Halloween Horror Nights 2020 Old Speculation Thread

[rageofthegods]

But people aren’t only going to these places for food. They’re buying sunglasses, t-shirts, printer ink and sneakers... and a whole lot of them aren’t wearing masks or keeping a distance. You know it, I know it... it is true.

The poster that you replied to is correct... there is no difference except that one makes you feel happy-ish.

Okay I'm not gonna drag this out too long but this logic is terrible. It's like saying that sober people get into car accidents so we should let everyone drink and drive.

Yes, some people will take advantage of an open Targets or Walmart, a place where people get their basic necessities. That sucks. That doesn't mean we should give them more opportunities to spread the virus by opening a Theme Park.

Also, Jesus dude, how tone-deaf is it to tell that to someone who lost someone to Covid?

 

[Clive]

Guys - we are not going to litigate what constitutes an "essential" business in this thread. Let's end that discussion, in this thread, now, please.

There can obviously be some leeway, I think, in contemplating what might be going on with the event in light of Murdy's tweets, the USH layoffs, and the recent CA restriction tightening. However, I do not want this thread to turn into a morality of operating or not debate. There is a thread for the coronavirus's impact on entertainment - please use it.

Also - a reminder, once again, to please use the "thumbs down" reaction correctly.

 

[tacalert]

But people aren’t only going to these places for food. They’re buying sunglasses, t-shirts, printer ink and sneakers... and a whole lot of them aren’t wearing masks or keeping a distance. You know it, I know it... it is true.

The poster that you replied to is correct... there is no difference except that one makes you feel happy-ish.

Thank you Teebin.

 

[Wishmaster]

I want to say once again, I understand everyone’s feelings and sentiments. Personally, I’m just not agreeing with the majority of what y’all think is gonna happen unless we hear that officially and that’s okay.
Btw, SoCalExploring said he also heard WW queue is either Halloween or Spirts and Demons. Five Fires announced that first on his channel.

 

[HORRORable Commenter]

I want to say once again, I understand everyone’s feelings and sentiments. Personally, I’m just not agreeing with the majority of what y’all think is gonna happen unless we hear that officially and that’s okay.
Btw, SoCalExploring said he also heard WW queue is either Halloween or Spirts and Demons. Five Fires announced that first on his channel.

I’m pretty sure those rumors were on here a while ago, someone brought up Halloween Kills for the location. I don’t see it if there’s an event this year, but universal’s pulled off greater feats

 

[Wishmaster]

I’m pretty sure those rumors were on here a while ago, someone brought up Halloween Kills for the location. I don’t see it if there’s an event this year, but universal’s pulled off greater feats

Five Fires brought that up but I’m reiterating it since another blogger said it.

 

[Guygas]

Its hard to believe we might not get an HHN this year, but just because its hard to believe doesnt mean it cant true. Sure its not absolutely official till Uni announces it, but even where i live restaurants that opened for dine in are now being forced to shut back down due to spikes, along with rumors of another stay at home order and we arent even a quarter as big as LA which has the most cases in california as of right now. If you look at the construction theres only 4 mazes(that we can physically see) being constructed, and even though they are far along its even less than what was speculated which should worry you. Its hard to accept since we want it so bad but its best to temper your expectations, ESPECIALLY as of now.

 

[deadbydawn]

While I would've loved to have seen what they were going to do this year, I do NOT want them to just give us what we were supposed to get this year into next year. If Florida gets Conjuring, It, Hellraiser, and Scream next year (Just theoretically speaking here), and we get what the line up was going to be this year for '21, I will not be happy. Just eat it this year, and move on. I would've been interested in Ellish and Hollywood's iteration of Hill House and BJ, but oh well.

Contracts and agreements aside, I'm not sure why they wouldn't keep most if not the entire lineup from this year for 2021. I mean if the event is cancelled this year all of the mazes would still be new, right?

I am concerned that dropping the ball this year will end up putting us back into a longer hiatus.

I don't think that Universal really dropped the ball here. Hopefully a hiatus isn't in the cards, but maybe repeating what they were going to do this year will allow for a smoother transition into 2021.

