 Greetings internet dwellers! My second week at HHN has come to a close. I will return to the event next Thursday. I did not take a whole lot of pictures these last 2 days, or video. I wanted to just take in the event, and spend time with friends and family. My sister's birthday was this past Thursday as well, so there was that. I apologize, and will take as many as I can next week. Let's talk. CHANGESIt is no secret, that I am not a fan of how things have transpired at the event this year, courtesy of Universal management. First and foremost, as of right now, I am glad I did not buy an Unmasking The Horror Tour. If you have not heard, they have banned photos and video, within the IP houses on the tour. I know Universal has already issued a lot of refunds because of this. At least, to their credit, they are doing that. There are a few rumors, that this decision may be overturned, but I am not positive on that. We will see how it goes. My advice is, if you have booked an UTH, and it comes towards the end of the event, perhaps wait it out for a while. You can still take photos and things in the original houses, but the tours consist of 2 IP's and one original, so it's kind of pointless. They added some more interactive elements in the some of the Zones, especially Survive Or Die. The school bus finally returned to Vamp 1955, after being out of commission last weekend. Dead Man's Warf, was the most improved, as the actor's were a lot more aggressive in the Zone. They didn't just lumber around this time, or just stop to take selfies. The biggest change though, came in the form of music. Virtually all the music around the park, was changed on Thursday. There was less of the Chance interruptions on the speakers, and no more NIN, or Marilyn Manson either. On Friday, the music changed again. The Chance interruptions came back; this time a lot more prominent, and some remixes of horror themes played around the park. Halloween, The Walking Dead, and The Exorcist, are what I heard. I wonder if there was more, but those three stood out. I do not recall hearing any other music with words, other than in Vamp 1955. There are a few other issues that have cropped up, caused by Universal management and their boneheaded decisions, but I will save that for my own rage at this point. I'm sure more stupid decisions, are in the future. CURRENT HOUSE RANKINGSGot The Exorcist in finally, so we can rank all 9. As always, this will change and fluctuate throughout the event, as things are still bound to change. From worst to best. 9. LUNATIC'S PLAYGROUND 3D
8. KRAMPUS
7. THE WALKING DEAD
6. THE EXORCIST
5. GHOST TOWN: THE CURSE OF LIGHTNING GULTCH
4. THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE
3. AMERICAN HORROR STORY
2. HALLOWEEN: HELL COMES TO HADDONFIELD
1. TOMB OF THE ANCIENTS
CURRENT SCARE ZONE RANKINGSI am still not a big fan of the Scare Zones this year. All of them, are severely lacking in every department. While some tried to improve on things, everything else just stayed flat. 5. A CHANCE IN HELLCURRENT RATING: 1/5 What a waste of space. That is all. 4. VAMP 1955CURRENT RATING: 2/5 Still very blah. We had a few cool moments, but nothing really to write home about. Glad the bus is back too. 3. BANSHEES LAIR (OR WHATEVER IT IS THEY ARE CALLING IT THESE DAYS)CURRENT RARING: 2.5/5 Fun, and atmospheric, but not much else. It is really nice to just stand and watch in here. 2. SURVIVE OR DIECURRENT RATING: 3/5 They added some more interactivity in here, and the cast is starting to perk up a bit. It's a fun Zone, but pales in comparrison to other New York Zones of the past. 1. DEAD MAN'S WARFCURRENT RATING: 3.5/5 A lot more fun this time around. The cast was much more active. It's also another great place to just look at. Still, all the Scare Zones are lacking this year. PARTING WORDS FOR NOWI am still not a fan of the Zones. I am also very displeased with how things are going down behind the scenes this year. I had a particularly sad conversation, with one of my Scareactor friends on Friday, which just cemented my anger. There is a part of me which hopes there is someone who will eventually realize, that some of their decisions this year, are just wrong. Not just wrong, but bad, and they will eventually come back to bite them in the butt. I enjoy the majority of the houses though, so that's a plus.
