Oh, The Horror

Oh, The Horror…

By Alex Barrett


ORLANDO – Since its inception in 1991, Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights has been attracting flocks of people from all around to Orlando for one purpose… to get the crap scared out of them. This year, the event will hold it’s 18th successive presentation, hoping to maintain that which has made it stand out among the other theme parks and motivating people from all walks of life to return yet another year. With the Horror Nights already underway for two weeks, It is easy to forget that there has been quite a progression involved in the last 18 years; the event has undergone many changes, including flipping between Islands of Adventure and the original Studios, not to mention the new character base each year, and ever-changing “Scare Zones.”

To help take a look back into the past, Universal Studios Employee Donald Leinz has compiled a personal collection of artifacts and memorabilia from all 18 presentations. During the month of October, these tokens are on display at the main campus for the Orange County Library, located in downtown Orlando. On Tuesday, Donald was present to showcase his items and let the community take a step back in time to see how the event has grown over the years. “When you work with a project of this magnitude for so long, it starts to grow on you. I never thought it would be this big of a hit this far down the road.” Donald’s favorite piece of the exhibit is probably the cheapest one, but the most interesting. In a standup glass case, a brochure, button, pamphlet, and credential card for each of the 18 shows sit in order of their appearance, from the first presentation, originally called “Fright Nights,” to the newest one featuring Bloody Mary. Donald added, “It is amazing to look back and see what an integral part of Universal Studios this is. Normally, you never want to be scared, and yet, every year tons of people from basically everywhere come here with the sole purpose of not being able to sleep that night.”

The month long exhibit will feature a few presentations by Donald when he isn’t working out at the show, and from the lingering crowd at the library you can see how Orlando citizens love the Studio’s presentation as much as anyone else. Mary Schweintz of Winter Park was taken back by the exhibit and Donald’s presentation. “I have gone every year, and for the most part it keeps getting better. It’s really enjoyable to just look back and recall memories of past Horror Nights.” When I asked Mary about her favorite time, she remembered once when she was “much younger,” and how her friend had a little bodily fluid accident during the 2000 presentation, which featured Jack, an evil clown as its headliner. Jacob Tyner was also in attendance, and he was new to the experience. “I just moved here from Wisconsin,” he said, “We used to see the commercials all the time, but I never had the opportunity to go until this year. It is really sweet to look at the history and take a preview of what I am getting myself into next Saturday night.”

You can check out the exhibit in the Teen Center should you choose to go, and can look up any appearances by Donald online through the Orange County Library site, at www.ocls.info. It will remain in pieces until the end of October, but will only feature certain selections when Donald is there to present them.