- Sep 19, 2013
- 700
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Ok, you need to post about how you get these shots in such low light!
Halloween Horror Nights 26: Reviews & Photos
- Thread starter Brian G.
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Ok, you need to post about how you get these shots in such low light!
I went again last night I've now done every house. I seem to be in a very small minority where I enjoyed the houses this year more than 25. There where great houses last year but I also felt there were very weak ones too (Run, Alice, the Purge, TWD). So I find this year to be much stronger so here is an other half assed updated review.
Lunatic's Playground- 2.5/5
I think it's way better than Alice though to be fair I'm not a 3D house fan. Some cool effects but not enough to really run with the better houses.
Krampus- 3/5
This house was a lot of fun but it feels incomplete for some reason. The attic scene is a blast.
Walking Dead- 3.5/5
I found this house to be just a small step down from the house at 24, but a giant leap from the other TWD houses. Effect scares, some cool sets.
Halloween- 4/5
Its been getting mixed reviews but I still love it. I love those movies so much and the houses are a lot like them. Halloween is a masterpiece that will always hold a high place in my heart, Halloween II is a lot of fun but it is a step down if I'm being honest.
AHS- 4.5/5
I love this house and it's strange that I think it will be and deserves to be house of the year, but it's not my favorite. I personally like some of the others more just because I'm not the biggest AHS fan, so I'm a little (maybe a lot) biased here. Well worth the wait, this house is beautiful.
Ghost Town- 4.5/5
THIS HOUSE IS SO BEAUTIFUL. it's not the scariest one in the line up but it's one of the best in terms of the sets, I loved the theme and I loved the size of it. It felt huge.
TCM- 4.5/5
A wonderful gory mess! It's one of the few houses I've seen that if the scares are off the environment keeps you engaged.
Tomb of the Ancients- 5/5
This house is so fun and the theme sucks you right in. They did lighten it a bit and it made a world of difference, you're able to see the amazing sets and costumes. I felt like I was actually in a tomb.
Exorcist- 5/5.
I've only been going to HHN for 5 years so in my sort time with the event this house is my favorite I've ever been through. I was feeling so apprehensive about this house because the movie was one of the few to really mess me up as kid. It played on that youthful fear so well.
Lunatic's Playground- 2.5/5
I think it's way better than Alice though to be fair I'm not a 3D house fan. Some cool effects but not enough to really run with the better houses.
Krampus- 3/5
This house was a lot of fun but it feels incomplete for some reason. The attic scene is a blast.
Walking Dead- 3.5/5
I found this house to be just a small step down from the house at 24, but a giant leap from the other TWD houses. Effect scares, some cool sets.
Halloween- 4/5
Its been getting mixed reviews but I still love it. I love those movies so much and the houses are a lot like them. Halloween is a masterpiece that will always hold a high place in my heart, Halloween II is a lot of fun but it is a step down if I'm being honest.
AHS- 4.5/5
I love this house and it's strange that I think it will be and deserves to be house of the year, but it's not my favorite. I personally like some of the others more just because I'm not the biggest AHS fan, so I'm a little (maybe a lot) biased here. Well worth the wait, this house is beautiful.
Ghost Town- 4.5/5
THIS HOUSE IS SO BEAUTIFUL. it's not the scariest one in the line up but it's one of the best in terms of the sets, I loved the theme and I loved the size of it. It felt huge.
TCM- 4.5/5
A wonderful gory mess! It's one of the few houses I've seen that if the scares are off the environment keeps you engaged.
Tomb of the Ancients- 5/5
This house is so fun and the theme sucks you right in. They did lighten it a bit and it made a world of difference, you're able to see the amazing sets and costumes. I felt like I was actually in a tomb.
Exorcist- 5/5.
I've only been going to HHN for 5 years so in my sort time with the event this house is my favorite I've ever been through. I was feeling so apprehensive about this house because the movie was one of the few to really mess me up as kid. It played on that youthful fear so well.
- Jul 12, 2015
- 42
- 29
Did some houses again last night. Ghost Town was more intense last night than opening. Everything overall flowed much nicer than on opening night. I will go in depth and give ratings at another time when I'm not lazy.
Saw the shows and I have to say I really liked Academy of Villains. I think those who were doubting it should give it a shot because it's great. I honestly enjoyed it more than Bill & Ted. I wasn't really feeling B&T this year, my favorite part was the ending number with the little tribute they did to Bowie & Prince . This is my 2nd year of B&T btw my 1st being last year.
Saw the shows and I have to say I really liked Academy of Villains. I think those who were doubting it should give it a shot because it's great. I honestly enjoyed it more than Bill & Ted. I wasn't really feeling B&T this year, my favorite part was the ending number with the little tribute they did to Bowie & Prince . This is my 2nd year of B&T btw my 1st being last year.
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- Sep 19, 2013
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just some photos for now
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I may get around to a review at some point, for now, just some general observations.
I really enjoyed the sound track last year. This year, it might be that I just don't know a lot of the music...there are two tunes I recall, but I can't even think of the names.
The one song I think I heard the most has the chorus 'bow down to the one you serve, you'll get what you deserve' or something like that. The other, I think it's an Eurithmics song, but not their version if it was...something like 'some of them want to use you, some of them want to be used by you'
Sounds like Ghostbusters is about to start, but Chance scratches that one...not much else I know or recall.
Life on Mars is playing in AHS and another one, probably Fame, but I do not recall.
I'm not sure on the Scare Zones this year. I did get a laugh when walking up to Dead Man's Wharf and someone started yelling out Scobby Doo....as I think I recall that one from my childhood.
