Halloween Horror Nights 24: Reviews & Photos

[Cole]

Your not spoiled for being disappointed in any year, all based on the experience you have. I can see why most would be disapointed in this year, 4 zones and most of the IPs the houses were based off were pretty terrible. I had a great time and I want to go back but I can still recognize flaws. Call me critical but I go to horror nights once a year, when I'm done I have time to think about my experience and won't base it off 6 weekends like others on this board. I'm done for the year but if your going again throughout the month then it's only going to improve, wouldn't be disapointed just yet

 

[Teebin]

but just being completely disappointed with the overall theme of the houses, the quality of the costumes and the quality of the scares?. it has only happened for me in '12 and '14.

Which houses were poorly themed? What specific costumes fell short for you? What do you expect the quality of a scare to be? Specifics for each house would be helpful much like Biff Tannen's review a bit further up.

 

[Teebin]

oops

 

[OrlandoGuy]

Which houses were poorly themed? What specific costumes fell short for you? What do you expect the quality of a scare to be? Specifics for each house would be helpful much like Biff Tannen's review a bit further up.

I'm curious about this too. I've gone every year since 2007 and I would rank this year 5th overall...much, much better than the last two years.

 

[canobie#1]

I know it's your opinion, but you're not gonna find anything better than what is there.

You really didn't explain why you were dissapointed. You just seemed to have a negative grudge towards the whole thing.

None of the houses were complimented. The closest was Halloween. Iv'e been to a few of these events and I personally found this year to be the best. None of the houses were in any way "crappy". I'm sorry but with all the hard work and dedication that they have for this. The least we could do is appreciate what they have. It may not be the best year to you but atleast find positives.

 

[Zombie-C]

All the factors are what makes everyone review different. Such as weather, wait times, the people in front of you in the house. For me Halloween has been great no madder 15min wait to 60mins. Though I could understand if someone waits 45mins for Dracula or Dusk. They might get mad and give it a low score.

The question I have is should horror nights be experienced and reviewed on one night or multiple nights?

 

[sjago13]

All the factors are what makes everyone review different. Such as weather, wait times, the people in front of you in the house. For me Halloween has been great no madder 15min wait to 60mins. Though I could understand if someone waits 45mins for Dracula or Dusk. They might get mad and give it a low score.

The question I have is should horror nights be experienced and reviewed on one night or multiple nights?

I feel like it depends on how you want to judge it. If it's just on the immersion, build quality, and atmosphere then once is enough. But if you are taking scares into account you should at least give a house a few run thoughts. At least if u are gunna blast a house for sucking. I've done Dracula 3 times now and my third time through was really good. Does it still have its problems. Yes but if you look back at what I wrote after opening weekend I was prolly harsh.

 

[Frogki]

I don't begrudge anyone their opinion. I'm not the best judge, I'm certainly no horror buff, but the event was fun for me. It was my first time and it was quality time with a good friend so those two things might contribute to my view. I only saw two houses as well so I'm only basing on those and the scare zones, I have nothing prior to compare to...

 

[Biff Tannen]

I don't know all of the details about the complaining... I only halfway read these forums due to work... but the thing I had to realize is that these houses can't be compared with the real professional haunted attractions in the country. I'm talking about Netherworld, Erebus, Bates Motel, Haunted Hoochie, Dent Schoolhouse, House of Pain, etc. These haunts are A: 25-40 mins long a piece and B:Usually built, kept up year round, and then tweaked slightly each year for a reopening.

Halloween Horror Nights isn't like this. These are little "tastes" of haunts...4 mins each built in the center of a theme park, with the express purpose of getting as many people through a house in as fast of time possible. I'd wager that if the 8 houses were all attached into a half hour experience, then you could compare them with the bigger haunts. These are also fresh each year... I don't see other haunts doing that. I'm not saying that other haunts suck... Heck there is no haunt in the world that can beat the Dead Acres-Haunted Hoochie in Ohio (in my opinion) These professional haunts are very similar from year to year, however, with maybe a new overlay or a switch of path thrown in. I'm just saying that Professional Haunts and HHN are two completely different animals. If you want to compare HHN to other haunts, compare it with Knotts, Busch Gardens, Six Flags, and the Kings Island.

Just my humble thoughts.

