Halloween Horror Nights 31 (UOR) - News & Info

[OrlandoGuy]

It's wild how vastly differently all of our opinions are but consistently most of us thing that the event has transitioned into a direction we don't like as much.

There’s probably an interesting study that could be done about years of being a fan plotted against the opinion of your most recently-attended year. No matter what creative decisions HHN may make in a given year, if it’s Person X’s first year going they’ll likely be impressed by the scale, IP usage, and park-wide atmosphere of the event. Then as time goes on, that impression turns into expectation, which brings diminishing returns. I’d be very surprised if most people’s first year going wasn’t their first- or second-favorite of all time. So the perception that the event is heading in a declining direction may be little more than our expectations adjusting and being unable to capture that same surprise of a first visit. In that scenario, there’s really no winning—HHN is just a victim of its own superior first impression.

That’s why I like when they try new things, like Case Files last year. It may not objectively be the best, but at least it feels new and breaks the mold a bit.

 

[Jakemeister]

That’s why I like when they try new things, like Case Files last year. It may not objectively be the best, but at least it feels new and breaks the mold a bit.

I'm all for the event trying new things. I don't like it when it's the same things amplified on scales that are diminishing. I really don't think the houses are bad fwiw, I think they just feel, routine.

Of course, if I had never seen a block-buster film I'm going to be impressed by it, but I can also stack quality against quality. HHN 29 was imo, a GOOD year, HHN 30 was a mediocre year that got a lot of passes. HHN 31 is Mid-Tier year. The event has changed and some things will never go back to the way they were, that's to be expected, the event is just too large and too corporate now. But operationally there are some things that still need to be addressed ASAP

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I think HHN 28 was a perfect example of what a modern HHN should hold.

A mix of modern and classic IPs complimented by great "unique concept" house ideas.

Give us a fun zone (Vamp 85) and a more "classic" zone (Twisted Tradition), mixed with some creative concepts.


Operationally, the event is stuck somewhere in 2003.

 

[ReelJustice]

All this nonsense is to say that HHN31 feels like an attempt to almost find a new identity for HHN.

I described it as reboot divorced from what came before. For perspective, I have been going since 22, so I have only known the "IP era". For me, 31 is a welcome change.

park wide music this year - is it actually bad

"ANOTHER WAY OUUUUUUT"

It's wild how vastly differently all of our opinions are but consistently most of us think that the event has transitioned into a direction we don't like as much.

I disagree. This year was a reset, and things that I personally did not like about the recent direction of the event glowed away.

I will agree with other statements from a few days ago about the loss of Shrek and the associated construction hurting the vibe in that area. It felt like a chore to get to Hellblock or Graveyard.

It will be interesting to see if they increase to 11 houses next year with a house in the (rumored) Minions flex space and keeping the Supercharged house.

They could probably also put a house in the Gringotts extended queue, but I am not sure.

 

[SeventyOne]

I described it as reboot divorced from what came before.

Not convinced it's all that different, tho. This checks off a lot of the same boxes -- beautiful "wow" house in a back corner soundstage, dark comedy house, high-concept "history" house. a faithful book report of a classic 70s/80s movie, Blumhouse, a fan-favorite house, a big modern-day IP (albeit a pop star not a movie or TV show, but they've been hinting at this for a couple years). Occasionally sub in TWD for Blumhouse as "the obligatory ongoing relationship IP," this is the skeleton of a lot of the 20s events.

And yet it somehow feels different to a lot of people.

For perspective, I have been going since 22, so I have only known the "IP era". For me, 31 is a welcome change.

Sort of unspoken here is an assumption that it was a unilateral choice to end the IP era. I can't bring myself to believe that.

 

[HHN Maddux]

It will be interesting to see if they increase to 11 houses next year with a house in the (rumored) Minions flex space and keeping the Supercharged house.

They could probably also put a house in the Gringotts extended queue, but I am not sure.

5 soundstage houses (technically six with Minions/Shrek), F&F queue, two Sprungs, two Parade buildings, Minions venue.

Could definitely work.

 

[shiekra38]

No? This year reminds me of 26, 24, and 27.