AHS is really well done. I'm more for the set designs, the look, the story...I do get startled sometimes, but I wouldn't say I get scared. Anyway, AHS seems to stop people in their tracks. I think a lot of folks are getting good scares from the house, but man, the strobe scene really gets you disoriented!
Speaking of disorienting, that area in the Exorsist where they have stuff hanging down, both times through, something blocked my field of vision long enough for me to totally lose the folks in front of me to the point where I had no idea which way to walk...I think I lost my way more often this year than in years past.
This is the first year I heard them say 'three by three' (ghost town) which is totally rediculous as you can't get through any of the door ways even two by two...I did try two by two, but I almost missed a great part where looking over the side gave a feel of height like Gothic had.
I do think there are a lot of great houses this year. We haven't done any shows yet.
I really enjoyed the sound track last year. This year, it might be that I just don't know a lot of the music...there are two tunes I recall, but I can't even think of the names.
The one song I think I heard the most has the chorus 'bow down to the one you serve, you'll get what you deserve' or something like that. The other, I think it's an Eurithmics song, but not their version if it was...something like 'some of them want to use you, some of them want to be used by you'
Sounds like Ghostbusters is about to start, but Chance scratches that one...not much else I know or recall.
Life on Mars is playing in AHS and another one, probably Fame, but I do not recall.
I'm not sure on the Scare Zones this year. I did get a laugh when walking up to Dead Man's Wharf and someone started yelling out Scobby Doo....as I think I recall that one from my childhood.
AHS is really well done. I'm more for the set designs, the look, the story...I do get startled sometimes, but I wouldn't say I get scared. Anyway, AHS seems to stop people in their tracks. I think a lot of folks are getting good scares from the house, but man, the strobe scene really gets you disoriented!
Speaking of disorienting, that area in the Exorsist where they have stuff hanging down, both times through, something blocked my field of vision long enough for me to totally lose the folks in front of me to the point where I had no idea which way to walk...I think I lost my way more often this year than in years past.
This is the first year I heard them say 'three by three' (ghost town) which is totally rediculous as you can't get through any of the door ways even two by two...I did try two by two, but I almost missed a great part where looking over the side gave a feel of height like Gothic had.
I do think there are a lot of great houses this year. We haven't done any shows yet.
- Sep 19, 2013
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"Head Like a Hole" by Nine Inch Nails. That was for us edgy progressive folks... 25 years ago.
Cool, I saw NiN at Lalapolooza in Orlando...so I knew of them and I did recall the song, but just couldn't recall who did it. I figured it was Trent (and they had a lot of his stuff last year)...just a lot of stuff I don't recall so well from when I was 25.
But, like the stuff in survive or die, I don't know if it was EDM but it remind of some raves from 25 years ago...but so much of that is a blurr to me. Even though I am old, I just didn't recognize much this year (save for the two I mentioned).
But hey, I had a blast at Finn's for dinner during S&S...the guy singing/playing guitar had a bunch of us adults singing SpongeBob Square Pants...the theme to Sesame Street...good fun
- Aug 20, 2014
- 249
- 414
HHN 26 - Review
After 2 nights, pretty solid year so far. I was never expecting it to be better than last year but it’s far above 20-23. It’s too early for me to tell if it’s better than 24 but I will ponder that later. Most of the houses are pretty solid and I enjoy the zones this year. Chances zone is a bust for sure but the rest of them are fine.
Houses
1. Tomb of the Ancients - 3 Runs
I adore this house. Feels a lot like Catacombs (20) & The Hallow (18). Constant winding, claustrophobic hallways serve each scare perfectly. Every scare actor has variety and is consistent to a fault. There's so much good here I can go on... This is the kind of house that I walk through and say, "This is why I’m here."
Scares A+
Atmosphere A+
Favorite moment: Flashing hieroglyphic room
2. Halloween 2 - 2 Runs
Perfect transition from the original and follows the sequel to a T. Once again Myers is everywhere. Has a slow burn effect with the scares. First 3 room are getting you back into the story and takes off from there. Happy to see Laurie with a bigger presence. Had several really good scares in this one. Well done again.
Scares A +
Atmosphere A +
Favorite moment: Finale
3. Krampus - 2 Runs
This house is too much fun and filled with great scares. If you haven't seen the flick, this will make you. Fantastic use of the venue. Scares are loaded with flare. This new puppetry Universal is implementing makes me excited for the future. The long blank, white strobe hallway is the only thing that cripples it from being house of the year. Other than that do not miss.
Scares A+
Atmosphere A+
Favorite moment: Attic scene.
4. The Exorcist - 2 Runs
Intense and haunting. First night the scares were a tinge off but second night the entire house was on point. The black & white face demon and giant head at the end literally made me drop to the floor. There's was a (live) Regan on a bed going absolutely bug nuts and should receive some kind of scareactor award. Father Karras yelling “The power of Christ compels you!” in my face was pretty classic.
Scares B+
Atmosphere A+
Favorite scene: I have 3.
5. American Horror Story - 1 Run
Cool house but I still have zero interest in the show. I know it's hyper derivative and you can see it in the house. Anyways… not bad. The length is nice, scares are solid. The transition rooms were a good touch. 80% of the scare actors were spot on during my run besides a few just standing in plain sight starring as we walked by. Could be house of the year material on a weak year but not this year.
Scares B-
Atmosphere B+
Favorite scene: Getting lost in the 2 Finale scenes.
