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Halloween Horror Nights 22 Reviews & Photos

There is a night and day difference between what I saw street wise on Saturday and what I saw on Wednesday. I don't think there are more people in the streets as much as they're just starting to figure out how to work it. It still feels a bit clunky and disjointed at times but it is exponentially better than it was on Wednesday. I think by the end of the event we will have a pretty decent street experience. I'm sure they will end up doing this again next year and if they do it will be an even better over all experience. I hope some of you guys got the chance to see an actor wander into a restaurant, if you did you were in for a real treat!
 
Here's my updated review after opening weekend:

Houses

Overall - The houses this year were pretty good for the most part. It's hard to live up to the incredible houses we had last year, but they did a pretty good job with them this year and created some pretty unique and fun experiences.

Silent Hill - Silent Hill, Silent Hill. I really wanted to love this house. The theming was really spectacular. The facade was unique, I was thrilled to see rooms such as
the bathroom from the movie with the janitor in the following room and the staircase was pretty freaky.
However, throughout all 3 of my runs, I had very few scares or even scare attempts. It took 2 runs alone for me to see Pyramid Head and on the 2nd and 3rd runs, I only managed to get very minor glimpses of him walking away. The
staircase room
while cool, should've had at least one or two more real nurses because the current setup is just OK. The house clearly has a lot of scare potential and by the sound of it, I may just have the worst luck in the world with this house's scares. I truly believe this house will be intense by the end of the event.

The Walking Dead - This was an interesting house this year. I had this at the bottom of my anticipation list, but ended up loving it both runs through, despite it being very sunny out. The theming was very cool and well done, and will probably be even more interesting for fans of the series. The scareactors are what really made this house though. Both times through, the actors were very active, very prepared for scares and always fun. I heard that the
store room actually had a large number of scareactors at times and I can't imagine how good that must've been because I enjoyed it with just 3 actors in there.

Penn & Teller - Fun, fun, fun. This is definitely the funnest house of the event for me, as expected. My review for this one is basically the same as my first one and that's a fairly good thing. The actors stayed active and on top of their games, the props were interesting, and the effects were very fun. It's not the scariest house, but it doesn't lack the scares either.

Alice Cooper - Even after four runs, I'm a mixed bag on this house. The 2 daytime runs I had were just okay. I still can't figure out exactly what the deal was. Obviously the lighting played a factor, but even some of the house effects weren't on during these runs (unless I'm going crazy). There was no music during the day and I found that to really add to the atmosphere when it was on at night. At night, this house is actually really entertaining. I love the
insane Alice that kept messing with the eyes on the wall and I saw the jock get quite a few really good scares.
Once I learned a bit more about AC and their/his work, the house made a bit more sense and improved a bit. I really like the final scene as well.

House of Horrors - I realize this house isn't finished and I'm only judging off of what we were given on opening weekend. This was my least favorite house of the event. I actually liked a few things such as the crawling room and the final room (loved the Frankenstein effect), but there was just a lot of rough spots. I won't get too much into it because of the house's situation, but I just found it okay. I'm sure this house will improve drastically throughout the event.

Gothic - Very, very good house. I loved a lot about this house including the theming and the scareactors. It was simply fantastic.

Dead End - Another amazing house. I actually ended up going through it with Mike Aiello and Jim Timon right behind me and it ended up being an incredible walkthrough. The effects, like I mentioned before, are just insane and the scareactors are brutal. We witnessed one crazy scare where three actors got a group of three older women who were flat out stopped in their tracks by the actors and ended up screaming for a good minute before they managed to get around them. Everyone was laughing really hard at the scare and it was really good. I still don't quite get the
screaming screen gag,
but I'm sure it's something that gets some people and it was still quite unique.

Street Experience

Overall - I'm going to be straightforward and say that I enjoyed the streets as much as the houses this year. They are just really hectic and the actors are all incredible to watch. I witnessed people being chased into restaurants, actors banging on the windows of Mel's, actors in very unique places, a lot of awesome scareactor interactions and a lot more. The sound effects added around the areas added a lot to the environment and I liked having the lagoon show bringing the misty waters, even when a show wasn't going on. I really hope we end up getting streets more like these in the future, but with more theming. I honestly had no expectations for the streets this year and was prepared to be let down, but I was really blown away.

Traditionals - I really underestimated this group and they ended up being in my Top 2 for sure. The scareactor with the fox mask and the horn was seriously one of the best actors of the whole event. She was hilarious to watch and talk to, and I saw a lot of funny and unique interactions with her which I mentioned in the other thread. Pumpkinhead and the twitching trick-or-treater with the cat mask were other standouts from the group, but honestly I loved everyone in this zone and their march through the streets was definitely the most entertaining.

