WB Studios - A Festival of Frights

[rageofthegods]

Is it bruh?



Damn dude, you must have forgot already. It got pretty nasty up in here during last Halloween season due to all the keyboard warriors trashing the event without even going. I recall almost not going due to all the bashing, but I said f*&% it and I had a good time. I'm sure some decided to skip it due to these forums.

If you deny that, you're in denial.



Did you actually go to the event?



Not going to lie, you were definitely part of the problem bruh.

Or it could be that not everyone liked it and the videos looked underwhelming.

Regardless, one forum ain't gonna cause the failure of an event, just like one forum won't magically make Captain Marvel a flop. We're talking a single forum with maybe 20-30 people posting in a given thread versus an event that's meant to draw thousands a night. Saying that we've had the power to sink FoF is head-in-the-sand levels of crazy talk.

 

[Wesker69]

Okay since once again, the talkers are back being severely negative towards this wonderful NON-THEME PARK event. Here is the actual email in regards to the event this year.

A lot of you negative haters forget that WB is NOT a theme park. You also seem to forget that HHN has gone on hiatus 3 times, although the first time was due to killing one of their own scareactors. The point is, while I was really looking forward to "The Curse of La Llorona" invading the "Jungle Set" that was used for Nightmare on Camp Crystal Lake last year, holding off until next year works in their favor. I'm curious to find out what their big announcement is for this year.

My review of last year's event will be posted eventually.

 

[rageofthegods]

Okay since once again, the talkers are back being severely negative towards this wonderful NON-THEME PARK event. Here is the actual email in regards to the event this year.

A lot of you negative haters forget that WB is NOT a theme park. You also seem to forget that HHN has gone on hiatus 3 times, although the first time was due to killing one of their own scareactors. The point is, while I was really looking forward to "The Curse of La Llorona" invading the "Jungle Set" that was used for Nightmare on Camp Crystal Lake last year, holding off until next year works in their favor. I'm curious to find out what their big announcement is for this year.

My review of last year's event will be posted eventually.

Okay, I usually don't like doing this, but every time I see this argument I get a little more perturbed so I feel like I should address it.

I completely agree with @DTH. Life is not graded on a curve. There's plenty of wonderful non-Theme Park attractions out there, like 17th door, Reign of Terror, and Sinister Pointe, and it's farcical to say that WB gets a free pass just because it's "not a theme park."

At some point or another, WB decided to enter the market as an event designed to compete with KSF and HHN. Fine. But imagine if a plane company tried to enter the market with biplanes and canvas wings. Are we gonna give them a free ride because it's their first time? No, that's unsafe as hell and probably an unpleasant experience. WB has had years of haunt experience to draw from before it decided to make their event, there really is no excuse for doing what they did to Arkham or The Conjuring.

Another thing: They priced the event like an HHN/KSF competitor, and that's a major sticking point for alot of people. When you're expecting people with rent and taxes to pay $89 for an event that promises the definitive version of IT and the Conjuring in haunt form, you can't expect them to be happy when you give them what they did. They delivered less quantity and frankly less quality than the big haunts.

For the record, I don't blame the creative side of things at FoF. I think they delivered some solid scares in-between the obvious budget deficiencies and long stretches of nothing. I'd have been less annoyed with it if it was priced like Queen Mary's or Knotts, but WB is obviously gunning for the HHN price tag. It's no excuse, then, that they don't deliver HHN quality. I shouldn't have to pay premium for a prototype.

 

[Wesker69]

You do realize that the price tag is because an event like this isn't cheap to create & do right? From costumes, sets, masks, makeup, staff, scareactors, etc... they can't charge $5 just to make you people happy. That is unrealistic. But hey, sure lets totally act like the bigger haunts aren't overpriced too. You can whine about quality & price all you want, but don't act like the same whining doesn't happen in regards to HHN every year.

Arkham was just fine. Conjuring, well... meh.

 

[horrornights789]

I went last year and Conjuring was not good at all. I had fun but I still thought HHN was better. IMO everything at HHN2018 aside from The First Purge topped this events best maze(though Arkham did get nostalgia points).

But yeah for the IPs they had it should not have been as underwhelming and priced up as it was. Main praise I can give for the event was I liked the vibe and The Nun scare was good

 

[rageofthegods]

You do realize that the price tag is because an event like this isn't cheap to create & do right? From costumes, sets, masks, makeup, staff, scareactors, etc... they can't charge $5 just to make you people happy. That is unrealistic. But hey, sure lets totally act like the bigger haunts aren't overpriced too. You can whine about quality & price all you want, but don't act like the same whining doesn't happen in regards to HHN every year.

Arkham was just fine. Conjuring, well... meh.

I don't think "it isn't cheap" is a valid excuse when there's another haunt across town that costs about the same and has an obvious quality and quantity advantage. Obviously Classic Monsters wasn't cheap, but then, WB's event cost the same amount of money. Is it that much of a stretch to expect that they should put up the same level of quality as HHN if they're asking for the same amount of money?

