Creeper06
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Posts posted by Creeper06
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Yo yo!!! So I went back to the event last night for my 2nd (and final) time of 2011. Sadness...
First, I was impressed by how NOT busy it was! We got EVERYTHING done in the first 90 minutes (all 6 mazes, the TT, and all SZs). So we got to do a lot of the mazes again and again. Even at the peak time of night the longest wait was 45 minutes (and that was only for Hostile, everything else was 5-30 minutes). Could it be because Sundays were always a big night for those of us with multi-night passes?!?! Hmmm.....
Also, I did do the TT again (we had the time and there was no line). Anyway- we all know how obnoxious the Ops folks can be when they're constantly yelling at you to keep moving. So we were the first ones of the tram and we were walking along at a pretty brisk pace. Still, the Ops lady started in on "KEEP MOVING!!!!' My friend was really annoyed so he yells back "We are moving!" And she says "I have to say it" and then looking sad says "it sucks". LOL
Best part of the TT. -
LOL
Don't get us started on HHN!!! You started the topic therefore opening it up for discussion. So we did! I do remember going to HOS and always being surprised by repeats (again, spoiled!!!). The closest they ever came at HHN Orlando was the "sequel" houses. Like Scream House in 2002 and then Scream House: Revisited the in 03. Or the 100 versions of PsychoScareapy (I kid... but they ran that one into the ground). It was similar but tweaked and improved. That never bothered me though because it was familiar but still updated. It would have been nice if they had done something similar with HOTC here this year.
And I agree. They could get away with one of those a year, since there are 7 other brand new mazes and 6 new SZs to be excited about. When 90% of your content is new, no one's going to take you to task for one repeat. But here in Hollywood, we're getting 66% repeated (4 new mazes out of 12 total attractions) well, that's a little more frustrating.
I will now be quiet and wait for your review
PS- I think I had David as my guide two years ago! Really nice guy.
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the thing is though we all know Orlandos is gonna be better in comparisson, but at least its the best of the west.
Oh I definitely agree with that. I only hit Knott's once, my first year here, and was so disappointed in the quality and how it was run that I haven't bothered going back. I would rather get the multi-night pass for HHN and do that multiple times than deal with Knott's at all (or Six Flags for that matter). Of course, they kind screwed us on that one this year
But compared to the WEST COAST competition, it wins hands down. The mazes are the best you can get in SoCal. It is unfair to try and stack it up against Orlando. It's like getting a Diet Coke instead of a Coke: it's not as good, not quite the same, and not your first choice, but it's still better than having a Shasta Like I said, I got spoiled. So now, no matter what is going on in my life, I HAVE to go back to HHN Orlando every October. It's a non-negotiable for me.
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as much as we all hate repeats its the difference in the coast, people here in the west coast get excited and even demand repeats if you see the facebook and twitter pages although most of us on the site were drawn by the first 2 years and were expecting each year to be hand in hand with Orlando's themeing thanks to Carnival of Carnage wanted Originality and Fresh Ideas every year but with most of the general public majority Im pretty sure dont even know Orlando's HHN exisit are used to knotts for the past handfull of decades with hardly any cahnges year to year have come to enjoy repeats hell were lucking we got only one repeat maze this year. Also I need to throw out Orlando is a much bigger park then the older sibling here in Hollywood which allows them to work on a grander scale and they dont have the restrictions of being a full fledge studio. Also take into consideration like what Freak said Murdy is basicly starting HHN from scratch since 2006, yes all togather we have had 10 years of the event but the early years might as well of been a different park completly where at six years in reality, we are lucky that a six year old event can head toe to toe with the big dog Knotts with being half its size and a fraction of its age and still make them sweat each year not to mention completely blow Six flag's Fright Fest out of the water in one year Im sure in time we can even attempt to compete with Orlando.
I understand all that. And that's the point: people on West Coast are used to repeats (because of Knott's, I suppose) so it doesn't bug them. So they show up no matter what's being offered which has, in turn, then taught Murdy and USH that there's no need to kill themselves by being original every year. I admit that I am absolutely biased because I got spoiled year after year by living in Orlando and going to that event every year. So then moving here and coming to Hollywood's event, it was a huge letdown. I get it. I really do. It's a smaller park, smaller creative team, smaller budget, and an audience that is less... shall we say, picky? So they can get away with it. But all the in account, if you still look at events side by side objectively, Orlando's event just beats the crap out of ours. Maybe that will change. We all hope so. But it looks like it'll be a while.
And we can't really say that Hollywood only has "one less haunted attraction" than Orlando. That's counting a Terror Tram that has barely changed since 2007, 5 SZs that don't change, and a year round house. So Hollywood has come up with 4 truly new attractions this year (subtracting our one repeat). Orlando has created 14 (8 mazes and 6 SZs). It's a pretty big difference.
