Random people singing on Youtube, picture clues, permits, and zany theories. It must be HHN speculation season again. I get asked by people all the time if I "know" anything. Truth is...I might and that makes me getting on video (which I used to do), and speculating along with all of you hard. I toyed with the idea of playing coy, but I decided that wouldn't be the best way to go. So instead, I'm just going to list out what the current speculated House line-up is, by the HHN faithful this year. These are the Houses that most seem to agree on, but know that there are a few other theories floating around out there. I will also say that this year, some things seem to have been in flux. We know from the past, that things can change at the very last minute. In recent history, American Horror Story is a good example as it was supposed to come to the event last year. Pretty late in the game it was dropped for Evil Dead. Buzz from this year suggest that may have been the case early on as well. A few theories have been floating around as to why. From what I can gathered, Fox wanted the House to be a little...adult. If you've seen the show, then you know what I'm talking about. If that was the case, I can see why getting the property to the event would be difficult. I don't think HHN Orlando would be willing to push THAT far. Look, it's different in this town. Orlando can only get away with so much until people start complaining. Even Hollywood isn't immune to this (see the Bill & Ted fiasco from last year). So, that's out of the way, let's take a look at the line up that most seem to agree is coming to the event.
The smarter speculator's out there knew The Walking Dead was coming back. If one is to believe the rumor about the three year contract, then it was inevitable. I don't believe revealing The Walking Dead first was an accident. I have to believe that the powers that be, know the die-hards are unhappy the property has been at the event. They had to know bringing it a third time would not sit well, especially after the streets last year. You also run the risk of a backlash from the General Public. They too may be getting tired of it. Announcing it first gets it out of the way. It also tests the waters, and they've done a few things to ensure that a repeat of The Walking Dead takeover, is not happening. Granted, it's getting the largest House in HHN history, but I digress. Hey, go big or go home, right? I will believe the General Public is tired of The Walking Dead when the event doesn't sell out this year. The same thing was said about the property coming back last year by a few, and the event sold out for the first time in a long time. And no, I don't hold much credence to Facebook comments. The same stuff was said last year on HHN's Facebook page. If the event is as crowded this year as it has been the past two years, then the tired of the Walking Dead theory is moot. The property sells tickets, so bringing it back was the correct decision. Might not have been the best decision, but the right one-A logical one. The Native American/Thanksgiving deal is an interesting theory. Some rumors suggest that there was another property trying to make its way to HHN, with this one being a fallback. Seems they've had some trouble trying to make the other property work. A few have gone back on saying that the Native American House is a done deal, and the other one has been given the green light. Me, I'm not so sure (*wink). The Clown House had some people saying Jack The Clown may be coming back this year. Again, I'm not so sure (*wink). I think it would be a natural fit for him, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that one. Perhaps a cameo like in The Cabin In The Woods, but I don't think anything more than that. Killer Klowns From Outer Space, was something that was speculated early on. The Clown House I think could be HHN's representation of that. For whatever reason, perhaps they couldn't get the rights, or some thought it would be too risky. Still, it has some guessing recently that perhaps it is in fact Killer Klowns. Me, I'm not so sure (*wink). Dracula Untold seems like a good cross-promotion for Universal. The first trailer was released today, perhaps not by NBC Universal's doing as it was pulled from Youtube pretty quickly. You can view it HERE if you wish. The flick looks more like a Game of Thrones inspired film, and I definitely get a little Van Helsing vibe. Still, I would be curious to see how they interpret this for a House. It could actually be pretty neat. I could see some great sets coming with this one. Alien VS Predator is a funny one. I would love to have been a fly on the wall if this was being pitched around. I really would like to see an Alien House, but HHN Orlando has already kind of done their own take on that with Interstellar Terror. While I think the property is a bit odd and out of its current time, something like this has the potential to be epic. Halloween is something that fans have wanted to come to the event for a while. If this is the year, I'm happy. Hey, it's Halloween. And that's all I have to say about that. The living doll concept could be creepy. Some have speculated that perhaps this is The Conjuring, connecting it to that Annabelle doll. I don't think so (*wink). Has potential to be really creepy if true. There's been some speculation that this "Boogeyman" House might actually be Legendary Truth related in some way, shape, or form (*wink). It's not like Legendary Truth hasn't had their own inspired House before, see Wyandot Estate for details. I think most believe that it also wont be a retread of El Cucuy from Hollywood. If that was the case, expect an Urban Legends tagged onto the front. I would also like to address the speculation about an Icon or overarching theme. At the moment of this writing, I do not believe there will be an Icon based on what I am being told (*wink). Things could change, but I wouldn't put all my money on black. Is there a possibility? Yes, anything is possible, but it's not looking likely. I do believe there will be some kind of theme (*wink), and it won't be The Walking Dead. However, I don't think the theme will be in your face. I think it's going to be more subtle. So what do you think? If this is the line-up for this year, do you like it? Have a favorite? Anything jump out at you? See what I did there? Ha! I kill me! 
Much to some die-hard's dismay, it's happening. The Walking Dead is returning to the event. Not only that, but the House is going to be the largest ever constructed for HHN. Mike Aiello gave some further details to the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday about what this mother of a House has in store. He also confirmed what some have been speculating about where the House will be constructed; Soundstage 25, which has not been used for Halloween Horror Nights before. Soundstage 25, currently houses the Dave School, which is an animation and digital effects school.
