Leaderboard

My issue is that I feel like she's just playing an extension of Jack and not really her own person.

Chance deserved a better event... Everyone was so excited and hyped up but both her zone and her house are kinda bad. Plus her commercial wasnt good, her presence in the event has not beennthe best.

Chance deserved a better house.

OK OK I know the title is sensational and you either clicked this saying "Oh lord, what now?!?" or "Oh no what happened?!?". I'm sorry to say the answers to these questions will probably disappoint you. There is no juicy controversy to speak of, no horrible crowds to complain about, and no quality issues to nitpick. It is simply me. I'll explain. But first, Let me run down the houses in quick succession. Thar be mild spoilers ahead. We arrive and I am barely molested by security. In fact the umbrella was no issue and they only mildly ask about my clothes. Apparently people can come in any manner of splatter punk attire to the event but, if you dress in a suit and a long coat, Something's about to go down. I jest of course but they did ask me. I told them it was rain attire (which it technically is now) and I was on my merry way. It did not rain a drop the entire evening. It was a bit hot and muggy but otherwise a perfect night weather wise. I walk through the front gates for the first time I can remember in my limited memory (Always been an AP party person) and there was barely a pause. We walked past AHS (already 110 min). This doesn't phase me thanks to my new "JW's zen approach to haunts" (book forthcoming) and decided Krampus is the one I have to see. I immediately noticed the loud banging techno music overlaid with Bart Simpson's voice. I think that really sets the... wait what? Oh Chance's voice!... gothca . I swear I was waiting for her to say something like "Don't have a cow man". Finding the entrance was a challenge, as I went into the event fairly blind, I couldn't remember all the houses, scare zones, or their locations. Walked all the way around the building till we got to the front and it was 55 min. It took an actual 27 min. Krampus 9 out of 10 Krampus was a technical marvel. The snow falling on your head in between houses, the blasts of cold air, the authenticity and attention to details. It all worked. OK, the snow man was kind of lame and I was a little disappointed in the attic scene (no perchata I could see and der Klown was not how I would have thought he'd be executed) but that's a nit pick. Good scares, quality house true to the movie. Overall very pleased with this house. From here, we wander through a fairly empty Chance scare zone (whatever it's called). Well, when I say "empty" here and henceforth I mean of scare actors. There is no time when the crowds let up. The sets are cool and the chandelier thing is pretty awesome. The scare actors are giving there all. I see some very questionable quality costumes (assuming they are supposed to be make shift looking?). This is the second time we have gone through but, the first time, I wasn't paying attention. I will reserve any judgement until night fall. We decided to do all the originals and then whatever we have time for after that. So at this point we head over to the cluster that is the queue system at the concert venue and find Ghost Town. Ghost Town 10 out of 10 55 min wait posted. We, again, wait 27 min. The house is everything I expected it to be and more. There are actual rain effects and, at one point, I looked up to see if we are still inside. The sets are really amazing. Whoever said their wouldn't be guns was a dirty liar... oh yeah that was me. Hey, not everything I hear is accurate. They level weapons right at you and let loose. The wind coming from them took me aback the first time. The final shootout may have been a little sparse in actual gunmen but the sound was everywhere... along with the flipping cannon. Really well done. Scares were there. Sets were there. I really enjoyed it. We left and checked out the new store just outside the exit. Really nice. Great set pieces, great merchandise. Really happy with it. Bought a few chotchkies and we were on our merry way. This lands you in Acid Assault 2.0 Acid Assault 2.0 8 of 10 I know that's not what it's called. But I'm rolling with it because I can't remember the name and I don't feel like looking it up. Plus, it might as well be. This is a larger version of Acid Assault complete with mapped projections, abandoned cars, and a dude on a high podium spewing some diatribe about... whatever the scare zone was about. Oh I can't forget the turf wars going on. What can I say? I like Acid Assault. This was a bigger version of it and the costumes were awesome. In fact this was better than acid assault. I just I feel I would have liked them to explore different scenarios in the area. Anyway, we head down the (pretty much void) back streets towards San Francisco and towards Dead Man's Warf: Dead Man's Warf 8 of 10 I like the idea of this zone... a great deal. I think it fails my way too high expectations. It's just too small for me. I wanted this to be the big scare zone with more set pieces and more going on. But it is thematically great. I didn't get a good look at the costumes but their profiles were uber creepy. Just wish it was bigger and more going on. We head over to Chance's house: Chance's House 7 of 10 Posted 45 min wait time. Real wait time: BAHAHAHAHA! not even close. I have doth deemed this queue "You have no chance... of escaping this queue". It winds and weaves like a drunk snake across ever square inch in front of the facade. You get a good look at it. A really good look. You watch that queue video cycle at least 10 times. "I said everyone get back!" the cop on the screen says to absolutely no one. But still the video is pretty interesting. I had no idea Amanda was so important. In fact, I had know idea who Amanda was so I looked it up. So Chance only killed one person? Like ever at HHN? I'm slightly disappointed. Regardless, after 5400 seconds that just FLEW by, I entered the house. I had