On July 4th, the post-apocalyptic world of AMC’s The Walking Dead will come to life in an all-new year-round attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood. Guests at the park can fight for survival in this fully immersive journey while navigating through a world overrun by hungry Walkers. And as you follow in the footsteps of the human survivors and battle your way through nightmarish iconic landscapes that bring the most popular cable TV show in history to life, be prepared to get scared.

Collider (along with a couple other media outlets) was recently invited to take a behind-the-scenes tour with the attraction’s Creative Director John Murdy, who’s been hard at work on designing the story and effects, as well as training the live performers, all with the input of the show’s executive producer/director Greg Nicotero. During the preview, Murdy talked about the difference between the Halloween Horror Nights mazes and this permanent attraction, the opportunity to explore all of the show’s seasons, the suggested age restriction, Easter eggs, the elaborate special effects, using a combination of live performers and animatronics, and what made a walk-through attraction the best way to have such an immersive experience.

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Image via Universal Studioes

Here’s a list of 25 things that you should know at “The Walking Dead” attraction.

  • It speaks to the brand of The Walking Dead that they can even open a permanent attraction like this at Universal Studios. Permanent, walk-through, scary attractions are very rare and unique these days. This type of attraction was popular at Coney Island in the 1920s, but they’ve disappeared over time, as people’s tastes have evolved and changed.
  • The new permanent attraction is radically different from the previous Halloween Horror Nights mazes that they’ve done, particularly in the level of special effects. They are in a building that was custom built for the attraction, instead of in a tent, and there are a lot of animatronics, which they can’t do with temporary mazes. There are more than 20 animatronic pieces throughout.
  • Show executive producer/director Greg Nicotero has always consulted on the mazes done at Universal Studios, but he was much more heavily involved with this permanent attraction, as part of the creative team. Nicotero and his shop, KNB Effects, helped to create the animatronics in the attraction, with the skins and cores all being done off the molds of the show.
  • Instead of just exploring one season of the show, the permanent attraction covers all of the seasons. They went on the fan sites and blogs to read about the fans’ favorite scariest moments and scenes, when figuring out the moments and scenes they wanted to use.
  • Universal Studios Hollywood has gone through an epic transformation, over the last three to five years, with over 70% of the park having been changed. One of the aesthetic challenges for the attraction is the contemporary Atlanta architecture of the show, so they had to figure out a way to make the facade co-exist with both the street in the park and the brand itself.

