Stranger Things at Halloween Horror Nights- What to Expect

With the announcement a couple weeks ago that Stranger Things would be making its home at Universal Parks in Hollywood, Orlando, and Singapore for Halloween, excitement begin to build for a fast approaching Halloween season. The anticipation level for this house is off the charts, and was quite the bang to start the announcement season. While we wait for more, it is a good idea to look at what Stranger Things means for HHN 28 in Orlando, as well as how Universal will pull off the house.

How will it affect HHN?

First and foremost, it has to be said that this is the biggest announcement in HHN history. Stranger Things is a pop culture phenomenon, and it's popularity is staggering. Even Walking Dead at its peak, did not come close to the relevance that Stranger Things has. This house has the ability to bring in visitors that have never come to HHN before. For those who have visited HHN before, those words might bring on a scare like no other. To put it plainly, HHN is already packed to the brim with visitors almost nightly. House lines can reach extreme lengths, especially during Hell Week. Well, get ready for it to get worse. Don't be surprised if this house sets a new record for wait times this year. For those visiting, it can not be recommenced enough to get your hands on an express pass. Yes, it is expensive, but it may be your only guarantee to see every house in a night. If you can't get your hands on a pass, get to the event at open, and get to Stranger Things first, because the line will only build throughout the night.

What will be inside the house?

Based off the press release, we get an idea of the locations that will be visited. We will start at the road heading to the Hawkings National Lab, before heading inside. It is a safe bet to say we will be visiting the Byer's home, Christmas lights and all, as well as potentially the pool where Barb has a bad time, and also the school. Most importantly, we will be heading into the Upside Down. It has been announced that the house will only focus on season 1, so no pumpkin patches, or tunnel systems...yet. Lets see what happens next year.

The characters themselves are the most important aspect of the show, so it is reasonable to ask, will they be represented in the house? As many Walking Dead houses as there were, never once did we see the characters from the show make an appearance. That really dented the story of the houses, because the characters matter so much to that show. So there is concern that possibly Netflix will have the same usage policy as AMC. Well, based on what the press release states, it seems hopeful that we will see the characters be used throughout the house, stating that the house will recreate the most loved characters of the show. For now, it is safe to assume we won't have another series house with the people who make it special.

Will it be scary?

For a premier house at the nation's biggest Halloween event, it is interesting to see a property that would not be considered scary. While it does have its moments, it is a genre bending love note to the 80's that does not focus on horror. So, can Universal Creative find enough to make people scream throughout the house? While we won't know for awhile, it seems like a fair idea to give them the benefit of the doubt. They have made respectable houses out of The Exorcist, and The Shining, two absolute classics of the genre, but not exactly known for making people jump. It is sage to assume they can pull out enough material to make this house work. The Demogorgon will certainly be used quite a bit to get the majority of scares, and the environments from the show could give the devious minds in Creative a chance to find unique places from actors to come at you.

We have awhile before HHN is scheduled to begin, but Stranger Things surely kicked the countdown off right. With Netflix, and the show's creators on board to help, this house has the potential to be great. As with any house though, it pays to be cautious. Things might change, elements might not work as plan, and numerous other issues could arise that need to be worked around. For now though, anticipation builds for the chance to step through the door into Hawkins with the theme song playing though the air. It may only be April, but Halloween is starting to permeate through many people's minds, and it won't be too long before another haunt season is here.