Author: danryan25

Guests can now purchase a limited time ticket offer and vacation package for the world’s premier Halloween event HHN29, which will be running for a record-breaking 41 nights this fall. Guests can get double the scares with the purchase of a limited time ticket offer where they can get a second night free when they buy one night. They can also stay in the heart of the screams with a vacation package that includes Universal Orlando hotel accommodations, tickets to Universal Orlando’s three world-class theme parks and more.

On select nights from September 6 to November 2, the most terrifying names in horror will take over Universal Studios Florida, as the sun sets on days filled with thrills and the night awakens with a frightening chill for Halloween Horror Nights. Guests will face 10 all-new elaborately themed haunted houses and five scare zones, based on everything from cinematic greats and crazed cult favorites to original abominations from the twisted minds of Universal’s award-winning Entertainment team. And when they need a break from the screams, guests can enjoy Universal Studios’ most exhilarating rides and attractions.

Limited Time Offer: Halloween Horror Nights Flex Ticket “Get a 2nd night free when you buy one event night”
Now through June 5, guests can purchase Halloween Horror Nights Flex Sunday-Friday Ticket Offer online, which includes:One (1) guest admission to two (2) 2019 Halloween Horror Nights event nights on any Sunday – Friday event night for $81.99 per person + tax

Halloween Horror Nights Hotel and Ticket Package
4-night hotel accommodations at the all-new Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn & SuitesAdditional accommodations are available at Universal Orlando’s hotels, including Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, or a Universal Partner Hotel
4-Day Park-to-Park Ticket to Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal’s Volcano Bay
2019 Halloween Horror Nights Flex Sunday-Friday Plus 1 Night Free Promotional Ticket
Early Park Admission one hour before the theme parks open to one (1) Universal Orlando theme park as determined by Universal Orlando
Access to select live entertainment venues at Universal CityWalk
Complimentary transportation to Universal’s theme parks and Universal CityWalk
Special access to a dedicated Halloween Horror Nights entry gate for guests staying on-site, each event night until 8 p.m.
In addition, guests can add a RIP Tour or The Unmasking the Horror Tour to their vacation package

Halloween Horror Nights Hotel & Ticket Package starting from $145 per person, per night, based on a party of four, limited availability
 **Select event nights Sept. 6 – Nov. 2, 2019. Advance purchase required.Offer valid for bookings now – 11/1/19. Offer valid for travel: 9/6/19 – 11/2/19

Halloween Horror Nights 2019 will run on select nights from September 6 to November 2. More details about the event and additional ticket offers will be announced at a later date. For more information about purchasing tickets for Halloween Horror Nights, visit www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com/Orlando

La Llorona, the urban legend that has haunted both HHNs in Hollywood and Orlando, is coming to the big screen very soon.

The Latin urban legend dates back centuries. HHN Hollywood got their first taste of the character back in 2010 with her own maze (read more about this ultra detailed maze here). She returned to HHN a further four times with one iteration appearing at the Orlando event.

This Latin American urban legend about a woman who drowns her kids in a river because her husband left her for a younger woman. Realizing what she had done she drowned herself in the river as well. The legend says that she now wanders the Earth looking for her children. Parents would use this story to scare their kids into behaving because they say that she would kidnap wandering kids who resemble her children and take them to a watery grave…

The houses have always been well received and is a firm favorite, and that’s possibly why this legend has been made into a movie. The Curse of La Llorona is to be released April 19 and the best part is that it is being made by the same team behind The SAW, Conjuring and Insidious franchises with James Wan as Executive Producer.

Watch the trailer below and let us know what you know think!

This has taken quite a lot of detective work so make sure you read until the end and let us know what you think…

Announcements have been thin on the ground since HHN28 ended but that hasn’t stopped the fan community from speculating, and in some cases wildly speculating!  However, while we wait for the next official announcement (which I have heard is strongly rumored to be very, very soon), I wanted to take a punt at two properties that have the potential to be possible selections for our beloved upcoming Halloween fest…

Now I preface this by saying that I have not seen either of these shows, so I have no attachment to them whatsoever, so here goes, just my suggestion following hours of detective work, they are:

Nightflyers

The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell

So why these two little known shows?

