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Pre-2016 HHN Hollywood Reviews?

Aug 12, 2021
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For some ungodly reason, HorrorNightNightmares jettisoned their ENTIRE Hollywood section on their forums, leaving a lot of discussion and interesting insights cast aside (I remember a really good comparison of the 2012 Hollywood/Orlando events. Plus their forum is dead, so I was wondering if anyone here could you know share their experiences here from the 2006-2015 era, maybe even the 90s. Yeah I know there are other reviews online but none I found really went in depth.
 
Lucky for you, I saved all my reviews. I have retrospective reviews of 07-08, but I'll have to find them.

In the meanwhile, I'll start with '09 and will update a new one daily. If I forget, just give me a nudge!

LET THE GAMES BEGIN
Right when we walked in, yes, THE GAMES BEGAN! Chainsaw wielding minions were blocking the pathway to anyone who dare tried to pass. And all at once, they scattered loose chasing anyone in their vicinity. The energy was so charged and these monsters left "no guest behind" getting in everyone's face. Within a matter of 30 seconds, I probably got a good 10 horrifying moments. The night barely even started and it was already a truly premium Halloween event experience! With some good decorations in this area, this would've been a much better scare zone but even without it, I still give this zone a high grade! And like the chainsaw chase out at the end of the night, this felt like a chainsaw chase in! LOVED IT.
9.5 out of 10

WELCOME TO HELL
Chucky's Funhouse wasn't open until 7:30 for whatever reason so we skipped right pass that. Unfortunately, couldn't hear a damn word the preacher was saying! Nonetheless, this was another rocking and high energized scare zone! Stilt dude was pretty cool and the flames were nice and warm, making this a nice hang out spot. This would've been a much cooler substitute for the front gate area, if you ask me, with the preacher on the filmmaking statue. Either way, this was such a cool spot and lit up nicely. This is a zone I can see being a staple to the Hollywood HHN event. There was also a bunch of monk's running around with chainsaws, don't know how that fits with Welcome to Hell, but I won't criticize too much. A cool addition to this area would be the devil sitting on a giant chair in the middle of the zone under the flames, forcing people to go left or right towards the go-go dancers. Also would make for a cool photo op, especially if you can get him sitting demonically in the middle and the go-go dancers to the right and left with people being scared in between all the action.
9.5 out of 10

TERROR TRAM: LIVE OR DIE!
Terror Tram is traditionally the first thing I always do when at HHN, it sets up the plot for the night by somewhat giving reason to why all the horrors are here. On the way down the escalator, we were encountered by THE FLASHER! HHN's best character, ever - period. And this year, we're being tested by none other than Jigsaw! The test wasn't all that amazing of a concept but it'll do for now and next year we'll get a new icon: I'm hoping Ghostface from Scream, imagine that video! The acting in the video by the blonde girl was so bad and all she had to do was just sit there and look uncomfortable. It was actually laughable every time they showed her. Anyhow, the tram seemed like it was going on for FOREVER before we reached our - final destination - point. We exit at Whoville and ofcourse, more chainsaws. It's chainsaw overkill, honestly, but dammit, it works. We take a new route of sorts and find our way in some random corner of Bates Motel where a movie killer convention is going on! This area wasn't filled with too many scares but the best parts were the Strangers popping out of the motel doors. Chucky jumped out of a bus! Awesomeness! We then make our way to mining town where I'm guessing a lot of employees, due to the economy, got the axe... to the FACE! I love the props and dummies here, they just look so cool. Not life like but they work as a dummy and the illusion sells. We make our way up the hill where Bush Man (I like calling him Bigfoot...) was just sitting down... actually two of them were sitting down. C'mon, how great of a scare would this have been? One is sitting down to the right and scares a crowd so they maneuver to the left towards the bushes where BAM, another one pops out. That would've been a perfect set up. Last year, I got the scare of a life time here and this year, Bush Man didn't do much for me. I think this area should be littered with some more stuff. We get back to the My Bloody Valentine stuff and there's a burnt down shack of some sort. Miner in here, even though I saw him ahead of time scare another group, made a really good loud noise and scared me anyway. I love the victims area where people are hanging from the trees. I couldn't tell if it was Harry Warden's or Michael Myers's doing though. We're then directed to the left side of the sheet maze where there were a great amount of Michael's doing some awesome scaring. The talent in here was pretty great and a lot of them caught me off guard. I wish the Halloween segment was longer on the Terror Tram but it did great for it's little bit of space. Then there was the War of the Worlds part, where I actually like the route taken last year much better. This new one gets people much closer to the plane, which had some cool stuff going on up there, but I liked being closer to the houses on the right a bit more. And I sincerely miss Freddy wreaking havoc in that area. Not many scares here as the talent actually seemed a bit empty. The ones that were present were just chowing down on body parts. And the throwing up zombies? I never understood zombies throwing up, not even in the Resident Evil games but I guess they do it, I don't have any proof against that. There was also a really funny dancing zombie who was just moving around all weird like, entertaining the hell out of the guests as they walked by after he would do a scare. One really funny moment was an army guy who was walking with the crowd and then turned around, flash light on his face and screamed. He walked maybe two or three steps and did it again then walked away. Classic. We meet back with the tram and go back to the park. We pass by the Great Outdoors set which I still think would be a great area to extend the Terror Tram to. Jigsaw comes back to let us know we suck at group tests and makes us scream for our lives because blonde girl didn't make it back. The chainsaw piggy didn't do much here except rip into the blonde girl, which was kinda disappointing. We're then doused in acid in a tunnel for... The Mummy? Really, you didn't have to take us in there to do that. We're then shown a clip for Saw VI (which is an awesome movie by the way) and then for the even cooler looking Wolfman which I have been DYING to see since LAST HHN. A lot of gory stuff in there but I feel a PG-13 edit will be that film's fate with all of Universal's flops at the box office this year. It's not quite 8:00 yet and Saw still has no wait so we then head over there! Overall, Terror Tram was pretty awesome this year mainly for MBV and Halloween segments but I prefer last year's version more which I would give a 10.
9.0 out of 10

JURASSIC PARK: IN THE DARK
We somehow lose half of our group on the way down the escalators while they go on The Simpsons so we figure in the meanwhile we'll do Jurassic Park before hitting up Saw with them. This ride is awesome, day or night and I actually would recommend it to anyone who hasn't been on it before this event. It is a great adventure and time filler if you're looking for more things to do on a less crowded night or even on a crowded night if there is no line. Sit in the back, away from the sides and you won't get wet. Missing was the Hydro dinosaur (?) popping out of the water, which is actually very scary and would be expected to be around for HHN. A part that sticks out is the falling car because the sparks really light up the moment. The only down part of the ride is the lift where it really is in complete darkness and you can't see nor hear the dinosaurs popping out. Was the T-Rex completely missing during this part too? We make it to the countdown area and "Welcome to the Jungle" is playing while a strobe light is flickering with some extra raptors to the side. Much appreciated! The final drop is still huge and exhilarating. LOVE - THIS - RIDE.
8.5 out of 10

THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Waiting for our group to come down, we watched the action in front of the escalator for awhile. Some cool sliders in this area. One of them slid directly into a rail right next to the exit of The Mummy ride. A lot of the scareactors would interact with us while we stood in that one spot for a while. We then made our way to Saw, which still had no line at around 8:30ish. This scare zone for the most part seemed pretty empty. Last year, I remember this being where the bulk of the chainsaw wielders were at (due to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I suppose). It seemed like there was way more action going by the escalator. Even on the way out of Saw, not much was going on. There were about 10 monsters near the escalators and maybe about 3 or 4 more towards Saw. Must've been a down night but nonetheless, there was maybe a good scare or two near here.
7.0 out of 10
 
SAW: GAME OVER
Walked in and was immediately scared. Scares were popping out of every corner here! They were all effective and good psychological tricks which Universal is known for. Distract with one thing and have something pop out elsewhere! The barbed wire trap worked well and the strobe light effects really go with the choppy editing and flash style of the movies. One of my favorite parts was the furnace trap where a smoking dead body would extend out towards the guests. The detail in here was also magnificent. The bathroom scene could've been a little bigger but elsewhere, everything was really well planned and detailed. I also think that room should've been first but with the lineage of the maze, not sure if it would've made sense but I still would've liked to have started there. Also, major awesomeness to the sound design as well. It really felt like I stepped right into a Saw movie. Some really gross effects was the pulling the guts out of the guy looking for the key. That just looked extremely real. I didn't get to see any plants get pulled away from the group which I've heard so much about, although that would've made this already perfect maze that much better. Another favorite part of mine was the operation scene where the actor pulled off the face and there was the blown off face of the other dummy to the side and then a piggy came out. I feel this area just has good luck written all over it with the last two years giving us another perfect maze, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Location also is a factor for the other mazes as well, as it always works in a specific order from what is greatest to least in a very specific fashion. This maze is what Universal is all about, if you ask me, that makes it eons better over anything else out there. Set decorations, props, gore effects, sound design, scare psychology, animatronics, EVERYTHING is in this one. It actually gave the mind set of feeling in danger and had a heightened sense of fear that one would occupy when walking into a horror movie. A PERFECT MAZE.
10 out of 10

Revenge of the Mummy
Time said 5 minutes but it was more like 10. The queue area has some fun things in it (put your hand in the hole!) that sets up nicely for the ride. This ride is a quick adrenaline rush and has always worked for some guaranteed thrills. It's a minute and a half of pure adrenaline! The beginning area with the skeletons reaching down will always be so cool and creepy. And then the sprint into a nightmare! Something that was perfectly executed, maybe not deliberately, was the stop before the backwards section of the ride. As expected, we hit a wall and are consumed by Scarab beetles. Typically, the ride would then shoot us off but this time, the beetles went away and we sat there for maybe an entire minute. The ride seemed broken down and then when everyone was caught off guard, VROOMED BACKWARDS. Revenge of the Mummy is the perfect nightmare that you wish to have and is a heart racing thrill ride. The ending of the ride still makes me mad as the room used to light up brightly like you're in hell but lately, not all is well in said room for whatever reason.
8.5 out of 10

My Bloody Valentine: Be Mine 4 Ever
5 minute wait in the off putting Shrek queue area. No wonder it's dimly lit here. The projection of the maze name onto the side of the building is a nice touch. I was ready to go through this maze and anticipated it greatly but it failed to deliver any great scares for me. It seemed like every scare in the entire maze, we got the back end of. We saw the scareactors walking away from every scare from ahead of us and never were delivered any ourselves. It was just extremely bad timing for us at that specific time, which is why I don't like being the tail end of going through mazes. Nonetheless, there were some cool moments in here but it felt very much like a mixture of mazes from previous years. The guy sitting down getting cut in half that was used in Friday the 13th and the boiler room scare from Nightmare on Elm Street. This area was too cramped for this maze as it would serve in a much bigger area. The mining section didn't feel claustrophobic or cramped, it just felt small and like I was walking down a regular hallway with rock design. I feel I would've really liked this maze if I were to have received all the scares but was very unfortunate to maybe only get one or two. But with the bad timing on the psychological scares, this is where I feel Universal should take a note from Knotts and place some roaming monsters but to a reasonable extent. Without the effect of the psychological scares, the maze just doesn't work and makes it a real downer for anyone who gets the tail end. Some good details but definitely the low point of the night where even Chucky's Funhouse delivered better thrills (more on that later). It's most likely not the maze, it was just the timing and I'm sure there are many other people who could rate this maze along with the other ones but unfortunately I can't because I didn't get the full maze experience.
NO RATING
 
Halloween: The Life and Crimes of Michael Myers
What the hell is up with the line for this maze, man?! I've never seen anything more ridiculous and cramped in my life. I would've hated to be in this line on a crowded night for 2 hours, luckily our wait was maybe 20 minutes but it was full of just walking and walking and walking through switchbacks and zig zags galore. And there wasn't even projected images of the films on the wall like Friday had to keep entertained. I don't know who Universal bought the rights from to do this maze, but the rights are scattered to about 4 or 5 different studios but any scenes to have been shown would've been appreciated. All we're served to is the house scene where Michael kills his sister about 10 times in a row (depending on how long you have to wait through this forsaken line). And the outside walls of the maze could've been designed better than that. Anyhow, we got the tail end again but without the ruined effect of MBV. This time we got the long line through a freakin' maze effect but I have to say, it's better. I'd rather receive a scare twice in the same room than not get one at all. And this all serves to the idea of living in a horror movie. In my experience, I find it quite fun that it's not me who always has to be necessarily scared but to see other people get scared as well. It's the living horror movie idea, that it's either me who is the victim or I'm watching before my eyes someone ahead of me in close proximity be the victim. Starting off in the Myers house, we're treated to some old, black and white movie that is clearly being played on DVD (should've downgraded to VHS for a more grainy look). Little Michael scared me good in here. Love the dead boyfriend in the kitchen with his head smashed in, which is totally taking from the remake though but not necessarily a bad thing. We're also treated to Michael's doorway, with "KEEP OUT" scratched in. Little details like that make me LOVE this maze. There were also some BRILLIANT hiding spots in here. For example, walking down a hallway in the asylum a air vent pops open with someone inside. Then down the next hall in the next room, you're treated to a headless victim and Michael pops out scaring you in one direction and then the headless victim kicks something. Great cooperation scare. And holy crap... that WAS Loomis. Sounded and looked EXACTLY like him. Love the distraction scare with wrapped up Michael popping out with a shovel from behind the bushes and trees. The maze just gets better and better though because now we're back in Haddonfield where Michael, in Captain Kirk mask, finally arrives! I love the little scenes in this, a really good one is a girl who scared the crap out of me and when Michael was trying to come in through a door. I chanted out, "kill her!" before he was about to stab her and then he went after me! The strangulation kill was so awesome! Michael pops out, not in a scary fashion, and then lifts some girl 10 feet in the air then drops her on the bed! AWESOME. The Judith Myers tombstone part was really cool as well because Michael suddenly runs out of a cabinet! The ending is a treat as well as we step into Laurie Strode's shoes and end up in the closet where it's not one, but two MMs! Not sure of why there were body bags but some clothes hanging down would've sufficed. And all is fine and well as you're exiting, laughing at how awesome you thought the maze was and WABAM another Michael from the side. This would've been a perfect maze if we weren't conga lining through the entire maze. But, this maze had the best lineage story and it worked very well in the essence of presence. Just like how Saw is fast paced and really flashy, Halloween is slow and taut, serving more on a more creepiness factor over a "cool" factor. So for it's own purposes and reasons, it's perfect in it's own way if the lines would've been done right but it's hard when there are scenes playing out throughout the maze that people want to stop and watch. Line control should be inside the maze and room after room, a group of 10 - 15 should herd into one and then into the next so it is equally filled out and so the next room could be ready for the next group of people. But this might get people ready for a scare, expecting that in each room, something might pop out but this might also be used to their advantage and do something completely random. I suggest that next year (Halloween and Saw MUST come back next year) that the homage to part 3 be taken out. It served for a couple of scares but it felt very randomly placed. And let's face it, it's not a REAL homage since we know that it's only put there because it's one of the only of the Halloween movies Universal owns the rights to (just part 2 and 3). Either way, I still love this maze and it was perfect for it's own reasons as is Saw but I give this one another perfect score mostly because of the story telling, set design, scare set ups and scenes in each room but I admittedly got more scares in Saw so I enjoyed that one a tad bit more.
10 out of 10

