Universal Studios Hollywood celebrated the highly-anticipated opening of Halloween Horror Nights with the “Eyegore Awards,” a celebrity red carpet premiere event honoring influential entertainment professionals for bringing the horror genre to life within the movie, television and music industries. Halloween Horror Nights continues on select nights through Sunday, November 2, 2014.

This year’s “Eyegore Awards” saluted multiple Emmy® Award-winning filmmaker and Special Effects Make-Up Supervisor Greg Nicotero (“The Walking Dead,” “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” “Breaking Bad,” “Django Unchained,” “Predators,” “Piranha 3D”), with the award presented by Chris Hardwick, comedian and host of “Talking Dead” and Robert Kirkman, Creator and Executive Producer of “The Walking Dead” and “Outcast.”

Versatile, award-winning filmmaker and Founder & Chairman of El Rey Network, Robert Rodriguez (“Sin City,” “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” “From Dusk Till Dawn,” “Machete,” “Grindhouse”), accepted the award, presented by prolific actor, producer and last year’s “Eyegore Award” recipient, Danny Trejo (“From Dusk ‘Till Dawn,” “Heat,” “Once Upon a Time in Mexico,” “Machete”).

Renowned filmmaker John Landis (“An American Werewolf in London,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” “The Blues Brothers,” “Animal House”) accepted the award, presented by seven-time Academy Award®-winning Special Effects Make-Up Artist and previous “Eyegore Award” recipient, Rick Baker (“An American Werewolf in London,” “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Men in Black,” “The Wolfman”).

Celebrated Grammy® Award-winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist SLASH, hailed as one of the 10 best electric guitar players of all time by Time magazine, accepted the “Eyegore Award,” presented by Greg Nicotero.

Immediately following the “Eyegore Awards,” SLASH, who composed an original score for the “Clowns 3D Music by SLASH” maze, was joined by Myles Kennedy, to perform the title song from “Nothing Left to Fear,” the first-ever motion picture he co-produced from Slasher Films, his film/TV production company.

McKenzie Westmore, host of Syfy’s hit TV series, “Face Off,” once again served as the event’s emcee, joining Universal Studios Hollywood to celebrate the “Eyegore Awards” for a third consecutive year.

And for the first time ever, Halloween Horror Nights fans were invited to partake in the “Eyegore Award” festivities with a special add-on ticket made available for the first 500 guests who gathered to purchase.

Halloween Horror Nights dates are as follows: September 19, 20, 26, 27, October 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30, 31, and November 1, 2, 2014.