Halloween Horror Nights 35 (UO) - Speculation & Rumors

[StaticShock]

It seems like RIP tours are being limited this year? That or they had a website hiccup

Well, Universal made sure to have plenty of 5-house RIP tours availiable…

 

[GlitterandGloom41]

Any guesses as to when they’re gonna finally announce this Ozzy house?

 

[grlhowl]

Any guesses as to when they’re gonna finally announce this Ozzy house?

No idea about a specific date, but Orlando houses are usually fully announced by the end of July, so I have to imagine it’d be this week, especially if Hollywood has the merch already.

 

[Bigskinny0310]

Backrooms is an open concept. It doesn't have to be on the Kane Parson's or A24 IP. With all the Levels and entities that are apart of the lore, the concept to me is ripe for interoperation. I think taking on an idea like that could translate to a house and they could really get creative.

 

[Kichkinet85]

Any guesses as to when they’re gonna finally announce this Ozzy house?

I would expect it this week. We haven’t gotten the teaser for tomorrow so probably not tomorrow.

 

[grlhowl]

I would expect it this week. We haven’t gotten the teaser for tomorrow so probably not tomorrow.

Stranger Things didn't get one, so it could always just not get one.

 

[grlhowl]

Backrooms is an open concept. It doesn't have to be on the Kane Parson's or A24 IP. With all the Levels and entities that are apart of the lore, the concept to me is ripe for interoperation. I think taking on an idea like that could translate to a house and they could really get creative.

Sorry for the double post. This is true, but if we treat the film's success as a reason they'd do a house adapting it, why would it not be the movie? When they finally did FNAF, it was the movie, not the game. I believe we only got TLOU as the game and not the show due to rights issues, and even then, it only happened because of the show. Every time it comes up, people say "it wouldn't have to be the movie, there's a bunch of lore to pull from," but if they're not going to pull from the highly successful movie, why not just do an original based around the same concept?

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Any guesses as to when they’re gonna finally announce this Ozzy house?

I wonder if this is a USH/UOR co announcement at Midsummer Scream?

 

[HorrorLover95]

I wonder if this is a USH/UOR co announcement at Midsummer Scream?

I may be mistaken, but isn’t it just USH and Murdy at Midsummer? If so, I’m guessing any announcement there will be one of the Hollywood remaining exclusives. I just don’t see Orlando waiting till that close to our event start to announce their last major IP, especially one as big as Ozzy. The fact that Hollywood already has the merch ready to go tells me that an announcement is likely imminent this week.

 

[EmperorSephirothII]

I may be mistaken, but isn’t it just USH and Murdy at Midsummer? If so, I’m guessing any announcement there will be one of the Hollywood remaining exclusives. I just don’t see Orlando waiting till that close to our event start to announce their last major IP, especially one as big as Ozzy. The fact that Hollywood already has the merch ready to go tells me that an announcement is likely imminent this week.

If I had to guess, I'd say Murdy's going to announce the house in Parisian Courtyard at Midsummer. I doubt they'd use the opportunity to announce Killer Klowns...Again. Or they might announce the Terror Tram (Or both Parisian and the Tram if they want to be really nice xD)

 

[Bigskinny0310]

Sorry for the double post. This is true, but if we treat the film's success as a reason they'd do a house adapting it, why would it not be the movie? When they finally did FNAF, it was the movie, not the game. I believe we only got TLOU as the game and not the show due to rights issues, and even then, it only happened because of the show. Every time it comes up, people say "it wouldn't have to be the movie, there's a bunch of lore to pull from," but if they're not going to pull from the highly successful movie, why not just do an original based around the same concept?

I would *want* it to be an original. More creative freedom that way without having to adapt the Kane’s work. I do think it is possible to adapt his work into a good house. The physical concept of the Backrooms leads to creative boo-hole potential. The uncanny design of the rooms creates a really unsettling atmosphere and I think there are enough characters to scare guests.

I would prefer a Backrooms original though. The name alone would sort of backdoor as an IP house in the mind of the public. You may even be able to partner with Kane himself and not involve A24. I feel that it’s really worth a try even if they strike out in execution.

 

[Lucky Planet]

"The Backrooms" as a concept are basically antithetical to the design style and typical experience of an HHN haunt attraction, for all the reasons Brian has already said. Isolation, the endlessly looping and ever-changing nature of the architecture, the fear of an unknown and mostly unseen creature potentially being around any wall.

"Backrooms", the 2026 movie, would be tricky to adapt, but I don't think it is totally impossible. It would lose a lot of the initial eerie concept / vibes, and likely have to fit into the more traditional HHN "book report"-y tropes and structure.

I think IP like A Quiet Place, with its' wildly large monsters and reliance on silence; or Black Phone, taking place almost entirely in a singular dark room, are decent comparisons. I didn't think AQP would ever happen for a number of reasons, but I was wrong and they did it anyways. I still wasn't huge on the AQP house in execution, because the limitations I was worried about were genuine issues with the house (overuse of stiff monster puppets, a sound "mechanic" with no bite). But I conversely thought the Black Phone house was deeply clever in how it portrayed the claustrophobic themes and aesthetics of the film.

I don't personally believe the idea would make for a very good house, and similar to AQP / Black Phone, it would take a lot of bending and work-arounds to portray in the format. But, I've seen weirder and far more niche IP included at the event over the years. The Backrooms film was reasonably successful, and it does have a very specific look and vibe to it.

Outside of really specific cases like Obsession, Hereditary, and a few others, I'm mostly done counting IP totally out of the HHN picture. I am not personally looking for it to happen, but if the HHN team wants it, they'll be able to find some way. For better, or for worse haha.

