It’s almost July, which means we will start to be knee deep in gory goodness within the next few weeks. We’ll start to get a bit more information about this year’s Halloween Horror Nights as it oozes out of the official Facebook and Twitter accounts. If you’re new to us, and you think that it’s a bit too early for Halloween talk, then you don’t know the fun you have in store. Halloween Horror Nights isn’t just a one time of year event for us, and many others. For those of us who are absolutely obsessed with the event, it’s all about the build up, the antici…
…pation.
To pass the time, until the next major update we are going to throw out all the rumors, we are going to speculate, and we are going to get gross and gruesome. Can I get a HELL YEAH? Well, if I can, I can’t hear it…but here we go.
The Known Knowns
Here’s what we already know about this year’s event.
- Chance is running the show-We are seeing a return of sorts to icons, as the right hand in last year’s carnage, Chance, will be calling the shots. A story will also return to Halloween Horror Nights, with Jack being locked back inside his “Jack in the Box” and Chance left to take the fall for all the stuff that happened at last year’s event.
- Houses we know- So far we know that Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Exorcist, The Walking Dead, and Chance will all get their own houses. Texas Chainsaw will be a direct remake of the original film. The Exorcist will be a re-imagining of the original film, and The Walking Dead will be a “best of” house with tons from every season so far.
- Scare Zones we know- All we know is that Chance will get a Scare Zone
- Location, Nights, and tickets- Universal Studios Florida is the set location. There will be 31 nights of the event, more than ever. Tickets are on sale now, including an all inclusive Halloween Horror Nights Frequent Fear Pass that will give you access to every single night of the event
The Rumors
Here’s where we get into the fun. There are rumored to be nine houses again this year, but as you’ll see there’s so many rumors that nine houses can’t contain all the information. Which are going to happen, and which are a load of crap? Well, that’s a waiting game. Keep in mind that none of these have been announced by Universal Orlando, so they aren’t happening, we just happen to hear about them from various fansites, groups and whisperings.
- Krampus- This was a fun holiday film last year, and it did well enough that a sequel is being talked about. It’s also allegedly going to make an appearance at HHN 26. We hope so! If done right, the monsters in this house would be so much fun
- American Horror Story- This property is rumored year after year, after year. This year it’s getting a frenzied following, and could actually happen, after Lady Gaga completely destroyed it on the show this past season. That could have been the push that was needed to make it a HHN house
- Halloween 2- Michael Myers could make his return in a direct sequel to the house from 2014. It was a flat out amazing house, and the film based on the same name made for some great scares. There’s also a new Halloween film in the works, so the timing could be just right
- The Conjuring- With the second film being a huge success, it’s a likely contender for HHN. We’ll probably see either the first film, or a combination of the two, much like Insidious last year.
- Ash vs. Evil Dead- This would be groovy! The show on Starz is a ton of fun, and full of lots of great sight gags. Unfortunately I don’t think it’s popular enough to make the final cut, but then again…it’s Evil Dead! The comedy of this house would be so much fun
- The Purge- If we didn’t include this one in the mix, we’d be crazy. There’s a new movie out this weekend, people loved it last year. Why not?
- H.P. Lovecraft- If you don’t know the name, look him up. He’s the scariest damn goth writer, and paved the path for many great horror minds. The rumored house would be inspired by his works, which includes Cthulu…the giant tentacled destroyer of worlds. Tentacles in a house are always fun, hell, anytime you have monsters it’s always fun
- Egyptian terror- When we heard about this house, the only thing we could think of was The Mummy. Then, we started thinking…there’s other terrifying things in the desert as well, including going into the tomb of the Gods. Animal faced Gods, minions that serve them, tight…insane crypts. Yes please.
- Ghost Town- In one of the past HHN’s there was a house called Ghost Town. It was an Old West house, and seemed like a nod to Knott’s Berry Farm. There’s rumor that we will see that house again this year, or at least a prequel to it. The Old West is fun, and this could make for a great time!
That’s nine rumored houses…we already have four confirmed houses. Obviously, this list has some crazy stuff in it that just isn’t happening. Will any of it make the cut? We don’t care! It’s a blast to even think about!
Conjecture
Alright, now we talk about things we’ve heard about and things we’d like to see happen. Keep in mind that none of this is really happening, it’s just stuff we talk about…unless it happens…then we totally called it!
- Two Parks- Every year this is talked about. Every year people want two parks. Why is this year different? Because we have major construction happening at Studios, with Fallon and Fast and Furious. Also, when you look at the information for the Unmasking the Horror Tours, you’ll see that check in is at Islands of Adventure. Normally it’s at Studios…could that mean it’s at both parks this year? Not likely. However, there is one reason that it could be…KONG. Kong has returned and is a people eater. It’s also an indoor ride, so no noise for neighbors. We could see half of the scare zones, and maybe a few houses located in the park…but really that’s a hell of a walk…do you really want it?
- Bill and Ted-This is more of a personal wish than anything. Bill and Ted will happen, and it just happens to be their 25th anniversary of the show. Why not start it off Supernatural style, with a “The Road So Far” Montage? If you don’t know what that is…well…
Cool right? It’s basically a look back at the previous season. Why not have it look back at the previous 25 years of Bill and Ted? It makes sense, Supernatural is popular enough, and dammit, Wayward son is a classic! Assbutt.
- Legendary Truth Returns- There are rumblings that with Chance coming back, and a pass that brings every night of the event to fans…we could see Legendary Truth return. It’s a distinct possibility, as it would be a reason to bring people back night after night, after night.
- Changes because of tragedy- According to several sources, and just common sense, the unfortunate events that took so many lives was felt hard at Universal. They are working to make changes to HHN because of the event, changes that will be sensitive in light of what happened. Now before you go being all butthurt about it, know that Universal, Orlando and the people of Orlando are very much affected by this. People they know were injured and lost in the tragedy. At the end of the day, HHN is an escape…even though it’s horror. We go because we love horror, but we don’t want to be reminded of the real horrors that we face in real life. HHN is fantasy, we don’t want our fantasy mixed with that terribly real tragedy. Universal Orlando is pretty amazing about that…they understand, and they have changed things in the past at HHN to avoid bringing the real life nightmares to life. The most beautiful thing about it? You won’t know…unless they tell you.
What will HHN 26 ACTUALLY hold? We suspect we’ll find out a little bit after 4th of July, as the time is getting closer! we can’t wait for this year’s event, with more in store than ever before! Are you excited?
Stay tuned for more from HHN 26, and be sure to get social with us on Facebook and follow along with us on Twitter @BehindThrills for the latest updates!
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