News and Rumors

9/30/04- HHN officially opens for it's first day tomorrow! It will be a little bit before I get there.

Last year I had pictures of the HHN Billboards up by now. Not exactly the case this year. Heres a picture of a HHN billboard that was ripped up by hurricane Jeanne.

And some more about the parade. Screamscape.com says "Universal released details about this year's return of the Festival of the Dead parade that will run anywhere from 2 to 4 times each night, and when the parade isn't getting ready the floats will become part of the Midway of the Bizarre Scare Zone. This year's parade will have six themed floats: The Grim Reaper (the parade marshal), The Viking Ship (skeleton crew), Aztec Temple (ready for the sacrifice), Medieval Prison (are they trying to get out or get you to come in?), Day of the Dead (Mexican Holiday) and The Cemetery (no rest for the wicked)." In my opinion the parade is way too short with only six floats, but if they have it 4 times a night, it should be okay. I hope they have plenty of coins and those beads with the eyeballs on them!

Also, I have been informed that a HHN staple for the past few years, The Lizardman, will not be at HHN this year. He will be touring on the jagermeister music tour instead. He will be missed. Hopefully he will be back in '05.

The Cast of Bill and Ted as of now
William Hung, Usher, John Kerry, George W. Bush, Chucky, The Bride (Kill Bill), Janet Jackson, Micheal Jackson, Will Smith (I, Robot) Sonny (I, Robot), Frodo, Harry Potter, the classic Batman and Robin, Van Helsing, Peter Parker/Spider-man, Mary Jane (Spider-man), Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, Brad Pitt as Achilles (Troy), Mr. Burns, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, Donald Trump, Micheal Moore, OJ Simpson, Dr. Evil and Bill and Ted.

Then the annonyomous person also sent in this information about the haunted houses:

There will be 7 houses.
Field of Screams- Corn monsters stalk you through a maze of corn
Unnamed Vampire house- Vampires from throughout the centuries, from Nosferatu to present.
Untitled Post apocalyptic house- Billed as "Road Warrior" meets "Terminator"
untitled House of Wax- Monsters or ghouls with bodies dripping apart
Untitled Zombie house- name says it all.
Untitled Ghost house- names says it all
Something called Dr. Payne- No info on this...

The parade will also be back. It looks like it will follow the same route as the Mardi Gras parade. Heres something nice that I came across. See a float being made for the parade at http://www.dachime.com.

And one last thing... The offical HHN website is up! www.halloweenhorrornights.com. They have a nice preview like this years mascot, and a map!

As for a mascot, I've heard that the gargoyle type creature named Nightmare from the past 2 years at Islands of Adventure will return as the main mascot, and The Director will also return in Universal Studios.

The only bad news that I have heard about the event going to 2 parks is that the price will go up by an extra $20 or $30. If this is the case, I won't be going this year!

Also, be expecting a new version of this website some time in the future. The site is expanding to cover all sorts of Halloween related stuff, and not just Halloween Horror Nights.

What I'm hoping for next year... Keep HHN at IoA, like this year, but since the Curse of the Mummy will be open, and I'm sure it'll be a major croud puller, open up parts of Universal Studios in addition to IoA, if not the whole park. They could have you go between the two parks through the soundstage area, and in Universal have the New York, Production Central, and Hollywood sections open. This way, they could have all of their newest attractions open (Mummy, Shrek, and Jimmy Neutron), plus have the parade route so the parade could come back, and they could have a lot more room for more haunted houses. I'm figuring they could fit in 3 or 4 more of them. And then they could have an added scare zone too. Good idea, I think so. This is just me talking, and I didn't get this from any valid sources, but I think it would be the smart thing to do!

• Rumored Best House: Psyco Scarepathy followed by Ship of Screams
• Rumored Best Island: Lost Continent followed by Jurassic Park
• Funhouse of fear IS in 3d which means it requries glasses.
• Jungle of Doom will not have scenes with shows.
• From what I've heard, Psyco Scarapathy is not a maze that you could get lost in, just a traditional Haunted House, but is very detailed.

Bill and Ted's rumor is that this years set will be the Jail from the movie Chicago.

Since the Extreme House is not happening, it seems another extreme experience may take place. It's called The InfestStation, and you get a plexi-glass box placed over your head, and then the Director spins a wheel to figure out what you should be tortured with. You might have rats poured over your head, or roaches, or snakes, or worms, or other stuff like that. Very fear factor like. Rumor is that this will cost an extra $5 to particapate in, and you need to be over 18. At this point, I'm not exactly sure how true this is. Chance are, it is going to happen, but I don't know if guests are going to be the victoms. I have a feeling that HHN actors pretending to be guests will be the ones getting the creatures poured over their heads (like the Rat Lady). But if it is open to the public, I don't see why people wouldn't do it. There just rodents, reptiles, or insects. I would think there would be a long waiting list!

