Theme Park Rangers Radar: The Last of Us / HHN edition

Theme Park Rangers Radar has honed in on a specific place that’s mostly backstage at Universal Studios during Halloween Horror Nights but also explores the mysteries of Pittsburgh via the haunted house based on “The Last of Us” video game.

Members of the media took a pre-HHN daylight tour of the house and interviewed Neil Druckmann, co-studio head and head of creative at Naughty Dog, developer of the game, and Mike Aiello, senior director of entertainment creative development for Universal Orlando.

Radar is a weekly peek at Orlando theme park goings-on. It publishes at OrlandoSentinel.com on Wednesdays. There are no jump scares.

Druckmann in the house

Druckmann on growing up in Miami with trips to Orlando attractions:

“Every few months, we would come up to Universal and Disney. I was there when Islands of Adventure first opened and going on that Spider-Man ride. It blew my mind. I couldn’t believe it. … Any time there would be a new ride, I would make the pilgrimage. Even now that I live on the West Coast, I still come out here to see new rides. … And now I’ve learned to appreciate even the differences when the rides are like the same property. So there’s the Mummy ride on the West Coast, and here it’s very, very different. I always thought it was the same ride. When I saw it last year, my mind was blown. It’s just so different.”

Druckmann on stepping into his own video game:

“It reminded me a lot of when I first walked on the set for the HBO show, and I’m like standing in Joel’s house. I’m inside the game. [A series based on the video game debuted this year.] In some ways, it’s even cooler because there are effects and smoke and sound and you hear the characters. You’re standing in the game, and that was the dream, to build something like this. You know, when you go on the Back to the Future ride, it’s like I’m in ‘Back to the Future.’ That’s the feeling that I wanted fans to have when they come in here.”

Druckmann on Pittsburgh as setting for house:

“Pittsburgh felt appropriate to me. … It was interesting for me to think about what if we told a mini-story of, like, there’s a beginning, middle and end with Joel and Ellie. Because Joel and Ellie are the heart of this franchise. And this is the part where they really are relying on each other and working together. Other parts of the games have different aspects, but not that aspect specifically.”

Druckmann on one of his favorite house moments:

“It’s very simple, but it’s a fun little shadow play of Joel and Ellie. You hear Troy [Baker, voice of Joel] … and you see him put the mask on. Then you see the spores in the air. You really feel like you’re moving along with them.”

The cast of Us

Aiello on the casting of the house:

“The scareactors here are unbelievable. … No one knows where they’re going when they’re cast because we cast by code name. And then once we reveal the slate publicly, the cast finds out the house they’re in. And when certain scareactors found out they were in the Last of Us, they literally went crazy. And it’s like, ‘Am I gonna be a clicker? Am I gonna be a hunter?’ And there’s the guy that’s like ‘I’m probably Joel.’”

Part II too?

Druckmann, Aiello on future house based on The Last of Us Part II:

Druckmann: “Those conversations have maybe started. … and we’ll see.”

Aiello: “There’s only positive conversation.”

Druckmann: “I will say whether it’s that game of something else, I had such pleasure working with Mike and John [Murdy, Universal Studios Hollywood] on the other coast and these two teams, in a heartbeat I would do this again.”

Weekend outlook

• SeaWorld Orlando’s Howl-O-Scream event begins Friday night. Elsewhere on the Halloween front, Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights continues, and Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is set for Magic Kingdom on Friday and Sunday (but it’s a sell-out).

• Garden Rocks concert series, part of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, continues with Ray Parker Jr. on Friday and Saturday, followed by TobyMac on Sunday and Monday.

• Destination D23 features an audio-animatronic exhibit and an array of Disney-centric panels Friday through Sunday, and presentation by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro on Saturday. It’s held at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

• Orange County Regional History Center presents Figurehead Encore Weekend with a Saturday panel discussion and concert plus morning-after brunch Sunday with a performance by Orlando Americana artist Terri Binion.

• Fun Spot locations in Orlando and Kissimmee mark Grandparents Day on Saturday and Sunday. For each grandchild that purchases a ride wristband, a grandparent gets a free wristband.

What’s on your radar? Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com.