Universal Orlando Resort (USF, IOA, Epic) Discussion Thread

We will have a full HHN 26 report soon, but for now here is a walk through video of the American Horror Story Maze:

Halloween Horror Nights 26 - Opening Night Media Event!

TPR was at the opening night media event of Halloween Horror Nights 26 and we can't wait to share the photos and video with you! The icon of this years event is Chance, the sexy (and CRAZY) clown girlfriend of Jack. This years event is essentially a "sequel" of the iconic HHN25 from last year. This is the first time that they have attempted this as a theme, and I think it works very well to expand the Horror Nights universe! The events of this years Halloween Horror Nights continue where the last show of Carnival of Carnage last year left off. Jack is "missing" and Chance has been apprehended for the gruesome things she did during the show. Well, you can imagine how well that turns out!

Overall, I have to say that this year is AWESOME. I have been attending HHN since the very first one, 26 years ago and this ranks up there in the top 5 in terms of quality of houses. They scored big this year getting American Horror Story, and having The Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre,Halloween II and Krampus really bookend the top-notch original houses.

Halloween Horror Nights is really the premiere Halloween event in the country. It goes for 31 nights in September and October and features a whopping 9 NEW houses, 4 new scarezones, 2 shows and roaming hoards of chainsaw killers throughout the park. Oh - and you also have most of the rides open in the park with VERY little wait. Before we start off with the pictures, just some friendly tips if you are planning on going to the event!

- The event officially begins at 6:30pm,but they almost always will open the gate at 6. If you have tickets for the day, do "stay and scream" and get a head start on the crowds running to the mazes. Oh - and do American Horror Story first. The lines will NOT go down for it throughout the night.

- If you have only one night and want to try and fit it all in, you will need to get an Express Pass or RIP guided tour. Both are *WELL* worth the money and I have done both many times throughout the years.

- If you have multiple nights then you really should get the "Frequent Fear Pass" - this is a great deal and is basically an "annual pass" for the event. There are different levels of this that include various days and some now even include express passes.

First our walk through videos of two of the houses:

American Horror Story

Lunatics Playground 3D

OK - on to the photos!

Chance is waiting to welcome you into her twisted nightmare!

She really is delightfully creepy and she is surrounded by all of her psychotic minions.

We are here! These iconic gates hold back all of your worst nightmares!

Got our credentials and we are good to go!

As we enter, the gates break and the chaos begins!

We should rush to our safe media holding area before these guys get us!

Time for a little food before the fun begins!

Universal Studios does events right with tons of fun theming.

Including mice and spiders in the popcorn!

Finally chance ushers us in to start the event!

We got to hear from the cast of The Walking Dead and their experiences going through their house.

The first house was Halloween II - Hell Comes to Haddonfield.

This was a GREAT house that started right where the last Halloween house in 2014 left off.

Michael Myers is going to get you!

And this time he is PISSED!

Tomb of the Ancients was next! This dark and claustrophobic house was FILLED with creatures you would expect to find in an ancient tomb. A top notch original house.

Part 2 of our Halloween Horror Nights 26 Media Night TR!

Texas Chainsaw Massacre was next and it didn't disappoint!

Leatherface was around every corner ready to get you!

TONS of scares and you can't even let your guard down when you leave the house!

The Walking Dead house this year had all of your favorite scenes and is my favorite of the TWD houses so far.

TONS of walkers... everywhere! I mean this house has just a ton of scareactors.

Bicycle Girl is even in it!

Ghost Town was next and this was a wild west house on a HUGE scale! Loved the feel of this house and how "big" the sets seemed. It really felt like a movie.

The Exorcist is next and it really captures the spirit of the original movie. You see Regan doing (almost) everything from the movie! CRAZY!

THE POWER OF CHRIST.... you know the rest...

The creative team said how challenging this house was to create since the movie takes place in one room, but they pulled it off!

As we walk to American Horror Story, we get a peak at the line... THIS is why you need an express pass!

I'm going to say it right now, American Horror Story is the winner... bar none.

It is just almost perfect. Theatrical, scary, beautiful - it is the perfect package.

It covers Murder House, Freak Show and Hotel. I've only watched Murder House and I loved the whole thing.

The music, the audio cues... man - it just works.

Oh - and this guy will haunt your dreams.

Lunatics Playground 3D was next - your chance to meet Chance and her minions up close and personal.

I recommend doing this with and without the 3D glasses so you notice all the details in the house!

Krampus was the last of the houses we did and this Christmas nightmare was really brought to life!

I haven't seen the movie yet, but it is now on my must watch list. SO many cool details throughout the house.

Part 3 of our Halloween Horror Nights 26 Media Event!

The scarezones were top notch as well this year. "A Chance in Hell" features chance and her minions up close.

Vamp 55 features a homecoming parade gone wrong... with Vampires! Kitchy, interactive and fun!

The chainsaw guys are AWESOME this year. So many cool costumes!

If you ask nicely, the characters are even open to taking selfies this year!

Dead Man's Warf is foggy, creepy and cool!

Survive or Die does a great job of creating atmosphere on the streets of New York with fire and show scenes.