This has been a very weird year overall so far. I will return next Thursday and Friday. I am ready.  Greetings internet dwellers! Well, I am going to try and keep this first update of the event, short and sweet. As I have done in the past, I will keep a running commentary about the event, throughout its run. The reason I do this, is because things change. The event will tweak things as they go along. That being said, they better get on those tweaks, as HHN XXVI feels like an incomplete event. It feels like an incomplete event, with a myriad of operational issues. When it comes to the AAT passes, good luck on that front Universal. I hope people attempt to sue the hell out of you at this point. People legitimately need those. Find a better system to curb people from abusing them. Your own staff, abuses that system. Don't punish the disabled, and don't judge the disabled either. Universal has no right, and I mean no right, to judge someone's disability. They have no right to pick and choose who's disability is worse than someone else. And they have no right to ask, or show proof of a disability. I am utterly disgusted by the treatment of their guests with disabilities on Friday and Saturday. And on top of that, you make someone rent one of your wheelchairs as an alternative? There are many types of disabilities, and it isn't just on the surface. And those people don't need a fucking wheelchair. Nor do they want to be extorted out of money, to rent one of yours. This issue, extends to daytime operation as well. We'll see how far this goes. Universal won't get away with this for long. Unless they just want to keep settling lawsuits outside of court. Good Luck with that. Moving on to staff issues. Communicate with them better. I am pretty sure some people are just making shit up off the top of their heads, because they don't have a direct answer. I shouldn't be told four different things, from four different people. Nobody should. Friday night, was awful in that department. It seemed like Saturday was much smoother, so I'll chalk it up to first night issues. Weird practices were implemented on Saturday night. There needs to be a better system in place, at the Finnegan's stay and scream. I get that you are trying to curb underage drinking. However, having one wristband distribution, with checking ID's directly behind the first, with another wristband distribution, is absurd. It holds up the line, and is redundant. If we are going to do the two wristband system, why not have the first one distributed when they scan your HHN ticket? That first one is designed to be the actualy stay and scream wristband. Do the second if someone wants to enter Finnegan's, so you can check their ID. That still raises another issue. Finnegan's has the only bathroom in that stay and scream. Are you going to deny someone entry into Finnegan's to use the bathroom, because they are under 21? If the other wristband is strictly for someone who is drinking, then have two separate wristbands; one which identifies someone who is 21, and one who isn't. There is no need for two. With two separate stops. If you are going to check someone's ID anyway, it doesn't matter. Moving on, let's talk about the content. At this moment in time, HHN XXVI feels incomplete. Scare Zones feel like an afterthought. Friday night, houses felt like they forgot it was opening night, and they needed to actually do things. Or employ Scareactor's. I've noticed that there seems to be less Scareactor's out in the streets, as well. Survive or Die is a good example. There is like, no one in there. It's one giant dead space. There is no intensity from anyone either. In virtually every Zone, actor's just walk around, with minimal interactions with guests. The Zones, have turned into one huge selfie fest. They will stop for those. Dead Man's Warf aside, sets on the streets, are really rather plain. Which is fine, but have the actor's actually do stuff. DO THINGS. After the lackluster opening two nights, thank the lord for Academy of Villains. More on that later. Let's talk in more detail. CURRENT HOUSE RANKINGSFrom worst to best. 8. KRAMPUS
7. LUNATIC'S PLAYGROUND 3D
6. AMERICAN HORROR STORY
5. THE WALKING DEAD
4. GHOST TOWN: THE CURSE OF LIGHTNING GULTCH
3. HALLOWEEN: HELL COMES TO HADDONFIELD
2. TOMB OF THE ANCIENTS
1. THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE
SCARE ZONESIf you want to have the most fun in the streets this year, seek out the roaming hordes. They at least care about what they are doing. The Scare Zones, are just not good. 5. VAMP 1955CURRENT RATING: 1/5 Do something. Just, bloody do something. Nothing, happens in here. It's plain, and nobody seems to give a crap. Lot's of plastic dummies too. A trend this year, both in houses and Scare Zones. 4. A CHANCE IN HELLCURRENT RATING: 1/5 Nothing more than a glorified photo-op for Chance. Speaking of Chance, her voice; MY GOD, HER VOICE. Hearing her voice every five seconds around the park, is like nails on a chalkboard. Back to the zone, everyone congregates around Chance. I don't even think people know there are actor's in here otherwise. Oh, more plastic dummies. 3. LAIR OF THE BANSHEES (OR WHATEVER IT IS THEY ARE CALLING IT THESE DAYS)CURRENT RATING: 2/5 At least this has some cool lighting, and good atmosphere. Other than that, that's it. 2. DEAD MAN'S WARFCURRENT RATING: 2/5 Do something. Just, bloody do something. At least it looks nice. 1. SURVIVE OR DIECURRENT RATING: 2.5/5 Hey, it has music from Mad Max, so that's a plus. And a few people actually try to scare you. One guy got me yesterday. PARTING WORDS FOR NOWAcademy of Villains. This show injected a much needed energy to the event. It's fun, it's different, it's inventive, it's artistic, and it's something HHN XXVI needs. Not to mention, these guys and gals seem legitimately happy to bet at the event. I love their interactions with the crowd. Their excitement just oozes off the stage. It's infectious.
