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Horror Nights Prediction Commentary: Billie Eilish

It’s only February, and Jesus Christ, we have a lot to speculate about when it comes to Halloween Horror Nights. For those not in the “know,” Halloween Horror Nights is a seasonal, separately ticketed event at Universal theme parks. During this event, haunted houses (or mazes, here on the West Coast), street performers (in themed areas called Scare Zones), and live shows thrill and chill audiences, usually lasting for the weekends of mid-September to early November. Every year, fans will get together on all areas of the internet (most usually forums), to predict the new franchises and original concepts terrorizing guests for the next year. This year is no different, so let’s talk about it.

A selection of passes I’ve built up after years of going to the event.

Due to leaks and insider information, the most talked-about maze for Hollywood is not what you think it would be. 18-year-old singer Billie Eilish is predicted to be bringing her star power to the event this year in the form of a maze for Hollywood, and perhaps a lagoon show for Orlando. Her name is being mentioned everywhere on the forums, usually negatively, with those disagreeing with her as a collaborator for the event due to her music not being reflective of the horror genre. They also fear the fanbase she will bring to the event, as it could continue the theorized trend of Horror Nights marketing to younger audiences as they did with the Stranger Things. My thoughts? Billie Eilish’s maze could be the dark horse of the event.

A pamphlet given as a “twitter password” prize for 2018’s *The First Purge* maze. With increased budget, could we see this maze be the one to give out large amounts of free merchandise?

We’ve seen the benefits of large maze budgets in the past, most notably with Alien vs. Predator (which was predicted to have had the budget of two full mazes), and it could be no different for Billie. As her name is now household, it wouldn’t be surprising to see her bring the event one its biggest crowds, allocating large amounts of budget to be placed in merchandising as well as her attraction to ensure guest satisfaction. This year also looks as if it could have two indoor maze locations (Soundstage 29 and The Walking Dead attraction’s show building). As more massive IPs are usually reserved for the soundstage spots, we could see her maze have the atmospheric effects and grand production design that could only be found within a fully controlled area.

A picture of the Persian Courtyard, an outdoor maze location that tends to house relatively large tent mazes. This space is speculated to be closing this year, so we can rule it out as a location for now.

Well, that’s my two cents on the subject. I’m more hopeful than fearful of this maze, but of course, we can’t make any brash judgment before the maze actually debuts (and that’s only if the maze is included within the HHN 2019 lineup. As we countdown to haunt season, expect more commentary for haunt news, rumors, and conventions. Thanks for reading and considering subscribing.

Rick and Mortython – “Something Ricked This Way Comes”

Our third and final installment in our Rick and Mortython was the episode “Something Ricked This Way Comes.” A play on Stephen King’s “Needful Things,” the episode humorously deflates King’s paranormal monkey’s paw story with a hilarious villain, great arcs for our main protagonists, and some of the funniest parts of the entire show. Before we really proceeded into the episode, we stopped on a frame within the Needful Things store. Here Blake commented on its apparent lack of quality, showing that for a show like Rick and Morty, low-quality animation can still provide the means to tell a hilarious and original story.

A collection of high IQ merchandise, recognizing me as a super genius who understand the complexities of such an amazing show.

The villain is an interpretation of Satan and is camp gold. Not since the Robot Devil from Futurama have I been so invested in a 2d animated devil, and his semi-pathetic, semi-adorable relationship with Summer all the more entertaining. The fact that Rick can discern he is the devil from the moment he meets him clearly shows Rick’s high intellect, a common trait among Rick and Morty fans.

Morty’s subplot about Pluto was genuinely forgotten by me, so I was presently surprised to see a great storyline with parallels to thinking even years later. The disagreement with science, based on lack of information and opinion, is more commonly seen with conspiracy theorists today than it was when the show first debuted. The climax doesn’t quite enthrall me as much as the lead-up, but it’s serviceable for one of Jerry’s most focused plots. Hid misunderstandings of history, specifically Gaileleo, lead to some funny moments, only to be topped by a meeting with a group of amphibian-like Plutonians. The king is almost as funny as the Jellybean King, a hard feat, but achievable through great writing and a name like “King Flippy Nips.” The rich Plutonians seem to be stand-ins for rich conservatives, not a surprising political comparison, but definitely an easily interpretable one that adds quite a bit of interesting socio-political interest.

