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Halloween Horror Nights 23 Wishful Thinking


Mark M.
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I think the majority of people want to see less IP houses if any at all and I have to agree 100%. I think original concepts was what attracted me to HHN so much in the first place and its a shame to see such talent in A&D to be somewhat wasted. Obviously they still have a big part in the creation etc but Original ideas are what makes HHN (well for me at least).

I'm certain the majority of people will say the best houses of last year weren't IPs so it would be a shame to see it occur again this year. Having said this, this is just my opinion. I think the Original concepts just capture my imagination so much more than IPs.

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FYI - I know several of you said no clowns because you're sick of it, or it's become old, or it's too stereotypical. However, for some of us, clowns are VERY scary... I'd be one of "those" people. In fact, I RAN throught the last room in the P&T house for this reason. I just find them to be wrong on so many levels. On that note, I saw this posted today, and it gave me a chuckle.. thought you'd all get a laugh:

PennywisePhobia_zps22b66539.jpg

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FYI - I know several of you said no clowns because you're sick of it, or it's become old, or it's too stereotypical. However, for some of us, clowns are VERY scary... I'd be one of "those" people. In fact, I RAN throught the last room in the P&T house for this reason. I just find them to be wrong on so many levels. On that note, I saw this posted today, and it gave me a chuckle.. thought you'd all get a laugh:

PennywisePhobia_zps22b66539.jpg

Everything floats at Halloween Horror Nights! haHA haHA haHA!

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FYI - I know several of you said no clowns because you're sick of it, or it's become old, or it's too stereotypical. However, for some of us, clowns are VERY scary... I'd be one of "those" people. In fact, I RAN throught the last room in the P&T house for this reason. I just find them to be wrong on so many levels. On that note, I saw this posted today, and it gave me a chuckle.. thought you'd all get a laugh:

PennywisePhobia_zps22b66539.jpg

Jack cured me of my clown phobia. But I will admit the ONLY time i was startled in P&T was the clowns at the end :P

Nightingales and the civil war would be awesome. could have southern belle nightingales.

Edit: Stupid fat fingers :P

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Nightingales and the civil ware would be awesome. could have southern belle nightingales.

I like the civil war idea. Since the original description said that they have existed forever and come out during wars and natural disasters, I was thinking that it would be cool to have the Nightingale's set up as nuns in the medieval times and have them preying on the wounded during a castle siege. I would also assume that with the natural disaster angle they could do any number of things like a city post earthquake where they are set up as nurses at a hospital. There are so many possibilities with the Nightingale's that it just seems natural that there would be a sequel at some point. In fact, when I did the lights on tour, Nightingale's was a house that they mentioned was being looked at to be a franchise. As long as they do not oversaturate, I could see the Nightingale's being around for quite a while.

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I would like to see Nightengales to return every few years in different settings. The WWII (or was it 1?) was cool as hell.

Its too early for me to think about what else would work... but I know it could!!!

Ancient Rome Nightingales would be cool. The Romans did plenty of fighting lol.

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Personally, I don't think any musicians music translates well into a house. Unless you are a fan of the individual the house is based around, you'll be clueless to the images and concepts being presented. At least that's how I see it. For me Halloween has nothing to do with musicians and everything to do with an ambiance of sorts. I can never quite put my finger on that exact tone or atmospheric quality that for me encompasses Halloween, but the event has inched a little closer every year toward hitting it....but then they do something like an AC or P&T house and I'm like "Really Universal?".

This coming year, I'm not sure what to expect. It'll be my 23rd year and honestly, I'm at the point I don't really know what they can pull off that will surprise or scare me. Every year I'm hoping to regain that love I used to have for the event, here's hoping 2013 revives that feeling.

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Personally, I don't think any musicians music translates well into a house. Unless you are a fan of the individual the house is based around, you'll be clueless to the images and concepts being presented. At least that's how I see it. For me Halloween has nothing to do with musicians and everything to do with an ambiance of sorts. I can never quite put my finger on that exact tone or atmospheric quality that for me encompasses Halloween, but the event has inched a little closer every year toward hitting it....but then they do something like an AC or P&T house and I'm like "Really Universal?".

This coming year, I'm not sure what to expect. It'll be my 23rd year and honestly, I'm at the point I don't really know what they can pull off that will surprise or scare me. Every year I'm hoping to regain that love I used to have for the event, here's hoping 2013 revives that feeling.

