Official HHN XIV Thread

[Legacy]

I'm going on Thursday the 21st (one week from today), and I have an Express Pass. Would S&S really be necessary (I'll be in the park by closing anyways)? I'm trying to decide if I should go ahead and stay in or grab some dinner at Margaritaville.

If you have Express, you're set. However, it might be best to actually save them until there are actual lines at the houses (I saw a lot people using their Passes when the houses first opened up and would be a walk-on). For you, enjoy Jimmy Buffet.

 

[NemoRocks78]

If you have Express, you're set. However, it might be best to actually save them until there are actual lines at the houses (I saw a lot people using their Passes when the houses first opened up and would be a walk-on). For you, enjoy Jimmy Buffet.

Will do.

 

[Legacy]

HUGE TIP FOR THOSE INTERESTED!!!

If you are interested in participating in the Festival of the Dead Parade (being on the float and throwing beads and coinis), you need to be at the front of Monster Cafe' thirty minutes prior to the start of the parade. Ride and Show personel (look for the orange or black shirts with "Staff" on the back) and ask them if they need someone for the parade. If spots are open, they will make you sign a waiver (18 and older or with a parent's consent) and take you "behind" Midway of the Bizarre to get on your float.

It's quite an experience.

 

[Legacy]

Interesting news from last night:

The opened up the backside of IOA last niight, moving the scaracters from Lost Continent into Jurrassic Park and also opening up the River Adventure. This is happening in response to last weekends incredible crowds and wait times. If it worked, it will remain completely that way and nothing else will happen. If it DOESN'T releive the crowds throughout the event, then the path that runs along Central Park will open up and Men in Black will be opened as another ride. Men in Black could be opened as early as TONIGHT, so if anybody is there tonight, let us know how event turns out now.

 

[NemoRocks78]

Will this take place only on peak nights?

 

[Legacy]

Will this take place only on peak nights?

If they decide to keep it, I imagine that peak nights would be the only times it go into effect. Non-peak nights never (well, very rarely) have crowds that are high enough to cause 2 hour lines for the houses. I'm sure that simply opening up the back half of the islands will assist a TON in the flow of crowds throughout the event (Marvel is a mad house with Toon Lagoon closed off).

 

[NemoRocks78]

HOUSES
1. Castle Vampyre - Easily took the top spot for me. Well themed and the scareactors were great.
2. Disorientorium - I know what you are all thinking.....how can I put this at #2? Well, I loved it. It really "disoriented" me!
3. Hellgate Prison - Best use of scareactors, IMO. Very nice house.
4. Horror Nights Nightmares - It was nice to see the gang again. Eddie's section was the best (or am I just saying that because he is my favorite?), and Jack's section was the worst. The Caretaker and The Director's sections were pretty cool though.
5. Ghost Town - An OK house. Could have used a few more scares though.
6. Deadtropolis - I thought I would be walking through a scene from Dawn of the Dead or Resident Evil: Apocolypse....not the case here.
7. Horror in Wax - By far the worst house of the night. Wasn't well themed and it used cheap scares.

SCARE ZONES
1. Fright Yard - Absolutely fantastic....that's all I have to say.
2. Field of Screams -It wasn't what I thought it would be, but the scareactors were pretty good.
3. Point of Evil - Only walked through it on my way out of the park....no scares whatsoever but that fog was intense. I walked through the Trading Co. to get out of there.
4. Midway of the Bizzare - A worthless scare zone, IMO....nothing special about it. I saw one scareactor the entire time. Was out of it in less than a minute.

Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure - 5/5 stars
Absolutely fantastic. Some people have been putting it down, but I loved it. Dr. Evil, Jacko, Hellboy, Paris Hilton, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Usher, John Kerry, George W Bush, Mr. Burns, Garfield....I have never laughed so much during a B&T show. Definitely my favorite of the ones I've seen.

Oh, and a note about the Halloween Horror Nights Express passes....definitely worth the money. Even though it was a non-peak night, the crowds were large and wait times were exceeding an hour. Thanks to the HHNEP, I did all 7 houses, all 4 scarezones, and got to see Bill and Ted once and the parade 3 times, all before 10:30pm (I utilized Stay and Scream but only did Horror in Wax). I was also able to ride The Cat in the Hat, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, and Revenge of the Mummy.