Rick’s commercial for his “Curse Purge Plus” store is incredibly iconic and almost works as a basic thesis for Rick’s actions in response to Mr. Needful. His laid back nature leads to him burning down the store, after laughing from hearing that Mr. Needful attempted to kill himself. I feel very bad for the man who couldn’t pick up his dead cat and child (a “Pet Semetary” reference).

We all jumped in the hot tub after the marathon was over, a true relaxing experience, unlike the three episode we had just watched.

Rick and Mortython – “Rixty Minutes”

The next episode on our Rick and Mortython was “Rixty Minutes.” One of two Interdimensional cable episodes, this installment is commonly regarded as one of the best in the show’s history. A large part of this is due to the heavy use of improv. Rick and Morty has always been improv-heavy, but this episode sees the show take a dive off the deep end into full weird territory. The episode is made up of a narrative structure, but many vignettes of other timeline’s television programming take up the episode. Here are our favorites:

Quick Mysteries has two hilariously gory death sequences, one with a shotgun, the other an electric chair. It’s quick, memorable, quick, and really quick.
Ants in My Eyes Johnson was truly confusing to Abby, who had never seen the show before. What can we say about it? Its an absolute classic, with some of the most outwardly disturbing visuals in the show’s history.
Two Brother’s was Blake’s favorite. The story of a crazy action movie starring two brothers was compared to 2020 by Abby, who also called it a “scary version of Wonder Woman” once a large group of old women appeared. The laughing at the end of this bit really shows how much fun they were having crafting the first season, a true “lightning in a bottle” moment.
Ball Fondler’s name never made sense but was always one of my favorite commercials due to its “A-Team” concept and anthropomorphic alligator.
The SNL parody is especially funny now since Adam Sandler played a silver guy in a new Safdie Brothers short film.
The Fake Doors commercial’s unending nature is absolutely hilarious and made only better by the short directly after it.
I LOVE GAZORPAZORPFIELD! It’s so vulgar, on the spot, surreal, and so representative of Justin Roiland’s unique comedic style.
The Trunkman political message conflicting PSAs are hilarious, but also feel very representative of the struggles that the LGBT community faces (not saying the LGBT community are Trunkpeople).
The Strawberry Sniggles commercial is so darkly comedic and gained and jaw wide open response from Abby, who seemed clearly disturbed and uncomfortable after it.

Overall the episode is so hilarious, and now I have a way to look back and organize my favorite segments. Honorable mention to Babylegs!

Abby’s reaction to the Lucy Charms commercial parody, a bowl for cereal after I became hungry after seeing the Lucky Charms commercial parody, and comrade Kermit, who lost a hand during the process of the night.

Rick and Mortython – “Lawnmower Dog”

As the school year ends and I forget to turn in my assignments, I felt an urge to have a marathon. A beautifully terrible marathon, for myself and two friends, to watch, analyze, and critique the only show for people of a high IQ: Rick and Morty. Here is how the first episode went.

We start off our journey with unveiling the ceremonial flame of marathon snacks, Jiffy Pop.

We started with my sister’s favorite episode “Lawnmower Dog.” The episode’s title parodies a film title, “Lawnmower Man,” which is my favorite running gag within the show. I start the marathon with Abby and Blake, one watching the show diligently, the other sending videos to her friend through Snapchat. The first thing I realized upon this rewatch of the episode is that Justin Roiland’s Rick voice has really evolved since the first season. The looser, boozier slur was abandoned for a quicker witted, gravelly voice that is far more varied than Justin’s other voices. The “Inception” aspect of the episode is incredibly well done, with a play on the plane scene, as well as one of the grossest/weirdest/strangely alluring worlds in the show within the flight attendant’s dream.

