Halloween Horror Nights 24 Discussion

[ghostdude]

At the park now lines are reasonable been thru 4 houses in a hour and half. At walking dead now 60min wait

Lines have been reasonable for me as well the past couple of days. Even Walking Dead with 60 min wait time seemed less then that for me.

[Ande]

A lot better then that year when Twd was 180 mins or something? jeez that was insane!

[Rikku]

Yeah I remember waiting in line for Dead End standard queue and it was about an hour wait and one guy in line the entire wait kept yelling "Does anyone have a cigarette I can have?" ...it was the most horrible and obnoxious thing ever. That wait alone convinced me to get Express next year just to simply try and limit the amount of that ridiculousness I'd have to endure. So as far as money goes Universal won me on that one and got more from me inadvertently thanks to the bars and the money those make lol. But I don't know what the answer is, I think the bars could and can be fun, I just don't know how people get drunk especially considering the cost of the drinks lol! Idk ... but it is just amazing to me how people just lack manners and common decency especially after a drink or two, I know people from all around the world come to the event and the lines can be taxing on your nerves but how can people be so horrible? I wish there was a perfect answer ... I mean maybe a dry event wouldn't be bad and people can go to City Walk to get their drink on there. However I am sure there is a formula which Universal looks at for profits from bars compared to the negative impact from them and intoxicated guests and right now bars win.

[Legacy]

Fun fact: HHN was dry for one night in 2006 (if I remember the year correctly). A drunk died in a car accident leaving the event, so they said they wouldn't sell alcohol anymore. Their cash flow saw such a hit, and they had so many complaints, they went back on it the following night.

Edited September 29, 2014 by Legacy

[JDW]

So some things I heard this rumor season that turned out to not be true. Most of it came from reliable sources. Some not so much. So some of it may have changed early on, got nixed, was fabricated to screw with me/us ETC.

1.) TWD Has multiple paths.

2.) There are smoking walkers in TWD.

3.) G&G is only 7 rooms

4.) LCD screen and more elements would be back at the front gate (I then heard the LCD had a section that wasn't working)

5.) The Insidious facade/Sign was seen behind the parade building.

6.) Face/Off has a full archway

7.) Roaming scareactors

8.) Gieshas in Sting alley. Not your normal Gieshas though. (It makes sense why they aren't there now though with the street tore up.)

9.) Blood Bayou will utilize everything in CP including the back paths.

10.) Jack will be in G&G, Jack will host G&G (there are only 2 small nods to Jack in the house)

11.) Blood Bayou will incorporate Kidzone to a degree.

12.) Altar, Roanoke, FDTD debacle.

13.) AWIL spin Off house

14.) Altar (FDTD) is a werewolf house

15.) Synergy (Dracula Untold) is Penny Dreadful.

16.) Crows at the event last year tied into an icon. (May have been true at one point) Crows tie to Roanoke... Which would have made sense untill the crows showed up in every house this year as well.

17.) Clown CDT in SF.

18.) Alien house will be based on the movie Aliens.

I'm sure there is more but the farther you go back the crazier the rumors and the more unreliable everything gets.

[Legacy]

Well, the smoking walkers were mentioned during the press build after the TWD was announced. So that's something that was cut.

And I've been told, specifically, that the geishas were cut due to budget...

[BSC]

Interesting read for those who haven't been going to the event since the beginning...

http://www.themeparktourist.com/features/20130923/14492/part-i-origin-halloween-horror-nights

[QuestionMark]

So was Insidious scrapped and originally planned for this year?

[JackTheREAPER]

So was Insidious scrapped and originally planned for this year?

Insidious was always speculation. There were no actual clues to it. It was basically just a prediction. I don't see Insidious coming to Horror Nights until Chapter 3 comes out.

[ForeverEvil1]

Insidious was always speculation. There were no actual clues to it. It was basically just a prediction. I don't see Insidious coming to Horror Nights until Chapter 3 comes out.

That's next year AKA 25th Anniversary year when I last checked. You know what, if they tie it in SOMEHOW, I wouldn't give any damns. Anything over the Walking Dead again.

[JackTheREAPER]

That's next year AKA 25th Anniversary year when I last checked. You know what, if they tie it in SOMEHOW, I wouldn't give any damns. Anything over the Walking Dead again.

Haha agreed. Although, I am hoping for lots of originals as speculated, But if the Exorcist makes an appearance for the 25th anniversary, my dreams will come true lol

[ForeverEvil1]

Haha agreed. Although, I am hoping for lots of originals as speculated, But if the Exorcist makes an appearance for the 25th anniversary, my dreams will come true lol

John Murdy over at Hollywood has apparently actually had an Exorcist maze laid out for YEARS (right down to rooms and stuff) but has never gotten the rights, or something like that. Sure we got American Werewolf after years, but I don't see us getting the Exorcist sadly. Would be a cool maze.

