Halloween Horror Nights 33 (UOR) - Speculation & Rumors

[Casper Gutman]

I think it's tricky any time we use "best" as a stand-in for "favorite" but it seems fair to say that the tents have had many highly reviewed houses over the years. The wisdom of the crowd isn't for everyone, but there's at least some broad consensus.

But if you're more into Dead Man's Pier than Scarecrow, I can understand why you'd prefer the ratio of tent to soundstage to move in the other direction.

I think we just need to use "good" or "excellent" rather then "best" and bear in mind we only have a vague and often inaccurate sense of "consensus" - it's all ultimately opinion.

But yes, Dead Man's Pier is my favorite house in the event's history, so you nailed that.

 

[Brian G.]

To quote you... what are we doing here? I took exception to the idea that the tents had the "best" houses. "Best." We broadly agree, but you seem to be trying to delegitimize what I clearly stated was my personal preference.

And I don't think that Shrek had a "shaky record" at all. Case Files was my personal favorite in 30. Krampus, Killer Klowns, and Asylum were all great. Shrek has a higher batting average for me then the tents. Losing it for F&F, the only venue I think CAN'T house a top flight maze, is significant.

Wicked Growth was great. I preferred Case Files (again, "best"). I missed Scarecrow. Halloween and Thing were good.

I feel Havoc is very overrated and emblematic of my personal issues with the tents. They tend to focus on jump scares over sets and atmosphere - I believe Legacy has explained why this is the case. I understand that "scariness" is what many HHN attendees value the most. It isn't for me. I found Havoc, Tomb of the Ancients, Catacombs, Spawning, and many of the other beloved tent houses to be repetitive and of limited interest - not bad, but not great.

I mean, personal opinion and all - but a majority of the houses have been some of the best-received houses in the history of the event. You may not like 'em, but a majority do.

 

[Casper Gutman]

If we have detailed, verified, statistically significant polling regarding house popularity, lets take a look at it - that would be fascinating. But if we don't, we'll just have to settle for an exchange of equally valid personal opinions.

 

[Brian G.]

If we have detailed, verified, statistically significant polling regarding house popularity, lets take a look at it - that would be fascinating. But if we don't, we'll just have to settle for an exchange of equally valid personal opinions.

Unfortunately, the people I speak with usually frown on sharing that so... this isn't just me saying "Hey, I like this so everyone else does"...

 

[Casper Gutman]

Unfortunately, the people I speak with usually frown on sharing that so... this isn't just me saying "Hey, I like this so everyone else does"...

Entirely understandable. Without general access to that information, unfortunately, it's not particularly constructive in a conversation like this.

 

[SeventyOne]

If we have detailed, verified, statistically significant polling regarding house popularity, lets take a look at it - that would be fascinating. But if we don't, we'll just have to settle for an exchange of equally valid personal opinions.

I mean, it's limited to posters on this site, but I've done rough net promoter scores for the past three events, based on rankings here.

In 2023, Darkest Deal won handily, with Oddfellow tying for the top 3. In 2022, Descendants was a respectable #2 (although the bug house came in #6). In 2021, Wicked Growth won in a blowout, with Puppet Theater also making it into the top half.

In those years, four of the bottom six were soundstage houses (Tooth Fairy, Coven, ST 4, Hellblock).

Is it GSAT scores complied from thousands of online surveys? Of course not. But according to a decent-sized sampling (30+) of super-fans of the event, tent houses are every bit as good as soundstage houses.

ETA: you caught me on an insomniac night, did 2029 as well, which doesn't really change much, other than proving that both soundstages and tents are hit or miss:
Stranger Things (ss) -42
Depths of Feat (tent) -29
Us (ss) -23
Nightingales (tent) -14
House of 1,00 Corpses -13
Killer Klownz -5
Ghostbusters (ss) +10
Yeti (ss) +13
Graveyard Games +23
Universal Monsters +41

Bringing it back around to this year's discussion, Ghostbusters was actually better received than I remembered, with most of its negative numbers mostly coming from the end of the event.

 

[Wesker69]

For years fans would on the Sprung Tents because they aren't Soundstages. A&D stepped up their game with what was capable inside a Sprung Tent. We've seen sets that would be deemed impossible (Nevermore staircase, Puppet Theatre auditorium, etc). Even on the lower budget scale like 2007's Jack's Funhouse was ridiculously solid for a traditional cliche 3D house. It didn't feel like we were in such a looked down upon location. 2008's The Hollow tricked you into believing it was a soundstage quality house. Nightingales 2.0 another one.

Hollywood uses actual "tent houses", the Sprung Tents are not temporary, they're hurricane proof structures. They're basically smaller-scale soundstages compared to a tarp on poles.. I can't believe "sprung tent vs soundstage" is still a thing 15+ years later (2006 was their debut).

 

[Crypt Keeper]

I love the Sprung Tents. I'm glad we're getting more Sprungs. I just hope that the impressive set pieces and giant environments they primarily built within the Parade Buildings get shifted toward the Soundstages from now on.

