HHN 22 Discussion

[Troiandan]

I agree with everything about the crowds and crowd traffic. Nonetheless, and similar to other suggestions: Forget No Way Out.

HHN 22: The Year of the Scareactor!

(How about HHN 23: The Recurrence?)

[WESKER69]

The parade wasn't the issue this year for streets. The parade on hiatus would be stupid because that'd be one less thing for daytime guests to enjoy and UNI needs every form of entertainment they can provide. Trust me.

Hollywood & NY can survive without having a themed scareazone. Fog & lighting is good enough, it worked for the 90s, it can work now.

One thing this year proved was that they are more than capable of having themed scarezones in the back half of the park. And this was always the area of the park thats dead. Depending on the need for an over-flow queue, Shrek Alley can be used again for a SZ next year. Its very possible to have normal scarezones & free-roaming scareactors, which is what the event really needs to be doing.

[Pandry]

Like Mr. Black, I too have been going the past 8 years and this is the first year where I don't have the usual postpartum depression. Each season, my GF and I get FFP's. We mainly do it to avoid the peak nights and use the less crowded nights to be able to see most of the houses. We'll typically head over from work at 5pm and stay until 9pm - as we both work at 8am during the week. But our tradition each year is that we take off work the day after the last HHN night. That's our one night of the season to stay until close and go all out. Usually on those nights, it's a sad walk out of the park at midnight knowing it's over.

Not so much this year. Lines on Wednesday night were at 1 hour + for all houses, by like 8pm. Probably longer as those times are usually "padded." We didn't have the energy to hang out for 3 or so hours to see if we'd catch the late night/closing time when lines again die down. So unfortunately, this year, we trudged out around 9pm mumbling curses to ourselves. But we did have great scare actor interaction in the streets on the way out. A vampire chased my GF from the start of rip ride rocket all the way to the exit gate. It was great!! That will be our lasting memory for this season. Terrible crowds, but great job from all the scare actors - we definitely appreciated all the hard work you all do..

[mastermind22]

The parade wasn't the issue this year for streets. The parade on hiatus would be stupid because that'd be one less thing for daytime guests to enjoy and UNI needs every form of entertainment they can provide. Trust me.

Hollywood & NY can survive without having a themed scareazone. Fog & lighting is good enough, it worked for the 90s, it can work now.

One thing this year proved was that they are more than capable of having themed scarezones in the back half of the park. And this was always the area of the park thats dead. Depending on the need for an over-flow queue, Shrek Alley can be used again for a SZ next year. Its very possible to have normal scarezones & free-roaming scareactors, which is what the event really needs to be doing.

Yet some people miss the old scarezones. And if they use Shrek Alley as an outflowing queue for Transformers, that's one less scarezone location for Universal to use. Plus I don't think a small hiatus would hurt since outside of HHN it's a dead season for daytime anyway. At the very least they should make scarezones but with large movable sets to put backstage during daytime so the parade can function.

Anyway what do you think of the other two ideas Wesker?

[Michele]

I don't think Universal would be able to put the parade on hiatus. There's a lot of people whose full time job involves the parade. I don't think they'd be too happy about being laid off for two and a half months.

[mastermind22]

I don't think Universal would be able to put the parade on hiatus. There's a lot of people whose full time job involves the parade. I don't think they'd be too happy about being laid off for two and a half months.

I figured that. Why not use the employees for the Macy's parade and use the hiatus to conduct backstage rehearsals which would be part of the job and the employees will get paid for. Might sound a bit stupid

[Voorhees]

I agree with many thoughts on here. While HHN22 was great, it does not compete with some other years. This year was truly the Year of the Scareactor, as several others have stated. The energy, enthusiasm, and passion of our scareactors truly drove this year to be memorable. I will mostly miss the street experience (primarily the Traditionals, the Warriors, and Prisoners, but all were amazing!), a few of the houses (Gothic, Penn & Teller, the first half of The Walking Dead, and the overall feeling of Silent Hill), and the scareactors who have all been top notch this year. To all of you in the houses and the streets, I tip my hat to you for an amazing year!

