Halloween Horror Nights 25: Reviews & Photos

[UNIrd]

Throwing my iPhone 6s in the trash. Your pictures are incredible.

 

[JungleSkip]

Best event I've attended. Even the lower tier houses I went through were entertaining at the very least. Bill & Ted is weak, but that also might be because of how great last year's show was. Carnage Returns is the best thing since sliced bread. Streets are all fun, but Die In is ruined ever since it became a glorified meet and greet.

I have a bunch of pictures I'll be posting in the Pic of the Day thread. Like 95% of them are from Carnage Returns so I don't want to flood them all here

 

[Clive]

Best event I've attended. Even the lower tier houses I went through were entertaining at the very least. Bill & Ted is weak, but that also might be because of how great last year's show was. Carnage Returns is the best thing since sliced bread. Streets are all fun, but Die In is ruined ever since it became a glorified meet and greet.

I have a bunch of pictures I'll be posting in the Pic of the Day thread. Like 95% of them are from Carnage Returns so I don't want to flood them all here

Need to write my full review, but agree with pretty much all of this. Best event since 2011 easily, might be on par with or better than it - need to consider for a week or so, let the high fade a bit. These are definitely some major steps in the right direction and I hope it continues going forward.

I'm apparently in the minority on this, but I found Bill & Ted entertaining enough (seen better, seen worse), but I also didn't see last year's show. Same is true for Walking Dead: house was mediocre but not outright BAD, but again, I didn't see last year's super house.

The house program was just rock solid. Even Purge, as last minute as it was, proved to be very effective. Asylum easily could've been terrible but I fell in love with it. I think it's probably a good thing they're retiring the Disaster queue, since I just don't think it's effective as a venue anymore... the tents have surpassed it. Even then though, while RUN was weaker, it entertained just fine. Like 2011, I really struggled to determine which house was my favorite... the top 4 are all just excellent, and Asylum is right behind it.

Zone wise, I'm so pleasantly surprised about the genuine lack of safe zones - really just Men in Black and London/Diagon. They need to tone down the chainsaws (Clowns don't need them) because right now they're overkill and lose their effectiveness by hour 3, but the sheer number of actors is wonderful. Screampunk and Icons were major disappointments for me, but the other zones are so well-executed (and there's so many actors around period) that I don't really care. I have some more expanded thoughts on the future of the street program that I won't detail here, but again, moving in the right direction.

My rankings as of now:

1) Jack's Monsters & Mayhem
2) Insidious
3) Freddy vs. Jason
4) Body Collectors
5) Asylum in Wonderland
6) The Purge
7) American Werewolf in London
8) RUN
9) Walking Dead

Zones:

1) All Night Die-In
2) Psychoscareapy: Unleashed
3) Evil's Roots
4) Clowns/Chainsaw Hordes
5) Icons
6) Screampunk

 

[JungleSkip]

and there's so many actors around period

This one factor is THE reason this year is so good overall, IMO. Even in the houses, there are just so many actors compared to the past years I've gone. I never hit a dead zone in a house, and it was great.

My rankings would be:

1) Monsters & Mayhem/FvJ (Great scares in both on a consistent basis)
2) Body Collectors
3) Insidious
4) Asylum
5) AWIL
6) RUN
7) Purge

(Didn't go through TWD)

1) Psychoscareapy
2) Icons
3) Evil's Roots
4) Hordes
5) Die-In
6) Screampunk

 

[SeventyOne]

After a second weekend (and the Unmasking the Horror tour, which definitely has an effect), FvJ has moved up to a first-tier house for me. Cast seems to be adopting better, or maybe I just had a bad run my first time. Probably both.

Insidious remains a very good house kept from being a great house by ops issues. At the same time, vandalism has taken AWiL down a notch.

Purge has actually fallen below TWD for me. While TWD is tired and repetitive, at least there are efforts to stay true to the source material. There are exactly two scenes in The Purge that make sense "in-universe." Otherwise people randomly yelling and shooting off guns on the set of "Scream" for reasons unknown.

