Universal Studios Hollywood Ruined ‘Stranger Things’ Attraction

in Entertainment, Universal Studios

Will Byers crying in 'Stranger Things' Season 4

Credit: Netflix

While the sets are as immaculate as always, several iconic scenes from Stranger Things (2016-present) season 4 are missing from the house at Halloween Horror Nights in Universal Studios Hollywood. And it didn’t have to be that way.

Stranger Things 4 ensemble cast
Credit: Netflix

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Stranger Things is one of the most popular TV shows on Netflix. Created by Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, AKA the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things follows Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and her friends Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Caleb (Lucas Sinclair), Will (Noah Schnapp), Max (Sadie Sink), and more as they battle monsters from the Upside Down as well as secret government organizations.

The series reached its peak popularity after Stranger Things season four, which featured exciting new characters like Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) and iconic pop culture moments. However, many of these beloved scenes are completely missing from the Stranger Things maze at Halloween Horror Nights in Universal Studios Hollywood.

‘Stranger Things 4’ at Universal Studios Hollywood is Missing Several Iconic Moments

Eleven screaming and using her powers against Vecna in Stranger Things Season 4
Credit: Netflix

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The most significant thing separating Universal Studios from other theme parks is its access to different franchises and IPs. Disney World may have Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney, but does it have Jurassic Park, Dreamworks, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter? Nope!

This is especially evident when you go to Halloween Horror Nights and see your favorite horror icons come to life, like Michael Myers or Chucky. One of the best highlights of the past few years has been the various Stranger Things houses, which bring the best and scariest scenes from the show to life before your very eyes. Only this year, that was much less the case.

eddie munson stranger things
Credit: Netflix

If you go through the attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood, you will see some great moments like Chrissy (Grace Van Dien) getting killed by Vecna or going through Eleven’s flashback of when she first started using her powers in the Rainbow Room. However, that’s just about it.

Where’s Max being attacked by Vecna as she listens to “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush? Where’s Vecna with all of the tentacles sprawling out from him? Where’s Eddie Munson playing “Master of Puppets” by Metallica on top of an RV while he’s attacked by Demobats? And where’s the Demogorgon?

I’ll tell you where they are. They’re in Florida.

All of These Scenes Are at Halloween Horror Nights Orlando

Eddie Munson shredding on his guitar on top of an RV in Stranger Things
Credit: Netflix

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That’s right. Every single one of these scenes and more are in the Stranger Things 4 house at Halloween Horror Nights in Universal Studios Florida. And you know what? They look outstanding.

The transition into Eleven’s flashbacks makes more sense since you see her inside the deprivation tank. On top of that, you watch as One kills some guards, adding a genuinely scary moment to the proceedings. The effect of Eleven attacking One is also much more dynamic since you walk in the space between her and One.

Also, you actually see Vecna in all of his terrifying glory, tendrils stretching out of his back across the Upside Down. And, of course, there’s Eddie Munson playing guitar on the RV with Dustin Henderson by his side. You even get to see him attacked by a Demobat. While the Demobat scene has been shown in videos for the Hollywood Stranger Things house, I did not see this moment myself. Maybe the Scare Actor was on a break.

So what does Universal Studios Hollywood have the Universal Orlando Resort doesn’t? Eleven attacking Vecna (which is admittedly cool), awkward dialogue between Max and Lucas, and an empty desert section that transitions into Eleven’s flashback. There is nothing else. Only sand. At least add Argyle (Eduardo Franco) to it!

Argyle smiling, surrounded by Eleven, Will, and other members of the Stranger Things season 4 cast
Credit: Netflix

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The weird thing is, it feels like these scenes could have fit in the soundstage where the maze was located. Sure, there may have been less room than at Universal Studios Orlando, but Hollywood chose the wrong scenes to cut. They could have easily ditched the forest for Eddie Munson shredding.

Whether it was over a lack of space or trying to make the Hollywood maze feel different from Florida’s, it is still unbelievably frustrating that so much is missing from the Stranger Things 4 house. It had been hyped up so much, and many people who had gone to Horror Nights in Orlando said it was their favorite house of the event. There’s no other way to say it: Universal Studios Hollywood guests lost out.

Why do you think these scenes are missing from Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!

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