Halloween Horror Nights 34 (UOR) - Speculation & Rumors

[saint.piss]

You need something at the entrance to set the stage and establish the theme. I think they REALLY need to bring back the heavily themed entrance arches of the old days and get rid of the industrial metal signs that have been there since Walking Dead. If Uni does that, I think they can get away with just a few costumed Scareactors in the entry plaza - or even just leave it empty aside from some light theming.

Sadly I dont think they will, but I agree they should bring back the themed entrances. They were so cool. I miss how elaborate they use to be with the set design around the park. The entrance/scarezones dont get the same love they use to lol

 

[Legacy]

You need something at the entrance to set the stage and establish the theme. I think they REALLY need to bring back the heavily themed entrance arches of the old days and get rid of the industrial metal signs that have been there since Walking Dead. If Uni does that, I think they can get away with just a few costumed Scareactors in the entry plaza - or even just leave it empty aside from some light theming.

You need a theme to set a theme.

 

[Viator]

I have to think Plaza of The Stars is off limits--if only because they don't really have the luxury of non-IP around that space now compared to before (especially as Wicked should be sticking around for 2025 and a portion of 2026, in lieu of For Good coming out at the end of the year). Considering how much was diminished; I think it makes sense that Plaza is removed from the equation (and that they could put that investment elsewhere in turn).

 

[Casper Gutman]

You need a theme to set a theme.

That’s a bit worrying. They’ve been pretty good about having a theme - or at least a unifying aesthetic - the last several years.

 

[Clive]

You need a theme to set a theme.

I do think a general "gothically spooky but grand" overlay to the arches would be better than the industrial metal things we've been saddled with for over a decade now. Doesn't have to be specific to any particular year's theme or aesthetic.

 

[Scarematt32]

If a zone goes do we think or have any knowledge that this is a budget cut decision. I'm in the camp of the opening zones have been terrible ever since they moved the location, however, I think it's going to be a very tough sell to charge more, and let's be real they most likely will, and offer less.

With next year being an anniversary year I just wonder if they are going to scale back the spend this year.

 

[Kooks]

If a zone goes do we think or have any knowledge that this is a budget cut decision. I'm in the camp of the opening zones have been terrible ever since they moved the location, however, I think it's going to be a very tough sell to charge more, and let's be real they most likely will, and offer less.

With next year being an anniversary year I just wonder if they are going to scale back the spend this year.

Even before they moved the zone it’s been hit or miss. Aside from Anarchade really, this area has basically been a mish mosh of characters from other zones/houses with limited theming for probably the last 10 years. I won’t miss that at all, but I do wish they’d go back to giving this area its own theme. The Masquerade zone and even the Chance zone in somewhat recent years were great and I never understood why they made the change. The mish mosh zones always suck, IMO.

 

[Neo]

If a zone goes do we think or have any knowledge that this is a budget cut decision. I'm in the camp of the opening zones have been terrible ever since they moved the location, however, I think it's going to be a very tough sell to charge more, and let's be real they most likely will, and offer less.

With next year being an anniversary year I just wonder if they are going to scale back the spend this year.

Or maybe it's just a matter of them reading/seeing/hearing the feedback that nobody likes the zone and they know they are hamstrung with the location now and thinking the creative time, budget, and staffing that zone normally took up would be well suited elsewhere in the park.

Personally, I'd love them to just put a barker in the new area back by the tents and put in like 5 food booths. As crazy as the crowds are in the park, the food lines are beyond ridiculous. When the least popular house(s) at the event has a wait time of 15 min later in the night and it takes the same amount of time to get a beer, or double the time to get a twisted tater, you know something's not right.

 

[Chumpieboy]

Or maybe it's just a matter of them reading/seeing/hearing the feedback that nobody likes the zone and they know they are hamstrung with the location now and thinking the creative time, budget, and staffing that zone normally took up would be well suited elsewhere in the park.

Personally, I'd love them to just put a barker in the new area back by the tents and put in like 5 food booths. As crazy as the crowds are in the park, the food lines are beyond ridiculous. When the least popular house(s) at the event has a wait time of 15 min later in the night and it takes the same amount of time to get a beer, or double the time to get a twisted tater, you know something's not right.

Yeah. There’s gotta be a way to manage the food demand that is between “every twisted tater is bespoke planted and harvested for each order” and “we made a years’ worth of pizza fries at once are keeping them under a heat lamp to put the quick in quick service”.