 

[ralphoutloud]

Here's my take:

Houses
1. Monsters & Mayhem - Awesome house. There are some timing issues that hinder it, but if you hit it at the right time it is truly #sensational (Future voice). They really need to get the Jack masks sorted out, they seem like they rip rather easily and that may be why some actors have them and some don't. The smells are great. I love the first tunnel just after passing through the facade. So many little easter eggs and mashups in this house. Wish it could've been finished.

2. Freddy vs. Jason - What more do you need to know? This house has such a rockstar vibe, and even if you don't get the scares, it's entertaining to watch others get it. This is the most actor driven house of the year by far and maybe of all time. One missed opportunity though was in the boiler room. It's the most effective use of mirrors at HHN EVER in my opinion, yet there's only one scare at the end of the sequence. Seems like a waste.

3. Body Collectors - This house is beautiful, the actors are playful and the right amount of intensity. The minions of the Collectors are perhaps the scariest part. Love the expansive mythology going on, introducing how Body Collectors are made, and we get a glimpse at the Grand Body Collector (which also gives a nod to the Masque of the Red Death). Also enjoyed the possible hint for next year's event we learned on the UTH tour.

4. Insidious - Having been to Hollywood's incarnation of Insidious (which to this day is the scariest house I've ever done), I was extremely souped up for this house. However, it didn't live up to my expectations. That doesn't take away from the house though. It is great, just missing a few elements. Some of the scenes are a little too open and bright and that to me is what made Hollywood's so effective. If Orlando was the exact same as it is now, but a little bit tighter and darker, Insidious would be house of the year. The intimacy would make the creepiness unbearable.

5. An American Werewolf in London - This house is still one of the GOATs. We all already know about it. I felt the atmosphere was less 'fun' and campy this year, and way more intense. The Wolves are bigger and nastier than before, and they actually are able to come out farther than they could in 2013, which definitely got me uneasy a few times. Still great, just placed at 5 because of the repeat.

6. Asylum in Wonderland 3D - Very trippy, but no scares. Love the references to Alice in Wonderland, but people placing this in the same breath as In-Between are giving this a bit of overcompensation. In-Between was without a doubt the best 3D house they've ever created. It had the balance of being completely disorienting at times, without sacrificing intense scares. This house is very disorienting but there are no scares whatsoever. Nice to look at though.

7. RUN - Not sure what I think of this house. Having only been at the event the 2nd weekend I can only judge it off that, but this is a house I can see majorly improving. The concept is unique and I love the 80s vibe, but I didn't get a scare at all.

8. Purge - Wow. This house is bad. Maybe because I'm a huge Scream fan, everything I caught that lent itself to Scream distracted me and just ruined the vibe of the house for me. I already don't think the Purge is particularly scary, but it just doesn't adapt well to a house IMO. If this house could've been finished as Scream, we might have been talking about one of the GOATs (seeing where they were headed with certain scenery, what was already completed, and if Ghostface was coming out of those boo-holes instead). Unfortunately, we got what they could scrum together, and I don't hold that against creative, it just wasn't effective for me. The saving grace is the finale. That was the most effective use of strobes I've ever seen at HHN.

9. The Walking Dead - As bad as Purge was, this house was worse. The actors are horrendously bad and nothing makes sense at all. Can't tell you how many Walkers just stood around. The food bank scene was laughable. The only redeeming quality as the Church scene looks somewhat like HHN. The rest is a disheveled mess and I hope TWD finally receives the ax. There's nothing more to see here.

Scarezones
1. Evil's Roots - This zone is what HHN is all about. Perfect vibe, great costumes (especially the bushman), a few nods to the past, and THE FOG!

2. All Nite Die-In - Awesome actors in here, lots of fog, cool scenery. Only got to see the Black & White cast unfortunately but the interactions in this zone are great. Wish it was in a bit more open of an area (Hollywood specifically), but enjoyed it.

3. Psychoscarepy Unleashed - Neat vibe, but not scary in the least. Very fun interactions though.

4. Icons - Not many scares, the stage kills are cool but I don't get this zone. 20 Years of Fear is probably my favorite scarezone ever, and for a bigger anniversary year, I would've thought they would've came that hard again or at least make it that fun. Might as well been a empty area, fog filled red carpet to the Jack show instead. The vibe wasn't scary or fun. Also, can they stop casting really young lanky kids to be the Caretaker? Gotta be someone better to play him.