Also hope that the new Sprungs allow for some sick exterior facades. We could have double the amount of exterior facades now.

 

[Brian G.]

Entirely understandable. Without general access to that information, unfortunately, it's not particularly constructive in a conversation like this.

I mean, that's not true either. If you want to split hairs over the use of "best" vs "most preferred" vs "excellent" or whatever - but it doesn't change the fact that a wide margin of people has high praise for most houses in the tent locations.

Mileage may vary, as you stated before, but you don't need company GSATS to get a good idea of what houses worked for the majority. Reviews exist on this website & forums, other websites, social media, etc. There's a reason we see certain aspects of these houses come back to the event in some form, too.

Either way - your original point was about the venues and house quality due to space, using 4 tent houses as an example.

So I’m a little worried about a year with four tent houses, two in tents that don’t yet exist, and another F&F house. I’m more concerned then I used to be about venues effecting house quality. Losing the Shrek maze spot now looks like an even bigger bungle.

Again, pointing out the Shrek space, which had limited space and access, while also fretting about tents seems impetuous. The tents take a couple of weeks to build (once the groundwork is finished) and Universal is familiar with the layout as they already have two; and tents in recent years have shown they can have soundstage-level quality builds in their sets (Puppet, Descendants are recent examples of massive sets inside the tents).

 

[Wesker69]

The only venue that can be looked down upon now is Earthquake queue... err Supercharged. However, that has seen some great houses over the years. More importantly, the S.S. Frightanic had a soundstage quality facade!

The JAWS queue came with its own challenges, but it did have some surprising successes after its return in 2006. Thankfully it ended on a high note with 2011's Saws-n-Steam. But let's not forget, that was also the first house location for HHN 30+ years ago!

 

[HHN Maddux]

Even MIB Tent, after 3 years of stinkers, surprised everybody with Ho1C consistently being ranked one of the top houses in 2019.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I mean, that's not true either. If you want to split hairs over the use of "best" vs "most preferred" vs "excellent" or whatever - but it doesn't change the fact that a wide margin of people has high praise for most houses in the tent locations.

Mileage may vary, as you stated before, but you don't need company GSATS to get a good idea of what houses worked for the majority. Reviews exist on this website & forums, other websites, social media, etc. There's a reason we see certain aspects of these houses come back to the event in some form, too.

Either way - your original point was about the venues and house quality due to space, using 4 tent houses as an example.




Again, pointing out the Shrek space, which had limited space and access, while also fretting about tents seems impetuous. The tents take a couple of weeks to build (once the groundwork is finished) and Universal is familiar with the layout as they already have two; and tents in recent years have shown they can have soundstage-level quality builds in their sets (Puppet, Descendants are recent examples of massive sets inside the tents).

I included all sorts of caveats in my posts including repeatedly emphasizing that I was offering a personal opinion in an effort to avoid getting into exactly this sort of fruitless debate. I also said, before this back and forth began, that "the Sprungs can hold amazing houses and frequently have."

The distinction between "best" and "excellent" and "most preferred" isn't splitting hairs. Words have meaning, and I was very specifically taking exception with the word "best."

As for Shrek, it certainly had space limitations, but I believe it did allow for more height in its sets then the tents, which was utilized well by houses like Krampus and Klownz.

To reiterate: The sprung tents have held many excellent houses which have proven very popular. The room afforded by soundstages and warehouses by no means guarantees houses that are better then the tents. However, in my personal opinion, that room CAN make the little bit of difference that take a house from excellent to extraordinary. Dead Man's Pier would be my primary example - I feel it is the best HHN has ever offered, and it could not have been done in a tent.

I think Jake S's post on the last page was very sensible and probably should have ended the discussion.

 

[Wesker69]

Back in my day, MIB's tent was just Sprung Tent 2 lol

we might as well list less impressive ones - Alice Cooper, La Llorana, Purge, The Hallow, Clown-O-Vision

Purge was a victim of Scream cancelation. Also the IP wasn't given the same level of care as Hollywood because it was a last minute change. So not exactly fair.

Alice Cooper was great for what it was, but unless you're a fan of his music, it isn't going to hit right. Of course, Murdy being an uber-fan of AC, Hollywood had the advantage. Their version was in an actual tarp on poles tent, but you'd never know it once inside (I'm having deja-vu about this exact house/sprung tent topic)

La Llorona was great, not as good as Hollywood, but it still delivered with sets/facade. Not one I enjoyed, but it was a good starting point for "Urban Legends" that didn't continue unfortunately.

The Hallow was very impressive. I'm not even including the facade using pieces of the Terra Throne. The interior alone was solid. It was the most Halloween house

As I said before, for being a traditional cliche 3D house, Jack's Funhouse was very impressive & didn't feel "tired" from 3D gimmick fatigue. We just ignore the existence of the inflatable squeeze tunnel exit. It was also an improvement over 2006's People Under The Stairs which used an "under construction" gimmick. That was just lazy. Although the air/water-blast nailguns were effective lol

 

[HHN Maddux]

Back in my day, MIB's tent was just Sprung Tent 2 lol


Purge was a victim of Scream cancelation. Also the IP wasn't given the same level of care as Hollywood because it was a last minute change. So not exactly fair.