Aiello told the Orlando Sentinel this: "It is literally double the length of a maze that we've done in the past and literally double the number of walkers that we've hade in any other maze,". He went on to say expect to be surrounded by "masses" of Zombies in certain scenes. Scenes in the House will also include the Big Spot supermarket with the helicopter, the prison, and the tunnel that leads to Terminus. The House will end right where season 4 ends. He did however leave the possibility open that the ending could change when season 5 of The Walking Dead begins (I doubt that though). "We're bursting at the seams, as far as Soundstage 25 is concerned, by how much we're cramming into that space to ensure we're hitting all the necessary beats that are within season 4," he went on to say. So much cramming in fact, that both the beginning and the ending scenes of the House, will take place OUTSIDE of the Soundstage. He also again tried to fan the flames of some angry fans reassuring The Walking Dead will only be in a House. "We have other ideas that we want to occupy our streets with," Aiello said. "We really want to concentrate it so that from the time you enter until the time you leave, you're enveloped. Once you leave, you can experience everything else the event has to offer." I hate the show, but I am actually really excited to see what this House has to offer. I thoroughly enjoyed last year's House, which was a big improvement over HHN XXII. To read the full article, click HERE. 
So, here we are again. For those who may be visiting for the first time, HHN Legacy has been around before. A few months back, I decided to walk away from the site. I was in a very complicated part of my life. I had health issues, money issues, job issues, questions about if I was moving to Los Angeles, and a few other things going on. I run this place by myself and it just became too much for me to handle. Perhaps, I just needed a break in hindsight, but nevertheless I made the decision to close the place down.
I did have a few other things I was working on on the side as well, but they never panned out. That being said, I was humbled and shocked by some of the reactions from people when I said I was walking away. I worked hard to get this place up and running. Most of this site was created on a very shitty Netbook. It was frustrating, and took me the better part of a year to create this site. When I closed the site down, I placed it in my back pocket just in case I ever decided to return. I had also worked too hard to just delete everything. Maybe subconsciously, I knew that I would eventually resurrect the place. For the past couple of weeks, I had been asked by quite a few people to return. At first, I was adamant that I would not bring the site back. Granted, things in my life are starting to stabilize a bit and I would be able to give more attention to the place. The other thing that always bothered me, was how doing HHN Legacy, changed the way I experience Halloween Horror Nights. I created the site as a fan of the event. When I closed the place down, I was beaten down and quite frankly disgusted by things I had experienced over the two years I ran HHN Legacy. I became less a fan, and more journalist. I use that term extremely loosely. I aint no journalist. Some of the individuals I had met either from the fandom, or other websites, legitimately made me angry. Some are just downright horrible people. I had enough going on in my life, I didn't need to deal with those headaches. The state of the HHN community over the past 3 years, is also something I have no interest in revisiting as I go forward either. I became too entangled in those shenanigans, and it made the event a horrible experience at times. So why bring the site back? Because I love HHN. It's more than a passion for me, it's a lifestyle. I love to discuss, share my experiences, have others share their experiences with me, and share the love for the event. Universal Orlando is like my second home. I enjoy sharing my experiences with other people. However, there will be some changes going forward. First off, I know many liked them, but my video blogs will not be returning anytime soon. Those became too time consuming for me to do. Perhaps one day, I will do them again, but for the time being everything will be in writing. There are plenty of other HHN video bloggers out there you can view to get speculation from. That brings me to another point. I have no interest in trying to complete with some of these other huge websites. HHN Legacy will be more subdued than in the past. I will be working at my own pace. I am only one man, and do have a life and job outside of this place. There is no physical way I can be as quick as some of the other places. The site will have more of a personal feel going forward. More of a blog. I also don't have the resources those other places have. If things are a little slow, I apologize, but I will try and keep and active flow going. No video blogs like I mentioned, but I am trying to start an audio podcast that I will try and do once a month. We will see how that goes in the future, but I make no promises. For the time being, things will be minimal. You can always follow my Twitter @HHNLegacy for faster updates. So that's about it. I'm happy to be back, but I hope some understand why I won't be as active as I had been in the past. I won't be a ghost, but also not be as prominent as I tried to be. I am staying put in Orlando for the foreseeable future, and may even be moving closer to Universal in the fall. My health is getting better, and my head is a little clearer. Let's do this! C.F. Blanken 
For an unprecedented third year in a row, Halloween Horror Nights will bring the insanely popular Walking Dead property, back to the event. Of course, this sent a lot of the die-hard fans into a tizzy, but it was very much expected. If one is to believe the 3 year contract thing, then it should have been a no-brainer. Rest assured those who fear a repeat of Walker takeover like last year, the property won't be taking to the streets. It will however, be the largest house ever constructed for Halloween Horror Nights. In something of what appears to be damage control, Mike Aiello took to a video released shortly after the announcement, to try and calm fears from some of the die-hards who no-likey The Walking Dead at the event. He gave some details about what to expect in the largest house ever created for HHN, as well as try and tell some naysayers not to worry. Subtly of course. |
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