6. Ghost Town: The Curse of Lighting Gulch - 3 Runs
This year's Winter's Night. Stellar set design from top to bottom but the scares are lacking. A little overhyped from employee preview. I did like the references to the original GT (14), “That's my gold!”. This house is oozing with potential in the scare department but after 3 runs, I haven't seen it.
Scares C -
Atmosphere A+
Favorite scene: Shootout
7. Texas Chainsaw Massacre - 1 Run
Exactly what I expected it to be. Not a bad house at all just a little *yawn* factor for me. The guys they got for Leatherface are perfect. Some really cool moments and potential ping pong scares but just needs to find it's flow. Great ending/use of outside the house. Better than the 17's version. Not one I will visit much but works for what it is. Even with the outdoor section, this has to be the shortest house.
Scares B-
Atmosphere B
Favorite scene: Finale
8. Lunatics Playground 3D - 1 Run
Weak, repetitive. As my girlfriend said walking out of this, “Felt like an afterthought.”
Favorite scene: The one where Chance tortures someone, wait…
Scares F
Atmosphere D
Scarezones
1. Survive or Die - This year's Fright Yard from 14. Great lively zone with classic interactions. The projection mapping is amazing. There have been some bad post apocalyptic zones. This one is prob the best.
2. Lair of the Banshee's - Loaded with actors jumping from all corners of the path. Great use of the area. In the pantheon of zones in this area there have been better ones, but this serves it's purpose. They don't have to be the same.
3. Dead Man's Wharf - This house gets the award for best lighting. Eerie and beautiful. I got my first scare zone scare since 08 in this zone. Zombie Fishermen with his hand open and arm extended coming at me through the fog. My group laughed. Only reason this isn't #1 is how short it is and a big traffic jam.
4. Vamp 55 - Great comedic zone with interactions galore. Brings a nice variety to the SZ line-up. A lot of scare actors following people. I dig it.
5. A Chance in Hell - A total bust. Who’s idea was it to put chances stage to the side so it would create a massive traffic jam for the entrance of the park? The zones are getting unnecessary hate but this one is weak.
Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure
Great show this year. Has a pretty good pace. A few dud moments, especially the Suicide Squad dance section. A solid amount of cameos and references. I'm definitely going to see it again.
Pros
+ Solid houses
+ Good variety in scarezones
+ Bill & Ted
+ Once again level of detail and effects event wide has been upped.
Cons
- Express Passes
- Chance’s Zone & Chance’s House (Weak overall icon execution)
- The exit from American Horror Story back to the park. Makes me want to do the house less.
- No more over arching story. Interactive website. All about that $$$$$$$$$ from top to bottom.
- Express passes
- Expre....
Old school
After 2 nights, pretty solid year so far. I was never expecting it to be better than last year but it’s far above 20-23. It’s too early for me to tell if it’s better than 24 but I will ponder that later. Most of the houses are pretty solid and I enjoy the zones this year. Chances zone is a bust for sure but the rest of them are fine.
Houses
1. Tomb of the Ancients - 3 Runs
I adore this house. Feels a lot like Catacombs (20) & The Hallow (18). Constant winding, claustrophobic hallways serve each scare perfectly. Every scare actor has variety and is consistent to a fault. There's so much good here I can go on... This is the kind of house that I walk through and say, "This is why I’m here."
Scares A+
Atmosphere A+
Favorite moment: Flashing hieroglyphic room
2. Halloween 2 - 2 Runs
Perfect transition from the original and follows the sequel to a T. Once again Myers is everywhere. Has a slow burn effect with the scares. First 3 room are getting you back into the story and takes off from there. Happy to see Laurie with a bigger presence. Had several really good scares in this one. Well done again.
Scares A +
Atmosphere A +
Favorite moment: Finale
3. Krampus - 2 Runs
This house is too much fun and filled with great scares. If you haven't seen the flick, this will make you. Fantastic use of the venue. Scares are loaded with flare. This new puppetry Universal is implementing makes me excited for the future. The long blank, white strobe hallway is the only thing that cripples it from being house of the year. Other than that do not miss.
Scares A+
Atmosphere A+
Favorite moment: Attic scene.
4. The Exorcist - 2 Runs
Intense and haunting. First night the scares were a tinge off but second night the entire house was on point. The black & white face demon and giant head at the end literally made me drop to the floor. There's was a (live) Regan on a bed going absolutely bug nuts and should receive some kind of scareactor award. Father Karras yelling “The power of Christ compels you!” in my face was pretty classic.
Scares B+
Atmosphere A+
Favorite scene: I have 3.
5. American Horror Story - 1 Run
Cool house but I still have zero interest in the show. I know it's hyper derivative and you can see it in the house. Anyways… not bad. The length is nice, scares are solid. The transition rooms were a good touch. 80% of the scare actors were spot on during my run besides a few just standing in plain sight starring as we walked by. Could be house of the year material on a weak year but not this year.
Scares B-
Atmosphere B+
Favorite scene: Getting lost in the 2 Finale scenes.
6. Ghost Town: The Curse of Lighting Gulch - 3 Runs
This year's Winter's Night. Stellar set design from top to bottom but the scares are lacking. A little overhyped from employee preview. I did like the references to the original GT (14), “That's my gold!”. This house is oozing with potential in the scare department but after 3 runs, I haven't seen it.
Scares C -
Atmosphere A+
Favorite scene: Shootout
7. Texas Chainsaw Massacre - 1 Run
Exactly what I expected it to be. Not a bad house at all just a little *yawn* factor for me. The guys they got for Leatherface are perfect. Some really cool moments and potential ping pong scares but just needs to find it's flow. Great ending/use of outside the house. Better than the 17's version. Not one I will visit much but works for what it is. Even with the outdoor section, this has to be the shortest house.
