This is the time of year we absolutely love…and hate. Details are starting to crawl from the depths about this year’s Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando. Sometimes the news goes so fast, that it’s hard to keep track of everything that has been released. It’s also hard to keep track of the rumors and speculation. So, here’s a list of everything we know, plus some guesses about what we don’t know.
As we learn more, we’ll try to keep everything updated.
What we Know:
Tickets are Now on Sale
All Tickets for HHN are now on sale. All Frequent Fear Passes are now on sale. RIP Tours, Rush of Fear, Unmasking the Horror, Scareactor Dining Experience, all on sale. Express…all on sale. If you want more information about ticket prices, or types, visit the official website (click here).
While tickets are on sale, Universal has introduced a few new ticketing options this year, including options that feature their new park, Volcano Bay.
Here’s the rundown:
Halloween Horror Nights Sunday – Friday Flex Ticket ($77.99 per adult + tax) and
Halloween Horror Nights Sunday – Saturday Flex Ticket (85.99 per adult + tax): The
Halloween Horror Nights Flex Ticket is designed to offer guests the most flexibility and convenience
when planning their Halloween Horror Nights visit. Guests can purchase the ticket in advance, visit
the event on the night of their choosing and proceed straight to turnstiles for entry into the event.
The Sunday – Friday Flex Ticket allows one guest admission to any one Halloween Horror Nights
event night from Sunday – Friday. The Sunday – Saturday Flex Ticket allows one guest admission to
any one event night.
Coca-Cola Promotion: On select nights, guests can save up to $50 with a UPC code from any can
of Coca-Cola® products when they buy in advance.
Florida Resident Vacation Packages (Starting at $225 per adult, per night, tax inclusive at
Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort): Florida residents can purchase a Halloween Horror
Nights vacation package that includes admission to the event, 2-night hotel accommodations at a
Universal Orlando Resort on-site hotel, and access to ALL THREE of Universal Orlando’s theme
parks: Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure and the all-new Universal’s
Volcano Bay.
Houses, scare zones and Shows
This year there are nine all new houses, five new scare zones, and two shows.
We only know of two houses at this time.
The Shining-Based on the Stanley Kubrick adaptation of the Stephen King book. The book celebrates 40 years since it’s first publication. The house will promise all the key scenes that you know and love.
American Horror Story-This house was extremely popular last year, so it only makes sense that we will see it return. Last year saw the first, fourth and fifth seasons. This year will see the second (Asylum), the third (Coven) and Sixth (My Roanoke Nightmare).
There are no word on the scare zones, except that they will follow last year and be based on original ideas.
As for the shows of HHN, you can bet your bottom dollar that Bill n Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure will be back, because it’s not Halloween without Bill n Ted.
Academy of Villains made such a huge impression on guests last year, that it’s likely they will return. There is no definite, but there have been tweets from the groups members saying that they have been meeting with Universal. That’s not a bad thing at all, because the show was simply amazing. However, we only hope they bring a fresh, new show to the table, instead of the same one they did last year.
Nothing is really written in stone, and not official until Universal announces it, but that’s the way things look for right now.
Guesses
I want to stress that these are not rumors in the slightest, but just guesses. Being that they are guesses, there’s a good chance that they are completely and totally wrong. I’ve got reason for all the guesses, and I’ll break them down.
First up is a big list of speculation from our friends at Horror Night Nightmares. They live, and breathe HHN so check them out. They have a list of alleged houses that will hit HHN 27 this year.
This map is not the real deal, it’s just a lot of speculation by Horror Night Nightmares, based on permits filed and their list of rumored houses.
So what do they say is coming? We already know for a fact that The Shining and American Horror Story is coming, but what about the rest? We’ll go over that, and a little speculation of our own.