The Meat Market
This area really is too small to even be considered a scare zone. It's maybe only 20 steps of walking space and it's over with. But the guys here tried to do some good scares and got many accomplished so it was fun to be in the 3 or 4 times we had to walk through it. Plus the design here was pretty good as well, so it was a good zone.
7.5 out of 10

Mel's Diner
Ghostbusters music was playing so it was very fun to listen and dance to. I got the chicken basket which comes with 4 or 5 strips plus a good serving amount of fries. Oh, and I almost forgot, a FREE souvenir cup of choosing (just not the HHN one, oh well). And how much did all this cost? Only 7 dollars. For theme park eats, that's a major deal especially since the food was ACTUALLY GOOD! Could've used my theme park discount (30%) but totally forgot so it could've been even less! We tried to hit up Rocky Horror at 10:40 but didn't make it just quite so we walked through Shaun of the Dead real quick.
10 out of 10

Shaun of the Dead
Hung out in this scare zone for quite a bit and it was awesome. I wanted a picture with the guy with a record in his face but got told no, but oh well, at least he said no in a funny way. Shaun almost hit me with his cricket bat and then went, "sorry, I thought you were a zombie!" Then Ed circled me a couple of times and I told him we should play some Playstation later. I hope this one is brought back next year, it was a lot of fun to walk through and as a matter of fact, just make it a maze. It could totally work. Wanted to walk through Freakz but never found a reason to.
9.5 out of 10
 
The Simpsons Ride
Tried to waste some time till the 11:30 Rocky Horror so we did a 30 minute wait for the Simpsons Ride. Not necessarily HHN themed but this ride is pretty amazing for being a motion simulator. I had high expectations for this ride since it took over Back to the Future and it actually exceeds them. I remember going on this ride for the first time at last year's HHN and it's still a thrilling detour and it's Universal's best ride. Very fun, worth a 30 minute wait but do it early in the night so you can get it out of the way without putting off too much time in the night.
9.5 out of 10

Chucky's Funhouse
Missed RHPS by 10 minutes so walked around for an hour before the traditional end of the night thing to do with Bill and Ted. Decided to hit Chucky's Funhouse for the hell of it since there was no wait. The Chuckster was in the front taking pictures ("CHEAYSE") and we walked in to the maze which was pretty empty for the beginning half. Once we hit up stairs, there was a little more going on. I liked the girl with her head in a vice, that must've been uncomfortable to be in all night. Plus, the little additions of Chucky in random places were funny. They should just keep it like that all year with the maniac evil dolls, it would be a nice addition to the already fading out of glory House of Horrors. The Good Guys factory part was dark for some odd reason and a little Chucky was wreaking havoc in there (why is the smallest Chucky on the backlot and not in his own maze?) The Chucky that reaches out is still a good scare. At the end, Chucky was directing traffic with a light and some other people went the wrong way so he told us "the exit is this way, don't follow these assholes over here." Pretty funny stuff! Some good scares and the environment was there but I'm hoping this time next year, House of Horrors is transformed into something else so we can get a new maze in this area finally. But nonetheless, it was still fun and worth going through and I'm glad I did mostly because of the funny Chucky comments.
8.0 out of 10


Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure
They were selling buy one, get one free souvenir cups for only 6 bucks so we got that so I could have an HHN one. Seriously, with 99 cent refills all night and practically 3 dollars for a souvenir cup, how could you not love the deals offered at Universal?! Got in early to Bill and Ted's and got perfect seats near the middle. The pre-show was pretty funny with the substitute bad words. And then we got a pretty steamy vampire dance. The show starts and I feel the show really had to hold back and all that they could accomplish because of the set design of Creature of the Black Lagoon (which, thankfully, wasn't present at HHN). This year's installment felt like an addition to the Epic Movie franchise, except only funny. The Darth Vader kid plotline was really annoying and wish they would've went with the more traditional story line that Bill and Ted was used to. Either way, the show was still funny and still highly energized and was a good way to end the night. I miss the spinning thing in the middle of the stage, it was executed well in the past. I didn't feel there was much pop culture references this year compared to other years but then again, not much HAPPENED this year in pop culture worth parodying. It made The Hanging and Bill and Ted practically the same because there wasn't enough source material. The Megan Cox gag (no pun intended) was very unexpected and funny. The Twilight scenes, especially the playing Snoopy scene, got some good laughs. The ending dance scenes I didn't care much for, the last two years were a tad bit better especially since it was only just last year we were given a Michael Jackson song to end that show. Next year, I'm expecting better because I know they're just gonna get rid of that horrible Black Lagoon show and we'll get a better, more suitable stage for this show. So the show could've been better, it could've been funnier and different music could've been used but it was still a worthy addition to the Bill and Ted stage franchise but just an installment that won't be cherished as the other two.
8.5 out of 10

Chainsaw Chase Out
Park was already closed so we started heading out where all the chainsaw wielding maniacs were out to play leaving the park. They were EVERYWHERE and it was a hell of a time as they had a good guest:scareactor ratio. It makes leaving the park so much more fun and exciting instead of leaving on a more down note with everything closed and boring (ahem, Knotts). It keeps you super charged even on the ride home.
8.0 out of 10

Leaving
City Walk wasn't open to walk through which makes it really inconvenient to walk to the parking garages being all smooshed together. Parking was also easy to get out of which always is a good plus and the freeway was fast and easy to find. I recommend anyone going to the park to get to the Jurassic, E.T. or Curious George Parking. I've never gone to Frankenstein parking so I don't know how convenient that is. No traffic heading home out of L.A. so that was good except for one car accident somewhere down by Chino. Other than that, nice and smooth and a very good time reminiscing on times that just happened. I'll be back next year, regardless of the mazes that'll be there because I know no matter what, Universal will put on the premium Halloween event. And I'm already highly anticipating and looking forward to next year! Seriously, it makes every other event look just stupid, that's including Knotts. A 5 grading at Universal is an 8 at Knotts. The atmosphere, energy, quality and even food deals go above and beyond expectations. It's the next best thing to actually living a horror movie!