Scares B-
Atmosphere B
Favorite scene: Finale
8. Lunatics Playground 3D - 1 Run
Weak, repetitive. As my girlfriend said walking out of this, “Felt like an afterthought.”
Favorite scene: The one where Chance tortures someone, wait…
Scares F
Atmosphere D
Scarezones
1. Survive or Die - This year's Fright Yard from 14. Great lively zone with classic interactions. The projection mapping is amazing. There have been some bad post apocalyptic zones. This one is prob the best.
2. Lair of the Banshee's - Loaded with actors jumping from all corners of the path. Great use of the area. In the pantheon of zones in this area there have been better ones, but this serves it's purpose. They don't have to be the same.
3. Dead Man's Wharf - This house gets the award for best lighting. Eerie and beautiful. I got my first scare zone scare since 08 in this zone. Zombie Fishermen with his hand open and arm extended coming at me through the fog. My group laughed. Only reason this isn't #1 is how short it is and a big traffic jam.
4. Vamp 55 - Great comedic zone with interactions galore. Brings a nice variety to the SZ line-up. A lot of scare actors following people. I dig it.
5. A Chance in Hell - A total bust. Who’s idea was it to put chances stage to the side so it would create a massive traffic jam for the entrance of the park? The zones are getting unnecessary hate but this one is weak.
Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure
Great show this year. Has a pretty good pace. A few dud moments, especially the Suicide Squad dance section. A solid amount of cameos and references. I'm definitely going to see it again.
Pros
+ Solid houses
+ Good variety in scarezones
+ Bill & Ted
+ Once again level of detail and effects event wide has been upped.
Cons
- Express Passes
- Chance’s Zone & Chance’s House (Weak overall icon execution)
- The exit from American Horror Story back to the park. Makes me want to do the house less.
- No more over arching story. Interactive website. All about that $$$$$$$$$ from top to bottom.
- Express passes
- Expre....
Old school
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- Jul 18, 2008
- 6,742
- 5,461
Or, like FastPass before them, they extend previously reasonable lines to unreasonable lengths.
After 3 nights (and one day), my preliminary review. Everything always changes, sometimes for good, sometimes for bad, but this is a snapshot of opening weekend. SPOILERS AHEAD OBVIOUSLY
TL;DR: A mixed bag, easily the weakest year since 2012 (which it oddly parallels).
First, the overall good: houses feel longer than ever. (Well, bad thing in the case of Chance's house--never before wished a house would be done already--but overall good). And while I've seen conflicting reports on Twitter, in-house ops have been unobtrusive so far. Outside ops a different story--Ghost Town wanted us to go thru "2 by 2 or 3 by 3"--but in-house have been out of the way and quiet in almost all of my runs. Two complaints from prior years the event seems to have addressed.
HOUSES
(1) Ghost Town - The far-and-away #1 house. A clever, under-utilized setting. Perfectly detailed sets. Fun rain effects. Solid cast. I do wonder if the "Gothic Effect" is at play and this looks better by being in a weak year, but for now, see this house--twice in a night if you can.
(2) The Exorcist - Another solid "movie re-creation" house. I really like the facade, the opening room, and the use of subliminal projections throughout. The vomit room is very effective. Clever idea at the end to extend the house another room, with probably the scariest stretch of any house this year. That said, I fear this is another "Dollhouse" where your first run is your best--subsequent runs through the house I don't think hold up as well, tho I can't say exactly why.
(3) Tomb of the Ancients - A solid classic mummy house. Beautifully detailed sets, eager-to-scare cast. Not a fan of the final scare, seems like too on-the-nose fan service and looks dopey, and the facade is weak (couldn't even cover up the whole tent?), but in between an enjoyable haunt.
(4) Halloween 2 - It shouldn't work. Let's be blunt: the first third of the sets are recycled from the first house--half the rest are recycled from the "generic industrial set" that so often featured in Disaster's queue. 80% of the costumes are recycled from the first house. There's too many mannequins. But a great cast can save a mediocre house, and these Michael Myers WANT to scare you. The cast is the only thing that saves this house, but they do a fantastic job.
(5-tie) Krampus/TWD - The End Times are upon us--TWD house is not my worst. But there's a reason I tie these two together.
TWD sets are creatively bankrupt--literally just recycled sets used as "member berries." But the cast is the strongest ever in a TWD house, and the house just gels into something effective, more than the sum of its parts. Not GOAT, not HOTY ... but enough scares to justify a 20-minute wait.
Krampus is the opposite. The sets are amazing--I loved it in the "lights on" tour. So much creativity, so much attention to little details (those snowglobes!). All of which is lost in nighttime runs, when it's neither scary nor funny. Too many elves. The gingerbread men aren't nearly intimidating. "Home for the Holidays" did Christmas mayhem much better. I did like the Krampus boo-hole, for what it's worth. And seriously, if you can afford the backstage tour, do it and keep fingers crossed this house is on it. But at night, a missed opportunity, just alright when it had potential to be great.
(7) - TCM - Another house filled with recycled sets. Dead animals stapled to that kitchen from Evil Dead/Halloween, the Freddy rooms from FvJ, etc. Chainsaw sounds obviously coming from speakers, not chainsaws. Third house facade in a row here, and frankly the least iconic. Not a fan of the movie, which certainly affects my evaluation, but just a weak, forgettable house for me.
