Inside Universal Forums

Welcome to the Inside Universal Forums! Register a free account today to become a member. Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members and unlock our forums features!

  • Signing up for a Premium Membership is a donation to help Inside Universal maintain costs and offers an ad-free experience on the forum. Learn more about it here.

Halloween Horror Nights 29 General Discussion

I have a feeling they may go "90s" for 29...the way the team spoke to 80s nostalgia and the "energy" just makes me think they'll want to continue that vibe but move to a new loose iteration of a decade.
I've been waiting for this comment, because I've heard "there's still a lot of the 80s to explore."

Remember, the Creative Team relates more to the 80s than the 90s.

At some point I’d like to see a Captain Clegg style music act at HHN, maybe in front of Mel’s. And I still maintain Evil Dead: The Musical would be a scary and funny addition to the entertainment lineup.

Editing cause I think I’ve talked about this show enough without giving any details for anyone that’s never seen it. From only my memory ED: TM is basically a retelling of the first Evil Dead movie just with more comedy and songs. They also had a splatter section in the first few rows if you wanted to get sprayed with blood. Maybe it’s just me, but if they could get the rights to it I feel like that wouldn’t be such a bad show to add?? Although, if RHPS wasn’t well received I could see why they’d worry about adding a musical again-even as different as they both are.
There's a few musicals that aren't RHPS that would work at HHN: Evil Dead, Little Shop, Beetlejuice (eventually), Creature from the Black Lagoon, Cats...
 
And here I thought Bill and Ted’s biggest problem was the NSFW jokes. At Howl O Scream this year, there were multiple warnings before the Fiends show that much of the content would be considered offensive. Considering how big of an influence political correctness is having on society, I wouldn’t be surprised if that show gets the boot within a few years as well.

"Fiends" is kind of informative. The jokes trash talk celebs, but notice no one shows up in character other than monsters who are public domain.

Also it shows just how hard it is to write a funny B&T-type show. People intimately connected to the Orlando show have worked on the HoS rip-off over the years, haven't been able to catch lightning in a bottle again.
 
I've been waiting for this comment, because I've heard "there's still a lot of the 80s to explore."

Remember, the Creative Team relates more to the 80s than the 90s.


There's a few musicals that aren't RHPS that would work at HHN: Evil Dead, Little Shop, Beetlejuice (eventually), Creature from the Black Lagoon, Cats...

You forgot Shrek and then if they expand to IOA we’ll finally get what we’ve all been waiting for...

Seussical: The Musical

3pj6Q9p.gif


And this doesn’t have anything to do with me but I hope they’ll eventually tackle a 90’s year. Scream, Blair Witch, IKWYDLS, AYAOTD?, SSTTITD, ABCDEFG, etc., I’m probably forgetting a lot, but I think it could be good if they can swing it.
 
@SeventyOne already said it, but it's worth repeating: Aiello LOVED the Monsters maze in Hollywood (which was rated #1, so it clearly had a strong guest response), but don't expect Orlando's take next year. It's perfect for a major anniversary year...

I think Killer Klowns is inevitable as long as they avoid the Creatures! mistakes, but even then, I worry about the maze's intensity (those costumes are cumbersome in a street, much less a stuffy maze).

I wouldn't be shocked to see a Chucky maze (in both Orlando and Hollywood), as merchandising continues to push the IP and the zone was a huge success. Then again... that's a legacy IP that might also wait for the 30th anniversary.
 
You forgot Shrek and then if they expand to IOA we’ll finally get what we’ve all been waiting for...

Seussical: The Musical

3pj6Q9p.gif


And this doesn’t have anything to do with me but I hope they’ll eventually tackle a 90’s year. Scream, Blair Witch, IKWYDLS, AYAOTD?, SSTTITD, ABCDEFG, etc., I’m probably forgetting a lot, but I think it could be good if they can swing it.

Would absolutely rock with an I Know What You did Last Summer House.
 
I've been waiting for this comment, because I've heard "there's still a lot of the 80s to explore."

Remember, the Creative Team relates more to the 80s than the 90s.

Agree to a certain extent...but those who grew up in the 80s also grew up in the 90s, with a huge exploding market of 90s kids who are now into their late 20s and 30s with expendable cash to burn.
 
@SeventyOne already said it, but it's worth repeating: Aiello LOVED the Monsters maze in Hollywood (which was rated #1, so it clearly had a strong guest response), but don't expect Orlando's take next year. It's perfect for a major anniversary year...

I think Killer Klowns is inevitable as long as they avoid the Creatures! mistakes, but even then, I worry about the maze's intensity (those costumes are cumbersome in a street, much less a stuffy maze).

I wouldn't be shocked to see a Chucky maze (in both Orlando and Hollywood), as merchandising continues to push the IP and the zone was a huge success. Then again... that's a legacy IP that might also wait for the 30th anniversary.

I'd love to see a something similar to Creation of the Damned and Legacy of Blood. It's hard to say if there's gonna be any "requels" next year just because 30 comes next.

Still perplexed at how they're going to be able to put together TWELVE houses.
 
