Universal Studios Hollywood Provides Backstage Pass to Theme Park's 'Halloween Horror Nights' Via Twitter and Facebook as Event's Creative Director Updates Fans With Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Posts

Universal Studios Hollywood Provides Backstage Pass to Theme Park's 'Halloween Horror Nights' Via Twitter and Facebook as Event's Creative Director Updates Fans With Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Posts

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time, Universal Studios Hollywood is offering fans behind-the-scenes access to its terrifying and highly anticipated "Halloween Horror Nights" through social networking sites, Twitter and Facebook.

Via Twitter, "Halloween Horror Nights'" Creative Director John Murdy will reveal exclusive information on @HorrorNights as he "tweets" a running creative chronicle of the celebrated event's design, casting and production, among other eagerly awaited nuggets of information. Through the event's Facebook page, "Halloween Horror Nights - Hollywood (Official)," fans are invited to become a part of the process with regular updates, exclusive content highlights and an opportunity to interact with one other.

Through Murdy's creative direction, "Halloween Horror Nights" - Southern California's most terrifying Halloween event - pairs Hollywood's top entertainment scenic and special effects artists with a cast of thousands. The event brings great films from the horror genre to life with shockingly scary "live" experiences within the theme park and via the "Terror Tram" on the movie studio's famed back lot.

Joshua Cole, VP, Interactive Marketing, Universal Studios Hollywood, noted: "'The 'Halloween Horror Nights' event is an ideal fit for social media. Our guests eagerly await the highly experiential event with an increasing thirst for information. We're excited that for the first time, we're able to offer them instantaneous news and access to the event via Twitter and Facebook with insight from Creative Director, John Murdy, who will communicate directly with fans who share his passion for the horror genre."

This year, "Halloween Horror Nights" will present all-new "live" experiences based on one of the all-time biggest box-office horror franchises, SAW, per an agreement among Universal Studios Theme Parks, Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures. All-new mazes, scare zones and new shows will be featured.

Follow Creative Director, John Murdy on Twitter: twitter.com/HorrorNights.

Become a fan on Facebook: "Halloween Horror Nights - Hollywood (Official)"

About Twisted Pictures: Twisted Pictures is helmed by Mark Burg and Oren Koules, and is the horror/thriller division of their company Evolution Entertainment. SAW, one of the most profitable films of 2004, was the first picture released under the Twisted banner. In 2005, Twisted Pictures produced SAW II, which opened at #1 on Halloween weekend and became the year's highest-grossing horror film. Halloween 2006 saw the release of SAW III, which opened at #1 in North America, the U.K. and Australia. The company also produced DEAD SILENCE by SAW creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell for Universal Pictures. Other Twisted Pictures releases include the horror/thriller CATACOMBS, which premiered in October 2007, and SAW IV which opened # 1 at the box-office on October 26, 2007 with a total of $31,750,000. The latest chapter in the SAW series, SAW V, opened with $30 million dollars the weekend of October 24, 2008, pushing SAW to the top of the list as the #1 horror franchise of all time. In addition, REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA premiered in November 2008 with fans immediately branding it "an instant cult classic".

About Lionsgate: Lionsgate is the leading next generation studio with a strong and diversified presence in the production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, video-on-demand and digitally delivered content. The Company is leveraging its content leadership and marketing expertise to create a multiplatform global industry leader in entertainment through the recent acquisition of TV Guide Network, one of the 25 most widely distributed cable networks, the recent acquisition of TV Guide.com, a premier content and navigation portal, partnerships that include the FEARnet branded VOD and Internet horror channel with Sony and Comcast, the expected fall 2009 launch of EPIX, a new premium entertainment channel with partners Viacom and MGM, investment in the leading young men's digital distribution platform Break.com, ownership of the premier independent television syndication company Debmar-Mercury and an alliance with independent filmed entertainment production and distribution company Roadside Attractions.

The Company is a market share leader at the North American theatrical box office for calendar 2009 due to recent theatrical box office successes such as TYLER PERRY'S MADEA GOES TO JAIL, the second highest-grossing film in Lionsgate history, MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D and THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT. Other recent successes include SAW V, RELIGULOUS, FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, RAMBO and THE BANK JOB. Lionsgate has forged a strong position in television with the production of such critically-acclaimed series as "Mad Men," "Weeds" and "Crash," the distribution of Tyler Perry's "House of Payne," "Family Feud" and "South Park," and upcoming shows including Tyler Perry's "Meet The Browns" and "The Wendy Williams Show." In addition, the Company's home entertainment business, propelled by such recent DVD successes as TRANSPORTER 3, SAW V and TYLER PERRY'S THE FAMILY THAT PREYS, is the industry leader in box office-to-DVD conversion rate and has market share of nearly 8%. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 12,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand remains synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world. For more information on Lionsgate, please visit: www.lionsgate.com.

About Universal Studios Hollywood: Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A, includes a full-day, movie-based theme park and Studio Tour; the CityWalk entertainment, shopping and dining complex; the Universal CityWalk Cinemas; and the Gibson Amphitheatre concert and special event venue. The theme park features such groundbreaking attractions as "The Simpsons Ride ," "Revenge of the Mummy - The Ride," "Shrek 4-D(TM)," "Jurassic Park - The Ride," and the world-renowned Studio Tour, which takes guests behind-the-scenes of such landmark TV and movie locations as Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds." More information please visit: www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com.

Media Website: http://media.universalstudioshollywood.com/

Source: Universal Studios Hollywood

CONTACT: Eliot Sekuler, +1-818-622-6896, eliot.sekuler@nbcuni.com, or
Audrey Eig, domestic, +1-818-622-2962, audrey.eig@nbcuni.com, or Trana Pittam,
int'l / online, +1-818-622-5985, trana.pittam@nbcuni.com, all of Universal
Studios Hollywood

Web Site: http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/
http://media.universalstudioshollywood.com/
http://www.lionsgate.com/

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