Topher's Blog

THE WALKING DEAD RETURNS FOR HHN XXV

7/30/2015

Well, it's official: The Walking Dead returns to HHN on both coasts. The announcement via Twitter this morning, was an odd one. It was one with little fanfare. There was not even a hint that any kind of announcement was coming this morning. The announcement wasn't even turned over for HHN Hollywood's John Murdy, or Orlando's Mike Aiello.

Soon after the announcement, a USA Today article was released, giving some details on the house. Hollywood's will be different than Orlando's. Orlando's house will be titled, The Walking Dead: The Living and the Dead. I find it interesting, that neither John Murdy, nor Mike Aiello, were interviewed for the USA Today article. Greg Nicotero, Executive Producer of the show, was interviewed.

"I couldn't be more delighted to continue and expand The Walking Dead universe...than by having fans experience some of the most harrowing and suspenseful moments of our show,"

There was also an announcement video posted, which you can view below.

On a personal note, I do not like how this was announced. It makes things look bad behind the scenes. Just dumping this via Twitter like they did, with no fanfare, no Mike Aiello, and very little details, is kind of unprofessional. I get that it's a tricky property to sell these days, but this is not how you do it. Go all in, or nothing. Sneaking it in like what happened this morning, is not the right decision.

You have the property, you already know how some will react, so just do it. Have confidence in your decisions. Don't try and backdoor it, it sincerely makes you look bad.

HHN REVEALS OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP BEING IMPATIENT AND JUST WAIT

7/27/2015

Greetings Internet dwellers!

Let's talk HHN reveals for a moment. I've been seeing a lot of false implications over the last week, about "how far behind" HHN is, with their reveals. There is some truth, and some really bad information in regards to this notion. The noise level on this is starting to irritate me, so I'm going to vent off some steam.

1. "LAST YEAR, WE HAD 4 HOUSES AND 2 SCARE ZONES REVEALED AT THIS POINT."

I came across this the other day, in a forum post. I usually discourage people from going to these cesspools. HHN forums are typically filled with Whiny, grumpy, feel-entitled fanboys, who like to spew garbage like this. This particular post, even came packaged with a false "screenshot" of last year's site, claiming his "info" was correct. Even despite evidence to the contrary.

Now, the initial post was made on July 22nd. So, the claim was 4 houses and 2 scare zones had been revealed up until that date last year. The truth of the matter is very different. Only four pieces of info had been revealed. Two were houses, two were scare zones.

Last year shook-up like this:

The Walking Dead- June 9th

From Dusk Til Dawn- July 14th

Face Off- July 16th

The Purge: Anarchy- July 21st

AVP- August 4th

Dracula Untold- August 7th

Dollhouse, Giggles, Roanoke, Bayou, Unstitched- August 12th

Halloween- August 27th

Now, there are some important points to remember here. Two of the announced things, were scare zones; scare zones, which were based on Intellectual Properties (IP's). The Purge: Anarchy, was released in theaters on July 18th, 2014. Season 7 of Face Off premiered on July 22nd, 2014. See the pattern here?

In the pantheon of HHN reveals, scare zones are second fiddle. They aren't announced with the same fanfare as houses. They are scare zones. The only reason both properties were announced last year when they were, were because they were IP's And their debut's coincided with the reveals.

If one wants to make a giant leap, they can surmise that perhaps, there are no IP based scare zones this year to announce with fanfare. If you examine the August 12th reveals, HHN revealed two scare zones lumped in with three houses. This is an entirely different scenario than Face Off and The Purge: Anarchy. Those five things were announced, as a mark of good faith about the "original" content that would be featured at the event. The blog headline said it all: "Halloween Horror Nights 24 Original Content Revealed."

It wasn't to announce scare zones with the sole purpose of announcing scare zones. HHN die-hards have a poor taste in their mouths, when it comes to "un-original" content. With everything up until that point being IP based, including a return of the fanboy hated The Walking Dead, it was done to ease concern. It was also done at the tail end of reveals.