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    Image via Universal Studioes
    Since this is an attraction based on The Walking Dead, it is not recommended for anyone 13 and younger. They’re communicating that at the attraction itself, in text and with video screens, so that people are aware before entering.
  • The only video monitors in the attraction are in the queue line outside. Once you’re inside the attraction, they want you to feel like you’re in the world of The Walking Dead, so there are no monitors because the show doesn’t have any news reports. The attraction itself is a fully immersed environment, so if something doesn’t appear in the show, it won’t be in the attraction.
  • They had to start creating the concept and design for the attraction two years ahead, so there was an entire season they weren’t able to see yet. They went through 12 different iterations, trying to decide which scenes from which episodes would ultimately end up in the attraction, but because the show keeps going and they aren’t aware of spoilers, they had to design the attraction so that they could make changes and additions in about one-third of the total space. As a result, after the latest season, they had to shift the focus from the Wolves to the Saviors, when they realized where the story was headed. Now, when you go through the attraction, it should feel like you’re caught up with where they’re at in the show.
  • Because The Walking Dead starts in Harrison Memorial Hospital, when Rick woke up from his coma and started putting the pieces about the world together, they decided to do the same with the attraction. But unlike on the show, where you only saw the back of the hospital, the attraction starts with the front of the building.
  • There is a full-sized crashed helicopter coming out of the side of the hospital, which they decided to do because helicopters have played a role in the show, over the seasons. In the pilot episode, when Rick gets to Atlanta, he sees a helicopter flying above him and doesn’t know why. Later in the series, a helicopter crashes and The Governor encounters military guys that he wipes out. And then, when they get to the Big Spot store, a military helicopter falls through the roof. As a result, they thought starting the attraction that way would be a good compliment to the fact that they’ve been seen throughout the series.
  • The “Dead Inside” doors were something that they knew they needed to include because it’s such an iconic image from the show, but they decided to put it in the queue line, instead of inside the attraction itself. They knew that fans would want to take selfies with the doors, so keeping it in the queue will keep the flow moving better. The doors have 12 individually articulated hands, some with finger and wrist movement, that can move 30 different ways. The imagery from the “Dead Inside” doors with all of the hands wasn’t actually done that way in the show itself (which had only one hand reach out), but was from the key art for the first season.
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    Image via Universal Studioes
    The break room section of the queue is not something that was ever seen on the show, but was something that existed in the comics. They included it in the queue because they needed somewhere that made sense for people to walk through while they were waiting to get into the attraction itself.
  • The attraction has a more elaborate storyline than they get the opportunity to do with the Halloween Horror Nights mazes. In order to communicate that storyline and to give people a call to action, so that they’re active participants in the experience, there are walkie talkies. In the break room, a survivor will tell people about the predicament that’s occurring, how things are no longer safe, and that they should get to the prison.
  • There are 12 live performers in the attraction, at any one time. On a busy day, there are probably three casts of actors that will rotate about every 45 minutes. During Halloween Horror Nights, they’ll double that number.
  • The attendants in the attraction are themed and have a role to play. They are Atlanta Emergency Service workers who got trapped with everybody else, and their job is to be out of sight unless people need to be moved along or helped out, in some way.
  • Once you pass through the queue and enter the attraction itself, you’ll still be inside the hospital. There is a combination of animatronics and live actors, lighting and sound cues, and environmental smells throughout. They also re-recorded the score for the show, so that there is a music soundtrack, as well. The scares will build, as you go along. They’ve given many of the actors more than one possible point to scare people. That way, they can keep people moving and steer them in specific directions.
  • Bicycle girl, made from the mold for the show, is included and is a very elaborate effect that uses a sensor. She can crawl and travel on a track for up to 18 inches, and growl while her head follows people. There are sensors throughout the attraction that will keep track of where everyone walking through the attraction is, at all times, which will allow for a bit more customized experience, as each individual walks through.
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    Image via Universal Studioes
    The moonshine cabin that Daryl and Beth go to, in the episode called “Still” from Season 4, and ultimately set on fire is using a FauxFire effect that’s achieved with steam and light, and looks exactly like real fire. There are also heat units overhead, so that you can feel the heat of the fire. Because of all of the effects working together, the scene is set up to be more of a visual than a scare.
  • All of the lead characters have props associated with them, and you’ll find those props and nods to the various survivors, as you go along, including Daryl’s crossbow and Michonne’s sword.
  • You enter the prison from the back, and the riot gear Walkers are the scare for that scene. You go through the tombs to the cells, where you’ll see survivors being attacked by Walkers. There is a real second story to the cell block, and you’ll see projections, effects, strobes and lighting, with 5.1 surround sound, to create a totally chaotic environment.
  • Unlike for Halloween Horror nights, where the performers use prosthetics, the live actors in the attraction will be wearing silicon masks that allow them to move their mouth and have dead eyes. With the mask, you can see every vein and pore under the skin, and there is an internal core that’s plastic that is imbedded in the mask.
  • After you leave the prison, you hear the same voice over the walkie talkie that tells you to meet at the warehouse to find safety. Once you enter that scene, you meet the guy who’s been communicating with you throughout the attraction, and you realize that you’ve now met up with the Saviors. Inside the warehouse, you are surrounded by Walkers who are trying to get to you, from all sides.
  • They’re not using any of the survivor characters in the attraction because every actor controls their own likeness and it’s too difficult to find live performers who look enough like the actors.
  • They never considered doing an actual ride for The Walking Dead because the characters on the show are on foot, themselves. When you’re in a ride vehicle, there’s a safety zone around you and no threat can break through that, so if you’re trying to do something scary, you are never going to scare anybody on a ride. You have to have no barrier between you and the thing coming for you, in order to create an authentic level of tension and fear.
  • There are hundreds Easter eggs for the fans to find and discover, throughout the attraction. They wanted to create a level of experience that will satisfy the uber fan, the casual fan, and people who have never seen the show.

“The Walking Dead” attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood opens on July 4th.

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Image via Universal Studioes
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Image via Universal Studioes

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