used to say his favorite horror novel of all time is the Bible, as there are so many scenes of exceptional cruelty and gruesome death.
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
As both a 10th-grade English teacher and a theme park enthusiast, I think this is a brilliant idea, Robert! (And I might just have to revisit my Macbeth curriculum this year and borrow your concept for the classroom--students acting out scenes with a "HHN" approach may be an intriguing addition to the unit assessment.) Thank you!