I agree that the parade can continue next year, as long as they mix fixed scarezones with the roaming experience. I really hope they add the eighth house again as this was a major let-down this year. They can add as many shows as they want as I don't get attracted to them, yet the crowds do. I love crowd eaters - here's to Transformers next year! I don't expect the lines to be as long next year. What a relief that will be.

Finally, to those of you who I met this year, thanks for making HHN22 even that much more memorable. Whether you were in costume or enjoying the event as a guest, like me, it is the people that made HHN22 so great! Halloween night was truly spectacular!

Let the speculation for HHN23 begin . . .

[RockinSight]

I too agree that the parade can continue, and I really liked this year. The houses were great, the scareactors were fantastic, I can honestly say that I really liked a lot of things this year.

Now I have a question pertaining to next year if anyone could give me an answer. I know that the parade building was a last minute thing because of the demolition of the Herc and Xena building, but will it probably be used next year? Just wondering about that.

[Coast]

I'm still calling shenanigans on the parade excuse. I still refuse to believe that the parade was the reason for no sets, and that they were in fact just trying something new. Now they hopefully know what worked and what didn't work.

There's a few videos on Youtube that show the Singapore crew rolling out some pretty large set pieces in the NY area of the park. Sure, fog and lighting would be just fine for Hollywood and New York, but we're talking about a creative team that came up with ways to implement flying scareactors into houses.. I think they can figure out how to design sets that can be rolled out before the gates open.

Edit: Found a video of Singapore setting up scarezones. You can see it at about :30.

Edited November 5, 2012 by Coast

[Troiandan]

I really have nothing to add at the moment - since I just love my new sig, I want to post to look at it again

[boogeyman13]

Oh wow, Kathy. That looks awesome!

I'm curious to know if Universal felt the new street experience was successful, and to what level. It's probably too early for Wishful thinking , but I'd love to seem them blend this year with years past. Where you'd take the amount of set dressing you'd find in a scarezone of the last couple years, but spread it out over a larger area. And then throw a themed roaming horde in that section, combined with maybe a couple "stationary" actors. Then you still have that nowhere is safe feeling with scareactors given free reign again; but the streets would feel more like they have before, rather than just the occasional, isolated piece of set dressing. And you'd have less impressions of dead areas.

[Dr. D]

I for one enjoyed the roaming hordes this year. Sure the set pieces were "meh" but I loved it.

[WESKER69]

And if they use Shrek Alley as an outflowing queue for Transformers, that's one less scarezone location for Universal to use. Plus I don't think a small hiatus would hurt since outside of HHN it's a dead season for daytime anyway. At the very least they should make scarezones but with large movable sets to put backstage during daytime so the parade can function.

- The lack of Shrek Alley won't really be noticeable except for those of us who normally use it as a short-cut to SS22.

- And yes, actually a small hiatus for the parade would hurt UNI. Its one of the ONLY things bringing people to the park right now (myself included). Not to mention the parade floats cost them A LOT of money. They really should have the parade twice a day, the 2nd time being at night due to the floats having LED lighting.

- They made large moveable set pieces to pull out into the streets this year. It was underwhelming. Why waste time setting up sets in areas like NY & Hollywood when you can just turn on fog machines instead? Besides, with the HHN crowds nowadays, its almost better to have no set pieces in these two areas to help with traffic flow.

Why not use the employees for the Macy's parade and use the hiatus to conduct backstage rehearsals which would be part of the job and the employees will get paid for. Might sound a bit stupid

it does sound stupid because those employees that work the Superstar parade (as well as HHN) already do the Macy's parade (and Mardi Gras). And backstage rehearsals for what? The only reahearsals for Macys is after park hours walking the parade route with the balloons.

Now I have a question pertaining to next year if anyone could give me an answer. I know that the parade building was a last minute thing because of the demolition of the Herc and Xena building, but will it probably be used next year? Just wondering about that.

