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HHN 27 Speculation


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2 minutes ago, hunnylvr said:

You're correct - it is usually damn hot.  I do love the Fall here in Chicago - the only thing I hate about it is that when it's over, winter comes.  WINTER SUCKS.  Anyway, even if they didn't do the "hot" drinks - there is no reason not to do pumpkin spice or apple donuts.  That's a staple here in the fall at all the apple orchards and such.  They do well with sweet treats, and I can't fathom why they don't add this kind of thing to it.  God knows, Universal has the best caramel apples on the planet.  That's a start.. 

 

So, it's Thursday.  Shall we start taking bets?

Yep... winter... Nov 2nd starts my seasonal depression... HHN is over, Halloween is over, even Dios De La Muertos is over.... then 3 months of shit weather!

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I wanted to post a slight frustration I saw with one of the Facebook pages the other day. There was a guy on there who posted something in the vein of "blah blah blah marketing sucks, Ash Vs. Evil Dead sucks, people are whiners, HHN is going to be great anyway." I wanted to comment something, but I thought it might fall on deaf ears, so I decided to write here.

 

It seems to me that people with that mentality do not know or understand THEY and the droves of people who are ok with "settling," are the reason the event perpetually seeks out IP's to turn into houses. If done right, I have no problem with walking through some of the scenes of my favorite horror films of all time. However, the need for familiarity when it comes to an event has become more and more required because there is a shift in the audience to more things pop culture. This seems to be the case across the board when it comes to amusement parks. I think Walt Disney would be rolling around in his grave if he saw how many other companies The Walt Disney company has acquired in order to tell stories. Marvel and Star Wars are amazing and yes they need the power of the Disney theme parks in order to make those stories come to life in the amusement world, but where has the original intent of the Imagineer disappeared to?

 

I'm extremely grateful that Creative has bumped the original/IP ratio down a notch from 3/6 to 4/5 and that they continue to keep most of their scarezones original in content. However, as a fan, I want a bigger push for more original stories and that starts with having an icon as well. I know there are mixed feelings about icons, but I feel they really drive the event. They have a cool story and therefore they've had experiences and partners in crime that have cool stories, etc. It's CAN really be a never ending rabbit hole of creativity, even if some of the concepts are similar, new characters can emerge. Universal has always been about "riding the movies," but I feel a 7/2 original/IP house ratio would be perfect.

 

It's been said that there are seven types of stories, but I believe there are an infinite amount of characters. So let's start creating again and stop relying on outside sources to dictate our event! Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but that's my two cents.

 

 

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21 minutes ago, Ringwraith said:

However, as a fan, I want a bigger push for more original stories and that starts with having an icon as well. I know there are mixed feelings about icons, but I feel they really drive the event. They have a cool story and therefore they've had experiences and partners in crime that have cool stories, etc

 

Agree entirely. Good post. As I've said before, the event got popular because of their original work.

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Halloween themed doorways have appeared in Central Park, All but confirming the TRT theme. I do debate sorta if it is the IP or an original. 

 

Hollywood's scareactors got their mazes revealed to them apparently. And with construction going close and closer I would think we are close to some Annoucement.

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30 minutes ago, hunnylvr said:

So, it's Thursday.  Shall we start taking bets?

There's less than a month before the first date. I'm guessing we'll get our full reveal about 2 weeks from now. I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall at Universal's offices right now. There's got to be something going on to make this year the way it is and I'm curious as to whether it's trial and error of a different marketing technique or if they were having a lot of issues with things and don't want to announce things until they know for a fact they can use them for the whole event. However, I don't understand why they haven't/can't announce the originals when they've already started tweeting out photos from them. 

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12 minutes ago, QueenoftheBunnies said:

There's less than a month before the first date. I'm guessing we'll get our full reveal about 2 weeks from now. I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall at Universal's offices right now. There's got to be something going on to make this year the way it is and I'm curious as to whether it's trial and error of a different marketing technique or if they were having a lot of issues with things and don't want to announce things until they know for a fact they can use them for the whole event. However, I don't understand why they haven't/can't announce the originals when they've already started tweeting out photos from them. 

And that's what makes originals so awesome. They don't have to acquire rights, go through legal battles, or even have specifics in which certain characters or things within the film are used. Everything in that world can be used however the creator deems necessary!

Edited by Ringwraith
grammar..
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31 minutes ago, Ringwraith said:

I wanted to post a slight frustration I saw with one of the Facebook pages the other day. There was a guy on there who posted something in the vein of "blah blah blah marketing sucks, Ash Vs. Evil Dead sucks, people are whiners, HHN is going to be great anyway." I wanted to comment something, but I thought it might fall on deaf ears, so I decided to write here.