already decided... several years ago, I would never wear those glasses again. I like to see what I paid for thank you very much. It was... cool? I guess? I mean it was well done and it had some cool effects. I saw what they were going for but I wanted something more. I would have loved for it to flit back and forth between dream and imaginary but it doesn't. It's no mystery I don't like 3D but, from what I saw, the 3D was well executed. I may have had a better opinion of this house if my daughter hadn't graduated college while I was in line... *shurgs* We moved immediately over to Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Oh wait! Before we do, we buy the refillable cup and that sweet sweet coke zero quenches my very parched throat. The machine says unlimited refills for 3 hours. This is a dirty, bold faced, lie. Because I drink it down and go for another and it promptly tells me next refill in 20 min. So there is, actually, a very real limit to how many I can have. Talk about deceptive advertising. Anyway, we head to TCM. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 10 of 10 60 min posted wait time. We wait just about that. This house is a flawless recreation of the movie. The facade, the rooms, the sets. It is perfection. I am miffed I missed the metal door scare but it is fantastic and goes on for quite some time after the house ends. Really just bravo. Fill up the cup and pass a redneck chainsaw, a scarecrow chainsaw, and two cheerleader chainsaws... and we move on to "Crap hanging in my face: The House!" Tomb of the ancients 10 of 10 Yes, if you like crap in your face then this house is your house! We got burlap, fabrics of all kinds, sisal rope, root thingies, and thin black tread to your hearts content! It got so bad my glasses got entangled in all this crap and I was kind of trapped for a second. That being said, this house is bar none the jewel of the event. The mythology makes no sense, the crap hanging from the ceiling was so severe I couldn't see anything and I still loved it. Clever set, amazing effects, and the croc monster... dang that got me good. Filled the cup... On to awkward Celtic music over strange concept zone Banshee something or other 5 of 10 What? No really what? I don't know what was going on and the music made me feel like I was in one of those new age herbal shops. Um OK. Some of the costumes looked cool I guess. Which moves us right into... The Vamp zone. 7 of 10 This is not my thing. But the floats are kind of cool/funny. I don't care for vampires so... there you go. I would like to have seen more set pieces but there were a lot of scare actors. We are tired at this point. My old bones ache. But we decide to hit one more house, either Exorcist or AHS. Seeing that AHS is at 75 min and Exorcist is 60, we pick Exorcist. We have to pass through Chance's area... um that didn't come out right. Chance's zone? Yeah that works. Chance's ̶a̶r̶e̶a̶ Zone 9 of 10 This is pretty cool at night. The chandelier thing and the fog is really great. There is a lot of fog. The stages are great, I wish they moved like marionettes but it's fine. Chance is on one of the stages being... well Chance. I know it's not Erin but the girl doing it is doing a really good job. Same casts is there as before and they are just as good the second go round. Back to the queue of doom for the Exorcist. Exorcist 9 of 10 Well done again. Great likeness to the movie. Great facade. Interesting way they depict the scenes. We see a slightly edited Pazuzu statue in the desert (great effect). The room, and then Hell. Just a great job and nice way to visualize the Exorcist. And that is it. We drag our tired carcasses to the car. So with all that, what's this rubbish about this being my last review? Well, it's complicated. I figure if you read all this then you want to know. So here's the big answer: Honestly, I don't really know. I have been going to this event for over a quarter of a century. I have so many memories in my life that tie to this event. Parts of my life are Frankensteined into unnatural ties to HHN. I've spent untold countless hours on forums like this and the vault. But there is a... ineffable quality that was lost a few years back. Maybe it's the prices, maybe it's the crowds, maybe it's how it's a corporate money making machine, or maybe it's simply that I've been going too long. I don't know. It is really hard to put my finger on but it's missing none the less. Now, my "professional" review for my site will be completely different. It will be a highly praising piece applauding Halloween horror Nights for the technical wonder that it is (and rightly so). There truly is nothing as big and all encompassing in the way of Halloween events. The creative team, despite challenges with balancing creative with corporate, have done an amazing job in bringing to life a solid and on point event. But it just isn't my event anymore. Will I go again? Well, I have to go one more time this year. I paid for those ridiculous tickets so I better, at least, get my money's worth. As for subsequent years? IDK. I'm not worried and I'm not angry. We can have a clean breakup and still be friends can't we? I guess it remains to be seen. Perhaps I'll pine for it like a junkie or an obsessed lover but I'm not thinking so. The event has changed, definitely towards their benefit. I am truly proud of them. I wish them well and maybe we'll talk again. But this bird has changed as well and I must be traveling on now. So that is the best I can muster for an explanation. It may sound irrational or it may sound stupid but it's how I feel. I'll still be around here because there are people I like to talk to and friends on the forum. Plus I have to shamelessly plug my show right? But I don't think I'll be attending in subsequent years. At least not anytime soon. Time to really cut the cord and branch out. Edit: Forgive the initial errors. My process is to hammer maniacally on the keyboard and post it. Then I go back through 400 times and edit the mistakes. If they are still there then FOR SHAME!