 

[Teebin]

^ again, very insightful. I had no idea that some of the haunts in the US were mega haunts that lasted partials of an hour. Hoy! As you said, very different and not to be compared. So HHN is a Food and Wine festival of horror. Excellent.

 

[Lucky Planet]

I know it's your opinion, but you're not gonna find anything better than what is there.

You really didn't explain why you were dissapointed. You just seemed to have a negative grudge towards the whole thing.

None of the houses were complimented. The closest was Halloween. Iv'e been to a few of these events and I personally found this year to be the best. None of the houses were in any way "crappy". I'm sorry but with all the hard work and dedication that they have for this. The least we could do is appreciate what they have. It may not be the best year to you but atleast find positives.

I did my first impression reviews for all houses already in here a while ago.... but I can explain further if that was not enough. I tried to explain what I didn't like earlier in the thread.
(Also to be fair I have been positive and given props to the houses i did love, I haven't been hating on everything so that's just not true, maybe it seems that way right now because i am being more vocal about what I didn't like... but i did post the positives on the 4 houses i liked in here already)

I do love 4 of the houses this year, but the other 4 just honestly felt disappointing, More disappointing than some of the other "bad" houses from past years. I guess my problem is that I never felt as disappointed with some of the houses ever before.
I Do love AVP and I love Halloween and I loved the Doll house the most. the clown house is a lot of fun and i loved it as well. I could explain what bothered me about the other ones but I don't want to sound like I'm just repeating myself. Also, Like I said before the last time I felt as disappointed with the streets as now, it was in 07, ( I really liked the streets in 2012 which seems to be the year that a lot of people hated as far as the streets go.)
I guess Im just disappointed with 4 of the houses this year and with the street experience. Maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing, I don't know.

Besides I am not the only person to be disappointed with the houses I was disappointed with, I've read other reviews online or blogs and on facebook and I've seen the same houses get some of the negative reviews. Dracula, From Dusk,and Roanoke seem to be the ones that I keep seeing not having the best reviews or comments posted. I'm just saying, It's just not me hating for the sake of hating on something or being the only one "having a grudge on everything"
The only house I did not like as much that everyone seems to be loving is Walking Dead, I only did it once so maybe I need to do it again, Perhaps I need to give it a second chance. I'll admit that I might be wrong on that one

maybe I AM just really spoiled, that's why I asked in the first place, because of how i felt. maybe it's just a case of being spoiled with HHN over the years, I just didn't think it was fair to automatically say Octobers Fade is spoiled or that i have a grudge just because we had some problems. that kind of dismisses an opinion and it kinda feels a little bit confrontational or childish to tell you the truth.

 

[anihilnation]

Finally got to do Giggles and Gore yesterday, loved it! It was still daylight outside, but it actually works for the house. It is fun and colorful and puts a new spin on horror

 

[Lucky Planet]

yes giggles and gore is better in the daytime if you want to see all the details the house has. Probably one of the houses where the sun actually helps it.
I did it at night and the house becomes scarier at night, but a lot of the details are missed. If I had to choose between day or night as far as going I would choose daytime. there is just too much going on in that house

 

[Cole]

Didn't go through it in daytime. Shame too because everybody is saying it's a completely different experience. For those going with express definitely don't do the same mistake I did and do it twice, day and night. I'm sure it's awesome

 

[Lucky Planet]

Something that I noticed last night was that AVP and Halloween had 120 minute waits and Walking dead was only 100 minutes at one point. I don't know how it ended up and I am sure the walking dead probably got higher wait times later in the night, but I thought it was funny to see the other two have longer lines at least for a moment lol

 

[SeventyOne]

Finally got to do Giggles and Gore yesterday, loved it! It was still daylight outside, but it actually works for the house. It is fun and colorful and puts a new spin on horror

Agreed, G&G that rare house that actually works better in daylight.