This brings up another point. This practice of revealing everything systematically through Social Media, is a fairly new phenomenon. It started in 2012. Why was it started? IP's. Getting the rights to something, can be incredibly difficult, and almost always comes with baggage. When does the property come out? How can we co-advertise? How can we build hype for the property, and the event? And so on. Case in point, The Purge: Anarchy and Face Off. Their announcements close to the individual properties coming out, are no accident. It also adds buzz among the general public.

The same rule applies in the opposite direction. Anything is possible behind the scenes. Let's look at Insidious. Why wasn't it announced the weekend the film came out? I'm willing to bet it wasn't because they just didn't want to do so. With Insidious, you also have another factor here: HHN Hollywood. Insidious is obviously a shared property, however both houses are going to be different. It is entirely possible they were just finalizing deals, and working out details.

2. THIS YEAR, IS THIS YEAR

Who says that HHN has a set "reveal" schedule? What happened last year, happened last year. Why they chose to announce what they did, in the time- frame they did, had a purpose. This year's circumstances, are different than last year's circumstances.

In a certain point of view, they've already announced three things for the event this year. What was the first thing they announced again? Oh, yeah, Jack The Clown is returning as host. How quickly the mindset changes when something isn't a house, or scare zone. And it was done in MAY. May, for crying out loud. It's also a testament to how fanboy rage changes on a daily basis.

In essence, we have had one reveal every month, since May. That pretty much lines up with what they did last year, just, one thing isn't a house, or scare zone. So we have had three reveals up until this point. I could argue that Bill & Ted has been confirmed to return as well, but I digress on that point.

3. ANOTHER REVEAL WEEK?

If you are going to systematically reveal things, as HHN has done over the last few years, then timing is everything. Reveal something too early, and people forget (especially if it isn't a known property). Reveal things too late, and people complain.

The blitzkrieg of reveals that happened in 2012 and 2013, is actually a good marketing strategy. Films follow a similar pattern. If it's a big Hollywood movie, say like Star Wars, you get that early teaser. In Star Wars' case, last November. As you get closer to the film, you have the balls-to-the-wall advertising blitz, leading up to the release.

With a reveal week happening in early August, or mid August, it's great timing, as usually the site is finalized the last week of August. The event starts September 18th this year, so a reveal week happening around that time in August, fits perfectly. You are one month removed for the event, and at the end of August, early September, the full advertising blitz begins for the event.

With HHN, for sake of perspective, the teaser this year would be Jack, sprinkled in with a few announcements, and you hit a reveal week in August, followed by the marketing push. I'm pretty sure people forgot about those reveal weeks. Last year, was handled very differently than 2012, and 2013.

Again, every year is different. I'm not saying that is what's happening this year, but as time goes on, it's possible that's where they are headed.

4. PATIENCE AND PERCEPTION.

I get that we live in a society these days, where everything needs to be done now. Everything must happen at this moment. However, it is still July, and still early. People act like the event will implode if things aren't revealed by August. There is no vast conspiracy happening behind the scenes, as some would like you to believe.

Things are done a certain way, for a reason. HHN XXV will be just fine, even if they waited until the end of August to reveal everything. Which, hey, remember when they used to do that? I do.

Is HHN really "behind" in revealing stuff? That depends on your point of view. Are two missing scare zones, really that big of a deal? I hear people cry that Howl-O-Scream has revealed more stuff at this point. They've announced four houses, all of which are returning from previous years...

The argument is that at least "it's something". Sure, it's something, but how impatient are you that "it's something", is good enough for you? In terms of houses, they are on point with their reveals. Last year, AVP was next up on August 4th.

We all just need to chill.

HHN AT 25: RANKING OUR 15 years

7/22/2015

Greetings internet dwellers!

As our HHN 25th coverage continues, we enter the countdown phases. For our first countdown list, we are ranking our favorite years that we attended. This will also give us an opportunity to recount some of our experiences for you. We will be counting down from our least favorite year, to our current favorite. Like any kind of list, these are just OUR favorite. I'm sure your list will look different. Every year for us has some up and downs, but some ups and downs are worse, or better than others. Mind you, we missed the first 10 years of the event, so again, this is just the years we attended.

Let us begin.