You never know who is waiting to pounce!

An important part of the HHN experience is grabbing the speciality drink of the year in a blinky cup! This year they have two new ones themed around chance.. or you can mix them for extra chaos!

We even got a selfie with Chance! OMG! Fanboy time!

Of course, no night is complete without seeing the sign for Mel's DIE-IN. Thanks for reading along with us and see you at Halloween Horror Nights 26!

Love the pictures, my wife and I have wanted to go to this event for years. Every year it looks better and better, going to have to figure out a way to make this happen next year.

Chance looks like an adorable little imp.

I know she's insane and all that, but Chance is hot.

Also I'm sad I won't get to make it to HHN again this year. It's been so long since I've been to Orlando's version. Instead I'll be doing the Philly area events which, while still fun and have tons of scares, aren't nearly as detailed and immersive.

Anyone interested in join a small group for a private RIP tour of HHN on Thursday, September 29 at 6:30 pm?

My wife and I have the tour booked, and we have two people that are joining us. We're looking for 2-6 more people to share the costs and the expertise of a private tour guide. This means you will get front of the line access to each house, as many times as we can do it!!

This will be our fifth HHN. Two years ago, we did a public RIP tour, and had such a great experience, that we decided to up the ante with a private tour.

The private tour starts about 6:30 and ends when the park closes. The private tour is limited to 10 people and gets front of the line to all houses all night.

The details:

* Private RIP tour booked for Thursday, September 29, 6:15 PM.

* Tour guide will be with us until the park closes (1:00 AM) except for a 30-minute break.

* We will create the touring plan with the tour guide.

* Our plan is to tour each house at least twice. There are 2 casts for each house, and we'd like to see each one. We do not plan to use the tour guide for any rides (we can do that during the day...)

* We will have VIP seating for Bill & Ted.

* We will see the Scare Zones as time permits

We are looking for a minimum of 2 more people to join us to make it worthwhile. With 6 people, the cost will be $355 per person. If we get the full 10 people, the costs drops to $213 per person. If we don't get at least 6 people, we will cancel the private tour.

Please PM me with any questions. Look forward to meeting you.

Steve in Philly

HHN is my favourite thing in the world!

I know she's insane and all that, but Chance is hot.

I guess...if youre into chubby chicks ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This year didn't quite do it for me. Little cohesion. Houses all good but not *great*. In my opinion, 24 was the best of all the "new era of darkness" years with Halloween being one of the greatest houses of all time. Still, nothing holds a candle to everything pre-2010.

Still, nothing holds a candle to everything pre-2010.

I completely agree, but I think we live in a different world now and will never see events like those again.

Yeah, I'd love to see some more original houses that aren't so dependent on IPs, such as The Walking Dead (enough with the frickin' zombies, already).

Still, nothing holds a candle to everything pre-2010.

 

I completely agree, but I think we live in a different world now and will never see events like those again.

Seems like 2010 was also round about when the Bill and Ted show became....... a bit less interesting, probably not a coincidence.

I know she's insane and all that, but Chance is hot.

 

I guess...if youre into chubby chicks ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

This year didn't quite do it for me. Little cohesion. Houses all good but not *great*. In my opinion, 24 was the best of all the "new era of darkness" years with Halloween being one of the greatest houses of all time. Still, nothing holds a candle to everything pre-2010.

What was so different pre 2010?

What was so different pre 2010?

I'm sure some of our more HHN Enthusiasts can answer better but...

- Event at BOTH parks

- New things every year that were different from all other events such as the Foam Party at IOA or the Foam Party in old Kong building

- Houses with interesting gimmicks (indoor attraction buildings and outside, wearing head lamps, complete darkness houses, etc.)

- Haunting attractions (Jack on Jaws and Earthquake!!!!)

- More entertainment

- Friendlier event with less people (no people all in black waving flashlights at the ground yelling at you to keep moving every five feet)

Still, nothing holds a candle to everything pre-2010.

 

I completely agree, but I think we live in a different world now and will never see events like those again.

Yeah, it's sad but I don't see any major attractions, at HHN or just Universal/Disney in general, opening without some sort of IP attached to them in the near future. Almighty dollar and all that. It just sucks because the crazy amount of creativity and originality is what put HHN on the map in the first place and allowed them to get to the point they're at now.

I know she's insane and all that, but Chance is hot.

 

I guess...if youre into chubby chicks ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

This year didn't quite do it for me. Little cohesion. Houses all good but not *great*. In my opinion, 24 was the best of all the "new era of darkness" years with Halloween being one of the greatest houses of all time. Still, nothing holds a candle to everything pre-2010.

 

 

What was so different pre 2010?

Basically everything in the top post ^^. The thing is, I didn't even start going until after they had done away with the two-park format, foam parties, modified rides, etc...and I STILL think something is missing. The event before 2010 felt cohesive, and the park was actually transformed into a completely different atmosphere. They had detailed backstories for every house/icon on crazy interactive websites...it's one of those things that you don't really notice when it's there but notice when it's gone. The world-building that went into the event is missing now that they rely solely on unrelated external properties. Don't get me wrong, I still love going and go every year several times...it's just different that's all. Before, everything tied together like an immersive second theme park with a ton of atmosphere. Now they just shut the lights off, play dance music, and send you through recreations of your favorite shows and movies. It's hard to explain, just a different feel that you only picked up on if you started going to the event in the mid-2000's or earlier.

