Halloween Horror Nights 2018 (USH) General Discussion

[HHNManics]

Honestly, I would think if Conjuring comes; it will be in Waterworld, purely for the sake that it isn't like they don't have the work already done for it.

Like seriously, it can be very simple to do for Murdy, and that he doesn't even need to write a new treatment if that's the case.

As far as Trick R Treat, I'm surprised people haven't thought of Parisian and then Halloween going into the Lower Lot like in 2016.

I agree. Really they could just alter a few pages from the 2017 treatment with a Scene or two from the Nun to promote the Movie and done.

About TRT I could see it going in Metro Sets as some of the more quieter properties usually go in Metro (Ex: Crimson Peak, Krampus, and AVED/ Not including TWD) and the area could fit it very well. I agree with the whole Comic Book transitions and matter of fact I do think the facade should be a Comic Book.


Like Asylum in Wonderland in a sense from 2015 Orlando.

As for other Properties I would see Halloween in JP. Works well there. Universal Monsters in Parisian as it has the feel and they could go for a Movie Theater idea if they wanted to. Thing in Mummy for temperature and creatures/puppets. And then ST in 747 and AHS in FDTD for obvious reasons.

Again just ideas.

 

[horrornights789]

I agree. Really they could just alter a few pages from the 2017 treatment with a Scene or two from the Nun to promote the Movie and done.

About TRT I could see it going in Metro Sets as some of the more quieter properties usually go in Metro (Ex: Crimson Peak, Krampus, and AVED/ Not including TWD) and the area could fit it very well. I agree with the whole Comic Book transitions and matter of fact I do think the facade should be a Comic Book.
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Like Asylum in Wonderland in a sense from 2015 Orlando.

As for other Properties I would see Halloween in JP. Works well there. Universal Monsters in Parisian as it has the feel and they could go for a Movie Theater idea if they wanted to. Thing in Mummy for temperature and creatures/puppets. And then ST in 747 and AHS in FDTD for obvious reasons.

Again just ideas.

Agreed. So for Classic Monsters, I feel like it could either be HoH condensed or a new thing on its own. I’m hoping it’ll be like Orlando’s Silver Screams Maze but reprised to have the Classic Monsters.

 

[Timberfellingrobot]

At times I really wish we could get mazes based off of popular horror comics. It could change the game quite a bit but to stay on topic, taking stuff from the Trick R Treat comic seems to be the best idea if they want to add onto it.

 

[MacMillian Crew]

I haven't seen the new Annabelle movie yet, but from what several HHN fans have told me in person, it apparently has a lot of maze content to be a potential attraction in the future. For those who've seen it, without obviously spoiling it, do you think it can stand on it's own, with maybe stuff from the first Annabelle movie included, or possibly added into a Conjuring attraction?

 

[horrornights789]

I haven't seen the new Annabelle movie yet, but from what several HHN fans have told me in person, it apparently has a lot of maze content to be a potential attraction in the future. For those who've seen it, without obviously spoiling it, do you think it can stand on it's own, with maybe stuff from the first Annabelle movie included, or possibly added into a Conjuring attraction?

It could stand on its own in a smaller venue like The Mummy Queue. It could easily fit in 3-4 rooms in a Conjuring Attraction though

 

[Paulio]

I think the next HHN maze should be based off the new Halloween movie that's gonna come out Halloween 2018.

 

[Viator]

I think the next HHN maze should be based off the new Halloween movie that's gonna come out Halloween 2018.

If Halloween comes back, it'll most likely be that; on multiple levels like Universal distributing the sequel, Blumhouse producing, the IP's history at the event, and other subjects in particular.

 

[horrornights789]

If Halloween comes back, it'll most likely be that; on multiple levels like Universal distributing the sequel, Blumhouse producing, the IP's history at the event, and other subjects in particular.

Agreed. I think Halloween alone makes more sense then HoB Volume 2 since there aren’t really that many Blumhouse properties left that are maze worthy.

 

[rageofthegods]

I think TrT fits well with the Metro Sets; they sort of already have a reputation for cult classic-y properties. Stranger Things feels right for the Mummy queue; it's nice and compact and has a history of projection effects with last year's The Shining. It's also undoubtedly one of the biggest properties of the event, so having it be in the lower lot as opposed to the backlot makes sense.

I'm still not too sure if The Thing is actually coming or not, because Murdy did say it'd be very expensive and I think he'd want to avoid a budget crunch like last year, but I guess I wouldn't rule it out. Mostly, though, I'm interested in seeing how the Miramax / Weinstein Company situation plays out. There might be a bidding war for assets coming soon, and Universals or Blumhouse might pick up a few horror IPs like Scream or Hellraiser. Lord knows, I don't think Uni will give up a chance at owning two major horror franchises without a fight.