 

It seems to me that people with that mentality do not know or understand THEY and the droves of people who are ok with "settling," are the reason the event perpetually seeks out IP's to turn into houses. If done right, I have no problem with walking through some of the scenes of my favorite horror films of all time. However, the need for familiarity when it comes to an event has become more and more required because there is a shift in the audience to more things pop culture. This seems to be the case across the board when it comes to amusement parks. I think Walt Disney would be rolling around in his grave if he saw how many other companies The Walt Disney company has acquired in order to tell stories. Marvel and Star Wars are amazing and yes they need the power of the Disney theme parks in order to make those stories come to life in the amusement world, but where has the original intent of the Imagineer disappeared to?

 

I'm extremely grateful that Creative has bumped the original/IP ratio down a notch from 3/6 to 4/5 and that they continue to keep most of their scarezones original in content. However, as a fan, I want a bigger push for more original stories and that starts with having an icon as well. I know there are mixed feelings about icons, but I feel they really drive the event. They have a cool story and therefore they've had experiences and partners in crime that have cool stories, etc. It's CAN really be a never ending rabbit hole of creativity, even if some of the concepts are similar, new characters can emerge. Universal has always been about "riding the movies," but I feel a 7/2 original/IP house ratio would be perfect.

 

It's been said that there are seven types of stories, but I believe there are an infinite amount of characters. So let's start creating again and stop relying on outside sources to dictate our event! Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but that's my two cents.

 

 

 

I would love nothing more than an event that was all original content. But I feel we have this discussion every year. And I know you know this, but I'm simply reiterating. Universal is a business. Businesses exist to maximize profit. The "normies" account for the grand majority of profit for an event like this. Normies are driven much more by recognizable characters from pop culture. At a certain point, they know when they have enough recognizable pop culture media that they don't have to invest in licensing for that year any more and can pay their creative department (much less) to come up with some original content. It's a tipping point where the cost of licensing fees and contracts outweighs any additional profit they might make from selling a few more tickets.

 

Again, I know we all know this. I just feel like it has to be said, and there's quite a few new faces around here. I'm always in favor of new, fresh, original content. But that's just the way it is.

 

But we have a Shining house, and that's all that matters to me right now tbh.

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Yeah an all original year would be awesome.... it would also make about 2/3 the amount of money. Uni likes money, GP/kids like movies... you can do the math. I dont mind a 54 split. If its well done, I dont care if its a new movie, old movie or an original. bad ass is bad ass.

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From Universal:
There is one aspect of Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights no one can escape… the SCARE ZONES. They're the first and last things you'll experience, and it's our chance to make sure there is no way to hide from the scares.


This Halloween Horror Nights, we're inviting you to join the celebration of blood and bone at what can only be called The Festival of the Deadliest – an ancient tradition from the depths of where nightmares are born.

A gathering of the most unearthly, hellish terrors has emerged from the darkest corners of despair. It calls to those who long for the thrill of the scare and wish to have their fears made real. You'll be drawn like moths to a flame, and once you join this hallowed celebration, your nightmares will never end.

You'll find the heart of the Festival on the streets of Hollywood in Universal Studios Florida, but its claws have spread throughout Horror Nights. Here's what awaits you every night…

Trick 'r Treat
First up, it's time to make sure everyone understands the rules of our haunted holiday. Get a proper Halloween education in our Central Park scare zone inspired by the film Trick 'r Treat. We're excited to have Sam visit and make sure we follow the rules of Halloween.

As a longtime fan of classic horror anthology films, Trick 'r Treat is a favorite of mine that pays perfect homage to that genre. In this zone, you'll have the opportunity to come face-to-face with several characters from the film, and learn for yourself what happens when you don't follow the rules.

The Purge
Next up, we have a returning story to our New York streets with The Purge. This time, our approach was to create a zone that showed how we think the events of a Purge night might play out in our streets.

There are some fan favorites returning such as our auction and a very polite gentleman. We also have some new surprises in store. For example, how do you clean up all the mayhem on the streets during a Purge night? Visit the clean-crew up crew with their trusty wood chipper to find out. Just don't get too close…

Altars of Horror
Near the front gate, on Avenue of the Stars, we have our Altars of Horror. For me, this zone is very exciting because we're bringing something to the streets for our horror fans that we have never done before.

In this zone, we're taking some of the larger than life characters featured in this year's houses, and letting them have their own scare zone. A lot of work goes into bringing these iconic film characters to life in our houses. Now you'll have the opportunity to get an even better look at them.

Invasion!
Set in a time decades ago, our docks in San Francisco find themselves the victim of an INVASION! Visitors from far beyond have crashed their vessel, and are now wreaking havoc on the streets of San Francisco.

They aren't just here to destroy; these invaders are also on a mission to learn everything they can about us humans. Careful, or you may find yourself on the experiment table at the mercy of an alien scientist.