The event overall? I'd have to say that it was just a bit better than HHN XI. I now have a new favorite.

 

[Legacy]

I'm glad you liked it. Even if I disagree with some of your house rankings....

 

[JACKO]

horror nights

I have just got back from Orlando and I have done the halloween horror nights twice and it is amazing if you have any questions let me know

 

[WDWFREAK53]

I went on Friday night...sorry guys, but the houses were good...but Universal really dropped the ball.

I didn't get to see Disorientorium (because of Legacy's review...I chose to do that last...if at all). I know that it was peak time...but 3 hours for wait times (for a walkthrough haunted house) is not my idea of a good time.

After spending 55 bucks to get into the event...another 20 seems a bit much. (Would it have been worth it? No...not at all. (It's a must if you want to get everything in on a peak night) but still not worth 20 bucks)

$75 a person is a little steep.

Did Universal just throw the "park limits" out the window? I went when it was ONLY at IoA...and it was MUCH more organized and it was an enjoyable time...Both parks (and I still noticed that IoA handles crowds MUCH better) had (at least 200,000 people) crammed into one section of the event. That many people with the alcohol flowing that freely is NEVER a good sign (oh yeah...and I didn't see ONE security guard in the entire event!).

I like the idea of the "Both parks...one horror" feel...but Uni has to limit the amount of people going in because, unless you're a college student there to get trashed, you're not going to enjoy yourself.

That being said...here are my reviews or the houses/scare zones.

Haunted Houses:
Horrors in Wax: I really liked this one...it wasn't "special" or "fantastic" but it was you classic haunted house with scareactors doing a great job. 3 1/2 out of 5.
Ghost Town: Themed ok...but the scareactors weren't that great...and I got soaked by the damn bottle on the bar :lol: 2 out of 5.
Deadtropolis: I liked it...but...once again, nothing spectacular. 3 out of 5.
Castle Vampyr: MY FAVORITE! 4 1/2 out of 5 (Could've been a little scarier).
Hellgate Prison: I have to agree...the scareactors rocked in this one! 3 out of 5.
Horror Nights Nightmares: My least favorite...1 1/2 out of 5.
Disorientorium: Didn't get a chance to go...so I can't rate it or review it.

Scare Zones:
Point of Evil: Just walked through it to enter and exit...nothing special but the fog/laser effects were cool.
Midway of the Bizarre: Pass on this.
Field of Screams: Too short but very eerie (would've been better if it was a single file "house" instead of a scare zone)
Fright Yard: WOW...this rocked! :lol:

Other stuff:
Festival of the Dead Parade: Eh...the stiltwalkers were cool and it was fun with the beads and coins...but I'd use this time to wait for the houses instead of seeing it.
Bill & Ted Show: UN-FREAKIN-BELIEVABLE!!! Without a doubt...the highlight of the night! :sohappy:

I was a little uncomfortable with my parents there at the beginning (Olsen twins...) but when Cherry Pie started playing...DAMN...great stuff :lol:
(Even a Tigger joke thrown in )

 

[spence]

Does anyone know if HHN Express Passes are available at the park either before or just after gates open? I have a party of 6 attending this Friday but only 4 of us got passes before they sold out online. We're staying at a resort so we have no problem standing in line early. .... Also, if we end up with just the 4, what are the actual passes like this year? Can they be shared among the 6 of us?

Thanks!

 

[Legacy]

Brian, I have to agree with your assessment of the organizational aspects. It is very poorly organized this year, but hopefully that will get better. I have my desires for how it should be laid out (two actually... two parks/one event or two parks/two events). However, considering how experimental this year was, i think it will get a lot better. My biggest gripe is how Universal seems to be succumbing to sexuality in order to sell the event. The dancers in PoE... dumb. The dancer in Midway... dumb. All the sexuality in Vampyr... effective, but not nessecary. Instead of scary, the house just became trendy. I go to the event to get scared, not to see scantily-clad girls in badly disguised masks try if give their best "Come hither" faces. Not scary. Not nessecary.

