Halloween Horror Nights 26 Wishful Thinking

[Badge]

There are still some houses where you can get an "alone" experience if you time it right. The way I managed to do RUN two different nights alone was because I went once right when it opened and once right before it closed. It will always be a non-IP house because when the event opens, everybody wants to do the IP's. Just head right to the "worst" non-IP house based on popular opinion (I personally really enjoyed RUN because of my solo runs). This year is going to be a little different since the Disaster house (the one you could normally always time to go solo through) is gone and its not clear how the new location(s) will be used. 

 

I do feel the same way about Scarezones though. They have become to much of a photo op. The best one is still on the pathway from the Horror Makeup show to Animal Actors. It is narrow, full of fog, and very little lighting making it nearly impossible to get pictures. I don't need my scarezones to be scary but if they are not, they need to look really interesting and different. The zone by Shrek in 24 is a perfect example. Not very scary but having all those stilt walkers in those AMAZING costumes dance around to some great music made that zone interesting and fun to hang out in. The scarytales theme last year didn't work for me because it didn't feel like a unified themed. The All Nite Die In location was a total fail for me too but I think it was the theme and the fact that a house was dumping people into the zone non-stop. Having all those popular characters turned the zone into a Disney meet and greet from hell without any type of management. I enjoyed the "unofficial" zones a lot more than the named ones. Simpsons and Transformers area were both great!!

[ThNdIzNiR]

1 hour ago, Badge said:

 

The best one is still on the pathway from the Horror Makeup show to Animal Actors. It is narrow, full of fog, and very little lighting making it nearly impossible to get pictures.

 

The All Nite Die In location was a total fail for me too but I think it was the theme and the fact that a house was dumping people into the zone non-stop. Having all those popular characters turned the zone into a Disney meet and greet from hell without any type of management.

I agree that the best area is the 1 you are referring to, but last year that 1 took a bit of a hit from the Jack show. At points leading up to and after the show, it was way too crowded. All that fog at some points made it difficult to not bump into people. I also wasn't fond of them putting up the barriers to separate the show's traffic leading into that zone.

 

The Die-In might have been the biggest fail due to the location and the number of people moving in and out of the area. It was a shame too, because the makeup and costumes seemed really good.

 

I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again... the best ever scare zone area (since I've attended) was Sting Alley. Granted you couldn't jam a lot in there (including guests), but they didn't have to in order to create an immersive zone. It's an alley... some fog and a couple scare actors in it were enough to get the job done.

[AbeLinkedIn]

All Nite Die In was basically the equivalent to a horror cosplay meetup at Megacon but with set pieces reminiscent of a drive-in theater. The costumes and makeup were great and the set pieces were good but there were no real scares, just startles at best, but I like how in character some folks were like Dr. Frankenstein. Then again, the same could be said for that same cosplay meetup. 

 

The best scare zones I can think of immerse you in the environment. In keeping with last year, Psychoscareapy and Evil's Roots were classics because of atmosphere and making you feel like you really were in the environment they set out to create. Those kinds of scare zones are the ones I dig. Even The Purge, even though I don't care for the movies, was brilliant because the chaotic nature of the films was apparent in the scare zone. Then again they did have the surrounding environment to help out like Psychoscareapy in the New York area 

[Legacy]

Isn't it a shame Die-in was booted from its original location? And all for a show...

[Badge]

2 hours ago, Legacy said:

Isn't it a shame Die-in was booted from its original location? And all for a show...

 

I don't think the biggest problem was the location though. It was the guests always taking pictures so the actors couldn't scare. It's become a major issue in the zones as they are all become photo ops and not scarezones and it's not going to be something Universal can really stop but they can do things to make it harder to get pictures.

 

Sure the location dumped a ton of people into the zone non-stop all night long, but it was so small and couldn't handle the crowds to allow the actors to spread out to avoid pictures. I feel like they could use the location again, spread it down the whole street and build more props to hide behind and it might work better. That section of the park will need something this year without a house now so a long, highly themed zone would be perfect if they can make it really foggy and dark to help avoid pictures.

[PeoriaBJJ]

15 hours ago, AbeLinkedIn said:

All Nite Die In was basically the equivalent to a horror cosplay meetup at Megacon but with set pieces reminiscent of a drive-in theater. The costumes and makeup were great and the set pieces were good but there were no real scares, just startles at best, but I like how in character some folks were like Dr. Frankenstein. Then again, the same could be said for that same cosplay meetup. 

 

 

I swear my wife and I talked to Dr. Frankenstein for 10 minutes and he never broke character at all. he was awesome!

[Dr. Jimmy]

On May 2, 2016 at 8:31 AM, Legacy said:

Isn't it a shame Die-in was booted from its original location? And all for a show...

