Halloween Horror Nights - 13 Years In The Making...

[Legacy]

Prelim Reviews

Alright... I was privileged enough to preview both Ship of Screams and Funhouse of Fear last night. Now... I went through during dress rehearsals so everything wasn't at its peak performance but was pretty darn close. I am also doing the employee preview so I will provide more reviews Thursday probably.

Ship of Screams:

Considering all of the negative press this house is getting due to the disaster that was Frightanic in 1999, I honestly feel that this is going to catch a lot of peoples attention. The HMS Friday definently carries a very ominous tone about itself, and its construction makes much better use of the Bluto queque line than Scary Tales did last year. It is a very 'effects' oriented house: a lot of water, and few air gust and a flame thrower at the end all add to the atmosphere that this house is going for. The final room has you running through the steerage hall as all of these things combine in to the collapsing of the ship.

The scares are VERY effective. Don't expect a whole lot of the traditional boo and ski-doo though. A great deal of the scare-actors stand in a doorway or behind a window for more eerieness than terror. Look behind the mirrors to you left going up the first set of stairs for a good startle, and watch for a sailor getting pounded into a window from the rain outside.

The house is a good addition to Horror Nights. The execs say its there fav, but I doubt it will be a fan favorite. Good reactions but nothing memoriable.

3 Screams... Satisfactory scaring on Ship of Screams

Funhouse of Fear:

Hey, a '3-D' house. Looks like Universal is pulling out gimmicks this year! They may be, but the way Funhouse of Fear is set up it is probably going to be the flat out funnest house to go through. The glasses aren't so much '3-D' as they are the X-Ray specs you got as a kid; the type that puts that rainbow around everything you see. More importantly though it cuts down your periphial vision. That is how things will get you.

First off don't be expecting a dark house going into this; this sucker is BRIGHT. It is very vibrant and attactive. It is so much so it becomes disturbing, considering you are in a 'haunted house'. There are a couple of dark rooms, one of which had me scared to walk through. Its a black room with floating, glowing heads (they are hung on strings). Unfortunately, one isn't on a string but on a person. The glasses disorient you enough to make you unsure of which is which. They also took a page out of Scary Tales with the infamous checkered room, only now it is red and black zig-zag. Its not as effective I think but still just as fun.

Overall Funhouse of Fear is an amazingly FUN house. The group I went through it with (a bunch of Ship of Screams techs) and I gave it an standing ovation it was so good. It's quasi-scary (terrifying if you don't like clowns), but I think it is more for fun than anything. MUCH better than Fear Factor. This is have a constant line.

4 Screams and a holler- Fantastically Fun.

And look out because the other four are suppose to be even better than these.

 

[blm07]

Man, your descriptions make me remember how great HHNs are, but I just don't know. My friends don't even care, one said he wanted to when I was telling how great last year's was, but now he doesn't care. uhhhhhhhh. Oh yeah were any of these tests going on Sat near closing? I was at the Suess beach area and heard what sounded like a fog horn and bells from Olive's ship quite a few times.

 

[Legacy]

Yeah... the bells and foghorn are for SoS. One other thing that I find amazingly interesting about both of those houses is that there is NO blood. I know a lot of people are kinda 'eh' this year, but I really feel that this year is going to be well recieved enough to cause word of mouth to get people to go. I don't know what classic HHN is (I never went until last year), but everything I am seeing is matching everything that I heard. This most likely will be the most terrifying year yet.

 

[blm07]

Hmm, blood? I remember last year they had a triceratops head with water dripping off in a red light to look like blood, I also remember back at USF there was a place where dead body parts were hanging around. The older HHNs at Universal were fun, I've been going since 98. Mostly they had long lines going kinda out of the park and into the sound stages, and you also got to see backstage areas. I think the quality of the houses were good, but they didn't use any queues like the do now, so they probably had more room.

 

[Legacy]

Last year ScreamHouse was the only house in a soundstage. This year, both ScreamHouse Revisted and DrIvE In Theater are in Soundstage 20. Funhouse is in where FearFactor was, SoS replaces Scary Tales II and Jungle of Doom replaces Evilution. The only new locale is the first floor of the Discovery Center in JP. I have yet to see how effective they used that space but from what I have seen it will be danged impressive. I think Creative learned a lot on how to manage small areas with Scary Tales and FearFactor last year, so it makes the houses that replaced them this year flow much better and they (at least) feel like they have much more space.

Employee previews are tonight... WOOHOO!

 

[Legacy]

Okay... the employee's Advanced Screaming was last night and I really feel that Universal learned a lot of lessons from last year that seemed to make it more guest friendly. I failed to go through ScreamHouse Revisted, which sucks considering that's the remake of MY house; but the reasons behind it are valiant because one of the houses I had to go through twice.