Edited September 30, 2014 by ForeverEvil1

[Tich0las]

Interesting read for those who haven't been going to the event since the beginning...

http://www.themeparktourist.com/features/20130923/14492/part-i-origin-halloween-horror-nights

Highly disagree with the author stating Roanoke and Giggles are the stand out original houses, and Walking Dead and AvP are some of the best houses in HHN history. AvP is up there for me, but definitely not TWD. If I wrote this, I would have said Dollhouse is the standout original house with Halloween and AvP being some of the best IP houses ever.

Also worth noting there's not a single mention of AWIL among the IP discussion, nor Gothic or Dead End for present era original content.

[jerkythirst]

Someone speculated here that if TWD goes the Newline dudes might come back. What if they did a Freddy vs Jason house? I could see that bringing people in. And in the same vein as AVP. A not so good movie turned into a great house.

Edited September 30, 2014 by jerkythirst

[criticalanalysis]

I'm at a loss why you all are supporting IP content. It is very evident that most of you only went the past few years, and not in the years that really made the event fantastic.

Edited September 30, 2014 by criticalanalysis

[duh1011]

Whether we went in the "golden years" or not, we still enjoy the event the way it is. It may not be as good as years past but it is still a hell of a lot of fun now nonetheless, and these IP's are very entertaining for those of us who enjoy the original content, and it could be fun for those who aren't familiar with the IP's too. Sure, original houses can be amazing, but so can IPs, as this year, I feel, has proven quite nicely

Edited September 30, 2014 by duh1011

[criticalanalysis]

Whether we went in the "golden years" or not, we still enjoy the event the way it is. It may not be as good as years past but it is still a hell of a lot of fun now nonetheless, and these IP's are very entertaining for those of us who enjoy the original content, and it could be fun for those who aren't familiar with the IP's too. Sure, original houses can be amazing, but so can IPs, as this year, I feel, has proven quite nicely

But you have no baseline for how the event was. Talk to anyone who has gone for years, including Employees of the event on all levels of management, and they will all agree that HHN12-15 were outstanding years (rivaled only by HHN18). It's "fine" how it is now, but it is and was a lot better back then. Look at how divisive the last few years are on the boards compared to the golden years. There is a reason it's like that.

[Legacy]

But you have no baseline for how the event was. Talk to anyone who has gone for years, including Employees of the event on all levels of management, and they will all agree that HHN12-15 were outstanding years (rivaled only by HHN18). It's "fine" how it is now, but it is and was a lot better back then. Look at how divisive the last few years are on the boards compared to the golden years. There is a reason it's like that.

This is an important detail that a lot of people tend to forget. What someone's first experience was with HHN will forever effect the way HHN "should" be to them. For example:

The first HHN house I ever went through was Screamhouse, a record-breaking house that still holds one of the highest approval ratings ever recorded for Universal, let alone HHN (94%). Very very few houses will ever be able to compare with the atmosphere and detail they put in to Screamhouse. But, telling people about Screamhouse (or Hellgate, or Ghost Town, or the original Psycho Scareapy) will never convince the people who never experienced them that those houses are better than Gothic or American Werewolf in London. I would love to see how many people have the first house they ever went through is in people's top five. Unless their first house was a notorious bomb (Cold Blind Terror, Fear Factor, and The Spawning come to mind), I expect it would be a trend.

And that's why we will continue seeing IPs. The IPs will bring in a wider market, but that wider market is coming because of IPs. If Universal stops using IPs, those people stop coming. It's why 2008 (Bloody Mary) saw a massive drop in attendance (if I remember correctly like 10-15%) from the year prior and the year after (Carnival of Carnage and Ripped from the Silver Screen).

[duh1011]

This is just my opinion, but I feel it's a lot better to come into each year and not trying to compare it to anything else, and just take everything for what it is. With prior experience you have bias, and everything else seems slightly worse because of that. Most of your love of the past years could just stem from nostalgia (this happens a LOT in the gaming community-trust me), and if the years past truly were really good, then that's ok. I just don't think you should base all of your opinions based off of memory of what it you remember it to have been like before, since people change, your view of your first years is obviously a lot better because you didn't know what to expect as much, so you came in with a fresh mind and everything would have seemed so much better before repetition of going to this event would've dulled your opinions and your whole outlook on this.

Sorry for the rant but this is a problem with a lot of things. "Genwunners " are my mortal enemies (Pokémon fans can relate)

Edit: I spent so long trying to find the right words that Legacy did it before me.... whoops

Edited September 30, 2014 by duh1011

[criticalanalysis]

This is an important detail that a lot of people tend to forget. What someone's first experience was with HHN will forever effect the way HHN "should" be to them. For example:

The first HHN house I ever went through was Screamhouse, a record-breaking house that still holds one of the highest approval ratings ever recorded for Universal, let alone HHN (94%). Very very few houses will ever be able to compare with the atmosphere and detail they put in to Screamhouse. But, telling people about Screamhouse (or Hellgate, or Ghost Town, or the original Psycho Scareapy) will never convince the people who never experienced them that those houses are better than Gothic or American Werewolf in London. I would love to see how many people have the first house they ever went through is in people's top five. Unless their first house was a notorious bomb (Cold Blind Terror, Fear Factor, and The Spawning come to mind), I expect it would be a trend.

