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

[Clive]

I may be in the minority here, but I think this would be a great idea. If you can set up a location in somewhere like Soundstage 33 so the characters wouldn't be seen in the same place at the same time it would be great. Hear me out, let's just say the 30th anniversary zone has Icons in there. Everyone is gonna want a photo with Jack, Caretaker, etc. but, people are sick and tired of entering zones and seeing nobody scaring. I think this would be a way for the scarezones to be real scarezones again. I think for the instagram crowd and just the general fan who want to get a photo with these characters and talk with these characters, this would be a fantastic idea. Team members will be able to approach guests, and say, "Hey, our scareactors are just scaring right now, but feel free to go to the meet and greet spot to get some really cool photos with them." This would essentially solve the problem for the most part. I know scareactor dining was mentioned, but if you look at the lineup of characters from these past few years, the characters weren't great. I think a meet and greet spot would be a great place to bring out characters who guests want photos with, but can't. Again, I may be in the minority here, but I think a meet and greet spot has lots of potential and it could solve a lot of scarezone problems.

I hear you - but there are two issues with this sentiment. One, as @Brian G. pointed out, the solution already exists in Scareactor Dining, where personal interactions and photos are built into the experience. Two, there's no way you're going to be able to convey to folks that there's a photo op elsewhere en masse.

I remember for HHN 20, they did set up a photo booth for Jack where you could pay to get a professionally shot picture on the World Expo bridge. That's another solution they could try and bring back, but it didn't stop folks trying to flag the scarezone Jack down for pictures.

 

[Legacy]

I hear you - but there are two issues with this sentiment. One, as @Brian G. pointed out, the solution already exists in Scareactor Dining, where personal interactions and photos are built into the experience. Two, there's no way you're going to be able to convey to folks that there's a photo op elsewhere en masse.

I remember for HHN 20, they did set up a photo booth for Jack where you could pay to get a professionally shot picture on the World Expo bridge. That's another solution they could try and bring back, but it didn't stop folks trying to flag the scarezone Jack down for pictures.

And considering that that Jack, I’m fairly certain, was the actual Jack (James Keaton) it’s astounding that it wasn’t successful enough to warrant continuing.

 

[Clive]

And considering that that Jack, I’m fairly certain, was the actual Jack (James Keaton) it’s astounding that it wasn’t successful enough to warrant continuing.

It was definitely Keaton, at least on most nights. To my understanding it was a fairly improvised setup and not planned from the beginning. Possible the ROI didn't justify the staffing costs, but it seemed like a good idea worth trying again. In 2011 they did throw up the roulette wheel at the front of the park a few weekends in and had a Luck actor ready to pose with guests gratis.

 

[RevFreako]

And considering that that Jack, I’m fairly certain, was the actual Jack (James Keaton) it’s astounding that it wasn’t successful enough to warrant continuing.

I wasn't around back then. Was "the actual Jack" a thing that long ago?

 

[Legacy]

I wasn't around back then. Was "the actual Jack" a thing that long ago?

What do you mean?

 

[RevFreako]

What do you mean?

In the sense that all of us nerds know Keaton is Keaton, and that a picture with him would be cooler than one with "Jack the Clown," if I'm making sense.

 

[PlatinumFate]

I feel like meet and greets would be cool but I understand why that don't work. In theory, it would be an excellent opportunity to have a separate area to make great pictures, maybe not even with an additional cost like scareactor dining. In practice though, it wouldn't work as, like Legacy said, its not the scareactor but the costume people want and I'm sure Universal would want to charge for it in some way.

 

[Legacy]

In the sense that all of us nerds know Keaton is Keaton, and that a picture with him would be cooler than one with "Jack the Clown," if I'm making sense.

I mean... I knew it was the real guy... lol.

A lot has changed over the last 11 years...

 

[TheCodeMan95]

Throwback to Alter of Horrors at 27 - the zone that was literally designed for selfies.

God that was awful.

 

[matthewprevor]

I hear you - but there are two issues with this sentiment. One, as @Brian G. pointed out, the solution already exists in Scareactor Dining, where personal interactions and photos are built into the experience. Two, there's no way you're going to be able to convey to folks that there's a photo op elsewhere en masse.

I remember for HHN 20, they did set up a photo booth for Jack where you could pay to get a professionally shot picture on the World Expo bridge. That's another solution they could try and bring back, but it didn't stop folks trying to flag the scarezone Jack down for pictures.