The latch broken by Blake as he try’s to enter my house inefficiently for the marathon.

Next in the episode is my favorite Rick and Morty character, Scary Terry. A hilarious rip off of the Springwood Slasher, Terry has a beautiful backstory sequence and dream with a ton of funny and memorable lines. Blake, who had been silent for the rest of the episode’s viewing, immediately started quoting the demon’s lines, word for word. After that amazing sequence is the Snuffles questioning scene, where he asks a question that has become notorious as one of the funniest lines in TV history. When Snowball refers to Snuffles as his “Slave Name” I let out an audible chuckle, not super common when watching TV.

Blake has previously also broken my white fence, so I wasn’t too suprised.

When Rick and Morty decide to hide from Scary Terry, its a really funny meta-joke that actually deconstructs the fight, flight, or freeze responses usually found among slasher movies. Scary Brandon is also introduced soon after this scene, one of the funniest fictional character names of all time. When Rick says “Don’t even trip dawg,” I really felt that and realized I should use the word far more than I do now. Overall the episodes crescendo’s into a hilarious finally, involving a liberal amount of urine and castration threats. The image of Morty as Snowball’s pet sums up this episode best, as a weird, hilarious, and sometimes dark ride.

HHN and the Coronavirus

As COVID-19 sweeps the nation, the masses are practicing social distancing in precaution to not spread the virus further, but will these self quarantines affect the upcoming Halloween Horror Nights event at Universal Studios Hollywood. The park closed in March, much to the dismay of fans who had wanted to experience the new Secret Life of Pets attraction within its opening month, as well as to the dismay of Universal, who had to cancel their “Peacock: LIVE!” event, where many speculated we would be given our first maze announcement for Horror Nights. The panel, with all Halloween Horror Nights events creative directors, was seen by many as the perfect time to announce a shared intellectual property based haunted attraction (I’d put my money on “Beetlejuice” and “The Haunting of Hill House”) but was canceled with the event due to a rising number of cases of the coronavirus. Now the question is, how will this virus affect the Halloween season at Universal Studios Hollywood?

A list of haunts that could be affected by the coronavirus, what I’m doing during quarantine, and the only immersive entertainment in my town, now closed during the pandemic.

I previously believed the event could be canceled, which is still a real possibility, but with new projections of the virus’ spread, it’s safe to say the park will be open, if not in September, then October. While I believe the event will still go on, I expect that there will be, and have been, conflicts created from laid-off workers, closed parks, and a national scare. I suspect that this year will feature returning characters and IPs, due to the cost-effectiveness of reusing props, costuming, and masks. IP mazes, in general, could be in trouble, as some companies may not want to associate with a horror event after real mass deaths due to COVID-19. We’ve speculated that Intellectual Properties have pulled out prior to the event before (the most widely known instance being a house based on “The Conjuring” in Hollywood and a house based off of “Scream” in Orlando), but could we see that happen to multiple properties originally intended to be a part of the event’s lineup? That’s my main horror-nights related question during this incredibly confusing time for everyone.

Watchmen: Snyder’s Best Film

In a continuation of talking about films on the blog, today I will be discussing why I believe the 2009 film Watchmen is director Zach Snyder’s best work. While most will give the honor to his interpretation of the Romero classic Dawn of the Dead, written by Guardians of the Galaxy’s James Gunn, I believe it is not his debut film, but his third film, an adaptation of Alan Moore’s Watchmen graphic novel, that cemented him as an American Auteur. My last viewing of the film was a few nights ago, so it’s fresh in my head, ready to be dissected for the strange movie that it is.

The possession of every comic book nerd, a copy of Alan Moore’s *Watchmen*.

To be clear, I am not championing the writers’ work as a perfect adaptation of the book, as a perfect adaptation is nearly impossible for such a complicated and complex story. I am rather applauding Zach Snyder’s direction, which gives the film a tone of its own, demanding a watch, even if you have read the comic. Snyder’s attention to comic visual detail is not as overbearing as 300 or Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, with more of a restrain for visual effects and a majority of impressive “in-camera” shots. Whether its Rorschach’s entrance or the death of the Comedian, Snyder visually translates some of literature’s most famous scenes in faithful, but clearly cinematic, ways. Snyder only takes the director’s helm in this film, which is beneficial to all of us, as others brought in a competent script that was far above Snyder’s writing efforts.

