The Old HHN 30 Speculation Thread (2020)

[Legacy]

If we are not getting gremlins or Sabrina I would say IT more then likely is also not coming this year

IT was never coming this year. It wasn’t rumored or discussed among insiders once.

From me, hopefully it's not another Netflix-related property lol and maybe an IP that should be at the event, I don't see Candyman coming, Invisible Man is dead in the water, Child's Play is a who knows type of thought, whatever it is, I'm sure it could be possibly worth the wait or a little blunder, but I'll keep open minded about it if it's something decent to come.

It’s not a Netflix property.

Welcome to the forums! And yea, reading posts from November to now in a thread this active might cause you to go stir crazy faster than the quarantine will. Essentially, what we've got so far is this:

Over the past few months Legacy has heard multiple rumors and let us know about a few thru clues and such. People have compiled the rumors before, but it's been a bit so I'll post it once more, plus his thoughts on how likely it is (at the time of reveal, at least).

Confident is happening:
-Haunting of Hill House
-Bride(s) of Frankenstein (and Dracula?)
-Gremlins

Certain is happening in some form or another:

-Beetlejuice
-Billie Eilish
-Legendary Truth

Not confident either way:

-Jack Marketing
-Cafe La Bamba house location

Confident not happening:

-Doctor Who
-Candyman (Legacy has said he has not heard any rumors about Candyman, despite how often it is brought up by fans)
-Conjuring
-Chucky

Those and the two spec maps floating around are essentially the field we're playing on right now. Of course, the spec maps are never right the first few times, Legacy and other insiders can miss info or simply get stuff wrong, and in general an event with this tight of a deadline and this many companies working together with rights and licensing issues to work through is bound to have some issues come up from time to time. That's just the fun of spec. Nothing is set in stone until it's announced, and with all the insanity happening right now, announcements might be a little hard to come by for a bit while Uni waits for it all to blow over. This is looking to be a pretty interesting year overall. Hope this helps!

At the time I was confident Gremlins was coming. Now, I’m not.

 

[reeseyNG]

At the time I was confident Gremlins was coming. Now, I’m not.

Confident it’s not coming or not confident it’s coming? Sorry I’m reading too much into it, Gremlins is just a wishlist item for me so I’m anxious, hahah

 

[Legacy]

Confident it’s not coming or not confident it’s coming? Sorry I’m reading too much into it, Gremlins is just a wishlist item for me so I’m anxious, hahah

The answer to both interpretations is yes.

 

[reeseyNG]

The answer to both interpretations is yes.

There’s always next year

But besides that, is there another IP that you’re expecting over it? Or is another original possibly taking that slot? There’s also totally the possibility that you have no clue or I’m asking too much, haha

 

[BoSoxFan1022]

There’s always next year

But besides that, is there another IP that you’re expecting over it? Or is another original possibly taking that slot? There’s also totally the possibility that you have no clue or I’m asking too much, haha

He’s already said that there was a tier 2 ip that he believes is coming to the event

 

[krazyhorrorkid]

R.I.P Gremlins. Couldn't get at least something that was on my wishlist.
Oh well, if HHN spec has taught me anything is that the game changes fast, And I just have to accept that.

So... What is replacing The Gremsters? Original or IP?

@Legacy is the tier 2-3 property more horror then Sabrina was in your opinion?

 

[Legacy]

R.I.P Gremlins. Couldn't get at least something that was on my wishlist.
Oh well, if HHN spec has taught me anything is that the game changes fast, And I just have to accept that.

So... What is replacing The Gremsters? Original or IP?

@Legacy is the tier 2-3 property more horror then Sabrina was in your opinion?

Well, considering I’m classifying it as a Tier 2/3 (popular true horror/known true horror), and classified Sabrina as Tier 5 (known soft-horror)...

 

[reeseyNG]

He’s already said that there was a tier 2 ip that he believes is coming to the event

Ah. Thought that was in place of what everyone thought was Sabrina. Apologies.

Well, considering I’m classifying it as a Tier 2/3 (popular true horror/known true horror), and classified Sabrina as Tier 5 (known soft-horror)...

I know you said TCM wasn’t the new “tier 2/3 property” that was happening over Gremlins, but I’m still curious about that being on that one article. Is that something plausible you heard in the rumor mill or was that completely random?

 

[BoSoxFan1022]

Ah. Thought that was in place of what everyone thought was Sabrina. Apologies.



I know you said TCM wasn’t the new “tier 2/3 property” that was happening over Gremlins, but I’m still curious about that being on that one article. Is that something plausible you heard in the rumor mill or was that completely random?

I feel like they wouldn’t have put it in the article if they hadn’t heard something about jt

 

[Ringwraith]

I classify IPs by five tiers. Classifying them is more art than science, and it ignores purely "non-horror" IPs. I could add a sixth tier of "not happening," but it's not really needed.

Tier 1: Popular, Soft-Horror - This is the Stranger Things, TWD, and AHS. While AHS is scary, its horror can be fairly muted compared to the things in Tier 2. Billie Eilish actually fits here. In theory, Ghostbusters fell here, too. Probably the only current IP that hasn't been used (recently) that fits in this tier is Jurassic Park. This is casual and marketing friendly. Perfect grabs.