Roaming Hordes
Lastly, no Halloween Horror Nights would be complete without roaming hordes. This time, it's the smell of the greasepaint, the roar of the chainsaw. Unhappy with how popular culture has made clowns scary, this grotesque gang of gigglers has risen from the grave, determined to show the world that if you want scary clowns, they're going to make sure you get your worst nightmare.

ACADEMY OF VILLAINS: AFTERLIFE
But wait! There's more. The question is, "can you handle more?" I'm happy to share ACADEMY OF VILLAINS: AFTERLIFE will be returning to put on an all-new killer performance. This group of powerhouse artists will make you bear witness to what happens after we leave this life. They're going to give you one mind-blowing and shocking dance performance that will escort you from this world to the great beyond.

As you can see, the streets will be alive with plenty of horror, mayhem, and celebration. The opportunity to bring favorite horror films to life and tell our own unique horror stories makes every day a thrill. My favorite part of the event is walking the streets each night as our scare actors make these terror-filled tales a reality. Every scream I hear puts a huge smile on my face.
Edited by sikbyrd350
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2 minutes ago, Grime said:

 

I would love nothing more than an event that was all original content. But I feel we have this discussion every year. And I know you know this, but I'm simply reiterating. Universal is a business. Businesses exist to maximize profit. The "normies" account for the grand majority of profit for an event like this. Normies are driven much more by recognizable characters from pop culture. At a certain point, they know when they have enough recognizable pop culture media that they don't have to invest in licensing for that year any more and can pay their creative department (much less) to come up with some original content. It's a tipping point where the cost of licensing fees and contracts outweighs any additional profit they might make from selling a few more tickets.

 

Again, I know we all know this. I just feel like it has to be said, and there's quite a few new faces around here. I'm always in favor of new, fresh, original content. But that's just the way it is.

 

But we have a Shining house, and that's all that matters to me right now tbh.

I am ALL ABOUT getting me some Shining or Alien. Hell, even Get Out would be cool.

 

My main point in that rant was to point out the irony of those types of guests and how if they really saw the event awhile ago before the popular IP's came around, I think they'd appreciate it just the same if not more than they do now. But this is all they know and THEY are the reason we don't get the ratio we used to have. Maybe if Universal gambled and pulled a fast one by doing an event like they used to, they could still keep the new IP-seekers they've acquired over the years.

 

I think one of the main reasons I'm irritated if IP's drive a Horror Nights event, is because that's an HHN Hollywood thing. They started doing that in order to get the event back and it just feels dirty to me. It's like we're following their lead. WE have the event that had been rated the top in the nation for several years straight. WE set the precedent of what a horror event should look like and it just feels like we're "selling out" and teaming up with them. Don't get me wrong, I loved my time there working as a scareactor, but it's just a different event and vibe than here and I think the culture we have cultivated from past events is something we should be proud of.

 

You know how Pirates of the Caribbean was a ride before it was a movie? Why not make a movie about Jack(no pun intended) and all of the insidious characters he could have encountered along the way at his carnival? Force the ideas created at this park and the storytelling for the event, into their own IP's out in the world.

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Hellooooooo, scarezones!

 

I like the Altars of Horror concept--I wish it had been last year so I could selfie with Leatherface--but I'm kind of thinking that is the actual reasoning for this zone. A selfie zone, just like Die-In ended up being in 2015. 

 

Everything else gets an enthusiastic thumbs-up from me. I'll be spending plenty of time in Central Park for sure. 

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5 minutes ago, Alice said:

I like the Altars of Horror concept--I wish it had been last year so I could selfie with Leatherface--but I'm kind of thinking that is the actual reasoning for this zone. A selfie zone, just like Die-In ended up being in 2015. 

Good spot for it too...

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I'm having a hard time picturing this whole 'Festival of the Deadliest' thing. It obviously sounds like an original concept, but the part about it mainly being on Hollywood Blvd and "spreading" to other areas of the park has me confused. Also, the way that blog article was written makes it sounds like it's not even a scarezone but just an overall theme?

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Damn. Down to 4 scarezones? I thought 5 was bad the last couple of years. Take me back to 2009 when we had 7. Scarezones are my favorite part of the event. Kinda bummed.

 

Edit: Yes I know there were only 4 in 2014 as well. Still sucks. At least it's not 2012.

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3 minutes ago, Grime said:

Damn. Down to 4 scarezones? I thought 5 was bad the last couple of years. Take me back to 2009 when we had 7. Scarezones are my favorite part of the event. Kinda bummed.

 

Edit: Yes I know there were only 4 in 2014 as well. Still sucks. At least it's not 2012.

 

Nope. Still 5, Festival Of The Deadliest was awkwardly transitioned into within the paragraph.

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