Halloween Horror Nights 2021 (USH) - News & Info

[Rideguy70]

I still don' t understand why Hollywood doesn't do any sort of Behind the Scenes daytime tours. I still remember the year they did open the Stranger Things maze during the day (sans Scareactors) just so you could experience the sets. Some of those mazes are highly detailed with many Easter eggs hidden in them, but during the event, it's not always easy to take the time and admire it fully. All they'd have to do is staff for one live host and charge a premium for a small group tour. I'd likely do it, and Orlano already does something similar (Behind the Screams). Seems like leaving money on the table to me.

 

[foodstampsFTW]

I still don' t understand why Hollywood doesn't do any sort of Behind the Scenes daytime tours. I still remember the year they did open the Stranger Things maze during the day (sans Scareactors) just so you could experience the sets. Some of those mazes are highly detailed with many Easter eggs hidden in them, but during the event, it's not always easy to take the time and admire it fully. All they'd have to do is staff for one live host and charge a premium for a small group tour. I'd likely do it, and Orlano already does something similar (Behind the Screams). Seems like leaving money on the table to me.

Paying money for a behind the scenes tour of black walls

 

[Spookies n' Stuff]

I still don' t understand why Hollywood doesn't do any sort of Behind the Scenes daytime tours. I still remember the year they did open the Stranger Things maze during the day (sans Scareactors) just so you could experience the sets. Some of those mazes are highly detailed with many Easter eggs hidden in them, but during the event, it's not always easy to take the time and admire it fully. All they'd have to do is staff for one live host and charge a premium for a small group tour. I'd likely do it, and Orlano already does something similar (Behind the Screams). Seems like leaving money on the table to me.

Odds are they probably don't feel like paying tour guides to do it and don't trust guests to walk through of their own accord. Even when stranger things was open it was during pretty tight hours with a pretty heavy amount of supervision. I'd 100% pay to do them, but I guess Universal's higher ups just don't see it as profitable enough, which given how they treat a lot of aspects of the event, doesn't surprise me.

 

[queenmetroid]

The economics of the Hollywood event have always been weird to me. You have a group of both rabid and casual fans who will support you at all costs, even in bad years. In spite of this, Hollywood seems to have no incentive to improve year over year and reward those fans and a lot of things feel like they are skating by. They could probably pay for more themed walls if they offered daytime tours, but least effort seems to rule the day, and it's frustrating that the idea of investing in a higher quality event and enjoying better returns seems to be anathema. I actually don't feel Murdy is to blame for this, controversial as that may be, and that he's a scapegoat for a ton of factors. For better or for worse, Hollywood is both a small park and it's not a tourist destination and will probably never adopt the "if we build the nation's premiere Halloween event, they will come" sort of mentality. I like and will still attend Hollywood, but year after year Orlando holds the superior event (and believe me, I hate to put down my coast's event).

All that said, I am happy to see the chainsaw gang returning. There was speculation that they would not return and I'm glad that was incorrect. They are the beating heart of the event for me in many ways.

 

[Spookies n' Stuff]

The economics of the Hollywood event have always been weird to me. You have a group of both rabid and casual fans who will support you at all costs, even in bad years. In spite of this, Hollywood seems to have no incentive to improve year over year and reward those fans and a lot of things feel like they are skating by. They could probably pay for more themed walls if they offered daytime tours, but least effort seems to rule the day, and it's frustrating that the idea of investing in a higher quality event and enjoying better returns seems to be anathema. I actually don't feel Murdy is to blame for this, controversial as that may be, and that he's a scapegoat for a ton of factors. For better or for worse, Hollywood is both a small park and it's not a tourist destination and will probably never adopt the "if we build the nation's premiere Halloween event, they will come" sort of mentality. I like and will still attend Hollywood, but year after year Orlando holds the superior event (and believe me, I hate to put down my coast's event).

All that said, I am happy to see the chainsaw gang returning. There was speculation that they would not return and I'm glad that was incorrect. They are the beating heart of the event for me in many ways.

