Universal’s association with horror stems all the way back to the studio’s early days. The Universal Classic Monsters remain an integral franchise for the company, as do Psycho and its sequels, and, of course, Jaws. While, naturally, there are countless films released under the Universal umbrella across all genres, few companies have produced thrills and chills quite as effectively as Universal. It’s a legacy that has even extended into their theme parks around the world, with their iconic Halloween Horror Nights having become an internationally renowned tradition, and the newly opened Monsters section at Florida’s Epic Universe theme park.
But long before Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula invaded the Orlando resort, another horror icon nearly starred in a truly terrifying attraction. Based on the world of Stephen King, the ride would have cast the 1990s version of Pennywise (Tim Curry) as a murderous theme park employee, complete with a gory backdrop, in an effort to compete with Disney, no less! However, the company backed away from building the attraction. Let’s explore the depths of Derry to find out, and how the concept found other ways to haunt Universal’s guests!
Universal Wanted Pennywise For Their Park
The competition between the Walt Disney Company and Universal is far from secret. While the two organizations have always had their differences, dating back to the Walt Disney and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit debacle, their differences really began to heat up when Universal announced it was expanding its iconic studio tour to include a location in Orlando, Florida. However, as WDW Magazine recalls, Disney soon announced their own movie studio/theme park-based experience, which upped the competition factor.
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There were certainly a plethora of similarities, as both boasted about apparent in-park production of real movies and TV shows, studio backlot tours, and cutting-edge experiences that promised to place park-goers in the middle of their favorite movies. Interestingly, both parks were involved with powerful and popular filmmakers, as Disney partnered George Lucas and Universal with Steven Spielberg. But, as the competition heated up between the two, Universal sought the partnership of Stephen King, and planned an experience that was truly horrifying.
Universal’s Stephen King Attraction Would Have Featured a Terrifying Encounter with Pennywise
Since his debut novel, Carrie, King has been one of the literary world’s most revered storytellers, be it on the page or on the screen. As Universal looked to expand their Orlando theme park, an idea was pitched to bring the world of King to life in a gruesome way. According to Bloody Disgusting, the idea took shape when the resort was preparing to open its second theme park. Between what was then Disney-MGM Studios and Universal’s own Islands of Adventure, the company felt as though they needed an A-List attraction to keep the studio park’s capacity up, and thus, the concept for Stephen King’s Nightmare was born. However, it was to be a jarring experience for a family-friendly park. Sure, the resort was already hosting Halloween Horror Nights, but the separate ticket event operates after hours and features age restrictions. And more than a decade before Epic Universe, Stephen King’s Nightmare was set to be one of the scariest rides ever built.
As the title suggests, the attraction would have been a mash-up of some of King’s most terrifying sequences. While many of the ride’s specifics have yet to be released by Universal, Bloody Disgusting reflects on Pennywise’s starring scene. After experiencing plenty of scares, guests would have arrived at what seemed like an unloading station. Before they could disembark the vehicle, however, Pennywise was going to reveal himself as the ride’s operator. In a reference to the elevator scene in The Shining, Pennywise would have released blood on to the station, before sending riders back into the attraction careening toward their doom. It’s by far one of the most gruesome ideas ever pitched for a theme park, and that was the problem. As stated by Bloody Disgusting, Universal was worried that this scene would cause various issues for riders, as well as upkeep. However, much like King’s most famous haunts, many of these ideas were resurrected.
Elements of ‘Stephen King’s Nightmare’ Were Re-Used Down the Line
Though Universal opted not to build the King-based attraction, many of the ideas would eventually find their way into the park, especially those from the Pennywise scene. The idea of having a fake unload sequence was reused for the iconic Revenge of the Mummy rollercoaster. Roughly halfway through the attraction, guests arrive at an apparent unloading station, where a Universal Team Member (behind a screen) welcomes them back. But franchise villain, Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) kills the operator, and sends guests into the darkness, hoping to steal their souls along the way. The Shining got the HHN treatment in 2017, and included the bloody elevator scene, finally bringing the effect to the park. And, while Pennywise himself has yet to haunt Universal’s theme parks, HHN’s icon, Jack the Clown, shares a lot of similarities with the murderous clown, in both appearance and actions.
When one considers the events that led to Stephen King’s Nightmare nearly being built at Universal Orlando, it’s both amusing and rather terrifying. Sure, it would have been epic to see King’s killer clown come to life within the park, but Universal’s decision to not go forward with the ride may have been the right move all along. Not only was the attraction over the top for the parameters of day-to-day operation, but its cancellation also eventually made way for some of the park’s best attractions. For audiences who crave more Pennywise action, Welcome to Derry will soon be available to stream! In the meantime, stay tuned to Collider for all your horror needs.
It is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