And heres some more rumors for today... Radio adds are playing on just about every station for the past few days. This is the first year since the Septemeber 11th terrorist attack that Universal is using the word Terror in their commercials. Does that mean that this year is going to be scarier than previous years? Probably now, but we'll find out. TV commercials should be playing now too, but I don't watch much tv, so I don't know about those. I don't think I mentioned this previously, but billboards are up all over Orlando for Halloween Horror Nights. I keep on forgetting to bring my camera to take a picture of one of them.

Now it's time for my speculation that I haven't heard from any good sources, but I think may or may not happen. This one has to to with the Ship of Screams. Somewhere I heard a rumor that at either Cedar Point or Six Flags, they are draining their rapid ride and having a haunted house in the "caynon" of the dried up river. It just so happens that this year the Popeye ride is closed until after the end of HHN. Could the Ship of Screams Haunted House be in Me ship the Olive (confirmed), the line for the Popeye ride (confirmed), and in the riverbed of the Popeye ride itself? If they do, oh what potential for water effects. They add some walls seperating you from the rest of the river bed, and then have the water to start rising all around you. I'm getting excited! Some more of my ideas that may or may not mean anything... At Ioa Central theres a picture saying that Dueling Dragons is closing early. True, it never has a line during these times, but still, why would it close early in september when constuction is going on all around the park for HHN? Maybe some scary upgrades to the castle? Time will tell.

I might go this weekend to take some more pictures of Islands of Adventure and check some of this stuff out.

Bill and Ted is happening in the Toon Lagoon Theatre, and it doesn't seem like any show will be going into the Sinbad theatre. On the offical website, theres not much mention of what will happen in the streets, but by clicking on Director's Scene Notes, you get some ideas. It seems like Marvel Island will be toxic city in the aftermath of last years carnage. Can't figure out much about the Lost Continent, but I'll be believeing the rumor a few weeks ago with the whole island being themed fire and ice. Jurassic park is totally unknown at this point. Maybe they'll have people scareing you in around each haunted house from that house. Toon lagoon's scene not doesn't tell you much. All it says is "They will Never see" and has a picture of lots of fog, bubbles and flashes. Theres that rumor of Splats and Blots for this island for the monsters, but that's not confirmed. I suppose from the quote, they will have monsters hiding in the dark blending in with their surroundings and then jumping out to scare people. I doubt they're going to have the same bright colored Tweeks and Foons as last year. Suess Landing will probably have nothing again this year. Maybe they'll add some fog, but that's about it. And then Port of Evil looks really good. It seems like they went all out with the costumes that they have in the pictures this year at this point. But then again, the whole park is The Directors movie, so who knows how it'll be. I'll have more pictures coming soon!

The only thing I was able to find as a guest was some construction in Jurassic Park, both in Tricertops Encounter (Jungle of Doom rumor???) and in the Jurassic Park Discovery Center (Asylum rumor???). Tricertops Encounter was closed, but through the trees you could see some evidence that there was construction going on back there, but I couldn't get any good pictures of that. In the Jurassic Park Discovery Center, the top floor was opened for the Burger Digs resturant, but the center stairway and elevator was walled off. There weren't any walls around the other balconys though, so I was able to take lots of pictures of the Haunted House, and it's well under way. I'm not really sure if it will be the asylum in there anymore because do it looked like the dinosaurs are staying in the building. Do they really go with crazy people?

Also. I know there are rumors about a 3D fun house with killer clowns going into the Thunder Falls Resturant, but instead of starting construction in it, it has been reopened as a restuant. It's been closed for months, and I find it a bit strange that they would open it for a few weeks before they start construction.

I feel that a monster type character would go better as the mascot based on what the themeing sounds like in most of the park. It's very supernatural seeming this year, and monsters are... well... supernatural. I could see the director being used for the all night die in haunted house, but I don't really like the idea of him being the mascot for the whole park, but then again, the whole park could be his movie! A little foreshadowing in the video too. Notice the clown that's in the Directors movie? Think it has anything to do with Fun House of Fear (In 3-D) or maybe revenge on Jack for some reason...

And in other HHN news, last I heard is that the Extreme house has been scrapped. Mostly because it would have only hold 30 people a half hour, and it would be $13 to get in. Universal didn't feel that it would make enough money to make it worth building it. Or it might still happen too and thats a false rumor...

For 13 Millennia, 13 Centuries and 13 Years, a supernatural force of unspeakable horror has been waiting to make its presence felt. The time is now.

HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS 13

City Walk:
Nay-Sayers and Rastas protest entry to HHN warning and urging you to stay away... "The End Is NOW!"