I mean the truth of the matter is the extra profits made off of something like daytime tours probably would never see its way back into the budget for future years. I remember a few years back when they first started selling alcohol, there was some buzz that they could use the extra profits for higher budgets, but that never ended up happening really. I'm really not sure what the corporate side of Universal has against HHN in hollywood, but it really feels like they're the ones insisting the event just do the bare minimum of what's acceptable to maintain profits rather than pushing the envelope. Obviously I have no insider info to let me know that for sure, but thats just the vibe I get.
We've had a lot of instances year after year where it's clear that the design team was super passionate about what they were doing, but it seems like they're never provided the resources to really make it happen. I think 2016 being one of the most widely praised years from a quality standpoint, but also being the year that broke the bank so hard that it ended up gimping 2017, should've told Universal that the issue is that the current constraints of the budget just arent enough, rather than that the team needs to be punished for overspending.

 

[Rideguy70]

Paying money for a behind the scenes tour of black walls

Wow, that joke just never gets old, does it? Oh, wait.

Seriously. While Stranger Things certainly wasn't my favorite maze by a longshot, when I did the daytime tour, I was amazed to see how detailed some of those rooms really are. Like when the windows were blacked out with newspaper, the newspaper was really from the 80s. Who would've ever noticed that during an actual Haunt?

 

[DJIndy49]

I think the lack of daytime tour has to do with the fact that Hollywood is a local park while Orlando is a tourists park. More people go to Orlando for multi days where they are in the park during the day and the HHN at night.

Hollywood the majority of visitors go to HHN and then won't visit the park during the day for a few months.

 

[Clive]

Wow, that joke just never gets old, does it? Oh, wait.

Seriously. While Stranger Things certainly wasn't my favorite maze by a longshot, when I did the daytime tour, I was amazed to see how detailed some of those rooms really are. Like when the windows were blacked out with newspaper, the newspaper was really from the 80s. Who would've ever noticed that during an actual Haunt?

The theming that's there is typically best in class - the teams behind it are passionate and supremely talented. The trouble is they don't get enough money to theme all of the rooms and halls, and the top-level designers have not adjusted the maze designs to compensate.

 

[chris.g]

Saw Fire Tower testing in Citywalk tonigggggght

 

[Horrorisexquisit]

Saw Fire Tower testing in Citywalk tonigggggght

Do you have any footage?

 

[deadbydawn]

Saw Fire Tower testing in Citywalk tonigggggght

Looking forward to seeing that guy who operates it leaning out of the window. Missed them!

 

[chris.g]

Do you have any footage?

Sorry no. I thought they would test it multiple times but they only did it like twice.

 

[HHNManics]

 

[Rideguy70]

Side question.... any idea how guests are going to access the mazes near Curious George (Pandora and Hill House)? At first, I figured they'd go down through and across the Tram queue, but now that's in use for Terror Tram, it seems it'd get extremely congested when you add in all the people that need to leave the area as well. Is there another way for guests the access that area?

 

[SailwiththeTide]

Side question.... any idea how guests are going to access the mazes near Curious George (Pandora and Hill House)? At first, I figured they'd go down through and across the Tram queue, but now that's in use for Terror Tram, it seems it'd get extremely congested when you add in all the people that need to leave the area as well. Is there another way for guests the access that area?

I am thinking Tony Curtis Drive. Front of the park and goes behind Water World queue. There is also a path to there from Potter. So since the land will be open maybe they use this shotter path with less backstage usage.

 

[Rideguy70]

Part of me can't imagine they'd go behind Waterworld, because there's already a maze there that uses a lot of that space. Going through Potter would at least seem to be an exclusive path that wouldn't interfere with any other mazes, so that makes more sense to me.

 

[Freak]

Part of me can't imagine they'd go behind Waterworld, because there's already a maze there that uses a lot of that space. Going through Potter would at least seem to be an exclusive path that wouldn't interfere with any other mazes, so that makes more sense to me.

Maybe this is the reason why they're keeping Potter open during the event. HHN goers probably wouldn't be that compelled to go there to spend money on food and butterbeer, but what if you had to go through there to gain access to the houses?

I've wlaways wondered how we would get back there if Terror Tram is operating and a house in WW. This has to be the only option I can think of.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

Yeah--I'd think Potter would be the more viable option in this case scenario, leaves the backstage gate over by Demon City for staff and actors for when they switch rotations.

 

[HHNManics]

 

[Spookies n' Stuff]

Yeah I agree potter is probably the way its gonna go. Might be cynical to say, but I would not be surprised if the only way they allow potter to be open is if its necessary as a foot path.