I'd say expect the parade building to be used again next year. They made it work this year with such short notice, so it should be no issue for next year's event. I'd be more concerned with the location of the 8th house & whether or not SS23 will be available.

I'm still calling shenanigans on the parade excuse. I still refuse to believe that the parade was the reason for no sets, and that they were in fact just trying something new. Now they hopefully know what worked and what didn't work.

There's a few videos on Youtube that show the Singapore crew rolling out some pretty large set pieces in the NY area of the park. Sure, fog and lighting would be just fine for Hollywood and New York, but we're talking about a creative team that came up with ways to implement flying scareactors into houses.. I think they can figure out how to design sets that can be rolled out before the gates open.

You're quite delusional if you really think they were just "trying something new". This entire event this year was very hastily thrown together & recycled out the ass. Like I said before, there is no need to have themed scarezones in NY & Hollywood. Having to pull out sets every night is pointless because in the long run, its more hassle & money to have to deal with every night.

As for having flying scareactors in houses, is not really that big of a deal nor is it impressive, especially not after seeing it done multiple times. You're way too easily impressed if you actually think UNI were the ones to come up with ways to implement flying scareactors into houses. It was around before A&D dreamed up the idea back in the 90s for past house concepts, so you're really not providing anything worthwhile with your statement. HHN is miles behind in the haunted attraction realm, yet it tries to pride itself on being the nation's #1 event.

[boogeyman13]

As for having flying scareactors in houses, is not really that big of a deal nor is it impressive, especially not after seeing it done multiple times. You're way too easily impressed if you actually think UNI were the ones to come up with ways to implement flying scareactors into houses. It was around before A&D dreamed up the idea back in the 90s for past house concepts, so you're really not providing anything worthwhile with your statement. HHN is miles behind in the haunted attraction realm, yet it tries to pride itself on being the nation's #1 event.

You don't get around to a lot of local haunts, do you? Flying actors are unheard of around here, as are half the effects Uni pulls off on a regular basis. The BEST we get in terms of technology are vortex tunnels (and not even everyone has them), and one house I frequent uses a couple small fun house tricks. There are some very good reasons why HHN is #1.

For as much as you seem to complain about the event (and talk down to the people here), I'm amazed you still go. It must be horribly boring and passé for you.

[Coast]

- And yes, actually a small hiatus for the parade would hurt UNI. Its one of the ONLY things bringing people to the park right now (myself included). Not to mention the parade floats cost them A LOT of money. They really should have the parade twice a day, the 2nd time being at night due to the floats having LED lighting.

- They made large moveable set pieces to pull out into the streets this year. It was underwhelming. Why waste time setting up sets in areas like NY & Hollywood when you can just turn on fog machines instead? Besides, with the HHN crowds nowadays, its almost better to have no set pieces in these two areas to help with traffic flow.

You're quite delusional if you really think they were just "trying something new". This entire event this year was very hastily thrown together & recycled out the ass. Like I said before, there is no need to have themed scarezones in NY & Hollywood. Having to pull out sets every night is pointless because in the long run, its more hassle & money to have to deal with every night.

As for having flying scareactors in houses, is not really that big of a deal nor is it impressive, especially not after seeing it done multiple times. You're way too easily impressed if you actually think UNI were the ones to come up with ways to implement flying scareactors into houses. It was around before A&D dreamed up the idea back in the 90s for past house concepts, so you're really not providing anything worthwhile with your statement. HHN is miles behind in the haunted attraction realm, yet it tries to pride itself on being the nation's #1 event.

To start: "Its one of the ONLY things bringing people to the park right now". Really? I don't think there is anyone that looks at Universal as a vacation destination just because of the four float parade. "Hey, honey, let's take the kids to Universal Studios, they have this NEW PARADE!"... said no one ever. Potter, Rockit, Hulk, Spidey, Men in Black might be bigger draws. Sure, it's a great thing for families to enjoy during the day, but it alone is not bringing people in the gates. I do agree that putting the parade on hiatus to allow for a few set pieces for a weekend seasonal event is unecessary. I think they were being a little lazy this year, opted for roaming vs set scarezones, and sat back and watched how it went. They tried it, and it was mixed reviews. They have the ability to roll sets out, and I hope to see the return of the scarezones next year.