(8) - AHS - Another where I am not a fan of the show, but I did struggle through half of Murder House, probably even more of Freak Show, so I kind of get what they were going for. There's no plot line here. It's just random scenes presented without context. Many of the characters presented aren't even integral to the show, while iconic moments ("you're going to die here", Ma Petite's murder) are missing. The popularity of this one just inexplicable to me.
(9) - Lunatic's Playground - The best part of this house? The queue video--that you can't even see from 95% of the extended queue. Otherwise a cheaply thrown together 3-D house with nothing original. Tunnel feels like an exact duplicate of last year, only in Alice in made thematic sense. TBH, forgotten everything else that pissed me off about this house <48 hours later. It's that disposable. Chance deserved better.
SCARE ZONES (very subject to change, not a lot of time in zones yet)
(1) - Scarecrow Chainsaws - seem to be the most experienced
(2) - Deadman's Wharf - sets perfect. Costumes good, but felt a little repetitive. And as always, way too crowded for effective scares, but that's always an issue with this particular area.
(3) - Banshee's Lair - sets are minimal but creepy, old and young banshees look great, as do forest demons. Could have used some creepy Celtic music. And why are there Nightingales and ThunderCats in ancient Ireland???
(4) - Vamp 1955 - still like the idea, but cast has been lifeless (see what I did there?). Hoping this one improves.
(5) - Chance in Hell - cast is trying, but street always feels like MK post-fireworks. Impossible to scare.
(6) - Geisha/Cheerleader Chainsaws - zero energy so far. Geisha costumes look great, cheerleaders ... eh. "HHN" should have been something more clever.
(7) - Survive or Die - zero context for what's going on. Cast seems eager but everything just so random. Can tell this was thrown together out of whatever they could find lying around the prop room.
(DNF) - Chainsaw Hillbillies - saw one hillbilly one time, maybe he was actually a scarecrow and this was dropped?
Bill & Ted - I may be in minority, but I loved this show. Their interpretation of the Big Bad is spot on, combines pop culture with social commentary, which always makes for the strongest B&T bits. I also like the "Laugh In" style quick hits--why make a 2-minute Khardashian joke when 25 second will do? The election year humor is politically balanced for once. And they clearly brought back professional dancers for the intro/finale, makes a real difference. Subtle but effective tribute to Pulse at the very end was a beautiful touch.
Academy of Villains - polarizing show. Personally hated it. Respect the talent, but it has zero to do with Halloween, relies on generic sounding hip-hop and trite, overplayed 90s rock (ok, technically Bohemian Rhapsody is from the 70s, but it became trite and overplayed after Wayne's World). I know the IP makes it impossible, but something like their Haunted Mansion show would've been a better fit.
TL;DR: A mixed bag, easily the weakest year since 2012 (which it oddly parallels).
First, the overall good: houses feel longer than ever. (Well, bad thing in the case of Chance's house--never before wished a house would be done already--but overall good). And while I've seen conflicting reports on Twitter, in-house ops have been unobtrusive so far. Outside ops a different story--Ghost Town wanted us to go thru "2 by 2 or 3 by 3"--but in-house have been out of the way and quiet in almost all of my runs. Two complaints from prior years the event seems to have addressed.
HOUSES
(1) Ghost Town - The far-and-away #1 house. A clever, under-utilized setting. Perfectly detailed sets. Fun rain effects. Solid cast. I do wonder if the "Gothic Effect" is at play and this looks better by being in a weak year, but for now, see this house--twice in a night if you can.
(2) The Exorcist - Another solid "movie re-creation" house. I really like the facade, the opening room, and the use of subliminal projections throughout. The vomit room is very effective. Clever idea at the end to extend the house another room, with probably the scariest stretch of any house this year. That said, I fear this is another "Dollhouse" where your first run is your best--subsequent runs through the house I don't think hold up as well, tho I can't say exactly why.
(3) Tomb of the Ancients - A solid classic mummy house. Beautifully detailed sets, eager-to-scare cast. Not a fan of the final scare, seems like too on-the-nose fan service and looks dopey, and the facade is weak (couldn't even cover up the whole tent?), but in between an enjoyable haunt.
(4) Halloween 2 - It shouldn't work. Let's be blunt: the first third of the sets are recycled from the first house--half the rest are recycled from the "generic industrial set" that so often featured in Disaster's queue. 80% of the costumes are recycled from the first house. There's too many mannequins. But a great cast can save a mediocre house, and these Michael Myers WANT to scare you. The cast is the only thing that saves this house, but they do a fantastic job.
(5-tie) Krampus/TWD - The End Times are upon us--TWD house is not my worst. But there's a reason I tie these two together.
TWD sets are creatively bankrupt--literally just recycled sets used as "member berries." But the cast is the strongest ever in a TWD house, and the house just gels into something effective, more than the sum of its parts. Not GOAT, not HOTY ... but enough scares to justify a 20-minute wait.
Krampus is the opposite. The sets are amazing--I loved it in the "lights on" tour. So much creativity, so much attention to little details (those snowglobes!). All of which is lost in nighttime runs, when it's neither scary nor funny. Too many elves. The gingerbread men aren't nearly intimidating. "Home for the Holidays" did Christmas mayhem much better. I did like the Krampus boo-hole, for what it's worth. And seriously, if you can afford the backstage tour, do it and keep fingers crossed this house is on it. But at night, a missed opportunity, just alright when it had potential to be great.
(7) - TCM - Another house filled with recycled sets. Dead animals stapled to that kitchen from Evil Dead/Halloween, the Freddy rooms from FvJ, etc. Chainsaw sounds obviously coming from speakers, not chainsaws. Third house facade in a row here, and frankly the least iconic. Not a fan of the movie, which certainly affects my evaluation, but just a weak, forgettable house for me.
