boogeyman13

The new photos they've uploaded make me VERY excited. Judging by the pics, I'm guessing: Nosferatu/Dracula Frankenstein (the hanging corpse is how the movie starts, IIRC) The Phantom of the Opera Not sure about this one, though. The file is called Grind. I can already tell I'm going to be going through this house a LOT. In fact, this may be my most anticipated house of the entire haunt season this year, Chicago and Orlando houses combined!

So I was perusing the HHN Collections thread, as well as watching some YouTube vids of past events, and I got to thinking about the icons we've had over the past years. What is the draw for the icons? Why do we love them so much? I'm curious to get people's feelings. I think for me, it's because they're tied into Universal's legacy of horror, stretching all the way back to Dracula and Frankenstein. Even though they've never been in a feature film, they are still home grown Universal characters, and are therefore kind of like extended family to the Universal classic monsters. Their stories are generally just as rich, and their visages and motifs just as iconic (no pun intended). And it's because of that connection and that history that I personally feel more drawn to them than icons at HoS or other haunts. What about all of you? If you also enjoy the icons, what is it that draws you in?

Except that we have no idea how much planning there actually was for it. All we have is a graphic without a description that was taken down in a couple hours. Is it also possible that they put them in the house in a mob scene? We really just don't know. Personally, I'm done worrying about the event. It's very clear this year is blazing a new direction, and I'll hold off on an opinion til I'm there to see it myself.

If it means that the other hordes get bigger, I'm all for it. Because of the nature of the event, they wouldn't be able to act like zombies anyway. Hard to do startle scares if you can only moan and shamble about. So not a big deal at all to me.

Guys, a zombie horde is not going to make or break this event. There's still a dedicated house, and plenty of other things to make for a great experience. And the consistent theming of the entire park is very intriguing. I too am excited to see how all this plays out with a graveyard growing up into the very park itself.

Now THAT would be a scare zone!

Don't get me started on spiders. I'm fine with the concept of them, and viewing them from afar. But get me near one, and I go on a mission to get it before it gets me. I blame Arachnophobia (the movie). I wonder if and how many recycled costumes we'll see for this legion, since they kind of encompass just your average bump in the night thing? Wasn't there some earlier talk about costumes being tailor made to the individual? I wonder if that was just for specific things, or park wide. Or, will we actually be getting staples of Halloween, and characters that are directly influenced by the traditions and iconography of the holiday?

I do agree with you. But to play devil's advocate, maybe they wouldn't if it wasn't an autonomous show. Maybe it will just be background video or something, or will have the Iniquitus talking, or like I said above, maybe even just clips from the IP's (TWD, SH, etc...). Something that wouldn't really warrant advertising, but would add another layer to the event.

I have to imagine (read that as hope) that they'll use it to some capacity. Either a horror-centric show, or tying it into the Iniquitus, or featuring the IP houses. It just seems too tempting to not use it.

I don't know if I can explain it, other than they make my skin crawl. And they're fast.

Well, I'm by no means a lawyer, and know very little about civil or criminal law for the state of Illinois, let alone Florida. Just throwing it out there that it looks like they've already set themselves up for a defense should something happen. I'm assuming it's on every ticket, including general admission. It's a blanket statement that HHN would also fall under. We won't really have an idea how much is hype and how much will actually be different until the first night. But it "seems" that if they wanted to do it, as long as they didn't start chasing people halfway across the park or into restricted, back stage areas, they are within their rights and are keeping things reasonably safe. And, as stated on the ticket, you agreed to those terms when you entered. But again, I'm not a lawyer, and am just speculating. Does anyone know how HOS did their one park scare zone last year? Did they have safe areas?

Quoted from my FFP+Express ticket for this year's event that I'm holding in my hand: "By accepting admission with this ticket, you agree to release the owners of Universal from all responsibility for any loss, injury or damage, which you may incur as our guest." My guess would be that that's on all the tickets. So they've got themselves covered, should there be an issue like this. I don't know what they'll do, but if there really are no safe areas, then they've got a legal waiver built into every ticket.

