Halloween Horror Nights 30 (UOR) - Speculation & Rumors (2021)

[Living Dead Dude]

I really don’t think universal is worried about a brand new Halloween event that is probably less then half the size of HHN and will have absolutely 0 the quality of HHN

 

[krazyhorrorkid]

I really don’t think universal is worried about a brand new Halloween event that is probably less than half the size of HHN and will have absolutely 0 the quality of HHN

0% the quality?
I wouldn't go that far.
There are perks to both events, but Howl-O-Scream sometimes goes the extra mile with its placement of actors throughout the park. And some houses of the past houses have been near HHN levels of quality. I don't think they would have a problem doing something like that again if they wanted to.
EX: Deadfall, Death Water Bayou, NightShade Toys.

While their scare zones may be recycled, they plus them pretty much every year and get rid of the ones that no longer work.
Obviously, they can't go and change all their content every single year, but their work is still of quality and not 0 the quality.

I know you are speaking of the Seaworld event, but I expect it to follow a similar route to Tampa's event in most aspects.

 

[RevFreako]

No, I don't think SWOHoS ticket cost will impact the ticket cost of HHN.

I think you're right. Have to assume those prices are locked in by now. All the third party sales stuff, Publix and what not, already printed and ready to go out.

 

[Legacy]

I think you're right. Have to assume those prices are locked in by now. All the third party sales stuff, Publix and what not, already printed and ready to go out.

And, again, I don’t think Universal views them as “direct” competition. Until they do, they don’t really have a need to respond.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Surprised they are going so many nights from the start.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

I think you're right. Have to assume those prices are locked in by now. All the third party sales stuff, Publix and what not, already printed and ready to go out.

Not only that, but HHN doesn’t really make its bread and butter from ticket sales. It’s in-park revenue that matters, and in some ways having less people in the park improves that (less time waiting in line = more time buying booze, smaller lines at bars = more likely to go a couple more times per night).

HHN is growing because of out-of-town tourists...but Orlando is still a Halloween-heavy city. SeaWorld saw all the locals left out to dust on these increasingly crowded peak HHN nights and said “hey, come hang out with us instead.” HHN is honestly maybe a little relieved to see late October crowds skew more single-night ticket-heavy and less FFP-heavy.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

And, again, I don’t think Universal views them as “direct” competition. Until they do, they don’t really have a need to respond.

Surveys this year will sure be interesting...

 

[Legacy]

Surveys this year will sure be interesting...

I would kill to know what the market share numbers look like.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

I’d actually bet that the SeaWorld event will hurt Busch Gardens more than anything, cannibalizing its own Central FL diehard fan base. I would imagine that’s what the combo ticket is for.

 

[GAcoaster]

I’d actually bet that the SeaWorld event will hurt Busch Gardens more than anything, cannibalizing its own Central FL diehard fan base. I would imagine that’s what the combo ticket is for.

I only see this helping BG.

Personally, I prefer HOS in some respects to HHN. Not to knock HHN, but it's just that HOS is a different event. While I love and appreciate the slickness and the production values of HHN, there's something to be said for the more "home made" feeling of a smaller event like HOS. Maybe it's because I grew up with Six Flags Fright Fest and HOS at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and only came to HHN later in life, but I kind of appreciate the lower budget events and seeing some of the ingenuity they use to create scare without the huge budgets and crews and timelines for construction.

It's like Broadway versus community theater. Broadway is wonderful, but that doesn't mean you won't see something uniquely brilliant in its own way in a smaller setting.

 

[Catopher]

What’s everyone’s thoughts on RoF, FF or FF Ultimate being a thing this year? I really hope they still offer them, even if more expensive

 

[RevFreako]

What’s everyone’s thoughts on RoF, FF or FF Ultimate being a thing this year? I really hope they still offer them, even if more expensive

I don't think they can expect a full, normal event without them.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

What’s everyone’s thoughts on RoF, FF or FF Ultimate being a thing this year? I really hope they still offer them, even if more expensive

My understanding was they were going to bring them back last year until they canceled the event. I expect them to be back this year with price increases of around 15% from 2019 pricing.

 

[Living Dead Dude]

0% the quality?
I wouldn't go that far.
There are perks to both events, but Howl-O-Scream sometimes goes the extra mile with its placement of actors throughout the park. And some houses of the past houses have been near HHN levels of quality. I don't think they would have a problem doing something like that again if they wanted to.
EX: Deadfall, Death Water Bayou, NightShade Toys.