I'm one of those weirdos that liked HoB, but I'd say it has a greater chance of coming in a year or two when more movies come out.

Very surprised to hear confirmation from Murdy that the Conjuring wasn't pulled because of the lawsuit. Would that mean there's less of a chance for it to come this year?

 

[horrornights789]

So if Universal buys the rights to Hellraiser or Scream those could potentially be our classic property

 

[rageofthegods]

So if Universal buys the rights to Hellraiser or Scream those could potentially be our classic property

Nothing is set in stone, but the Weinstein Company is, barring a miracle, probably going down. With it going down, there's probably going to be a bidding war over assets, and as of right now, Universals is probably in the best position to nab the rights for Scream and Hellraiser. Disney is pushing through the Fox deal and doesn't have time to focus on small-fry like the Weinsteins, Paramount and Sony don't have the money, WB is going through their own legal troubles with the anti-trust suit + probably going through a leadership purge right now due to Justice League underperforming, and Lionsgate is too small to outbid Uni for all of the rights.

I could potentially see a situation where Uni gets control of Scream (the biggest / most valuable horror IP TWC owns) and Lionsgate/Blumhouse/MGM gets some of the smaller IPs like Hellraiser (I like Hellraiser but no one is rushing to see a Pinhead movie anytime soon) Children of the Corn, and Amityville Horror.

 

[Viator]

Nothing is set in stone, but the Weinstein Company is, barring a miracle, probably going down. With it going down, there's probably going to be a bidding war over assets, and as of right now, Universals is probably in the best position to nab the rights for Scream and Hellraiser. Disney is pushing through the Fox deal and doesn't have time to focus on small-fry like the Weinsteins, Paramount and Sony don't have the money, WB is going through their own legal troubles with the anti-trust suit + probably going through a leadership purge right now due to Justice League underperforming, and Lionsgate is too small to outbid Uni for all of the rights.

I could potentially see a situation where Uni gets control of Scream (the biggest / most valuable horror IP TWC owns) and Lionsgate/Blumhouse/MGM gets some of the smaller IPs like Hellraiser (I like Hellraiser but no one is rushing to see a Pinhead movie anytime soon) Children of the Corn, and Amityville Horror.

If anything, I would think Blumhouse is going to try to grab Scream and Hellraiser to try to kick start something new, similar to what is being done with Halloween.

But it doesn't guarantee HHN getting those next year, at all.

 

[rageofthegods]

If anything, I would think Blumhouse is going to try to grab Scream and Hellraiser to try to kick start something new, similar to what is being done with Halloween.

But it doesn't guarantee HHN getting those next year, at all.

That's very true about HHN.

My thought process about Uni getting Scream is that the success of horror this year (IT in particular) will make bigger film companies more interested in acquiring/reviving their own horror franchises. Fox has (had?) Alien and Predator, Paramount has Friday the 13th, Lionsgate has Saw and TCM, and WB has New Line Cinema Slashers and The Conjuring. Universals has Child's Play, which is actually kicking butt right now, but as far as box office goes, it's sort of stuck in the Direct-to-Video limbo. They also have a partnership with Blumhouse, but I think they'd want another in-house franchise a la Nightmare on Elm Street in case their relationship ends. The collapse of the Weinstein Company is the perfect opportunity for Uni to get a wider horror footprint while everyone else is distracted with their own problems. Since Scream is the most valuable horror franchise of the lot, Uni would probably zero in on it.

Hellraiser, meanwhile, is a franchise with good name recognition but really crappy recent entries. I think that a mini-major company like Lionsgate could probably bid it high enough that Universals will think "not worth it" and smaller companies like Blumhouse won't be able to outbid. Meanwhile, Blumhouse produced an Amityville movie, and thus probably has a leg-up in negotiations there. That leaves little movies like Livide, Piranha and Children of the Corn, which I think will go around smaller production companies.

 

[Paulio]

Nothing is set in stone, but the Weinstein Company is, barring a miracle, probably going down. With it going down, there's probably going to be a bidding war over assets, and as of right now, Universals is probably in the best position to nab the rights for Scream and Hellraiser. Disney is pushing through the Fox deal and doesn't have time to focus on small-fry like the Weinsteins, Paramount and Sony don't have the money, WB is going through their own legal troubles with the anti-trust suit + probably going through a leadership purge right now due to Justice League underperforming, and Lionsgate is too small to outbid Uni for all of the rights.