I want to say once again, I understand everyone’s feelings and sentiments. Personally, I’m just not agreeing with the majority of what y’all think is gonna happen unless we hear that officially and that’s okay.
Btw, SoCalExploring said he also heard WW queue is either Halloween or Spirts and Demons. Five Fires announced that first on his channel.

Tempered expectations is all I'd suggest.

So far, judging by what the exterior facade looks like with the garage door I'd lean a little more towards Halloween.

 

[HydraGen2299]

If Orlando does their event this year and we don’t then does that mean next year Orlando will have all new mazes and we’ll be a year behind? Do we not get To go through the mazes currently being built till haunt season 2021 and we’ll always be a year behind Orlando in terms of IPs and stuff? Or does Orlando repeat a year so we’re all even?

 

[Viator]

If Orlando does their event this year and we don’t then does that mean next year Orlando will have all new mazes and we’ll be a year behind? Do we not get To go through the mazes currently being built till haunt season 2021 and we’ll always be a year behind Orlando in terms of IPs and stuff? Or does Orlando repeat a year so we’re all even?

If HHN does get cancelled, it may be hard for them to retain the rights to IP's and brands that would be represented in this year's event. Billie Ellish, Hill House, and Beetlejuice come to mind in that issue particularly. And that's not even considering how the layoffs affected the creative team for Universal Hollywood's HHN event.

 

[Legacy]

If Orlando does their event this year and we don’t then does that mean next year Orlando will have all new mazes and we’ll be a year behind? Do we not get To go through the mazes currently being built till haunt season 2021 and we’ll always be a year behind Orlando in terms of IPs and stuff? Or does Orlando repeat a year so we’re all even?

A lot of it depends on how big Orlando goes, but there are only 4 options:

1) Everything Hollywood built gets demoed/dismantled and both coasts start from scratch next year.

2) Both coasts basically “redo” this year (especially any originals), assuming they’ve coordinated to retain the rights.

3) A combination of options 1 and 2.

4) 2021 has wildly different events on both coasts, and it goes back to “normal” in 2022.

The usage rights for IPs are for a specific time period (September to October 2020, in this case). Holding off on using them for next year requires a renegotiation and, since the shared IPs are shared, that negotiation is for both coasts. To set up a formal agreement where one coast uses an IP and then the other coast uses it the next is unnecessarily complicated for both Universal and the rights-holders. Even when an IP “comes to the other coasts,” it’s the result of new negotiations and agreements.

 

[DTH]

I have a hard time believing Spirits & Demons is gonna be a maze this year after some controversy last year, especially in this current climate.
I also don't think it's Halloween Kills. There's something out there that has that garage, I'm sure of it, we just need to put our investigative hats on.

Also, I don't think we have to worry about whether we're behind or on the same page as Orlando next year, or those missing Hollywood taking a flight out east, considering the company's employees will have enough blowback to make that not happen either, just sayin. This covid situation is barely in the middle of things hitting the fan of how things will play out.

 

[chris.g]

Hearing from a more reliable end that Halloween Kills is indeed the Waterworld maze

 

[Wishmaster]

Hearing from a more reliable end that Halloween Kills is indeed the Waterworld maze

Hmmm Five Fires is right again

 

[Clive]

Hearing from a more reliable end that Halloween Kills is indeed the Waterworld maze

That would mean a lot has changed behind the scenes and begs the question why it isn't included in Orlando...

 

[DTH]

In other news, the Halloween Kills movie is now being released in October 2021, with Halloween Ends now in October 2022.
Two things:
- I can't imagine HHN doing a maze a whole year early. Granted, these are unprecedented circumstances. Construction, plus shifting around dates, etc, etc., it's tricky and it'll be weird. The earliest we had a movie-to-maze I believe was Insidious 4 being two months early.
- If Universal doesn't feel comfortable releasing the movie this year to rooms of people in a crowd, I doubt they'll do the same at their theme parks. On that note, Candyman has also been pushed back but to just October 2020 (for now). Let's be real: this is just a contingency plan in the event that Covid MAGICALLY disappears by than, but I guarantee they're already looking at another date for that movie as well. My guess is they had only so many slots for their horror fare and didn't want Candyman and Halloween to canniblize each other at the box office. I prefer if they just left Halloween where it was (again, in the event it MAGICALLY disappears, especially since they already had the October 2021 date claimed with HEnds) and move Candyman to November-March.