Well I don't know what the background was for the bridge photo, but the problem there is in the scarezone, Jack had his little area. Obviously, I can't speak for everyone, but I'd much rather get photos with these characters in their "environments" rather than just on a random bridge in the park. It doesn't matter who the performer is. However, I do think that this would be a great idea if they had more characters and they gave them a cool backdrop. Also scareactor has dropped the ball the past few years. Like last year was Bride of Frankenstein, Frankenstein, Shorty the Clown, and some nights there was a Nightingale. If you've ever been to Universal Studios Hollywood, you can meet the Bride and Frankenstein. Shorty was a character who was doing a photo op else where in the park (outside the house) and most likely you got a picture with him at 28. They did the same thing with Sam at HHN27 and 28. So it's hard to say that was worth it. People don't want to interact with the same characters that they just met last year, with the exception of maybe the Icons, but even then I think we all can agree that we need a break from them every once in a while. Scareactor dining hasn't been that good since 26. I understand the difficulty of working out contracts with the IPs that allow for their characters to do meet and greets, but I feel they should at least try. Also, the original characters that they choose have been really random.

It won’t fix anything. People want photos of the costumes more than the characters. In other words, anywhere there is a cool costume, there is going to be line of people to take a photo. So, you either put the cool costumes on a stage with boring costumes scaring, or you don’t have cool costumes.

What do you mean when you say that people just want photos of the costumes? The costumes are the characters. People would probably want a better photo then what they can get in the streets. In this meet and greet area you can make sure that the lighting is good for people to really see the costumes. It's a win win situation in a way.

 

[Tylerthecreator]

I remember one of the houses people talking about being plussed was scarey? What could that mean for a tent house? I was thinking maybe a scarezone at the exit of the house.

 

[RevFreako]

I remember one of the houses people talking about being plussed was scarey? What could that mean for a tent house? I was thinking maybe a scarezone at the exit of the house.

If a house is being plussed, that sounds like the interior to me

 

[JJ591]

I remember one of the houses people talking about being plussed was scarey? What could that mean for a tent house? I was thinking maybe a scarezone at the exit of the house.

I recall @Legacy saying something a while back about sCarey being plussed meaning it would spill outside of the exit in someway possibly (like a SZ). I thought that was odd seeing as how there's no SZ's at that end of the park. But what you're saying is what @Legacy was implying I believe.

 

[Neo]

I recall @Legacy saying something a while back about sCarey being plussed meaning it would spill outside of the exit in someway possibly (like a SZ). I thought that was odd seeing as how there's no SZ's at that end of the park. But what you're saying is what @Legacy was implying I believe.

I wonder if it means something like Ash vs Evil Dead where you had the car and sometimes Ash behind the fence walking up to the house, and then the post house / outdoor Ash keg gag? Something like a big outdoor "Welcome to (S)Carey, Population xxxx" sign with a scareactor with a can of spray paint (from painting the S on the sign) telling you to turn back and warning of all the weird stuff happening in the town. Then when you exit the house some kind of "Hope you enjoyed your time in Carey, come back soon" sign and another scareactor or two doing something.

 

[Legacy]

What do you mean when you say that people just want photos of the costumes? The costumes are the characters. People would probably want a better photo then what they can get in the streets. In this meet and greet area you can make sure that the lighting is good for people to really see the costumes. It's a win win situation in a way.

I mean that most guests who want pictures couldn’t care less about who the characters are. In Scary Tales: Screampunk, a random Pinocchio had a line of photographers. In Anarch-Cade, it was random neon stilt walker. Photographers became such an issue in Grown Evil, performers started hiding their faces. That stuff isn’t character-based. It’s costume-based.

 

[ultimateforce]

You are all welcome to take photos with me, America's Sweetheart, at this year's HHN.

 

[RevFreako]

You are all welcome to take photos with me, America's Sweetheart, at this year's HHN.

how much does it pay

 

[ultimateforce]

how much does it pay

I do it for the love of the game.

 

[JJ591]

I wonder if it means something like Ash vs Evil Dead where you had the car and sometimes Ash behind the fence walking up to the house, and then the post house / outdoor Ash keg gag? Something like a big outdoor "Welcome to (S)Carey, Population xxxx" sign with a scareactor with a can of spray paint (from painting the S on the sign) telling you to turn back and warning of all the weird stuff happening in the town. Then when you exit the house some kind of "Hope you enjoyed your time in Carey, come back soon" sign and another scareactor or two doing something.

Very well could be. And that would honestly make more sense than an actual full SZ at that end of the park imo.

 

[RevFreako]

I do it for the love of the game.

you misunderstand me