Ship of Screams:

I think it's very interesting and good that I went through this house again. This really shows me how much can change from rehearsal to preview. The house was that much better. All of the effects were going and even though the cast was missing ten people, the ones that were there really picked up the slack. It earned another scream last night.

4 Screams: Superb Scaring

FunHouse of Fear:

Refer to the rehearsal review. They added lights, thats about it.

Jungle of Doom:

It seems Universal read Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness', took the feel of the book and it's story and said let's turn this into a house. They succeeded in a making a terrifying, otherworldly experience that can only be decribed as unique. When you reach a dead end and have to literally walk through the trees in order to go forward it's terrifying. The tribesmen blend incredibly well and the sets that are used (there aren't many) only add to the creppiness and aura of the situation.

The first time I went through I was scared becasue of the fact I was lost. The second time it was because they were actually scaring me. Jungle of Doom is completely emersive and different. This is how an outdoor house should be done. It doesn't hide the fact that it is outdoors, it embraces it. And that makes for a terrifyingly great experience.

5 Screams- That says it all.

Psycho Scareapy:

Going in I heard that this was THE house this year. It didn't exceed my expectations, but met it. But then I thought about it some, and this house is flat out disturbing. What is so scary is that all of the scares are real. There is little make-up in this house and all of the actors flat out look like they have something wrong in the head. It wasn't a scary house, but as the night went one and I went through it in my head this is the house that will give nightmares.

Three things worth noting in this house. First off is the receptionist. You walk in and see a pudgy woman swinging behind a fence with a big smile on her face. Then the receptionist, a pretty young woman frantically desires to 'Do anything she can to make your stay more pleasurable'. It's disturbing in a unique way and really sets the tone for the house. Second is casting. They have all older people, all bigger people and people who have that broken look in their eyes. Incredible. Thirdly is the bathroom scene. This is what people will remember. It has wet TP hanging from the ceiling, feces smeared on the walls, and the smell. That is right folks, the room smells like $h!+. And it makes you want to take a bath afterwards.

This is a good, creepy house. Not really scary, but very very good.

3 Screams, plus 1 for the mind games I did to myself. Consideribly creepy.

DrIvE In Theater:

What can I not say about this house. Oh yeah, I can't say that it is good. I can't even say it's average. Considering how many movie monsters Universal has in its stable, they use four that aren't even theirs. Micheal Myers (casted as the 'Halloween Slasher'), Jason ('Hockey-mask Killer'), Freddy ('Nightmare Man'), and Leatherface (not sure what his name is) are the ONLY FOUR USED. And that makes for an incredibly disapointing experience.

The entrance it cool. The movie screen is very unique and whoever played the Director was perfect. The first room is okay. Pumpkins hang down while 'Halloween' plays. It all goes down-hill from there though, as the 'Great Idea, Poor Execution' Curse continues with it's next victim. I didn't wait in a line and felt like I wasted my time.

I so want to scream, but it would be fake and unbelievible.

Street Reviews and Bill and Ted's will come later.

 

[Legacy]

Time for the Streets; And since I went in order with the houses... I will do the same with the streets.

PoE:

I didn't get a change to see the actual entrance, although I did see one massive fan that blows straight at the gates. In the main area though (in front of the lagoon) I saw a very impressive tribal ceremony. It's rather hard to understand what is going on, which is disappointing, and there isn't much scaring going on but the costumes in the area make up for it. Another disappointment was a lack of the Director. Overall I give it

2 Screams (I can't do those little sayings anymore)

Toxic City (Marvel):

Two things this place has going for it: Foam (which wasn't working when I went through but I saw theme cleaning it afterwards) and the set pieces. This is going to be the fun zone this year, which will be interesting because the melting citizens aren't as capable of playing as the Treaks and Foons last year. It will be very effective with the foam working.

3 Screams (Maybe 4 come Friday)

Hide and Shriek (Toon):

Now this island holds a place in my heart for a couple of reasons...
Rob is doing it and my fiance is the costumer for it and SoS (everybody applaud my fiance!!!). But I hate to tell the truth and that is is that this island is a massive disappointment. It is almost as if Creative didn't want to bother with it and it shows. It is weak, it is not scary... but it is still better than DrIvE In.

A yelp. Not a scream but a yelp.

Jurassic Park (Don't know, I think it's Jungle of Doom also):

You know how highly I thought of Jungle of Doom, and it's the same thing here. The costumes and effects in this area are amazing. They blind you with fog, they have flame burst all over the place and really need searchlight effects. The bush-people are back, now on stilts, and the actors take the tribal gorilla things seriously in their actions. I love this island. It is great. I just wish it was less spread out.

4 Screams

Immortal Island (Lost Continent):

I love the concept of Ice and Fire fighting, integrating a island theme into the area. But when the 'battle' is simply a laser light show going over your head while orks shoot those stupid Air-Zookas at you its kinda disappointing. The costumes are great, and they had a guy that blended perfectly into a rock wall, but its so-so.