5. Scary Tales - Honestly forgot this zone existed until I edited this post to include it.

6. Hoardes - Chainsaw overkill, please no more chainsaws. They're annoying at this point.

Shows
1. The Carnage Returns - Neat show, nice way to kill some time and be reintroduced to Jack. Production quality was A1.

2. Bill & Ted - Didn't see it but it was probably trash as usual.

 

[Shucker]

First things first, this was my 5th year going to HHN, and it was by far the most complete of all the years. There really isn’t anything I would say was bad at all. We really enjoyed every aspect (except the rain one night). We went Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights and the crowds were big, but nothing extra than I have seen in previous years. Security was tighter and got carded for every drink I ordered. But on to the ranking:

Here are my rankings of houses:

1. Insidious – Best house I have been in all 5 years. I really enjoyed the movies, so that added to my excitement and expectation. This house did not let me down. The theming, the scares, the hallway!!!

2. Jack's Monsters & Mayhem – This house would be 1 in any other year. If it has not been posted I would love to know the house layout. I had only seen a few of the house they recreated, but can imagine how great each house was.

On side note, there was group in front of us on one trip through that was very obnoxious (bowing up and flipping of the scare actors). Towards the end, one of the scare actors jumped in front of me (which was cool) and had security escort them out of the park.

3. Body Collectors – My favorite non IP or compilation house ever. Very gory with lots of scares. Not to mention the theming and the façade was great.

4. Asylum in Wonderland – Well this is going to sound familiar, but this was my favorite 3D house ever. Of course I have only seen a couple others, but this one was a lot of fun. As many have mentioned, its not scary at all, but just trippy and exciting. Not mention the best use of the tunnel so far. Hard to get through the tunnel without seriously leaning over. Plus this was my favorite façade of all the houses.

5. Walking Dead – So this house has taken a beating, but I really think if this house did not have the sigma associated with WD for this event, it would rank higher. I personally thought it was the best WD house yet (I actually think every year has gotten better). The revolving door room was great and one of my favorites. We got more double scares in this house which is always fun.

6. Freddy vs. Jason – Another great house. Would have been a 2-3 in other year, again just shows how strong the year is. I really liked the use of screens, however I think they could have more action going on with them.

7. American Werewolf in London – Nothing more to say, awesome house, but a repeat. Seemed to be more actors than last time and wolves were once again impressive.

8. The Purge – So this is lower on my list than most, but I really did not have too many scares and thought the overall theme was just ok. I really appreciate all they had to make this happen, but for me just wasn’t at the same level as 1-7. I did have one cool thing happen (Spoiler coming up). A scare actor walked in front of me and acted like she was drunk and had lost her group. And of course in the next room one she was grabbed and killed. Very nice touch.

9. RUN – So I went into this with the Running Man in mind. I thought it was just ok. Really didn’t get a lot of scares, and am honestly having trouble remembering a single room (went on it 4 times).


Zones:

1. Psychoscareapy: Unleashed – By far my favorite scarezone ever. Why, not because it was scary, but the scary actors were awesome. They didn’t need to sneak up and jump in your face to be creepy, they just had to walk around and act like they just got out of an asylum. My favorite actor was just standing in a robe, smiling and waving to everyone with a severed hand. He started giving people high fives with the severed hand he was holding. 90% of the scare actors were spot on creepy!

2. Icons – Really enjoyed the small shows. Good interaction with each icon.

3. All Night Die-In – Great set pieces and a perfect location for it. Fun seeing all the classic monsters.

4. Evil's Roots – Love having a Halloween feel back at HHN.

5. Screampunk – Very clever with good make up and designs.

6. Clowns/Chainsaw Hordes

Shows:

1. B&T – Passed on it this year.

2. Carnage – Must see show. I was a huge fan of RHPS, but would take this show over that any year. The only thing I wish is they had different kills for different shows. Just so the show we not always exactly the same. We stayed at the Hard Rock and could see the carnage stage from our window, which was pretty cool and gives you an idea of just how big the stage is.


