Halloween at Universal Studios Hollywood
The Eyegore Awards launch Universal’s “Halloween Horror Nights”
Universal Studios Hollywood kicked off its “Halloween Horror Nights,” the yearly fright fest at the studio tour center, with the sixth annual Eyegore Awards.
The best in the field of the horror genre were honored at a special “scaremony” held at the park’s Globe Theater. The awards are given to stars and filmmakers who unleash their creative spirits and give audiences something to scream about.
Among the honorees this year were two legends in the genre, filmmakers Roger Corman (with an impressive body of work of more than 400 films) and Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist).
Also getting the gargoyle-style Eyegore trophy were actress Julie Benz (Dexter, Angel, Saw V), Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and Bill Moseley (Choptop from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre II). Arriving in a “Jason” mask, Corey Feldman (Lost Boys and Friday the 13th) was a great creepy emcee for the event.
Actually, Roger Corman was honored last year, but couldn’t pick up his trophy because he was adding to his legacy working on his new Cyclops film in Bulgaria. Cyclops, the story of the one-eyed monster of Greek mythology, will be out next year.
During his illustrious Hollywood career, Corman has produced, directed and/or written hundreds of low budget horror films. One of the best is the classic “Little Shop of Horrors,” featuring a young Jack Nicholson. Corman gave many notable directors and actors their big break. Some of the Oscar winners among his alumni are Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Robert DeNiro and Ron Howard.
Corman thanked the Eyegore’s industry crowd and said he was proud to be “working in the most creative genre in film. Our films are dependent purely on the ability of the filmmaker to use the tools of the cinema, the camera, the sound, and particularly, the lighting, and of course the actors, to achieve his goals.”
He noted that the genre films return a good profit to the filmmaker. “So I’m delighted to be working in this genre both for the creative work that one can do, and the money you can make.”
Corman then presented his friend Tobe Hooper with his Eyegore trophy. Hooper, the man who made The Texas Chainsaw Massacre so horrific, actually has a great sense of humor. But he wasn’t joking around when he stepped up on the stage with Corman and told everyone he was so honored “to be standing next to my hero.”
Corman and Hooper were seated at a special table with other horror masters including producer-director-writer Mick Garris (Masters of Horror series) who enjoyed the festivities. Garris is currently working on bringing the next Stephen King story, Bag of Bones, to the big screen.
When Gunnar Hansen got his trophy he thanked “Tobe for helping me get into this industry.” Bill Moseley also gave credit to Hooper “for taking a chance on me. There’s nothing worse than a bad monster, so I appreciated the opportunity to work hard and be a good monster.”
Julie Benz joked that she was “horrified to be here,” and added, “For me, the horror genre represents a voyage into the imagination, not just for the creators, but also for the audience. I’m so thankful to the fans for supporting and loving the horror films.”
The stunning blonde, who played the vampire vixen Darla on Angel, announced she was going to give her Eyegore Award a place of honor, “between my Darla action figure and my Dexter bobblehead.”
When the ceremony came to an end, all were invited to enjoy Universal’s bloodcurdling new “Halloween Horror Nights” with intense attractions throughout the tour center.
The Horror Nights have a 13-night run, ending Nov. 1. Nighttime visitors can take the Terror Tram to visit the zombie-infested Bates Motel of Psycho fame. Visitors can also roam the many “scare zones,” plus four fright-filled mazes, and take in all the other scary attractions. Even the murderous little doll Chucky is set up to entertain the crowds who want to enjoy his nasty insulting comedy routines.
A highlight among all the things that go bump in the night are Freddy Krueger’s Fly Girls and Zombie Dancers throughout the park shaking up the living dead.
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