Go on a weeknight if at all possible so you can get your dollar's worth! Hopefully they extend the event next year to longer. If you haven't already, check out Universal Studios Hollywood's premium Halloween event, Halloween Horror Nights!

Overall
10 out of 10
 
Lucky for you, I saved all my reviews. I have retrospective reviews of 07-08, but I'll have to find them.

And this year, we're being tested by none other than Jigsaw! The test wasn't all that amazing of a concept but it'll do for now and next year we'll get a new icon: I'm hoping Ghostface from Scream, imagine that video!

2007 and 2008 were practically the same years so I think you should combine them.

I feel bad for the Scream fans excited to see Ghostface at HHN, only for him to get screwed over TWICE: Given a Terror Tram that had nothing to do with him, and in Orlando his house got entirely Purged.
 
2007 and 2008 were practically the same years so I think you should combine them.

I feel bad for the Scream fans excited to see Ghostface at HHN, only for him to get screwed over TWICE: Given a Terror Tram that had nothing to do with him, and in Orlando his house got entirely Purged.
I actually feel 2007 and 2008 were quite different considering how it looks on paper. Nightmare had a brand new maze and the Terror Tram was also brand new (and IMO, the BEST one they ever did), also with a new Bill and Ted show. My experiences were also vastly different, as 07 was my first time and I got there late like a noob by myself and 08 I had more of a plan.

And yeah, my excitement for a possibility of Ghostface in 09 was sorely overhyped, as you'll see in my review for 2011 -- which I still say is perhaps the worst Terror Tram to date.
 
And yeah, my excitement for a possibility of Ghostface in 09 was sorely overhyped, as you'll see in my review for 2011 -- which I still say is perhaps the worst Terror Tram to date.

Considering they had THREE back to back years where they themed it entirely on the Walking Dead, that’s quite a statement.
 
Considering they had THREE back to back years where they themed it entirely on the Walking Dead, that’s quite a statement.

I actually liked all the Walking Dead Terror Trams. I felt like they were budgeted pretty well.

My rankings of the Terror Tram:
AMAZING - 08, 09
GREAT - 16, 13, 12
GOOD - 14
AVERAGE - 07, 10, 17, 21, 22
OKAY - 15
BAD - 18
WTF - 11
If it weren't for the NOPE/Us section, '22 would be dead last on this list, even worse than Scream 4 Your Life Terror Tram. The first 3/4 of this year's Tram is by far the most lazy I have seen it, production-wise. Scareactors are doing the best with what they got, but it truly is a former shell of itself.

Anyway, here's what I could find of my 07 and 08 retrospective reviews, which just look like long paragaphs about each year. For perspective, I wrote both of these in 2010, so that's crazy how time flies bahaha:

2007
2007 was my first time experiencing HHN. It was AMAZING. It was Halloween night, the last night of the event and at the time, I had just gone through a break up DAYS earlier. My ex and I were still supposed to go anyway but she backed out at the last minute so I had no other choice: I was going solo. I wasn't going to miss out on Freddy, Jason and Leatherface all in one place at one time! So I braved the LA traffic and got to Hollywood and waited in the long line to get through the parking. It was an exciting experience. Walked through the long line of metal detectors around 10 PM, I was THAT late. Even worse, the event was closing at 12. I was pretty much SOL, but oh well. Got my ticket and the first thing I did was venture over to the Terror Tram. Along the way I saw the Zombie Invasion scare zone, which I didn't really get because there wasn't much scaring going on but it was still exciting. Hit up the Terror Tram with little wait and ventured through. This was the coolest thing ever being able to walk onto the Psycho set. It was pretty gnarly and felt like it took a long time to go through which was a plus in my eyes. Camp Crystal Lake was by far the best part. Seeing Jason hanging up dead teenagers was a dream come true. Back to the upper lot, it was already around 11. I heard TCM was by far the best maze so I went all the way down. The chainsaws were abundant down here and I had my first run in with the flasher. This felt like the scariest scare zone I had been through in all my years of haunting. The queue was way into the Backdraft area and OUT of that. It was a 90 minute wait, or something like it. I waited anyway. I didn't come all this way for nothing! It was more like an hour wait so that was good, plus the clips on the monitors were helping the boredom. Went through the maze, SCARIEST MAZE EVER. The entire mood and feel was perfect. It felt just like the movies and going through alone was terrifying. Got back to the upper lot again and over the intercom: "Due to popular demand, the theme park will now be closing at 1 AM." I was ecstatic. I now had time to do everything else I wanted. So I ran over to F13, as that was the second most one I wanted to see. Some pretty good scares and AMAZING detail. The Jason's were AWESOME. Great maze but it didn't have that scare factor that TCM did. That queue was about 30 minutes even though it zig zagged through the entire auditorium, but once again, Jason clips helped. Went over to NOES, moderate line that went through really quick. Didn't care much for this maze but it was still pretty cool. Went over and got myself a souvenir cup and sat my happy ass down for the last showing of Bill and Ted for the night. There was nothing like it and it made The Hanging just seem downright stupid. Drove back home tired as all hell and alone but it was worth it. 2007 was a good year and I couldn't wait for the next year.
At the time, I give it an A+. In retrospective, I give it a --
89.5% B+/A-

2008
07 was bittersweet for me; hot off a relationship, going alone, getting there late at 10 and expecting only to be there for 2 hours but still being able to see some of the biggest horror masters of all time at a theme park haunting.
08 was the same but better and it felt a bit amplified. I'm not sure what it was; being able to enjoy it with someone, getting there on time, the horror masters completely taking over the way they should've in 07
09 was a helluva lot of fun too but we'll get to that later.

