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Universal Studios unleashes first all-female Halloween haunted house to counter 'male-centric' genre
Universal Studios hopes to “create powerful female characters” to reinvent the “male-centric” horror genre at its annual Halloween event.
Earlier this year, Universal announced the themes of eight new haunted mazes as part of the Halloween Horror Nights 2024. One new addition was called “Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines,” a new all-female horror character attraction featuring the Bride of Frankenstein, Van Helsing’s daughter, She-Wolf and Dracula’s daughter.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Halloween Horror Nights creative director John Murdy revealed this was intentional to push back against the “hierarchy” of Universal movie monsters that have been “all guys.”
The “Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines” is primarily focused on lesser-known female monster movie characters. (Photo by Universal Pictures/Getty Images)
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“I want to create powerful female characters,” Murdy says. “When horror started, it was pretty male-centric. Even into the ’80s — it was Freddy, Jason, Leatherface, Michael Myers. That’s what we started doing. It was that genre of horror. But as time has gone on, and the event has grown and evolved, we’ve kept an open mind about embracing all horror.”
Murdy said the inspiration came from the popularity of a 2021 haunted maze that was centered around the “Bride of Frankenstein,” giving him the confidence that an all-female take on the attraction could work.
Tourists take photos at the globe outside the entrance to Universal Studios Orlando on Thursday, July 21, 2022, in Florida. (Katie Rice/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“I really love the female-centric take,” Murdy says. “I have two daughters, and honestly I have probably one of the world’s largest collections of Universal Monsters paraphernalia. It’s in my house here in L.A., so since the time they were babies, they were in the monster room. I have pictures of them kissing the busts of Frankenstein, so they knew this as normal as kids. Like me, they have a weird emotional attachment to them, and I want to create powerful female characters for my kids.”
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“My 11-year-old is coming for the first time,” Murdy added. “Up until now, she’s never asked, but she said, ‘I think I’m ready.’ And I want her to see female representation.”
Halloween Horror Nights 2024 opened in August at Universal Orlando and September at Universal Studios Hollywood. (Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua via Getty Images)
“Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines” opened on Aug. 30 at Universal Orlando and Sept. 5 at Universal Studios Hollywood. It is expected to run on select nights until Nov. 3.
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Arizona State basketball is at a crossroads. After back-to-back road losses to Baylor and TCU, the Sun Devils are suddenly fighting just to stay above .500.
Now, with Utah coming to town Saturday afternoon, this isn’t just another conference game. It feels bigger than that. It feels like the moment that decides whether this season still has life or if it quietly fades away.
The Danger of Falling Below .500
All season long, Arizona State has had one strange pattern.
Every time they dropped to .500, they responded with a win. They never let things spiral.
But now they’re sitting right on the edge again.
A loss to Utah would push them below .500 for the first time all year. That might not sound dramatic, but it matters for team morale.
Teams feel that shift. Confidence changes. Urgency changes. And with only a few games left before the Big 12 Tournament, there isn’t much time to recover.
That’s why this Utah game feels different.
Utah Is Playing Better — Especially on Defense
When these two teams met a few weeks ago, Utah was struggling.
Since then, they’ve improved. They’re still built around their top scorers, who combine for around 40 points per game, but the real difference lately has been defense.
Utah has started putting together more complete defensive performances. They’re contesting shots better. They’re finishing possessions. They’re not folding as easily in the second half.
That matters because Arizona State’s biggest issue right now isn’t effort, it’s physical depth.
The Real Niche Problem: Guard-Heavy and Worn Down
Here’s something that doesn’t get talked about enough: Arizona State’s roster balance is off.
Because of injuries, especially the likely season-ending absence of Marcus Adams Jr., the Sun Devils are extremely guard-heavy right now. More than half of the available players are guards. That creates matchup issues, especially against physical teams.
We saw it against TCU. They got to the free-throw line 36 times.
They won the physical battle. Even when their best scorer struggled, they still controlled the game inside.
ASU just doesn’t have the same frontcourt depth.
With only a few true bigs available and some undersized forwards playing bigger roles than expected, the team can get worn down.
Late in games, that shows up in missed rebounds, second-chance points, and tired legs.
It’s not about hustle. It’s about bodies.
Why Saturday Truly Matters
If Arizona State beats Utah, everything changes.
Suddenly, you’re heading into Senior Night against Kansas with momentum. Win that, and you’re talking about a possible 7–11 conference finish and a much better Big 12 Tournament matchup.
From there? Anything can happen.
But if they lose Saturday, the math and the hope get much harder.
That’s why this game isn’t just about Utah.
It’s about belief. It’s about roster limitations. And it’s about whether this team has one more push left in them before the season runs out.
The Department of Justice is facing scrutiny this week after it was revealed that records involving President Trump were missing from the public release of the Epstein files. On Washington Week With The Atlantic, panelists joined to discuss the ensuing political fallout for the Trump administration, and more.
“The key thing to remember about the Epstein story is that it is a case that has been mishandled for decades. The reason that we’re hearing about this now and why it’s exploding into public view is because, for the first time, Republicans in Congress and Democrats in Congress were willing to openly defy their leadership and call for the release of these files,” Sarah Fitzpatrick, a staff writer at The Atlantic, said last night. “That has never been done before, and I think it really is changing the political landscape in ways that we’re still just starting to learn.”
“What’s been so striking is how many of those very same Republicans who were calling for the release of those files, who had promised to get to the bottom of them, are now saying things that are just the opposite,” Stephen Hayes, the editor of The Dispatch, argued.
Joining guest moderator Vivian Salama, a staff writer at The Atlantic, to discuss this and more: Andrew Desiderio, a senior congressional reporter at Punchbowl News; Fitzpatrick; Hayes; and Tarini Parti, a White House reporter at The Wall Street Journal.
Watch the full episode here.
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