 

[rageofthegods]

In other news, the Halloween Kills movie is now being released in October 2021, with Halloween Ends now in October 2022.
Two things:
- I can't imagine HHN doing a maze a whole year early. Granted, these are unprecedented circumstances. Construction, plus shifting around dates, etc, etc., it's tricky and it'll be weird. The earliest we had a movie-to-maze I believe was Insidious 4 being two months early.
- If Universal doesn't feel comfortable releasing the movie this year to rooms of people in a crowd, I doubt they'll do the same at their theme parks. On that note, Candyman has also been pushed back but to just October 2020 (for now). Let's be real: this is just a contingency plan in the event that Covid MAGICALLY disappears by than, but I guarantee they're already looking at another date for that movie as well. My guess is they had only so many slots for their horror fare and didn't want Candyman and Halloween to canniblize each other at the box office. I prefer if they just left Halloween where it was (again, in the event it MAGICALLY disappears, especially since they already had the October 2021 date claimed with HEnds) and move Candyman to November-March.

That's probably it, yeah. Candyman is nice cuz there's a number of places where it could work (February, June, August; November is usually bad for horror, hence stuff like Doctor Sleep) but Halloween Kills is banking on October to give it a big opening weekend, so it NEEDS those big October dates that are >2 weeks from the 31st. So Candyman can hold down the prime October date for Uni, secure in the knowledge that if Covid isn't solved by August or September, it can move to January 29 or February 26 or July or August or any time, really. Halloween though, it needed to tie down the date before another studio could steal its spot.

Personally though, I think it's telling that the two studios that have been proactive about moving their movies far in advance - Uni and Sony - have more or less abandoned September. October is on thin-ice right now.

As for Halloween Kills being a house, Uni has been releasing little teasers for Halloween Kills throughout the year since Halloween18, so I think the plan right now is to keep Myers relevant through a steady drip of small Halloween teasers that fans can obsess over. HHN could hypothetically play a part in that strategy by building a "teaser house" that's mostly comprised of stuff we've already seen from the teasers released with like, one or two more kill scenes.

 

[chris.g]

That would mean a lot has changed behind the scenes and begs the question why it isn't included in Orlando...

I agree, this wasn't a direct confirmation (as I didn't ask them myself) but someone I'm acquaintances with (who writes for a pretty reputable theme park coverage site) pretty much spilled the beans on their private FB page in regard to what will happen to the property with its announced delay. So it makes me wonder how long they've known for (if true) or they were just stirring the pot.

 

[Spookies n' Stuff]

I agree, this wasn't a direct confirmation (as I didn't ask them myself) but someone I'm acquaintances with (who writes for a pretty reputable theme park coverage site) pretty much spilled the beans on their private FB page in regard to what will happen to the property with its announced delay. So it makes me wonder how long they've known for (if true) or they were just stirring the pot.

Is it possible that there was some kind of split somewhere down the line of communication and a different Halloween maze, such as Halloween 5 or the Rob Zombie remake or something got referred to as Halloween Kills through some level of miscommunication? I don't see either of the ones I mentioned coming to the event, but I'd buy it more than a movie that doesn't come out for another year after the event, especially considering its rumored H2018 was pulled in favor of Halloween 4 partially due to spoiler concerns, and that movie was at least coming out during the event's run.

 

[DTH]

I hated the movies, but I've always said a maze based on Rob Zombie's Halloween films would be pretty gnarly. Locations aren't always a factor, but that was the spot of HOTC last year. Usually I'd be like "but that's confusing with the new movies coming out" but H4 is not even in the new Halloween films' canon, so always possible. Then again, I think the RZ films were partially owned by the Weinsteins, but I imagine Malek Akkad probably has majority rights.