I've forgotten everything about those years, so that seems like a fair comparison

 

[Lucky Planet]

Someone mentioned earlier that the track list for the park music feels very short, and I do feel like the same songs get repeated over and over,

I do keep hearing some of the songs repeated,
Here's the list for the music around the park, you were right,

Another Way Out – The Creepshow
Flesh and Blood – Messer Chups
Te Quiero Matar – Santa Muerte
Voodoo Doll – The Phantom Chords
Wild Cat Scratch – Mark Alberts
Zombie Run – Mark Alberts
Psychobilly Freakout – The Reverend Horton Heat
Sticks & Stones – The Creepshow
Blues De La Muerte – Santa Muerte
Perfect Krime – The Arkhams
The Way of the Road – The Koffin Kats
Cementerio – Santa Muerte
Victory Lap – The Reverend Horton heat
Johnny Got a Boom Boom – Imelda May
El Ataud De Tu Corazon – Santa Muerte
Graveyard Girlfriend – The Groovie Ghoulies
Bodies in the Basement – Demented Are Go
Estoy Muerte – Santa Muerte
Bullet – The Reverend Horton Heat
Lobo Hambriento – Santa Muerte
Humanoids from The Deep – The Killcreeps

Seems like they used the same bands over and over, even if the songs are different, using the same bands might be why the songs feel repeated.
Just interesting when you see the list.

 

[Legacy]

Sort of unspoken here is an assumption that it was a unilateral choice to end the IP era. I can't bring myself to believe that.

I’ve always attributed the “IP era” more to Aiello’s preferences. No evidence or rumor of it, except the timeline.

Mike became the sole head of Entertainment’s Creative in 2011, after Roddy was fired in 2009 and 2010 was in a weird transitional place as an anniversary year. The IP era started in 2012. I think it’s no coincidence that, the first year that Mike is not THE lead the department is the first year in a decade it feels like the IPs are taking a back seat.

 

[Lucky Planet]

I’ve always attributed the “IP era” more to Aiello’s preferences. No evidence or rumor of it, except the timeline.

Mike became the sole head of Entertainment’s Creative in 2011, after Roddy was fired in 2009 and 2010 was in a weird transitional place as an anniversary year. The IP era started in 2012. I think it’s no coincidence that, the first year that Mike is not THE lead the department is the first year in a decade it feels like the IPs are taking a back seat.

And people saying that this year is off might mean that universal might think that people want more ips lol.

What was it in 2012 that happened where Orlando and Hollywood got mixed or something? Or people from hhn Hollywood coming here or something like that?
I kind of remember something like that

 

[Legacy]

And people saying that this year is off might mean that universal might think that people want more ips lol.

What was it in 2012 that happened where Orlando and Hollywood got mixed or something? Or people from hhn Hollywood coming here or something like that?
I kind of remember something like that

It was the first time the two coasts actually visited each other to see how the other half lived. The Orlando team couldn’t believe Murdy (basically) did it all by himself. Murdy couldn’t fathom how Orlando did the event by committee.

 

[pumpkinbot343]

I’ve always attributed the “IP era” more to Aiello’s preferences. No evidence or rumor of it, except the timeline.

Mike became the sole head of Entertainment’s Creative in 2011, after Roddy was fired in 2009 and 2010 was in a weird transitional place as an anniversary year. The IP era started in 2012. I think it’s no coincidence that, the first year that Mike is not THE lead the department is the first year in a decade it feels like the IPs are taking a back seat.

I believe it was because Comcast wanted more synergy between the theme parks in 2012. Remember Roddy’s era had NLC and SAW and 2011 started with only ONE Ip. Technically credit goes to John Murdy who started the idea of a IP-filled HHN in the first place (even the deal he made with NLC in 2007 included both coasts).

 

[Parkscope Joe]

It was the first time the two coasts actually visited each other to see how the other half lived. The Orlando team couldn’t believe Murdy (basically) did it all by himself. Murdy couldn’t fathom how Orlando did the event by committee.

Kim coming back "home" also helped a lot, she saw how HHN USH was ran and made some improvements here. This is some of the essence of what I'm thinking might feel different this year vs others.

 

[Alsands]

Not living locally HHN wasn’t even on my radar despite traveling to Disney and Universal every year. My first HHN was 27 and loved every year. This is the first year IMO it just wasn’t as memorable. I will admit as Legacy mentioned it could be personal preference. While the originals are always my favorite, there is a special feeling about walking through movie sets that I loved when I was a kid. Klowns , Poltergeist, Ghostbusters , even Beetlejuice were worth the trip for me. As a somewhat newcomer to the event and this being the first year that felt off to me, I hope I’m not just getting use to the format and it is just a year that I wasn’t personally invested in. There are some great things about this year and I do have another trip scheduled next week for another run.