To your other point, just because other places are overpriced doesn't mean we can't complain about WB being overpriced as well. I'm perfectly okay with saying that HHN has gotten insanely expensive over the years, but that doesn't mean I can't complain when WB slaps a $89 price tag on the doorway right out the gate. The problem with FoF, and what makes me complain more about that event than HHN, is that it's trying to cost just as much as HHN without giving us HHN quality. That's where the eyebrows are being raised. That's where people can feel like they're being ripped off.

EDIT: I watched a video of Arkham and maybe it wasn't as bad as I remember. It's just... God I felt like some scenes were just wasted.

 

[SOCAL110]

Question: Is this a year off or an indefinite hiatus? They're being vague about it.

Don't have any insider knowledge, but I have a gut feeling they may be taking a gap year. Pretty sure this event is coming back at some point in time.

Remember that HHN USH took off many years during the Noughties.

Believe me, nobody cares about my opinion. I also doubt the forum has any sort of impact or traffic for the general public (not dissing IU) nor WB heads to go "oh snap, they're right, shut it down". In fact, I doubt they're not doing it this year at all because of the criticism rather WB seeking what works best for them.

People care. You have over 2,000 likes!

Don't have a media night until you're ready. If this one forum ruined it, then WB died by their own sword for having such crappy video representation of their event.

I saw video of HHN back in 2006 and instantly knew I had to go to 2007. And for only like $30ish? A steal for such quality. Even if it was only 1-3 mazes plus a tour.
I saw video of WB last year and knew to stay the hell away.

I'll be the jerk and say it, but "it was it's first year" is such a lame excuse. It's not like these events all hire first year amateurs to be carpenters and scenic designers for their event and then get better every year. Like Knotts is such quality because they got a 60 year old designer in their corner with every single year of the event as experience. Or even a head honcho making decisions that's been there from the beginning. Or creative directors who have come up with every single concept over the years. Talent is outsourced.

It starts from the top and their expected quality. They didn't go and find the proper talent to make the event come to life in a way that'll get them noticed. Or they didn't put the necessary budget in to make it impressive. They wanted to do an event for cheap, rake in the dough, and act like it was a "unique experience not like other mazes."

They didn't want to match the standard HHN set for the same price up the street and we laughed in their face, then walked even further away knowing how many mazes they had. The experiences looked dull and uninspired. The sets looked cheap in comparison to other events. I guess the numbers showed. It was a cash grab. They saw how well Uni was doing and figured, "we can do that." But they didn't understand what exactly made Uni so popular.

They'll probably go back to doing their exhibits and installations with IT every year. It earned them way more buzz and generated a lot of hype for the movie. A free and/or cheap attraction that can earn them a lot of good will and publicity. And they don't even have to do it for that much money. Half the people there aren't even Haunters, they just heard "free haunted house" so they'll be easily impressed by anything. WB can get eyes on their product with a free event and then sell you the real product in the form of a movie ticket later when the movie comes out. It's smart and they should stick to it. I'm glad they're taking the year off, giving themselves some time to reassmble and figure out what needs to be done to actually rake people in. Otherwise they'd just be driving themselves further in the ground and be an even bigger laughing stock.

*Writes thesis about HMH
*Never went to HMH

 

[JungleSkip]

People care. You have over 2,000 likes!

From people on this forum. I have 20,000 likes and I'd never dream my opinion here matters in the slightest. The idea that this forum sunk an event is ludicrously laughable.

 

[hhnlover]

 

[Brian G.]

I can confirm:

IU was not the reason this event is on a break.

 

[Rideguy70]

Often, when sides disagree, it's because the truth is somewhere in the middle. Not to mention the fact that deciding if an event is "good" or "worth it" is completely a matter of opinion and personal experience... it's not really quantifiable. It's like saying if a movie is good or not... no matter what it is, some people are going to like it, and some people are going to hate it.

For what it's worth, I do feel a lot of people here were too harsh on it. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't the total waste of time many here implied it to be.

I do think it was

• too expensive
• the scareactors were inconsistent
• the mazes were inconsistent
• the lines mostly moved way too slowly
• parking was a pain

But I also think

• some interesting concepts (the way The Conjuring was more of an interactive show than a traditional haunt... it was a fun idea that I think was very unappreciated here; the fact Arkham could have different endings; and the Exorcist experience was something unique)
• some great set design (not all mind you, but for the most part--much of IT and the Friday 13th/Freddie being so outdoors)
• actual shows (the Feud scene, make up show, Exorcist experience, and the DJ/games at the gazebo)
• Many clever touches (IT photo op in the gutter, the Exorcist split pea soup, the bell ringing on the grave in line for The Conjuring, the Nun portrait effect in The Conjuring, Lost Boys arcade)
• access to the museum and gift shop

So there's a case to be made for both sides here. Just as, frankly, HHN has--its strengths and weakness have been discussed ad infinitum here.

 

[Ridesandstuff]

I would've gone for $40. Anything $10 or more higher than that was the nail in the coffin. On one hand, sure it sucks there's not more competition to make HHN do better, more Haunt content out there, etc.. But literally, this saves me time and money by it just not existing.
Here's to hoping Disney gets in the game with their new Fox library now. Even something in Century City would be cool, but what I'm really hoping for is...
Come ooooon Disney Spooky Adventure!

