Halloween Horror Nights 15: Tales of Terror

[mkt]

The reason the kinks aren't worked out is because we only have 2 four hour rehearsals... we spend a lot of the first rehearsal going through standard operating procedures and costuming... we also tour the house, find our locations and all and that's basically it... the second rehearsal we have both casts in the house and are in full costume each spending about an hour and a half in the house... but even then, they just don't have the bodies to put through the houses to let us get used to scaring or figure out techniques... usually our other castmates will walk through, and since they know where everything is, they don't get scared, so we don't know what works and what doesn't... on employee preview we learn A LOT about the houses and make changes for Friday and sometimes the changes don't work, sometimes they do, and sometimes you need to make even more changes... For instance in Terror Mines, most of the cast is getting handheld flashlights to light up our faces really quick for the guests that don't have the hats... The first weekend is like a soft-opening lol... you know how a ride will open on it's openning day and then gets swarmed with guests and usually ends up breaking down or closing early... it just takes time... I'm sorry you guys didn't enjoy the event...

It's not your fault at all... it's Universals. The upper management spends months preparing the sets and costumes... yet gives the cast 2 days (sometimes less) to learn what to do. I can hardly be surprised that I wasn't scared this year. Universal is great with the Technical parts... but as far as people go, HHN sucks.

 

[mkt]

What did you guys expect? This is Universal we are talking about kiddies. They don't know how to get ANYTHING right!

::SMACK!::

sorry mom, but you needed that.

 

[NemoRocks78]

(Psst... James... I'm thinking about starting ThemeParkEquality.com... An Equal Opportunity Theme Park Fan Site... wanna help?)

I'd be glad to

 

[Michael72688]

Well if your experience has been ruined so badly dont come back! There will just be more room for the rest of us who actually enjoy the event.

 

[Legacy]

Well if your experience has been ruined so badly dont come back! There will just be more room for the rest of us who actually enjoy the event.

It's statements like this that really bother me. So, because we hold Universal (and especially HHN) to a higher standard we are not allowed to go. I'm sorry, but if I expect the best than I want the best. I don't want a bad night or kinks. I want 100%. If HHN is not going to deliver that after the guests have paid $60, then there is a problem.

 

[mkt]

Jeff,

you rock sir.


Michael,

you smell like cabbage :lol:

 

[Legacy]

Here's what Universal should do.

Saturday before opening... Employee Preview.

Tuesday before opening... AP Preview.

And go back to the original shedule of two 8 hour rehersals per house. First day... house only... Second day... Houses get to go through each other (House Field Trips).

Viola' instant four days of rehearsals.

 

[mkt]

honestly, I'd go for two 8 hour days followed by one 4 hour day and a full dress rehearsal the night before it starts....

on top of the Employee previews.

 

[Legacy]

I'm curious...

To those of you who are scaracters this year, how much were the individual characters of the house emphasized? Did managment make them an important part of the event, or was the scare itself the important part?

 

[JROK]

I'm curious...

To those of you who are scaracters this year, how much were the individual characters of the house emphasized? Did managment make them an important part of the event, or was the scare itself the important part?

As far as Terror Mines goes, we didn't get much emphasis on our character... I mean we did a short character exercise on the first night where they explained how the dwellers were to react to the light... we were told to act like cockroaches and once the light hits us to dissappear from it... but other than that there wasn't much emphasis... we acted out our characters for like 2 minutes as a group to get in the mood and then they put us in the house... from there we were shown spots and different ways to scare, but after that we were left on our own... everynow and then the performance captains would run through saying "Good Job!" and such... or "Keep up the energy!" but nothing more about characters... as for a background, we were told that we were in battle with the orcs and not to act friendly to them whenever the two of us were in guest view... and also that we live in the mines and don't want anybody in there and to 'attack' the guests to get them out of there...

But Terror Mines isn't really a character driven house where as something like Body Collectors or even Blood Ruins is... in Terror Mines there are really only two 'characters' ... the Dwellers (alien looking guys) and the Orcs (Lord of the Rings guys) ... we have different names, but we all do the same thing... the name really just pertains to our location in the house... but like in Body Collectors they have different characters and like heirarchy and everything... so somebody from there may have gotten more character direction... they really leave the characters up to us to create... I also do other events like MACY's Holiday Parade and all and during that we are assigned a character but they leave it up to us to develop a backstory and all for the character... coming from a performer stand-point I really enjoy the ability of creating my own character but from a guest stand-point, they may enjoy the Disney method of nitpicking and writing down everything the character will say and how they act, anywhere from their smile, to their poses, to the way they wave...

Personally I think the first weekend is more of 'test audience', sort of like how movies are screened and based on the audience polls from that screening it determines what needs to stay in the film and what needs to go, and how it can be fixed for the national premiere... most of the changes are subtle at HHN but they do make the event more enjoyable... I feel your pain for paying full ticket price for getting a test event... I think the first weekend should either be discounted or that we should do more rehearsals... such as adding an aditional AP Preview... that'd really help...