So yes, we got repeats and for the most part, they were 100% the same but when comparing it to 07, the event did improve by a whole lot. My main case in point is the Terror Tram. Freddy taking over was the most awesome story line ever and then having Elm Street as the WotW set was amazing. It was a horror fan's dream come true passed beyond the point they already went last year. Another big up was Bill and Ted, with the intro alone being damn near the price of a ticket. And did I forget the arrival of the Bushman (who at the time I thought was Bigfoot) who gave me the scare of a lifetime? I have to say 08 was their best year; they took something they had done already which already seemed perfect and perfected it anymore. Sure at times while walking through TCM and F13, it felt like too much deja vu but I mean, these guys were my childhood so it was nice to see them at least one more time before I wanted something a bit more the next year (and at that time, I didn't even know if we would get more movie properties or what, even though I was hoping so and was grateful just for the NLC 3). Also, this year introduced the Strangers into HHN, which I'm hoping have become a staple into the event. I mean, the movie was VERY eh but these characters I LOVE. Chucky's Insult Emporium phased out but let's face it, so did his jokes so I didn't care much about that. Murdy's right, youtube gave death to it -- you can see how many times he uses the same joke. And really, that's all you need. Yes, it may eat up crowds but I want the Chuckster to be up to a little more than insulting people nightly. He's a killer dammit, have him be a bit more menacing (thanks to 09 and definitely 10 will be doing)! This felt like a perfect year in my eyes with TCM being the scariest, so far the only PERFECT Terror Tram, Freddy getting some new revamping, Jason being badass as his usual self, the funniest Bill and Ted yet and so on and so on.
I give it a perfect 10, especially in comparison with the year before and after. I LOVED 08.
 
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As I just wrote before, Freddy and Jigsaw in 2008 and 2009 looked to be actually convincing icons. They certainly had the biggest presence, matching up with Orlando’s Ringmaster Jack and Bloody Mary.

In comparison looking in videos and other accounts the icons they brought for 2006 and 2007 didn’t look impressive. 2006’s story was fine and the promos were fascinating, but it was undercut by having the Director only show up in one single scene of the headliner Terror Tram. For the longest time I wasn’t sure if Jack actually was the Icon for 2007 in Hollywood, it was only until I found the wiki page that there were promos featuring him, half of the marketing I could find only mentioned the NLC trio. Jack’s story was weak, not helped by the fact that the Terror Tram didn’t really focus on him.
 
2008’s Nightmare Tour was the most “in depth” path of the trams if I recall. I saw vids and I remember the 2008 one went INSIDE Who-Ville.
 
Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights 2010
October 28th, 2010, from 7 PM to 2 AM

My mind is still rocked from the epic proportions Universal Studios and Creative Director John Murdy served up this year. So rocked that it's hard for me to even put into words. I was very VERY iffy about this year after the string of announcements that hit as to what the mazes and what not would be. And to some extent, yes, it was tired to see some of these characters again. But in no regard were they suffering from exhaustion. To all the crap talking I did before on the event, I take every single word back... except for one little diddy (which we'll get to very quickly). And I'll say this right now, my review is probably VERY different then most reviews in terms of what I liked and the results may even shock you (wait till you see where Vampyre lands on the scale).

NIGHTMAREZ
We entered the park around 7:05ish. Aw, fog. How I've missed you. And Statue Freddy? Not necessarily on his game tonight. Wasn't scaring too many people, just taking pictures. Wasn't very statue like either. And the go-go on the left was missing. Some chainsaw wielding maniacs who got in our faces getting in got us for a quick few scares. Such a fun way to start the evening.
8.5 out of 10 'B'

KLOWNZ
These guys were high on energy and scaring everything in sight. Glad to see the flames back from last year from Welcome to Hell. Couldn't hear the announcer dude what so ever though but there was a crowd around him watching. My favorites were the Harlequins who were wobbling all over the place. As high on energy as all it was and as many scares present, the theme just doesn't sit well with me. It just seemed silly and not in a good way. My favorite thing is the clown choking somebody out in the backseat of a car. Reminded me very much of Halloween. An ode to the movie, perhaps? Didn't spend too much time in this area though as it was just a very transitional area. Walked passed Friday the 13th that had 0 wait BUT I had a game plan I wanted to stick to, so we will meet again later.
8.8 out of 10 'B'+

FREAKZ
This was my first time going through this scarezone since I didn't do it last year. This zone was AWESOME. I almost got a sledgehammer RIGHT in the face. That bad boy was a good 3 inches from my nose and it scared the crap out of me. Another slew of scares came from this area and I especially dug Chickenboy. I didn't see Lizardman anywhere though, which is disappointing. The area was also choked out nicely with fog and disables one from seeing very much of anything but from the little I did see of the sets, it looked very nice. I'd have to say this is probably my favorite scare zone of the night.
9.3 out of 10 'A'

ROB ZOMBIE'S HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES in ZOMBIEVISION 3D
Woo, that was a long title to type! Anyway, there was about a 10 minute line which is what I was anticipating. I very much enjoyed being able to go behind the Cyberdyne Institute. Never seen all that before. However, something just didn't sit well with this spot for me. Not much atmosphere before going into the maze. Barely any music, no gloomy lights, nothing. And the facade was much smaller than I thought it would be too. And the saddest thing was, this was the ONLY time I saw any 3D in this whole maze. Before I got in. Seriously.

We got in and got the tail end of a scare already, which got me a bit sad but that's okay. The front store area was way too small for my liking. But I do have to say those Captain Spaulding masks are awesome. The murder ride portion didn't have much going on. A few pop out things but nothing fundamentally mind shattering scare techniques. I want to give the benefit of the doubt that maybe a lot of scareactors were still getting to work but it shouldn't be an excuse. So it's easy for me to say the Murder ride portion wasn't all that great for me. And to be honest, it's kind of a waste of maze time considering it's only, what, 3 minutes of the movie? The recreation of this area didn't get pulled off all that well either. There was a lot of things that weren't identical to the movie which is understandable but there was also a lot of things missing from the Murder ride that wasn't there. Or possibly, I might just be forgetting about them...

The house portion was a little better. Otis was very talkative, pointing his knife at everybody. Baby also did a very good job too. I loved the bunnies hanging but didn't see any bunny scareactors. I enjoyed some of the victims in this house as well, they seemed to be very into it. There was a particular moment that got me pretty good towards the end where someone came out of a platform and swung their axe at us. Yikes!

Now my favorite portion of the maze: Dr. Satan's lair. I didn't get the same claustrophobic feeling I got from the movie as things were a bit too bright in here. The scareactors here were on their game, popping out of 2 places at once from both sides in about 3 different areas. We then met Dr. Satan himself but no scares associated with him that I can remember. Which reminds me, how many flipping scalpings are in this maze? Then the maze ended and it all seemed very... disappointing. I'm going to have to go back and watch videos of it on youtube because to this point, I still don't remember much of it, at all. Literally, 20 minutes later, my brain still couldn't recapture many moments of it. I remember getting 4 or 5 good scares and I started to get worried: if this was supposed to be the best maze of the year then the standard was set low. I wish I could've seen what everyone was talking about as to how this is the best maze since HHN restarted but I don't find that anywhere near true. Oh, and bogus 3D.