Yeeeessss Ive been waiting for this! I have a feeling Disney will test the waters soon. Would love to see a reimagined Disney Villains maze (music by Slash).

 

[MrBlonde]

I did go and I had a decent time but I don’t think it was HHN caliber. That being said, I think this was more a business decision than anything else:

Diehard fans (not to be confused with fans of Die Hard) had high expectations that weren’t met.

Cost to attended was too high to shrug off.

It probably didn’t do the business they were expecting.

Last but not least, Warner was recently purchased by AT&T. Since the acquisition, they’ve been on a spree of spending cuts and eliminating staff in WB and HBO. Without a sufficient ROI, I think this became an orphaned project when compared to the easy money of listening out of its IP.

Now I’m just curious to see where it turns up.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

In regards to pricing..should we compare HMH to the likes of Dark Harbor, Knotts Scary Farm, and Fright Fest to this?

People care. You have over 2,000 likes!

So the Ladder height debate; huh..

 

[Rideguy70]

In regards to pricing..should we compare HMH to the likes of Dark Harbor, Knotts Scary Farm, and Fright Fest to this?

Is there a reason not to?

 

[SOCAL110]

Often, when sides disagree, it's because the truth is somewhere in the middle. Not to mention the fact that deciding if an event is "good" or "worth it" is completely a matter of opinion and personal experience... it's not really quantifiable. It's like saying if a movie is good or not... no matter what it is, some people are going to like it, and some people are going to hate it.

For what it's worth, I do feel a lot of people here were too harsh on it. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't the total waste of time many here implied it to be.

I do think it was

• too expensive
• the scareactors were inconsistent
• the mazes were inconsistent
• the lines mostly moved way too slowly
• parking was a pain

But I also think

• some interesting concepts (the way The Conjuring was more of an interactive show than a traditional haunt... it was a fun idea that I think was very unappreciated here; the fact Arkham could have different endings; and the Exorcist experience was something unique)
• some great set design (not all mind you, but for the most part--much of IT and the Friday 13th/Freddie being so outdoors)
• actual shows (the Feud scene, make up show, Exorcist experience, and the DJ/games at the gazebo)
• Many clever touches (IT photo op in the gutter, the Exorcist split pea soup, the bell ringing on the grave in line for The Conjuring, the Nun portrait effect in The Conjuring, Lost Boys arcade)
• access to the museum and gift shop

So there's a case to be made for both sides here. Just as, frankly, HHN has--its strengths and weakness have been discussed ad infinitum here.

Great post. You're bridging the gap. You've truly become the Gandhi of IU.

From people on this forum. I have 20,000 likes and I'd never dream my opinion here matters in the slightest. The idea that this forum sunk an event is ludicrously laughable.

It's funny how you guys act like IU is some insignificant blog created by Joe Blow read by 3 people.

Come on, it's the ONLY LEGIT Universal site/forum on the ENTIRE web. Disney has many, Universal has 1.

One thing I've learned is that all of the theme park vloggers such as Tim Tracker, Dis Unplugged & the rest of them are definitely reading these forums along with Wdwmagic & Micechat. Hell isn't Marni a member on here? Sure, he might not post often, but that's because he's more of a Disney guy.

With the massive amount of backlash towards HMH on here, who knows it might discouraged someone like Tim Tracker to attend. This site made me almost not go. Obviously, we'll never know.

I can confirm:

IU was not the reason this event is on a break.

So are you confirming that this is indeed a sabbatical and not a permanent cancellation of the event?

 

[chris.g]

With the massive amount of backlash towards HMH on here, who knows it might discouraged someone like Tim Tracker to attend. This site made me almost not go. Obviously, we'll never know.

You say this then said with confidence part of the reason it failed was because of me... hmm...

 

[JungleSkip]

It's funny how you guys act like IU is some insignificant blog created by Joe Blow read by 3 people.

Come on, it's the ONLY LEGIT Universal site/forum on the ENTIRE web. Disney has many, Universal has 1.

One thing I've learned is that all of the theme park vloggers such as Tim Tracker, Dis Unplugged & the rest of them are definitely reading these forums along with Wdwmagic & Micechat. Hell isn't Marni a member on here? Sure, he might not post often, but that's because he's more of a Disney guy.

With the massive amount of backlash towards HMH on here, who knows it might discouraged someone like Tim Tracker to attend. This site made me almost not go. Obviously, we'll never know.

Dude, if the event was good, it was going to draw people to be viable.the readership on these forums is nowhere near enough to make a significant difference. (Not to take anything away from @Brian G. who's made this a great site)

 

[Brian G.]

So are you confirming that this is indeed a sabbatical and not a permanent cancellation of the event?

I'm confirming that IU had nothing to do with the event's stoppage, sabbatical or permanent.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

Seeing as we don't have a proper thread for WB's Burbank studios..this is a note to have..