Fallow

I only attended two nights in 2008 and houses/scarezones were a huge priority for me - as such I didn't make it to your show (just barely made Bill & Ted). This year, however, I'll be going 4+ nights, so I'll definitely make a point to stop by and check it out - I know the rest of my party is interested as well, they love illusions. I'm not sure why people are so opposed to an illusion act - I get the whole doing the same thing over again, but that's been rectified with the new show (think that's great by the way). This type of show is a great way to contrast the all-out scares of the other attractions and the comedy of Bill&Ted... variety is the spice of life. Also, that DVD/t-shirt idea sounds cool - keep us posted if you're able to do that, I'd love to participate!

PND, I agree completely. We should've heard FEAR talking instead of the mood-killing narrator. We also should've seen much more of a creepy build-up approach to the Lantern, followed by FEAR's assault. I think the way they did this will leave audience's confused as to what exactly FEAR is and what they're supposed to be afraid of - the lantern? That weird mouth thing they keep seeing? etc. I also agree with BSquare - I keep hearing "just wait, the event's gonna be stellar, the commercial isn't a big deal, etc." - I don't know about you, but I got into HHN in 2008 because of the massive buildup to Bloody Mary. I had never seen a backstory for a special event that was so intensive and creative - it drew me in. The preview website was incredible. The final reveal site was incredible. The commercial was incredible. The event itself was, of course, incredible. The event this year, according to everyone telling the naysayers to shut it, is going to be mind-blowing. Well, I'd like to think they're correct, and the far-better looking scarezones give me hope - but I get the feeling that the event will be "incredible" like the previous years. Not that that's a bad thing, but before we had an incredible build-up and an incredible payoff.

Agreed completely. The narrator killed it - I don't want to hear that guy until after the "kill". Good point on the lighting. Seeing the lantern was neat, but it looked like a cartoon, not like a physical prop. The commercial should've been much darker and quieter - a bit of eerie music - the lantern flickering quietly... guard approaches it, is upon it, stares at it, puzzled, and then hears movement, turns around, and sees FEAR rushing at him. Cue narrator talking about Twenty Years of Fear. (The whole commercial also seemed to move really fast - very quick shots - why no slow, methodical shots like in 2003 or 8?)

Honestly, disappointing commercial. Wasn't scary or chilling or creepy in the slightest. The appearance of HHN props was cool, but there was absolutely no sense of dread through the whole thing.

Eh? This intrigues me - I'll disregard the New Line characters as they were never really icons... could you be referring to an appearance by the fabled Cryptkeeper...?

I did and gave my two cents on the lack of interactive elements. I understand the need for a site that's appealing/easy to navigate by the general public, but there can always be the core information in ADDITION to some other backstory-heavy goodies...

Maybe it's just me but I feel the last two commercials have been seriously lacking. Ripped failed even on the level of just presenting its 3 advertisement-heavy icons (Jigsaw was completely nonthreatening, Chucky was clearly a dummy, Wolfman looked pretty good but not scary). I won't even address the fact that the icon wasn't in it. 2006, 7, and 8 all had really strong commercials - why have the last two years been so "meh"? The new commercial isn't threatening or scary at all, in part because the narrator starts talking and kills any mood it had going for it. The fact that FEAR isn't shown sort of hurts it, but isn't fatally damaging - it's just the fact that while kind of cool, the commercial just isn't scary (or even creepy).

I'm too lazy to screencap it, but at :24 on the "Preview" video there's a Body Collectors mask on the rack, center-right.

Maybe this has already been discussed - and if so disregard this post and move along - but has anyone noticed that on the HHN site, the description for the Legendary Truth: Wyandot Estate now reads "The SPIRIT SEEKERS have created a machine [...]" Doesn't this put to rest the timeline issues? The Spirit Seekers are the rogue group who have apparently stolen "the device". The official Legendary Truth we're dealing with is separate, for now.

Unfortunately the commercial does not seem to be playing down here in Fort Myers - my sister went to go see Last Exorcism tonight and said it wasn't shown. Pity... hopefully the event version will be on the website (and start airing on TV) soon. And hopefully they'll have filmed a new Gory Getaway clip instead of obviously reusing the Mary one like last year!

Love the silver HHNXX, looks very nice. Clearly they're going for the "what does FEAR look like? Come to the event to find out!" marketing approach... let's hope they can deliver...! I'm interested to see what the Burger King Cups look like. Would it be wise to put FEAR's grimy jaws on the cup of the drink you were about to enjoy?

50 bucks for the basic Unmasking the Horror - 10 dollar increase over last year, yes? Since I'm not 18 yet the cost is really 100 bucks, sadly (have to pay for the guardian), so I may have to opt out of this until next year.