 

The Carnage Returns was more than worth it. It was the best show I've seen at HHN in years, I even broke tradition on the final night to see that last Carnage show rather than the last B&T.

 

Frankly, as much as I loved Die-In, even if they had scrapped the zone altogether in order to do the show it still would have been worth it.

[ThNdIzNiR]

24 minutes ago, Dr. Jimmy said:

I even broke tradition on the final night to see that last Carnage show rather than the last B&T.

 

What did you think of that show? I thought it was the worst B&T since I started attending (HHN 20). I didn't like how they started basically forcing people to fill in seats either. One other change that has occurred over the past couple years is they no longer send the actors into the audience during the finale. My wife would pick her favorite character and we'd try to sit in the area where they would run out and she'd end up dancing with them. It was always a good chuckle... especially the very 1st time before we knew what was going on. Jacob from Twilight came running over and started grinding with her. We made fun of Twilight all the time (team Edward vs team Jacob), so it was hilarious. 

 

I hope I enjoy B&T more this year. 

[foREVer56]

5 hours ago, ThNdIzNiR said:

What did you think of that show? I thought it was the worst B&T since I started attending (HHN 20). I didn't like how they started basically forcing people to fill in seats either. One other change that has occurred over the past couple years is they no longer send the actors into the audience during the finale.

What do you mean by force people to fill in seats? Also, they still send the actors up the stairs and into the crowd during the finale. They did it during "Shut Up and Dance" last year.

[ThNdIzNiR]

2 hours ago, foREVer56 said:

What do you mean by force people to fill in seats? Also, they still send the actors up the stairs and into the crowd during the finale. They did it during "Shut Up and Dance" last year.

Every time we went last year, they had ushers forcing people into seats row by row as opposed to the free-for-all every other time I've been. I understand why they do it that way (to save time and use all the space), but I don't like feeling like cattle. Not sure if we're going to different shows, but no one has gone up the stairs for the past 2 years while we've been there. We had assumed that an actor must have been assaulted or something. 

I watched the part when "Shut Up and Dance" plays and from what I see, Bill & Ted go up a couple steps and everyone in view is on the floor or only about a step or 2 up. I'm pretty sure they don't go "up" into the stands anymore. 

 

Watch the end of this and see the difference...

Many of the actors would interact with the crowd before.

Edited May 4, 2016 by ThNdIzNiR

[YouDontKnowJack]

12 hours ago, ThNdIzNiR said:

Every time we went last year, they had ushers forcing people into seats row by row as opposed to the free-for-all every other time I've been. I understand why they do it that way (to save time and use all the space), but I don't like feeling like cattle. Not sure if we're going to different shows, but no one has gone up the stairs for the past 2 years while we've been there. We had assumed that an actor must have been assaulted or something. 

I watched the part when "Shut Up and Dance" plays and from what I see, Bill & Ted go up a couple steps and everyone in view is on the floor or only about a step or 2 up. I'm pretty sure they don't go "up" into the stands anymore. 

 

Watch the end of this and see the difference...

Many of the actors would interact with the crowd before.

They still come up the stairs. In 2014 Bill came up and sat down right next to me. 

[ThNdIzNiR]

2 hours ago, YouDontKnowJack said:

They still come up the stairs. In 2014 Bill came up and sat down right next to me. 

Bill & Ted always run around, so that doesn't surprise me. I watched a  video from 2014 and it does look like several characters went up. However, I swear on anything that when we were there the last 2 years, this didn't happen. If someone has footage from last year that shows them going up, please share it. I can't imagine why the show would be different at various times or dates, but I know my wife and I had multiple conversations about this topic. We go see the show every night we're there, sometimes more than once. I'm really confused about this. I know I'm getting older, but I don't think I have alzheimer's yet.

[Badge]

It FOR SURE happened in 2014 because Bill ran up next to me during the ending not doing the same dance as everybody else and told me he totally forgot the dance moves. I was sitting fairly high up as well and the cast ran almost to the very top row. Last year, I remember them running into the audience but not going as high up. During one show they ran up about halfway and another show they ran up only a few rows. 

 

I think they change it up from time to time. The show is always changing. I remember talking to a team member at the entrance gate they move to let you into the stands for a while last year asking her various questions since she sees the show multiple times each night. She said the first week was bad because the show kept running really long so the cast didn't have a lot of turn around time to relax between shows and it was stressful for everybody to clear, clean, reset and then fill the show in a short amount of time. A few bigger moments were cut and some lines were removed to help trim it down in time but she said sometimes they bring some back lines or totally make stuff up on the fly. The goal time last year was 35 minutes but it typically ran 37-40 minutes. 

 

A great example is just looking at how long the final B&T from last year was. Not counting the "thank you's", the show ran for nearly 48 minutes! I think audience feedback plays a big part into what the cast does. If the audience is loving it, the cast is into it more and will run up and down the stands more often. 