15. HHN X (2000): THE TRIP FROM HELL

MOST MEMORABLE THING: BILL & TED, JACK THE CLOWN, CROWDS

My first trip ever to HHN, and I vowed never to return. Granted, we had a lot of issues during this trip that go beyond HHN, but I digress. First off, the crowds were INSANE. We also at one point decided to try and ride Men In Black, and it broke down multiple times. We waited well over two hours for it, but that was still a shorter wait than the three-hour average of all the houses that night. One house that we actually did get to do (Universal Classic Monster Mania), abruptly escorted us out of the house for some reason. The house-lights turned on, and everyone was ushered out. We did eventually get to do Dark Torment, which was meh. The only real takeaways for me, were The Midway of Dr. Morose, and Bill & Ted. Dr. Morose was nuts! Bill & Ted was hilarious, and as we saw it at the end of the night, all you could do was laugh after the experience we just went through. Overall, I learned a lot of lessons in 2000.

14. HHN XI (2001): REAL HORROR VS. FAKE HORROR

MOST MEMORABLE THING: MY FRIEND HAVING AN ALLERGIC REACTION TO BURLAP IN SUPERSTITIONS, MY FRIEND HAVING HER BELT CONFISCATED AT SECURITY, THE BEST SCARE I EVER HAD IN A HOUSE

Halloween Horror Nights XI, is a nebulous event for me. I am from New York, born and raised. My parents both worked in Lower Manhattan. My mother worked in the Twin Towers. My dad was across the street from the Twin Towers in 1993, when terrorists tried to take down the The World Trade Center the first time. We attended HHN not too long after the events of 9/11, obviously. I remember vague discussions about not even putting on the event that year. However, things must go on and even at the event, there was a different feeling in the air. Security was tight, and enter the metal detector's at the front gates. My friend had to surrender her belt, because it had small spikes on it. Another friend of mine, had to surrender his medication. This event kind of runs together for me sometimes. The haze of the 9/11, clouded the event. The same friend who had her belt confiscated actually had an allergic reaction from a few burlap sacks, hanging down from the ceiling in Superstitions. In that same house, I had the biggest startle of my entire run of HHN houses. It came from one of those drop-down walls. It was the first time I had experienced one of those, and I wasn't expecting it. I was caught so off guard, I fell backwards and there was a domino effect of everyone around me, who also fell backwards. It was very funny. I vaguely remember The Mummy Returns house as well. The little drop floor during the finale got us pretty good. We actually got all of the houses done that year except for one. All in all, HHN XI was a much better experience.

13. HHN XX (2010): FEAR IS BORING

MOST MEMORABLE THING: ALL THE ICONS TOGETHER, THE BUILD-UP OF FEAR

While HHN XX was meant to be an anniversary year, and it felt like it, for me, the year fell a little flat. However, one of the things I did really like about it, were the majority of the houses. Catacombs: Black Death Rising, Havoc: The Dogs of War, and most of the other houses, were really impressive. I also really loved the scare zones this year. The addition of the Icons for photo-ops, was a nifty idea, and I really hope they bring it back for HHN XXV. Where the event really failed for me, is in Fear. I found the whole idea of Fear really compelling. It was interesting and really quite inventive. If Fear would have lived up to the hype, it could have really propelled the event into a new direction, moving into The Walking Dead years. However, he was mostly forgettable. His appearance, and subsequently the year, just kind of fall into obscurity for some. Still, it did have some good houses, which ranks it a bit higher on our list.

12. HHN XIV (2004): TWO PARKS (BUT NOT REALLY)

MOST MEMORABLE THING: TWO PARKS, I MOVED TO ORLANDO, HURRICANES

HHN's 2X The Fear was a fun experiment, but also kind of a cluster at the same time. This would be the year I moved to Orlando. I actually moved to Orlando for college in July of 2004. HHN XIV, would also be remembered for another reason by most: Hurricanes. For some reason, Mutha Nature, decided to pick on Central Florida and its coast. The funny thing is, I lived in South Florida for a long time, and only got hit with a few small tropical storms. When I moved to O-Town, bam, hurricane central. For the event, this actually proved a problem early on. Scare zones were battered around a bit, especially Field of Screams, which Universal had been growing corn for. Even up to opening night, things were still being fixed from the aftermath of all the storms. I liked the idea of doing the two park thing, but the execution left much to be desired. Connecting both parks with scare zones, WAS a nifty idea, and worked out really well. I have a special fondness for Field of Screams. Some of the houses were really awesome too. Hellgate Prison was a great house, as was Castle Vampyr. However, two whole parks it was not. Realistically, it was just one park, spread out over the space of two. On really busy nights, they would open the back of Universal Studios Florida, and I think they may have done the same over at Islands of Adventure occasionally. This year really is just the memory of “two” parks. It was an interesting experiment, and in the end was kind of shaky, but fun, with some solid houses and scare zones.

