dave

Ok, I'm willing to get my hopes up again over the possibility of an icon again since I can see what you guys are saying about the similarities of fear's reveal . . . is it me, or is that a bandage on the index finger of the hand emerging from the ground? a vampire probably wouldn't need one of those, but could still be something supernatural. A demon of some kind would be cool. It has been really fun talking about this stuff with everyone here, I'm glad I joined

White substance could be stay pufft marshmallow man!

That does sound like a reference to "the stuff", and it falls into the not-of-this-world category . . . but kind of a strange choice by uni if true

Maybe it was the time capsule under nickelodeon, lol I do like the thought of darkness or fear making a return. They both served a similar function in their respective years, but they weren't really fleshed out as characters as much as the major icons. But I also immediately thought of Halloween and Michael Myers with the "it's time He came home" comment. Did universal get the rights to the franchise?

I'd love to see a mad scientist icon at some point, or something like dr. Phibes . . . or maybe a hero instead of a villain, like a van helsing or kolchak but as much as I love icons, I still enjoy the event without one. Even without a cohesive theme it's still a blast. I guess what I'm really saying is that I don't expect an icon or main theme at this point, so I better get ready to like this year for what it has rather than be disappointed about what it doesn't.

Oh, I know I know! You're going to be able to pay to get buried alive!

I didn't even get a chance to help try solving that one, lol. But maybe there is even more to it. Those are all photographic portraits of famous deceased personalities . . . film exposures of dead people

interestingly, lizz says that heather struck a chord, and the clue had musical implications: motive, a-key (key of A? Even if we now know the key was the image of heather's post revealing the post-it note code). I know, I know . . . reaching. Well, there might not be any official website games, but at least we have our own ARG here

Maybe the periodic table and notes are from a lab, a mad scientist's lab to be precise. Could be something to the jekyll and Hyde theory.

The abbreviations of the elements listed almost spell silent hill

Yeah, that theme could apply to a lot already confirmed

Well, the icon is usually featured in a house, and I doubt it would be any of the IP houses. So that leaves us with Victorian house, gargoyles, and classic monsters (none of which have been officially announced). But what could tie everything together, even if it's just a theme? I'd love to see beetlejuice as an icon someday, but the character isn't relevant enough now. Maybe they could play a nightmare angle and do a take on a Mr. Sandman character. I doubt the general public remembers "frightmares" from the 90s, and there was no icon for that unless you count the little eye demon.

I don't think this has been brought up yet, but in regards to poltergeist being a possibility for the Victorian house I don't think it matches up because in the film the home was newly constructed. Remember that the haunting was due to the house being built over what used to be a cemetery? "Victorian house" is pretty specific as opposed to just "haunted house".

The dummy/doll has to be related to the Victorian house, no doubt. I just wonder if there will be any recognizable tie-in to it. "Legendary truth" is the obvious choice, "American horror story" is a possibility, and "the woman in black" is kind of a remote chance. Of course it could be entirely fresh, maybe it actually takes place during the Victorian era and involves the occult.

Uh . . . yeah! Upload it!

Thanks for the info

All 8 hordes don't necessarily have to be roaming about the park simultaneously. I'm sure there could be a rotation set up, and it would probably be relatively easy to increase or decrease the amount of scareactors in the streets depending on guest flow. I'm with you on the website sentiment though. Wasn't "reflections of fear" the year the website had that kind of 3D effect where you travelled through it clicking on things? If so, that was probably the best HHN site ever put together. However, I did like the way carnival of carnage was rolled out.

That sounds pretty awesome

I hope central park is decorated traditionally with jack-o-lanterns again, it's always nice to see classic Halloween themes represented. I'd like to see a house set up like, well, a house that you're going trick or treating to. Facade could be in a soundstage with the front yard and porch similar to what's been done in the past. Maybe you even get candy at the end!

I like the roaming hordes idea. It would be neat if there were ambush scenarios. Like you're just walking along and the lights go down, maybe an audio queue/music change, fog kicks up and you're swarmed by scaracters. Could be random, could be areas marked on the map as hazardous but not necessarily a zone.

it seems we're past the attitude era when it comes to HHN. didn't go last year, but the theme seemed like it wasn't much more than a subtitle and lady luck didn't stand out to me as an icon. and with the emphasis on HHN XX being the end of a cycle exposing Fear as the mastermind behind the previous years' events, it may be a while before we see the return of any of the old icons (if ever) as hosts. It's a shame because a few of them were really strong characters. I just hope that at the very least we see the triumphant return of jack. but I don't think creative is asleep at the wheel or anything like that, I'm sure they have a bunch of ideas and plans in the works for the future (even if it's on the individual level) that they're keeping under their hat. and even though I didn't care for lady luck, I did like what I was able to watch online of h.r. bloodengutz as a character. sounds like most of the houses were well done too, so at least that hasn't changed. Anyway, theme or no theme, I'm already excited for this year's event based on the announced houses. I really think its going to be a good time.

Yeah, I like Louie's also. Not a bad deal either.

I'm with you black mask. I still mourn the loss of Hitchcock and kong, and now jaws . . . monsters cafe is something I always look forward to spending time at, this isn't the first time it's been at risk and I really hope that with the 100 year anniversary of universal horror next year that it survives

Kind of off topic, but an above comment about the international food festival reminded me of something . . . I used to work at universal once upon a time and I've been in the kitchens of most of the restaurants. now, it's been several years since I was there, but all I have to say is that I will never eat at IFF again. Mel's was iffy, but the rest seemed fine and I remember Lombards being the cleanest. I dont remember anything offputting at IOA . . . well, discovery center first housed psycho scarepy and they used cow manure for effect in the house and it lingered slightly in the air there for months after so I could never bring myself to eat at burger digs again.

I'm planning on getting a frequent fear pass when I can, which is what I've usually gone with the last several years I've attended. I doubt I would take full advantage of rush of fear. Frequent fear plus gives you more options for a reasonable markup ($3 per Friday added), but then again Fridays are always more crowded. I'm not sure that I'll add express since I know I'd eventually see every house a few times each by just always getting there early and skipping houses with long waits. However, you never know how if attendance will be really high on all nights even in this economy. It's not a bad deal at all to add express to frequent fear when you look at the individual night prices. Definitely gives you peace of mind and a more relaxed evening. Thing is that parking isn't included with frequent fear, so factor in another $15 per night you go. Might be better off saving that express money for parking. I'm impatient though and 20 - 30 minutes is about as long as I care to wait on queue . . . probably come down to what my budget dictates. To anyone who hasn't been to HHN before that can only go to one night of the event, do yourself a favor and buy express if you can afford it. Especially if you're going on a Friday or Saturday. Double especially if you're going later in the month. Not getting to see all the houses because of long lines would be a real drag, even more so if you've travelled a long way.