4 new IP houses. Yeah, they totally recycled the design for The Walking Dead back when they had the idea in 1998. What about the event, other than the obvious legions was recycled? I'll give you the legions and maybe Cooper.. but that's all that I can think of.

As for flying actors, they are insanely impressive. Not only does Universal blow every other haunt event out of the water with their insane set design, but when you add in FLYING actors.. it doesn't get much better than that.

Edited November 13, 2012 by Coast

[boogeyman13]

To start: "Its one of the ONLY things bringing people to the park right now". Really? I don't think there is anyone that looks at Universal as a vacation destination just because of the four float parade. "Hey, honey, let's take the kids to Universal Studios, they have this NEW PARADE!"... said no one ever. Potter, Rockit, Hulk, Spidey, Men in Black might be bigger draws. Sure, it's a great thing for families to enjoy during the day, but it alone is not bringing people in the gates. I do agree that putting the parade on hiatus to allow for a few set pieces for a weekend seasonal event is unecessary. They can roll the stuff out, and I hope to see the return of street sets next year.

4 new IP houses. Yeah, they totally recycled the design for The Walking Dead back when they had the idea in 1998. What about the event, other than the obvious legions was recycled? I'll give you the legions and maybe Cooper.. but that's all that I can think of.

As for flying actors, they are insanely impressive. Not only does Universal blow every other haunt event out of the water with their insane set design, but when you add in FLYING actors.. it doesn't get much better than that.

Coast, haven't you heard? HHN is dumb and old and boring! The parade is the reason HHN saw a sold out night this year and gigantic crowds. It was just bleed over from the parade. I know it's why my wife and I flew down to Florida and spent what we did to be there for a week. It certainly wasn't HHN or the rides and attractions.

And I can't speak for others, but my first thought upon entering Gothic was "Oh jeez, not this house AGAIN..."

[/sarcasm]

Halloween Horror Nights is an amazing event, considering what they pull of, especially year after year. I've said it before, and I think it might bear repeating again. If you think HHN is subpar, you might want to get some perspective on what the vast majority of haunts are doing. Are they better than say Netherworld or Darkness? Maybe not. But they also have a lot more to contend with, have entirely different economies of scope and scale, and have to offer a lot more to their guests in both quantity and variety. And they are leaps ahead of what your average haunt does, both in technology and design.

[Jakemeister]

I can understand mild disenfranchisement with HHN22. It felt like a step back from it's predecessors, as did HHNXX. When people are really jaded towards the event it is typically because they know and have seen or seen footage of haunts on smaller budgets doing a lot more. Universal is a corporate ran event, and it is easy for people to find it lackluster when Netherworld is only 6 hours away and is blowing it out of the water in terms of tech.

[boogeyman13]

I can understand mild disenfranchisement with HHN22. It felt like a step back from it's predecessors, as did HHNXX. When people are really jaded towards the event it is typically because they know and have seen or seen footage of haunts on smaller budgets doing a lot more. Universal is a corporate ran event, and it is easy for people to find it lackluster when Netherworld is only 6 hours away and is blowing it out of the water in terms of tech.

While I think this is a good point, I think it neglects to consider the sheer level of productivity, both from an operational and output level, that Universal must contend with. Netherworld may have a stronger haunt, but it has a smaller space, and a single attraction to deal with. And I'd be surprised if their traffic is anywhere near what HHN sees (although I'm sure it's quite impressive). Netherworld and its ilk are the exceptions though, not the rule. Whenever you see a special haunt documentary, or anything about the top of the line haunts, it's always the same 6 haunts (Darkness, Netherworld, Headless Horseman Hayrides, etc...).