Set Design: 7 (some scenes were just too small and 0% 3D)
Scares: 5 (not much scaring going on in here to be honest)
Sound Design: 8 (Alot of soundbites straight from the movie that made me very happy)
Fun: 9 (I don't think I need to explain this one, do I? lol)
Length: 10 (great length for a maze and to have 3 different sections of a maze is pretty amazing)

Overall: 8.4 out of 10 'B'

LUNATICZ
A couple of scares here and there and I LOVED the strobe light mixed with the fog. For a split moment you see them approaching you and then they are gone and then it lights up again, BAM! Right in front of you. With a bit more set design and more aggressive scares, this could've easily triumphed Freakz but alas, not much was there to look at (or that I could see anyway).
9.0 out of 10 'A'-

LA LLORONA
Let's just say I got pissed on in the face by a baby. And that is the most awesome thing ever. Very good energy and lots of fun for it's small space.
9.0 out of 10 'A'-

THE STAIRWAY
Woohoo, an amazing ride in itself! Lots to listen to and a beautiful view to look at! And yes, I did laugh at the "Please, shut the hell up." Everything that followed after that was pure genius. Got to the bottom of the lot and it was about 8 already but King Kong still had no wait.

PIGZ
These little piggiez were on their GAME. They were scaring the hell out of everyone. And if there were only 4 of them, they seemed to have multiplied because it seemed like they were everywhere and chasing people into the night. Two of them were menacingly just waiting for us at the bottom of the escalator. Creepy little bastards. Would've liked to see some sliders around but that's okay. Very on point scare zone and they did a lot with the little they had.
9.0 out of 10 'A'-

JURASSIC COVE
Was tempted to get the Panda Express but I decided to get some chicken strips and call it safe. There was a friendly guy at the counter who should get a raise or something. He looks awfully like a skinnier version of Nick Frost. Got my collectible cup here too. At this point, my traditional route had been altered completely. But this year, I was okay with it since Terror Tram wouldn't be apart of the story this year anyway and I sure as hell didn't feel like waiting 70+ minutes for HOTC. And I usually get my collectible cup at the end of the night before Bill and Ted but screw it, it was eats time and I hadn't eaten all day. We grubbed down pretty quickly and watched some of the pigs scare. A bunch of annoying girls came running in while the pig waited outside for 'em. But this is Halloween and annoying little girls, as long as they're not pushing into you, get a pass so their shrieks bothered me none while dipping my seasoned fries into the barbecue sauce.
 
KING KONG 360 3D
We walked through the entire queue, up and over and walked straight on at about 8:20ish. Funny guy at the 3D glasses dispensary thingy ("they're not clean, we just spit on 'em"). They were doing some CSI filming so we had to be silent for a portion of the way. Now, there's been a lot of complaints about this not being very Halloween-esque but we got The Thing trailer before we reached our destination and Saw 3D on our way out. The clips before didn't bug me none since it was just a rules guideline anyway. We then entered Skull Island and WOW. I was expecting to be a bit disappointed but this was probably one of the most amazing experiences ever. Does it need the 3D though? Not really. There wasn't much depth and there wasn't much popping out but it was still awesome. We were in the second car in the back and it felt like we were right in the thick of it. The tram bounced way down and way back up. That was very surprising. The whole thing felt like we were smack dab in the middle of this fight and it was just perfect. I was blown-the-eff-away. Too much damn dinospit though but what can ya do. I can't stress enough how flippin' cool this was. I know a lot of people don't like it but I just can't figure out why. It was beyond my expectations and I recommend with a little wait to go ahead and do it. It's about a 15 minute round trip, which isn't bad at all. So if you can spare some time, I'd highly suggest checking it out.
9.7 out of 10 'A'+

SAW: GAME ON
Went in with about a 5 minute wait and the moment I walked in, things didn't seem as familiar as last year as everyone was saying. In the barb wire room, there was water just spilling down, which needs to be fixed. However, I can't stress this enough, this maze is STILL rocking. I was expecting to go through deja vu but it felt very much like a different experience to me. Only downside was it was missing my favorite room of the operating area. There were PLENTY of scares in here, as much as I was expecting. Many of them caught me off guard and I loved it. I don't love it as much as last year but this maze still has it going on. The dude in the bathroom scared the crap out of me and went on with his "help me" rant for a very long time. That guy was very into his role. Oh and the flesh trap was awesome. It was kinda small and the guy ripping off his stomach didn't seem all that into it but it was still cool to see that moment recreated. Dude stuck in the furnace was awesome also with burnt Obi spraying way too much damn water at people once again. With all the complaints about this being a repeat, there were only 3 rooms that seemed identical to last year to me: the bathroom, the furnace and the frozen lady. Everything else felt very different. Also, I didn't smell anything until the pig trap room so I guess the harsh smells have been toned down. Still a very awesome maze and I didn't mind it's return one bit.

Set Design: 10 (there is so much detail in this maze and that's an undeniable fact)
Scares: 8 (scares in almost every room)
Sound Design: 10 (sounds put us smack dab in the movies)
Fun: 10 (the scareactors on their game, this made this a super fun experience)
Length: 10 (About as long as I would want a maze about people being stuck in traps as I would want it to be)

9.5 out of 10

REVENGE OF THE MUMMY
10 minute wait and we zoomed through. I got to sit in the back, off to the side, and it seemed more thrilling back there for some reason. This is such a smooth coaster still but you can't help but want more from this ride. I'm hoping they change something up next year for Halloween. I think something can be done to some extent. Different lighting and different music? Still a fun coaster and worth a short wait.
8.5 out of 10 'B'

JURASSIC PARK IN THE DARK
I actually prefer this ride at night. You can't see all the flaws in the animatronics. Plus the raptor area with all the lights really stands out. "Welcome to the Jungle" was booming at the top and the added raptors adds a nice touch. Next year though, I mean, c'mon. I saw areas left and right where a scareactor could go. You don't even need to change anything up that'll affect it's day time operations. Scareactors with chainsaws in a few areas would make this ride even more worth it. I'm tired of hearing excuses about nothing being done with this ride when I can come up with a good enough overlay in my head while going through it just once. Anywho, I was pleased to see the hydro dinosaur was working and the drop is the best part. Sit in the back to only get misted.
8.5 out of 10 'B'

THE SIMPSONS RIDE
Finished with the lower lot and it was about 10. How 2 hours went by that quickly is beyond me. Back up the stairway we go and there was a 40 minute wait for The Simpsons. I figured we had time so we did it. Sure enough, the wait time was correct and we were off around 10:40. The queue is still fun and I'm glad they have the show clips before the ride during the areas where you're completely stopped for 3 minutes at a time. We went to the bottom area and it feels very... basement like down there. Also not much air conditioning. My only request is next year they should play Treehouse of Horror clips. This is a frequent request so I'm not sure why this hasn't been implemented yet.
8.5 out of 10 'B'

KROQ
So we sat down, had a rest for awhile in the Dodgers area while listening to KROQ do their broadcast while waiting to meet up with some friends. There were a lot of Chucky minions in the area, scaring people taking pictures with Jaws. One of them got my girlfriend good, twice in a row while she was on her phone. After about 30 minutes, we met up and went down the escalators...

