Halloween Horror Nights 23 Reviews & Photos

[Lucky Planet]

Not dumb at all. Although Havoc does have one this year (hard to see in the daylight, and often drowned out by RHPS next door). From what I've heard/read, these videos are surprisingly expensive to produce. So it's essentially a cost-cutting measure. BTW, I totally agree, a good video (HR Bloodengutz, Body Collectors) can take your mind off the queue and give a nice backstory to a house.

If those videos cost a lot, I can understand Universal not making them.

But why couldn't they put movie trailers or random clips together to music or something? Why doesn't Evil Dead or American Werewolf have their trailers playing? that's what I dont get.

They could have easily put a video on the Resident Evil queue like they did last year for Silent Hill and like they did for The Wolfman movie/house.

that's what I don't understand about the lack of videos. Why don't they just put at least a trailer or something? I don't know, the Lines would be a lot better if we had videos. It wouldn't be so boring to be in line for 40 minutes if you had some video to watch

 

[Andy]

I think this is honestly insane. i did a wait time of about 40 minutes for this house (TWD) the night i went with the AP early access event and did about half that judging it got up to E.T and i was so bored and tired by the time i got in the house. Havoc had a 5 mintue wait and resident evil 40 min thats all i remember lol... I have a possibly REALLY dumb question... i noticed this year there was no kind of entertainment in the queues like past events such as projectors with videos playing and music and what not... any particular reason? i honestly thought they helped set the mood and take your mind off a bit on how long you've been standing there.

See below

Not dumb at all. Although Havoc does have one this year (hard to see in the daylight, and often drowned out by RHPS next door). From what I've heard/read, these videos are surprisingly expensive to produce. So it's essentially a cost-cutting measure. BTW, I totally agree, a good video (HR Bloodengutz, Body Collectors) can take your mind off the queue and give a nice backstory to a house.

It was a cost cutting measure and don't expect to see many more of these in the future. Cabin and Havoc were the only ones that got vids this year. Cabins btw is a short chopped up vid to btw.

HTF you see what happened last night!!!! They closed WD House for about 30 min untill line got down some...Now they said technical difficulties but i really jus think that there express and regular line were overwelmed. right before they closed they were at like 120

You probably walked right past me, I headed to Duff Gardens right after this

 

[romo]

You probably walked right past me, I headed to Duff Gardens right after this

Ugh!!!! i owe you a beer man!!!

 

[Andy]

Ugh!!!! i owe you a beer man!!!

Sooner or later I'm cashing these offers in lol

 

[Drew]

Sooner or later I'm cashing these offers in lol

At this rate you'll never have to buy another drink ever again.

 

[Lucky Planet]

See below



It was a cost cutting measure and don't expect to see many more of these in the future. Cabin and Havoc were the only ones that got vids this year. Cabins btw is a short chopped up vid to btw.



You probably walked right past me, I headed to Duff Gardens right after this

wait so just having a video in there at all is costing them a lot? I thought that post meant about recording it and paying the actors and all that.

But so that means that just having a projector showing a simple clip or trailer for a movie is too much for universal???

 

[UK-Trigg]

Sooner or later I'm cashing these offers in lol

You could be drunk for a year

 

[TheDecemberists]

Last Wednesday I theme parked harder than I ever have before.

My boyfriend has never been to Universal, so I wanted him to hit up as much as possible. We arrived at Islands of Adventure at 7:45 am and managed to get in early (thank you, random IOA gate employee!). We managed to do everything there pretty easily. Even got to relax at Mythos. Then at 6 pm we crossed over to Universal. (I tried to look for the train, but I couldn't find it. Did they move it or cover it?) I'm really glad we decided to get express passes, because we managed to hit up the following:
1. The Walking Dead
2. La Lorona
3. Afterlife
4. Simpsons
5. Men in Black
7. Havoc
8. Mummy
9. Evil Dead
10. American Werewolf in London
11. Cabin in the Woods
12. Transformers
13. Resident Evil
14. Hollywood Rip Ride RockIt
15. Afterlife (round 2!)
16. Cabin in the Woods (round 2!)
17. American Werewolf in London (round 2!)

Needless to say, I was exhausted.

And to top of this week, we saw Gravity in a true IMAX theater yesterday, followed by hitting up Netherworld Haunted House in Atlanta (their scareactors are phenomenal).

Best. Week. Ever.

p.s. I love the new theme for the site!

p.p.s. Jake, were you there Wednesday wearing a Misfits shirt?