Port Of Evil:
Entry Way Into The Nightmares That Await...
The townspeople caught some jungle-fever. Strong winds, thick fog and flaming skulls greet you along with an otherworldly stonehenge area. You see snake dancers, drummers, and freaks all under the spell of the pulsating beat. You are then greeted by the demonic DARKNESS (mascot?) with his two female succubae attendants. Same type of torture deal going on but with more GORE AND BLOOD and better torture devices...

Booville:
Seuss is a portal to a haunted house...
(1) ScreamHouse Revisited (No 'The Second Story'? :( ) Same Victorian manor with ghosts, gory corpses, embalmed creatures and a new LARGER, LONGER graveyard of monumental mausoleums and desecrated graves.

Lost Continent:
Enter into the battle between fire and ice...
Lost Continent becomes a collossal battle between fire and ice. One side of the island becomes a canyon of ice and cold as Rock Monster stilt walkers stalk you and Vikingesque warriors and the Ice Guardian are on the lookout for prey. Fire-Eaters Grill is where you cross the threshhold into Fire, enclosed in a ceiling of red lasers (blue at ice) fire erupts from rooftops and orcs (me) will guide you (scare you) towards their leader, the Fire Guardian who has a flamethrower. Fire on Seuss side, Ice on Jurassic Park side.

(2) All Night Die-In (classic movie monster rumor) Enter through Poseidon's Fury to a deserted Drive-In Movie Theater through the projection booth and concession stand (sounds cool). This Drive-In showed only slasher films and rumor has it that reality sprung from the scream and is now killing everyone. I know there is a 'Hockey Mask Killer' in it already.

Jurassic Park:
You are now entering a jungle of death... (no street info)
(3) Psychoscareapy (Asylum rumor)
Inside the Discovery Center is a terrifying Asylum. The inmates run the Asylum and if you don't look or act like them you're in for a deadly experience. Enter in the reception area and make your way through the living quaters.

(4) Jungle of DOOM! (Monkey rumor)
Enter at Camp Jurassic to heavy jungl, rock caves and cascading waterfalls. A cermonial archway of skeletal remains passes overhead. You entered the burial ground of lost souls. Encounter horrific tortures and zombie creatures moving you to the finale of deathly dimensions. We've evolved from dinosaurs to monkey/human... some halfs...

(5) Fun House of Fear (In 3-D) (Midway of the Bizarre rumor)
Illusion, distortion and fear are the names of the games as maniacal clowns of mayhem and evil host your mind boggling journey. Think Jack's 3D house with mirrors and spining tunnels and false doors... real fun house with deadly clowns.

Toon Lagoon:
Beware of the Splats and Blots...
(6) Ship of Screams (Ghost Ship rumor)
The very popular "SS Friday" launched on Friday the 13th of January 1913 was one day mysteriously found a-drift in the Atlantic with not a soul on board. Now it's a tourist attraction that is rumored to be, haunted. But beware, you are not welcome aboard this vessel.

Marvel Island:
The aftermath of Carnage and his crew (hehe Carnage Crew)... with toxic waste gasses spurting randomly into the air, toxic foam and toxic ooze. But beare of the inhabitants that roam the streets for the hunt in packs. Their clothes are torn and tattered and parts of the face and hands have melted away. Be on the look out for Toxic Avengers, a militia who are swathed in orange and white combat suits, eyes covered in goggles, moving about shooting disinfecting air blasts. (Over heard Kenny talking about a 'Air Bazooka' that shoots a ball of air at people.)

(7) Extreme House/Adult House ??? Jen did mention at the beginning when she said and Finally, Marvel, I can't say much but there's a lot of toxic stuff... and I bet by that she meant, 'can't say much because of the Extreme House'...

Sounds good? Thanks Jared for the information. Seven Haunted houses would beat Howl o Scream at Busch Gardens, and they all sound so good!

Also, I've been hearing some rumors that the Scream House's construction has started. It's in a soundstage just like last year, but who knows how true this is. I haven't seen anything myself.

8/19/03- This years mascot seems to be narrowed down a little, but not decided yet. Apparently last year's Caretaker will be part of his second Scream House, but another character will be the mascot. The Master (hung out with the Caretaker last year) which had rumors floating around him a few months ago have died down and now theres two that just might make it till October to be this years Mascot. One might be a horror movie director who's actors don't always come out of their movies alive. I would think this would fit better in Universal Studios instead of Islands of Adventure because it's a nice movie tie in, and the Studios already has all of the classic monsters, but I suppose it could work at Islands of Adventure too because just about everything there is based on stuff that a movie was made out of. The other mascot rumor that seems to be popping up more and more is to take Nightmare (see picture), the monster that guarded the Lost Continent, may get his chance to be in charge of Halloween Horror Nights. I liked Nightmare. Really cool costume, so I really wouldn't mind this, but I'd rather have something original. But then again, all of this is still RUMORS so maybe none of it will actually happen and a mascot that no one expected will pop up!