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Halloween Horror Nights 2021 (USH) - News & Info

I find that.... so very hard to believe.
Not surprised by this at all, actually. This board is not an accurate reflection of the general public. HHN finds new audiences every year — I’d bet a lot of folks are experiencing the Exorcist for the very first time, which would explain the high marks.

We’re not high on Exorcist because we’ve done it before; if you’re a first-timer, you’re bound to have a more enthusiastic reaction, just like we did back then.
 
It doesn't necessarily surprise me.

1) The lines for it definitely indicate there's a huge demand for it
2) While I realize many on this forum would lament the lack of set design and the over-reliance on black walls, I think the GP doesn't really care about black walls. All they care about is, "Did I have the bejeesus scared out of me?" While I prefer elaborate set design, I have to confess I've had a few of my biggest scares in Exorcist, because I was disoriented by all those black walls, and because of them, the scareactors pop out of nowhere (to the causal guest).

As much as people attack black walls here, that much darkness terrifies most people. Remember those years when SFMM did Blackout? It was all total darkness, not a single set. I also once did a maze at Clifton Hill (the Canada side of Niagra Falls with all the tourist traps), which has a ton of haunted mazes. The one I was told was the scariest was "Nightmares". Come to find out that it's 95% in total darkness with literally one room that's lit in the beginning before the lights go out for the rest of the maze.

Is it lazy set design to have so many black walls? To a certain degree, yes. But used effectively, like in Exorcist, where it's quite deliberate, it can be pretty damn scary.

The people on this board are probably less than 1% of the crowd that attends HHN on a given night.
 
As much as Im not surprised that Exorcist is popular, i cant say im not disappointed.
Hopefully this doesnt set a precedent andin the future we get more mazes like Bride and Hill House and less like exorcist. Hard not to be a little concerned about what the higher ups will think when a black wall ridden repeat maze is at the top of the list.
 
Sorry to get off topic, but I’m looking to go tonight for a bit after work, cuz why not? I got a FF pass. Usually I get there early before the park closes and use my gold annual pass to park for free. Do they still let pass members park for free that late?
 
Sorry to get off topic, but I’m looking to go tonight for a bit after work, cuz why not? I got a FF pass. Usually I get there early before the park closes and use my gold annual pass to park for free. Do they still let pass members park for free that late?

Only up until 6, but you can always "see" a movie using a-list to save a lot.
 
Can confirm this reliably works. Just remember you can only see three movies in a week, so you are effectively "burning" one of your screenings.
It’s Thursday
The reset is tomorrow, so if they have any left it’s not burning much
 
Thursdays and Sundays have mostly been averaging 40-50 minutes, with the popular IPs (Hill, TMC, and Exorcist) being anywhere from 60-90.

Also, as an AP that lives relatively nearby, USH is really good about parking reentry. So if you visit the park or Citywalk earlier in the day before 6pm, you can use the same parking to reenter later that night, even after 6pm, without needing to pay. However, if you live too far away, that may not be a practical option for you.
 
Tonight was a huge difference from when I went on the 10th. We got in 15-20 minutes before standard early entry thanks to our APs, staff gave us wristbands, and we ended up right near the front of The Exorcist line. We breezed through mostly everything — all six mazes, Jurassic World, Forbidden Journey, ate at Leatherface’s, a drink at the plaza, and even saw the Jabawockeez show because we figured “Screw it” — and were good to go by 10:15/10:30ish (skipping Terror Tram and TWD).

I wanted to redo TCM under the cover of night, but by the time we’d wrapped up, so to speak, the crowds had really settled in, and most of the wait times for the heavy hitters were between 70-100 minutes, so we ended up taking off, but far more content with our experience than the first time.

I will say, though, the crowd still sucked, especially once it started picking up. Universal employees were pretty on point about calling out masks, but I can’t begin to count how many times I’d see people flip off an employee once their back was turned and take off their mask again (and I even heard some lady call a female employee a “stupid bitch” for simply doing her job, so that’s wonderful). Even worse, when in line for H4, a group of eight was behind us, only one wearing a mask, and one of the women sneezed so absurdly loud that everyone around looked… and we felt her debris on our arms. And then right after that, the same group started smoking cigarettes in line, followed by a couple of joints with “IDGAF” commentary to let us all know how badass they are, followed by a mass coughing fit that had everyone not part of their group rolling their eyes.

If there’s one constant, it’s always that people suck, but even still, tonight was a far more pleasant experience!

Also, side note, but am I crazy: What is it with people behind you in mazes who stay right up on you, to the point they’re practically kissing the back of your neck or feeling like they’re trying to forcibly walk side by side with you rather than staying with their own group? I don’t think we went through a single maze tonight where I couldn’t even turn a corner without someone behind me trying to seize the split second in an attempt to wedge their entire body into a few inch gap between my arm and a wall for no discernible reason. Really weird, and sometimes the same thing even happens in the queue lines; one person from a larger group behind us will suddenly fall into step with us instead of stay behind us like somehow they’re going to get past us, if that makes sense. Maybe it’s just me, but even disregarding social distancing, it’s something I’ve noticed always seems to happen at HHN. Strange!
 
I got my first visit to HHNH in last night! Wow, compared to Orlando this event is SCARY! The scareactors were actually in my face trying to freak me out. Bravo.

I’ll share my thoughts in the review thread after I get a couple more runs in. Easily did all the mazes and terror tram and was out the door by 9 PM.
 
I got my first visit to HHNH in last night! Wow, compared to Orlando this event is SCARY! The scareactors were actually in my face trying to freak me out. Bravo.

I’ll share my thoughts in the review thread after I get a couple more runs in. Easily did all the mazes and terror tram and was out the door by 9 PM.

Thrilled to hear you had a good time and that your strategy worked!
 
Yes! Thank you for suggesting the route. First group into Exorcist then TCM > Hill House > Pandora > Brides > Terror Tram > Halloween was the way to go. No WD this time around since I’ve done it before, but will have to do it one night soon with someone who’s never seen it.
 
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