Fortnitemares (HHN 35)

[Tbad556]

I think we’re arguing different points. I’m not saying HHN has always been pure horror. I’m saying it feels like it’s shifting from curating great Halloween experiences to chasing the biggest cultural footprint. Maybe Fortnite ends up being fantastic... I genuinely hope it does. But on paper, it feels like a step in that direction.

I think a lot of HHN fans need to start having a moment where they realize that we’ve done it. We’ve done the grails. They’re almost all gone. We’ve done multiple Evil Dead’s, Texas Chainsaws, Halloweens, Elm Streets, Trick r Treats, Killer Klowns, Jasons, Saws, etc. We’ve driven into movies, we’ve done games, we’ve seen incredibly niche TV. We’re finally getting Hellraiser. Many of the ones left are either in rights-holder limbo or held up in other ways. At a certain point, it’s time to either get weird with the IPs, get incredibly niche, or drill repeats into the ground.

This isn’t the first “weird” IP and it won’t be the last. If your focus is on worrying about Universal chasing the bag, that’s your prerogative. Have at it. Hold that fire in your heart lol. But I’m here for giving the weirdness a shot each and every time.

 

[Imperius]

We had David S Pumpkins at the event just recently. Walking dead was really chasing the cultural footprint also for how long it stayed. Is Fortnite chasing money? Of course, but so is every other large IP they have gotten. They might have a great idea for how the zone will work and wanted it for that. Stating the team is just corporate sell outs because Fortnite is coming as a zone is a little much.

 

[MartyMcFly]

I think a lot of HHN fans need to start having a moment where they realize that we’ve done it. We’ve done the grails. They’re almost all gone. We’ve done multiple Evil Dead’s, Texas Chainsaws, Halloweens, Elm Streets, Trick r Treats, Killer Klowns, Jasons, etc. We’ve driven into movies, we’ve done games, we’ve done niche TV. We’re finally getting Hellraiser. Many of the ones left are either in rights-holder limbo or held up in other ways. At a certain point, it’s time to either get weird with the IPs, get incredibly niche, or drill repeats into the ground.

This isn’t the first “weird” IP and it won’t be the last. If your focus is on worrying about Universal chasing the bag, that’s your prerogative. Have at it. Hold that fire in your heart lol. But I’m here for giving the weirdness a shot each and every time.

Fair enough, and you make a good point. But I’d still rebut with... “We’ve done most of the classics” is a reason to get creative, not to abandon curation altogether.

Because if the principle is simply “it’s weird and popular,” where’s the line? Roblox? Minecraft? Among Us? At some point the event still has to decide what actually belongs at HHN.

Every event has a line. The debate I think is where it should be.

 

[Legacy]

For YEARS, fans pleaded for Universal to start representing video games at HHN…

“Not like that…”

 

[Imperius]

Which is a fine discussion but I don’t think Fortnitemares crosses that line. It’s a Halloween related even in the game. It has great character designs and as a zone, it works pretty well in theory. We have had far worse and dumber zone ideas over the last years.

 

[Brian G.]

I think we’re arguing different points. I’m not saying HHN has always been pure horror. I’m saying it feels like it’s shifting from curating great Halloween experiences to chasing the biggest cultural footprint. Maybe Fortnite ends up being fantastic... I genuinely hope it does. But on paper, it feels like a step in that direction.

Also I wasn’t trashing Aiello “like he killed my first born”, that’s a pretty exaggerated reading of what I said.

I think there is a distinction between saying "They're bringing Fortnite to the event", and "They're bringing Fortnitemares to the event". HHN has always been celebrating Halloween AND Horror. You are right that it definitely isn't Horror, but the mode is very much Halloween. They've always tried to diversify their line-up.

This is the same event that had Fear Factor as a haunted house. This whole argument about the event has been nothing but goal posts moving because of personal preferences. Saying you don't like it is one thing, but arguing that it doesn't belong when there's a long history of Universal doing things like this is another.

 

[MartyMcFly]

I think there is a distinction between saying "They're bringing Fortnite to the event", and "They're bringing Fortnitemares to the event". HHN has always been celebrating Halloween AND Horror. You are right that it definitely isn't Horror, but the mode is very much Halloween. They've always tried to diversify their line-up.

This is the same event that had Fear Factor as a haunted house. This whole argument about the event has been nothing but goal posts moving because of personal preferences. Saying you don't like it is one thing, but arguing that it doesn't belong when there's a long history of Universal doing things like this is another.

Fair point, well made.

 

[Imperius]

We had The Weeknd house which was “horror related” and it was a top tier house. Let creative do what they do with an idea they like. If it sucks, we will complain about then, but all this gatekeeping of HHN is tiring.

 

[MartyMcFly]

We had The Weeknd house which was “horror related” and it was a top tier house. Let creative do what they do with an idea they like. If it sucks, we will complain about then, but all this gatekeeping of HHN is tiring.

Fair enough. I don’t see it as gatekeeping though. Every long-running event has an identity, and debating where its boundaries should be is part of being a fan. We just draw that line in different places

 

[Disneyhead]

People are acting like we're getting this.

 

[SeventyOne]

Fortnitemares turns Fortnite into Halloween. It doesn’t celebrate Fortnite’s normal visual identity. (See?)