Sorry... I REALLY like Ghost Town and don't think Vampyr is that great. I think Ghost Town is getting seriously cheated as far as what the better overall house is.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Ok...and now for my next question...

By looking at the website...it appears that this year's theme was an insane asylum or mental institute...Why wasn't there a house or ANY theming that would make that known? I understand that they got rid of the "Dr. Payne" mascot...but why would they theme the website to an asylum/institute but have absolutely no sign of it in the park?

I did like the overall themes of the individual houses (Legacy, the Ghost Town's theme was better than most...IMO too).

I really feel like I could've had a MUCH better time with the offerings this year if it wasn't for the overcrowdedness (and I would still be saying it if I had got the Express Pass...because it wasn't the lines that were bothering me...it was just the crowds in the streets that prevented you from moving!)

It's really too bad. I dunno...I just think all, the houses, the parades, the scarezones, etc. would be a LOT scarier if it was more of an intimate setting. I walked through the Fright Yard and missed half of it because I couldn't even see because of the crowds. Scareactors were jumping out and stuff but by the time we got there...everyone knew where all the scareactors were...so it wasn't scary.

Legacy, I also agree with you about the "______" they're trying to sell and pass off as "cool." Heck, the first thing you see when you walk in are two scantily clad girls with weird vampire type makeup on...doing a striptease style dance. Come on Uni...give me something that'll make my hair stand on end and send chills down my spine!

Halloween Horror Nights XV.
8 Houses.

1. Sextropolis - City is overrun by the ladies of the night.
2. Town - Rundown saloons
3. Disrobing Torium - Get disoriented as the HHN Girls disrobe
4. Hellgate Bath house - Female Demons take you to hell and back
5. Hookers with Wax - See the ladies that gave all the famous men bad reps.
6. Castle Pymp - Snoop Dogg's Castle o' Love.
7. Horror Nights Harems - Revisit the Scantily Clad Beastly women of HHN of the past.
8. Space Sirens - Evil Space alien women take over a space ship that you are on board of. Don't let them control you with their "powers of persuasion" before you escape.

ScareZones:

1. Roll around in the Hay Way - Don't get dragged behind the large bales of hay or you may never come out alive.
2. Behind the Bleachers - Undead schoolgirls are running rampant and they're looking for someone to show them how naughty they can be.

Extras:

1. Festival of the Nude Parade - Halfnaked people riding floats of farm animals, desserts, and in cages with poles.
2. Bill and Ted's Erotic Adventure - Same as this year...minus the political twist and insert Ron Jeremy, Debbie, and...well...all of Dallas.
3. Shear Factor - Get naked, put on nylons...and spin the wheel...whatever it lands on gets shoved down the nylons.

 

[Legacy]

HAHA!

Brian, those are great. I really like Hookers with Wax (inside joke, when the house was first announced at orientation, they had to say, "No, not Whores in Racks... HOR-ORS in WAX!") I'll be honest though... if the whole $ex aspect keeps becoming a selling point for the event, I think they will actually start LOSING guests... specifically the "fans". That's why I REALLY like Ghost Town. Because it really is a classic house (unique concept, pulled off exceptionally well. Howl-o-Scream couldn't have succeeded with it).

And I agree with the lack of the asylum idea. It really is a surprise with nothing connecting the ad campaign to the park. The least they could have done was have patients running through Point of Evil. That would have been a lot better...

Brian... if you want I'll pm you my two house ideas and a scarezone idea that are right up Universal's alley...

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Brian... if you want I'll pm you my two house ideas and a scarezone idea that are right up Universal's alley...

ooOOOoooo PM away

(I still think Disney should shut down PI around Halloween and have an "adult" Halloween attraction on the island. You could still have the family event at the MK but also give the older kids/adults something fun to do...and...it's already 18+ so you wouldn't be shutting kids out of anything)

 

[Legacy]

ooOOOoooo PM away

(I still think Disney should shut down PI around Halloween and have an "adult" Halloween attraction on the island. You could still have the family event at the MK but also give the older kids/adults something fun to do...and...it's already 18+ so you wouldn't be shutting kids out of anything)

Check your box...

I also have some wicked ideas to turn the Magic Kingdom into a uniquely fun and scary experience...