Halloween Horror Nights 29 General Discussion

[JunoSynth]

Random question - but how have the setups been for the parade / new parade building houses?

Last year was a mess with the insanely long exit routes and congestion. Has that been adjusted? It honestly kept us from doing Seeds and Trick-R-Treat as much as the others.

Yeah those walks to the houses and back were brutal. I hope they fix/fixed this.

 

[Brian G.]

Random question - but how have the setups been for the parade / new parade building houses?

Last year was a mess with the insanely long exit routes and congestion. Has that been adjusted? It honestly kept us from doing Seeds and Trick-R-Treat as much as the others.

Yes, they've been adjusted. Monsters queue is through Barney, backstage and into the queue under the parade awning. Graveyard queue runs through Curious George, and left like it was in the past. Both exit through E.T.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

Yes, they've been adjusted. Monsters queue is through Barney, backstage and into the queue under the parade awning. Graveyard queue runs through Curious George, and left like it was in the past. Both exit through E.T.

Nice that the ET area is freed up just for exiting now, it was such a cluster last year. Especially considering two of the three best received houses so far are in the parade buildings.

 

[Mad Dog]

Interesting article by Robert Niles on Theme Park insider kind of addresses some of the HHN debates we hear. Niles interviewed Aiello and Murdy concerning the evolution of HHN from just slasher driven and jump scare mazes to what it is today with many non hardcore horror IP's. Some quotes from Niles concerning his interviews with Aiello & Murdy..."Aiello, who oversees the event in Orlando, mentioned that anthology houses typically get higher ratings in Universal's survey of event guests than single IP houses do. That surprised me because it runs against the consensus I've heard from fans online, who typically rail against houses that combine multiple movies or series into one installation.....Aiello's comments remind us that online consensus does not necessarily reflect true popular consensus.....what was once a sharply focused event catering to devoted fans of a specific genre is now a much more crowded event that accommodates a pastiche of franchises loosely connected with the supernatural.....the people have voted, and they voted yes on the new Halloween Horror Nights (increased attendance)." .....

 

[MrBlonde]

Interesting article by Robert Niles on Theme Park insider kind of addresses some of the HHN debates we hear. Niles interviewed Aiello and Murdy concerning the evolution of HHN from just slasher driven and jump scare mazes to what it is today with many non hardcore horror IP's. Some quotes from Niles concerning his interviews with Aiello & Murdy..."Aiello, who oversees the event in Orlando, mentioned that anthology houses typically get higher ratings in Universal's survey of event guests than single IP houses do. That surprised me because it runs against the consensus I've heard from fans online, who typically rail against houses that combine multiple movies or series into one installation.....Aiello's comments remind us that online consensus does not necessarily reflect true popular consensus.....what was once a sharply focused event catering to devoted fans of a specific genre is now a much more crowded event that accommodates a pastiche of franchises loosely connected with the supernatural.....the people have voted, and they voted yes on the new Halloween Horror Nights (increased attendance)." .....

The evolution of Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights
Article for reference.

To me, (and I've only been going since 24, so I'm the new side of things) I like that the event tries to broaden to different appeals. I go w/ my fiancee and she never considered herself a horror movie person until I got her to go to HHN, and now we both look forward to it every year, watching the movies and what not to prepare.

I also tend to think some of the originals tend to push the envelope harder in the horror vs. the IPs which get people in the door and to buy the merch. I think both sides of it are there and if both sides of it enjoy it enough, the event grows overall so it's a win-win.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

The evolution of Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights
Article for reference.

To me, (and I've only been going since 24, so I'm the new side of things) I like that the event tries to broaden to different appeals. I go w/ my fiancee and she never considered herself a horror movie person until I got her to go to HHN, and now we both look forward to it every year, watching the movies and what not to prepare.

I also tend to think some of the originals tend to push the envelope harder in the horror vs. the IPs which get people in the door and to buy the merch. I think both sides of it are there and if both sides of it enjoy it enough, the event grows overall so it's a win-win.

I think for the time being it's best to avoid original comedy houses, at least until some more traditional horror IPs become both popular and available.

 

[Cameron]

I kind of mentioned this in the Hellbilly Deluxe scarezone thread, but it really feels like there's a tension this year between the old HHN and the new. Or maybe that that tension's been there for a while, but it's kind of coming to a head. And bear in mind I'm not really advocating for either/or! It's just something I've observed that's happening.

Like, old school HHN had a grime and sleaze about it. It was more squarely aimed at 20-somethings who would never go to MNSSHP: It emphasized sexy half-naked dancing of both sexes at Bill and Ted's, and it sloshed booze around left and right via jell-o shot nurses and full bars spread throughout the park, it embraced blaring heavy metal and later offputting dubstep, it had haunts full of dead bodies and squirty gore, it licensed z-grade slasher films full of torture scenes to line its houses. Heck, as recently as last year they had Chucky out making fun of guests via an insult comic.

