Osaka, Japan — Halloween Horror Nights guests at Universal Studios Japan must not hug, grab or hit performers or crew, the park said in an October 29 notice, warning that it will respond strictly and work with the relevant authorities. The notice came a week after a video of a guest hugging a zombie performer from behind spread on social media, according to the Japanese outlet Shukan Josei PRIME.
The notice, titled “Request for Cooperation in Safe and Secure Park Operations,” applies to the Osaka park, where Halloween Horror Nights runs through Sunday, November 8. It reads as follows, with this and the other Japanese quotes in my translation:
“Please never hug entertainers or crew, grab their arms or shoulders, hit them, or otherwise intentionally make physical contact with them, or interfere with safe performances or work. Such behavior not only threatens the safety of entertainers and crew, it can also affect the safety of the guests around them and park operations, so we cannot tolerate it. Where such behavior is confirmed, we will take necessary measures and respond strictly, in coordination with the relevant authorities.”
The October 29 notice names no incident and does not mention a video.
The Zombie Performer Video
Shukan Josei PRIME, the news site of the Japanese women’s weekly Shukan Josei, reported on October 29 that the video spread on October 22 and drew criticism. It showed a guest hugging a female zombie performer from behind, and the outlet called it sexual harassment. Commenters the outlet quoted asked about the park’s security, and one said the guest should be banned for life.
The park’s public relations office told the outlet:
“Universal Studios Japan values the safety and dignity of everyone involved with the park, including entertainers and crew. We do not tolerate at all behavior such as intentionally hugging, grabbing arms or shoulders, or hitting, that threatens their safety, dignity, or physical and mental health.”
Neither the October 29 notice nor the report says what happened to the guest.
How Street Zombies Work at Universal Studios Japan
Street Zombies ~POWER UP!~ is a roaming show in which zombie performers walk the park’s open streets from 6 p.m. and go after guests, closer to a scare zone that covers most of the park than to a haunted house with a queue. Universal Studios Japan promotes this 15th-anniversary edition as having the most zombies in the event’s history. Unlike Universal’s US events, Halloween Horror Nights there is included with standard Studio Pass admission.
The park’s July 14 notice for the event already carried a removal rule, which reads: “Guests who commit improper acts, such as scaring zombies, crew or other guests, or violence, will be asked to leave the park.” The October 29 notice adds hugging, grabbing and hitting by name, along with the relevant authorities.
“I always start with touch maps,” Dr. Margee Kerr said of immersive shows in her 2017 Haunted Attraction Symposium keynote on training haunt actors, describing illustrations that show where it is and isn’t OK to touch people, the same line from the performer’s side.
My Halloween Horror Nights Japan guide has every maze, show and ride overlay, and the park posts its guest rules on its Rules and Manners page, in Japanese.
Top image: A street zombie at Universal Studios Japan’s Halloween Horror Nights. Photo: Philip Hernandez / Haunted Attraction Network.