1. Genre

They both have horror elements, with the latter having horror and comedy which is perfect for HHN!  Nightflyers is described by imdb as, “Set in the year 2093, Nightflyers is a psychological thriller that follows a team of scientists aboard the Nightflyer, the most advanced ship ever built, as they embark on a journey to find other life forms. Their mission takes them to the edge of the solar system, and to the edge of insanity, as they realize true horror isn’t waiting for them in outer space-it’s already on their ship.”  One person I spoke to who knew the show better than me, said it’s a little like Alien meets The Exorcist.  Which could make it great fodder for a potential HHN.

TCCoCM is described by imdb as, “Part cooking show, part sitcom in the vein of the Addams Family and the Muppet Show set inside the enchanted home of Christine McConnell, who has attracted hundreds of thousands of social media followers with her creepy edible creations.”  HHN has actually had a horror cookery show before, but it was at HHN Hollywood and no one remembers it (read more about that and the other forgotten shows here), so having a show with comedy and a hint of horror would be an excellent second best to Bill and Ted (RIP 😢) or to replace Academy of Villains who likely won’t be at HHN forever.

2. Ownership and tie-ins

Following extensive public record checking I found that both properties are made by smaller-subsidiaries of NBC Universal and both are distributed by Netflix.  And we know HHN has the attention of Netflix following the HUGELY successful appearance of their property Stranger Things at HHN28.  Could these NBC Universal/Netflix produced properties also make easy gains for HHN following other studios being less likely to allow their properties at HHN?  And we know Universal loves a good marketing-synergy-crossover tie-in with their recent releases for HHN.  But it gets even better….

3. Trademarks

We all know the supposed saga of Universal’s naming of their new theme park, but diving into the US Government’s Patent and Trademark Office’s records we can see that while Universal have been trademarking names for their new park they have also been recently trademarking names, logos and merchandise for both of these shows (literally at the exact same time!).  Included in the documents are 100s of items but some of the most interesting include the following:

T-shirts
Sweatshirts/hoodies
Shotglasses (mentioned in the first line!)
Caps
Keychains
Wallets
Toys and dolls
Bubble making wands?
Costume masks
Playing cards
Halloween costumes
Temporary tattoo transfers
Posters
Bottle openers

Now not only are many of these very common forms of theme park merch but they are also very, very common types of HHN merch.  It could be possible that these items are just due diligence for some wider national marketing tie-in’s, should the shows be popular with audiences, but mentioning these specific items is very fishy isn’t it?  And we don’t see them doing this for their other shows in a rush, so why these shows and why now?

It’s very interesting!  So case closed?  Maybe we should do more digging around…

So there you have it, what do you think?  Do you think our detective work is onto something?  Let us know in the comments and keep your eyes peeled!

And remember, nothing is confirmed or fact until Universal confirms it, just RUMORS and in this case, speculation!

Breaking news from Hollywood today sees that Bill and Ted’s long awaited production is looking for a Christmas 2019 release.

The long awaited sequel which has been hit with production delays for decades is looking to speed up their production process in order to reach a release date in the holiday season.

Filming is planned for this Spring with a number of key locations already booked in with organisers.  If no delays hit the current production we could see the release this year.  Bill and Ted producer Steven Soderberg told movieweb that it would be their “christmas present to fans everywhere” if the impossible can be done.  However he did warn that it would be very tight and a possible early 2010 release date is more likely.

Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves are both set to return for the sequel that has been billed by many Hollywood insiders as “a hilarious script” and a “fitting return for the dudes“.

According to some sources it will feature the dudes as middle-aged men with jobs and families who go back in time to re-write history so the future is a bright as the one they were promised in the first two movies.  Now there’s some potential for some current satire!

If successful we’d love them to return to HHN!  Do you miss Bill and Ted and are you excited for this movie?  Let us know in the comments!

 

 

 

Posted within the Inside Universal forums we possibly have the first glimpse of what could be the official code-names for the houses in Orlando for HHN29.

