Halloween Horror Nights 26 Discussion

[Cole]

I'm not ok with any more zombies at HHN lol. I don't expect them to go with a non supernatural western house, I'd expect something in the direction demon cantina. Whatever they do it'll be cool I'm sure

 

[Brian G.]

I'm not ok with any more zombies at HHN lol. I don't expect them to go with a non supernatural western house, I'd expect something in the direction demon cantina. Whatever they do it'll be cool I'm sure

You do know Demon Cantina was a riff on Dusk til Dawn right? Nothing western at all about it.

 

[Fatality]

Ghost Town was terrific. I lovingly remember the bar/saloon scene.

2004 was one of my favorite years.

 

[epcyclopedia]

Things I'd like to see in HHN 26:

1. No more unrealistic cheap Halloween store decor items like body parts, cheap skulls, severed heads, etc... Make them yourself and make them good or don't use them. No more shitty stuffed shirt mannequins either.

2. Scents. Tying into the above - I don't want to smell cheap latex/rubber everywhere. Houses with the christmas scents in the past are great fun, but that's not even what I'm specifically meaning. Just hide the fact that this is all a bunch of foam rubber and latex - they sell "natural" scents to pump in to mask the odors.

3. The vast majority of guests are going to be in an ambling constant chain of people - design the show elements to reflect that. I keep seeing SO MANY scenes that assume the viewer wanders in "alone." Yeah, that'd be hella spooky if i was here by myself or with a few close friends but the screaming girls choir behind me sort of deafens your attempts at ambiance or setting the scene.

4. Pulsed queues leading to houses with show segments. Think Test Track 1.0 - break people into decent size groups and give them a short show of some sort and then put them through the house, and maybe even regroup them at a later point for another element. Try to avoid the constant chain and hustle.

5. Multi-route houses. Not saying you need to make a real "maze" but if you direct people into parallel paths you can get a lot of the same scares but without people tripping over each other. Heck you might even double your capacity.

6. Build the spaces for the attendants into the houses and hide them. Standing in corridors and tight corners really shouldn't be happening. This should all be planned out.

7. Bring in extra bathrooms the way Disney does for New Years Eve.

8. No more zombies. I'm over it.

9. If they're gonna wear a mask paint around their eyes.. and ears... and mouth...

10. Keep the other park open fairly late on event nights, especially the ones that have sold out.

 

[Cole]

You do know Demon Cantina was a riff on Dusk til Dawn right? Nothing western at all about it.

I know lol, just something supernatural to that regard. Like otherworldly western instead of old timey earth western

 

[s8film40]

Things I'd like to see in HHN 26:

1. No more unrealistic cheap Halloween store decor items like body parts, cheap skulls, severed heads, etc... Make them yourself and make them good or don't use them. No more shitty stuffed shirt mannequins either.

2. Scents. Tying into the above - I don't want to smell cheap latex/rubber everywhere. Houses with the christmas scents in the past are great fun, but that's not even what I'm specifically meaning. Just hide the fact that this is all a bunch of foam rubber and latex - they sell "natural" scents to pump in to mask the odors.

3. The vast majority of guests are going to be in an ambling constant chain of people - design the show elements to reflect that. I keep seeing SO MANY scenes that assume the viewer wanders in "alone." Yeah, that'd be hella spooky if i was here by myself or with a few close friends but the screaming girls choir behind me sort of deafens your attempts at ambiance or setting the scene.

4. Pulsed queues leading to houses with show segments. Think Test Track 1.0 - break people into decent size groups and give them a short show of some sort and then put them through the house, and maybe even regroup them at a later point for another element. Try to avoid the constant chain and hustle.

5. Multi-route houses. Not saying you need to make a real "maze" but if you direct people into parallel paths you can get a lot of the same scares but without people tripping over each other. Heck you might even double your capacity.

6. Build the spaces for the attendants into the houses and hide them. Standing in corridors and tight corners really shouldn't be happening. This should all be planned out.

7. Bring in extra bathrooms the way Disney does for New Years Eve.

8. No more zombies. I'm over it.

9. If they're gonna wear a mask paint around their eyes.. and ears... and mouth...

10. Keep the other park open fairly late on event nights, especially the ones that have sold out.

There are some really great ideas in here! I have always thought they should do a house that splits off. Like you said they could do a show scene and then alternate between two different doors that open leading to two different mazes. My assumption is they've never done something like this because it's essentially building two houses and only getting one. It seems as though right now though they are maxing out the potential number of houses, I think anything more than 10 is just overwhelming both from a design standpoint and from a guests perspective. So I could see this idea being experimented with in the future rather than just continuing to add houses.