And that's why we will continue seeing IPs. The IPs will bring in a wider market, but that wider market is coming because of IPs. If Universal stops using IPs, those people stop coming. It's why 2008 (Bloody Mary) saw a massive drop in attendance (if I remember correctly like 10-15%) from the year prior and the year after (Carnival of Carnage and Ripped from the Silver Screen).

Outstanding post. You've brought up points I've not thought about. Do you, by chance, know what the 2nd most approved house was? I wish I could go through Screamhouse. I saw the Travel Channel documentary and it only seemed outstanding, but you know how most things translate onto video. Still, even with these limitations, it seemed absolutely creepy. The detail in the house, and even the houses around that time, were exponentially more than how they are now. In the houses recently it seems the sets themselves are more "bare" and having one focal point prop in each room. Shamefully less detailed compared to even, let's say, HOS's.

My first house was Horror in Wax, then Hellgate Prison, then Ghost Town. Loved Ghost Town and Castyle Vampyr from those years!

Speaking of HOS, I wished more people on this board would attend it. Zombie Mortuary, Deadfall, etc have the feel and detail of old school HHN and it's superb. The event is giving it enough competition where event end surveys are asking guests about HOS!

Regarding your last sentence, that seems to explain why we're seeing split IP and original. In actuality, I don't mind IPs as bad as I make it seem. But TWD, Resident Evil, Dracula: Untold, etc would not hold a candle to houses like Exorcist, Hellraiser, House of 1000 Corpses (tho DoT: Retold, which I loved, seemed similar in style to it), etc. There is a notable but hard to define contrast into properties that would translate well versus ones that would not. Shame HHN 18 had an attendance drop, it was a GREAT year.

Nah, those years were honestly just very good. It was tangible, you FELT the atmosphere from the moment you walked in to the moment you left. From the website to the advertisements. Night and day. It's not nostalgia, it was just much better.

Edited September 30, 2014 by criticalanalysis

[duh1011]

You can FEEL the atmosphere in some houses this year, too, from start to finish (Dollhouse is the new love of my life ) and some other houses the past couple of years

[criticalanalysis]

You can FEEL the atmosphere in some houses this year, too, from start to finish (Dollhouse is the new love of my life ) and some other houses the past couple of years

That's the thing, the atmosphere and ambiance is hit or miss recently. Some have it (eg: Halloween, Dollhouse) and most do not. Have you ever checked out HHN15's website? Look at it It's amazing, and notably better than this year's. HHN18 was the last year to feature something fantastic like that.

[JDW]

I'm at a loss why you all are supporting IP content. It is very evident that most of you only went the past few years, and not in the years that really made the event fantastic.

I've been here since the very beginning. Before there was internet. Before there were websites. Before there were scarezones. Before they had more than one house. I still enjoyed the event immensely.

It has it's problems. Every year has. But if you really think about "The good 'ole days" aren't as good as you have built them up to be.

The houses were cheaper, the tecniques were less polished, the effects and the technology weren't as impressive.

It's largly based on your feelings (as Legacy stated) which are not only unquantifiable but they will not ever be the same because you are not the same. It will never be fresh and new again. You always remember the good things and idealize what you liked at the same time forgetting what you didn't or dulling it's impact.

It's the law of diminishing returns. You'll never get that same high except for maybe in brief flashes. Universal has crossed many hands and they have done many things that worked and did not work.

Whether you support IPs or not they will remain and HAVE remained from nearly the beginning. I think you could even debate the first DOT was ripped of this IP or another.

[duh1011]

Yeeeaaahh, this year's website does suck a bit. However, i can't judge the event unless I've experienced the houses.... :T however, I do say the site was a thousand times better then than it is now lol

[criticalanalysis]

It has it's problems. Every year has. But if you really think about "The good 'ole days" aren't as good as you have built them up to be.

The houses were cheaper, the tecniques were less polished, the effects and the technology weren't as impressive.

It's largly based on your feelings (as Legacy stated) which are not only unquantifiable but they will not ever be the same because you are not the same. It will never be fresh and new again. You always remember the good things and idealize what you liked at the same time forgetting what you didn't or dulling it's impact.

I disagree. Technology doesn't make a house, it's the ambiance, acting, and theme. Screamhouse, Castle Vampyr, etc weren't as technology packed as later houses, but they sure had everything else going for it. An abandoned house at night with no electronics is far scarier than anything Creative can whip up using projectors. There's a balance between it, and lately (I think) we're seeing more theatrics than fundamental horror.