According to the original poster they could be:

Chicken
Drill
Onyx
Dog
Pit
Pressure
Cotton
Jerky
Hysteria
Salt

Why does Universal use Code-names? 

That’s a long story and can be read here.  The short of it, is for everyone in Universal to freely talk about the houses without revealing what they are exactly, especially to the press or public.

So there you have it, apparently these are the code-names for the houses, what could they be?  Speculate away!  And let us know what you think in the comments!

Remember, these are just rumors and nothing is confirmed until Universal confirms it!

Warner Bros is perhaps as famous for its vast variety of cartoon characters as it is for its huge horror catalogue.  From Bugs Bunny to Jason Voorhees they are all stabled under the glorious umbrella at Warners.  With Fox being swallowed up by Disney, Universal getting just as aggressive in Central Florida as it is with its distribution of movies and IPs, it leaves Warners and the next big player in town.  And as of late it appears that Warners have made a few distinctive moves to keep their seat at the top of Tinsel Town, its these moves and their bearing on HHN that I wanted to discuss; so what is Warners up to….

The Catalyst?

Back in June last year AT&T have finally completed its $85BN buying of Time Warner Inc. making the final combination set of Warner Bros., HBO, DC Comics and Turner with AT&T’s leadership in technology and its video, mobile and broadband customer relationships.  With the prospect of ensuring that Warners can make, distribute and better control its properties to maximum commercial affect. And they wasted no time in getting the ball rolling…

Controlling Cable

AT&T, the new owners of Warners, have pulled HBO and Cinemax programs from the Dish Network Corp.’s satellite service after the companies failed to reach a new distribution agreement, setting up a giant rift between the companies as reported here on Bloomberg last November.

It is the first time in over 30 years that HBO has been pulled from a major distributor and the decision even got the Justice Department involved.

Leaving Netflix

With Disney rumoured to be pulling their shows from Netflix in order to start their own streaming service, it appears that Warners are about to undertake their own arrangement too.  Reported here, it appears Warners too will be pulling content from the world’s largest streaming service in order to offer their own new streaming facility where brand new and current HBO, DC and Warner shows will be exclusively streamed.

Starting their own version of HHN

Last year Warners successfully started their own version of HHN, called ‘Horror Made Here’ it also marked the first time since 2015 that Universal’s HHN didn’t have a Warner Bros property in their horror line-up (discounting Trick r Treat which although was distributed via Warners, it was made via Legendary Pictures who have contractual links to both companies).

Universal’s Naming of their New Park

Warners have long partnered with Universal with the likes of HHN or the Harry Potter additions to the parks.  However, the news broke last night from Park Rumors that shows that perhaps Warners might not be too happy about the proposed name for their new park.  Read more about the issue here where our buddy Brian has written up an interesting piece.

It seems that Warner Brothers might be trying to prevent Universal’s registration of the Fantastic Worlds trademark – so far they’ve filed two requests for “Extension of Time to Oppose”.

Read more here:https://t.co/jqG28hIGQZ pic.twitter.com/mbV2s3K40P

— Park Rumors (@ParkRumors) January 20, 2019

So where does this leave HHN?

Warners have a big library of horror, the majority of it was inherited when they respectively purchased both New Line Cinema (the basis of HHN17 was built around these properties in 2007) and DC Comics.  If Warners are now being more protective over their brands as seen in the examples from their article, it would appear that perhaps WB content will be pulled from future HHNs.

Which although some fans will say this is a bad thing because they won’t get Nun/IT/Jason/Freddy/Joker etc. maze, it will mean that future HHNs will likely have to focus on:

• Original content (some of the best houses in HHN history have been original concepts, read more about them here).
• Their own back catalogue of movies, notable their own heritage of horror (which was very successful in Hollywood’s HHN last year!)
• Pulling properties from other production houses, though likely not from Fox as the mouse will be owning that very soon.
• Smaller production houses/properties, such as the Killer Klowns (which was very awesome last year!)

So there you have it.  Warner Bros. is an evolving animal that is changing to meet the needs of the market, which is no bad thing, but only time will tell whether this is a good or bad thing for HHN.