 

[epcyclopedia]

And a lot of scenes are looked into like they're giant shadow boxes so to speak... so just have it with two sides.

Going around a "cage?" Have it go around both sides. Down a hallway with stuff hanging down? Just make two hallways and if you want to have scare-holes just put the actors inbetween the two and alternate.

There are plenty of scenes that could easily be two sided. And some, like the Mad Hatter scene from the Alice house last year, that would of been better if guests only saw it briefly from one of two paths. Looping around the Hatter's table almost guaranteed he'd have to reset and repeat, whereas if both paths ran along one side of the table he'd only do the act once.

 

[epcyclopedia]

And just think of how many scenes are walked around in an L-shape around the perimeter. All of those can be two different paths easily.. and anything you walk along just one side and view through windows.. can be viewed the same way from the other side.

Heck, have a Freddy/Jason house or Alien/Predator house that share some scenes but have two distinct paths.

 

[Legacy]

I'm not opposed to the idea of branching paths... BUT...

They've done this sort of stuff in the past, specifically with ScreamHouse in 2002. Midway through the house (while in the basement), there was an area where you could go left or straight. Going straight would lead into a red "torture" room. Going left would bypass it completely. What ended up happening was people would leave the torture room and, instead of turning right and continuing through the house, they turned left into the flow of people. Then they'd turn back into torture room in an unending circle of stupidity.

It sounds insane, but people would go through those two rooms (the basement and the torture room) in a circle for five-ten minutes at a time. One group spent 45 minutes in the house simply because they couldn't figure out how to turn right. By the third week, the torture room was blocked off.

Something similar happened in the shower room in 2003's Psychoscarepy. It was a open space with a wall in the middle you could circle. A people would, getting so turned around they wouldn't know how to get out (despite the face there were only two doors, an entrance and an exit).

There's a big reason haunts are so linear. Most people have a hard time navigating mazes without any pressure. Combine the unknown with constant dread that something is going to job out at you at it becomes near impossible for people who don't enjoy that environment. Simply put, guests can't be trusted.

 

[peep]

Some nice ideas in your post!

5. Multi-route houses. Not saying you need to make a real "maze" but if you direct people into parallel paths you can get a lot of the same scares but without people tripping over each other. Heck you might even double your capacity.

I visited Universal Studios Japan a few years ago and managed to do a little bit of their Horror Nights event. Their Mummy maze had two routes to double capacity. They were literally preparing two groups to go in at the same time and everything. The capacity on that maze must have been huge.

 

[MillenniumDragons]

In regards to a western themed house, I would be interested in seeing something like the Buried map in Black Ops 2 Zombies. Essentially an American wild west town under a South African mine. Probably in the same vein as Terror Mines in '05.

 

[epcyclopedia]

Well, i never meant for there to be active choice in the paths - just two paths instead of one. They'd be two linear paths that often overlooked the same set piece.

And some really simple engineering would solve the problem anytime two paths had to converge. Have them converge head-on seperated by a wall or set piece which they then have to move alongside - when they reach the end of the wall/set they're now walking the same direction. Two L shapes back to back. Then taper in the hallway as needed. Who goes which way wont be a choice but rather the discretion of Ops controling the gates into each route at any branch point (which will also prevent doubling back.)

And I just wanted to post that as my visual representation of how tacky some of the props they choose to use are in the most "realistic" houses. Blah. Do better.

 

[s8film40]

I'm not opposed to the idea of branching paths... BUT...

They've done this sort of stuff in the past, specifically with ScreamHouse in 2002. Midway through the house (while in the basement), there was an area where you could go left or straight. Going straight would lead into a red "torture" room. Going left would bypass it completely. What ended up happening was people would leave the torture room and, instead of turning right and continuing through the house, they turned left into the flow of people. Then they'd turn back into torture room in an unending circle of stupidity.

It sounds insane, but people would go through those two rooms (the basement and the torture room) in a circle for five-ten minutes at a time. One group spent 45 minutes in the house simply because they couldn't figure out how to turn right. By the third week, the torture room was blocked off.

Something similar happened in the shower room in 2003's Psychoscarepy. It was a open space with a wall in the middle you could circle. A people would, getting so turned around they wouldn't know how to get out (despite the face there were only two doors, an entrance and an exit).

There's a big reason haunts are so linear. Most people have a hard time navigating mazes without any pressure. Combine the unknown with constant dread that something is going to job out at you at it becomes near impossible for people who don't enjoy that environment. Simply put, guests can't be trusted.