Prisoners - The other giant, standout group that are in my Top 2 for this year. My god, is this group energetic or what. The best scares I witnessed all night definitely came from this group. The scareactors in this zone all played some pretty entertaining characters and the namecalling/mocking was hilarious. They'd scare someone to the point of screaming and then start putting their hands up to their face and screaming as well which was hilarious every time. There's a lot of other examples like that one, but just realize that they're worth visiting a few times.

Warriors - Another really good group in my opinion that was filled with some crazy and energetic actors. Even the ones without spears were all over the place and gave it their all to get the scares. My favorite example of this was one actor who constantly got on all fours when charging and jumping out at people. There group was also really entertaining to watch during and after their march.

Iniquitus - For the most part this group ended up being a photo-op, but I'm okay with that. They actually still delivered quite a few scares on me and I had quite the interesting experience with one of the Grim Reapers which I mentioned in the other thread.

Vampires - I'm not a big fan of vampires, but I was still pretty impressed with this zone. Quite a few good scares and fairly interesting to navigate through.

Beasts - I didn't see too much of this group, but I liked everything I did see. They seem like a fairly intimidating group.

Walkers - Fairly decent horde. I liked the gun fire sound effects going on in the background, but I can't say I had much scaring going on. A lot of potential here though and from what I've heard, they're still working out a few things (the 75 actors coming out every 45 minutes).

Overall - I really would like to make it out to the event one more time before it ends to see how drastically everything changes and simply due to how much fun I had on the second night. This year seems to have a lot of potential and I enjoyed what I saw on opening weekend.
 
Gyah, I've finally collected my thoughts into comprehensible sentences.

First off, I really love the event so far. I was able to hit everything, albeit only on one or two run-through's because of the rain, and my hotel circumstances. (Had to leave way early on Opening Night to confirm my stay.) Most of the action for me was on my second night.

I guess I'll start from the bottom-up.

I hated the House of Horrors, which is a real shame for two reasons: a) I love the Classic Monsters, and b) Dead Exposure was my favorite house. This house just didn't come together for me at all. The only scene I could really appreciate was the crawl-through space, which I found very fun and unique. The overall execution just really didn't work, imo. I couldn't really enjoy any of the sets (nor actually recognize them), and the makeup on each actor fell flat for me. Considering it's supposedly unfinished, I still have hope in this house, and I'll be sure to hit it up again in October.

Alice Cooper was "meh" for me. I love Cooper's music, and the sets were nice, but nothing really wowed me. The scares were decent at best, but nothing in this house really affected me at all. I think that this might get better in time if the actors can find something that works for them. The lack of story is something that they really need to make up for.

This is where it gets hard for me to explain. There is actually a huge gap between Cooper and my third least favorite house, because I actually really liked this house. The Walking Dead was my second house of the event, (the rain really screwed up my plans at the AP preview), and I found myself pleasantly surprised when I walked through. While there was nothing over-the-top about this house, I could still really appreciate the design and all of the simple nods to fans. I particularly loved the RV and Barn scenes. The actors here were really on top of everything, and I found myself jumping a lot, which I did not do in any other house (except for Silent Hill, in which I skipped happily along to see Pyramid Head). It was also great to have the Walkers in front of Disaster when I got out.

Penn and Teller was my first house of the event, and I loved every second of it. Of course, waiting in over an hour of pouring rain and then shaking Penn Jillette's hand before walking through might make me a bit biased. That aside, I really appreciated the design here. While I didn't see much difference between wearing the 3D glasses and without, I still loved the sets, and felt that the fluorescent colors just screamed chaos at me. I loved being able to fool with other guests, and I went completely A.D.D. in the control room. I was able to hit this house twice, and both runs were equally great.

Silent Hill was the house I was most worried about, as far as execution and scares. I found myself pleasantly surprised again. I recognized many aspects from both the games and the film. I basically smiled for the entirety of the walk-through. The opening scene was very cool for me, considering it involved my favorite character, and I was ecstatic to see her. The sets really took me away, like no other house really did, and I was blown away by the amount of detail. The nurses were beautiful, and Pyramid Head is love. As I said earlier, I skipped over to see him. I was very happy to spot Robbie the Rabbit. Everything about this house was great for me. If they could work in a few more scares, I'd be ecstatic.

Dead End was a great house in terms of sets and effects; so much so that I can place it as my second favorite house despite the lack of scares. It was very traditional to me. A true haunted house done right. The actors could use a little help as I got very few personal scares. The "Wrong side of the Bed" scene was just hilarious and clever, imo.

Gothic. Gothicgothicgothic. I lovedlovedloved this house. The facade said it all for me. Between the sets and the well-blended actors, this house just blew me away. The scene in which you look down to the dining room was absolutely stellar, as was the "Bat in the Belfry." The stilt actor really got me. He just came out of nowhere. I absolutely can not wait to walk through this beauty again next month.

I hit up the first show of Bill and Ted on Opening Night and loved it. A lot better than last year's show, though still not quite what it used to be. I don't think we'll ever get the old Bill and Ted back.

I'll keep most of my thoughts on 20 Penny to myself. It just did not work for me. While I love illusionists and raunchy humor, this show just did not work for me. And I will leave it at that.

Finally, the streets. I really, really, really, enjoyed the streets, as well as the overall park atmosphere (including Cinespec). While I do miss scarezones just the tiniest bit, I actually really prefer this year's set up. I very rarely ran into dead space, and I ran into every single horde more than once. The Traditionals and the Vampires ended up being my favorites. Both were very interactive and very photogenic. The Pumpkin Head actors visited my table in Mel's more than once (this might have to do with my failure to be startled by them), and the Vampires seemed to love pounding on the window to scare my mother. Both the Beasts and the Warriors got my mother more than once, and usually in tag-teams. It was worth a good laugh watching these guys do their thing. These scareactors really have the scares down-pat.

Altogether, I think the event is off to a strong start, with the exception of Alice Cooper and House of Horrors. Very excited to return in October and see what has changed! :thumbs:
 
This year was really interesting.. besides the torrential downpours on Friday and the lengthy lines I had alot of fun.

Alice Cooper was pretty bad, imo. We only went through it once, but it was more or less what I expected. It was just randomness. There were no scares at all. The scene under the bleachers was just stupid. Maybe it'll get better but as of now this was easily the worst house of the event for me.

Penn & Teller was incredibly fun. It was truly the offspring of Bloodengutz and In-Between from last year. Really enjoyed my 2 runs through the house. Wish I would've seen P&T on Friday night.

House of Horrors was pretty average in my opinion. The duck and crouch room is cool the first time, but after that, it's a pain and does nothing but back up the house.. the finale was pretty cool, Frankenstein came charging us like a bull.

The Walking Dead was pretty damn cool. Not necessarily scary, but alot of fun. Had some scares in it, but I moreso enjoyed just walking around taking in the sights. I wish I could've done this more than once.. but the line.. my God the line...

I want to like Silent Hill more than I do. It has awesome sets. A really creepy feel. But the scares were just not there for me. It had a really eerie feel. Hopefully when I return it'll have been upped in intensity.. this one has serious potential.

Dead End was Legendary Truth but done RIGHT. This house was awesome. The first half seemed kind of dead, alot of empty space, but business picks up REAL fast. I actually screamed about 4 or 5 times my first run through this one. Can't wait to hit it up again.

And finally, Gothic. Oh, Gothic, I love you so. One of the best houses I've ever had the pleasure of walking through. The sets are incredible. Costumes, amazing. Facade, dope. Effects, while some of them are rehashed, fit this house PERFECTLY in every way. Moreso than any house that has utilized them before it. The night sky finale is awesome, while not scary, is just ridiculously cool. In no way is it the scariest house ever, but I do believe this is my 3rd favorite Horror Nights house of all time.

The absence of an 8th house and Jaws are truly felt when you wait in the lines. Plus the lengthy soundstage walks this year can be a bit much. The streets were cool, and I'm sure they'll get even better. Really liked the general feel. Friday didn't necessarily feel like Horror Nights due to the limited street actors due to the rain, but Saturday was amazing.
 
Forget your cousins, this is Halloween Horror Nights! :lol:
 
So I've only been through 4 houses Dead End, P&T, Alice Cooper and House Of Horrors
Dead End- The facade reminded me of Legendary Truth house. I really enjoyed the house I had some good scares.
P&T- So far this is my favorite, it's bright in color, sort of comedic an has good scares.
HOH- ehhh I need to do this one again, non of the actors attempted to scare anyone in the line an honestly it seems like a boring house. Only thing I really like is the finale just because of the hanging film strips.
Alice Cooper- I've always been a fan of AC so I know a lot about him and people say its dosent make sense, If you dont know a lot about AC then yeah it's going to be confusing. I had good scares in the house. I just noticed a lot of Tech problems with light/sound and trigger buttons every time I went in.
 
I will be posting the official OU review tonight, with lots of pretty pictures. Sorry it's taken so long, but editing photos is a pain.
 
I know what you mean. Btw Dead End rocked and the stand bye only looked to be 15 mins... Just sayin
 
So have any of you guys(BriMan, Hatetofly) broken out the tripod for some of these pictures at HHN and if so how did it go with dealing with the crowds and also security at the park?`
 
So have any of you guys(BriMan, Hatetofly) broken out the tripod for some of these pictures at HHN and if so how did it go with dealing with the crowds and also security at the park?`

Nope. Too much of a P.I.T.A. to drag around when you're only there for a 1 weekend.
 
Nope. Too much of a P.I.T.A. to drag around when you're only there for a 1 weekend.

Yeah I hear ya. Im trying to get up there for at least one night of HHN was afraid that it would be a hassle bringing in the tripod, well that and think it would take away time from actually seeing and experiencing the event itself while im busy taking pictures.
 
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