On a side note, went to Islands one day and will say the pictures do not do Kong justice. It is enormous!

 

[Frank Drackman]

some shots from the Icons zone:

 

[Jessabelle]

Edited for 10/19 (I went back a few days last week and a few of the rankings have changed) I went opening weekend and Oct. 14,15, & 17. This was also my 3rd year going, the others being 21(my fav) and 22.

House Ranking (I think the top 3 houses can all be interchanged depending on when you go, and may change after I go again)
1.) Jack Presents: 25 Years of Monsters & Mayhem: House is amazing and the facade is my second favorite next to Body Collectors. I've gotten so many scares the multiple times I've gone into this house, there are just so many.
2.) Freddy vs. Jason: This house is a close second, like REALLY close. I'm debating whether to tie it with M&M for 1st place. The scares are intense in this house and I love the two facades. The actors really get in your face.
3.) Insidious: Another great facade. The first weekend this was my #1 house, but it's gone down to #3 because the other two have just gotten better and better. Also of all the houses, this is the one where the congestion really ruins things. Still terrifying though, the red faced demon gets me every time. Definitely had a better experience in this house during less busy days like Wednesday and Thursday.
4.) Body Collectors: Recollection : My favorite facade, the house is just beautiful. After going in a few times, I kind of got used to the scares, unlike the previous 3 which scare me no matter how many times I go, but I still love the house.
5.) Asylum in Wonderland: Not really scary, but I really love the concept and the set. My first 3D house, so I don't have anything to compare it to. The tunnel was super cool, I didn't feel that disoriented, but my friend almost fell There are a few good scares in this house, my first night two rabbit looking things cornered me, but I never saw them again in my other runs. Tweedle dee and Tweedle dum get me every time lol.
6.) An American Werewolf in London: It's a good house, those wolf puppets are crazy. They get so close! However, I didn't go in 2013 and I read all the reviews from people who did go and I expected much more than what I got. The house seemed really empty to me. I would love for there to be more actors and another wolf or two.
7.) The Walking Dead: Okay, the actors really stepped their game up. Opening weekend I hated the house, but now I give it a solid 3/5. I got several good scares.
8.) The Purge: As anyone else would, I would have preferred it to be Scream and really wish it could have been. A few solid scares. Not that good, but not bad. I'm not judging it too hard because of everything that happened.
9.) Run: Blood, Sweat, and Fears: I hate to have this last because I really wanted to like it, but I don't. It sucks honestly. The only room I like is the Japanese one because it looks super cool.

Scare Zones:
1.) Evil's Roots: Loved all the fog, loved the props and how Halloweeny it felt. This scare zone was fantastic and pretty scary, especially the bushmen. Can't go through withou getting at leats one scare. The only time I didn't get scared was when I had food in my hand, I guess I was too focused on not dropping it
2.) Icons: Loved seeing all the icons, especially the Usher, Caretaker, Storyteller, and Director. Saw all their little shows, except for the Storyteller. We passed the Director so many times and took pictures with him every night we went that whenever he saw us he'd be like "Back Again?" . Didn't know they could touch you, but he would spin us around a couple times, so you could say he was our favorite :wink:
3.) All Nite Die-In- Double Feature: Zone has definitely gotten better. I finally saw the black and white cast! They were definitely cool to look at, but the modern cast scared me the most a.k.a the Thing and Chucky. Freddy and Jason were definitely little celebrities.
4.) Psychoscareapy-Unleashed: Not scary, but what makes this zone so great are the actors.
5.) Scarytales- Screampunk: Again cool concept. The scare actors were really into and scared me a few times. I hate when I see them coming, but still get scared:frown:. I just wish there were most props, but their space is kind of small.
Roaming Hordes: Clowns were definitely scary, but the chainsaws had no effect on me after a couple hours.