As for Howl-O-Scream... they have the same problems... the event grows as the run continues and stuff is added and fixed... HoS isn't as popular as HHN yet and the Busch Gardens park is larger so the lines don't nearly get as long but I have waited for 45min-Hour for a house and that was during the Preview... so they have the same problems HHN does... but their actors may be more in tune with the scares because they're working the same houses over and over year after year and it's the same situation/scare they did the previous year...

And one final thing... I don't think HHN would be as popular as it is if it wasn't a good event... it's clearly the most popular annual haunt event in the South East and maybe on the East Coast for that matter... Actually, according to Amusement Today, Halloween Horror Nights (24%) is the second best Halloween Haunt event, only second to Knott's (25%)... and Busch Garden's Howl-O-Scream which had an ad campaign stating how it was the "#1 Haunt" according to a magazine, which were the same people that just happen to design their houses, wasn't even in the top 5... so that's gotta say something for the event...

I hope that you'all give it another chance later in the run... but don't go on a Friday or a Saturday (or the 13th) because those are the worst days to ever try to enjoy this event... and having an express pass wouldn't hurt...

[/soapbox]

 

[Coasterbp]

and Busch Garden's Howl-O-Scream which had an ad campaign stating how it was the "#1 Haunt" according to a magazine, which were the same people that just happen to design their houses, wasn't even in the top 5... so that's gotta say something for the event...

Actually, the magazine that reviewed HOS that year, (2002) was not related to/paid by/sponsored by anyone the works for/with/in any of the events in that year. In fact, the person that wrote that article, JROK, you know. This person rated HOS better than HHN that year, because that person thought it was better. I have the article if you would want to see it sometime... lemme know.

 

[Coasterbp]

I don't want a bad night or kinks. I want 100%. If HHN is not going to deliver that after the guests have paid $60, then there is a problem.

Did you do anything about this problem? Did you let Universal know how you felt?

 

[Legacy]

Did you do anything about this problem? Did you let Universal know how you felt?

I didn't go... but that's how I feel about the situation. Unfortunately I can't this year, or next year most likely. However, I still expect Uni to have HHN at 100%. I have no sympathy for them if they don't.

 

[Legacy]

And JROK... I get a feeling that the characters aren't pushed in any of the houses anymore. The current rehearsal schedule doesn't allow for the scareacters to feel out the best way to perform their role. They're is not enough time and not enough opportunity. That is managment letting down the performers AND the customer, and there is no excuse for it.

 

[JROK]

And JROK... I get a feeling that the characters aren't pushed in any of the houses anymore. The current rehearsal schedule doesn't allow for the scareacters to feel out the best way to perform their role. They're is not enough time and not enough opportunity. That is managment letting down the performers AND the customer, and there is no excuse for it.

It's not a time issue really... because we spend a lot of time standing around on rehearsals... the biggest problem is that we don't have 'guests' or 'victims' to come through the house to see what works and what doesn't... The only people that come through are techs, management and other actors so you don't really get a good feeling of what will work and what won't...

 

[Legacy]

It's not a time issue really... because we spend a lot of time standing around on rehearsals... the biggest problem is that we don't have 'guests' or 'victims' to come through the house to see what works and what doesn't... The only people that come through are techs, management and other actors so you don't really get a good feeling of what will work and what won't...

I refer to my previous post.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=1264143&postcount=47

 

[JROK]

Actually, the magazine that reviewed HOS that year, (2002) was not related to/paid by/sponsored by anyone the works for/with/in any of the events in that year. In fact, the person that wrote that article, JROK, you know. This person rated HOS better than HHN that year, because that person thought it was better. I have the article if you would want to see it sometime... lemme know.

I'd like to see it... the one from Haunt World Magazine right? Claiming HoS as the "#1 Haunted Attraction in America" ... it was the 2003 ad campaign... I wasn't saying that HOS was bad, I've been to it 4 times and have enjoyed myself every time... but I'm saying that they didn't even make the list and HHN did... and what do you mean the person didn't have part of the event that year? Did they in the past? If so there's some bias (just like how I'm so biased for Universal because I work there)... and I know the person who wrote it?

 

[JROK]

I refer to my previous post.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=1264143&postcount=47

That's why I mentioned liking the idea of having an AP preview in my previous post...

 

[Coasterbp]

and what do you mean the person didn't have part of the event that year? Did they in the past? If so there's some bias (just like how I'm so biased for Universal because I work there)... and I know the person who wrote it?

I meant that the person that wrote it, at that time, had no affiliation with any of the parks that he visited. And yes, you know the person that wrote it. I will put it in my bookbag tonight, and try to catch you at work sometime.

 

[mark.reynolds@g]

I was just at HHNIV on Saturday night and I have got to say it was excellent! Loved the 'biker' theme and my girlfirend was running screaming from those chainsaws..! The body collctors was als very impressive.. but most importantly - who was the girl on stilts near the entrance/stage area who I got am 'intimate' picture with? was trying to upload the picture as my profile pic but with no success so far... anyway - really hot - great concept - and - who was she?!