I'm not trying to bag on Hollywood too much, because it's still a blast (and far better quality than Knott's despite having a lot less attractions). But them's the facts.
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Can't wait for your comparison Zombieman! I'm heading down to Orlando in a week and cannot wait!!! There's no better way to close out haunt season!
But, yes, Hollywood's event still pales in comparison to Orlando, even with the improvements that have been made over the past couple years. They're far too reliant on repeating as much as they can out here to offer a truly unique experience every year. Every year, you can see how much Orlando pushes themselves to do something unique and different, for better or worse. They know that their audience demands it so they step up! Out here, it seems like the feeling is "people are going to show up no matter what we do, so let's not go crazy".
And yes, Howl-O-Scream has never impressed me. It's something fun to do on a week night if you live out there. But if you're just visiting Central Florida, skip it and do HHN again.
Looking forward to the full review
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^^^ I agree with everything you said 100% Great review and totally spot on!
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As long as your normal height you can turn your head and slant it a bit and see it without even looking at the roof.
So as long as you go completely out of your way not to look up, you won't see that there's no roof? Lol.
Here we go with roof debate again. Many of us think they roofs add to the immersion. Others are disgusted that we would even care about something so trivial. No one is going to change anyone else's mind...
Peace and love
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yeah I am pretty sure all the whining made them not let us take pics
which is dumb because Scarezones are the only things we Can take pics of, I mean, We cannot take pics in the houses or anything....
I agree! I love taking pictures of and in the SZs. It's a highlight of the event for me and I'm disappointed to hear that it's hard to do this year.
That's a shame.
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So I was just thinking about the photo issue/conversation. I haven't been to the event this year yet (I'll be in town at the end of the month) so I'm only going by what has been discussed here. From what you all have said, it sounds like the SZs this year are not condusive to taking pictures at all. Sounds like there's too much fog and not enough lighting. Also, taking into accout what was said above, it sounds like SAs have even been instructed not to stop for photos.
Do you think this comes form the criticism of the Fear Revealed and 20 Years of Fear SZs last year? A lot of people (on here anyway) complained that they were just glorified photo opps. Do you think that factored into the design and direction of this year's SZs? Was this A&D's response?
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That one was actually my favorite of the series and the best suited towards making a haunted house out of, due to the film sets and the spooky mansion at the end.
I could see that because of the environments. For example, the costume room where Jenny McCarthy gets it would be really awesome in a maze.
But the movie was just far too jokey for me and seemed like a spoof of Scream, which was already half a spoof to begin with. The first two had a great balance of funny/scary. 3 just seemed like all silliness. Kevin Williamson's writing was missed greatly (by me anyway).
Sorry for the tangent. The Scream 3 pain still stings for me
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Thanks for reading!
Yes, the SZs have gotten very stale. They just feel the same old thing every year. They're nice to have at this point because of the mood they create but they're hard to get excited about.
I get the WTMN is being in a nightmare. But everything in it just feels very random, so that's why I put it below La Llorona and The Thing which both have stronger unifying themes and story. Don't get me wrong, it's still fun!
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(And I know, sometimes he's a college student, or a mother, or a film director.)
I refuse to acknowledge that last one. POS movie...
But I bet if Murdy could have gotten rights to all the movies, we would have seen a proper maze. But now that the franchise rights are split, it makes things hairier. Frustrating.
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I will be flying to Orlando in exactly 33 hours and 52 minutes. I'll be hitting HHN 3 times and HoS 1 time, and will give my usual insanely long review and comparison.
Argh!!! So jealous! I won't be going until 10/27 and it's killing me!!! Have an awesome time and I'll look forward to comparing notes at the end of the season
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And once again, another member of "club La Llorona is the best maze of 2011!" Truly a great maze, I hope they make more dark, gothic and creepy mazes like it.
Add one more to that club
God I hope Murdy learns from it... -
Creeper make sure to do a hollywood and orlando comparison thread to know how were matching up with our older siblings and enjoy yourself !!
Will do! I'll be in Orlando Halloween weekend so I'll have to do a post-game comparison. Maybe it'll help with the annual depression I experience the first week of November
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Thanks man! I appreciate it!
Glad I'm not the only one who was confused by what was going on in WTMN. I imagine they had a brainstorming session that went like this:
Murdy: "So Alice. I'm a huge fan. What are you thinking we should put in this maze that's all based on you and how awesome you are. Because you are totally awesome. I had a poster of you on my wall for my whole life."
Alice: "Ummm, thanks. Well, I like creepy old houses. And dolls. Dolls can be scary."
Murdy: "Yeah, Alice! That's brilliant. Perfect. You amaze me!"
AC: "Ummm ok. Well, what about guillotines? Those are crazy! And an asylum!"
Murdy: "Anything you say AC. Can I call you AC? You're the master!"
