Halloween Horror Nights 28 General Discussion

[Nick]

Scare Actors have to be asked if they’re willing to extend past their out time. Tonight, not enough of them wanted to. They closed the house because most scenes would be without a scare actor. Either way the guests are going to get mad. The solution? Make their shifts longer, but most weeks are already five days so that means each performer will be getting scheduled forced overtime on weeks with 2am close. That’s not going to happen.

Universal doesn't like giving OT, but they give it when it is needed. This is one of those situations.

They're dealing with a HUGE IP and if Netflix or the Duffer Brothers aren't happy with how Universal has handled this year, they stand to lose the property for next year, which we all know would be one of Universal's biggest nightmare's. I'm sure there's certain stipulations that could allow Netflix out of the contract if they feel the property wasn't treated with respect.

I know it's not what the cast is going to want and it's not what Universal wants, but forced OT for a 6 week period is peanuts compared to how valuable the Stranger Things IP is to them for HHN.

One of two things will happen: They will either schedule longer and just swallow the OT that they would have to pay, OR Event Ops could close entry into the queue one hour prior to park closure. That would help get the line down and would be an easy way to do it without having to extend schedules and Pay OT. So I think the latter is obviously more likely. It could end up being something else though.

 

[OLSinFLA]

Scare Actors have to be asked if they’re willing to extend past their out time. Tonight, not enough of them wanted to. They closed the house because most scenes would be without a scare actor. Either way the guests are going to get mad. The solution? Make their shifts longer, but most weeks are already five days so that means each performer will be getting scheduled forced overtime on weeks with 2am close. That’s not going to happen.

Well, in 27 years this hasn't happened. In what world do they think the line will be 15 minutes long? They dont even schedule that close to close in regular hours. This was just bad planning, nothing else, no matter how many ways people try to excuse it.

 

[Lucky Planet]

I've watched a couple of videos on youtube and it seems that Chucky gathers a really huge crowd around his stage. I wonder how Uni will handle that many people just standing around watching him, or i wonder if uni anticipated this and wont do anything
but the crowd i saw in some of the videos was really big. almost from sidewalk to sidewalk

 

[Nick]

I've watched a couple of videos on youtube and it seems that Chucky gathers a really huge crowd around his stage. I wonder how Uni will handle that many people just standing around watching him, or i wonder if uni anticipated this and wont do anything
but the crowd i saw in some of the videos was really big. almost from sidewalk to sidewalk

I mean if no one was there the show wouldn't really be a show. They definitely planned for people gathering around the stage for periods of time.

 

[JawsVictim]

Sounds like they cast the wrong performers in Cast B of Stranger Things. I know of some die hard scareactors who would have loved to scare all night like that - myself included.

Edit: Also realized, ST cast not extending is even more ridiculous when you think about peak night closes. They’re guaranteed to be working until 3 AM because of extensions on those nights.

 

[snayberry]

The Stranger Things fiasco sounded like a nightmare. Hopefully things smoothen up over time. They should just change the closing time to 2am for all days.

 

[jrn14]

Also not encouraging that cast doesn't want to extend on night one.

 

[Lucky Planet]

Also not encouraging that cast doesn't want to extend on night one.

yeah, I obviously dont want to talk about the actors in any negative way, but these roles were probably very specific and hard to cast (because of the characters being kids ) and what happens if the actors quit after week one? how is Uni going to handle something like that?
Didn't some people say on here that getting the right cast for this house was difficult? whats going to happen after 1, 2 weeks of the actors getting tired?

Im just wondering what would Uni do

 

[jrn14]

Yeah I'm not placing blame or anything just if the cast is unique and is already feeling exhausted...doesn't bode well for the future..

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Guys, I think we're assuming a lot on the intentions of the cast based on second hand reports. In my history that's always a good way to make oneself look like an ass in the end.

It's clear opening night is a Thing (TM) now and Universal should treat it as such: don't offer opening night (maybe even Saturday) on RoF/FF tickets, limit Express Pass sales, and extend the hours. Opening night is now on par with hell weekend nights so it should be treated as such.

That's in combination with the usual shuffling of operations and queues that causes headaches the first night or two of the event.

 

[Legacy]

Well, in 27 years this hasn't happened. In what world do they think the line will be 15 minutes long? They dont even schedule that close to close in regular hours. This was just bad planning, nothing else, no matter how many ways people try to excuse it.

That's how they schedule, and how they always have scheduled. And the longest extension I've ever seen was about thirty minutes. And casting typically drops to 60% after close.

A two hour wait at close is unheard of. And, the bigger issue is A Cast would have already signed out for the evening. That would put the extending B Cast on set for 2.5 hours non-stop. That's unhealthy. If I was a manager I wouldn't ask my cast to do that. If I was a cast member and asked to do that, I'd laugh and go home.

EDIT - Remember, most scareactors have day jobs. A lot of those work on weekends. There's a massive difference between getting off work at 1 or at 3 when you have to wake up in the morning.

 

[OrlandoVillian]

Just under 20,000 in presales and just over 30,000 in the park.

We have a hit for sure.

 

[Ava64]

Hi! What houses does Hello Kitty release to during S&S? Trying to see Stranger Things during S&S and wondering if I should do Hello Kitty or Finnegans. Is Hello Kitty confirmed as an S&S location this year? It looks closer to the Stranger Things entrance than Finnegans.
Also, which houses would be best for Horror Nights first timers?

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Hi! What houses does Hello Kitty release to during S&S? Trying to see Stranger Things during S&S and wondering if I should do Hello Kitty or Finnegans. Is Hello Kitty confirmed as an S&S location this year? It looks closer to the Stranger Things entrance than Finnegans.
Also, which houses would be best for Horror Nights first timers?

Do Finnegans and get there EARLY.

 

[JoeCamel]

Do Finnegans and get there EARLY.

I walked in at 3:30 yesterday and was fine, today I think I will skip it.

 

[JawsVictim]

How did the Finnegans S & S work this year? Are you handed a number for the early entry line? Or is it you stay, drink until 5ish, then queue for the mad dash to ST once it opens?

 

[JoeCamel]

How did the Finnegans S & S work this year? Are you handed a number for the early entry line? Or is it you stay, drink until 5ish, then queue for the mad dash to ST once it opens?

Queue for staggered release. 99% went to ST but you could go to polter which opened shortly after, I did poltergeist first then ST then kkfos and to the back of the park for DE, SoE and TrT. I was done after that and hit the zones on the way out

 

[IHateJumpScares]

Do Finnegans and get there EARLY.

Can you elaborate why? Stranger things really NEEDS to be our first house, and everything I read until tonight said hello kitty stay and scream would open to ST and is closest. Is that not true anymore? Do they release at different times?

Thanks!

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Can you elaborate why? Stranger things really NEEDS to be our first house, and everything I read until tonight said hello kitty stay and scream would open to ST and is closest. Is that not true anymore? Do they release at different times?

Thanks!

What I'm hearing is Kitty releases later and is for Halloween. Get there early so you can be at the gate waiting to go and be one of the first in ST. Those who went last night correct me.

When are you going, tonight?

 

[IHateJumpScares]

What I'm hearing is Kitty releases later and is for Halloween. Get there early so you can be at the gate waiting to go and be one of the first in ST. Those who went last night correct me.

When are you going, tonight?

Thanks for the info. We are aiming for Wednesday, 10/8. We're intending to do stay and scream, and until last night expected we were supposed to be in hello kitty.

Why would you suggest being at the gate versus being at finnegans for stay and scream? I thought stay and scream was always supposed to be better than front gate?