11. HHN XXII (2012): THE DEAD HAVE ARRIVED

MOST MEMORABLE THING: HHN LEGACY BEGINS, FANBOYS, HORROR UNEARTHED

Ah, the first year for The Walking Dead. While I have no problem with The Walking Dead at the event, it's inaugural year at Halloween Horror Nights was horrible. The house ranks up there for me, as one of the worst houses HHN has ever done. Not good when you're trying to win die-hard HHN fanboys over. HHN XXII was the year I started HHN Legacy. I had been kicking around the idea of doing it for quite some time, but started the process at the end of HHN XXI. It took me a while to do, as I did it by myself. While it has gone through a lot of changes over the last four years, I'm still very proud of it. 2012, also saw the debut of Horror Unearthed. It's still I think, the most sheer fun I've ever had at the event. I met A LOT of people playing the game as well. I actually really enjoy the house line-up for HHN XXII. The streets, are still pretty controversial for this year. People either loved it, or hated it. I actually quite enjoyed the roaming hordes. It was a great year to people watch. This was also the year, HHN fanboys overtook Facebook pages, forums, and social media, to bicker, complain, and rage. They still do, but I digress. To be honest, I really dig this year mostly for Horror Unearthed. It was a lot of fun.

10. HHN XXIII (2013): THE DEAD ARE EVERYWHERE

MOST MEMORABLE THING: AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, LEGENDARY TRUTH, THE STREETS

The year An American Werewolf in London made. To be honest, HHN XXIII had a very strong collection of houses. However, An American Werewolf in London, just dwarfed the entire line-up this year. Nothing really came close to matching what that house did. At least they improved greatly on The Walking Dead house from the previous year. Horror Unearthed made a return, but this time it was re-branded into Legendary Truth. While this year saw a handful of major technical glitches which all but squandered the experience of Legendary Truth, it was still a fun game with twists and turns. If you hated the streets in 2012, well, you were probably in for a bit of a shock this year. The call to bring back the props, and set scare zones after the roaming hordes from the year before, was answered, but not in the way fans wanted it. The Walking Dead took over the event in a big way. It took over the streets. Yes, the entire park was transformed into various locales from The Walking Dead show. So why are the streets memorable? I honestly didn't mind the streets. They gave it a good effort. And the meltdown of HHN fanboys about the streets, and The Walking Dead, just makes me laugh.

9. hhn xvi (2006): back to basics

MOST MEMORABLE THING: ROBOSAURUS, THE ICONS TOGETHER

If we're talking events where I just had pure fun, this is one of them. Bringing the then current Icons together for one event, was really fun. All the houses were pretty solid, minus one, and I really enjoyed the shows this year. I liked The Director's Cut, which utilized the 360 spheres. And freaking Robosaurus. I was so glad to have seen this at the event. The Arrival was pretty good as well, and even Bill & Ted was strong. In fact, this could be the last year for Bill & Ted, that I actually liked. The scare zones were pretty blah this year, but I thoroughly enjoyed everything else.

8. HHN XIII (2003): THE DIRECTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW

MOST MEMORABLE THING: THE DIRECTOR, BOOZE, LEGENDARY HOUSES

The Director is my favorite Icon. I think it stems from my study of film. The marriage of HHN and movies, has always been one of my favorite aspects. Yes, that includes IP's. Universal's horror history, just lends itself to Halloween Horror Nights. I never understood why fans get so upset over the fact that HHN uses real horror properties for the event. If they are done well, HHN's creative team tends to work magic. Like any houses though, IP's are bound to have their ups and downs. It's just natural. This was the first year I was of drinking age! Hooray for me. The houses this year, were great too. All Nite-Die in, and Psychoscareapy made their first appearances here. I also loved how in the years that HHN was held at IOA, they experimented with a few things. Using the Triceratops Discovery trail for example, as a house. I quite enjoyed Jungle of Doom. Overall, a fantastic memorable year for me. This was also the first year, I attended the event more than one night.

