downunder

The fact that the new coaster is not a flyer is good enough for me. There's some reall possibilities using the terrain, and maybe some low zero g-rolls over the village. We might be saying Big Bad Who? in 2012.

I saw somewhere they were installing nets under part of HRRR this year where it goes over one of the haunts was that correct? I'll be really surprised if at opens at all for quite a while. Is Jaws fun at night? I've done it during the day, I thought it was fun even though it's hardly cutting edge technology. I guess if it's on the Express pass I'll do it anyway.

I've confirmed that Chris Lunardon (astro runner) wrote and directed The Marksman which is one of the top ten entries for the HHN Hollywood Film Competition. I was really impressed, so check it out and if you like it - vote for it. Congrats on making the top ten and hopefully going one better.

Sigh, I'm going to Orlando in 2 weeks but I'm more there for HHN. Manta and Kraken at SWO look better than Rockit, oh well, I'm there for a week so maybe they'll get it up. Am I simplifying this or is Rockit having a lot problems for a out and back chainlift coaster albeit the latest problem is a bit more generic?

And the year after I visit Walibi World, at least it's not a good coaster opening a year later like most parks I visit. I'd be interested to know the background as a to why it is re-opening after so long. Maybe TPR's inside man at Vekoma (Erik) performed a resurrection.

^If it's any consolation Tyler I judged you long before you saw a Serbian Film. ^^^ David, I thought you were talking about Eli "Hostel" Roth, now he's a sick puppy but he does it well. I find the Exorcist disturbing to this day, it is such a powerful vision of evil. I hear Salo just came out on DVD today after having it's censorship ban overrturned, I don't think curiosity will get the better of me on that one.

Mr Morgan, I had to make some changes to my tickets, and I emailed the online ticket store and they were able to help me. I'd give that a go, they were pretty good for sorting out issues: OnlineStoreHelp@universalorlando.com

I was checking out the top ten film competition entries and saw that there was a film called The Marksman by Chris Lunardon - my roommate on the TPR 2010 Europe Trip also has the same name and is a videographer, so I've PM'd him to confirm it's his video, and if it's him we should all get voting.

^I thought those Tyler Perry movies would be the most disturbing ever but then I realised it was the wrong Tyler. Any chance of the film of your 2008 Behemoth Trip puppet show? I saw the end of the Human Centipede on youtube, didn't look like fun, I'm still trying to get it out of my head. Though the worst part was they replaced the soundtrack with a Coldplay song - "Nobody said it would be easy", no kidding.

I'm of the hopeful view that if someone builds something that is actually good then people will go. Wonderland just didn't have anything to keep people going back.

^Chop top was such an amazing (cringe inducing) character. It will be interesting to see what they do with the Terror Tram this year, there's so much space and possibility. Sure we know what the theme is but will they put a lot more stuff in there this year, it was so much fun to go out into the backlot last year. Perhaps a surprise maze - ACE, From Beyond The Grave-y: complete with real life coaster enthusiasts like Mantis Man, nah, that's way too scary.

^You know what would be awesome, a whole maze like the underground lair in Texas Chansaw Massacre 2 (the Dennis Hopper one). House of a 1000 Corpses sounds similiar to TCM2 in some ways. I'll probably love the maze, even if I didn't like the 1000 Corpses film, I'm not a fan of 3D in mazes but we'll see how USH goes with it.

^Thanks for reminding me to see House of 1000 Corpses, though I've only seen the first SAW so maybe there's no point. I'm definitely not a Rob Zombie fan, I really didn't like his version of Halloween but I do appreciate his enthusiasm for the horror genre. Rob Zombie is doing a show with Alice Cooper at the Gibson Ampitheatre (if memory serves me right) the night before I go to HHN but I'm going to Scary Farm that night, I probably would have checked that out otherwise. I found it hard to fault HHN at Hollywood last year (though it was my first HHN), the only problem I saw was that in the Halloween house because of the need for throughput, it was very easy to miss acted out scenes because some of them were relatively long (though awesome). Luckily I had front of line, so I just kept going back. As a foreigner, I was amazed how crazy and politically incorrect you Americans get at Halloween.

^Ditto, it's like being in your favourite horror movie without having to be killed or at least fight for your life.

Thanks, I'll check that out because that (and whether Rockit is on for HHN) will decide whether I go to Universal at all during the day.

Do you need the actual Stay and Scream ticket, or if you are in the park during the day when they close and have a HHN ticket will they let you hang around? For example I've got a Frequent Fear Pass because I'm going a couple of nights. I'm still tossing up what to do with IOA / USH in the day, if Rockit's running at HHN I'll probably only go to IOA.

Interesting they've dropped the second show, though I'd prefer an extra maze over a show unless the show was like the Lesbian Vampires making out show. I can't wait to see who the B & T show will be skewering this year. I personally enjoy the movie themes for the mazes especially when they're movies/franchises I'm a fan of like Halloween.

Now I wonder what maze paranormal Robb will be in... I've ruled out being someone in the Doll Factory doing that robot dance, perhaps not a pole dancer in Club Blood, Slaughterhouse and Cornstalkers are unworthy of Robb, probably not the flume or the train. Will Robb be in 3D or worse?

^Didn't know that, the last time I checked the Sinister Pointe website this week they didn't have any 2010 info, sounds cool but it's all academic - I'd have to miss HHN to do it. Maybe next year. Is anyone excited about Brian Brushwood? I have no plans on seeing him at HHN.

^There is so much they could do with Evil Dead, I guess one factor is how much it would cost and whether they could get the rights anyway. I keep plugging Tobe Hopper's Salem's Lot because it has vamps that would completely bitch slap those gay Twilight emos, Edward would need an adult diaper if he saw these dudes and they"re madder than Mantis Man:

^I'm doing both coasts as well, I don't know where I'm going to find the time to even do that Harry Potter thing. It's also a shame I won't have time to do some of the other LA Haunts like Sinister Pointe, the Queen Mary one, and Old Town in Pasadena. The rumours seem to suggest HRRR will be running but we'll have to see, do they even announce what rides will be running during HHN at USO?

I haven't seen the Elm Street and Friday remakes, the impression I get is that they are quite different to the originals (especially Friday which seems to fairly different to any of the original series)? So perhaps the mazes will be very new experiences. I haven't seen House of 1000 Corpses either, so I've got some catching up to do. I loved the Michael Myers maze last year, I hope they can get the rights to some great horror properties in the future that are new to HHN. My wish list: Evil Dead, Romero's Dawn/Day of the Dead, & Tobe Hooper's Salems Lot (scariest vamps ever). I'm such a HHN fanboy now, Universal Creative could do a Robot Monster maze and it would probably be awesome.

I see Knott's Haunt website is fully up now with things like the early entry buffet now available, on top of ticket sales. The site looks exactly like last years site and I'm sure the haunt won't be much different. I guess that information is relevant for whoever's going to Haunt who can't go to the amazing TPR Haunt Day/Night - like me.

^Sorry, my bad, no discounts for USO, I've fixed the original post.

^The feast is a pretty good deal, you get a half hour Exclusive time (7 - 7.30pm) with the mazes, and then front of line for an hour after that.