That's the end of my week one. I will return to the event next Thursday and Friday. I have yet to do Bill & Ted, or The Exorcist. I have a bunch of photos forthcoming, so look for that. That's it for now. Until next week.  Greetings internet dwellers!
It's time. The fog machines are being juiced, and HHN XXVI officially opens to the public tonight! No more speculation, no more "previews," no more guessing- all will be revealed tonight. This has a been a very long speculation season. Very long. There is a part of me, that is just glad the event is finally here. There are a few things I want to take note of, before the event starts. I will be out at the event, pretty much every Thursday and Friday. I've been asked about meet-ups and things like that. I don't do "meet-ups." I am usually at the event with other people, and I can't pull myself away most of the time. If you see me, don't hesitate to say hi. I don't bite... all the time. I always approach HHN from a fans perspective. I generally don't like to get involved with media, as I feel it could taint one's view of things. I paid for a ticket, I waited in the lines, I bought that same $7 drink, and $12 slice of pizza you did. I feel it gives me a clearer picture of the event. I will do an update every week, on the event. Photos and video, will come as quickly as I can get them up on the website, and various social media platforms. Tonight, opening night, I will be doing Facebook Live when I can. You will see more of those tonight, than most of the event. As the event moves on, I will be doing Facebook Live probably once a night, in a surprise location. Like I said above, I am usually with people, so I don't want to be rude either. So if I can't do it, I will let you all know on Twitter. Speaking of, I will probably be Tweeting up a storm. You can follow me @HHNLegacy on Twitter. You can also find me on Facebook @Facebook.com/HHNLegacy. I also want to let you know, I take my time. My back isn't what it used to be, and I just can't rush around like I did when I was a young pup. I probably won't get to all the houses this weekend. I also like to savor the event, so I go slow. I'm not interested in being "first" at everything. With that, that is it. HHN XXVI is here! If you are attending this year, have a great time! If not, you can always live vicariously through me, and other great sites. Go ahead and give HHNCrypt.com a follow. They do a great job as well. Go forth and scream. Chance, is waiting.  Greetings internet dwellers! It's no secret that I despise fanboy bickering. The vast majority of the time, it just becomes white noise to me. When it comes to Halloween Horror Nights in recent years, they seem to latch on to a few issues to incessantly moan and complain about. One such complaint, is how the Universal Studios archway, isn't as elaborately decorated as it has been in the past. When I hear this, I have to shake my head. What they fail to see, is that the archway has actually had MORE decorations around it, than most years at HHN. Throw in the fact that with Rock the Universe, Universal has to turn around whatever it is they do with the archway, in a very short amount of time. Generally, it is within a few days, to a week. To really examine this, we have to go back to the early days of HHN. And, figure out what constitutes as "elaborately themed." The truth of the matter is, Halloween Horror Nights, has never really gone all out when it comes to the archway (expect for 2 years). In actuality, what the early days of HHN did to invite guests into the event, was a hanging medallion, and some scary music. Medallions hanging from the Universal arch, are nothing new. They use the medallions for pretty much all of their events. Mardis Gras, Rock the Universe, and the holiday festivities, all use a medallion. The holiday festivities, also sometimes have one of the Macy's floats sitting outside. My first visit to Halloween Horror Nights in 2000, just had a medallion, with the Jack the Clown Jack-in=the-box logo. The music from Halloween, was also playing as we entered the studios. The truth is, for the first 16 years of the event, HHN pretty much just used a medallion, some music, and lighting. Halloween Horror Nights 2007, was a landmark year for the event. It was truly the first time, HHN went balls-deep into IP marketing territory. Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface, joined Jack the Clown, at the Carnival of Carnage. Universal, paid a lot of money to be able to use the Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre properties at the event. Michael Myers aside, one could argue Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface, are modern day horror icons. Universal, wasn't going to let that go to waste. To have those three as the faces of the event, was a big deal. Combining them with Jack the Clown, was an even bigger deal. Halloween Horror Nights, took all of that, and ran with it. HHN XVII, was the first year where the Universal archway, was truly decked out. And in my own opinion, was the best that Universal has ever done with the archway. The Carnival of Carnage theme, spilled its way out, into