 

[Jakemeister]

p.p.s. Jake, were you there Wednesday wearing a Misfits shirt?

Yes, yes, I was. Next time come say "hey".

 

[Jimpossible87]

Well I am sadly back from Orlando myself and i just wanted to mention a bit about HHN this year
First of all it was a great year and I thought ALL the houses were solid and very well done...Some were scary and some werent (hello Havoc) but they all entertained and had an incredible level of design artistry. This was a great year for houses

I wanted to mention also to all those wondering about their trips and the express pass or no express pass thing...Im sure its been said to death by now but You need Express. I went 3 nights and only had express on one night, the 2 nights I didnt have express we were very limited in what we were able to do. The 1st night where we used our express we saw 7 of the 8 houses, Bill and Ted show and ate at the Simpsons FFF plus walked all the scare zones and rode Transformers and the Mummy. We would totally have had enough time for the house we misse (Resident Evil) but as I am still going through Chemo my feet couldnt take any more walking so we had to cut it short and went back to the hotel by 11pm.
We Saw Resident Evil the next night and were able to see AWIL, La llorona and CITW a second time on our 3rd night. I was very satisfied and glad we went with the Rush of fear passes this year and I will def use them again if I have the opportunity next year. Just having the extra time in the park was worth it.
AWIL was by far my favorite house the wolves were spectacular in person and scared me every time...LOVED CITW as I thought it was the best job of using its IP...it was like nothing was left out...it was sooo much fun. and my biggest surprise was how much I liked la llorona (not having been familiar with its story until it was part of HHN)that was a beautifully themed house...I have to say though U was not dissappointed by anything this year. The street experiences were fun (the barn and the campground as well as the various walker displays were really great to see)
I was only bummed because I forgot to activate my legendary truth card until the 2nd night (after I used my express) so I didnt get to get all my badges even tho i was in all the houses. but i managed to get 4 anyway...probably would have enjoyed some in park gaming with the Legendary Truth but my strength wasnt there for anything extra.
I was happy to run into a couple of my "famous internet friends" around the park and I did see alot of you guys but I dont like to be a stalker and feel like a creeper gong up to people but Im glad everyone got out and had a great time this year....100% better than last year for sure!!!

 

[TheDecemberists]

Yes, yes, I was. Next time come say "hey".

We had just walked into the park from the side entrance and it was super crowded. Only saw you for a second before you disappeared, and, well, I was in the "must do everything" zone, lol.

 

[romo]

Romo, I agree that Evil Dead was on point last night....definitely better than the first couple of weeks, IMO. I thought it was very intense last night.

Glad i wasnt the only one who thought so!!!

 

[SeventyOne]

Glad i wasnt the only one who thought so!!!

Evil Dead has quietly by steadily made its way to my #2 slot. Almost like it took the cast a week or two to properly "sell" and time the effects but now they definitely know how to get the scares.

 

[universal_fanatic]

My friends and I are going to be at HHN tonight. I'll be wearing a classic black universal shirt (pink, blue, and yellow neon logo) and I'll have a shark backpack. If you see me be sure to say hello!

 

[TylerDurden]

Evil Dead has quietly by steadily made its way to my #2 slot. Almost like it took the cast a week or two to properly "sell" and time the effects but now they definitely know how to get the scares.

Same with me--I love Cabin in the Woods for its intensity and had it at number 2 for a while but the props seem cheaper, the Merman is disappointing, and it's very, very short. Evil Dead is a solid length, and several actors really jump out at you. The makeup and props are also more convincing in this house, and the whole thing feels a lot less 'manufactured' than Cabin. Evil Dead is definitely my number 2 house this year followed by American Werewolf which may very well be my favorite haunted house ever.

 

[Clive]

Same with me--I love Cabin in the Woods for its intensity and had it at number 2 for a while but the props seem cheaper, the Merman is disappointing, and it's very, very short. Evil Dead is a solid length, and several actors really jump out at you. The makeup and props are also more convincing in this house, and the whole thing feels a lot less 'manufactured' than Cabin. Evil Dead is definitely my number 2 house this year followed by American Werewolf which may very well be my favorite haunted house ever.

Agreed with everything you just said about Cabin. Right now my Top 3 are Evil Dead, AWIL, Cabin... may shuffle again as I reflect on the experiences. But Cabin I think is being overrated, the only sequence I feel they truly nailed was the "blackout room" and the first cube room with the Ballerina and Screw Guy. Everything else felt extremely manufactured, tame, lame... I rewatched the film last week after visiting, and I realized they didn't really do the Third Act justice at all. All of the characters chosen to be represented are extremely cheap and uninteresting given some of the options on display there...

