This year would mark a new era for Halloween Horror Nights™ with a new approach for Universal’s Art & Design team. A fear of clowns was noted as the overwhelming phobia of guests based on surveys performed by Universal. The event needed a “face” for the marketing and a physical presence to host it. With all of that in mind, Art & Design created an original character named Jack the Clown. He boasted a cinematic quality backstory and didn’t just scare guests but also entertained them with his macabre sense of humor. Jack burst out of the box and truly changed the history of Halloween Horror Nights™ with a wave of new original characters to follow.
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This will always hold a special place in my heart because it was my first HHN, but that also works slightly against it because it is hard to remember too much about it. The one aspect that was memorable and something I would love to see in the future was the integration of Jack into the attractions. Seeing Jack in the boathouse while riding Jaws in particular was amazing. I do not recall much about the houses or scarezones so I can't speak to those, but this event planted the seed of my HHN fandom that I would not be able to begin to water and nurture again until 2008.
This seems like an interesting event. Although, I wish there was footages and/or photos of the inside of most (if mot all) haunted houses during that event so many (including me) would know what's it like to experience the event.