But they aren't indicative of your average haunt. Far from it, in fact. As I said, the vast majority of haunts use the same tricks and tactics, and aren't all that impressive (I've been to a fair number of them, both seasonal and year-round). And they have the benefit of smaller scale and scope, so they can be more focused. I can't say definitively, as I haven't been there, but I have to imagine that not a whole lot changes from year to year in terms of content. HHN, on the other hand is 95% new each year, with generally only some repeats of props or costumes. I think it's very unfair to come down on HHN for some of this stuff, when the park is not a dedicated haunt attraction, and has to look at much higher volumes, along with the constraints of putting things up and breaking them back down easily and quickly. I'm sure the budget for HHN is not what it is for the top haunts, percentage wise. Or at least, it can't be allocated the same way the top haunts in the country allocate theirs.

[armyofrobots]

I figured that. Why not use the employees for the Macy's parade and use the hiatus to conduct backstage rehearsals which would be part of the job and the employees will get paid for. Might sound a bit stupid

Yes, that is stupid.

The thought of putting the parade on hiatus is silly. And yes, Wesker is right: People DO come to Universal for the parade. If you don't believe him, believe me.

[Jakemeister]

While I think this is a good point, I think it neglects to consider the sheer level of productivity, both from an operational and output level, that Universal must contend with. Netherworld may have a stronger haunt, but it has a smaller space, and a single attraction to deal with. And I'd be surprised if their traffic is anywhere near what HHN sees (although I'm sure it's quite impressive). Netherworld and its ilk are the exceptions though, not the rule. Whenever you see a special haunt documentary, or anything about the top of the line haunts, it's always the same 6 haunts (Darkness, Netherworld, Headless Horseman Hayrides, etc...).

But they aren't indicative of your average haunt. Far from it, in fact. As I said, the vast majority of haunts use the same tricks and tactics, and aren't all that impressive (I've been to a fair number of them, both seasonal and year-round). And they have the benefit of smaller scale and scope, so they can be more focused. I can't say definitively, as I haven't been there, but I have to imagine that not a whole lot changes from year to year in terms of content. HHN, on the other hand is 95% new each year, with generally only some repeats of props or costumes. I think it's very unfair to come down on HHN for some of this stuff, when the park is not a dedicated haunt attraction, and has to look at much higher volumes, along with the constraints of putting things up and breaking them back down easily and quickly. I'm sure the budget for HHN is not what it is for the top haunts, percentage wise. Or at least, it can't be allocated the same way the top haunts in the country allocate theirs.

Oh, I'm right there with you. I think if any year has an excuse to take a bit of a hit it is this one. From a fan perspective I can understand that with the company merger and all the projects going on around the park that HHN is going to take a hit this year. I think it'll even take a hit next year with Wizarding Phase 2 and Springfield Project. The issue is that people are consumers and that as a consumer you don't care about Universal have a better day experience. I do however though, and I'll take 3 or so bad HHN years for Transformers, Springfield, Wizarding Phase 2, and the other refurbs across the resort. I was the first person to say it, and I'll say it again. For a better day in the park, HHN can take the hit.

[armyofrobots]

was the first person to say it, and I'll say it again. For a better day in the park, HHN can take the hit.

This. one-hundres-and-fifty-thousand times this.

If the day park gets better, everything else will be better. Potter did nothing but amazing things for Universal. I wish more people realized this.

[Jakemeister]

This. one-hundres-and-fifty-thousand times this.

If the day park gets better, everything else will be better. Potter did nothing but amazing things for Universal. I wish more people realized this.

Potter took a park that was in limbo and made it more than attractive to buyers. Universal is scaring Busch, and Disney is so disconnected from their audience that they don't even realize how well Universal is doing. Potter and Comcast are some of the best things that have happened to UOR, and if you're just an HHN fan you might not have a grasp of all the projects Comcast has in store for Universal, but all you have to do is look and you'll see how hard this company wants to play.

Am I a little disenfranchised and jaded? Definitely. Do they have a better reason than in 2010? More than definitely. Do I still try to make an effort to visit other haunts so I will appreciate HHN? Of course. There were however mediocre years pre-Potter and Comcast too, and I think they had much less of an excuse in 2007 than they do now.