Fortnite does have its own original identity. It’s *profitable* because of IPs, but it didn’t have an IP attachment when it first launched in Sept 2017. It became a breakaway smash without licensed agreements (it already had 45 million players before its first collab in March 2018). All of Fortnite’s original characters (20 or so) are wholly their own. Peely, for as ridiculously stupid as he is, is a part of Fortnite’s distinct identity. They don’t have any licensed IPs on the keyart because it doesn’t need them. It has its own identity beneath the licensing agreements. Fortnitemares twists that distinct identity into something that celebrates Halloween. That celebration of Halloween is what Fortnitemares is bringing to the event.

I think at this point it could be argued Fornite has its own distinct visual style, making it an IP onto itself. Even as a casual, passive observer (brothers and nephews all play), if you showed me the characters from the key art without context, I'd still instantly know they are from Fortnite. The aesthetic is as much a draw as the character. And, of course, a pumpkin man and a skeleton scream "Halloween," even never having played the game. (For all I know they were created for HHN, but ultimately that doesn't matter, they drive home the identity.)

I think a lot of HHN fans need to start having a moment where they realize that we’ve done it. We’ve done the grails.

David and the other Lost Boys sit quietly in the corner, sobbing, as a cool saxophone riff blows through the seaside air ...

 

[TheCodeMan95]

Here's the thing - I've never played Fortnite. It's just not my type of game. But my wife plays it fairly frequently - and she's excited. (She's also been an obsessed HHN fan for the last 10 years like me)

But all of the costumes on the art look really cool, and the entire concept of an ever-evolving battleground sounds really interesting.

The amount of pearl-clutching I've seen over this is truly insane, especially for a scare zone. Not just a scare zone, the SMALLEST SCARE ZONE.

I'm looking forward to seeing what they do here, and like another user said - I'd rather see them fail doing something new and interesting than see another generic "spooky monsters in the woods" idea for this zone.

And if I have to make an actual prediction? The zone is going to be visually interesting and fun. But none of the angry people will admit it when the fog settles lol

 

[Tbad556]

Here's the thing - I've never played Fortnite. It's just not my type of game. But my wife plays it fairly frequently - and she's excited. (She's also been an obsessed HHN fan for the last 10 years like me)

This is possibly the biggest thing to me as another person who has very limited Fortnite experience. With all of the “adults only!! No kids!!” stuff, it feels like people forget that there are many different entry levels to horror. If you want people to get into the genre or the event, you have to give them things to latch onto as a starting point. Having one single scarezone to introduce people to other elements and IPs within horror is a win for the genre and the event.

As much as we love to ramble on about the gore and scare-levels of the event, HHN is not and has never been on the extreme end of the haunt spectrum. If you’re looking for an extreme haunt, there are some incredible ones out there that I highly encourage people to explore and spend money on.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

This is possibly the biggest thing to me as another person who has very limited Fortnite experience. With all of the “adults only!! No kids!!” stuff, it feels like people forget that there are many different entry levels to horror. If you want people to get into the genre or the event, you have to give them things to latch onto as a starting point. Having one single scarezone to introduce people to other elements and IPs within horror is a win for the genre and the event.

As much as we love to ramble on about the gore and scare-levels of the event, HHN is not and has never been on the extreme end of the haunt spectrum. If you’re looking for an extreme haunt, there are some incredible ones out there that I highly encourage people to explore and spend money on.

For sure - but I don't want my comment to be misconstrued lol. My wife is and always has been a massive horror fan, even prior to HHN. And she's also a Fortnite player, and is excited for the zone.

Basically my point was, I don't know why people have an "us vs them" mentality with this, when there are likely hundreds of thousands of Fortnite players who are also horror fans lol

 

[Tbad556]

For sure - but I don't want my comment to be misconstrued lol. My wife is and always has been a massive horror fan, even prior to HHN. And she's also a Fortnite player, and is excited for the zone.

Basically my point was, I don't know why people have an "us vs them" mentality with this, when there are likely hundreds of thousands of Fortnite players who are also horror fans lol

And that’s on reading comprehension. But hah I get ya! The desire for every single thing at the event to be targeted for YOU, dear reader, specifically is a losing battle. As lovely as it would be to have that, some things will hit certain fans more than others and that’s fine! It doesn’t mean you can’t grab a group of friends, hop through the fog, and look at the silly costumes. You don’t even have to wait in a line to “suffer” through it!

 

[TheCodeMan95]

Remember when people were excited about Crypt TV? That worked out right guys... right?

 

[MartyMcFly]

People are acting like we're getting this.

Judging by this thread, if Universal announced it, half the replies would be explaining why Despicable Me Halloween was actually a bold creative decision and anyone questioning it was “gatekeeping.”

 

[TheCodeMan95]

Judging by this thread, if Universal announced it, half the replies would be explaining why Despicable Me Halloween was actually a bold creative decision and anyone questioning it was “gatekeeping.”

Despicable Me is definitely the same thing as a video game that is built on killing hundreds of other players

 

[Brian G.]

Judging by this thread, if Universal announced it, half the replies would be explaining why Despicable Me Halloween was actually a bold creative decision and anyone questioning it was “gatekeeping.”

We don’t need to resort to strawman arguments…

 

[grlhowl]

Judging by this thread, if Universal announced it, half the replies would be explaining why Despicable Me Halloween was actually a bold creative decision and anyone questioning it was “gatekeeping.”

I don't think anyone is calling it a bold creative decision. I think most of the defenses of this zone are really just arguing that this is another spooky IP at an event that has had a couple of wonky IP choices clearly driven by execs for the last 15-20 years. I think it's fair to question this choice and have some skepticism, but some of the reactions to the announcement of one scarezone have been ridiculous. Even if the zone is bad, it's not going to ruin the event lineup.