Rained out early tonight, but seen everything now, so here’s an initial review:
The Good (starting with the best)
- The scare zones. What they may lack in elaborate props they make up for in … well, scares. Well-staffed and the actors are intense. Will get right in your face and stay there, following you as you go. Just about every actor has the manic energy the Chainsaw Drill Team used to have. Special shout-out to the guys in the ghillie suits who just disappear into the bushes, and the sliders who get a rise out of just about everyone they target.
- The shows. Monster Stomp feels more off-Broadway than theme park show—better costumes and choreography than I expected, plus live singing. Siren’s Call is the sexy people dancing segment of Bill & Teds made scary. Both are can’t miss.
- The bars. Really went all in on theming. E.g. the aerialist in Poison Grotto, go-go dancers in the Siren bar. Specialty drinks are potent and, for the most part, not cloyingly sweet like I expect from a theme park drink dating back to P.I.
- House ops. They’re pulsing, at least for now, which makes the houses far more effective. Outside, a couple greeters have tried to hype guests up, rather than warn them they better run thru and not stop for anything. Inside, they disappear, have had zero issues.
- Captain’ Revenge. Best house. Satisfying length, really well done sets, dedicated cast.
- Beneath the Ice. Sets not elaborate but the cold from the exhibit helps here. Cast is intense. Really long house. Outside fans keep the tightly packed queue bearable.
- The parking situation (in theory). A minor thing, but by using the side lots right by the main entrance, you be in the park in under 3 minutes. Front gate security quite good.
The Bad (finishing with the worst)
- Waterfront Inn. Some cool haunted hotel tropes but felt like it was trying to tell a story and on that level, it fails. Cast good but not on the level of the above houses.
- Dead Vines. Again, felt like it was trying to tell a story but I have no clue who, what or how. A few creepy moments but I still don’t know how the archeologist and little girl’s tea party are remotely connected.
- The size. Probably needed a 5th house. Broken record at this point, but was clearly designed to spotlight Ice Breaker, and really misses that.
- Security (outside the main gate). Vaping and weed everywhere. Also a problem at HHN the other night, maybe it’s just the decline of society.
- The parking situation (in reality). Side lots have virtually no lighting. Morgan & Morgan going to have a field day with the first accident here. And for some reason they painted over the lane numbers a few weeks before the event started. Good luck finding your car in the dark after a couple Siren’s Kisses.
- The food. Been spoiled by Sharks and the Beer Fest booths. Event is back to Sea World’s trademark inedible cafeteria-style quick-serve dished out by surly lunch ladies up past their bedtime. Hit up WaWa before the event.
On the whole, it definitiely feels like a first event, with all the hiccups that entails, but it’s still a solid start. Paradoxically it manages to be both scarier but also chiller than HHN. It seems to be pulling a decent crowd, which hopefully means they can continue to improve over the next couple years.