As a testament of my comic book nerd-ness, a small section of my room.

The script does fall flat compared to the graphic novel, but still works in projecting a clearer and more concise version of the story on screen. Snyder makes up for the simplicities of the script by getting great performances from all involved. No superhero film, besides Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, has recently attempted an ensemble cast where all characters have some type of emotional catharsis and arc, but Watchmen did it in a completely believable way. Dan, Rorshach, Eddie, etc. all become more akin to friends than characters by the end of the story, with the audience clearly rooting for the subdivisions within the group. The film still completely holds up for me, and due to Snyder’s best directing efforts, I have to give 2009’s Watchmen, a 9/10.

As HBO creates a sequel series, could we see a film based on the prequels from *Before Watchmen* made into films?

The Invisible Man is a Hidden Gem

As this blog is a space for me to talk about themed parks and entertainment, this next post is a bit out of character. I love film and so much other media, so I felt that I should host my opinions along with my more normal type of articles. With all that being said, I saw a screening of Leigh Whannel’s new interpretation of the Universal classic monster and H.G Well’s creation, The Invisible Man. Did the new version of the story live up to the classic we all know and love? Absolutely.

The local theatre I saw this showing at.

Leigh Whannel proves his first nonsequel directed film, the critically beloved modern cult sci-fi movie Upgrade, was not a fluke. A beautiful script that allegorizes trauma and domestic abuse, The Invisible Man tells the story of paranoia in the information age. While set in modern-day, the architecture of the film has a flair similar to that of the near future in Upgrade. Minimalism isn’t just present in the production design, though. The whole film is an exercise in restraint, building actually intense and scary moments through well-deserved storytelling, and not just an indulgent and lame sound effect.

A testament of my love for Whannel’s other franchises

Whannel’s direction is similar to Upgrade, using robotic rigs for action sequences to immerse the audience in the action of the film. While shot composition and overall camera movements are far stronger in The Invisible Man than Whannel’s previous work, the color grade does sit a bit too grey for my liking (although I understand the creative choice). Whannel directs actors to get pure emotion, best seen in Elisabeth Moss’ Cecilia. Moss’s performance is one of, if not, her best, adding a great relatability to a film that demands you to suspend your disbelief. The score is strong but already surpassed by other slow burns like The Witch. The sound editing is also incredibly strong, with monumentally creepy moments made of door squeaks. The film really surpassed my expectations for a Universal monster remake, becoming a truly strong horror piece that will be enjoyed for years. Pretty good, 7/10.

A hint for next week’s movie review, and then we’ll be back to theme park content.

What Could Come with a Third Universal Monsters Maze at HHN?

As the new Invisible Man movie, produced by Blumhouse and directed by Leigh Whannell, debuts this month, there seems to be an assumption within the HHN community that Universal’s classic monsters will return for the new year’s event. Whether it’s the new film, Tristan Eaton’s amazing new mural of the Universal monsters on the backlot, or the two mazes designed in their honor for Halloween Horror Nights, Universal looks as if they are finally focussing on the monsters that made the company what it is today. While some attempts, most namely the failed Dark Universe, have faired less than well economically and critically, new developments look as if they are still on the horizon. The largest project focussing on the monsters is the speculated new land in Universal Orlando Resort’s Epic Universe, a brand new park for the company, although we could see the monsters return earlier for both coasts.

2019’s Fan Preview Night lanyard art by Tristan Eaton

A picture I took at an advertising photo booth for HHN 2019 at Midsummer Scream

The first maze based on the monsters debuted in 2018 to much fanfare and positive audience reactions. 2019’s spin-off Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, partially based off the 1943 film of the same name, was less popular among audiences, but was still seen as one of the event’s best ever mazes by fans. With the praise, both attractions have garnered, along with Universal’s new-found interest with the intellectual property, as well as creative director John Murdy’s passion for the monsters, a third installment to the maze series has a high chance of coming. With that being said, where do you take the story from here?