Shows
The Carnage Returns: Pretty cool show, don't know if it was something I'd watch again unless a friend who hadn't seen it wants to watch.
Bill & Ted: Saw the show twice and my friends and I really liked it. There were a few jokes said that no one really laughed at, but over all it was very entertaining. The funniest things were probably the Hulk's dance and the girl from Bob's Burgers and Christian Grey.

 

[JungleSkip]

Can I also say that the event soundtrack this year was LEGIT. Mad Max: Fury Road music is made for HHN, and it had me rocking out each time the few tracks from it came on.

 

[RogueAntilles]

Halloween Horror Nights 25 Review


Houses

1. Jack Presents: 25th Years of Monsters and Mayhem
A&D's perfect amalgamation of the most classic moments we all love. One could nit pick about what's not here, but you can only feature so much. I've never had a facade give me goosebumps to this degree. Each room I had to look for all the minutia, which distracted me from actors looming around each corner. Scares and overall energy from start to finish never lets up. I can not get enough of this house. Do not miss.
Scares A+
Atmosphere A+

2. Body Collectors Recollections
This is the best Body Collector's house that's ever been done. The story is fantastic. The setting beautiful yet haunting and each scare-actor is 100% in their roles. Every Collector looked as if their sizing me up. I get at least 3 scares each time I go through. Loads of strobes all at the right moments. This and Jacks house can go back and forth for #1. They both feature the best finales of the entire event.
Scares A+
Atmosphere A+

3. Freddy vs. Jason
Not a big slasher movie guy. (Minus Halloween) Freddy vs Jason is a fun movie but wasn't DYING to see a house happen. However, this house rocks. Each set is dark and foreboding. Jason is massive. Freddy is sleuthy. The pace is perfect and works in a 3 act structure. I'm happy to see they actually fight and the outcome is always different. The line is the only thing that sucks about this house. Get it done early.
Scares A+
Atmosphere A+

4. Insidious
I'm a huge fan of the original. A lot of modern horror lacks style, Insidious has a ton. I've been patiently waiting for this to be a house. Overall I'm pleased. It follows the movies perfectly. Has atmospheric vibe. All 3 demons are waiting around every corner. The hall where you enter the further is one the creepiest moments in the entire event. This house does have 2 problems. Most of the scares are obvious. Plus there's always a cluster F of guests ruining the flow. I know it will never happen but I would love to go through this without the conga line.
Scares B-
Atmosphere A+

5. American Werewolf in London
An upgrade in some respects to the 2013 classic. The wolves are much better but the pacing of them isn't the same. A saw a few of them just sitting there lifeless. The actors were great. Very fierce. Could surpass the original if only the wolves moved more frequently.
Scares B-
Atmosphere A+

6. Asylum in Wonderland
Loved the original 08 scarezone. The story and spectacle make this house. If you don't care about scares you'll love it. The actors are giving it their all with what they have. It's almost like you're observing them in a zoo. I do give them brownie points for trying. Has a great pace and length. Sadly can not topple The In-Between. Unless you're biased Alice fan.
Scares C-
Atmosphere B+

7. Run: Blood, Sweat and Fears
Cool story but such a disappointing jumbled execution. I feel like the scare-actors are their for themselves. Has cool moments but A&D should put RUN back in the vault forever.
Scares D
Atmosphere C+

8. The Purge
Once again Scream would have been better. I've heard a few people say it couldn't be done or wouldn't be well executed. Their wrong. Anyways. The Purge isn't god awful just vanilla. Feels like a house from 07. Scares are decent but nothing memorable.
Scares C
Atmosphere D

9. The Walking Dead: The Living and the Dead
Boring, cliché, weak recycled sets. A total crowd eater in more ways than one. I know they advertise 9 house but realistically there are 7.
Scares F
Atmosphere F

Scarezones

1. Psychoscareapy Unleashed
One the best scarezones of all time. Each actor should receive a metal. Absolutely bug nuts and full of energy. Plus I had a few laughs.

2. Evil's Roots
A perfect storm of all things Halloween. Beautiful and eerie. Scares are subdued but have the best hiding places and actor variety.

3. HHN Icons
A classic trip down memory lane. Photo-op zones get a bad wrap but this is the best of the best. Each icon is in their element. All the actors in-between stages are lively and help break up the crowds around the stages. It also makes me feel old.