I'd love to see a something similar to Creation of the Damned and Legacy of Blood. It's hard to say if there's gonna be any "requels" next year just because 30 comes next.

Still perplexed at how they're going to be able to put together TWELVE houses.

They'll probably do it how Hollywood did: grand soundstage "super maze" that "reinvents" each of the Monsters, including the obscure ones (meaning Invisible Man, Phantom, Hunchback all make it to the party). I'm sure they could reuse some of the scenic/elements from Frankenstein/Dracula 2009 if they were so inclined/not eager to do an all-new take.

As for twelve houses... wouldn't be shocked for at least one maze to return (see American Werewolf in 25) and another "super cheap" maze that hopefully has good design to compensate (i.e. In-Between).
 
They'll probably do it how Hollywood did: grand soundstage "super maze" that "reinvents" each of the Monsters, including the obscure ones (meaning Invisible Man, Phantom, Hunchback all make it to the party). I'm sure they could reuse some of the scenic/elements from Frankenstein/Dracula 2009 if they were so inclined/not eager to do an all-new take.

As for twelve houses... wouldn't be shocked for at least one maze to return (see American Werewolf in 25) and another "super cheap" maze that hopefully has good design to compensate (i.e. In-Between).
They did it in 2000. Called universal classic monsters mania. Featured remakes of monsters there. A Dracula with its whole mouth filled with razor blade fangs,a hulk like frankenstein,and a more wolf than human wolfman
 
They did it in 2000. Called universal classic monsters mania. Featured remakes of monsters there. A Dracula with its whole mouth filled with razor blade fangs,a hulk like frankenstein,and a more wolf than human wolfman
That sounds ridiculous

And I feel the twelfth maze will be like Rat Run in 2005 haha
 
Agree with @Fallow , with 12 houses, a 3-D house seems a lock. I could live with The In-Between returning, or even Asylum in Wonderland. Then again a new 3-D house probably the easiest thing to throw together.

Looking to re-purpose props/costumes, I'd love to see a return of The Hallow incorporating the pumpkin-men designs from Twisted Traditions. Those seem "Halloweeny" enough to be evergreen for a while.
 
Agree with @Fallow , with 12 houses, a 3-D house seems a lock. I could live with The In-Between returning, or even Asylum in Wonderland. Then again a new 3-D house probably the easiest thing to throw together.

Looking to re-purpose props/costumes, I'd love to see a return of The Hallow incorporating the pumpkin-men designs from Twisted Traditions. Those seem "Halloweeny" enough to be evergreen for a while.

A trip back to The Hallow would be an absolute delight! Of course, I've discussed my vision of an In-Between sequel (a crossover with IT--because we need another space house dammit, NO AVP DOES NOT COUNT), and it might not exactly be a low-budget maze if it came to that.

Probably better for 30, but I'd love a Nightingales War of 1812 ("Blood Splattered Banner") scare-zone in the Delancey St-South St-Fifth Ave triangle, or even as a "wide open" house.

And of course, Bloodengutz...similar storyline to LP3D, lots of possibilities for an overlying theme--maybe a good opportunity for the classic monsters?

As for non-sequel stuff, Legacy's Shakespeare house would be great. The idea of a Donner Party house mentioned at the beginning of last year's spec is intriguing, but then I remember how Roanoke CC was received.
 
Last edited:
I really am hoping they fix the scarezones with 29. They're way too congested now. This year they felt like cosplay conventions with a bunch of people standing around talking and taking selfies (KKFOS!!!). They need to make them bigger, spread them out, and not allow obnoxious selfie behavior. A quick selfie is fine but when it's group photoshoots and it stops the flow of traffic, it becomes a problem.
 
Last edited:
Gotcha. Seems like every year, people end up requesting Bioshock and I feel it's perfect for house material. It would be a challenge though.
With Disney owning even more ip’s and Warner Brothers not wanting to share ip’s. Universal needs to look into different genres of horror. Game developers have been making horror for along time. Bioshock would be a sleeper hit. Those who don’t know it would be blown away. And those who do would mob the house like stranger things. Also I would hard bet on stranger things 2 and killer klowns. There will be a large influx of cash for hhn 29 I believe . Anything is possible. I saw netflix big wigs eating nbc sports bar and grill opening night with hhn big wigs and might have been some Comcast/nbc peeps with them. I said hhn 28 was special and sure enough the captain of hhn confirmed that in Twitter a few days ago. I SMELL MONEY BURNING. Comcast is already diversifying there business into theme parks and mobile communications. It just makes too much business sense to me. The only thing I’m confused on is... Christmas. Shouldn’t Comcast be pumping money into this years Christmas event???? Maybe the success of hhn threw them off.
 
