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Halloween Horror Nights '19 General Discussion

Exactly.. which is why I still don't think Murdy deserves ALL the blame for how HHN turns out.. even if he left and was replaced by Jon Cooke or one of the HHN Orlando guys, they and their ideas would still be at the mercy of USH executives and their penny-pinching ways..

Which is a good segue to mentioning the Lower Lot Saws have been cut indefinitely.
 
I'm with Alex... considering USH's recent overhaul in the past two years up at UC the event is trying to mimic Orlando's in a Hollywood kind of way... while I suspect ultimately, the event will remain with what they can work with considering the bare minimum they are given, I am hoping that that will soon be a thing of the past after this year... but hope is a bad thing to have sometimes
 
I'm with Alex... considering USH's recent overhaul in the past two years up at UC the event is trying to mimic Orlando's in a Hollywood kind of way... while I suspect ultimately, the event will remain with what they can work with considering the bare minimum they are given, I am hoping that that will soon be a thing of the past after this year... but hope is a bad thing to have sometimes
The concern I have is less with the future budget, and more with the universal higher ups clamping down on the design teams creative freedom. I imagine after how many things guests have complained about this year, and how much money it's likely cost universal, we're probably gonna see the higher ups having them make much less edgy choices in the future, which could have some very unfortunate implications for the future.
 
That's fair, and I wont disagree that that is a concern I have too. HHN used to freak me out a lot and was insanely gory, dark and hardcore. What felt like a transportation into those films, has now become more of a celebration of them (which is not a bad thing depending who you ask). Ultimately, I do think HHN could do so much more to be back in its glory days (2016 was super duper close), but in recent years it has become more of a quality = quantity rather than quality > quantity (I don't even wanna talk about 2017 - it doesn't exist lalalala).

I hope execution of IPs like Ghostbusters and Stranger Things don't become the norm on the West Coast. I was excited for HOTC coming this year because I thought it'd resemble some incarnation of iterations past in terms of detail, set pieces, and scares but even then it feels so tamed compared to the movie and versions of years' past.
 
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That's fair, and I wont disagree that that is a concern I have too. HHN used to freak me out a lot and was insanely gory, dark and hardcore. What felt like a transportation into those films, has now become more of a celebration of them (which is not a bad thing depending who you ask). Ultimately, I do think HHN could do so much more to be back in its glory days (2016 was super duper close), but in recent years it has become more of a quality = quantity rather than quality > quantity (I don't even wanna talk about 2017 - it doesn't exist lalalala).

I hope execution of IPs like Ghostbusters and Stranger Things don't become the norm on the West Coast. I was excited for HOTC coming this year because I thought it'd resemble some incarnation of iterations past in terms of detail, set pieces, and scares but even then it feels so tamed compared to the movie and versions of years' past.
I highly doubt we'll see things to the level of intensity of the past, the entire haunt industry has become much more mainstream in the last 10 years, so there will always be a bit more catering to the new GP audience that's been growing here. Probably doesn't help that things like the human turkey have been removed, since that definitely sends a message to universal about what level of gore the attendees want to see. On the gore aspect I'd also partially blame the lack of emphasis on gore in horror as a whole in recent years, it's still there of course, but its far less of a draw for audiences than it was back in the heyday of Saw and Hostel. Hopefully the event can get a bit more grit in the future though.
 
Just a random observation.. but between "I Got Five On It" in Us, the Killer Klowns theme song, the Ghostbusters theme song, NeverEnding Story for Stranger Things.. is this the year of the theme song at HHN? Where several IPs have really awesome/catchy/iconic theme songs?
 
Just a random observation.. but between "I Got Five On It" in Us, the Killer Klowns theme song, the Ghostbusters theme song, NeverEnding Story for Stranger Things.. is this the year of the theme song at HHN? Where several IPs have really awesome/catchy/iconic theme songs?
I would say this year definitely is one more than most. Also, they play the Neverending Story theme somewhere in/near stranger things? I've somehow never heard it.
 
Uhh, it's because the Springfield area is massively popular as The Simpsons has influence pop culture, whereas Bill and Ted does not. It's just a fact.
Sure....but so are many of the other rides based there. My point is people will ride anything if it open. The event when I went 4 times was either crowded or massively crowded.
So having more rides and area's open will help spread the crowds out like Knotts.

Heck I'd take them using the Dream Works Theater as just some sort of Chucky show...over the nothing it is now. The point is the place is packed for the last few years and they aren't opening more rides or attractions to deal with it, yes we got more mazes but we need more rides too. Literally besides money (which I don't give a poop about as a fan, i want the best experience) they should have SLOP, Despicable me and the Dream Work Theaters open....and if they can put a fun show in Dream works and use the Animal Actors stage as another show....great. All it will do is allow for more people to come in and hopefully spread crowds out and in two years have Nintendoland open to really help.

I know Potterland just wont happen even though it honestly makes the most sense, the show and rides there im sure would be packed and sure meet and greets would have hour long lines.
 
^They have had Despicable Me open in the past, for a couple of years, I think... and essentially, no one went on it. And that was when the ride was new.

I don't know if they have the rights to it, but I've said before a few times it'd be awesome if they showed key clips from The Tingler in Dreamworks Theater, and use those chairs! Or even something akin to the Exorcist Experience WB did in Horror Made Here.