(8) - AHS - Another where I am not a fan of the show, but I did struggle through half of Murder House, probably even more of Freak Show, so I kind of get what they were going for. There's no plot line here. It's just random scenes presented without context. Many of the characters presented aren't even integral to the show, while iconic moments ("you're going to die here", Ma Petite's murder) are missing. The popularity of this one just inexplicable to me.
(9) - Lunatic's Playground - The best part of this house? The queue video--that you can't even see from 95% of the extended queue. Otherwise a cheaply thrown together 3-D house with nothing original. Tunnel feels like an exact duplicate of last year, only in Alice in made thematic sense. TBH, forgotten everything else that pissed me off about this house <48 hours later. It's that disposable. Chance deserved better.
SCARE ZONES (very subject to change, not a lot of time in zones yet)
(1) - Scarecrow Chainsaws - seem to be the most experienced
(2) - Deadman's Wharf - sets perfect. Costumes good, but felt a little repetitive. And as always, way too crowded for effective scares, but that's always an issue with this particular area.
(3) - Banshee's Lair - sets are minimal but creepy, old and young banshees look great, as do forest demons. Could have used some creepy Celtic music. And why are there Nightingales and ThunderCats in ancient Ireland???
(4) - Vamp 1955 - still like the idea, but cast has been lifeless (see what I did there?). Hoping this one improves.
(5) - Chance in Hell - cast is trying, but street always feels like MK post-fireworks. Impossible to scare.
(6) - Geisha/Cheerleader Chainsaws - zero energy so far. Geisha costumes look great, cheerleaders ... eh. "HHN" should have been something more clever.
(7) - Survive or Die - zero context for what's going on. Cast seems eager but everything just so random. Can tell this was thrown together out of whatever they could find lying around the prop room.
(DNF) - Chainsaw Hillbillies - saw one hillbilly one time, maybe he was actually a scarecrow and this was dropped?
Bill & Ted - I may be in minority, but I loved this show. Their interpretation of the Big Bad is spot on, combines pop culture with social commentary, which always makes for the strongest B&T bits. I also like the "Laugh In" style quick hits--why make a 2-minute Khardashian joke when 25 second will do? The election year humor is politically balanced for once. And they clearly brought back professional dancers for the intro/finale, makes a real difference. Subtle but effective tribute to Pulse at the very end was a beautiful touch.
Academy of Villains - polarizing show. Personally hated it. Respect the talent, but it has zero to do with Halloween, relies on generic sounding hip-hop and trite, overplayed 90s rock (ok, technically Bohemian Rhapsody is from the 70s, but it became trite and overplayed after Wayne's World). I know the IP makes it impossible, but something like their Haunted Mansion show would've been a better fit.
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So far I've gone 3 nights. The Opening Friday night for me was absolutely dismal for me. Between a run of bad luck and poor decisions it felt like absolutely nothing was working or good, which led to more poor decisions and bad luck that led to a very bad night. Also ops were pretty obtrusive on Friday night where they weren't nearly as bad the other nights. We were straight up yelled at in one house and then another one was bad but not quite as bad. Saturday and Sunday night were worlds away with only 3 things remaining constant. That said a lot of the houses are good and all the houses in this list are incredibly close with mostly minor things differentiating them, but none seem to be runaway hits the likes of AWiL, Halloween, etc.
I'm very interested in seeing how this list changes from now to the end of the event. I certainly see the potential of a few houses and hope they all excel.
TLDR - Some pretty good houses, but no spectacular houses. One pretty bad house. Scarezones are lacking. Bill & Ted is turrible. Academy of Villains is pretty good and I will now eat my words on saying otherwise.
SPOILERS ACROSS THE BOARD
HOUSES
(1) Tomb of the Ancients - Enjoyed this house. The slamming floors in the beginning are pretty disturbing. Feels reminiscent of Catacombs, and just find it a pretty clever and unique house. I personally enjoy the Croco-Lion.
(2) AHS - This house really does seem to be a lot of "Hey remember me from the show. I'm Here and I'm pretty cool!!!!" The only difference is that it works pretty well in this house. I do feel like that may put it in a position that it can fall down the list as time goes on, but so far I enjoy it. Really like Dandy a lot in this house.
(3) Krampus - I love the feel of this house and there are tons of details scattered around. I do think there are a few too many elves running around and some of the other monsters could have been better used. This is the first house this year where I have really gotten Got and it was twice. The Teddy Bear just scared the living heck out of me.
(4) Halloween 2 - I agree with above this house shouldn't work, but it does. Myers is everywhere and he is looking for blood. This house did a great job of making you feel lost and exposed, but that also leads to ops issues.
(5) Ghost Town - The set in this house is amazing and glad to see the mirror effect being used again. The guns are a great gag too. This house feels more like a fun kind of house moreso than Krampus which I was totally expecting to be. Overall its fun and They Took my Gowwwllldddd.
(6) - TCM - This house was pretty much exactly what I expected but fell a little flat in the scares department. Not sure if we just missed a bunch of them but I feel like it should have had more going on. There were also a few wasted rooms in this house which was a bit of a bummer. Biggest disappointment, no broom!
(7) - TWD - This house was probably the best TWD house ever. The entire show being in one just flows really well and the actors do a great job.
(8) The Exorcist - I just didn't care for this house much. The reused light faces didn't do much and I feel like this house had the biggest waste of spaces in a long time in the Power of Christ room and the Head Spin room. I like what they went for but it did not reach it.
