Halloween Horror Nights 34 (UOR) - Speculation & Rumors

[kingcooger]

I don't think the Haunted House lineup has ever been cohesive; even if you look at a gold standard year like HHN18 they lumped a spaceship, zombies, Jack the Ripper and Fairy Tales together under "phobias". Which is fine though, it's way more important to have variety than cohesion in a lineup, and the facades are so far from the midway the clashing themes don't really matter. They exist in their own separate world.

I think when people say cohesion what they're really looking for is the entire park to feel "full". Consistent music loops that use spookier music, dead spots between scarezones filled with hordes, maybe smaller shows, or even just passive decorations instead of just #HHN34 projected on walls. A lot of this passive atmosphere has disappeared over the years, right now once you make it out of the front of the park the entire lagoon area can feel like one big deadzone.

An icon makes a tie-in easier as they can host the event, but even just a consistent theme like a haunted garden/conservatory can work just fine if they commit to the vibe like they're saying. The return of a chainsaw horde on the spec map is a good sign if it comes true.

2009 was cohesive; they were all movies playing at the theater.

Also, The Usher was a victim who held onto his rage, which means we have had a proper victim
as an Icon before.

 

[amar831]

I don't think the Haunted House lineup has ever been cohesive; even if you look at a gold standard year like HHN18 they lumped a spaceship, zombies, Jack the Ripper and Fairy Tales together under "phobias". Which is fine though, it's way more important to have variety than cohesion in a lineup, and the facades are so far from the midway the clashing themes don't really matter. They exist in their own separate world.

I think when people say cohesion what they're really looking for is the entire park to feel "full". Consistent music loops that use spookier music, dead spots between scarezones filled with hordes, maybe smaller shows, or even just passive decorations instead of just #HHN34 projected on walls. A lot of this passive atmosphere has disappeared over the years, right now once you make it out of the front of the park the entire lagoon area can feel like one big deadzone.

An icon makes a tie-in easier as they can host the event, but even just a consistent theme like a haunted garden/conservatory can work just fine if they commit to the vibe like they're saying. The return of a chainsaw horde on the spec map is a good sign if it comes true.

I know there were no traditional zones in 2012, but they did have random set pieces throughout the park that unified the theme of that year. I feel like having some set pieces around in the usual dead zones could go a long way.

 

[Jake S]

I think the music is a huge part, perhaps the most important part, of making it all feel “on purpose.”

 

[Kichkinet85]

2009 was cohesive; they were all movies playing at the theater.

Also, The Usher was a victim who held onto his rage, which means we have had a proper victim
as an Icon before.

You are right. Usher was a victim but he also died and came back to life to seek revenge. As of now we don’t know if Sergio will. While they absolutely could go the Usher route with him, I don’t think they will and he’ll just be a victim. So to me this makes him not an icon. As we learn more this can change tho!

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I think Universal Orlando made the choice to go after larger IP houses rather than the super cohesive years. I think there are several different reasons, from the time it takes to work with 3rd parties for approvals to the additon of more houses per year. That being said, if IPs take a backseat in a future year I'd like to see them lean into a fully thoughout event where all the zones and houses tie into each other.

 

[jseal777]

I think the theme this year is “stuff I’m gonna really enjoy while blitzed/toasted”
Bold to reuse a theme from previous years but it always works.

 

[johnathanm]

I know there were no traditional zones in 2012, but they did have random set pieces throughout the park that unified the theme of that year. I feel like having some set pieces around in the usual dead zones could go a long way.

I do agree even small touches in dead zones would work wonders imo. But probably not much ROI in terms of experience for the average guest.

 

[HHN Maddux]

I think one detail y'all are forgetting about is that the houses and zones are other paintings within the conservatory coming to life:

"The idea of horrifying paintings and artwork coming to life, that theme carries through in how we're executing that overall theme throughout the event."

"What I love about some of the works of art you're gonna see as you go through this Spanish manor is that their works of art are going to come to life throughout all of the event. So if you pay close attention, you might see some of the artwork that our graphic designers so brilliantly put together, that show the other things within our event."

It's very Alan Wake, and I love it.

 

[kingcooger]

I think one detail y'all are forgetting about is that the houses and zones are other paintings within the conservatory coming to life (or at least that's the impression I got from the panel):

"The idea of horrifying paintings and artwork coming to life, that theme carries through in how we're executing that overall theme throughout the event."

"What I love about some of the works of art you're gonna see as you go through this Spanish manor is that their works of art are going to come to life throughout all of the event. So if you pay close attention, you might see some of the artwork that our graphic designers so brilliantly put together, that show the other things within our event."

It's very Alan Wake, and I love it.

I have long thought that this was the way to go theme wise.

For instance, if they ever decided to adapt the Puppeteer character from overseas, just hangs a marionette of a specific character/monster from the house somewhere by the queue or house entrance with theater red curtains as a backdrop.

Now every house takes place in his theater and each house is just a show he is putting on.

 

[Lucky Planet]

2009 was cohesive; they were all movies playing at the theater.

Also, The Usher was a victim who held onto his rage, which means we have had a proper victim
as an Icon before.

2007 as well. a carnival, of carnage. all streets and zones were cohesive .
the music was also part of the carnival. everything

 

[Returning-The-Reaction]

didn't some of the Mary Shaw actors have tennis shoes with wheels one scarezone year? (2010?)

Yes. Some Body Collectors also wore Heelys in 2008's scarezone "Streets of Blood"