TERROR TRAM: CHUCKY'S REVENGE
I get so excited for the Terror Tram. It's one of my favorite parts of Halloween Horror Nights... does this year change that? Nope, not a single bit. Although, the storyline with the rest of the maniacs at the event wasn't used, this was still a fun venture. I'm just trying to figure out the point of it all. Sure, Chucky is fun but for him to exact his revenge on us all just didn't seem very interesting. And I think we missed a part of the video because I didn't see the part about him burning down the lot. I also didn't mind hip hop dancing. It was funny and it fit with his character. If anything, once again contrary to what everyone has been saying, the video was my least favorite part.

The chainsaw brigade at the beginning was awesome. Glad they made it like that, it makes a bit scary. However, since chainsaws don't start right away, this technique is a bit failed. Is it me or is Whoville getting more closed in every year?

Major jam up at Bates Motel, which is annoying. Saw ALOT of Mrs. Bates running around, which was cool. This area seems to have been toned down to its usual flare from its previous years though. Not enough mayhem.

La Llorona was pretty cool. This might've been my favorite part of the Terror Tram this year. The bushmen were on FIRE last night. They were scaring people everywhere all the way up the hill. The burning cabin didn't have a scare in it when we went through. I loved the dead baby skeletons hanging from the tree. That was pretty awesome. I also saw a bunch of La Lloronas everywhere. Maybe at least 4 or 5. Didn't get peed on though.

The part that was basically a dud was Camp Chucky. I didn't see any half doll hybrids. One girl was being operated on, who was very into her roll but that was it. No sheet maze, which is just sacreligious. Moving into the Psycho House, another on slaught of Mrs. Bates. I don't think I saw one regular Norman.

Went to the mutant outbreak, and I don't think the fire had much of a point. It was a good distraction while the monsters scared from the other side though. We get VERY close to the plane, which I loved. You really see how massive that thing is. Not many mutants around though. Maybe about 2 or 3, plus the stilt mutant between the two trams was fun.

At this point, I don't see why people want the Terror Tram to be much more extended. It's already pretty damn lengthy as it is. I just want the return of the sheet maze and I'll be happy as a clam. And I have to disagree with all the claims that it's tired. It's still awesome, always will be awesome and they don't need to change the route at all. Will I complain if they suddenly moved to another location? No but I think this is a very classic route and the only way for us to enjoy it again is if they take it to the epic proportions that 08 was. It's not Whoville, Bates Motel or War of the Worlds that's getting old, it's just them not sprucing things up enough. These sets are just backdrops but what they put in them is key. If it feels tired, it's just the set/theme isn't up to par as to what it usually is. You have to remember, these aren't the sets but merely things to add on to it and the creators also have to realize this as well so they don't rely to much on them to think "well we have the sets so all we have to do is add monsters and nobody will care how it looks."

Overall, I think this was a very strong Terror Tram but still the weakest out of the bunch. Next year, I think they'll know what to do with it. Especially when Scream comes to town. *evil grin*

9.0 out of 10 'A'-
 
NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET: NEVER SLEEP AGAIN
The music in this area got me so amped for this maze. I was excited and the queue was moving along very quickly. We got in line at 12:02, right after the Terror Tram closed and got in at 12:50. The queue in itself is a labyrinth on it's own. To pass the time, I played the games on the 874874 number. It really does make time go by quicker. Now to preface this, I talked SO much crap about this maze being used and the Freddy character returning. What's the result?

Entering the maze, I could already tell it was going to be good. Walking through a hundred of those hanging thread things, a Freddy got me good right in the beginning followed by another Freddy in a similar spot. Damn you! (excuse me if the chronology of the maze is messed up, my brain doesn't remember the entire string of events)

We then venture to the school with the cold room which had a good scare. I think this was also one of the first scrims but the Freddy's don't do much in there expect look at you, which is kinda lame but a lot of the times, I didn't even notice the scrims were there. So to some extent, the effect worked. The classroom didn't make sense to me to have the Freddy behind the chalkboard with body bag Kris just doing nothing.

Venturing outside, I got a good scare from Freddy and Statue Lady is awesome.

I liked the house portion but I don't think the squishly floor effect worked all that well. I liked the bathroom scene, that was pretty cool.

We then entered the dreaded boiler room. Lots of good scares in here and one that's a little too close for comfort. The body bag room with the soundbites was very cool. I didn't see the hand pop out of the body though, hm. I enjoyed the length of it and plus, it looked nothing like the boiler room in the previous Freddy mazes. I didn't see much reason for Stilt Freddy though at the end. Exiting the maze, there was no Freddy behind the curtain. Oh well but still a VERY, VERY strong maze. And I didn't think I would say that since I usually have bad luck with the Shrek venue in always getting the tail end of scares but that wasn't the issue here, luckily. Also, since I'm not scared by Freddy but this maze changed things a bit for that. I suppose he CAN be scary. I enjoyed the maze more than the movie, for what it's worth.

Set Design: 10 (I have to say a lot of the sets were pretty good, especially in the day care and the school)
Scares: 10 (Freddy got me good a LOT of times)
Sound Design: 10 (Alot of Freddy talking and it didn't bug me one bit. I really felt like he was taunting me and I was his victim)
Fun: 9 (I drop this down a notch because I only wanted more)
Length: 8 (The downside of this maze is that it feels a bit short. Luckily, we walked slow through it.)

9.5 out of 10 'A'

FRIDAY THE 13TH: KILL, JASON, KILL!
I think I understand the reason for the subtitle of this maze now: because it has nothing to do with the maze really other than Jason killing people. I don't think I recognized any kills from the movie other than the front camp scene (which was awesome by the way). This maze was definitely the most aggressive. The scareactors were so on point and the scares were so effective. Jason got me good multiple times and I really felt smack dab in a horror movie. My only problem is that this didn't feel too much like the movie at all aside from the campground and Jason's cabin (no floor attack like I wanted!!!). This maze was mean spirited, brutal and unrelenting at all sides. Jason is definitely America's favorite inbreed and it was good to see him back on action. I gotta give credit to the head guy who gets his head chopped off. I just figured it was a dummy Jason was slicing down on but then he moved and it scared the crap out of me. I liked the final tunnel scene but I really felt like something was missing from this maze and I think it's the house location the teenagers are in for about 75% of the movie. Maybe we went through it and I just didn't realize but this really felt like an original maze for the most part and I kinda dug it and I kinda didn't but that doesn't set aside the fact that this is indeed the best maze of the year. But really, I couldn't get the firepoker through the eye on the cop? I guess I'll make do with Jason bursting through a room and chopping someone clean in half. Oh, and yes, the grindstone kill is probably the sickest thing I've ever seen.