I never really posted on the P&T because I knew there would be backlash, and I do like Penn and Teller, but that house got less awesome the more times I went. Now this had nothing to do with the actors, I liked the people working this house, but after the 3D gimmick wore off and I went time and time again, I Realized that house was really not that great. the rooms were kinda "meh" they really did not a good job setting up the boo holes "they would end up being at the end of the rooms" and the whole Vegas thing felt gimmicky. I mean the rooms were not really that cool or funny, the costumes were really good for the actors but the house was not the best.

the Cooper house I grew to love it because of the actors working there, they totally changed my mind about it. I ended up going to the AC house often and Never went back to P&T after a while. If I had to choose between the two houses I would usually just do AC over and over.

but I agree those two houses didn't really belong in HHN.

It would be fine if we never get any other music based houses, that's true, but if they did another music house I rather have Rob Zombie and Manson that to have Alice Cooper again in here. Once was enough. either never do music houses or at least use someone like Zombie... at least. That's where my wishful thinking comes from. Because if they were going to do another music house I rather see zombie that something like KISS or Ozzy or something like that.

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Jack cured me of my clown phobia. But I will admit the ONLY time i was startled in P&T was the clowns at the end :P

Nightingales and the civil war would be awesome. could have southern belle nightingales.

Jack also cured me of my clown phobia (which I had for 20 years). Although I did run out of P&T cause I knew he was there. So, I didn't really get a look at him.

I think another Nightingales would be awesome. The part where the Nightingale ripped the soldier in half was by far one of my favorite effects.

I don't mind the IP houses, but I agree I don't think they are as good. At least not to me. Silent Hill was the only one from this past year I really enjoyed. As for Mama, I don't see how that would be a good house. I just don't think there is enough in the story and would be boring, but that's just my opinion. It reminds me of the La Llorona tale as well.

I like the normal halloween/horror stuff. Haunted Houses, Mental Institues, Clowns, etc. Just need to add a twist to them. You can always build on an old idea with the right about of creativity. (example, Fairy Tales).

Edited: Because I had to correct my grammar and spelling.

Edited by dirvam44
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Personally, I don't think any musicians music translates well into a house. Unless you are a fan of the individual the house is based around, you'll be clueless to the images and concepts being presented. At least that's how I see it. For me Halloween has nothing to do with musicians and everything to do with an ambiance of sorts. I can never quite put my finger on that exact tone or atmospheric quality that for me encompasses Halloween, but the event has inched a little closer every year toward hitting it....but then they do something like an AC or P&T house and I'm like "Really Universal?".

This coming year, I'm not sure what to expect. It'll be my 23rd year and honestly, I'm at the point I don't really know what they can pull off that will surprise or scare me. Every year I'm hoping to regain that love I used to have for the event, here's hoping 2013 revives that feeling.

I think that's fair, and I know that there are people out there that pine for all-original events with fully formed icons, but I think that 2012 did really well for its intended purpose of broad commercial appeal. Examples:

Gothic and Dead End both felt taken directly from the classic HHN model, appealing to the fans I described above, and I'll also throw in Universal's House of Horrors here too as a tribute to the film studios legacy and great tie-in to the 100 year celebration.

Silent Hill and The Walking Dead appeal to younger and more diverse demographics, as current TV, Movie, and Videogame properties will, and both (especially the latter) played a part in the increased attendance and revenue.

Alice Cooper brought a rock 'n' roll element to the event, which after scaring in myself and seeing what the genre did for 7 in 2011, brings a unique energy to the event, and that's never a negative.

Lastly, Penn & Teller played the part of the playful comedic house, which I understand will never get the type of scares other houses do, but they have their place at HHN.

All told, I think we have a formula for what houses we should see in the coming years that really accomplishes what the event needs to, tweaked a bit from year to year.

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I haven't posted much up to this point...but here's my wishful thinking (in a sense) and the direction I think the event might be going this year.

Do you all think it's possible that we may see another Scary Tales house this year? With all of the recreations of fairy tales lately (Hansel & Gretel, all the various Snow White movies, Oz The Great and Powerful, Once Upon A Time, etc. ) I feel like it would be once again relevant and would provide some mass appeal.

I also feel like we will see the return of a franchise house one way or another. Nightengales or Body Collectors could seem likely again especially considering the production of a lot of period based movies lately. I mean, lets face it, it was mentioned very clearly that Nightengales was meant to become a franchise. It was a pretty neat house and I think a lot of people would love to see it return. Or how about something that ties in with zombies/ something apocalypse based in which the Nightengales feed on these corpses. It's certainly worth a thought.

Lastly I feel like it's very likely we could see the return of American Werewolf in London and/or the urban legend house. The first seeming more likely. Last year saw the fruition of something that was merely an old projected concept actually brought to life (Gothic). Perhaps we could see the things that got scrapped last minute due to unforeseen circumstance actually make an appearance this year.