 

I see this year being a good one and VERY political! Heck, I could even see them making the setting a political debate. 

[ThNdIzNiR]

30 minutes ago, Badge said:

Last year, I remember them running into the audience but not going as high up. During one show they ran up about halfway and another show they ran up only a few rows. 

 

I think audience feedback plays a big part into what the cast does. If the audience is loving it, the cast is into it more and will run up and down the stands more often. 

 

I see this year being a good one and VERY political! Heck, I could even see them making the setting a political debate. 

It is odd though. Overall, I thought the crowd in general was more into the show last year than some of the others (which that was good at least). It was jam packed as well.

 

It seems like the performers key in on the audience members who are dancing/laughing/shouting etc. the most and they are more often chosen for the extra interactions.

 

I remember 1 year we went and we thought most of the people in the crowd were actually pod people due to their lack of enthusiasm. We were 1 of the few people who really were getting into it. I also noticed something else that year that was a bit weird. it seemed like the security people were all standing around people that had the color flashing cups. 

 

I also noticed them adding worthy material on the fly if it was breaking news. I think one year they added something in about the groans of Red Sox fans after they lost in the playoffs or something to that effect.

 

I agree that it has to cover a significant amount of political news given the current (unfortunate) comical state of our election cycle. Hopefully I get to witness them in the stands for the finale this year. Maybe if we're lucky again, we'll get to interact with 1 of them. It's things like that which make the show all the more enjoyable. 

[Jediwhit82]

This is more wishful thinking than rumor, but how cool would it be if universal put HHN into their on site hotel wake up options, like where they have transformers and blue men, have one of those options be Jack or something similar. It would be a great way to start a day of death and carnage.

[Mrevio]

 

This "Requel" could be The Return of Penn & Teller's New'kd Vegas

 

Or maybe the "Jack never really goes away" thing means another Jack Presents: 26 Years of Monsters & Mayhem

Edited May 6, 2016 by Mrevio
Need to add pic of tweet

[FRlSKY PLATYPUS]

On May 6, 2016 at 7:26 AM, Mrevio said:

 

This "Requel" could be The Return of Penn & Teller's New'kd Vegas

 

Or maybe the "Jack never really goes away" thing means another Jack Presents: 26 Years of Monsters & Mayhem

Did the P&T house get good reviews(for a 3D house)? I don't recall it being that great. All I remember were the GATs you could press to scare the other people in line.

 

I wouldn't mind another best of house just as long it features older content than the one from last year. 

[AbeLinkedIn]

P&T was brilliant to me, and I'm usually not easily sold on 3-D houses. This one solved the problem I had with them, where the gimmick took over the house. I'd love for Penn and Teller to come back again, since their sense of humor meshes seamlessly with the HHN vibe. 

[Badge]

On 5/6/2016 at 6:26 AM, Mrevio said:

 

This "Requel" could be The Return of Penn & Teller's New'kd Vegas

 

Or maybe the "Jack never really goes away" thing means another Jack Presents: 26 Years of Monsters & Mayhem

 

I doubt it is an updated Penn and Teller house since the "requel" is an original house. I think they considered New'kd Vegas an IP house because of the name attachment. 

 

I think they might stick with doing a "best of the best" type of house with updated rooms and a slightly different name. The Usher Presents: 26 Years of Silver Screams. It's a naming convention they could use over and over and with 25 past years of houses, it will take a while before they repeat every single house. 

[hunnylvr]

On 4/29/2016 at 0:35 PM, PeoriaBJJ said:

 

Exact same thing happened to my wife and I in 2009!!! And yes going through a house with one other person or a couple other people is pretty awesome.

My wife and  I made it through Nightingales by ourselves in 2011.  We had a couple of friends with us that year who had never been to HHN before, and by the end of the night, they were done.  They couldn't keep up.  I think it was about 15 minutes before closing, and our friends went to sit at the tables in the cafe near the exit.  My wife and I wanted to do another house one more time and Nightingales was right there.  So, we ran for it, and we were shocked there was no one in line.  I remember saying, "Uh oh, it's just us. We're fucked."  It was one of the greatest haunt experiences of my life.  Nothing like being the literal only bait in the house.  The actors were outstanding.  I recall a lot of swearing/laughing by us.  It was epic.

[PeoriaBJJ]

wishful thinking (are you reading this MIKE?).... how rad would a Pumkinhead maze be? One of the greatest monsters to ever grace a screen. They have come a long way with puppets the last few years. Would PH be a little too ambitious? Maybe. But there would be so many cool scenes they could do! And the music... damn.

[ThNdIzNiR]

It's a real shame this icon was scrapped some time ago... Pumpkinhead reminded me of this.

 

For those of you who missed "The Lost Icon"

https://youtu.be/1aw2gCNsiu4