In regards to The Usher v Iniquitus, I will say that the Usher seemed to have a larger presence outside of the traditional marketing channels. Didn't the site have that trailer with him talking about the Palace Theater? It's a bit premature to really say how they compare though, as we have the benefit of seeing how much The Usher was deployed into the event, but haven't seen this year's event yet. I personally don't really think any of the past icons have been all that creepy or scary, due to the nature of what they are. Jack might be the only exception, but that's because he ties into a normal phobia that people have. I tend to view these characters as darker versions of Zacherle or Svengoolie. Kind of like H.R. Bloodengutz. And as for Usher v Director, I hate to say it, but Director was a larger icon (which pains me, as I LOVE Usher). Creation aside, Director was the face of the event to the gp, whereas the Usher was not. Usher never really had His year like the others did (save for maybe Storyteller, even though she did get three years worth of appearances). Instead, he was the extra bit of back story for the fans and a secondary icon, while the gp got Chucky, Saw, and Wolf Man as the event theming. In order to be an icon of any sort, yeah they kind of do to some extent. Icon's are the face of the event. To tie back into the beginning of the post, while the Usher wasn't in the commercials, he did do news shows, was featured on the web site, had a media kit devoted to himself and the UPT, and had a strong presence in the park for those that were looking. So far, the Iniquitus have not. We've seen a picture that might be them, but as of yet has not been confirmed. They've had one mention on the web site, and share a legion icon with the vampires. Now, maybe the media kit will be about them (although I'm guessing more than likely it will be about TWD and the other IP's), and maybe they'll have a huge presence in the park. But from everything we've seen so far, it really doesn't seem like it. Doesn't mean it can't happen, just that it seems less likely. I may be way off-base here, but it feels to me that The Iniquitus were a late-in-the-game creation put together to appease us obsessed fans who cried foul when it looked like we had no icon for a theme this year (remember the survey). That might be why they have had such a weak presence so far. This whole event has seen its share of unexpected twists and turns, and the Iniquitus may be an attempt to give us some of what we've grown to expect while also evolving the event, both for the changed structure and because of real-life circumstances. I'm very curious to see how this all plays out this year.

He doesn't have fangs, and he sparkles in the sun. If that's what constitutes a vampire, than I have been SERIOUSLY misinformed my entire life. If they make this horde more monstrous, it could be good. I'm thinking like the vamps from From Dusk Til Dawn with some bat or wolf characteristics mixed in.

Yeah, see my issue is that I tend to unintentionally go through houses quickly, not from fear, but because I'm really excited to see what's in the next room! Thankfully, with an event like HHN, I can blitz through it the first time, and then do it again and take it all in a bit better. And I plan on doing that a lot with this house, especially if there are strobes. I want to see as much detail as possible. Funny little story to give you an idea on how I handle haunts: I was in MA last month for work, and ended up with a day to kill (thank you, American Airlines). So I hopped on over to Salem, MA, and did a couple year-round haunted houses there. Went through both of them solo, and was told on the second that I could make it as scary as I wanted. I told them to make it the scariest they could, and the guy yelled out that there was a 10 coming through. All I can say is, it could have been scarier. And I even tried to take my time through it too!

Dude, relax. This event is a fun thing, and not something anyone should take so seriously. It sounds like you and I are arguing for the same point, so let's just leave it at that, lighten up a bit, and enjoy the rest of the pre-show! Very cool! Maybe instead of a circus tent over the whole park, they can put spider webs over the whole park. And a paper skeleton in every window! And don't get me started on silverfish. They will have to escort me out for trying to smash every last one of their "props."

You and me both! I'm fine with fake spiders or real spiders from afar. But put me next to a real one, and it's a whole other story.

LOL Lyn! Spider webs and little plastic spiders EVERYWHERE!

Intellectual Property. Basically, anything that isn't 100% Universal Orlando created. Even Universal licenses like The Thing or The Wolfman are still considered IP, as they weren't conceived by A&D.

Nope, this is what I was responding to. No mention there of recycling. Perhaps the intent you meant with your initial point was unclear, as it reads to me that the Skoolhouse SZ in 2008 was the closest we'll ever see to seeing something from that film. At any rate, I'm very curious to see how this SZ plays out. And I'm really hoping the do shirts, hat, pins or something of the different Legions because unless we're off about this legion, I'm ready to show my support!

It's new to me, and something that I'm extremely happy to be able to see, so I'm all for it!

Just because they did it once, doesn't mean they can't do it again. Besides, wasn't more specifically tied to the school children from the film than Sam himself? Sam's a Halloween demigod, he'd fit right in this year. Agreed 100%! My guess is that because HHN costs so much to operate, they focus more on that than general park dressing. But I'd love to see some general decorating as well, along with some spooky characters walking around the park. During the day, you can't even tell it's October if it weren't for the bit of HHN SZ dressing.

Why would you want to run through that? That sounds AWESOME! I'd spend as much time in there as I could. Of course, I'm also weird...

I think it's because of the fact that the costumes are so non-descriptive and ambiguous that you really have no idea who, or what, could be under there. It's why Sam from Trick r' Treat works so well with such a simple costume (which I hope you're able to watch this weekend, Lyn ) And I know he's non-Universal IP, but if they did an "homage" character of him, it would be the icing on the cake of this scare zone.

Thanks for the video Jeramy! Always cool to see inside the houses I missed. And this talk of the crowded room is all WAY to cryptic for me. Someone want to spill the beans? Were there just a lot of zombies in it? Something else?