Edited November 13, 2012 by Jakemeister

[LV-426]

Potter took a park that was in limbo and made it more than attractive to buyers. Universal is scaring Busch, and Disney is so disconnected from their audience that they don't even realize how well Universal is doing. Potter and Comcast are some of the best things that have happened to UOR, and if you're just an HHN fan you might not have a grasp of all the projects Comcast has in store for Universal, but all you have to do is look and you'll see how hard this company wants to play.

Am I a little disenfranchised and jaded? Definitely. Do they have a better reason than in 2010? More than definitely. Do I still try to make an effort to visit other haunts so I will appreciate HHN? Of course. There were however mediocre years pre-Potter and Comcast too, and I think they had much less of an excuse in 2007 than they do now.

I didn't mind the construction, it didn't really bother me that much and the hordes were okay for me as well, they were much better than the no zones from 07, so for that I was happy to have the hordes, they were really good.

What I don't understand about this year is why the houses were so disappointing and Hollywood's houses were better. I am not talking about budget because I know they might have a bigger budget, but look at House of Horrors, a house that was done in a couple of months and barely had any props they didn't even have time to rehearse, and they ended up being one of the best houses this year. I even started hating the house at first and I ended up loving it.

I just didn't understand if they were going to use Silent Hill and Walking Dead to flood the streets with advertising why not make those houses the best houses of the event? they were not, had nothing to do with the budget or the construction, Why was Gothic Dead End and House of Horrors better designed that Silent Hill? the actors didn't really have good places to hide on those other two. Walkers needed better restrains.

Sure the construction affected the streets but, the streets were not even the most disappointing part of the event. Which I find weird. Making houses as good as last years wouldn't be a problem with the construction wouldn't it? houses this year felt different. I don't know what happened but half the houses felt different this year. not as good as they could have been. Even for an IP year Something was off. 2007 and 2009 were okay, the Ip houses were not as terrible as now.

Like, I don't know how to put it, but the way the scares were set up and the boo holes were different this time, not as effective. I guess being an IP house made that happened.

Edited November 13, 2012 by Mr. Black

[Jakemeister]

That I can agree with, alteast marginally. The houses last year were definitely grand and there were obvious improvements that could have been done with the 2 main I.P. houses. My guess is that with such popular I.P.'s that their companies did not allow as much creative license. It is quite obvious that AMC did not allow Universal to have face characters in the house, only walkers. So that hurt it, and I'm guessing Konami only allowed certain characters in the house as well.

I think that is why in the past, they have used their own films for promotional houses, save for 2009 and 2007. In those cases, I think they were given much more creative license. Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Chucky all had fairly independent story lines from their films. Saw, was a "best of" house, but it worked well with what they did.

All of my large complaints with 2007, 2010, 2011, and 2012 deal directly with how I felt outside of houses. I almost feel guilty for including 2007, just because of how much they actually did end up doing that year with the event and atleast in 2010 they have the huge Fear Revealed and 20 Years that blended together.

Edited November 13, 2012 by Jakemeister

[LV-426]

my post was made I guess because this year sucked a little regardless of construction or not. houses were lacking and that had nothing to do with construction or the Parade for that matter.

Last year the streets were not as great ( I liked the costumes this year a lot more than last year for example) but the houses were amazing. All of them. I mean they were really good not only in detail and the subject of each but in scares.

this year I don't see how the construction would have affected the houses, the design and the scares. But somehow they were better last year. I have no idea what happened but they felt really different this year.

and about "heir companies did not allow as much creative license." I don't know the houses in Hollywood for Silent Hill and Walking Dead were a little better than here. So I don't know if that even applies. I knew the houses would be different from each park obviously, but it is not about being the same on both parks. Is about how our houses were a little inferior.

But that wouldn't have anything to do with the Parade or the construction.

The streets this years where lacking, but I liked the costumes more than last year. They were really nice this year.

I don't think the construction or the parade was as bad for the event as we think.