Show: Academy of Villains: House of Fear

[Legacy]

To be fair this isn't a Universal show, it's completely an outside act.

Well, it's a contracted act. Just like:

Off-Kilter
Four 4 a Dollar
Mulch Sweat and Shears
Brian Brushwood
Street Beatz

Oh, wait. I included Disney favorites. Because contracted acts are known for being extremely well received.

 

[Teebin]

But it is good and great because it was contracted by Universal and A&D? Hmm...

 

[s8film40]

Well, it's a contracted act. Just like:

Off-Kilter
Four 4 a Dollar
Mulch Sweat and Shears
Brian Brushwood
Street Beatz

Oh, wait. I included Disney favorites. Because contracted acts are known for being extremely well received.

Well yeah they're obviously the safe bet. They did shows for Knott's Scary Farm and HHN Hollywood. They have an established track record they're not exactly breaking new ground here. I suppose this is equivalent to the argument of what's better in houses IP's or Original content. The truth is they both have their place. Personally I've always viewed the second HHN show as a bonus, some years it's good, some years it's bad and some years it's just not for me. If people are enjoying it I can certainly respect that. Who knows maybe I'll be surprised when I actually see it.

 

[Lucky Planet]

Um... It's a dance troupe. That shouldn't surprise anyone. And the entire Dream Machine sequence is only marginally "dance."

Yeah I think my problem with it is it's essentially 100% dance. Dance is great and is an element that helps to make a great show but can't stand on its own as a show.

well its not like this is... Universal or anything....lol
they could have tweaked it to have a little dialogue maybe, the show is ok as it is but a little interaction goes a long way.
is like the bettlejuice show. it was a musical but the audience interaction was nice.

To be fair this isn't a Universal show, it's completely an outside act. Honestly I would take just 20 minutes of the acrobats and rock music from Carnage returns over this. This show is not even close to being in the same league as the Caranage Returns. It does have its audience though and for those who enjoy this type of stuff it's great I guess.

this is a good point, the acrobats were pretty entertaining. The dancing last year was nice just because of the fire going on and their clown make up, i miss that show

 

[Lucky Planet]

i saw this twice and was able to full process it.
the show grows on you. i like it a lot now. But I like the non dancing parts the best. i love the dream sequence and wish was longer, i love the fire stunts, i love the skating, I really liked when they were doing stunts or stuff like that. the dancing is nice and skillful but what i loved the most was when that one guy was doing all the cool tricks with the fire and the knives. that was great

i noticed a lot of people dancing to the music and clapping so this show seems to be doing very very well. i am glad about this.

 

[redfoxagent]

That show was amazing. I grabbed this video of the whole thing. Higher quality audio than inside the magic and its full stage so no panning around.

I got to admit I thought this show was jaw dropping when I first saw it. Fantastic all around

 

[MrRoamer]

This show was really impressive. I've seen it twice now and liked it much better than the first. Totally not my cup of tea but I've got to give credit where it is due for a very unique and cool show.

 

[georgemoe]

Was not able to see this last night but hope to on Sunday.

 

[kingcooger]

I was skeptical, but this show won me over. I am glad that it seems to be doing well enough that they are not going to add Chance

 

[s8film40]

I was skeptical, but this show won me over. I am glad that it seems to be doing well enough that they are not going to add Chance

I was all for Chance being added to this before seeing it, but now I don't think that would be a good fit at all and as much as I would like to see Chance I would hate to see the Chance character in this show she's so much better than that. Not to mention I really wouldn't want to have to watch this show a second time.

 

[Viator]

It's intriguing when you consider that this was originally bashed by people because of the no chance show thing, and that a lot of people feared of them pulling a Jabbawockeez (although I defend USH's show, it isn't Halloween themed). But since opening night, it really seems like the opinion for mostly a lot of people have changed, as a lot of people love the AoV in the community; and of the GP as well.

I'm curious if Universal may try to bring them back for next year, as it does seem popular enough to question that.

 

[s8film40]

It's intriguing when you consider that this was originally bashed by people because of the no chance show thing, and that a lot of people feared of them pulling a Jabbawockeez (although I defend USH's show, it isn't Halloween themed). But since opening night, it really seems like the opinion for mostly a lot of people have changed, as a lot of people love the AoV in the community; and of the GP as well.

I'm curious if Universal may try to bring them back for next year, as it does seem popular enough to question that.

This is one thing I just don't understand. Everyone watched the videos of their previous performances and bashed the show, then suddenly somehow seeing this in person changed everyone's mind. I don't get it, I watched it and it matched up perfectly to my expectations based on those videos.

Please NO, don't bring this show back! I have a whole new appreciation for RHPS now.

 

[Joel]

I loved the show, even though certain elements weren't working after all of the showtimes being cancelled due to the rain on Saturday except for the last one.

I do admit I was in the against pool after seeing previous performances online but my mind changed after seeing the HHN show.

 

[Lucky Planet]

This is one thing I just don't understand. Everyone watched the videos of their previous performances and bashed the show, then suddenly somehow seeing this in person changed everyone's mind. I don't get it, I watched it and it matched up perfectly to my expectations based on those videos.

Please NO, don't bring this show back! I have a whole new appreciation for RHPS now.

I cannot really explain it but i didnt like the videos i saw but i really really love it now.

One thing i didnt like of those videos was the music used. But the music in our show is good.

I dont know why but seeing live is awesome. I guess the energy of the cast is not captured in the videos the same way.

I would be happy if it came back.

 

[s8film40]

One thing i didnt like of those videos was the music used. But the music in our show is good.

I dont know why but seeing live is awesome. I guess the energy of the cast is not captured in the videos the same way.

I definitely agree it's some good music! I found the energy to be less in person than on the videos. It seemed like they just simply cranked the volume way up to compensate for it.

 

[Viator]

In quite honestly one of the most unique things I've seen for the event for this year, AoV is actually preforming tonight; even as the stage near Central Park is being worked on.



They didn't have to do this, and they did. This is something that I am going to give Universal and the AoV some respect as that is something I want to commend on.

 

[Mad Dog]

Watched the show three times. It was absolutely excellent.

 

[Frank Drackman]

I watched about half the show one night and it's really just not my thing. I must say though that they really seemed to draw a large crowd every time we went by the area while they were performing.

I saw a lot of smiles, folks in the crowd dancing. It really seemed like a lot of folks enjoyed this show.

I know I'm odd, but the coolest thing to me was one night when we were walking by the side of the stage (the walkway leaving lair heading towards vamp) and the dancers on the top level were talking to the crowd that was walking by while they were performing. They were saying things like 'hi everyone' and 'have fun tonight'. I'm so use to performers being so caught up in their performance that I thought it was kind of cool that those guys seemed to be having fun.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Saw AoV last night, best was the shadow sequence, found some of it weirdly paced and included, impressed with the skill and artistry. Happy to see it once but it's not my thing to see every night.

 

[WAJAS]

Saw AoV last night, best was the shadow sequence, found some of it weirdly paced and included, impressed with the skill and artistry. Happy to see it once but it's not my thing to see every night.

Would you be happy if it returned as a yearly show? or at least every few years?

I for one agree with you that the show grows stale pretty fast. I watched half of the full show and a full modified show, so I think I can see it two more times and still enjoy it. I would be happy if this replaced the magic shows for the years when we don't have icons (or good/significant icons).