4. All Night Die-In Double Feature
Great transition from house series to scarezone. Love the classic monsters to modern. Very atmospheric. Not crazy about it being an unofficial photo-op zone. Leave the actors alone. They have scaring to do. Foot traffic in this zone is awful.

5. Scary Tales Screampunk
Nice petite zone with a cool centerpiece. Actors are definitely giving it their all and making the most of it. Love the interaction with the lines.

Shows

The Carnage Returns
Great production value. Jack rocks. Chance is sexy. Has a great soundtrack with raw kills. However I do feel like the pace is waning with each show I see. Should be getting tighter. Overall best HHN show.


Bill & Ted
I've seen it twice now. I still don't see the big travesty. Not the best B&T of all time but WAY better than 2-3 years ago. Love Doc Brown at the start. Some nice self deprecating moments. I enjoyed it.


Pros +
+ Some stellar houses
+ Scarezones/Street are the best they've been since 08.
+ Party/energetic atmosphere
+ Anniversary Year done right... mostly.
+ Crowd eating houses...

Cons
- ...That were a complete waste of time for everyone involved and fail to make the event perfect as a whole.
- Express Passes ruin the event. The ratio of regular line vs express that the staff lets through is disgusting.
- Just misses being a perfect year

 

[Panagiota]

I guess I'm one of the few on here who is a fan of the Walking Dead TV show. I agree that the houses have been pretty sad. I did enjoy it a couple of years ago when the Walking Dead was an event wide thing. I really enjoyed the scare zones that year and the general atmosphere. That being said I really wish they did a better job of the houses. Zombies seem like a good fit for Halloween Horror but the translation into houses is bleh.

Maybe they should have done a scare zone instead of a house

 

[Milla4Prez66]

After my 3rd night tonight, I've finally seen all 9 houses...this is how I would rank them.


9.The Walking Dead: The Living and the Dead
Been there, done that. Maybe first timers may enjoy this but it felt so recycled and boring. The make up and masks were terrible too IMO. Universal should've ended The Walking Dead on a high note last year. This is up for one of the worst houses I've seen....
2/10

8.Asylum in Wonderland 3-D
My experience was hampered by my glasses not staying on, but it wasn't scary or all that cool to me. It was just trippy and weird, but I'll give it a 2nd chance. I've grown on houses before.
5/10

7.RUN: Blood, Sweat and Fear
This house was all gore and no scares to me. There is potential with this, but it isn't executed very well.
6/10

6.The Purge
Going through this house just made me think of how awesome Scream would've been. They did a good job with the last second overlay, but it wasn't a great house.
6/5/10

5.An American Werewolf in London
Crazy how two years ago this house was a massive hit and now it's mid-pack. It lacks the intensity the first one had. Still a good house though.
7/10

4.Body Collectors: Recollections
This house was great. It was beautiful and insanely brutal. Most years this would be a top 2 house easy.
8.5/10

3.Jack Presents: 25 Years of Monsters and Mayhem
I haven't been going long enough to get all the references, but it was a great house with great sets, actors and scares. Enjoyed the hell out of it.
9/10

2.Freddy vs. Jason
This house was jam packed with scares, lots of memorable scenes and managed to stay true to both franchises. One of the better IP houses done.
9.5/10

1.Insidious
My first run through this house was disappointing but my second was on point. Jammed full of scares, beautiful sets and when all the effects were working it was incredible. Just an all around terrifying house.
9.5/10

The top 4 this year was LOADED. The other 5 had mixed reviews for me, but I could change things around after going through the houses again. So far, Insidious and AWIL are the only ones I've done twice.

