The first walkthrough footage of "Ozzy Osbourne: Prince Of Darkness", Universal Studios' haunted house honouring the late heavy metal icon, has surfaced via the Exploring Attractions channel on YouTube — days before the attraction opens to the public.
The house debuts at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort on August 28, with the Universal Studios Hollywood version following on September 3. Both run select nights through November 1.
The design leans on the solo catalogue rather than on BLACK SABBATH, with scenes drawn from "Blizzard Of Ozz", "Diary Of A Madman", "Bark At The Moon", "No More Tears" and "Ordinary Man". John Murdy, executive producer of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, has described the structure in some detail, and the logic is neat enough to be worth quoting.
"Obviously, Ozzy's most famous solo track of all time would be 'Crazy Train', so that literally led to the leaping-off point of where we are going to build the façade to look like an abandoned, blown-out train station," Murdy told Brands Untapped. "We are going to literally get on the Crazy Train to ride through the different, key moments in Ozzy's career. So things like 'Diary Of A Madman' inform the idea of the Osbourne asylum. The idea of 'Bark At The Moon', the werewolf story, lends itself to doing something at the graveyard with the full moon. Then the idea of the Prince Of Darkness suggests some kind of cathedral-type throne room where we can see his ultimate incarnation come to life."
Murdy also framed the wider case: "Ozzy Osbourne didn't just help define heavy metal — he created a cultural phenomenon that has influenced generations of music, art and horror."
Sharon and Jack Osbourne signed off on the result in a joint statement. "Ozzy never stopped pushing boundaries, and he loved anything that gave fans a new way to experience his music and the worlds he created," they said. "Walking through these haunted houses, you'll recognize so many moments inspired by his music and imagination. It's a wonderful tribute to Ozzy, and we hope fans have as much fun experiencing it as he would have had seeing it come together."
Mike Aiello, senior director of entertainment creative development at Universal Orlando Resort, promised "a few Easter Eggs" for those paying attention.
A limited-edition merchandise line accompanies the houses at both parks and through shopUniversal.com. The attraction was first announced in July by Global Merchandising Services, the worldwide licensing agent for Ozzy Osbourne, and forms part of a licensing programme that has expanded considerably since his death.