7. HHN XXIV (2014): THE FUN OF IT ALL

MOST MEMORABLE THING: MICHAEL MYERS, CROWDS, QUESTIONABLE DECISIONS

So, 2014's event. I had issues with it. For starters, the crowds were awful. HHN continuing to utilize The Walking Dead, proved to be a good one. The people came in droves for the property. And by George, it was HHN's largest and longest house ever. Yes, there were things decided upon by the higher-ups, that I did not enjoy much. Many logistical changes throughout the event, made things scattered; the Frequent Fear Pass decision, The Voodoo Queen, changing of exits and entrances, and The Compound just to name a few. However the houses were fantastic. Minus one (looking at you Dracula Untold). In my opinion, HHN XXIV had the best collection of houses since HHN XXI. The majority were all strong, or at the very least, fun. It was the first time in a while at HHN, I just had fun. Sheer unadulterated fun. I ignored the constant fanboy bickering, and while the decisions made I didn't agree with, they didn't effect my enjoyment of the event. It was just good times.

6. HHN XIX (2009): REBOOTS

MOST MEMORABLE THING: MOVIE LOVE

The last good “Icon” in my opinion. The Usher, while a rushed concept, actually turned out pretty well. Again, the matching of HHN, Universal, and movies, just fits so well. Some of these houses could have been huge disasters, with the team literally “rebooting” some of the Universal Classic Monster movies. I am a huge fan of the Classic Monsters, and I love when they use them. This year was no exception. I even enjoyed the hell out of The Wolfman. I also really dug the scare zones this year. This year just stands out to me. It was an extremely fun year. And it gave us Dracula: Legacy in Blood.

5. HHN XII (2002): CREEP FACTOR ALPHA

MOST MEMORABLE THING: ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE, THE CARETAKER

While The Director is my favorite Icon, The Caretaker represents for me, the most creepy HHN has gone in their presentation, during the Icon years. There hasn't been an Icon (no, not even Jack), who defines creepy as much as The Caretaker for me. His ads, his house, his presence, was just never matched in my opinion. For me, he is also the most interesting of the Icons. His backstory is just great horror. In a way, he is the most “real” of the Icons in his story. His actions are very much realistic, and it really gets under my skin. This of course, is also the first year the event was at IOA. I actually really enjoy it at Islands of Adventure. Despite the lack of space to put houses, it has a much better flow to its layout. I hope it returns there some day. Solid collection of houses too, minus the infamous Fear Factor.

4. HHN XVII (2007): YOUR CHILDHOOD SCARES TO LIFE

MOST MEMORABLE THING: FREDDY & JASON, THE CARNIVAL, JACK

When it was revealed that Jack The Clown would be coming back to host the event, that didn't phase me. When it was Jack The Clown hosting a macabre Carnival of Carnage, with Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface, as his bloody sideshows, that got me excited. As HHN grew, it was only a matter of time before these iconic horror villains would come to the event. In a way, 2007 was the first shot fired for HHN utilizing intellectual properties at the event in overabundance. In addition to Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface, there was also Dead Silence: The Curse of Mary Shaw, and The Thing: Assimilation. The controversy of the scare zones in 2007 doesn't affect me one bit. The rest of the event was so much fun, it didn't matter. Yeah, they tweaked the streets as the event went on, but it was just the icing on the cake to an already fun event. I adore the marketing for 2007 as well. Carnival of Carnage also had my favorite Universal archway design with the carnival theme. In fact, I feel it was the last great one. Lots to be excited about this year. Solid houses, a killer theme, and such a good time.