The idea I mentioned didn't give people a choice. I agree though, I've seen people get lost as it is, if the houses are going to branch off the guests shouldn't be able to decide which way to go.

 

[graspthesun]

The most recent house with two paths was AvP. They had the crouch down at the end where the alien jumps out at you as you exit and the safe path where the house just ended. TWD in 2012 had the same thing. That may had had more to do with ADA compliance than anything else though.

 

[Brian G.]

Drew made a video dealing with the speculation/rumors of some IP's mentioned.

 

[Splatter]

The most recent house with two paths was AvP. They had the crouch down at the end where the alien jumps out at you as you exit and the safe path where the house just ended. TWD in 2012 had the same thing. That may had had more to do with ADA compliance than anything else though.

It was, and also as a courtesy for those that have hard time bending.

 

[SeventyOne]

Drew made a video dealing with the speculation/rumors of some IP's mentioned.

"I Purged" stickers as you leave the house is a stroke of brilliance. Viral marketing around town would be insane.

 

[orlandoiloveyou]

I'd love to experience a Texas Chainsaw house! After getting to see freddy and Jason last year I can't even imagine how scary Leather Face would be in person!

If they did that I wonder which location would be used? I imagine the tents are a bit too enclosed for all the chainsaw fumes but what do I know. Ans then besides a sprung, where besides a Soundstage could they pull of the House facade?

 

[RogueAntilles]

Awesome video Drew. I agree with most of the video. Krampus is a shoo-in. While I don't disagree with you about The Purge, I just don't want to see it come back. Last years was definitely better than expected but was a last ditch effort that I hope takes a break. The out in left field choice for me was Texas Chainsaw. I don't really see why this would be the year for it or what they can do different from years past. The attempt in 07 was decent but no where near one of the best houses... ever. Unless it was a first year for you. Anyways. Really cool video. Love all of your guys insight with the podcast and what not. Just not the The Thing Assimilation being the best house. Of. All. Time.

 

[RogueAntilles]

Things I'd like to see in HHN 26:

1. No more unrealistic cheap Halloween store decor items like body parts, cheap skulls, severed heads, etc... Make them yourself and make them good or don't use them. No more shitty stuffed shirt mannequins either.

2. Scents. Tying into the above - I don't want to smell cheap latex/rubber everywhere. Houses with the christmas scents in the past are great fun, but that's not even what I'm specifically meaning. Just hide the fact that this is all a bunch of foam rubber and latex - they sell "natural" scents to pump in to mask the odors.

3. The vast majority of guests are going to be in an ambling constant chain of people - design the show elements to reflect that. I keep seeing SO MANY scenes that assume the viewer wanders in "alone." Yeah, that'd be hella spooky if i was here by myself or with a few close friends but the screaming girls choir behind me sort of deafens your attempts at ambiance or setting the scene.

4. Pulsed queues leading to houses with show segments. Think Test Track 1.0 - break people into decent size groups and give them a short show of some sort and then put them through the house, and maybe even regroup them at a later point for another element. Try to avoid the constant chain and hustle.

5. Multi-route houses. Not saying you need to make a real "maze" but if you direct people into parallel paths you can get a lot of the same scares but without people tripping over each other. Heck you might even double your capacity.

6. Build the spaces for the attendants into the houses and hide them. Standing in corridors and tight corners really shouldn't be happening. This should all be planned out.

7. Bring in extra bathrooms the way Disney does for New Years Eve.

8. No more zombies. I'm over it.

9. If they're gonna wear a mask paint around their eyes.. and ears... and mouth...

10. Keep the other park open fairly late on event nights, especially the ones that have sold out.

Nice list. I'm going to put in my .02

Things I want to see at 26.

-The event goes every night of the month to break up the crows a bit. (I know isn't happening)

-No more shirts with blood writing on it or repetitive merch in general.

- Stay at 9 houses. 5-6 zones and 2 shows.

-Keep the 1 giant house theme going. Jacks Monsters & Mayhem will go down in HHN history.

- (I know this wont happen) Harry Potter needs some Halloween theme going on or lite roaming scareactors.

- (In the future, this will never happen) Do the event at 2 parks. Break up the house count. 5 houses at Universal 4 Islands or vise versa. You can buy a ticket and go to either one and park jump.

- Make a new, worthy icon.

- Don't change anything about the streets/scarezones from last year. Perfect.

- Stop treating guests who didn't purchase express passes like second class citizens.