(9) - Lunatic's Playground - This house is just plain bad. Could have done so much with it, but feels thrown together. Doesn't even really seem to try to go with the description in the guide or what was put up before the event started.
SCARE ZONES
(1) - Survive or Die - This zone has a lot going on and there are some really great scareactors in here including Dante. Haven't seen the fight yet but it could be pretty cool. The whole join my cult every couple minutes is getting a little redundant though.
(2) - Vamp 1955 - Lots of people in here and its a pretty cool and fun concept. Even with all the scareactors in the area it feels incredibly empty to me. Not taking it all the way up to Mel's seems like a missed opportunity.
(3) - Deadman's Wharf - Sets are great, Costumes are great. It is way to congested in here. Actors don't seem to be able to do a whole lot with the amount of costuming on them, but I guess covering them head to foot is a good way to make sure something like the Carrie incident never happens again though.
(4) - Banshee's Lair - This area feels super congested as usual with some great costumes and some costumes that make you go huh. Really wish they would open the entire area and use it all like the olden days.
(5) - Chance in Hell - This zone doesn't work at all, despite how badly the scareactors want it to. They are all doing their best. The additional stages just come off as cheesy and I'm really not thrilled with Chance. She is trying but her character doesn't feel right from what we've seen before. She comes off as a little too crazy and a little too skeezy at times (sorry trying to come up with a good way to put it that isn't vulgar). On top of that one of the actresses seems to almost have her voice down but once you hear chance say "Knock Knock" or whatever else she says every 5 minutes it takes away.
HORDES (Do they actually roam, I feel like I always saw the same ones in the same spots?)
(1) Pumpkinhead and the Scarecrow Chainsaws - This group is on point. They are just awesome!
(2) Geisha - they are a fun take on the chainsaw crew.
(3) Cheerleader Chainsaws - another interesting take on the chainsaw crew but it doesn't work as well and they didn't seem to fit the Springfield as well as they would have in Vamp.
(4) Chainsaw Hillbillies - These guys just seemed odd.
Bill & Ted - This show felt like a train wreck, so far this is the worst B&T I've been seen that I can think of. It feels like they just reached into a bag and threw a whole bunch of stuff to see what stuck on the wall and then did it a few more times. After the year it has been they had plenty of material, but some of the stuff that did end up sticking felt like they had to go a really long way to get there, Coldplay -> Superbowl -> Beyonce -> Hillary. Other jokes were either borderline ancient like World of Warcraft reference for a joke that has been milked for almost a decade or was mired in execution with Cap vs Tony, or had already been done completely by someone else like the SNL skit that was practically a copy. This was the 25th anniversary, they really could have just phoned it in and done a greatest hits of the past 25 years and it would have been great. The only thing that felt like it was a anniversary was that the intro said it was. I think the show has a possibility of getting better but the plot or lack of a plot is what needs to change.
Academy of Villains - I am not a fan of dance shows... This show was pretty ding dang good. Where you view it does make a pretty big difference so try to get to the middle. I was very surprised that I liked it as much as I did and it had some very creative things going on with it.
I'm very interested in seeing how this list changes from now to the end of the event. I certainly see the potential of a few houses and hope they all excel.
TLDR - Some pretty good houses, but no spectacular houses. One pretty bad house. Scarezones are lacking. Bill & Ted is turrible. Academy of Villains is pretty good and I will now eat my words on saying otherwise.
SPOILERS ACROSS THE BOARD
HOUSES
(1) Tomb of the Ancients - Enjoyed this house. The slamming floors in the beginning are pretty disturbing. Feels reminiscent of Catacombs, and just find it a pretty clever and unique house. I personally enjoy the Croco-Lion.
(2) AHS - This house really does seem to be a lot of "Hey remember me from the show. I'm Here and I'm pretty cool!!!!" The only difference is that it works pretty well in this house. I do feel like that may put it in a position that it can fall down the list as time goes on, but so far I enjoy it. Really like Dandy a lot in this house.
(3) Krampus - I love the feel of this house and there are tons of details scattered around. I do think there are a few too many elves running around and some of the other monsters could have been better used. This is the first house this year where I have really gotten Got and it was twice. The Teddy Bear just scared the living heck out of me.
(4) Halloween 2 - I agree with above this house shouldn't work, but it does. Myers is everywhere and he is looking for blood. This house did a great job of making you feel lost and exposed, but that also leads to ops issues.
(5) Ghost Town - The set in this house is amazing and glad to see the mirror effect being used again. The guns are a great gag too. This house feels more like a fun kind of house moreso than Krampus which I was totally expecting to be. Overall its fun and They Took my Gowwwllldddd.
(6) - TCM - This house was pretty much exactly what I expected but fell a little flat in the scares department. Not sure if we just missed a bunch of them but I feel like it should have had more going on. There were also a few wasted rooms in this house which was a bit of a bummer. Biggest disappointment, no broom!
(7) - TWD - This house was probably the best TWD house ever. The entire show being in one just flows really well and the actors do a great job.
(8) The Exorcist - I just didn't care for this house much. The reused light faces didn't do much and I feel like this house had the biggest waste of spaces in a long time in the Power of Christ room and the Head Spin room. I like what they went for but it did not reach it.
(9) - Lunatic's Playground - This house is just plain bad. Could have done so much with it, but feels thrown together. Doesn't even really seem to try to go with the description in the guide or what was put up before the event started.