 

[anihilnation]

Finally did Waling Dead yesterday, first house of the evening and since the bright sun had been in my eyes (forgot my shades) I could not see a thing, never had it this bad. I literally was stumbling in the dark and every so often I would hear a growl and at one stage I heard "boo". Only times I could see was the warehouse scene and a forest scene. Ending seemed very confused as well, I literally could not see except for an exit sign, so I turn but there was a barrier or something, so I walked straight and noticed a little paper that said exit and that lead me to what looked like backstage, took a wrong turn there and an employee told me exit was the other way, finally found the way out then lol

Insidious was sublime, my favorite so far (done everything except for M&M at this point). Had all the scars in my face which really helped. The scene where hands are touching you was great and they had the chapel scene which was executed very well, stood right next to the mother and then in the next scene face to face with the bride in black.

FvJ, love that long sequence with the mirrors on every side!

 

[Hockeyman55]

This room reminded me of the Gringotts bank lobby :tongue:
Body Collectors by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr


The Storyteller by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr


Carey Die-In by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr


Criminally Insane by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

 

[Alex23]

This was my first experience of HHN and I wasn't disappointed having so far only experienced Frights Nights at Thorpe Park and Scarefest at Alton Towers. HHN is a significant step up both in terms of overall atmosphere and also the offering of houses and scarezones.

I'll keep it quite short as quite a few other people have made in depth reviews. My favourite houses were Insidious, Body Collectors and Monsters and Mayhem. I thought the weaker mazes were The Purge (for obvious reasons) and Walking Dead, although I did get to do this maze with my mate on our own due a problem we had on the previous day. This made the maze slightly better as we had no idea where the scares were.

On the show front I really enjoyed Bill & Ted's show although due to being from the UK some of the jokes went straight over my head! :shrug: I kind of expected more from Jack's show but it was enjoyable none the less.

It was also good to meet up with Uk-Trigg and Hockeyman whilst I was out there and put a few faces to usernames. I will definitely be back in a few years to experience it all again!

 

[SamJay]

I really appreciate those of you bringing their DSLRs into the park to take all these amazing pictures. The makeup and costuming this year is just off the charts amazing. It's one thing to be there and see it for yourself, but to be able to linger over an image and see all the work that went into everything this year is making this costuming/makeup geek's heart soar.

 

[Brian G.]

After my 2nd weekend:

1) Jack's Monsters & Mayhem
2) Body Collectors
3) Insidious
4) Asylum in Wonderland
5) Freddy Vs Jason
6) American Werewolf in London
7) The Purge
8) RUN
9) Walking Dead

Asylum and Freddy got a lot better than my experience from opening weekend. I thought FVJ would move up above Asylum, especially after some strong runs this past weekend, but Asylum kept up the momentum.

Had 2 great run-throughs of AWIL too, seemed like they added the fog to the wolves finally. Underground Wolf looked nuts with all the effects helping the new look.

The Purge's actors are really making this house succeed. Brought a lot of intensity so I had to move it up above Run. Run was improved...but it's definitely the weakest of the houses this year.

Walking Dead was Walking Dead. Best line I heard was from an older man exiting the haunt - "God that sucked! Every year it's the same ol' crap!"

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

Scarezones:

5. All Nite Die-In: I was able to see both the Black and White and Modern characters, and I use that term lightly as it was way too congested to see the characters. I guess I preferred B&W, but this zone wasn't anything special IMO. Maybe if it was less crowded my opinion would have been different.

4. Scary Tales: It's neat. That's pretty much it, the characters look nice but it's nothing to write home about.

3. Icons: Nice to see the past on display. Didn't see any of the kills unfortunately.

2. Evil's Roots: Loved this scarezone, that bush scareactor got me good.

1. Psychoscareapy Unleashed: This was the best scarezone IMO. A fun atmosphere and I actually got quite a few scares. Shoutout to the guy with the chainsaw who was staring at me and following me for 10 or 20 seconds straight until he finally attacked.