While their scare zones may be recycled, they plus them pretty much every year and get rid of the ones that no longer work.
Obviously, they can't go and change all their content every single year, but their work is still of quality and not 0 the quality.

I know you are speaking of the Seaworld event, but I expect it to follow a similar route to Tampa's event in most aspects.

I mean 0 quality wasn’t really fair. Maybe I should of phrased it as a much smaller budget event. My bad.

 

[shiekra38]

I only see this helping BG.

Personally, I prefer HOS in some respects to HHN. Not to knock HHN, but it's just that HOS is a different event. While I love and appreciate the slickness and the production values of HHN, there's something to be said for the more "home made" feeling of a smaller event like HOS. Maybe it's because I grew up with Six Flags Fright Fest and HOS at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and only came to HHN later in life, but I kind of appreciate the lower budget events and seeing some of the ingenuity they use to create scare without the huge budgets and crews and timelines for construction.

It's like Broadway versus community theater. Broadway is wonderful, but that doesn't mean you won't see something uniquely brilliant in its own way in a smaller setting.

Yeah, I wish HHN could capture the level of aggression that HOS has

Part of that is the very physical and practical way they actually go after you

Another part is the "get the scare" mentality that was engrained into the events DNA

There's a ton of reasons why HHN has to be more polished and buttoned up...especially now

Like I said, having both as an option is always welcomed

 

[Morganxrose]

Might be for the game of LRC when the announcements actually start

 

[Nick]

It's like Broadway versus community theater. Broadway is wonderful, but that doesn't mean you won't see something uniquely brilliant in its own way in a smaller setting.

I made this same comparison yesterday in the SW HoS thread. I find it to be a perfect way to describe the two events in relation to each other.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

I made this same comparison yesterday in the SW HoS thread. I find it to be a perfect way to describe the two events in relation to each other.

The same can be applied to local/regional haunts as well. HHN will always be no 1 in my eyes (and they have the budget to do that), but we have fantastic memories from local haunts around my area. A lot of local haunts dump a serious amount of money into their shows.

 

[CoryLevy91]

The same can be applied to local/regional haunts as well. HHN will always be no 1 in my eyes (and they have the budget to do that), but we have fantastic memories from local haunts around my area. A lot of local haunts dump a serious amount of money into their shows.

Not trying to start a war or anything and I absolutely love HHN, their world class production values and ability to draw on intellectual properties, but I prefer the local/regional haunts here in the Tri-State/New England area to the Orlando attraction.

There's just something I prefer about a 20-30-40 minute walk through attraction with varied slices of horror goodness over the 'one idea/theme/IP per house' style of HHN. That's also not even counting on the Hayride, which is, IMO, THE way to experience a haunted attraction.

 

[Neo]

Not trying to start a war or anything and I absolutely love HHN, their world class production values and ability to draw on intellectual properties, but I prefer the local/regional haunts here in the Tri-State/New England area to the Orlando attraction.

There's just something I prefer about a 20-30-40 minute walk through attraction with varied slices of horror goodness over the 'one idea/theme/IP per house' style of HHN. That's also not even counting on the Hayride, which is, IMO, THE way to experience a haunted attraction.

I went to the Halloween thing at Six Flags New England like 4 or 5 years ago and thought it was a ton of fun, LOVED the "house/maze" through the woods. It was so cool to be back in the woods, no conga line, wide enough for you to take your time and check stuff out and not hold everybody up, and then they had a pretty long tunnel type thing (archway like an aircraft hanger) that was pretty long with fog so think you couldn't see your hand in front of your face with some bright light flashes and lasers. It was a long walkthrough and the tunnel was so disorienting (in a fun way). The price was great too.

The Headless Horseman Haunted Hayride in NY was OK, the hayride was great...the corn maze was decent...the houses were lacking. The chainsaw carvers was an interesting touch. That might be a bit harsh, but I'm basing those ratings on the price and how crowded it was. If it was cheaper and/or less lines I'd give it more of a break. Waiting in the switchback lines for 90min for the hayride was a bit too much. I went to that like 4 or 5 different years. Of course, HHN has me so spoiled that I completely understand why the locals think it's the greatest thing in the world