SCARE ZONES
(1) - Survive or Die - This zone has a lot going on and there are some really great scareactors in here including Dante. Haven't seen the fight yet but it could be pretty cool. The whole join my cult every couple minutes is getting a little redundant though.
(2) - Vamp 1955 - Lots of people in here and its a pretty cool and fun concept. Even with all the scareactors in the area it feels incredibly empty to me. Not taking it all the way up to Mel's seems like a missed opportunity.
(3) - Deadman's Wharf - Sets are great, Costumes are great. It is way to congested in here. Actors don't seem to be able to do a whole lot with the amount of costuming on them, but I guess covering them head to foot is a good way to make sure something like the Carrie incident never happens again though.
(4) - Banshee's Lair - This area feels super congested as usual with some great costumes and some costumes that make you go huh. Really wish they would open the entire area and use it all like the olden days.
(5) - Chance in Hell - This zone doesn't work at all, despite how badly the scareactors want it to. They are all doing their best. The additional stages just come off as cheesy and I'm really not thrilled with Chance. She is trying but her character doesn't feel right from what we've seen before. She comes off as a little too crazy and a little too skeezy at times (sorry trying to come up with a good way to put it that isn't vulgar). On top of that one of the actresses seems to almost have her voice down but once you hear chance say "Knock Knock" or whatever else she says every 5 minutes it takes away.
HORDES (Do they actually roam, I feel like I always saw the same ones in the same spots?)
(1) Pumpkinhead and the Scarecrow Chainsaws - This group is on point. They are just awesome!
(2) Geisha - they are a fun take on the chainsaw crew.
(3) Cheerleader Chainsaws - another interesting take on the chainsaw crew but it doesn't work as well and they didn't seem to fit the Springfield as well as they would have in Vamp.
(4) Chainsaw Hillbillies - These guys just seemed odd.
Bill & Ted - This show felt like a train wreck, so far this is the worst B&T I've been seen that I can think of. It feels like they just reached into a bag and threw a whole bunch of stuff to see what stuck on the wall and then did it a few more times. After the year it has been they had plenty of material, but some of the stuff that did end up sticking felt like they had to go a really long way to get there, Coldplay -> Superbowl -> Beyonce -> Hillary. Other jokes were either borderline ancient like World of Warcraft reference for a joke that has been milked for almost a decade or was mired in execution with Cap vs Tony, or had already been done completely by someone else like the SNL skit that was practically a copy. This was the 25th anniversary, they really could have just phoned it in and done a greatest hits of the past 25 years and it would have been great. The only thing that felt like it was a anniversary was that the intro said it was. I think the show has a possibility of getting better but the plot or lack of a plot is what needs to change.
Academy of Villains - I am not a fan of dance shows... This show was pretty ding dang good. Where you view it does make a pretty big difference so try to get to the middle. I was very surprised that I liked it as much as I did and it had some very creative things going on with it.
- Aug 20, 2014
- 249
- 414
Why wouldn't they use the same sets/props? They do it year after year event wide whether you notice it or not.
Why shouldn't Halloween 2 work?
It was just so much the same as the first one that I would have expected it to feel very redundant. It didn't feel that way at all to me and has consistently been one of my favorite houses so far.
This isn't the typical recycling (which is also getting old--see my comments re: TCM). This is the same sets, no new window dressing. Closer to AWiL 2 than anything else. Even when we had "requels" in the past made it a point to change things up.
As I've said before, I'm not really even close to being a horror fan, let alone a hardcore terror fan, but I do respect & understand the passion all of you have for HHN. Myself, I've only gone one year when I was down there (3 nights in 2013)and skipped it on my other vacations. But I'm not much into the houses, but I do enjoy the scare zones, lighting & effects ambiance, shows, and the fact I can finally spend a lot of night time in a Universal park and Diagon Alley in the evening. I bought two Rush of Fear passes and we'll probably spend parts of three or four nights at HHN, one of which will be Stay & Scream so I can do a couple quick houses. So, I've been reading the reviews since I'll probably just do 4 or 5 houses total, I hate waiting in lines. I'm narrowing down what 4 or 5, mostly through the reviews I'm reading. But, it seems the reviews are all over the place. Not a lot of unanimity except nearly everyone seems to hate Lunatic's Playground. So, I'll just keep reading and soldier on. I'll probably pop in HHN for three or four hours this coming Sunday evening for my first look. :thumbsup:
:thumbsup:
As I've said before, I'm not really even close to being a horror fan, let alone a hardcore terror fan, but I do respect & understand the passion all of you have for HHN. Myself, I've only gone one year when I was down there (3 nights in 2013)and skipped it on my other vacations. But I'm not much into the houses, but I do enjoy the scare zones, lighting & effects ambiance, shows, and the fact I can finally spend a lot of night time in a Universal park and Diagon Alley in the evening. I bought two Rush of Fear passes and we'll probably spend parts of three or four nights at HHN, one of which will be Stay & Scream so I can do a couple quick houses. So, I've been reading the reviews since I'll probably just do 4 or 5 houses total, I hate waiting in lines. I'm narrowing down what 4 or 5, mostly through the reviews I'm reading. But, it seems the reviews are all over the place. Not a lot of unanimity except nearly everyone seems to hate Lunatic's Playground. So, I'll just keep reading and soldier on. I'll probably pop in HHN for three or four hours this coming Sunday evening for my first look.
I'd say consider doing Tomb of the Acients, Ghost Town, and Exorsist. AHS and or TWD if the lines are bearable for those last two...I'd probably do Krampus over TWD, but it felt short.
If you do S&S and can get into Finn's for dinner, that should get you into Exorsists fairly easily.