Let us know in the comments what you think about Warners moves and what you would like to see for HHN29 or even HHN30!

From a number of unknown sources we received a highly speculative rumor about HHN possibly moving location in Orlando.  The possible future home for the event could be the new, as yet unannounced, theme park that Universal are currently building rumored to be named ‘Universal’s Fantastic Worlds‘.

What we’ve seen…

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: UNIVERSAL’S FANTASTIC WORLDS!

Image by @jacqueshca pic.twitter.com/a49rRkzaWW

— Alicia Stella (@AliciaStella) December 13, 2018

It was leaked back in December by the above Twitter member that the new theme park coming soon to Central Florida would be named Fantastic Worlds and potentially be located down near the Orange County Convention Center off International Drive.

It was the same person, Alicia Stella, who also rumored that a new land for the forthcoming park COULD be themed to Universal Monsters.  Which would make sense as this is a property they own outright, whereas the rest of the park is rumored to be filled with IP properties that they are licensing from other companies (namely Mario and friends as per the image above).

Lots of amazing Universal Classic Monsters merchandise available at the park. Rumor is they’ll be watching sales to gauge interest in a new Monsters themed land for Fantastic Worlds. pic.twitter.com/5ZCENdxQyg

— Alicia Stella (@AliciaStella) January 16, 2019

The new rumor…

Well according to a small number of sources who have reached out to HHNU HQ, we could expect HHN to move to the new park once it is completed, say ready for HHN31 etc.

It would be interesting given that Islands of Adventure sits next to the main park and hasn’t been used for HHN in years.  However, both parks were NEVER designed with HHN in mind.  Both parks have used a combination of retro-fitting buildings, temporary structures (the Sprungs) or using the Soundstages, which due to HHN’s popularity of late, has caused one giant cluster-fudge right at the entrance to the event.

Aerial look at current earth moving activity in the center of the Universal expansion property. pic.twitter.com/E3LMsCTznN

— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) January 12, 2019

Whereas, a new larger park could be planned where buildings and lines for the houses could be anticipated and actively worked into the design of the new structures within the park.  That way houses could be more evenly spread throughout and possibly better infrastructure could be masterplanned to handle the huge crowds and security/bag-check issues found in recent times.  It does make sense.

Where the rumor does fall down a little, is that the new park will be stuffed full of new experiences (possible night shows for example?) and with most of the new attractions being third party IPs they might not like HHN coming in every Fall and changing up their brands (just like Dr. Suess’s area or even the Harry Potter additions supposedly didn’t in the past).

So there you have it!  Another juicy rumor to keep you going until the official announcements come very soon!

So what do you think?  Good idea?  Bigger and better haunts?  Or a mistep possibly leaving the old park behind?  Let us know!

And remember, nothing is confirmed or fact until Universal confirms it, just RUMORS!

The rumor scene has been very quiet over the last few weeks, so us here at HHNU HQ thought we would roundup all the best tidbits and info we could to see where we are so far, so here goes:

We got a great Christmas present from our Grand Water Rat (and editor) Chris Ripley when he posted just before Christmas a bunch of rumors that he had heard from a variety of sources:

My Xmas 🎁 to you all; #HHN29 hearing rumors of:

💀 10 houses
💀 50/50 IPs to originals
💀 5 zones with 2 IPs
💀 No shows planned
💀 2 originals key into 28
💀 Preview for #HHN30

Nothing is confirmed or fact until Universal confirms it, just RUMORS!

Happy holidays y’all!

😉

— Christopher Ripley (@christopherrip) December 23, 2018

He later clarified that the “no shows” was just he hadn’t heard anything about the shows and that he had heard that bookings for the on-site Universal hotels for the start of HHN29 were selling really well.  Talking of dates…

The start and end dates of the event were leaked and then subsequently confirmed by Universal.  You can read about that here.  The post also included a small online hint that perhaps one of the houses could be the new Halloween movie.

The next rumor that also spawned from an online hint suggested a return for The Shining house at Hollywood’s event, though this was very tenuous but it did add up!