3 Screams

Boo-Ville:

Why review? It's the exact same as last year. They didn't try so there is no reason to blast or praise.

1 Scream


Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure:

I heard that last year's B&T was a disappointment. I didn't see it live so I can't judge. But if it was this year's will redeem it. It is an absolutely hilarious attact on everything popular. When Sadam and Osama are the key villians (with an implication of gay lovers), the Twins from the Matrix are named Ashton and Kuchar, Smeegle is a stage hand and Captain Barbossa suffers from the 'Animatronics Curse' this mocks everything that is mock-able (except the Hulk, which Uni execs had cut). It completely blast Disney with a whole PotC take-off, and even has the Appliance Direct lady for the locals to appreciate. I am definantly seeing this show again tomorrow.

4 Screams

I really can't give an overall rating because I have only done one HHN before this. Was it as good as last years? I don't think so yet. They still might prove me wrong tomorrow though. If not then it still worth a definant go, just don't have too high of an expectation for it.

 

[mkt]

Originally posted by Kicker
But I hate to tell the truth and that is is that this island is a massive disappointment.

I agree entirely... and I'm in the cast. The strobes are really bothering me though... I'm going to ask to be recast..

 

[blm07]

Man, I really need to get a job there for halloween, it sounds like something that I would love and alot of fun. Oh and the first time I saw that air shooting thing it took me by surprise, I was walking in USF and it hit me. Bill And Ted themselfs are always funny, but every year there are dumb parts cuase I don't like all of the stuff they make fun of.

bahahaha

 

[sharky23]

rides?

Hi,

Going on the 17th and totally stoked - never been before! Question for anyone that might know (and it sounds like I'm in the right place!)

Will all the rides be operating throughout the night or only some? Also, what kind of crowds can I expect? Like summer crowds, or a busy "off-season" crowd?

Lastly, how is the park when it comes to videotaping (I'm a junkie)!

T'anks! Much appreciated!

-b

 

[mkt]

Re: rides?

Originally posted by sharky23
Will all the rides be operating throughout the night or only some?

the rides will be open, except the roller coasters, which actually shut down at 11pm due to local noise ordinances

Originally posted by sharky23
Also, what kind of crowds can I expect? Like summer crowds, or a busy "off-season" crowd?

busy off season

 

[Pippa]

Thanks for all this detailed info guys!! I am going to HHN on Oct 31st for the first time, can't wait!!

 

[sharky23]

thanks for the info, mkt!

-b

 

[RogueHabit]

Great info, we were still debating on going. Having 2 kids is a the problem as we really don't want to leave our youngest (2) with a strange sitter on her own.

Our eldest (7) is a veteran of two previous HHN and really wants to go. He was the same age as his sister is now when he went to his first HHN and, based on the descriptions given, we are now pretty sure she'll be cool with it.

 

[Favrefire4]

Hey Catch I gotta deliver some bad news. When we called they said kids had to be thirteen or above to go but someone else might definately confirm this but I am pretty sure this is the rule.

 

[RogueHabit]

I did ring about 3 weeks ago and they said that kids of any age could attend, but that kids 3 and over had to have a adult ticket.

They also said that the event wasn't really recommended for children, but they always say that.:goodnevil

 

[woofboy111]

Originally posted by Favrefire4
Hey Catch I gotta deliver some bad news. When we called they said kids had to be thirteen or above to go but someone else might definately confirm this but I am pretty sure this is the rule.

I think you may have gotten that wrong. Halloween horror Nights isn't reccomended for kids under 13. Parental Discretion is advized, so it's up to the kids parents to buy them a ticket if their under 13. If you buy the ticket, univeral will let a kid in that's under 13.

 

[imagineersrock]

Originally posted by Catch 22
I did ring about 3 weeks ago and they said that kids of any age could attend, but that kids 3 and over had to have a adult ticket.

They also said that the event wasn't really recommended for children, but they always say that.:goodnevil

though you can take kids under 13.... i don't see why you'd want to, -i went last night and no doubt had a ball, but the whole night is filled with nothing but cursing, beer, smoking, and crazy drunks by the end of the night.. i just couldn't imagine taking a kid to that.. by the way, can your kids handle those houses..? they're intense to say the least lol!! but you are the parent.. and don't mind my rambling, because i know there must be nothing more annoying than someone without children of their own trying to tell you whats best for your kids!!

-im sure you know whats best.. if you go; have fun- this year's a blast!!

 

[mkt]

I worked it last night... and I saw several little kids... and at least 2 newborns in strollers... needless to say, I had fun scaring the crap out of the kids... and more fun scaring their parents..

 

[RogueHabit]

We last went in 2000 and our son, then 4, loved the houses and enjoyed having the bejesus scared out of him by the ghosts.

In point of fact his mum was more scared of the houses than he was.