Yeah I dunno. *Shrugs* I mean sure I had a really bad time last year. I could understand last year's review even though I tried to make it sound as positive as I could. But you are right, not even remotely the worst review. I've had a few people tell me my scores are too high this year. But I really thought they were all top-notch houses. Ah well whatcha gonna do?

I've been checking the App, and it looks like with the exception of Rock-it, every ride and thing not HHN related is dead during the event, like walk right on to mummy and transformers.

I can't speak on the houses yet because I'm going this weekend, but seems like you should hit American Horror Story first to avoid an insane wait.

Universal needs stronger female icons without sexualizing them, like they did with The Storyteller. I want them to be the evil puppeteer behind the event; where you can see their grimy hands all over the event. That goes for any icon. I feel like they are trying to link the new and old school ways of original houses and IP's, but they're half assing it with a weak icon.

Stayed at Cabana Bay last weekend, no security screening is being done there. You go through the regular screening area when you get off the bus at CityWalk. At Sapphire Falls they check your bags & wand you before you get on the boat.

and i kinda hate to say this but shes a little... annoying. previous years like 2007 or 2015 she was funny but a little naive and crazy but fun. this year some of the chance stuff is still fun but... i dont know, it is not the same.

I cannot agree with you enough! They didn't utilize Chance as well as they did Jack last year. I love Chance as a character, but she got the short end of the stick this year, despite being the icon. She has what looks like the smallest scare zone and a what seems to be mediocre house. Hopefully when I go (late October) everything is improved.

I dont think you can walk more than a couple of steps without those roots hitting your head, the other problem is that the people in front of you will hold on to it and then let go (as they are passing by it) and when they let go it hits you with more strength. half my attention was spent trying to catch the swing from when people in front let go of it. I think I only remember half the house because i was so busy trying to not get hit in the eyes by the swinging roots.

Lol oh geez that bad ? I guess I'll find out on Thursday! Finally some time out of LA. =D

they totally over did it lol. I cant be scared by an actor when things are poking my face.

If anyone would like to see the difference between Orlando's Halloween maze and Hollywoods, here ya go! Enjoy =)

How will some people survive not having their phone in their hand for all that time?

About the same as all the others, really. Average quality with one new room (maybe two) and just repeating content from all the past ones. Bah, mediocre. I did it once to say I did and I have no intentions of going back in.

It is really strange, I don't understand why they wouldn't allow that. I'll just try to be sneaky about it and see if I get away with it. Lol At least there's booze though. X)

For a Walking Dead house, it was alright. Definitely better than a couple of them. But just enough already. Please?

I liked the movie, and I thought some of the sets were good, but this house was a bit of a disappointment to me. Probably because it was the one I was looking forward to the most and it just didn't deliver. I hope it improves over the run, because I really want to like it more than I did. I also saw a video from Hollywood's version today, and comparing the two at this point, I think theirs was better.

Absolutely gorgeous house, but not a lot of scares. Hoping those will come in future visits. But just an amazing looking house.

First trip through this house was during the day and I could not see much of anything because my eyes couldn't adjust quickly enough. Second trip at night was MUCH better, able to take in the details and I am looking forward to revisiting this one a lot. Only complaint would be there was way too much hanging stuff in this house, got a bit annoying.

Yes, I'd love more cool effects added that aren't necessarily 3D like camouflaged scares they've used in the past. In-Between was amazing and had a lot of this and the X-mas tree type in Penn & Teller seems to be the last I can recall. Lunatics felt so much like Asylum but just different costumes. Both were okay but I felt they had a lot more potential.

I was always under the impression that any type of pics or filming was prohibited in Orlando. For whatever reason, during HHN 24 while near the start of a house, I decided to read the warning sign, list of what's not allowed, etc. It specifically said no "flash" photography of any kind. I then questioned the team member right there as I wanted to take non flash pics and apparently he never read it in full before either. We both went with no pics or filming, regardless of flash, to be safe. I'm then pretty sure last year, just to double check, I read another sign and that one covered all bases about no filming or photography of any kind. We get booze but not filming, you get filming but no booze. Strange coasts we have.

I will be there this entire weekend for my first trip, I will do recordings as well. Thanks!! And thank you everyone else for adding to the list, I am updating the list again now, keep up the great work!

You forgot to add booze

That is some complete bullshit.

I'd really like to see more 3D houses along the concept of The In-Between. Not necessarily sequels, but houses that use the 3D effect for immersive otherworldly environments instead of the usual trippy neon rooms.

Wrong park comprende. Which really proves my point they should have called Orlando's Halloween 2 and let Murdy do his subtitle stuff in Cali.