Halloween Horror Nights 33 (UOR) - Speculation & Rumors

[AlexanderMBush]

We already have a god - Fear.

Perhaps it's me, but I never got the distinct impression that Fear was a "god". Or atleast, his actions didn't feel like it'd come from one of a god.

That being said, couldn't they have more than one god for a specific element? Like "Fear" being apropos, but what of the figurative concept of "Death"?

 

[HHN Maddux]

Perhaps it's me, but I never got the distinct impression that Fear was a "god". Or atleast, his actions didn't feel like it'd come from one of a god.

That being said, couldn't they have more than one god for a specific element? Like "Fear" being apropos, but what of the figurative concept of "Death"?

In a way, we already have the Caretaker for that, as he's the Herald of Death.

 

[Casper Gutman]

From a strictly

You SHOULD remember that 18 and 19 was updated every few weeks giving fans new kernels of info until the full reveal. We obviously live in a very different time (as @Tbad556 so eloquently posted).

Either way, I meant in the sense of knowing absolutely nothing to little about the event and Universal giving us a bone leading up to the full reveal (Like HHN 14 when they debuted the unnamed straight-jacket guy and nondescript boxes, or 15 with a bookshelf full of items). It left fans to speculate what it all meant until the next reveal...

So here you have a cocoon that lives underneath the streets of Universal, where we'll get reveals over the next few months...and fans are wondering what it all means - leaving it all up to speculation.

Yes, as mentioned in my post, the "golden age" reveals were set up as games/ puzzles between designers and fans. This doesn't necessarily feel like the first in a series of gamified revelations, it feels like the kind of hype teasers we've seen in recent years that often have only the loosest relationship to the actual event. If you have insider knowledge that this is the first of a series of "clues" leading up to the reveal, I understand how it might play like a spiritual successor to these older reveals.

As to Legacy's "super duper" icon big, that's a bit ominous. Uni seems to be falling into the "constant escalation" trap seen in comics and video games, where each new big bad was secretly behind every previous big bad. Oddfellow was awesome, but his backstory fell into this trap, which eventually leads into severely diminishing returns. Still, lore is easy enough to ignore, and icons are great even if you have to do some personal editing on their backstory.

 

[HHN Maddux]

I could see the general plot being that after last year, with Oddfellow on the rise to become the most powerful being ever (and Adaru still trapped for another seven years), his 'master' is summoned to reinstate their power level?

 

[Kichkinet85]

What if Oddfollow worried Fear so since he was still trapped he was forced to make an even more powerful being then him and sent it after Oddfollow but it instead joined Oddfollow and rules over the new era of icons with Oddfellow. Feather setting up the new icons vs old icons house for HHN 40

 

[Brian G.]

From a strictly

Yes, as mentioned in my post, the "golden age" reveals were set up as games/ puzzles between designers and fans. This doesn't necessarily feel like the first in a series of gamified revelations, it feels like the kind of hype teasers we've seen in recent years that often have only the loosest relationship to the actual event. If you have insider knowledge that this is the first of a series of "clues" leading up to the reveal, I understand how it might play like a spiritual successor to these older reveals.

As to Legacy's "super duper" icon big, that's a bit ominous. Uni seems to be falling into the "constant escalation" trap seen in comics and video games, where each new big bad was secretly behind every previous big bad. Oddfellow was awesome, but his backstory fell into this trap, which eventually leads into severely diminishing returns. Still, lore is easy enough to ignore, and icons are great even if you have to do some personal editing on their backstory.

You literally just ignored the larger points made by Tbad and I...

 

[UNIrd]

Could you imagine if Disney actually greenlit Universal doing an Alien house on both coasts for the free marketing for Alien: Romulus? Especially if it's first house announcement ahead and gets all the attention ahead of its August 16th release.

 

[FaceBagman]

Legacy’s post just makes me picture Fear summoning a kaiju that fights Oddfellow, who’s piloting a mech.

 

[Legacy]

What if Oddfollow worried Fear so since he was still trapped he was forced to make an even more powerful being then him and sent it after Oddfollow but it instead joined Oddfollow and rules over the new era of icons with Oddfellow. Feather setting up the new icons vs old icons house for HHN 40

That literally weakens Fear.

 

[PrimalScream1996]

Could you imagine if Disney actually greenlit Universal doing an Alien house on both coasts for the free marketing for Alien: Romulus? Especially if it's first house announcement ahead and gets all the attention ahead of its August 16th release.

Only in another universe lol

 

[saint.piss]

It’s going to need to thread a needle. Without fully knowing the execution, I can’t say how divisive it may be. It has the potential, at the most generalized level, to upend the entirety of icon lore. But it could elevate it too. I’m just not sure how.

We already have a god - Fear.

Starting to think the icon is the Park itself, especially after that ad we got today... This is very interesting. Having the park/event manifest as a living creature/entity is a very unique idea.

 

[PrimalScream1996]

Tha

Starting to think the icon is the Park itself, especially after that ad we got today... This is very interesting. Having the park/event manifest as a living creature/entity is a very unique idea.

