Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America turned out to be one of Universal Studios Hollywood's most popular mazes. It was so popular, in fact, that they brought back a sequel to the 2024 maze lineup, titled Monstruos 2: The Nightmares of Latin America. Guests are able to further explore the terrifying universe of Latin American horror-folklore in this all-new, original house in which El Muerte will return to guide you through a graveyard of mythic monsters.
Meet three new monsters you can run from at horror movie staple, the boogeyman, this time named El Cucuy. Each of them comes with their own chilling backstories taken from real-life folklore and local tales.
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Screen Rant, along with several other media outlets, recently had the chance to visit Universal Studios Hollywood and preview two of the terrifying haunted houses for 2024. One of the mazes that Halloween Horror Nights creative director John Murdy provided a tour of was Monstruos 2: The Nightmares of Latin America. During the walk-through, he explained the legends of Monstruos' three new monsters. Murdy explains that all three of them have something in common - they all feature glowing eyes.
Meet El Charro
The Rider Who Steals Souls
The legend that Universal Studios Hollywood bases their version of El Charro on begins in a cantina very similar to the one that guests will encounter toward the beginning of this maze. A man named with Juan or Jose, depending on who you speak with, is a poor minor. One night, instead of going home to his wife and large family, he decides to stop for a drink with his buddies from the mine. As time es he drinks more and more, until he is the last one left in the cantina.
At one point, he yells out that it is so unfair he is poor, and that he would do anything to be rich. In walks a man in a black, dark suit who sits down with him and explains that he can make his dreams come true. The man ends up making a deal with the devil. When he wakes up the next morning, he finds sacks of gold which he frivolously spends on food, drink, and girlfriends. As he nears the end of his life, he realizes he is going to have to pay up and takes off on his horse.
Eventually, the devil catches up with him, dooming him to eternity as El Charro - along with his horse. Now, he is forced to find someone to take his place by accepting his sack of gold. The person who agrees will have riches beyond measure, the only cost? Their soul.
Resist the infernal rider El Charro, or he’ll take your soul.
Meet El Cadejo
The Dogman-Like Spirit
The myth of El Cadejo is that God created a white dog that acts as a spirit animal for people and helps guide them on the path to righteousness. This white dog would get them to paradise at the end of their lives. But, as legend has it, the devil got jealous and made a dog of his own. He sent that dog to Earth to mess with all of that -- and that dog is El Cadejo.
As guests walk through the maze, they encounter El Cadejo's lair, which is littered with half-eaten bodies and bones that the dog has left behind. There are several moments when El Cadejo pops out unexpectedly as corners are rounded. Because he is a dog, this monster is recreated only by puppets, and not by any live scare actors.
Don’t turn your back on the devil dog El Cadejo, or you’ll be lost forever.
Meet El Cucuy
The Child-Stealing Boogeyman
Perhaps the most terrifying of all three new monsters is El Cucuy. This creature is essentially the Latin American boogeyman. The legend that accompanies this monster is the classic story that parents tell their kids when they want them to behave. They tell them to go to sleep or the monsters under your bed will take you away to their cave in the mountains and eat you.
"What's interesting about El Cucuy is there's all these different stories about him, but the myth is that no one has ever seen his face and lived. Yet there's all these descriptions of what he supposedly looks like, so we used that as inspiration for our character design," John Murdy explains.
This story starts at a house during Dia de los Muertos, a time of year when people erect altars in their houses to make offerings to the spirits of their loved ones and relatives. The idea that Universal Studios Hollywood leans into is: If you're welcoming all these spirits into your house, what if something else got in?
The first time guests actually see El Cucuy is up on a roof with a sack full of the children that he has kidnapped. As you make your way through the family's house, you end up in a child's bedroom. He is on his bed crying, and El Cucuy's sack is on the bed as well. After this room, guests head to the monster's cave, which is filled with souvenirs he has taken from the homes that he has visited. This is where you will also come face-to-face with El Cucuy himself. If you look closely, there are children in his mouth.
You’d better behave, or the boogeyman El Cucuy will get you.
About Halloween Horror Nights 2024
You never feel more alive than when you're scared to death at Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights, Southern California's scariest Halloween event. Bring your friends and you might survive. Enhance the horror with an R.I.P. Tour or ission that includes express access. Or, maximize your fear by staying near the screams with a Hotel & Ticket Package.
Halloween Horror Nights 2024 at Universal Studios Hollywood runs on select nights from September 5th to November 3rd.
Tickets can be purchased here, as it is ticketed separately from general ission to the park.