 

[HHN Maddux]

 

[saint.piss]

 

[Acandrews12]

How reliable are his maps usually?

 

[Kichkinet85]

How reliable are his maps usually?

As this is his first year with them I say not very

 

[TheCodeMan95]

It will probably end up being fairly "reliable" considering it's practically copying HNN's map lol

 

[Killer Klown]

Jacob From Carey was the one who tried saying that HHN 33 would have 11 houses and would be Jack vs Oddfellow in case anyone forgot haha.

 

[SeventyOne]

A Hell-themed house seems unlikely after "Revenge of the Fallen" (??, the demon v angel house) was butchered prior to opening.

 

[Legacy]

A Hell-themed house seems unlikely after "Revenge of the Fallen" (??, the demon v angel house) was butchered prior to opening.

No angels. Problem solved.

It was the dead angels that caused the qualms.

 

[Neo]

I think that while HNN is the most trusted source for speculation maps, they don't have a monopoly on them.

They have a collection of insiders that give them amazing input to develop the maps...that arguably prove accurate 40-60% from the beginning.

Other people might make SPECULATION maps that cater to other groups, if the FB page - that everybody hates - speculates that XYZ is coming to the event, someone making a map for what that group is speculating would be accurate in capturing the consensus.

Very few people have ties to actual people in the know within Universal, so if they use the HNN Spec Map as one of their biggest/most trusted sources, it make sense.

Universal doesn't call up HNN and Legacy, tell them the lineup, and say "have fun making up hints and clues for your peeps". It's a process for them to make inquiries to sources, try to connect the dots, and only when they feel confident they've "shown their work", to release it a spec map. And then it's only an average of 50% correct.

If people accept that nobody, outside of Universal's inner circle, knows the full truth and understand that a SPECULATION map is just that, a collection/amalgamation of speculation, and to know that anybody who puts together a map is some insider with full knowledge, everybody would have a lot more fun with speculation.

 

[Legacy]

I think that while HNN is the most trusted source for speculation maps, they don't have a monopoly on them.

They have a collection of insiders that give them amazing input to develop the maps...that arguably prove accurate 40-60% from the beginning.

Other people might make SPECULATION maps that cater to other groups, if the FB page - that everybody hates - speculates that XYZ is coming to the event, someone making a map for what that group is speculating would be accurate in capturing the consensus.

Very few people have ties to actual people in the know within Universal, so if they use the HNN Spec Map as one of their biggest/most trusted sources, it make sense.

Universal doesn't call up HNN and Legacy, tell them the lineup, and say "have fun making up hints and clues for your peeps". It's a process for them to make inquiries to sources, try to connect the dots, and only when they feel confident they've "shown their work", to release it a spec map. And then it's only an average of 50% correct.

If people accept that nobody, outside of Universal's inner circle, knows the full truth and understand that a SPECULATION map is just that, a collection/amalgamation of speculation, and to know that anybody who puts together a map is some insider with full knowledge, everybody would have a lot more fun with speculation.

This is important. It's been years since I've had 100% certainty on what's coming more than 3 months in advance. I am far less accurate than I was in the past (which I'm fine with, I just do this for fun). Sources change. Relationships fade. People lose access because they get promoted. All sorts of things affect who will be "right" and who will be "wrong" each year which means the accuracy of individuals each year is different. That variance is also part of speculation.

 

[hunnylvr]

Here to comment on the scarezone discussion. I definitely agree with the overall consensus that scarezones have gone downhill for years. I'm sure some of it has to do with increasing crowd levels, but still, the scarezones in the last 7-9 years have been nothing like those that came before. Thinking back to some of the truly great zones (Grown Evil, The Path of the Wicked, Evil's Roots, Psychoscareapy, All NIte Die-In, Dead Man's Wharf, Vamp 55, Trick r Treat..), the more recent zones don't even come close. We used to take at least an hour per night to sit in our fave scarezone and watch the actors work. It was so enjoyable. We haven't done that since Vamp 85. It's rather disappointing. I hate what San Francisco has become (an unoffical Blumhouse commercial). So boring and predictable, not to mention a total chokehold due to the photo op nature of said commercial. Dump that one, or make it better again.

Also, it's such a drag that we haven't gotten a single announcement to run with. I was away on a trip the last five days, and I thought I'd have a lot to read today. There was all of two pages of comments.. we have pretty much speculated as much as we can without any info. Bummer.