I could potentially see a situation where Uni gets control of Scream (the biggest / most valuable horror IP TWC owns) and Lionsgate/Blumhouse/MGM gets some of the smaller IPs like Hellraiser (I like Hellraiser but no one is rushing to see a Pinhead movie anytime soon) Children of the Corn, and Amityville Horror.

I mean no offense, but I think Weinstein Company's franchises nowadays are either outdated or competely done and probably doesn't guarantee a place in a HHN event. Reason is that most of them aren't as popular or appealing as franchises such as AHS, Evil Dead, and Halloween. I don't think Comcast would spend billions of dollars just to grab a few appealing Weinstein Company's IPs, including several Tarantino's movies (except Inglourious Basterds, which Universal partly owns with Weinstein). It would certaintly fortify Universal's position as the leading studio for horror movies, as they gained such reputation for the Monster movies in the 1930s-1950s during the Golden Age of Hollywood, but what cost?

 

[rageofthegods]

I mean no offense, but I think Weinstein Company's franchises nowadays are either outdated or competely done and probably doesn't guarantee a place in a HHN event. Reason is that most of them aren't as popular or appealing as franchises such as AHS, Evil Dead, and Halloween. I don't think Comcast would spend billions of dollars just to grab a few appealing Weinstein Company's IPs, including several Tarantino's movies (except Inglourious Basterds, which Universal partly owns with Weinstein). It would certaintly fortify Universal's position as the leading studio for horror movies, as they gained such reputation for the Monster movies in the 1930s-1950s during the Golden Age of Hollywood, but what cost?

Well, obviously Scream has some appeal left in it, that crappy TV series somehow managed to get renewed for three friggin' seasons.

I think you misunderstand me. What I'm saying is that TWC is probably going to auction off its individual franchises. I don't think a studio is just gonna outright buy them; that'd be, as you said, a waste of money. But buying Scream and Hellraiser? Two franchises with major name recognition? TWC is going down, they can probably get it at a bargain. If House of Wax can somehow make $70.2 million at the box office, then a couple of properly marketed Scream or Hellraiser movies can make hundreds of millions. Scream 4, the lowest grossing in the series, almost made $100 million at the worldwide box office.

And also, I'd personally argue that Universals isn't really in a leading position for horror right now. Sure, they had Get Out and Split, but it's a competitive market; WB is eating everyone else's lunch with IT and The Conjuring universe, and Lionsgate has a pretty decently successful saw movie on their hands (Jigsaw reached $100 million at the WW box office, which is insane given its tiny opening weekend). Acquiring a proven franchise gives them a bit of stability in case their big bets fall through. Plus, most of Uni's biggest horror films were made by Blumhouse and only distributed by Uni; I think that Uni would want a big, proven franchise to hold on to in case their deal with Blumhouse falls through in the future.

 

[ush.hacker]

A "Murdy Maze" where tall men hit you with Wolfman canes would be fun

 

[rageofthegods]

(This might be a little off topic, but I think it should be considered in the budget equation)

I was thinking about last year's budget and mazes and something struck me: the Insidious maze. Does anyone else get the impression that the maze was originally not supposed to be all 4 movies? Like, the entire maze was supposed to be Last Key? There's been a couple of new previews for Last Key, and they show scenes that weren't in the maze (like the child's bedroom and the concrete tunnel). Also, the leaked lineup said only Insidious 4. The leaked lineup also only said ED 2, and we know there was some backstage drama over it not being AvED.

Personally, it looks to me like the budget situation got so bad that they had to change up the entire second half of the maze to make it a compilation maze in order to cut costs. It makes sense given what we've heard behind the scenes (budget cuts, Starz getting up in Murdy's grille over Evil Dead, etc.), and I sincerely doubt that Murdy and Chris just decided to fill half the maze with these weirdly recycled rooms out of contempt for the fans. Which raises a question: there have been rumours that this year's budget will be bigger, but just how much bigger will it have to be?

 

[ush.hacker]

BUDGET:

 

[foodstampsFTW]

This is gonna be a long year of speculation, I’m cringing reading the last few pages and seeing people discussing whether or not IT is going to come next year. The only way IT doesn’t come is if WB doesn’t let them do it.

 

[MacMillian Crew]

If I remember correctly, I think it was mentioned that due to changes to the final cut of Insidious 4, there were somethings in the maze that are no longer in the movie. That also seemed interesting in regards to the addition of the previous 3 films.