So I just got back from my Orlando visit. Did HHN as well as HOS at Busch Gardens. Obviously, everything is just my own opinion, but quick thoughts:
Klownz: No question, Hollywood Klowz is way, way, better than Orlando. With the exception of a cool Klownzilla prop, theirs was terrible. It's almost as if the expectations of the parks switched for that maze: we got the Orlando version, and they got ours. Crazy and unexpected, but enjoy it, folks.
Ghostbusters: a push. Each coast has good parts and bad parts. I suppose Orlando gets the edge a bit, but really, not by much. Orlando got a very large and elaborate set for Gozer asking "Are you a God? Then die!", but their Stay Puff is bad and barely visble. We barely got Gozer, but have a much better Stay Puff scene. That's just one example. The difference is also largely digital vs. practical effects, which would color which version you like better: Orlando has a lot of digital, we have a lot of practical.
Us: Another push. I like how ours has better contrasts between light and dark... it's actually fairly unsettling for me to be in the brightness of that house and hallway. We also overall have better actors and fight scene. In Orlando, it's all fairly dark. But they got a scene where you see the family standing in the driveway in the distance... even though it's static, it's very cool.
Corpses: again, a push. They stay more true to the movie and they show the Firefly family more, but the scenes are totally out of order... to a point that I got irritated, as it was really hard to follow what was going on. Barely any movie ride, and it's at the very end. Confusing. I know ours is nearly 1/2 movie ride, but I personally like that. And it may skip a lot of the movie, but at least it's sequential. So no real winner either coast.
Stranger Things: no question there either, Orlando is better.
Of the original mazes, I personally totally loved Depths of Fear. That idea did nothing for me on paper, but in execution, it scared me more than nearly any other maze I've ever been in. Even on a second run thought later in the night. The sound design, the sets, the use of puppet scares from every direction just wowed me. But all the original mazes are pretty good, amazing in sets, actors/scares hit and miss.
This was my second visit there, and while I do love the sets and vibe, I once again found most of their scares predictable, and while there is some very good talent, not all of it is. I feel like 95% of Hollywood scareactors are all on point. They also have a lot more entertainment... the water show is fun, and the Academy of Villains was more entertaining than Jabawokeez... though they do "cheat" a bit by bringing in outside acts. Pizza Fries were good, but not as amazing as others seem to think.
Another observation: they seem to use actual child actors quite a bit in both Stranger Things and Us. I'm guessing that's something you can't easily get away with in California; I wonder how Orlando does it.
It was also a bit interesting to note that when we told many of the team members out there (we did the RIP tour) we were from LA and had done our HHN many times already, they sounded honestly a bit nervous and hoped their event would compare. It may have just been polite, but interesting nevertheless. I feel like the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, because I was hearing a lot of people dissect mazes over there to death as much as some here do. And while we were in line, there were some guys behind us playing the video of our opening Scaremony and being wowed.
On a quick side note, HOS was fun, but clearly a lower budget. Still, some inventive ideas, and they definitely have LOTS of bungee scares, and was really aggressive about them... but they worked, and would really get inches from your face out of nowhere. It was super cool. I may post a slightly more detailed review in that thread in a day or two.
Klownz: No question, Hollywood Klowz is way, way, better than Orlando. With the exception of a cool Klownzilla prop, theirs was terrible. It's almost as if the expectations of the parks switched for that maze: we got the Orlando version, and they got ours. Crazy and unexpected, but enjoy it, folks.
Ghostbusters: a push. Each coast has good parts and bad parts. I suppose Orlando gets the edge a bit, but really, not by much. Orlando got a very large and elaborate set for Gozer asking "Are you a God? Then die!", but their Stay Puff is bad and barely visble. We barely got Gozer, but have a much better Stay Puff scene. That's just one example. The difference is also largely digital vs. practical effects, which would color which version you like better: Orlando has a lot of digital, we have a lot of practical.
Us: Another push. I like how ours has better contrasts between light and dark... it's actually fairly unsettling for me to be in the brightness of that house and hallway. We also overall have better actors and fight scene. In Orlando, it's all fairly dark. But they got a scene where you see the family standing in the driveway in the distance... even though it's static, it's very cool.
Corpses: again, a push. They stay more true to the movie and they show the Firefly family more, but the scenes are totally out of order... to a point that I got irritated, as it was really hard to follow what was going on. Barely any movie ride, and it's at the very end. Confusing. I know ours is nearly 1/2 movie ride, but I personally like that. And it may skip a lot of the movie, but at least it's sequential. So no real winner either coast.
Stranger Things: no question there either, Orlando is better.
Of the original mazes, I personally totally loved Depths of Fear. That idea did nothing for me on paper, but in execution, it scared me more than nearly any other maze I've ever been in. Even on a second run thought later in the night. The sound design, the sets, the use of puppet scares from every direction just wowed me. But all the original mazes are pretty good, amazing in sets, actors/scares hit and miss.
This was my second visit there, and while I do love the sets and vibe, I once again found most of their scares predictable, and while there is some very good talent, not all of it is. I feel like 95% of Hollywood scareactors are all on point. They also have a lot more entertainment... the water show is fun, and the Academy of Villains was more entertaining than Jabawokeez... though they do "cheat" a bit by bringing in outside acts. Pizza Fries were good, but not as amazing as others seem to think.
Another observation: they seem to use actual child actors quite a bit in both Stranger Things and Us. I'm guessing that's something you can't easily get away with in California; I wonder how Orlando does it.
It was also a bit interesting to note that when we told many of the team members out there (we did the RIP tour) we were from LA and had done our HHN many times already, they sounded honestly a bit nervous and hoped their event would compare. It may have just been polite, but interesting nevertheless. I feel like the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, because I was hearing a lot of people dissect mazes over there to death as much as some here do. And while we were in line, there were some guys behind us playing the video of our opening Scaremony and being wowed.
On a quick side note, HOS was fun, but clearly a lower budget. Still, some inventive ideas, and they definitely have LOTS of bungee scares, and was really aggressive about them... but they worked, and would really get inches from your face out of nowhere. It was super cool. I may post a slightly more detailed review in that thread in a day or two.
