RUMOR: Soundstage 44's Replacement

THIS HAS BEEN DOWNGRADED TO RUMOR:  Since publication, it has been suggested that this was a ruse planned by Universal to plug leaks and to misdirect us from what is really going to happen.  House of Horrors may still happen, but we are no longer as sure as we were a week ago.

© 2012 Universal Studios Hollywood. All Rights Reserved.

Word is slowly getting around that Universal Studios Florida will be getting a permanent haunted house to replace Soundstage 44.  Currently, Universal Studios Hollywood has a similar concept called "Universal's House of Horrors" which is open year round but gets special treatment for Halloween Horror Nights.

Description from Universal Studios Hollywood:

Get ready to scream your head off at House of Horrors.

Your worst nightmares will come true as you make your way through the dark and windy terror maze.

Come face-to-face with Frankenstein, Wolf Man, Chucky, and several of the most frightening characters from some of the scariest horror movies of all time.

Hollywood's House of Horrors
© 2012 Universal Studios Hollywood. All Rights Reserved.

It has been said by insiders that Universal has been desperately looking for ways to cash in on its classic monsters, but it has not been able to do so.  If the iteration coming to Universal Studios Florida is like its Hollywood counterpart, they will be doing so.  It has also been said that Universal has been looking for a way to cash in on the popular Halloween Horror Nights year round.  Again, this does that.  Halloween Horror Nights and Monsters are a big part of what Universal does and does well, not to mention the classic Universal monsters are woefully underrepresented in the park.  Conveniently, The Monsters Cafe butts up to Soundstage 44, so we'll almost get a "Monsters pavilion" if this is indeed what's on the way.

A permanent haunted house attraction will be a nice addition to a bare area of the park. With the loss of Jaws and the potential future loss of the plot between MiB and Simpsons, Universal Studios Florida needed a new venue for Horror Nights.  It is currently unclear why height-balloons were spotted above Soundstage 44.  Perhaps the new building will be have multiple floors or something interesting on the roof.

For those that are familiar with the USH House of Horrors, you'll probably know it's considered a weaker attraction for the park. Personally, we feel like Universal Creative and A&D will rectify this situation and hit this one out of the park. The Hollywood version has a much smaller footprint than this assumed addition, and the extra space will allow for a much more in depth haunt experience.

Follow @Parkscope for future developments on this project.

Discuss Soundstage 44 at Orlando United.