Someone get some pictures of the Publix ticket stands and the Burger King items - thanks to all who have provided stuff so far!

1) Horror Nights: The Hallowed Past - I'm a sucker for "best of the best" type houses, and seeing characters and sets I never got to see in previous years presented in new ways sounds like a blast. Plus, if FEAR were to make an appearance inside of a house, I would think this would be it.... 2) Hades: Gate of Ruin - This house just screams epic costuming, sets, lighting, special effects, everything. While I'm looking forward to Hallowed slightly more, I can see this one achieving house of the year easily. Very exciting. 3) Legendary Truth - While I'm a bit worried that the ghosts are going to come off cheesy, I nevertheless greatly look forward to a fancy old mansion haunted with ghouls. This has the potential be incredible if done correctly. 4) The Orfanage - I still think it's amazing that A&D is willing to an extent to cater to its fans and bring back a forgotten icon into a brand new house. I love the idea of Cindy and can't wait to see more of her after her brief appearance in Shadows of the Past. 5) Psychoscareapy - I've never seen a Scareapy house, so this is all new to me... but if past editions of the maze are any indication, it will be quite good. The only thing I'm not completely crazy about is the whole "ghost" thing (even if it is a clever continuation of the plot)... I'm just afraid it'll either become repetitive after LT & Catacombs, or worse it'll come off as cheesy. We shall see. 6) HAVOC - This sounds very THING-like to me, and The Thing is probably my favorite horror movie of all time... thus, I'm excited. A fast-paced, high-anxiety, crazy-looking monster-filled house sounds like a recipe for success. 7) Catacombs - I really like the idea for this house (even if Plague Pit had a nice ring to it) - I'm just worried we're going to get another Spawning. Meaning, one or two costumes with very repetitive sets (clusters of skulls! a few coffins!). Prove me wrong A&D, this could turn out great... 8) Zombiegeddon - I don't necessarily dislike the idea for this house, but I think the name alone clues us in that this is going to be our humor house. Nothing wrong with that, really, but I tend to prefer actual horror to comedy.

First of all - love all of the houses and scarezones announced. They sound fantastic. FEAR is creepy as hell, and while I'm disappointed we don't get a better look at him, it just makes me more anxious for the event. That said - I'm gonna have to agree with the naysayers that this site is lacking in the interactivity, compared to any of the previous years. I don't need random things shoved in my face, but I loved the interactivity that allowed me to examine objects and sets for further backstory information (see 06, 07, to an extent 08). Right now we have a pretty bare bones site - I sent it to my friend, and she asked me "wait, where's all the fun little clickable stuff"? Sadly wasn't sure what to tell her. Still, love FEAR, love the houses/zones, can't wait for the event.

2 new photos under "News" - one with the photo of a creepy child with a jaw problem, and a cluster of skulls presumably from Catacombs.

The name is serviceable - not particularly striking or memorable. But a house can have a terrible name and still be excellent (and vice versa). I'm looking forward more to the reveal of the scare zones, Tent 1 and other Soundstage houses, and all of the flash goodies sure to come with them...

Someone get a picture of the displays - it's sure to reveal at least a bit of what's to come.

Did you happen to peer inside to see what the collectible tickets look like? Or are those displays not up yet? A pic on another forum showed the "Tickets on Sale Here" sign with the burning lantern image we've been seeing...

Adatu, the God of Fear... this could go either really well, or really, really badly. And I mean that in a quality sense. This icon could completely retcon all of the previous icons.

Another big site update with a "News" tab, featuring all of the images we've already seen, plus a video showing highlights from previous HHNs with the promise of the most intense "Twenty Years of Fear". Full reveal August 26th. Additional pictures include a Mummy (10 bucks it's Tent 1), a "the Thing" type creature (YESSSS), and a furry Jack-ish head of some sort (???).

Looks like the old Van Helsing carriage prop will be pulled out of storage for one of the scarezones. The rendering makes me think the Mel's Die-In area...

Bloody Mary has been cast!?!? HUZZAH! I would imagine she'll either be in the street (Hollywood) or in the Parade Building (Renunion), along with our other shadows from the past... but this does beg the question. Is this going to be an All-Night Die-In type deal where the character is "unofficially" present, and thus will never be referred to as "Bloody Mary" by Universal (except in backstage documentation), or were they just a little late in getting the rights to the character, which could be possible since she was not present in the Lantern images or in the Twenty Years of Fear section but is now supposedly in the event...?

Once again... I don't know how many times I can say this... just because the official HHN site is down for you personally does not mean an update is about to occur. It works just fine for me with no update.

I'd imagine not until the big reveal - so, probably early to mid-September on.