In my opinion, this all seems like it could really happen and I have a feeling we're going to see at least 1 of the 3 here happen. Then again, this is merely just wishful thinking :)

Edited by CoreySalyer
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I haven't posted much up to this point...but here's my wishful thinking (in a sense) and the direction I think the event might be going this year.

Do you all think it's possible that we may see another Scary Tales house this year? With all of the recreations of fairy tales lately (Hansel & Gretel, all the various Snow White movies, Oz The Great and Powerful, Once Upon A Time, etc. ) I feel like it would be once again relevant and would provide some mass appeal.

I also feel like we will see the return of a franchise house one way or another. Nightengales or Body Collectors could seem likely again especially considering the production of a lot of period based movies lately. I mean, lets face it, it was mentioned very clearly that Nightengales was meant to become a franchise. It was a pretty neat house and I think a lot of people would love to see it return. Or how about something that ties in with zombies/ something apocalypse based in which the Nightengales feed on these corpses. It's certainly worth a thought.

Lastly I feel like it's very likely we could see the return of American Werewolf in London and/or the urban legend house. The first seeming more likely. Last year saw the fruition of something that was merely an old projected concept actually brought to life (Gothic). Perhaps we could see the things that got scrapped last minute due to unforeseen circumstance actually make an appearance this year.

In my opinion, this all seems like it could really happen and I have a feeling we're going to see at least 1 of the 3 here happen. Then again, this is merely just wishful thinking :)

If anything I would say Nightingales. It's unlikely that we will see anything again prior to HHN XX. Now I did say unlikely not impossible. Another Scary Tales type house would indeed be awesome to see again. They could use the recreated fairy tales that are coming out for a house or maybe even in Bill and Ted. Who knows. If they even decide to use it at all. I loved Scary Tales III at HHN 2008. Is that the last we will see of it. I wonder... :unsure:

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IP ideas, why because of the whole trying to be all hollywood we have to keep our eyes open to the possiblility plus we don't have any concrete evidence of any original houses till the summer)

No celebrity based houses. EVER

Rock/metal musicians they are good but keep changing it up. I had a lot of dislikes in A.C but if they have better speakers, good music, and good scares i'll be first in line.

Walking Dead hm as a fan I should say yes, but no i won't, yes the prison would be awesome to do a house on but other than that we won't see much for me as a fan the reason I love the show is because of the people but it'll feel repetitive for just having 2 locations to go on (Prison and Woodbury) but maybe give it a year or two when there about to do season 6 then yes they have more to work on.

I would still go support my idea of Collectors vs. Nightingales(Even if it's not an IP it's a past idea that would do great) as you see them doing battle in different time periods as they do last throughout the years. So it'll be cool to see them during the American revolution (a lot of games are pro-america now) to the 50's (always a fun time to reck havoc) to the future. But that just me.

I would love to see another "Survivor Horror" Video Game Series in a house but like before change it up every time like last year Singapore's Resident Evil and also the favorites I always hear Dead Space and Bioshock!! (One of my usernames was Andrew Ryan)

Or they can go to a recent horror movie and place a good bet in for the remake of Evil Dead (as they did try it out in 09 unofficially) but no other horror movie recently makes me want to see a house on it.

Edited by CinemaOfTheDead
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IP ideas, why because of the whole trying to be all hollywood we have to keep our eyes open to the possiblility plus we don't have any concrete evidence of any original houses till the summer)

No celebrity based houses. EVER

Rock/metal musicians they are good but keep changing it up. I had a lot of dislikes in A.C but if they have better speakers, good music, and good scares i'll be first in line.

Walking Dead hm as a fan I should say yes, but no i won't, yes the prison would be awesome to do a house on but other than that we won't see much for me as a fan the reason I love the show is because of the people but it'll feel repetitive for just having 2 locations to go on (Prison and Woodbury) but maybe give it a year or two when there about to do season 6 then yes they have more to work on.

I would still go support my idea of Collectors vs. Nightingales(Even if it's not an IP it's a past idea that would do great) as you see them doing battle in different time periods as they do last throughout the years. So it'll be cool to see them during the American revolution (a lot of games are pro-america now) to the 50's (always a fun time to reck havoc) to the future. But that just me.

I would love to see another "Survivor Horror" Video Game Series in a house but like before change it up every time like last year Singapore's Resident Evil and also the favorites I always hear Dead Space and Bioshock!! (One of my usernames was Andrew Ryan)

Or they can go to a recent horror movie and place a good bet in for the remake of Evil Dead (as they did try it out in 09 unofficially) but no other horror movie recently makes me want to see a house on it.

