Chinese fans of spooky season are getting their biggest sample yet of Universal's trademark horror. While Universal Studios Beijing still hasn't splashed out for a full-scale Halloween Horror Nights as found at other Universal parks, the Scares @ Universal event has been running five nights per week since September and is included in regular park admission. Three haunted mazes and two scarezones headline the event, rounded out with the customary meet-and-greets, merchandise and, in true Chinese fashion, photo ops.
Last year was the resort's first experiment with Halloween, offering a single scare maze. This year they have tripled their offerings, although unlike their overseas counterparts, all of them remain unrelated to existing movie or television IP. I recently attended to see how the scares translate for an Eastern audience.
Jack the Clown and Chance, icons of Universal Orlando HHNs past, have set up their big top in Beijing. Once you enter for a show however, you are instead invited for a backstage tour, winding your way through dressing rooms and prop rooms populated by a litany of twisted clowns, acrobats and other "freaks." The maze culminates by rounding a corner and finding yourself in the ring, face-to-face with a cackling Jack and a host of chainsaw-wielding clown sidekicks.
Jack also serves as the icon and ringmaster of the entire event, hosting a nightly show on Hollywood Boulevard with Chance to kick off his Carn-Evil. His retinue of circus freaks then leave to populate the primary scare zone at the entrance of the park.
This maze was somehow both the most classic and most abstract of horror maze concepts. Guests wind their way through what appears to be a pretty standard haunted house – gothic, weathered décor and home to a host of various spooks, specters and otherwise undead. The execution is top-notch - kudos especially to the particularly dedicated performer that routinely bursting from being fully submerged in a clawfoot tub. The theme is also a clear reference to Chaonei 81, a real French Baroque mansion in Beijing with a haunted reputation.
The backstory for the maze is where there may be some confusion. "A movie is being shot within Sound Stage 81," reads the app, "the director has chosen you as his latest stars. While through the house your senses will question, 'is it a film being shot?' ‘Or is this really happening?' as you become immersed in movie like scenes like you never have been before. Scream for the camera..."
The film set references are limited to some camera equipment and an irate director taunting you in the queue. The concept is likely also a meta-reference to The House That Never Dies, a 2014 Chinese thriller film based on Chaonei 81, although the film doesn't appear to be explicitly acknowledged.
The Pumpkin Demon reclaims his throne on a "farm of atrocities," as the only scare maze of last year's inaugural Halloween event makes its return. The weakest of the three experiences in terms of scale, its previous success is what drove this year's expansion, and so all Beijing scare fanatics should feel gratitude to his Pumpkin-ness.
The paths wind through a variety of farmyard scenes including a corn maze, a slaughterhouse where you get sprayed with "blood" and climaxing with an encounter with the Pumpkin Demon himself. His vines reach as far as the Hollywood section of the park, where his entourage also wanders the park's second scare zone.
The scale of Scares @ Universal is much more ambitious than last year's offering, and it appears to have paid off with high crowds well into the evenings despite Beijing's October chill. The execution of the event is made more impressive when considering the various cultural and political sensitivities that exist in China, so indulge me as I stray from the objective reporting into a more subjective attempt at offering context.
Firstly, "ghosts" are considered by many in China to genuinely be the spirits of ancestors or loved ones. While this view might be shared by a few in the West, it is more internalized for segments of society here, where a reverence for said spirits is an important component of some people's belief systems. This means a jumpscare from a "ghost" can easily be shrugged off for laughs in America, but in China, the potential to offend people for disrespecting ancestors is much higher.
Aside from that, China also places an extremely high societal value placed on safety and security, which makes experiences that could be perceived as celebrating crime a hard sell.
Finally, as for any endeavor in China, there are some political considerations to make. In recent years, there is an unspoken understanding that partaking in Halloween is viewed as an undesirable celebration of American culture and values by some. In a particularly rowdy celebration last year for the first post-Covid Halloween, some revelers took advantage of the event to express their dissatisfaction through costume. It was a rare public outlet, with partygoers dressing as Covid testing workers, unemployed students or other tongue-in-cheek expressions of social commentary. Celebrations this year are not officially banned, but tensions are high around Halloween this year, particularly in Shanghai, where most of the aforementioned took place.
These conflicts have been sidestepped by carefully toeing the line of the supernatural and socially undesirable without explicitly crossing it. The Pumpkin Demon clearly illustrates this idea. Invented specifically for the Chinese event, he no-doubt projects "evil" and "scary," but ultimately is just a vague kind of "autumnal, Halloween monster." Jack and his Carn-Evil play the same game, blending blatantly cartoonish circus freakery with the murderous bloodlust makes it clear that it's not an endorsement of "uncivilized behavior."
House NO. 81 pushes the barrier the furthest. Drawing inspiration from a genuine urban legend, the experience itself offers little doubt that you are being plagued by "ghosts." However, by framing it as a "movie set" where you are "starring in the film," the backstory offers plausible deniability for any would-be offense caused.
In terms of politics, Beijingers are under less scrutiny than Shanghainese, although explicit references to "Halloween" are scarce, relying instead on "Scares @ Universal." The Chinese name, Jing Cai (??), is a piece of clever Chinese wordplay, simultaneously a homonym for "wonderful" while also alluding to "being frightened" and "blood" – but no mention of Halloween. Guests are allowed to wear costumes, but must be "culturally-friendly, not obstructive, objectionable or violent." Disneyland over in Shanghai made their point even clearer: "To avoid confusing other guests, costumes that resemble public officials' uniforms or medical staff (including but not limited to medical uniforms and protection clothing) cannot be worn."
Overall, I would say Universal Beijing's tactful implementation of their trademark horror events for a Chinese market succeeds in what it sets out to do. The resort diplomatically manages to navigate any potential cultural clashes, while still bringing the essence of Halloween fun to a new, eager audience. My fingers are crossed for another tripling in size next year!
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