I went last weekend and uhhhh...was this event scary at one point? How are you supposed to be startled when youre walking through a maze with 200 other people?

All night we consistently walked into scenes where the actors were getting back into their hiding places or the animatronic/effect had just went off. I've never been more disappointed by a halloween event. Granted, the mazes were all top notch when it came to design but the crowds and the lack of "pulsing" individual groups through the mazes really ruined the event.

I would GLADLY play an additonal $30-40/ticket if they reduced the capacity of the event.

I went last weekend and uhhhh...was this event scary at one point? How are you supposed to be startled when youre walking through a maze with 200 other people?

 

All night we consistently walked into scenes where the actors were getting back into their hiding places or the animatronic/effect had just went off. I've never been more disappointed by a halloween event. Granted, the mazes were all top notch when it came to design but the crowds and the lack of "pulsing" individual groups through the mazes really ruined the event.

 

I would GLADLY play an additonal $30-40/ticket if they reduced the capacity of the event.

Oh yeah, that's another thing...it's gotten way too crowded for its own good. Not only does a $100 (give or take) ticket NOT guarantee you access to all of the attractions (unless you pony up for another $100 for a fast pass), but it makes the park sometimes unbearable to be in...even with an Express last weekend I didn't see everything. I agree that I'd pay more in exchange for a lot less people. Endless conga lines have been the norm for a while now...it's more common than not to see scares happening ahead of you (and by 'scares' I really mean startles). I will say, the set design gets better every year (except this year which seems lacking compared to last year's admittedly high standard) and that has become the main draw for a lot of people.

I went last weekend and uhhhh...was this event scary at one point? How are you supposed to be startled when youre walking through a maze with 200 other people?

 

All night we consistently walked into scenes where the actors were getting back into their hiding places or the animatronic/effect had just went off. I've never been more disappointed by a halloween event. Granted, the mazes were all top notch when it came to design but the crowds and the lack of "pulsing" individual groups through the mazes really ruined the event.

 

I would GLADLY play an additonal $30-40/ticket if they reduced the capacity of the event.

 

Oh yeah, that's another thing...it's gotten way too crowded for its own good. Not only does a $100 (give or take) ticket NOT guarantee you access to all of the attractions (unless you pony up for another $100 for a fast pass)...I agree that I'd pay more in exchange for a lot less people. Endless conga lines have been the norm for a while now...it's more common than not to see scares happening ahead of you (and by 'scares' I really mean startles). I will say, the set design gets better every year (except this year which seems lacking compared to last year's admittedly high bar) and that has become the main draw for a lot of people.

Yes, exactly!

It actually felt more like I paid $100 to walk through movie sets as opposed to a huanted maze attraction. There was absolutely nothing scary the entire night, and after talking to other guests while in line (for hours, I might add) I noticed that many of the other guests felt the same way about not being able to experience the scares due to the lack of crowd control. In a couple of the attractions I actually slowed my walk to a crawl to get some space between myself and the never-ending group in front of me. This idea didn't work out very well as there were employees within the houses telling me to keep walking and "catch up" to the group.

I really don't like jump scares so I hardly ever attend Halloween events for the houses themselves. I prefer tension that's built up, very much Hitchcockian.

On a completely random note, I'll be heading to Universal in mid April. What can I expect in terms of crowds?

I really don't like jump scares so I hardly ever attend Halloween events for the houses themselves. I prefer tension that's built up, very much Hitchcockian.

 

On a completely random note, I'll be heading to Universal in mid April. What can I expect in terms of crowds?

Depends on when in April. Easter is on April 16 next year so if you go any time before then or especially that weekend, you'll run into heavy Spring Break crowds. The proceeding weeks shouldn't be *as* bad, but I dont know the different school SB schedules. That being said, there's a lot of ways to get around crowds depending on where you stay, how many days you plan to spend, etc. without having to spring for fast passes.

Thanks for all the info, I would still like to go at some point but I've been watching videos from this year and definitely see what everyone means about how crowded it is and the conga lines.

Depends on when in April. Easter is on April 16 next year so if you go any time before then or especially that weekend, you'll run into heavy Spring Break crowds. The proceeding weeks shouldn't be *as* bad, but I dont know the different school SB schedules. That being said, there's a lot of ways to get around crowds depending on where you stay, how many days you plan to spend, etc. without having to spring for fast passes.

Thanks for the info, I'll be down there the weekend of Easter going to Star Wars Celebration, so I figured crowds will be big. Thanks

I enjoyed the event this year...all of the houses were visually amazing with some fun scares. Except for the Chance house. That was clearly the one that got the short end of the budget stick. I don't get scared at haunts, so I'm going more to watch other people get scared and check out the sets/design.

Bill & Teds was weak this year compared to the previous years that I have seen.

On another bright side, the specialty drinks were good!