 

[Mad Dog]

It would be interesting to see the survey results from Universal's internal polling of HHN. General Public opinions are often quite different than hard core fan opinions. GP 'expectations' also could be quite different. I'd
guess we will get a sampling of what the GP liked, or disliked, when next years HHN is put together. Universal always does tons of polling, and from the very many surveys I've taken, and subsequent park decisions, it
seems they put a lot of stock in survey results....To get a real feel, it's probably best to talk to non hardcore HHN attendees that come for a day or two and not every year, than the hardcore fans that come a dozen or so times most every year.

 

[shiekra38]

It would be interesting to see the survey results from Universal's internal polling of HHN. General Public opinions are often quite different than hard core fan opinions. GP 'expectations' also could be quite different.

Probably a lot of b*tching about wanting Vecna

 

[Lucky Planet]

It would be interesting to see the survey results from Universal's internal polling of HHN. General Public opinions are often quite different than hard core fan opinions. GP 'expectations' also could be quite different. I'd
guess we will get a sampling of what the GP liked, or disliked, when next years HHN is put together. Universal always does tons of polling, and from the very many surveys I've taken, and subsequent park decisions, it
seems they put a lot of stock in survey results....To get a real feel, it's probably best to talk to non hardcore HHN attendees that come for a day or two and not every year, than the hardcore fans that come a dozen or so times most every year.

surveys keep asking about Coven lol
did Coven today and maybe its my imagination but, the witches had more masks? i dont remember so many witch masks before.i liked it a little more. i honestly liked it more today.

the crowd today was smaller and felt much better. the park today felt better. felt as good as before. it was more relaxed
i definitely enjoyed today much more than previous weeks. smaller crowd, higher quality kinda.

 

[Alsands]

surveys keep asking about Coven lol
did Coven today and maybe its my imagination but, the witches had more masks? i dont remember so many witch masks before.i liked it a little more. i honestly liked it more today.

the crowd today was smaller and felt much better. the park today felt better. felt as good as before. it was more relaxed
i definitely enjoyed today much more than previous weeks. smaller crowd, higher quality kinda.

Is it true there were so few scare actors the Weekend was closed? Guess because it was added night.

 

[HHNSK]

Is it true there were so few scare actors the Weekend was closed? Guess because it was added night.

Flew in Monday and I don’t have any frame of reference other than past years. However, I will say I have never seen so few scare actors across the board in all the years I have been attending. This includes the houses and scare zones.

Weeknd was actually one of the better houses IMO as far as staffing - but maybe thats because there is so much else going on.

I am assuming last night was due to the hurricane displacing workers and it was an added night. It’s also worth noting that COVID has distorted labour in virtually ***every*** industry. I didn’t like it, but I have to give them a pass this year.

Really enjoyed Bugs, Weeknd, Coven (yes I actually did like it), and Dead Man’s Pier. The rest of the houses were meh …. forgettable. I’m not saying they were bad, they just didn’t stand out over other years.

I am really hoping i get to see the scarezones with more staff because I think they might have something, but as it stood last night I thought they were the worst I have seen in ten years - but again there were so few scare actors.

I need to find a new rest spot - missed Monsters Cafe. Cheers everyone.

 

[Alsands]

Flew in Monday and I don’t have any frame of reference other than past years. However, I will say I have never seen so few scare actors across the board in all the years I have been attending. This includes the houses and scare zones.

Weeknd was actually one of the better houses IMO as far as staffing - but maybe thats because there is so much else going on.

I am assuming last night was due to the hurricane displacing workers and it was an added night. It’s also worth noting that COVID has distorted labour in virtually ***every*** industry. I didn’t like it, but I have to give them a pass this year.

Really enjoyed Bugs, Weeknd, Coven (yes I actually did like it), and Dead Man’s Pier. The rest of the houses were meh …. forgettable. I’m not saying they were bad, they just didn’t stand out over other years.

I am really hoping i get to see the scarezones with more staff because I think they might have something, but as it stood last night I thought they were the worst I have seen in ten years - but again there were so few scare actors.

I need to find a new rest spot - missed Monsters Cafe. Cheers everyone.

I’m sure tonight will be much better as far as scare actors. Also enjoyed the Weekend was definitely a fun house. It’s true labor shortages are everywhere. Wonder if Universal has college programs or hire people from other countries like Disney?