Here's my two cents: if you are going to do an IP it should be one and done. We are not Hollywood, nor are we HOS, so we do not need to repeat the same idea and change little things about it and claim that it is different now. Also on the IP front, I think there should be one IP per year and original content beyond that.

When it comes to videogames, I do not want to see them. I found 'Saws and Steam' to be effective because it was obviously cribbing from 'Bioshock' without trying to adapt the massive mythology of that game. I think trying to cram a game that takes 15+ hours into a 15 minute house is just too much. I am much more comfortable with A&D adapting themes or visuals from a game than trying to adapt the story. My wife, who knew very little about 'Bioshock' beyond the look of Rapture and the Big Daddies, came out of 'Saws and Steam' saying that it reminded her so much of what she knew of 'Bioshock' that she wanted to play the game now. Videogames are so interactive and player specific that they just do not translate well to a conga line setting.

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Here's my two cents: if you are going to do an IP it should be one and done. We are not Hollywood, nor are we HOS, so we do not need to repeat the same idea and change little things about it and claim that it is different now. Also on the IP front, I think there should be one IP per year and original content beyond that.

When it comes to videogames, I do not want to see them. I found 'Saws and Steam' to be effective because it was obviously cribbing from 'Bioshock' without trying to adapt the massive mythology of that game. I think trying to cram a game that takes 15+ hours into a 15 minute house is just too much. I am much more comfortable with A&D adapting themes or visuals from a game than trying to adapt the story. My wife, who knew very little about 'Bioshock' beyond the look of Rapture and the Big Daddies, came out of 'Saws and Steam' saying that it reminded her so much of what she knew of 'Bioshock' that she wanted to play the game now. Videogames are so interactive and player specific that they just do not translate well to a conga line setting.

i know that. The reason that was lost on you was ideas and ideas only i don't want all of these in one year but separate them throughout I really want to see a full original year that's why i loved 2008 and 2011 houses but I got no concrete evidence of anything original happening. I could make an idea out of thin air and it could be great but more than likely they won't just steal others ideas because they have so much better on their own, so for me it's useless making an idea to put as a post. But im saying is past things that can be altered to make better if they ever want to have a video game house or a music based house again. Yes Saws and Steams seemed a little bit on the Rapture side but I want to actually see how they can pull off a splicer and locations and maybe special effects act as plasmids. I know they might not but this just wishful thinking. Literally most things in these topics never see the light of day.

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I think that's fair, and I know that there are people out there that pine for all-original events with fully formed icons, but I think that 2012 did really well for its intended purpose of broad commercial appeal. Examples:

Gothic and Dead End both felt taken directly from the classic HHN model, appealing to the fans I described above, and I'll also throw in Universal's House of Horrors here too as a tribute to the film studios legacy and great tie-in to the 100 year celebration.

Silent Hill and The Walking Dead appeal to younger and more diverse demographics, as current TV, Movie, and Videogame properties will, and both (especially the latter) played a part in the increased attendance and revenue.

Alice Cooper brought a rock 'n' roll element to the event, which after scaring in myself and seeing what the genre did for 7 in 2011, brings a unique energy to the event, and that's never a negative.

Lastly, Penn & Teller played the part of the playful comedic house, which I understand will never get the type of scares other houses do, but they have their place at HHN.

All told, I think we have a formula for what houses we should see in the coming years that really accomplishes what the event needs to, tweaked a bit from year to year.

Personally, I don't even care about having an icon with this major outlandish backstory that is tied into all elements of the event. I also don't care about having an all original event either. I'm just not a fan of taking another celebrity (like AC or P&T) and creating a house around them. For me, neither of those houses had any type of Halloween feel to them at all. I'm sure if you are a fan of either of them, it was a much different experience. Those houses really had no type of concept to follow, there seemed to be no Halloween element to either of them.

I want to be in a house like Gothic or Silent Hill where you feel immersed in a storyline, something that has that atmospheric prescence of Halloween. I'm a traditionalist when it comes to the holiday, give me, ghosts, goblins, witches, pumpkins, and things that go bump in the night. Hell even using IPs like Jason, Freddy, etc. at least those concepts ooze Halloween. Be it an IP or original concept, I'm for either one as long as it remotely resembles some type of Halloween oriented house.

As I said before, this will be my 23rd year....it's going to take a hell of a lot to impress me this time around. And if they continue to use the same formula for houses in the coming years, personally, that'll be a huge let down for me.

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But Lyn, A well thought event by proxy has a strong solid story, and the more intrinsic the idea is to the event the better it seems to work and the more immersive the event becomes.

