Halloween Horror Nights 2024 advertises itself as home to a ground-breaking haunted house incorporating American Sign Language (ASL) “for the very first time.” That’s a tough claim to prove considering the scope of the country’s Halloween scene and the countless underground attractions hidden therein. But at least at Universal Studios ’ mega-popular annual event, the new “A Quiet Place” experience is indeed making history.
“What I was so impressed by when I first saw John Krasinski’s film was the level of detail that he went to to tell an authentic story, particularly with the character of Regan,” creative director John Murdy told IndieWire during the event’s opening night on September 5 at Universal Studios Hollywood. (The attraction is available at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando as well.) “We wanted to be equally authentic in our telling of the story of his film and we went to our own great lengths to do that,” he said.
“We worked with our internal experts here at Universal Studios and all of the performers in the cast and brought in people who were experts in ASL.” The casting of deaf actress Millicent Simmonds (“Wonderstruck”) as a deaf main character in the 2018 sci-fi favorite, and its 2020 sequel “ A Quiet Place Part II,” was a win for authentic representation in action that underscored the brilliance of Krasinski’s directorial debut. Taut and terrifying, the “A Quiet Place” universe hinges on an invasion carried out by.