JaCk’s MaNiAcs

Hey everyone! I know it’s been a while, but things have been pretty crazy as of late for me and it’s not letting up in the immediate future. That being said I wanted to give this little update:

With having just wrapped production on Traveling Without Moving in Aurora, IL I am now focusing my creativity on a mini-webseries based around Halloween Horror Nights 25 at Universal Orlando. Jack’s Maniacs will look at a variety of different characters essentially “prepping” themselves for the event. While some of the various videos will be inspired directly from themes or houses that will be present at the event I’m creating this series as an overall commentary on us HHN fans. Many of these videos start off with average, fairly ordinary people… but we slowly discover that each one of them has something that they are hiding or something dark they are preparing for. Just like us. We are all ordinary people by day, but come this time of year we bask in that small thirst for darkness. Something inside us loves the macabre and the terror, and we relish it… just like the people in these videos.

I hope all who watch enjoy the series. As of the time of this post we have posted the first two and there is more to come, leading up to (and possibly after) the opening of Halloween Horror Nights 25. You can find the videos on the Forever Malone Productions YouTube channel- here!

Note: Halloween Horror Nights, and Jack the Clown are properties and copyright of Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Jack is BACK: Thoughts on the First HHN 25 News

When my girlfriend saw the first official HHN 25 promo released today was an instantaneous “NOPE.” That, in turn, got me even more excited. This will be my fourth time attending HHN, and it’ll be her first. Based off of her reaction I can’t help but feel like Universal’s top notch A&D department hasn’t lost their tough with making a thoroughly horrifying and exciting event.

Rumors have been going around for some time now about what Uni has planned for this years HHN, but I try and avoid that kind of speculation at all costs. The main reason being sometimes they’re wrong, and I don’t really like to get worked up over nothing. I try and stick to the facts- info, pictures, etc. that is actually released.

Last year, at the end of HHN 24, Universal released a teaser for this year‘s event- something that to my knowledge they’ve never done before. And the video ends with everyone’s favorite Halloween clown making a brief return- Jack. But what did that mean? Was year 25 going to be another anniversary year? Would all the icons return yet again? What was going to happen?

Well, it seems as though we’re going to start getting some answers…

I can’t explain how excited I am. This will be the first time I’ll ever be visiting while Jack is there, and on top of that the official Halloween Horror Nights website promises more than ever before. Nine houses, five scare zones, two shows, more actors than ever before all spanning over thirty gory-ous days of Halloween fun. I am so stoked.

I’ve noticed some people groaning over the fact that Jack is back, but I can’t help but be excited. Even though I’ve never been to HHN when he’s been a part of it (directly that is) he’s still my favorite icon they’ve ever had and I personally think that Jack is essentially the poster child of HHN. Ask anybody who’s been going to the event or follows it fairly faithfully who is the one icon that pops into their head when they think of HHN and it’ll be Jack, I assure you.

And this year he looks more menacing than ever. Jack’s outfit is very reminiscent of  his Carnival of Carnage ringmaster garb (an outfit he donned for HHN 18, HHN 20, AND HHN 23 (in the Cabin in the Woods house,) but still somewhat changed. It’s more rugged, seems leathery, and more sinister. Jack himself seems… darker somehow to, which I like. For HHN 20 we found out that Jack along with all the other icons (except for Bloody Mary apparently) have been trapped in Fear’s lantern, which is essentially a sort of Hell. And Jack looks like he’s been through Hell here. I’m REALLY hoping that Universal’s A&D has a great story planned out for us this year, that informs us of exactly what Jack has had to do in order to escape and what he’s exactly been through.

It’s only mid-May; we’re MONTHS away from HHN’s opening, and I’m already stoked. I guess it takes very little to get me excited, but I expect in the coming weeks and months we’ll be learning more and more. Construction is already well underway for the event. I’m greatly looking forward to what Universal has in store for us.