Evil Dead 2
This is very out of left field, but Evil Dead 2 could definitely be a house at HHN this year. Why? Well, Ash vs. Evil Dead is a pretty big show on Starz, which is heading into season 3. The biggest reason, however, is that the film just had it’s 30th anniversary! It is long considered the best, and craziest, in the Evil Dead series, and spawned a completely wacked out genre of films. It also catapulted Bruce Campbell to cult leader status, and is just insane enough to work as a maze. Now, the property has been used before…kind of. The remake was used at HHN to make one hell of an effective and creepy house in 2013. They could definitely go for comedy this time around, and make the house a lot more effective.
Saw Legacy/Jigsaw
This one isn’t so crazy. In 2009, we saw one of the last Saw movies hit the big screen. We also watched as it was “Ripped from the Silver Screen” at HHN that same year. The house was an instant favorite, and a huge draw. So, why bring it back now? There’s a new movie that’s scheduled for release on October 27th. It’s a bit of synergy, and would mean a huge draw for Universal. It also means free advertising for Lionsgate. I would not be in the least bit surprised if this hits the table as well.
Blumhouse
What is Blumhouse? Have you seen Insidious, Conjuring, Annabelle, Sinister, The Gallows, Split and just about anything Horror Related in the past five years? All of those, and many more, were produced by Blumhouse Productions. They have been responsible for so many different horror films, that Universal could be building an anthology house that will use many of those different films. They could also use it to promote some upcoming films, like Insidious 4, and the Annabelle Prequel that’s hitting theaters this year.
The Walking Dead
There’s a big question mark. You know what it means. The Walking Dead seemed to have run its course last year with a stellar “best of” house. However, we would be willing to bet that they’ll dust off the dead heads yet again. The biggest problem facing the creators of HHN is that now, the show is becoming less about the Walkers and more about the main characters involved. The houses have always stepped away from focusing on the main characters, but if the property is brought back there’s a good chance we could finally see the cast in the house for once. Again, we don’t know for sure, but it’s a direction they could take the maze in and make it fresh.
Original houses
By our guesses, and based on the past years, there will be three original houses, though there could be as many as four. We never know exactly what route they’ll take with the original houses, but according to Nightmares we can expect a mash up of houses, a scare zone made into a full fledged house and a completely new idea.
Scare Zones
The scare zone speculation, mixes original ideas with a few properties. Will it happen? Let’s hope so.
Trick r Treat/Halloween Tree
While not rumored for a house, there is a chance that we could see the, now classic, Halloween film Trick r Treat get a scare zone. There’s also the chance we could see that scarezone be a tribute to the Ray Bradbury classsic book, The Halloween Tree. That book is a 45 years old this year, and many horror movies, and haunt events have taken ideas from it. The best idea is the huge tree aligned with glowing Jack o Lanterns.
The Purge
Whether you liked the house or not, there’s no mistaking that the Purge Scare Zone was super affective at making a spectacle, and getting people screaming. With the absence of The Purge last year, it’s not surprising to see it make a return this year.
Iconic?
All of our Times Will Come. That’s all we know so far. But who is the floating skull in the water? What’s the significance of the flowers and candles? The first thing that comes to mind is a return of someone who was once lost. “All of Our Times Will Come” automatically makes us think of The Caretaker. The flowers and water kind of take us in a different direction, and automatically we think of a female presence. Maybe Cindy? Cindy was originally the Icon a few times, but was cut at the last minute. Could she finally be making an appearance?
While we’d love to see Cindy make an appearance, we can’t shake the feeling that this will be something new altogether. Will there even be an icon? That’s debatable. Last year, Universal saw a huge marketing success with Chance. Icons definitely give the event a “face” to attach to, but the event is so big that it doesn’t really need one anymore.
However, an icon keeps the hardcore fans happy, and tends to make for a great focal point. After all, Jack was an original creation, and people still know and fear him. Fingers crossed.
Again, remember this is all speculation, and in no way actually happening. At this point, it’s all just a guess, and it’s fun to talk about. Plus, it helps us all to get pumped for what is sure to be a big event, and planning our haunted vacations early.
What do you hope happens this year, and what have you heard? Let us know in the comments below, and buckle up as Halloween kicks into overdrive this year!
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For more information about HHN, including tickets, visit the official website by clicking here!