Alice Cooper was great for what it was, but unless you're a fan of his music, it isn't going to hit right. Of course, Murdy being an uber-fan of AC, Hollywood had the advantage. Their version was in an actual tarp on poles tent, but you'd never know it once inside (I'm having deja-vu about this exact house/sprung tent topic)

La Llorona was great, not as good as Hollywood, but it still delivered with sets/facade. Not one I enjoyed, but it was a good starting point for "Urban Legends" that didn't continue unfortunately.

The Hallow was very impressive. I'm not even including the facade using pieces of the Terra Throne. The interior alone was solid. It was the most Halloween house

As I said before, for being a traditional cliche 3D house, Jack's Funhouse was very impressive & didn't feel "tired" from 3D gimmick fatigue. We just ignore the existence of the inflatable squeeze tunnel exit. It was also an improvement over 2006's People Under The Stairs which used an "under construction" gimmick. That was just lazy. Although the air/water-blast nailguns were effective lol

While it didn't necessarily continue the 'Urban Legends' title, I'd argue it has continued with Yeti, Chupacabra, and possibly Monstruos this year.

 

[Wesker69]

While it didn't necessarily continue the 'Urban Legends' title, I'd argue it has continued with Yeti, Chupacabra, and possibly Monstruos this year.

Most definitely, but I meant it didn't continue right away. It unfortunately took longer to happen.

Also you forgot Roanoke lol

 

[v0latilebear]

Most definitely, but I meant it didn't continue right away. It unfortunately took longer to happen.

Also you forgot Roanoke lol

I was so hyped for Roanoke, and then so disappointed

 

[Wesker69]

MEAT! MEEEAAAT!!!

 

[ssirin88]

Even MIB Tent, after 3 years of stinkers, surprised everybody with Ho1C consistently being ranked one of the top houses in 2019.

2019 had some bangers

 

[SeventyOne]

Even MIB Tent, after 3 years of stinkers, surprised everybody with Ho1C consistently being ranked one of the top houses in 2019.

This is the problem with subjective opinion. As I learned last night, Ho1C was very polarizing--it had a decent number put it in their top 3, but plenty more rank it near the bottom, so that it ends up in the bottom half of HHN29 houses. Not a complete bomb like Chance but not even arguably a top house, either.

I put Nevermore in my top 25 of all time but my guess is it finished somewhere in the middle of HHN21. Doesn't mean it wasn't a great house, just means subjectively fans wanted something different.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I only have one major concern about HHN.

I’ve attended 16 events and never thought a single house was irredeemably bad. I didn’t particularly loathe even the houses that got torrents of online hate. Some houses were bland or uninteresting (looking at you, Walking Dead), sure, but those were rare and they weren’t unforgivably TERRIBLE.

Until Chucky in 32.

So I’m a little worried about a year with four tent houses, two in tents that don’t yet exist, and another F&F house. I’m more concerned then I used to be about venues effecting house quality. Losing the Shrek maze spot now looks like an even bigger bungle.

Not that what I think matters much, but I’d say Universal gets a two year semi-pass. Once the new campus reopens, if the resort doesn’t IMMEDIATELY start rearranging infrastructure at the old lot to create more suitable maze venues and otherwise facilitate the festivals the Studio increasingly relies upon I’ll… well, I’ll probably still pay to go and will just post angrily on line. But still…

I really disagree there. The Sprungs can hold amazing houses and frequently have, but as to "best," I think their batting average is fairly low. A tent house has only been my favorite once (Slaughter Sinema) and tied for my favorite once (Nevermore). That said, my priorities are sets and costumes and humor, not scares, so your mileage may certainly vary.

That said, my concern springs more from the combination of the timeline, the fact that the venues are new, and the precedent of Chucky as a genuinely awful house rather then from any specific distaste for the tents themselves.

Halloween
The Thing
Scarecrow
Havoc was HOTY in 2010.
Wicked Growth and the Darkest Deal, most recently

But, what's the issue here? Is amazing not acceptable? Furthermore, if space is the concern - why then would the Shrek location (which has had a shaky record) be a loss when it was the most limited in terms of space in comparison to the tents?

As Brian mentioned, not worried about house locations at all. Universal has proven they can do really good houses (or vice versa) anywhere.

The best scenic houses last year were both in tents. F&F's location isn't the issue... it's the content they choose to pick there. Freaky & Black Phone are not the most appealing films to base a house on, same with Chucky's concept.

Oddfellow last year felt like a soundstage house in some sections.

There's always one solid dud at the event that mostly everyone agrees sucks, and that was Chucky last year. If there was a trend of 2 duds a year... that's a problem.