“JAWS” Entrance, Universal Studios Florida, 2011.
On this date in 2012, Universal Studios Florida’s JAWS attraction (and the surrounding “Amity” area) permanently closed.
JAWS was one of the park’s original attractions when Universal Studios Florida first opened
in 1991. It played a significant role in Halloween Horror Nights history: the attraction’s
extended queue line was the site of USF’s first-ever haunted house, “Dungeon of Terror.”
The location proved so successful that it became a regular house location, hosting many
popular haunts through the years:
- Dungeon of Terror (1991), Fright Nights, aka Halloween Horror Nights I
- Terror Underground (1992)
- Dungeon of Terror (1994)
- Dungeon of Terror: Retold (2006), home of The Storyteller
- Friday the 13th: Camp Blood (2007)
- Reflections of Fear (2008), home of Bloody Mary
- SAW (2009)
- The Orfanage: Ashes to Ashes (2010)
- Saws N’ Steam: Into the Machine (2011), seen below
“Saws N’ Steam: Into the Machine,” Universal Studios Florida, 2011.
In addition to utilizing its queue for haunted houses, the JAWS attraction was also
occasionally “haunted” itself: slightly re-themed with additional horror elements and
populated with scareactors. This seasonal overlay added a unique spin to the attraction
that could only be experienced during Halloween Horror Nights.
JAWS and Amity will be replaced by the currently-under-construction “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley.”
Top photo by Ricky Brigante, courtesy of Inside the Magic. For more “JAWS” photos, check out Inside the Magic‘s gallery HERE.
“Saws N’ Steam” photo by Universal Orlando, © 2014 Universal Orlando Resort. All rights reserved.