All of us old timers seemed to love the first few Iconic years. Jack, Caretaker, Director, and Storyteller/Terra queen. I liken this to how strong the stories were and how well the houses melded into the overall theme. Last year was the most hodgepodge, thrown together event. If it weren't for the legions unifying the park it would have been laughable. But they still have zero relation to the houses.

An icon isn't necessary as 14 showed us. But 14 had a strong back story to tie the event together. Without it I feel like Universal is just throwing stuff together and not really putting thought into how things work to the overall feel of the event.

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Personally, I don't even care about having an icon with this major outlandish backstory that is tied into all elements of the event. I also don't care about having an all original event either. I'm just not a fan of taking another celebrity (like AC or P&T) and creating a house around them. For me, neither of those houses had any type of Halloween feel to them at all. I'm sure if you are a fan of either of them, it was a much different experience. Those houses really had no type of concept to follow, there seemed to be no Halloween element to either of them.

I want to be in a house like Gothic or Silent Hill where you feel immersed in a storyline, something that has that atmospheric prescence of Halloween. I'm a traditionalist when it comes to the holiday, give me, ghosts, goblins, witches, pumpkins, and things that go bump in the night. Hell even using IPs like Jason, Freddy, etc. at least those concepts ooze Halloween. Be it an IP or original concept, I'm for either one as long as it remotely resembles some type of Halloween oriented house.

As I said before, this will be my 23rd year....it's going to take a hell of a lot to impress me this time around. And if they continue to use the same formula for houses in the coming years, personally, that'll be a huge let down for me.

Lyn, you gotta come up to Chicago and have some real Fall Halloween fun. I'm talking scarecrow festivals, pumpkin patches, hot cider and cider doughnuts, corn field mazes, the works. I may love HHN, but there's nothing quite like a proper Midwest Halloween. You, me, and Eileen can have some traditional Halloween fun before invading HHN towards the end of the month.

One of the big things that separates Universal from a lot of other haunts is their attention to the story and atmosphere. That's one of the big draws for me. I'll admit, I like having icons. But as long as the story is there, I'm good. I liked how they tied the legions directly into the park last year. The execution could be improved a bit, but the concept was there. The houses, though. As Lyn said, the celebrity houses (and for me, pretty much all the IP houses, really) just detracted from that. I'm a big sucker for theming, and we've seen that Universal can do it really well. Hopefully we'll see them return to that, and not ultimately turn into HHNH: East Coast Edition.

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An icon isn't necessary as 14 showed us. But 14 had a strong back story to tie the event together. Without it I feel like Universal is just throwing stuff together and not really putting thought into how things work to the overall feel of the event.

"Breaking Point" didn't have a story, Jeramy. It was, and remains, my favorite year primarily because of the strength of its independent parts (Ghost Town, Hellgate, Deadtropolis, Fright Yard, Field of Screams, a Parade and an immensely strong Bill and Ted). What it DID have was a cohesive theme ("What's your breaking point?") that they tied into the website, the commercial, and the "asylum" motif that ran through it all. On paper, none of it went together though.

Honestly, 20 and 21 may have been more effective without Fear and Luck. Last year suffered from a general lack of cohesion in the marketing.

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Personally, I don't even care about having an icon with this major outlandish backstory that is tied into all elements of the event. I also don't care about having an all original event either. I'm just not a fan of taking another celebrity (like AC or P&T) and creating a house around them. For me, neither of those houses had any type of Halloween feel to them at all. I'm sure if you are a fan of either of them, it was a much different experience. Those houses really had no type of concept to follow, there seemed to be no Halloween element to either of them.

I want to be in a house like Gothic or Silent Hill where you feel immersed in a storyline, something that has that atmospheric prescence of Halloween. I'm a traditionalist when it comes to the holiday, give me, ghosts, goblins, witches, pumpkins, and things that go bump in the night. Hell even using IPs like Jason, Freddy, etc. at least those concepts ooze Halloween. Be it an IP or original concept, I'm for either one as long as it remotely resembles some type of Halloween oriented house.

As I said before, this will be my 23rd year....it's going to take a hell of a lot to impress me this time around. And if they continue to use the same formula for houses in the coming years, personally, that'll be a huge let down for me.

That's fair, if I may share an opinion I had of last year, Walking Dead was my least favorite house, in part because I am neither a fan of zombies nor the property itself. However, acknowledging the increased attendance, marketing focus, and the boatload of merchandise it moved, I could call its possible return next year personally dissatisfying, but not unintelligent.

More to the main point, Universal has to consider anyone discussing HHN in February a reliable customer regardless of general theme, so it's smart to branch out to other demographics through licensed properties while maintaining a few classic style haunts.

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