Tier 2: Popular True-Horror - Here is where the Conjuring, IT, the Titans of Terror, Scream, etc. reside. The reason why it's Tier 2 is because its closer association with horror does turn off a segment of the general population. This is what attracts the "horror casuals" I referred to previously (people who will go see Conjuring, but won't bother watching Hellraiser).

Tier 3: Known True-Horror - Here is actually where a good number of HHN stuff falls, and what most HHN fans want to see. The Thing, Halloween, Child's Play, Hellraiser, and the like fall here. This is for stuff that the "horror casuals" are aware of, but may have never bothered seeing. They work as headlining filler. Honestly, I'd argue Haunting of Hill House and the Classic Monsters fall here.

Tier 4: Cult Classics - These are the IPs that target niches and, pretty much, speak for themselves. Trick or Treat, Evil Dead, HoTC, Klowns, etc. fall here. Pure filler, mostly, and meant to be the bone thrown to the demanding HHN fans. Their horror bono fides are less important than their popularity within the niche. Beetlejuice, Gremlins fall here. I'd put originals (all, including icons) in Tier 4.

Tier 5: Known Soft-Horror - Here's the fun one. These are soft IPs that don't attract horror fans, but can draw niche "horror casuals." Think Fear Factor, Doomsday, Dracula Untold, and similar IPs. I'd actually put Sabrina here, specifically because using requires fighting a perception about the show.


I'd put it in either Tier 2 or 3.

I wanted to bring the tiers that Legacy spoke of, back in the fray so that people can refer to what was discussed on this particular topic.

 

[RevFreako]

I wanted to bring the tiers that Legacy spoke of, back in the fray so that people can refer to what was discussed on this particular topic.

Do any of the folks with actual boots on the ground knowledge have any idea how long Universal could hold off announcing a cancellation of HHN?

 

[BoSoxFan1022]

Do any of the folks with actual boots on the ground knowledge have any idea how long Universal could hold off announcing a cancellation of HHN?

Obviously I do not have inside info, but I seem to recall Legacy saying June/July

 

[RevFreako]

Obviously I do not have inside info, but I seem to recall Legacy saying June/July

@Legacy -- this sound accurate? I don't mean when we could start guessing based on no auditions, but when they'd need to announce it publicly and start arranging refunds.

 

[Legacy]

Ah. Thought that was in place of what everyone thought was Sabrina. Apologies.

I know you said TCM wasn’t the new “tier 2/3 property” that was happening over Gremlins, but I’m still curious about that being on that one article. Is that something plausible you heard in the rumor mill or was that completely random?

To your first comment: The Sabrina rumor is from a few months back, and was specifically "in negotiations for Sabrina." While we (insiders) started expecting it, it's more likely that an agreement was never made on it so it wasn't on the table. Conversely, Gremlins, as rumors go, WAS on the table. It was approved and then lost (don't ask me why--I don't know and won't presume on it). So the "unknown" IP is technically replacing Gremlins.

Regarding TCM. I had not heard it until the article. Since, I have heard it. But it's impossible to tell if those rumors are because of the article or not. The other IP that could replace it is something else that has been on the fringes of the list for a couple of months. I haven't alluded to it because I haven't been able to source, but it's a rumor that won't die this year.

Do any of the folks with actual boots on the ground knowledge have any idea how long Universal could hold off announcing a cancellation of HHN?

Obviously I do not have inside info, but I seem to recall Legacy saying June/July

That's me supposing June or July. If they're willing to write-off people traveling in for the event and go local heavy, they could wait until August. I'm just guessing from a "if I were in charge" perspective.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

Do any of the houses this year potentially feature some kind of gimmick?

 

[Legacy]

Do any of the houses this year potentially feature some kind of gimmick?

I mean... they're haunted houses. The whole thing is a gimmick.

 

[randomguesser]

So it’s a classic film that would get fans excited but it’s also popular. From what Legacy’s said it sounds like it’d be a new IP.

Im gonna throw a bone and guess Silence of the Lambs since it’s one of the few IPs left that HHN has never used. Scream & Hellraiser could fit too but those are a bit harder to license IPs.

 

[Oakley]

Here's some ideas that I'm just going to throw out there of movies that I deem to be classic and popular (Though, some of these may be considered cult, I don't know):
The Fly, Hellraiser, You're Next,
And here's some less common but still ones that I think could maybe come?:
The Descent, Black Christmas, The Mist, The Ring, Re-Animator,

 

[BoSoxFan1022]

So let’s say they do a TCM house, what would it be? One of the sequels, a compilation house?

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

I mean... they're haunted houses. The whole thing is a gimmick.

Touche.

Gimmick = open floor plan, same room over and over, helmet light, to a lesser extent the Facebook app for Graveyard Games, etc. Some sort of novelty/experimental house. Only reason I have some tiny modicum of interest in an Eilish house is because it seems like it could potentially fit that bill.

Haunting of Hill House could conceivably, as well.