John has previously discussed that his intentions for sequels to 2018 maze would be pairings up of classic monsters, instead of direct sequels. Due to their posters being the only ones not of Frankenstein nor the Wolfman in last year’s vault room, I speculate that 2020’s Universal Monster’s maze will be Dracula vs. The Invisible Man. Dracula was given a supporting role in 2018’s maze, but all fans wanted to see more of him, preferably with his Orlando realized, more monstrous design. A new show based on the character has premiered on Netflix, putting Dracula back into the zeitgeist full force, perfect for the heavy social media involved event. The Invisible Man was also a supporting character of 2018’s maze, but his sequence was commonly seen as the show stealer of the attraction. This, along with the new film and its HHN fan directed marketing, seems to be the easy choice for the vampire’s foe. Other characters involved could be Dracula’s wives, who were a notable part of The House of Horror and 2019’s maze. All of these creatures against each other would provide for the perfect maze experience, using the Invisible Man for black hallway and pepper’s ghost illusion scares, with Dracula and his wives as perfect distractions. This could be the perfect end of a trilogy or a great continuing chapter, but Dracula vs. The Invisible Man seems like the most logical choice for a Universal Monsters maze in 2020.

My January/February Recap!

January has concluded, and February continues at full force, but I’ve still had time to make it out to a park or two. As we continue 2020, let’s take a look back on some of the trips relating to haunts and parks within the last two months.

My first official theme park trip of 2020 was actually to Six Flags Magic Mountain. While I’m a general fan of the park, poor upkeep and inconsistent theming keeps it from being one of my favorites. That being said, I felt it was time to revisit the park using my season pass (which was included within the ticket price), and I was pleasantly surprised. The new underground area, originally a dated boardwalk, brings cohesion to the lower area, and the refurbishment of Apocalypse and new Premier Rides powerhouse West Coast Racers finally adds reason to visit the area of the park. The rides were running more than one train, the crowds were low, and cast members were incredibly helpful. Six Flags surprised me with a really damn good time.

My next trip to a theme park would actually not be until February. After visiting Los Angeles for a Mr. Bungle concert on the seventh, we decided to take a half day trip to Universal Studios Hollywood on the eighth. As Chinese Lunar New Year reaches it end, progress on the Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash attraction has ramped up, now with no green tarps or scaffolding. The new pets place area’s colors are beautiful, and the show building’s facade is one of the best in the park’s history, but there was once casualty. The Walking Dead Attraction has now moved to individual experience hours, an unofficial death sentence for the attraction, similar to the seasonal status of Disney parks. While closure is predicted to be March third, many predict we will see a maze within the building for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights. What will be made of the space after the event? Well, we don’t know. Many suspect it will be a “flex space”, or a building used to house temporary attractions and pop ups for both park guests and employees. A smaller group has speculated the attraction will become another year round haunt, this time based off the classic Universal monsters. We’ll see what will happen when (and more importantly, if) we see the official closure of the attraction.

About Me

Welcome, my friends, to my new theme park blog! My name is Julian Dene, and I love to write about and experience immersive entertainment. While the majority of the content on this blog will be directly related to theme parks, posts on other entertainment, specifically haunts and conventions, will also occur, allowing for a stream of content only varied in topic. From a very young age, I had a keen interest in theme parks and haunted houses. Now, after years as a Disney, Universal, and Six Flags pass holder, spending many of my days riding rollercoasters and seeing shows, I’ve decided to share my thoughts and experiences with theme parks to the interwebs!

On closing day of “Jurassic Park: the Ride” at Universal Studios Hollywood, 2018.

The variation in the content topic, along with my specific commentary, will really help separate my blog with the others in the topic, and hopefully you’ll enjoy it all. My goal with this blog is to have a platform to talk about my love for theme parks, as well as meet others who enjoy a nice day at the park.

Thanks for reading, rider