Set Design: 10 (Very amazing sets that felt like real locations. Even outside worked)
Scares: 10 (Jason got me at every turn. You go boy!)
Sound Design: 7 (Maybe the downfall of the maze. I don't remember hearing much, especially anything from the movie other than the queue)
Fun: 10 (Very fun maze. I enjoyed the hell out of it)
Length: 10 (I think this is the perfect maze venue as this feels the longest out of the bunch)

9.7 out of 10 'A'+

VAMPYRE: CASTLE OF THE UNDEAD
It was 1:50 and we had time for one more thing before the park closed and I wasn't sure if we should do this in risk of missing Bill and Ted. It said 10 minute wait so we chanced it. And it was so worth it! It's amazing how this is such an awesome maze even when it's year round. The vamps were so aggressive at every turn. They were frequent and very well hidden. Sure, the maze wasn't dressed up very well but I have to say: who cares? With scares this AWESOME and their make up work so amazing, this thing really pulled off being the most fun maze of the night. Only complaint, it's too damn long. But hey, not much we can do with that there. Is it really a shame that this beats HOTC? It was fun, scary and all out. House of Horrors still has a mean left hook and the inclusion of vampires was a good idea to this location. I even liked it better than last year's Chucky's Playground, which I had so much fun with. I have to be true and honest and give this a really high rating.
9.4 out of 10 'A'

BILL AND TED
Thank you, Jesus for this wonderful gift to earth. This show is hilarious and I don't understand all the complaints about too much dancing. There was two dance sequences. One at the beginning and the end and it was perfect that way. And most of all, it was better than last year. This was a really good show this year but there wasn't that many pop culture references because they spent too much time making fun of Jersey Shore. There was a lot to choose from but they stuck with Glee, which is a bummer but... oh well. Still a rocking show and still very funny and still the perfect way to end off the night on a high note. Love the pyro.
9.5 out of 10 'A'

So that was the end of the night and in commentary, this year's mazes felt WAY too damn similar. There was a formula I noticed going on here... 3 or 4 separate locations, way too much hanging threads, the cobweb strings and ending with a body bag room. Other than Saw, that was every maze and yes, it's only something you remember from when looking back but this needs to be fixed next year. And I still want some roaming scares instead of all set scares. This really would help the people enjoy things more for those who get the tail end.

All in all, a VERY strong year and I have to say, probably my favorite year. Every maze was equally strong and that doesn't happen often. None of them were perfect like last year's Halloween maze but none of them were utterly disappointing like... well, last year's My Bloody Valentine maze. All the negativity I had before on this year is gone. I underestimated it and was proven wrong. Now I know better that no matter who is headlining HHN, it's still going to be an awesome event. Although, YES, these were characters I was already too familiar with BUT the houses were indeed very different from their previous incarnations. Very strong year overall and I can't wait to see what's in store next year when (hopefully) SCREAM takes over. Don't let me down!!!

From top to bottom --

Scare Zones:
Freakz
Lunaticz
Klownz
Pigz
La Llorona
Nightmarez

Mazes:
Friday the 13th
Nightmare on Elm Street
Saw
Vampyre
House of 1000 Corpses

10 out of 10 'A'+
 
“Especially when Scream comes to town. *evil grin*”

“I can't wait to see what's in store next year when (hopefully) SCREAM takes over. Don't let me down!!!”


Heh heh heh heh heh…

2010 marked the point in Hollywood’s HHN in that they completely threw out any semblance of a story or theme (unless the theme for 2011 was Ghostface caused scary things). Orlando would follow suit in the much maligned 2012 event. I don’t know when I’ll attend a HHN (and besides I have a fear of airplanes and Hollywood is looking stale these days) so I wouldn’t know if it would affect the overall experience, but I thought it was cool when they had the attractions all connected towards a single story (or villain).

I don’t get what Hollywood was thinking when they brought Freddy and Jason in 2010. Not the cool ones from the 80s, the ones from the widely hated remakes (I saw the NOES remake and shut it off even before it ended). Granted it seemed to work out pretty well but still. I think I read somewhere that Freddy had a cameo in the 1000 Corpses maze?

I remember they actually had a comic book explaining the origins of the Vampyre maze. They had a preview vid of it and the art looked TERRIBLE.

I know these reviews were old, but I love the detail you put in them. Keep it up DTH!:thumbsup:
 
“Especially when Scream comes to town. *evil grin*”

“I can't wait to see what's in store next year when (hopefully) SCREAM takes over. Don't let me down!!!”


Heh heh heh heh heh…

2010 marked the point in Hollywood’s HHN in that they completely threw out any semblance of a story or theme (unless the theme for 2011 was Ghostface caused scary things). Orlando would follow suit in the much maligned 2012 event. I don’t know when I’ll attend a HHN (and besides I have a fear of airplanes and Hollywood is looking stale these days) so I wouldn’t know if it would affect the overall experience, but I thought it was cool when they had the attractions all connected towards a single story (or villain).

I don’t get what Hollywood was thinking when they brought Freddy and Jason in 2010. Not the cool ones from the 80s, the ones from the widely hated remakes (I saw the NOES remake and shut it off even before it ended). Granted it seemed to work out pretty well but still. I think I read somewhere that Freddy had a cameo in the 1000 Corpses maze?

I remember they actually had a comic book explaining the origins of the Vampyre maze. They had a preview vid of it and the art looked TERRIBLE.

I know these reviews were old, but I love the detail you put in them. Keep it up DTH!:thumbsup:
Yeah, my hope for Scream to be done right is so sad in hindsight, like I clearly mentioned 2 whole years before it even happened and it turned out to be the single biggest letdown ever.

Someone mentioning Freddy in HOTC was just confused. That was Tiny, from the film, also a burn victim. I remember reading that review too, I can't remember where haha but Freddy showing up on stilts in a non-related maze is just a hilarious thought.

2010 was still a very wonderful time for HHN. It was before I was ever sorely disappointed by the event. Now it seems like there's at least one terrible maze a year (aside from 2016). Two if we're extra unlucky.

Glad you're enjoying these throwbacks! Hopefully someone else can chime in soon.
 


This was the commercial they had for 2010 and 2011. It’s ironic the tagline was “What Fear Fears Most” when Orlando’s Icon in 2010 was Fear.
 
Forgive me for not knowing specifics since it's been 10 years but I felt 2012's event was better than Orlando's 2012 event but that bar wasn't high.

  • The Walking Dead: Dead Inside - Was fine. Another maze that was better than Orlando's version.
  • The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Saw is the Law - One of the best house experiences I've done in my 20 years at any coast.
  • Welcome to Silent Hill - Definitely did better than Orlando's version that year.
  • La Llorona: La Cazadora de Niños - A strong house. Scary.
  • Alice Cooper Goes to Hell 3D - Wasn't a fan after hearing good things about the '11 maze.
  • Universal Monsters Remix - Since I never really did the daytime haunt, I wasn't as sour on it - but it still wasn't great.
Thought the Terror Tram was really bad and the zones were fine.
 
This reminds me of a really great YouTube channel that has all sorts of Universal stuff in general, but also Horror Nights.



Here is the Terror Tram video for 2007. Narrow it down by typing Horror Nights in the channel's search bar. Really great insight into how the event was, minus the actual event itself, if that makes sense. Check out the rest of the channel, it's great!
 



Some rather shoddy tv ads they had for the Freddy year in 08.

Way more cooler are these little jewels.

HHN_2008_Pillow.jpg

HHN_2008_Pillow_2.jpg

HHN_2008_Pillow_3.jpg
 
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