(Basically - why do Cabin if you're gonna stick with clowns, witches and scarecrows? Why not showcase the weirder stuff you couldn't ordinarily do? Unicorns, mermen, banshees, Kevin, spiders, snakes, the works!)

 

[meki1219]

Hello guys I'm going to Halloween horror nights for the first time next Sunday I was wondering if its necessary for express because I'm hearing mixed reviews. Thanks

 

[TylerDurden]

Agreed with everything you just said about Cabin. Right now my Top 3 are Evil Dead, AWIL, Cabin... may shuffle again as I reflect on the experiences. But Cabin I think is being overrated, the only sequence I feel they truly nailed was the "blackout room" and the first cube room with the Ballerina and Screw Guy. Everything else felt extremely manufactured, tame, lame... I rewatched the film last week after visiting, and I realized they didn't really do the Third Act justice at all. All of the characters chosen to be represented are extremely cheap and uninteresting given some of the options on display there...

(Basically - why do Cabin if you're gonna stick with clowns, witches and scarecrows? Why not showcase the weirder stuff you couldn't ordinarily do? Unicorns, mermen, banshees, Kevin, spiders, snakes, the works!)

Exactly! I thought I may have simply been missing things but I'm glad you also think the offerings in the finale leave something to be desired. The Thing props...seriously? I will say that the ballerina is super cool, but she's very hit or miss. And the fact that I've never seen more than two people in the elevator room makes it seem like another wasted opportunity. Evil Dead upping its intensity really lowers Cabin's appeal IMO.

 

[Lucky Planet]

Agreed with everything you just said about Cabin. Right now my Top 3 are Evil Dead, AWIL, Cabin... may shuffle again as I reflect on the experiences. But Cabin I think is being overrated, the only sequence I feel they truly nailed was the "blackout room" and the first cube room with the Ballerina and Screw Guy. Everything else felt extremely manufactured, tame, lame... I rewatched the film last week after visiting, and I realized they didn't really do the Third Act justice at all. All of the characters chosen to be represented are extremely cheap and uninteresting given some of the options on display there...

(Basically - why do Cabin if you're gonna stick with clowns, witches and scarecrows? Why not showcase the weirder stuff you couldn't ordinarily do? Unicorns, mermen, banshees, Kevin, spiders, snakes, the works!)

Exactly! I thought I may have simply been missing things but I'm glad you also think the offerings in the finale leave something to be desired. The Thing props...seriously? I will say that the ballerina is super cool, but she's very hit or miss. And the fact that I've never seen more than two people in the elevator room makes it seem like another wasted opportunity. Evil Dead upping its intensity really lowers Cabin's appeal IMO.

I can't believe I am not the only one that thinks Cabin is Overrated. I am glad it was just not me finding flaws just because.

Cabin is okay but it could have been a lot better. it could have been So much better....
I personally don't like the cabin part too much because it feels long and empty. I don't like how empty it feels. It specially sucks if you miss the scares. They did a good job building the sets but it just feels like if you were doing a studio tour or something.

When we get to the facility things get better and I like some stuff a lot like the surgeons and the cubes with the ballerina and the lord of pain.
But the cubes in this house are way too big. They needed to make those cubes smaller and add more monsters. At least when I heard this house being made I thought that's what they were going to do, I thought they were going to fill some rooms with many monsters.

Also the last room, I expected this house to end just like House of Horrors, with having around 6-7 actors in costume coming at you. I thought they were going to do the same thing they did for HOH or For saw. The way Saw ended but with the Cabin monsters.

so I like the house, but yeah it is not as good as it could have been

 

[SeventyOne]

Hello guys I'm going to Halloween horror nights for the first time next Sunday I was wondering if its necessary for express because I'm hearing mixed reviews. Thanks

In a word, yes. Last night the unpopular houses got up to 75+ minutes.

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Cabin is okay but it could have been a lot better. it could have been So much better....
I personally don't like the cabin part too much because it feels long and empty. I don't like how empty it feels. It specially sucks if you miss the scares. They did a good job building the sets but it just feels like if you were doing a studio tour or something.

^ this. When a house is far better on the daylight tour than fully staffed at night, it's an issue. I still like CitW, particularly the facade and the basement scenes, but I agree more actors and more variety in monsters in the back half would improve it greatly.