But as time's gone on it feels like HHN has moved away from that. Again, this isn't a judgement call (I'm sure people will argue for the old or new ways just as fervently) but more just an observation. Increasingly it seems that HHN has aimed at a sort of PG-13 family friendly approach to horror. It's cleaner, with bigger and more accessible IPs and less exploitation-y baggage. It's less "sexy dancers and heavy metal" than "saleable monster iconography and electronica." Less "mosh pit" and more "Halloween party." Jell-o shot nurses got replaced with popcorn nurses, then disappeared altogether. Sexy dancing in Bill & Ted gave way to AOV (which is also amazingly awesome, but again, different). Blood-soaked slogans like "True Fear Comes from Within" and "All Jack'd Up" gave way to clean retro-styled slogans like "Maximum Screamage."

And again, there's pros and cons to this! A more family friendly, accessible event is *not* automatically a bad thing! Getting kids hooked on horror is good, having the event be a big success so they can dump more money into production values is good, casting a wider net so we get food options and specialty beverages and merch is all good! Making the event a big tent event is not automatically bad! But it is a _different_ thing than longtime fans are probably expecting because a big tent means shaving off a lot of the offputting b-horror edges some fans expect. And this year you can feel that divide *really* sharply, with various IP houses (namely Stranger Things, Ghostbusters, and Killer Klowns) getting the primary marketing and merch push and having a very different tone than the grimier bits of the event. You can see it in people complaining that Stranger Things or Ghostbusters are too not-scary, while other people insist a certain scene in Depths of Fear goes too far. Hellbilly Deluxe and HOTC start to stick out really awkwardly when other IP holders refuse to be associated with them. There is, in short, a friction between the new style and old style of stuff this year, and it's super apparent.

What I'm interested in, more than anything, is how Universal decides to solve this identity crisis - is HHN going to be the PG-13 Halloween party it's slowly becoming, or are they going to run out of accessible IPs to grab a big tent audience with and retreat to a more exploitation/grindhouse/horror focused patronage over time? Are they embracing a moment of cultural tension where horror has entered the pop culture lexicon (however temporarily) or is this a fundamentally new direction for the event?

Regardless, I don't think it's a "scary/not scary" divide. Both Stranger Things and Ghostbusters as houses have plenty of jumps. The question is really the tone of the house and the content surrounding the jumps - is it enough for a house to be scary by having a Ghostbuster jump out and say a line from a movie, or do you need a dark room coated in gore and blood that has a monster come out and scream to make that same jump "scary?"

I have been attending HHN since 1996 and I have never missed a year. I am in full agreement with your observations. There is definitely a division this year among fans. This event has evolved over the years in several different ways. The set designs each year have gotten bigger and more spectacular. Now in saying that this is the first year that I have noticed that Universal has attracted more guests that never would have attended if it were not for IP's like Ghostbusters and Stranger Things. Last year was one of the best years for houses in a while (Even with Stranger Things). This year seems like an anomaly as far as the lack of scares and gore. I am hoping that next year they will really bring it. Hopefully UOR does not appeal to the few that complained about that scene in Depths of fear. Otherwise they might as well change the name to Halloween Scary Nights. It's a Horror event and we all go to escape the real world for a bit and have a great time. Sidenote: Graveyard Games is fantastic and has some great scares in it.

 

[ChaseTuff]

I have been attending HHN since 1996 and I have never missed a year. I am in full agreement with your observations. There is definitely a division this year among fans. This event has evolved over the years in several different ways. The set designs each year have gotten bigger and more spectacular. Now in saying that this is the first year that I have noticed that Universal has attracted more guests that never would have attended if it were not for IP's like Ghostbusters and Stranger Things. Last year was one of the best years for houses in a while (Even with Stranger Things). This year seems like an anomaly as far as the lack of scares and gore. I am hoping that next year they will really bring it. Hopefully UOR does not appeal to the few that complained about that scene in Depths of fear. Otherwise they might as well change the name to Halloween Scary Nights. It's a Horror event and we all go to escape the real world for a bit and have a great time. Sidenote: Graveyard Games is fantastic and has some great scares in it.

“Lack of gore”

Compared to last year, there’s way more gore.

 

[Cameron]

“Lack of gore”

Compared to last year, there’s way more gore.

Yes. That is true compared to last year. I was just saying in contrast to the past several years.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

Yes. That is true compared to last year. I was just saying in contrast to the past several years.

Probably the goriest year overall since I started going regularly (26--disclaimer I skipped both AHSs and TWD 5).

 

[Lucky Planet]

This year, Out of 10 houses, how many are not scary ?
4, 5? Five houses lacking scares? Realistically speaking? Besides ghostbusters and stranger things lacking in scares, what else

And, was hhn ever THAT scary? I know the scares have been toned down this year, but what previous year was terrifying ? What older house was that terryfing to begin with?
I think some people forget that this event was never that extremely scary to begin with

 

[jrn14]

All this $%*÷ is subjective

 

[Parkscope Joe]

This year, Out of 10 houses, how many are not scary ?
4, 5? Five houses lacking scares? Realistically speaking? Besides ghostbusters and stranger things lacking in scares, what else

And, was hhn ever THAT scary? I know the scares have been toned down this year, but what previous year was terrifying ? What older house was that terryfing to begin with?
I think some people forget that this event was never that extremely scary to begin with

Things were always scarier your first time and when you were younger. Always.