 

[SeventyOne]

Besides I am not the only person to be disappointed with the houses I was disappointed with, I've read other reviews online or blogs and on facebook and I've seen the same houses get some of the negative reviews. Dracula, From Dusk,and Roanoke seem to be the ones that I keep seeing not having the best reviews or comments posted. I'm just saying, It's just not me hating for the sake of hating on something or being the only one "having a grudge on everything"

Everyone hates Dracula, I think it's fair to say it's just not good. FDTD and Roanoke are the most polarizing houses in a while--I very much like the first one, think the second is a great cast trapped with repetitive, uninspired sets (cf. Havoc), but I've seen and heard both cited as a favorite house and least favorite house. Saw a Twitter theory that FDTD has one great case, one not so great cast, which might explain the difference in opinions. But outside Halloween, the lack of consensus this year is odd.

The only house I did not like as much that everyone seems to be loving is Walking Dead, I only did it once so maybe I need to do it again, Perhaps I need to give it a second chance. I'll admit that I might be wrong on that one

For what it's worth, with you on this one. The length actually hurts it--even more of the same old same old walkers.

 

[Octobers Fade]

I know it's your opinion, but you're not gonna find anything better than what is there.

You really didn't explain why you were dissapointed. You just seemed to have a negative grudge towards the whole thing.

None of the houses were complimented. The closest was Halloween. Iv'e been to a few of these events and I personally found this year to be the best. None of the houses were in any way "crappy". I'm sorry but with all the hard work and dedication that they have for this. The least we could do is appreciate what they have. It may not be the best year to you but atleast find positives.

Uhmmm no! This was not given to everybody, this isn't a neighborhood haunt, people pay real money to get in there and don't need to defend or explain themselves to anyone elses satisfaction if they were unsatisfied... You make it sound like no one should find anything wrong with HHNs or not be impressed by every little thing they do.
I am not saying that production value isn't impressive but when you throw the kind of money Uni throws at it it better be. Hard work and dedication(?) it's their job I expect no less!

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You my friend are spoilled with good haunted houses.

Again...uhmmm no.
If you are happy with what ever they give you fine, spoiled nope. Jaded maybe, probably.

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is it really being spoiled to expect the kind of quality Universal has had in the past years? (not being sarcastic, really asking)
is it being spoiled to be disappointed this year? or is everyone else just happy with whatever Uni makes? im really asking because it makes me wonder.

out of all the years I've gone I don't remember being as disappointed with some of the houses as i was with 2012 and this year. Obviously every year has bad houses, but just being completely disappointed with the overall theme of the houses, the quality of the costumes and the quality of the scares?. it has only happened for me in '12 and '14. I don't know, am I just being really spoiled?

Expectations do not equal being spoiled, for me they set the bar for the houses at 21 they have failed every year to match the originality or quality of that event .

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I don't know all of the details about the complaining... I only halfway read these forums due to work... but the thing I had to realize is that these houses can't be compared with the real professional haunted attractions in the country. I'm talking about Netherworld, Erebus, Bates Motel, Haunted Hoochie, Dent Schoolhouse, House of Pain, etc. These haunts are A: 25-40 mins long a piece and B:Usually built, kept up year round, and then tweaked slightly each year for a reopening.


Just my humble thoughts.

I am comparing them to their past HHNs and that is why, personally, I was disappointed but that has been the case for several years now.

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Finally got to do Giggles and Gore yesterday, loved it! It was still daylight outside, but it actually works for the house. It is fun and colorful and puts a new spin on horror

Yep, it worked both ways, same went for BloodNGutz.

 

[TheDecemberists]

You my friend are spoilled with good haunted houses.

Nah. "Spoiled" is going to Netherworld. (which, by the way, I was upset that only ONE person recognized my Netherworld shirt the entire time I was at HHN)

In the end, this year was my least favorite I've been to so far (only my third year though). I don't plan on coming back next year. Granted, I never intended to go last year, either, but then they announced that lineup (Cabin in the Woods, Evil Dead, American Werewolf in London). It's gonna have to be good to get me back down there again. My main reasoning coming down this year was Diagon Alley.

 

[Cole]

Nah. "Spoiled" is going to Netherworld. (which, by the way, I was upset that only ONE person recognized my Netherworld shirt the entire time I was at HHN)

In the end, this year was my least favorite I've been to so far (only my third year though). I don't plan on coming back next year. Granted, I never intended to go last year, either, but then they announced that lineup (Cabin in the Woods, Evil Dead, American Werewolf in London). It's gonna have to be good to get me back down there again. My main reasoning coming down this year was Diagon Alley.

Here's my question, what would make you want to come back for next year?