View attachment 21857

I feel like the concept is going to be good but similar to what Legacy said, honestly it could make or break whatever they're going with this thing, I'm hoping they didn't bite off more than they can chew with whatever direction this is leading.

 

[Kichkinet85]

That literally weakens Fear.

I know, after what you said...

 

[Casper Gutman]

You literally just ignored the larger points made by Tbad and I...

I honestly don't know what you're arguing here. I agree with Tbad that the method of delivering lore has changed since the pre-2010 years and that this change is a result of a multitude of forces - social, economic, cultural, technological, etc. I note in my post directly above TBad's that the gamified reveals of 18 and 19 are "not something that could necessarily be scaled to the current scope of the event" - that's a direct quotation. I'd highlight the fact (as I often do) that, despite the broader changes TBad discusses, execs and designers still make choices, but in this case I don't think the choices are bad at all.

I only take issue with the idea that this reveal is clearly a spiritual successor to the classic event reveals and the implication that fans are foolish not to realize that. Perhaps, as further promotional material comes out, the evocation of those past events will be more clear. Perhaps you have knowledge that that's what Universal is going for. I simply don't see much clear connection between this clip and "golden age" reveals - and that's fine! It's not bad! It's still exciting! The world has changed, the event has changed, but the event is still awesome!

 

[Allison]

I honestly don't know what you're arguing here. I agree with Tbad that the method of delivering lore has changed since the pre-2010 years and that this change is a result of a multitude of forces - social, economic, cultural, technological, etc. I note in my post directly above TBad's that the gamified reveals of 18 and 19 are "not something that could necessarily be scaled to the current scope of the event" - that's a direct quotation. I'd highlight the fact (as I often do) that, despite the broader changes TBad discusses, execs and designers still make choices, but in this case I don't think the choices are bad at all.

I only take issue with the idea that this reveal is clearly a spiritual successor to the classic event reveals and the implication that fans are foolish not to realize that. Perhaps, as further promotional material comes out, the evocation of those past events will be more clear. Perhaps you have knowledge that that's what Universal is going for. I simply don't see much clear connection between this clip and "golden age" reveals - and that's fine! It's not bad! It's still exciting! The world has changed, the event has changed, but the event is still awesome!

Maybe then we should just wait until the final product is revealed before judging? Seems short sighted to call it something that it may not be yet?

 

[PrimalScream1996]

Maybe then we should just wait until the final product is revealed before judging? Seems short sighted to call it something that it may not be yet?

Agreed, I think speculation season has gotten to the point that people fully think the event has fully been revealed when not one thing has been revealed aside for a couple of clue videos and spec maps that could be hits or duds, this year could knock us out of socks without noticing, maybe it could not but till we actually get the information on stuff and enter through those gates and experience the event, its just wishful thinking at best for now.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Maybe then we should just wait until the final product is revealed before judging? Seems short sighted to call it something that it may not be yet?

I don't know what you're responding to. I haven't criticized this year's event beyond some mild disappointment that Sweet might be in F&F. In fact, I've repeatedly taken issue with people being pessimistic because certain IPs may be absent. I think a lot of the strong rumors about this year look great and I've said that over and over.

 

[ReelJustice]

Re the “high concept” of it all. I trust this team.

 

[Brian G.]

I honestly don't know what you're arguing here. I agree with Tbad that the method of delivering lore has changed since the pre-2010 years and that this change is a result of a multitude of forces - social, economic, cultural, technological, etc. I note in my post directly above TBad's that the gamified reveals of 18 and 19 are "not something that could necessarily be scaled to the current scope of the event" - that's a direct quotation. I'd highlight the fact (as I often do) that, despite the broader changes TBad discusses, execs and designers still make choices, but in this case I don't think the choices are bad at all.

I only take issue with the idea that this reveal is clearly a spiritual successor to the classic event reveals and the implication that fans are foolish not to realize that. Perhaps, as further promotional material comes out, the evocation of those past events will be more clear. Perhaps you have knowledge that that's what Universal is going for. I simply don't see much clear connection between this clip and "golden age" reveals - and that's fine! It's not bad! It's still exciting! The world has changed, the event has changed, but the event is still awesome!

You keep focusing on the micro of it all. From 2012 - 2022, there was little to no effort to provide any sort of lore to give fans. Beginning last year, they started diving back into it and it seems even moreso this year. This is the first year since 2015 (I think?) we haven't had 1 house announced and May is halfway over.

 

[Allison]

I don't know what you're responding to. I haven't criticized this year's event beyond some mild disappointment that Sweet might be in F&F. In fact, I've repeatedly taken issue with people being pessimistic because certain IPs may be absent. I think a lot of the strong rumors about this year look great and I've said that over and over.

I only take issue with the idea that this reveal is clearly a spiritual successor to the classic event reveals

We don’t know this aspect yet, it just seems like unnecessary nitpicking to find something to argue/debate when we could just be patient and see what happens when the final product is revealed.