Last edited:
Some early guesses:

Stranger Things 2: Duh.
Killer Klowns: Another duh.
Zombieland: I think this has a pretty good shot at happening providing the sequel isn’t pushed back. Universal already partnered with Sony for This Is the End in Hollywood a few years back, and Orlando has the benefit of reusing Carnival Graveyard sets for a significant portion of the potential house.
Haunting of Hill House: If Netflix is as over the moon with the event as they appear to be, they’ll push for this. Sabrina would be the likelier choice if it wasn’t owned by WB (though who’s to say we don’t get both?)
Hereditary/A24 Mashup: This will probably happen sooner or later, especially as their films grow on the home market. Hereditary has enough material to carry its own house, but The Witch and potentially Ari Aster’s new movie out next summer could pad it out.
Poltergeist: This is going to get AWIL’d if there are 12 houses.

Other properties I can see coming are Don’t Breathe, A Quiet Place (waiting for the sequel is likelier though, especially if there’s more material), Hellraiser, and maybe a video game or two. WB being protective of their properties with their event slims down the IP choices a bit without diving into previous houses.
 
I really am hoping they fix the scarezones with 29. They're way too congested now. This year they felt like cosplay conventions with a bunch of people standing around talking and taking selfies (KKFOS!!!). They need to make them bigger, spread them out, and not allow obnoxious selfie behavior. A quick selfie is fine but when it's group photoshoots and it stops the flow of traffic, it becomes a problem.
Scarezones need to be compact to work though. Spreading them out makes them far less scary and low ambiance imo.
 
And here I thought Bill and Ted’s biggest problem was the NSFW jokes. At Howl O Scream this year, there were multiple warnings before the Fiends show that much of the content would be considered offensive. Considering how big of an influence political correctness is having on society, I wouldn’t be surprised if that show gets the boot within a few years as well.

yeah, Even HHN might have an expiration date if the political correctness keeps going on as much as its going. eventually horror and halloween might be deemed offensive. you never know. gore might be banned from the event, (not to make it family friendly, but just to not offend) last year a guy was fired for having toys of Michonne's pets from walking dead in his office. a lady saw the two zombies in chains and created a big problem for his work place and he was fired because of how offended she was. Imagine if that lady saw Michonne's pets at HHN? thats always been on my mind, imagine if that same person saw the pets at the park..... California already got in trouble with bill and ted AND the purge lady. it even made the news. the offended girl got a famous lawyer to go against universal and everything.
I think Orlando and HHN has been lucky, but it takes one person with a big twitter following to say they got offended and hhn could be in hot water. we will see. but yeah. Fiends days are probably over.

EXCLUSIVE: Man who lost job after complaint over 'Walking Dead' toy speaks with CBS 17


You are not alone.

I didn’t even see it once this year... really loved the first year as well, in fact I liked it as much as carnage returns. Felt more than just a dance show.
I was excited for 27 AoV as well but obviously Irma made it basically a dance show.

This year I planned on watching it made a point to avoid all videos/spoilers but in the end I didn’t want to take basically an hour out my night to watch. Especially when the scarezones and houses were so good/busy.

Edit: they should have parodied the bill and ted show with dance lol

Seriously though I know they want to be their own thing but they definitely should have had songs, Easter eggs and general references to bill and ted. I expected some memorable songs from bill and ted tbh and that would have made me watch it multiple times. Instead it seemed they just really wanted to avoid the elephant in the room.


I will always be curious and i will always wonder what they had planned for 2017, I wonder what their stage show was.
was it the same show we got this year? was the terminator show planned for 2016?
did they have something more creepy and horror related? what were their costumes like? i wish i at least knew what they had planned before the stage broke. it drives me crazy to not know what they had planned. because i wonder how good it could have been


I've been waiting for this comment, because I've heard "there's still a lot of the 80s to explore."

Remember, the Creative Team relates more to the 80s than the 90s.


There's a few musicals that aren't RHPS that would work at HHN: Evil Dead, Little Shop, Beetlejuice (eventually), Creature from the Black Lagoon, Cats...

it was my understanding that the Creature from the black lagoon was pretty badly received and was kind of a failure?

Agree to a certain extent...but those who grew up in the 80s also grew up in the 90s, with a huge exploding market of 90s kids who are now into their late 20s and 30s with expendable cash to burn.

Shrek hasn’t been a good location for houses so far (neither has the MIB tent).

but. as far as the 90s go? can you think of something iconic or great about the 90s? specially in horror? or something that defines the decade? a style that defines the decade or elements from movies that define it?

obviously the 90s had some great movies like Dracula or candyman or interview with the vampire
but most of the 90s it was bad sequels to horror movies from the 80s or movies trying to rip off scream like "I know what you did last summer"
im looking at the google results for "90s horror movies" and most of them aren't winners, or even remembered fondly. its mostly sequels
how would a 90s event work? and what was the style of the 90s? the 80s style is very easy to define. the clothing, the music, the movies, but the 90s? Grunge? Marilyn Manson? Nu Metal like KORN and Limp Bizkit? Jnco Jeans, Ska Music, skater culture,
Boy bands, backstreetboys and britney etc, reality tv,

90s was really not the best time for horror or for the culture. 90s was kind of weird. FRIENDS was the biggest show on tv, SEINFELD. you had spice girls. the Real World. the boy bands. rap was getting bigger. i honestly, cannot think how the 90s would be incorporated for HHN as the theme lol
 
Top