Backrooms is an open concept. It doesn't have to be on the Kane Parson's or A24 IP. With all the Levels and entities that are apart of the lore, the concept to me is ripe for interoperation. I think taking on an idea like that could translate to a house and they could really get creative.

for me personally, in my opinion, a few rooms from houses like The Shining and Poltergeist already felt like the backrooms. just moments of those houses, or the hallway of mirrors that was used for Freddy vs Jason felt like part of the backrooms.
even a few moments of the Poe house in 2011 remind me of it now.
I'm sure that if I keep thinking about it, there will be more rooms or elements of other houses that feel similar to the backrooms.
the backrooms are a very abstract concept with many different rooms and different elements and parts that are dark.
it could definitely be adapted because the back rooms are not just one thing, it is many things, many rooms many shapes, many furniture.

universal could even CREATE their own hhn version of backrooms because they are so abstract, there could be our OWN hhn version of them.
use the IP and start where the movie is and develop new rooms

 

[Legacy]

I would *want* it to be an original. More creative freedom that way without having to adapt the Kane’s work. I do think it is possible to adapt his work into a good house. The physical concept of the Backrooms leads to creative boo-hole potential. The uncanny design of the rooms creates a really unsettling atmosphere and I think there are enough characters to scare guests.

I would prefer a Backrooms original though. The name alone would sort of backdoor as an IP house in the mind of the public. You may even be able to partner with Kane himself and not involve A24. I feel that it’s really worth a try even if they strike out in execution.

So, you want Universal to pay for the Backrooms license—justified by the success of the movie—but not adapt the movie and instead do an original take on Backrooms? At that point, Universal might as well save the money create an entirely new “liminal spaces” original not tied to Backrooms.

After seeing the movie how a walkthrough adaptation can “exist,” but I don’t think it would actually be any good (or importantly, memorable) based on how Universal is forced to design houses. I actually think the Fallout example is pretty apt. Fans wanted a thirty-foot vault door and vast vista when entering the Wasteland. What they got was… not… that… The first room in Backrooms, at appropriate scale, would take up a third of a traditional house footprint. And if you want it to be appropriately bright, it actually needs to be built to scale or else it’s immediately disappointing. You can have clearly defined settings… but barely (by the IP’s design).

Close adherence to the film (and thus the IP) would likely result in a house that struggles to meet fan-expectations, and a not memorable, confusing experience for casuals. Giving the IP a larger dedicated SS would address scale, but likely wouldn’t increase the overall experience. It would still only be 1–3 performers a room (now further away) in a Congo line.

Although, now that I think about it… they could go meta with an adaptation…

Spoiler

Instead of adapting the movie, it could be an adaptation of how we remember the movie. That could allow more compressed, darker rooms and aggressive characters. Communicating that becomes tricky, but it does give an out.

 

[Kichkinet85]

Isn't HHN food but here is UOAP food we can expect through Sep.
I wonder if since Toothsome will have this specialty shake if it means we won't get an HHN shake or won't get till Oct.

 

[hunnylvr]

I would expect it this week. We haven’t gotten the teaser for tomorrow so probably not tomorrow.

Seriously, this is just torture. I appreciate the post earlier showing the actual merch picture, but I'll feel MUCH better once this is formally announced. With not one but several leaks out there now, what the hell are they waiting for?

 

[Staggz]

At that point, Universal might as well save the money create an entirely new “liminal spaces” original not tied to Backrooms.

I honestly think this may be the best option they have to capitalize on the trope/niche. While I’m sure it would be really great from a publicity stance for Universal to have Backrooms as a property at the event, I just don’t see it being anything other than for name alone. If Universal wanted to dip its toes into the liminal space ideas, I think the best way to do it is to create a new concept around something similar, rather it be a house around like an alternate universe where people are horrifically malformed looking and live in these very liminal looking houses, maybe one of the rooms is upside down and there’s a table on the ceiling or something similar to beetlejuice from 2021? I don’t know.

Seriously, this is just torture. I appreciate the post earlier showing the actual merch picture, but I'll feel MUCH better once this is formally announced. With not one but several leaks out there now, what the hell are they waiting for?

Admittedly, I think it’s odd too that they haven’t just announced it yet. As a house I’m very excited for it, even if it’s not in my top, but it’s definitely even making me a little peeved at this point that we’re basically at the end of July, with two crazy big leaks and they just won’t let it be announced. Not that it’s anyone’s fault, just a very odd reveal schedule.

 

[RedRightDan]

Re: Doing a Backrooms house without licensing the actual Backrooms movie.

That seems like a legal nightmare.

Since there is so much fan/community generated content out there, any take that they try to present is just begging someone to sue claiming that they “created that element first”.

 

[Kichkinet85]

What if Ozzy was the IP that was dropped? The right holders weren't happy with the leak on Pandora. And now with the acrylic figure leak. #HellblockHorror2

 

[TheCodeMan95]

Like @Parkscope Joe said, I think the Backrooms concept could work really for an upcharge, low-capacity house.

Unfortunately, you don't want IP houses to be low capacity, so it's kind of moot lol.

 

[Staggz]

What if Ozzy was the IP that was dropped? The right holders weren't happy with the leak on Pandora. And now with the acrylic figure leak.

I’m doubtful there was ever any IP drop, I think it was moreso just that there was difficulty with an IP AKA Terrifier and legally figuring that out.

Ozzy leaking doesn’t change anything from a financial perspective for the right’s holder. The merch will sell regardless and Universal still pays them regardless.