3. HHN XXI (2011): LADY LUCK WAS A THING?

MOST MEMORABLE THING: THE HOUSES, THE HOUSES, THE HOUSES

Yes, Lady Luck may have been lackluster, but who cares. I've made my opinion most clear in the past how I feel about Icons. The houses this year, were unrivaled. No collection before or really since (HHN XXIV came close), to being so awesomely perfect. Even the weakest house, The Thing, was still superbly done. Just listen to these names: H.R. Bloodengutz: Holidays of Horror, The Forsaken, Nightingales: Blood Prey, The In-Between, Nevermore: The Madness of Poe, Saws N' Steam: Into The Machine, Winter's Night: The Haunting of Hawthorn Cemetery... I mean, my, God, just such a wonderful collection of houses. I even enjoyed the scare zones. They were pretty experimental, but still really fun for the most part. 7 was a blast, the crumbling buildings of Acid Assault were mesmerizing, and I thoroughly enjoyed Grown Evil. Still, what really stands out to me about HHN XXI are the houses. The event also really pushed me to start building that idea I had been working on for a few years: HHN Legacy.

2. HHN XVIII (2008): BLOODY MARY, BLOODY MARY...

MOST MEMORABLE THING: BLOODY MARY, THEMES, BACKSTORIES

Elaborate themes and backstories are no stranger to HHN. While the die-hard fans of the event love them, I don't need them to enjoy Halloween Horror Nights. However, 2008 was the plateau of HHN's creative story line side. Everything about the event, was all connected to each other. Mary Agana's back story, was so wonderfully realized and incorporated, it just elevated the event to something else. Bloody Mary was connected to each and everything happening at the event; from the scare zones to the houses, she was somehow worked into the plot. They tried that again in 2011, just not with so much fanfare. The event was just wonderfully cohesive. Everything in 2008, just clicks. Even if there were some houses that fell flat. This year also seemed to up the ante when it came to the scare zones. This was also the first “real” year for Legendary Truth: The Collective. I didn't really participate in 2008, but I followed it close enough. And Bloody Mary's design was fantastic. Very creepy, and she fit her story well. Maybe too well in fact, as parents complained that her image on billboards was too scary for their children. To that I say, bravo HHN, bravo.

1. HHN XV (2005): WELCOME TO TERRA CRUENTAS

MOST MEMORABLE THING: THE WORLD, THE STORY, THE EXECUTION, GETTING LOST IN TERROR MINES

In 2008, HHN perfected all that elaborate backstory stuff into one event. However, 2005, they created an entire new world for the event. Sure, the Storyteller may have been shoehorned into the marketing. However, her presence still made sense in the long run (minus the house she was in). I absolutely love HHN's world building in 2005. They went to great pains, to transport you to the strange world of Terra Cruentas. Even the maps reflected this, with each part of the world represented on it. They have not done something this elaborate for the event since. Seriously. Look at 2008. While all that backstory stuff was there, it was mostly found on the website, or someone with a keen eye. 2005 was in your face. You were in this world. The majority of the houses were solid as well, with each tying into this overarching story of Terra Cruentas. The scare zones also tied into everything that was going on. Sacrifices, rituals, artifacts, and more; all lead up to a story climax involving the Terra Queen. The creative minds at HHN, took you into this world, and did it wonderfully. I sincerely hope we get something this elaborate again one day. Perhaps a sister world next door at the Studios? I did have a funny incident this year, where I got lost in Terror Mines. It was so dark, our group couldn't see anything. We ended up walking into a Scare Actor's boo-hole. Funny thing was, they guy never broke character trying to get us to turn around and find the main path. So much awesome happened this year. Honestly, I can't express how much I love HHN XV.

So there you have it. This took quite a long time. Here's to the next fifteen years. We'll be back soon with our 25 favorite houses of the past fifteen years.

Hasta La Bye-Bye for now.

INSIDIOUS COMES TO HHN ORLANDO & HOLLYWOOD

7/16/2015

HHN Orlando & Hollywood announced today, that Insidious is coming to both coasts. Insidious would be the first house this year, that both events will be sharing. For Hollywood, this isn't the first time Insidious has been at the event. For Orlando, it is

The Universal Blog said this:

"Paranormal mazes bring a unique opportunity to engage the guests with an eerie theme and pervasive creepiness that will inhabit every turn. You can look forward to an unsettling feeling of terror following you home and roaming your nightmares."

In addition, an announcement video was released and the cast of Insidious, talked about the film coming to HHN XXV. The house will feature scenes from all 3 films. Both houses in Hollywood and Orlando, are said to be different from each other.