Penn & Teller create a Halloween Horror Nights haunted house
Aug 6, 2012

Las Vegas is coming to Orlando. Magician act Penn & Teller will be working with the Universal Orlando creative team to design a Las Vegas-themed haunted house for Halloween Horror Nights. "Penn & Teller New(kd) Las Vegas" is reminiscent of a new trick the pair has created involving a nuclear warhead. Penn Jillette said of the haunted house, "We blow up all of Las Vegas. It goes terribly, terribly wrong. (We) take all the lights and the sounds and all the cliches of Las Vegas and turn them upside down into a fun nightmare, which is what haunted mazes are supposed to be." 3D effects, Vegas showgirls, a buffet and slot machines are just some of the components that come together to create the house; the men will be featured in videos throughout the house. Penn and Teller have traveled to Orlando several times this year for creative planning meetings.

Teller said he has loved Halloween since he was a child, often planning Haunted houses for the neighborhood kids with his family. He later brought that love to Broadway, co-writing and directing a horror show "Play Dead." Teller said he and Penn added a funny twist to the creative team's ideas.

Teller says, "We will set up the premise of the place. We will tell you about our horrible accident. And then all the way through we'll try to make you think you're having a good time while you're really having a scary time. We'll be telling you what a lovely, comfortable, pleasant environment you're living in while monsters are throwing themselves at you."