HHNU broke the rumor news that many rumorists were reporting that Hellraiser was a potential IP being looked at for a potential dual-coast house.  This fascinating rumor was also released at the same time that Universal announced that its first IP for 2019 was in the bag.  You can make your own mind up here.  Hellraiser has been wildly rumored by HHNU for the last 3 years, following leaked correspondence online that showed high-level discussions having potentially taken place between the IP holder and associates of Universal.

A small rumor was received on the potential of Bill and Ted returning and a lengthy write-up of why you should become a UOAP for 2019 was published.

That’s it for now, we expect more info very soon and some insiders are pointing to an official announcement in February to keep pace with previous years.  So not long to wait now!  And as Chris says, nothing is confirmed or fact until Universal confirms it, just RUMORS!

Which properties and houses would you like to see at HHN29, let us know in the comments!

For seasoned HHN fans there was a tradition that had outlived any specialty beverage or Frankenstein novelty food item and that tradition was riding the “Shark in the Dark“.

Not heard of this? Well you must have started going to HHN after 2012 as that was the year that the Jaws Ride at Universal Orlando closed forever to make way for Diagon Alley (#BringBackJaws 😢).

Prior to this, devotees of this practice would wait until after dark and then venture onto the ride where a fresh new dynamic would be at play where it would be ever so slightly scarier due to the absence of natural light. Pepper in a few strategically placed Scareactors and this was THE best HHN tradition ever. Read more about the practice HERE.

This is why fans of the tradition were surprised to find out last week that our beloved Bruce (aka the Shark) has popped up from ‘beyond the grave’ at a restaurant in New York City!  It turns out that 494 Chicken restaurant on Staten Island has just purchased the only remaining complete 13ft long Shark from the ride (via a dealer in Maryland) and it is now on display within the restaurant.  You can read the original article here.

“I thought, ‘This is nuts, but if it’s the real thing, it’s worth a shot to check it out,’ and it definitely was,” said co-owner John Ryan. “We definitely got a few looks while driving. It’s not every day you see someone driving a truck with a shark hanging out of it.”

Relive the horror below:

Did you ever do the Shark in the Dark?  Will you be visiting this restaurant?  If so, let us know!

Jack the Clown has been haunting the attendees of Halloween Horror Nights since HHN10. The firm fan and guest favorite has largely been played by the same actor.

Since the very beginning he has been consistently played by James Keaton. Keaton has not just played Jack but a host of other Universal characters too, from mainstays such as The Grinch to random outings such as The Incredible Hulk.

And whereas Chris Ripley calls James the “Lon Chaney of our generation” he hasn’t always spent his time under the Jack greasepaint, as very occasionally, other actors have portrayed the maniacal clown, and some may surprise you!  These are:

1. Singapore Jack

In 2014 Jack appeared at HHN Singapore with his own house, Jack’s 3-Dementia, plus a new show Jack’s Nightmare Circus.

2. WWE’s Mike Rome

Mike was formerly a team member of Universal Orlando and during his time he donned the grease paint to become Jack on a number times, including during HHN25!

3. Mike Aiello

Mike Aiello aka the God of HHN recently revealed to his Twitter followers that he too used to portray everyone’s favorite clown when he was a scareactor back in the early 00s.  Upon releasing this info, many people also tweeted photos saying “is this you Mike?”  And many were!

Me as Jack the Clown. 2000 @HorrorNightsORL Yeah I was a Jack. I was the guy they brought in when @Mrfurious32821 was busy being the real Jack. 😉 pic.twitter.com/zxQS2raEZw

— Michael Aiello (@Michael_Aiello) December 3, 2018

And here’s another rare one of Mike…

So did we meet when I was 10? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/zuIA01Hq3J

— Benjamin Wright (@alwaysbenwright) December 3, 2018

4. The fans!

The only group of people to portray the character more frequently than Keaton are the fans!  Albeit unofficially, but featuring in conventions at home in Florida and even as far away as NYC’s Comic Con, fans have been portraying the character for the a number of years!

So there you have it! But let us know in the comments what your fav Jack was and which year?  And also, do you recognize any of the above fans?  We’d love to know!