That being said my fourth year of the event had my favorite, scariest house ever: Scarecrow.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

Things were always scarier your first time and when you were younger. Always.

That being said my fourth year of the event had my favorite, scariest house ever: Scarecrow.

Proving how subjective "scary" is, I find Depths just as scary as Scarecrow.

 

[ssirin88]

How much of this is also because of how desensitized we are to the kind of scares offered by a theme park?

What more can Universal literally do to make an event scarier where the actors are not allowed to come into any physical contact with you?

 

[Lucky Planet]

Things were always scarier your first time and when you were younger. Always.

That being said my fourth year of the event had my favorite, scariest house ever: Scarecrow.

Okay, perfect example.
But why was scarecrow so scary?
One reason i remember was that the actors blended with the walls. They were camouflaged like The Predator.
But not all houses can be like this. It wouldnt work with anything else.
It was also scary because of the loud noises and the irregular tight corridors. But not all houses can have this set up.
Scarecrow really was lighting in a boytle combining all the details for maximum fear. But this would not work with stranger things for example.
Dead exposure back in 08 was a house that legit made me scream. ( with similar elements to scarecrow) but the sequel wasnt great.
Original nightingales was scary because of how hideous the masks were.

There could havebbeen a way to make ghostbusters more scary by focusing on the horror of the movie and by making the ghosts really ugly and scary, but judging by the video it seems they picked more of the humor and iconic scenes of the movie.

How much of this is also because of how desensitized we are to the kind of scares offered by a theme park?

What more can Universal literally do to make an event scarier where the actors are not allowed to come into any physical contact with you?

What is interesting is that people talk about the inovations of hhn, the newer technology ( like Legacy said with apple vs android)

But technically hhn is still using the same kind of boo holes they have used for the last 20 years. Hhn might have more special effects, but the actor scares and the boo holes havent changed in 2 decades.
" if it works and it aint broke dont fix it"
Sure, and im not sure if theres any way to improve on the boo holes, not sure if theres any way of making a haunted house.
But it is interesting how the houses all have the same boo hole set up but some houses are scarier to people than others.when they basically share the same scare style

 

[JunoSynth]

I must be in a special group because I've been going since 04 and never really been scared at this event. The only time I've felt a little uneasy was because the house had these very specific conditions.
1. Great sets that make you feel like you are in that actual environment. (ANOES-Dreamwalkers, TCM-Flesh Wounds)
2. Original that I really enjoyed so I allowed myself to be immersed in it. (Leave it to Cleaver, Ghost Town)

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

Okay, perfect example.
But why was scarecrow so scary?
One reason i remember was that the actors blended with the walls. They were camouflaged like The Predator.
But not all houses can be like this. It wouldnt work with anything else.
It was also scary because of the loud noises and the irregular tight corridors. But not all houses can have this set up.
Scarecrow really was lighting in a boytle combining all the details for maximum fear. But this would not work with stranger things for example.
Dead exposure back in 08 was a house that legit made me scream. ( with similar elements to scarecrow) but the sequel wasnt great.
Original nightingales was scary because of how hideous the masks were.

There could havebbeen a way to make ghostbusters more scary by focusing on the horror of the movie and by making the ghosts really ugly and scary, but judging by the video it seems they picked more of the humor and iconic scenes of the movie.



What is interesting is that people talk about the inovations of hhn, the newer technology ( like Legacy said with apple vs android)

But technically hhn is still using the same kind of boo holes they have used for the last 20 years. Hhn might have more special effects, but the actor scares and the boo holes havent changed in 2 decades.
" if it works and it aint broke dont fix it"
Sure, and im not sure if theres any way to improve on the boo holes, not sure if theres any way of making a haunted house.
But it is interesting how the houses all have the same boo hole set up but some houses are scarier to people than others.when they basically share the same scare style

Creating a house that a majority of people find very scary (Scarecrow) is a HARD thing to do. I'm not playing the "could you do any better?" card but it really is a lightning in a bottle deal, as you say.

 

[Legacy]

I must be in a special group because I've been going since 04 and never really been scared at this event. The only time I've felt a little uneasy was because the house had these very specific conditions.
1. Great sets that make you feel like you are in that actual environment. (ANOES-Dreamwalkers, TCM-Flesh Wounds)
2. Original that I really enjoyed so I allowed myself to be immersed in it. (Leave it to Cleaver, Ghost Town)

The only thing that ever scared me at the event are statue scares.

Those f me up.

 

[Lucky Planet]

What would scare me is the rooms with multiple mannequins dressed as actors and the one or two actors standing among them.