If you’re not much of a fan of Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights, you might wonder why I’m writing about it while spring break is in full swing. Those of you in Northern states haven’t even seen the end of winter weather, and I’m talking about something that happens after the kids go back to school next fall. Have I lost my mind?
If you’re one of the passionate members of the event’s most loyal fan community, though, you know that the Legendary Truth Masters are already up to their old tricks and anticipation is running high, especially with 2015 marking the event’s 25th anniversary. And that’s what makes Halloween Horror Nights especially cool—the fact that 25 years later, a legion of dedicated fans are absolutely salivating for information as early as March. Yet the cycle is predictable and never-changing. Here are the 5 stages in the life cycle of an HHN fan.
1. Pre-Season Anticipation
Every year around this time, the fan community starts to come out of hibernation. Now that we’re divided into legions (an especially devious yet brilliant play on the part of the Masters—the Art and Design team, who not only design the event but have created an ongoing game-within-the-event), small meetups regularly occur even during the normally quiet winter months. But something magical happens in the spring, when the fan community as a whole begins stalking the official website and unofficial forums for information on what the next year will bring.
By mid-summer, speculation will be in full swing. Industrious members of the fan community will have tracked down building permits in an effort to find out what the houses will be, pop culture aficionados will be placing bets on who and what will be featured in the Bill and Ted show, and Art and Design will be dropping tantalizing hints via the official website. The pre-season frenzy reaches a fever pitch by late August, making it tough to keep up with all the theories, rumors, and confirmed facts.
2. Early Season Newness
No matter how dedicated you are to following the pre-season chatter, opening night is simply magical. There is no other way to describe it. Walking through the gates (or, more likely, out of one of the Stay and Scream holding areas) for the first time, getting your first scare on the streets, being among the first to step foot into a brand-new house…it’s the closest most of us will ever get again to the sheer overwhelming experience of visiting a theme park for the first time. The majority of the HHN fan community are theme park “lifers,” jaded and, at times, cynical. But HHN is a brand new experience each and every year, and experiencing it for the first time is nothing short of breathtaking.
We all have our own rituals for those precious first nights. Many attend the first Bill and Ted show of the season. Some attend the first Rocky Horror Picture Show Tribute (the years that it is offered). Some hit all 7 or 8 houses each night, while others prefer to split them over two nights to savor the newness. Most make elaborate plans to meet up with friends in the community whom they haven’t seen in a year. Those nights are filled with hugs, tears, photos, and breathless anticipation.
3. Late Season Analysis
By the middle of the run, something fundamental changes. We have already done the event. A lot. For some of us, every event night but Saturdays (the only night not included with the Frequent Fear Plus pass). We have the Bill and Ted script memorized. We know where every boo hole is in every house. The actors recognize and acknowledge us as we pass through. Most years, the Legendary Truth game is going strong by this point, and we think nothing of skipping houses or shows as needed to fully participate in the game events.
At this point, most of the community moves into a more analytical point of view. We take behind-the-scenes tours, find ways to be the last person through a favorite house at night, and spend a lot of time paying close attention to *how* things happen and how well they work. If a particular effect isn’t working, we take to the Internet forums to dissect in detail our theories as to why. Was it a safety hazard? Did it mess up the pacing of the conga line (the endless line of people going through one of the houses)? Is it gone for good, or just for this weekend? Will its absence fundamentally change the nature of the show?
We’re also fond of arguing over which house, which street scare zone, which cast, even which specific actor is the best. We analyze different scare tactics, critique the makeup and costumes, and endlessly debate whether a particular audio or lighting effect was really the best choice. We also write lengthy reviews that sound highly judgmental and overly critical.
At this point, we don’t love the event any less than we did during the early season. We just see it in a different way. While people who attend for the first time late in the season are having their breathtaking, magical experience, we’ve moved on. It’s the inevitable result of seeing something that many times, especially for highly intelligent and creative people who have such a passion for it.
4. Last Night Goodbyes
Everything changes again in the last nights of the run. We know it’s coming to a close, and we suddenly have the strong desire to stop time. We start developing our lists of last must-dos—I must say goodbye to the Cast A Frankenstein or the Cast B vampire girl in the red dress. I must get a photo with the Rocky Horror cast. Legendary Truth usually holds some sort of dénouement, wrapping up the year’s storyline and setting the stage for what will happen during the off season. For quite a few of us, everything else falls behind that sacred ritual: the last Bill and Ted show.
At that show, both the actors and the audience go all-out to give the show a proper sendoff. The audience shouts the lines along with the actors, and the actors go wildly off-script in an effort to prank both each other and the audience. Some years, the cast sticks around for photos, while in other years they are quickly herded backstage.
And that’s it. The last Bill and Ted show ends after the event officially closes for the night, so there is nothing left to do but leave. As if on cue, the hugs and tears begin, as everyone comes to terms with the fact that it is over for another year. Some people go out for a late-night dinner or drinks, some head home to bed. All awaken the next day in a post-HHN stupor, having spent the past month balancing late nights at the event with early mornings at work or school.
5. Post-Season Critique
Very little is said in the days immediately following the season’s close. Exhausted and a bit sad, fans tend to keep to themselves as they return to normal life. Within a week, however, everyone has recuperated and it’s time for the Monday morning quarterbacking to begin. This is the stage when people begin to analyze the season as a whole, comparing it to past events and writing more objective, balanced reviews.
This phase generally lasts until mid-November, when everyone gets caught up in the winter holidays. Some hardcore fans continue to post on forums, but the majority go quiet through the dark days of winter. This is just a temporary respite, however. As spring dawns fresh and crisp, the faithful begin to awaken, emerging from the shadows to begin the cycle anew.
Universal’s ability to build this sort of passion and sustain for it 25 years is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Their dedication to creating something entirely new each and every year is a major reason why. HHN is, in large part, magical because it is fleeting. While most haunts recycle some or all of their mazes and storylines from year to year, HHN fans get just a few short weeks to build the memories that will last a lifetime.