I don't think the quality of the mazes has really gone down as the quantity has gone up. We were still complaining about black walls just as much when there were fewer mazes. And I imagine they were trying to see if crowd would spread out a bit more by having two additional mazes open all night rather than one attraction the closed early (Terror Tram). To me, it's still just as crowded, so it'll be interesting to see how Universal execs deal with that for next year.

Personally, as much as I usually don't watch, they really need to expand the entertainment. Jabawokees is not enough, especially since they're not even horror/halloween themed at all. The band/DJ on the lower lot is a good start, but they need full shows. Knott's is really the model here, and even SFMM/Fright Fest has more entertainment options that HHN does. They could easily put in: a magician, hypnotist, improv show, screen film clips or horror shorts in the Animal Actors stage. Even offer an upcharge VR experience on the upper Jurassic Cafe deck, where the RIP photo ops are now. Also, a small show/entertainment in the metrolot wouldn't be bad either. I'm recalling for the WB Horror Made Here, they had a small make up effect demonstration show in a very small space, so HHN could do similar inside one of the metrolot facades. And Horror Made Here had a small horror Drag show where they did scenes from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? which could've been easily been expanded... just to throw out ideas. Drag is so mainstream now, and Universal isn't afraid of it... they've had men in drag play women in the New York windows. And anyone remember those years when HHN did excerpts of Rocky Horror in the T23D space? I actually enjoyed that.

The gore being tamed down is an interesting point, I hadn't thought of that, but I do feel it is a reflection of the current trends in horror movies. In a way, Blumhouse is to blame/credit. They've really created a renaissance in horror among mainstream audiences, but they are relatively gore-free when compared to the torture porn trend of Saw, Hostel, and the like.
 
^They have had Despicable Me open in the past, for a couple of years, I think... and essentially, no one went on it. And that was when the ride was new.

I don't know if they have the rights to it, but I've said before a few times it'd be awesome if they showed key clips from The Tingler in Dreamworks Theater, and use those chairs! Or even something akin to the Exorcist Experience WB did in Horror Made Here.

I don't think the quality of the mazes has really gone down as the quantity has gone up. We were still complaining about black walls just as much when there were fewer mazes. And I imagine they were trying to see if crowd would spread out a bit more by having two additional mazes open all night rather than one attraction the closed early (Terror Tram). To me, it's still just as crowded, so it'll be interesting to see how Universal execs deal with that for next year.

Personally, as much as I usually don't watch, they really need to expand the entertainment. Jabawokees is not enough, especially since they're not even horror/halloween themed at all. The band/DJ on the lower lot is a good start, but they need full shows. Knott's is really the model here, and even SFMM/Fright Fest has more entertainment options that HHN does. They could easily put in: a magician, hypnotist, improv show, screen film clips or horror shorts in the Animal Actors stage. Even offer an upcharge VR experience on the upper Jurassic Cafe deck, where the RIP photo ops are now. Also, a small show/entertainment in the metrolot wouldn't be bad either. I'm recalling for the WB Horror Made Here, they had a small make up effect demonstration show in a very small space, so HHN could do similar inside one of the metrolot facades. And Horror Made Here had a small horror Drag show where they did scenes from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? which could've been easily been expanded... just to throw out ideas. Drag is so mainstream now, and Universal isn't afraid of it... they've had men in drag play women in the New York windows. And anyone remember those years when HHN did excerpts of Rocky Horror in the T23D space? I actually enjoyed that.

The gore being tamed down is an interesting point, I hadn't thought of that, but I do feel it is a reflection of the current trends in horror movies. In a way, Blumhouse is to blame/credit. They've really created a renaissance in horror among mainstream audiences, but they are relatively gore-free when compared to the torture porn trend of Saw, Hostel, and the like.
If they really wanted to invest money (they dont) then they could just use Despicable me as something else, its a projector ride meaning they just have to switch out the video thats being played and what the cars move like.

For me I'd kill for a Chucky show and maybe a Saw type show in one of the screen theaters.
 
If they really wanted to invest money (they dont) then they could just use Despicable me as something else, its a projector ride meaning they just have to switch out the video thats being played and what the cars move like.

For me I'd kill for a Chucky show and maybe a Saw type show in one of the screen theaters.

C'mon dude... :lol:

There's fair criticism, and there is nitpicking. This is falling on the latter.
 
A few questions as I've never been to Horror Nights at Hollywood and we are going this weekend.
Is there no haunted tram tour this year? And is Harry Potter closed off?

The map on Universals website makes it seem very few actual rides are open..?
 
A few questions as I've never been to Horror Nights at Hollywood and we are going this weekend.
Is there no haunted tram tour this year? And is Harry Potter closed off?

The map on Universals website makes it seem very few actual rides are open..?

As far as the Terror Tram is concerned, this is the first time in this version of the event, that it is no longer operating. And in it's place, is Pandora's Box and Us.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter isn't open during the event.
 
It wasn't until my 3rd run through of ST that I noticed Steve is in the beginning (if you catch him opening the door), and I've been through Us 10+ times, and only recently noticed you can see the twins on the balcony in the first room of the house.
 
It wasn't until my 3rd run through of ST that I noticed Steve is in the beginning (if you catch him opening the door), and I've been through Us 10+ times, and only recently noticed you can see the twins on the balcony in the first room of the house.

It took me a while to notice the twins - it's a great detail.

Steve really needs a trigger and to come out more in general... but it's nice that they added him.
 
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