Houses:

9. The Purge

Screw this house. No seriously, screw this house. When I exited this house I was mad. This house could have been great as Scream, instead we get this. I'll admit I had one good jump with the airblast towards the middle, but otherwise I didn't get a lot of scares. The strobes in this house went too overboard at times, especially the finale. Holy crap did that give me a headache. I wouldn't mind seeing The Purge return properly and I can't put a lot of blame on A&D because of how late in the game this was added, but this is the worst house of the two years I've attended. 4/10

8. The Walking Dead: The Living and the Dead

Going in I had very low expectations. Considering some said it's one of the worst houses ever I was really anxious to see how bad it was. To my surprise, this house was actually pretty decent. The cast I had (around 7:30) was very aggressive, and while they didn't scare me, they definitely made me move back a bit. The best way to describe it is Scarezone: The House. If the cast wasn't giving their all I would have removed a point from my score. The opening scene in Terminus was pretty cool and the revolving door was neat, this house had a lot of neat moments. Yeah, the flooded food bank scene sucked and the Knife Party song in the finale was laughable, but this cast saved the house. Also, I'm starting to notice a trend in the Parade Building where the cast gives it their all but it's just not scary. It happened last year with Roanoke and it happened this year. If whatever house is in the Parade Building next year has this same problem, we can officially say it's a cursed location. 6.5/10

7. An American Werewolf in London

I didn't go in 2013 so I never got to experience this house before. I've heard a lot about how this year's pales compared to 2013's because of the removal of some scares. Like I said in the AWIL thread last night, the first half of the house was really good but after the transformation it loses a lot of steam. The wolves looked great but the first one was the only one I got scared by. When you can see them far in advance you know what's coming and it doesn't make it scary. I'm curious if the reception will make A&D rethink doing another repeat for a long time. 7/10

6. Insidious

This house was disappointing. I got a couple of scares from the demon after the lair, the first Man Who Can't Breath, and The Woman in White, but the biggest problem was quite a few scares could be seen from far away. I got hit by the first demon and the Bride in Black where WIW was in the living room, but the problem was they were too far away and by the time they got near me I wasn't scared. Overall, it's a decent house but nowhere near HOTY for me. 7/10

5. Run: Blood, Sweat, and Fears

Originally this was high on my anticipation list but after some less than stellar reactions I lowered expectations. The queue video was great, as was the soundtrack (Smooth Criminal! Sledgehammer!). When I entered the house, after the first room I thought to myself "This house won't be good." But then in the Japan room, I got a scare! Then another! And another! I loved the Gladiator and Candy rooms, the gladiator came out of nowhere and the second scareactor in the Candy/America room was still there as I was getting scared by the first scareactor. The only time I noticed Hellgate was in the Candy room. My only complaint is that this house felt a bit short and that's keeping me from putting this as #4. 9/10

4. Asylum in Wonderland 3D

I had very low expectations for this because of the track record for 3D houses. I really enjoyed this house and actually got a couple of scares! The room with the words, the Queen's room, and the finale had some good scares. Even when actors were standing in the open like the plants were creepy. The vortex tunnel wasn't as disorienting as I expecting but was still fun to go through. Loved the tea party scene. The 3D didn't really have much of an effect but made some things look neat. Overall, a great house 9/10

3. Jack Presents: 25 Years of Monsters and Mayhem

Now we're getting to the excellent stuff. This house is filled to the brim with details. Some of my best scares of the night were thanks to the bear, the first scareactor in The Forsaken room (not sure if there were more in there), and the Phantom of the Opera. The finale and the Jacks in the house had some good scares too. I was going to redo this one but I was too tired. 10/10

2. Freddy vs Jason

Man, what a great house. I got quite a few scares from this, especially the Jasons. I missed a lot of Freddy's scares but the demon and air blasts in the boiler room got me good. Hell, the entire boiler room was full of scares. The sets were great. Didn't see any of the screens. Jason won. This house felt a bit on the short side because of how quick I went through the Camp Crystal Lake parts, but overall an excellent house. 10/10

1. Body Collectors: Recollections

This was the clear winner of HOTY for me. Right when you enter the facade you know you're in for a treat. The very first scare with an inmate popping out then a Collector splitting her throat was awesome. The room with the dead patient on the operating table had a great scare from the Collector on the right of where you enter. And that spine rip. DAMN! I was looking back and forth between that and making sure the scareactor after it reset already Loved the room with the red robed Collector. The finale had my best scares of the night with an inmate popping out on one side then a Collector on the other. This house was simply amazing. 10/10

 

[Frank Drackman]

some pics from the die in: