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Halloween Horror Nights 28 General Discussion

Mid aughts the zones could be scary. Field of Screams, Jurassic Park & Fright Yard would get legitimately uncomfortable to walk through. Granted, I think Islands allowed "scarier" zones because of the structure of the park.

I could see that. IoA has claustrophobic streets and more corners to hide in.

That being said, I also think the crowd levels the event currently gets help to negate any possible scares. Hard for the cast to really do anything through the waves of humanity

it always seems to me that the streets at studios are too wide and too loud to be scary. theres too much space to feel claustrophobic,

and you always have the Rip Ride coaster going on and you have the noise from the crowds and you had the noise from the shows outside like Jack's show or Academy of villains going on,

plus the noise from the people talking and laughing. the crowds are too big, scarezones end up feeling more like a party now, Obviously people Still get scared in the zones, or startled. because the actors do a really good job at sneaking up on you, but the zones now feel more like a big block party.

the zones i felt were really really scary were at Howl O Scream due to the lack of people and their smaller streets, as well as all the trees and all the nature around them, HOS was really creepy. made me feel unsafe lol
 
vamp sounds like a lot of fun actually. if those "celebrities" are in it in some way then its going to be super awesome

You will see them!

What is your idea of a good year for scare zones and why? Just looking to calibrate my expectations.

As said, the Island years were fantastic.

People seriously complaining about "fun" scarezones? Isn't that why we go to the event? For fun.

Not at all complaining about that, it was in reference to the streets being "some of the best," or at least an improvement over last year. Having two scare zones that are essentially the same was my gripe. You always need something fun to balance the serious. For Chucky you have Vamp. For Poltergeist you have SINema.

The event is fantastic and we are ready for tonight, just clarifying points.
 
To be honest, I don’t get how people find scarezones “scary”. It’s open space and you can see them all coming mostly. What makes a scarezone to me is how it’s designed and how the actors fit the story they’ve been given.
When it's Aholes & Elbows it is hard to be scared

it always seems to me that the streets at studios are too wide and too loud to be scary. theres too much space to feel claustrophobic,

and you always have the Rip Ride coaster going on and you have the noise from the crowds and you had the noise from the shows outside like Jack's show or Academy of villains going on,

plus the noise from the people talking and laughing. the crowds are too big, scarezones end up feeling more like a party now, Obviously people Still get scared in the zones, or startled. because the actors do a really good job at sneaking up on you, but the zones now feel more like a big block party.

the zones i felt were really really scary were at Howl O Scream due to the lack of people and their smaller streets, as well as all the trees and all the nature around them, HOS was really creepy. made me feel unsafe lol

Used to be so much better.
I spend more time trying to avoid people than looking for actors
 
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It's interesting to see why Vamp '55 was so much more popular than a lot of other scarezones.

Is it because it was an immersive experience? I agree that I don't find these zones as scary - but enjoy the atmosphere that is set (when it is done right).

I honestly had to look up last year's to remember what they were (outside of Trick R' Treat) - because none really stood out. I'm excited to see how this years' turn out - as Vamp '85, Chucky and Killer Klowns all seem very promising.
 
It's interesting to see why Vamp '55 was so much more popular than a lot of other scarezones.

Is it because it was an immersive experience? I agree that I don't find these zones as scary - but enjoy the atmosphere that is set (when it is done right).

I honestly had to look up last year's to remember what they were (outside of Trick R' Treat) - because none really stood out. I'm excited to see how this years' turn out - as Vamp '85, Chucky and Killer Klowns all seem very promising.

I speculate that since Vamp 55 was a late addition and little work was done on defining the characters so creative gave a great cast a lot of improve abilities.... and times to.... vamp. *rim shot*
 
Fear is subjective.

"What's normal for the spider is chaos for the fly."

The sound of chainsaws may bring a smile to your face, but Susan from KY may crap her pants when she hears that saw rev up.

Totally agree - I'm just curious what makes a scarezone more successful than others. For me, it's definitely the immersive environment that areas like Vamp '55 created - the music, the characters, props, etc. really made it a fun area to be in. A horde of chainsaws makes for some great scares (and probably people watching) - but doesn't do much more than that.
 
What happened to the “horror of the 80’s theme”???? Why aren’t the signs on the front arch themed to that? They could’ve have the posters be like VHS slip covers. What is this pumpkin thing that seems to be the symbol of the event this year? It seems besides a couple of the ip’s, a couple scarezones, and part of the website, you wouldn’t know the 80’s is the theme this year. I really hope there’s good 80’s music blasting through the park. That would put that exclamation point on the theme this year desperately needs!

I may be off on thins, but I seem to remember some of the earliest promotional language used for this year had the phrase “The Past will Haunt You”. I have to wonder if this wasn’t the intended theme for this year, rather than focusing solely on the 80’s. Marketing just got distracted by over promoting nostalgia and “More houses than ever!”

If you think about it, things from the past coming back (either literally from the 80’s or more symbolically the past having consequences that we reap in the present), almost everything this year fits rather well. Villains return for revenge, plagues that start in one era ravage the present, and past wrongs refuse to stay buried. As for the pumpkin mascot, the imagery from the first Orlando event actually called Horror Nights used a jack ‘o lantern getting chainsawed, so it feels related to that for me.
 
The creative team settled on calling it an “80’s motif” this year. I’m sure it’s not what they wanted, but that’s what they’re currnelty going with.
 
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