the archway. It was themed to a traveling carnival. Lights, banners, marquees, and old trucks, were meant to convey what the theme was for that year- Jack the Clown, traveling around with his Carnival of Carnage, picking up his sideshow acts. In this case, they were the likes of Freddy, Jason, Leatherface, and the rest of the content. So after the archway of 2007, HHN would do that from now on, right? The answer is no. The very next year, 2008, a year that the vast majority of die-hard fans consider to be HHN's crowning year, went back to the medallion. There were a few slight differences though. The 2008 medallion, would be a video version. It was shaped like Bloody Mary's mirror, and would flash images of her on it. They would also play the 2008 commercial. They also, added images of Bloody Mary, along the smaller arches. A practice that started in 2007, and would become common place today. 2009, would be the ONLY other year, where HHN did something a bit more elaborate outside the archway. They turned the entrance into the Universal Palace Theater. Guests entering Halloween Horror Nights, would be greeted by a horde of the Palace Theater usher's, as well as the ticket window. From 2010 to now, the Universal Studios archway, has been more or less, decked out the same way every year. And the fact of the matter is, not only is it more decked out than anything the first 16 years of HHN had going for it, they have been doing the same kind of practices on it since 2007. The pattern is always the same. Medallion in the middle, either video or not, with images of the houses, or smaller pictures around the smaller arches. They also add lighting when it gets dark. The past few years specifically, the die-hards like to complain about the plain house logos, against the cages on the smaller arches. Which confuses me. They've been doing that for years, minus the cages. They started that in 2007, with the Carnival of Carnage. So why do they complain? Let's look at 2012. HHN XXII, is largely hailed as one of, if not the worst years, HHN has ever done among the fanboys. However, when you look at the archway, it is more decorated than 2008; which again, is considered to be one of, if not, the best years of Halloween Horror Nights. Now, compare 2012 to 2008. There is an obvious difference in the archway. Hell, compare the 2012 archway to anything pre-2007, and it has miles more happening out front. So why complain? Because the fanboys hate 2012's event. Plain and simple. Their love of 2008, blinds them to its lackluster archway theme. But wait, it had a video medallion! Yes, yes it did. But that's all it had. Which brings us to what constitutes as "elaborately themed." Take 2007 and 2009 out of the picture. 24 years of Halloween Horror Nights archway's. What is more "elaborately themed?" 2008, or 2012? 2012 and 2013 had very similar archway's. 2013, added the vines, (which is my 2nd personal favorite archway). 2014, went back to the plain medallion, and house logos under the smaller archway's. As did 2015. But 2015 was an anniversary year! They should have done something more "elaborately themed!" True, but so was 2000. And 2010. 2006, was heralded as a semi-anniversary. The "Sweet 16" of Halloween Horror Nights. It was solely returning to the Studios, after the event was at Islands of Adventure for a few years. "Horror comes home" and what did the archway have? That good-old medallion. 2010, had a medallion, but it was a video version. And that's all it had. And like I said above, 2000 also just had a medallion. The fact of the matter is, Halloween Horror Nights, has been decorating the archway virtually the same for 24 out of its 26 years. You had two years, which were a fluke of advertising, where they did something more outside the box. Every other year, has had the same patterns, with some extra things thrown in for good measure occasionally. 2012, had the shack-things, and 2013 had the vines. 2007 and 2009's archway, seem to cloud the memory of some, because they were so much more "elaborately themed," than anything HHN had done before. Every other year, has been the same. With the exception being, some of the medallions are videos, as opposed to static. Sure, it's a video, but the archway aesthetic, is still the same. Does the video, constitute as more "elaborately themed?" In my world, no. Nothing else changes. The look is still the same. The complaints about the archway, pretty much started in 2012, which clearly, had more theming than most years. And the complaints of the last five years, or so, stems from a deeper hatred. The die-hards, are not fans of how the event changed in 2012. They always cite the "good-old days, when things were different. And when it comes to the archway, that is just not the case. The perception that Halloween Horror Nights has been blinging out its archway for years, is just flat out false. 2 years, out of its 26 year history, stand out. There are always exceptions to the rule. So, the next time you hear some fanboy complain about the arch while waiting for security, call them out on it. They love that. |
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