AC: "Huh? Anyway, that way we could an electric chair. And bugs! People are scared of bugs."
Murdy: "I love you"
AC: "Uh, I think I've got to get going"
Murdy: "Do you want to hang out sometime?"
AC: "Sorry, I really have to run."
Murdy: "I'll call you!!! Ok guys. you heard Alice. Do exactly what he said!"
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Oh, I'm sure you'll get to go through it again....next year. "Back by popular demand!"
LOL. Add two more pigs and now it's "New and Improved!!!"
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Hello fellow HHN freaks!!!
So I finally went to the event for the first (only?) time this year on Friday, September 30th! How does it stack up to year's past? Well there was some good (originality! Hooray!) and some bad (a lot of repeated content). See below for how it all pans out for me
First the houses, in order of my preferences:
La Llorona: Villa De Almas Perdidas - As one of the lone defenders of the SZ last year (come on people, it wasn't that bad!) I was very excited about this maze. I love that it was something brand new and original and I thought the legend of La Llorona showed a lot of promise. Well, Murdy and team exceeded my expectations and delivered an instant classic that provided amazing show scenes (I think the river room was my favorite), a great variety in monsters/creatures, and some awesome scares. I had my best scare here as I was mesmerized by the bed scene... you know the one
Anyway, the grim reaper snuck up behind me and got me so good that I ended up on my knees on the floor. Totally awesome and kudos to that scareactor. This maze proves that a quality maze can be incredibly popular even if it's not based on a film. Take note, Mr. Murdy!Grade: A
The Thing: Assimilation - My expectation for the The Thing had started to wane after reading some of your less-than-enthusiastic reviews from opening weekend. Maybe I'm crazy but I loved it (and so did my friends)!!! My biggest worry was that most of the scares would come from soldiers/humans instead of The Thing itself. I am happy to report that that is not the case. There still were some humans here but I loved how the different forms of The Thing were ALL OVER this maze! The puppets/costumes were very impressive and scary. I hope they hold up all month long because they deserve to be seen and appreciated. There were a lot of great scares, great theming, and I also liked how long the maze was. The WWW venue constantly proves to be awesome year after year. This maze almost tied La Llorona for me but I give that one the edge because of it's originality. But Murdy has nothing to apologize for here. WELL DONE!
Grade: A
Alice Cooper: Welcome to my Nightmare - This one was a wildcard for me. I love the idea of something new and original (obviously) but I'm completely indifferent to Alice Cooper. Plus, I couldn't help but think of what other mazes we lost in order to get this one (Scream? Trick r Treat? Jeepers Creepers? Something else original?). And in the end I feel the maze's greatest strength is also its greatest weakness: it feels like hodge-podge of random scary things thrown together with no coherent story or overall theme. A rundown old house, dolls, an insane asylum, bugs, a morgue, and the French Revolution. What does all this have in common? I guess that Alice Cooper likes all that stuff? I liked the gore (and was impressed with the level of it) and I liked not knowing what was coming next. It was unpredictable and tons of fun to go through. Plus the Alice masks (I think they were masks anyway) were uncanny and looked just like him! But once I came out the other end, I really had no idea what I just saw. My friend said to me "I don't get it. Is Alice Cooper supposed to be a killer and he's trying to kill us?" I could only respond with "hell if I know". Maybe it makes sense if you know the album but otherwise, it feels like a grab-bag. Still, I enjoyed it for it was and it's definitely better than a repeat.
Grade: B+
The Wolfman: The Curse of Talbot Hall - Yes, it's another HOH overlay (I say overlay very liberally). No, they barely changed anything in it (as usual). So why did I still enjoy myself? A couple reasons. I think the Wolfman theme fit best into the house that was already here. The characters fit the theme and seemed to belong there. I liked the audio of John Talbot echoing through the house. I liked that they changed the shadow gags to Wolfman. I liked that they removed some of the more theme-killing props (Phantom of the Opera, Mother Bates). And I loved the Wolfman costumes. They looked great! Yeah, the Child's Play and Mummy rooms still muck up the theme, but they pass quickly enough. So, it was HOH as always but the theme was a good fit, the SA's did a great job, and there was no line. I had fun with it. Sue me.
Grade: B
Hostel: Hunting Season - Great facade and some really nice rooms (the one with the candelabra stands out as does the bathtub) but, as many others have noted, it really feels like a rewarmed Saw or Saw 2.1. It was like they changed just enough to not get accused of a repeat. The layout was exactly the same which usually wouldn't be too big of a deal, except that this is now our 3rd year that that layout. As Zombieman noted, the horned costume was overused which also reinforces the point that Hostel as a franchise just doesn't have enough iconic imagery to play with in the first place. But the the biggest reason I wasn't impressed with this was the scares (or lack thereof). The SA's were either in plain sight the whole time or had terrible places to hide. There were no real surprises. Overall, this was just ok.
Grade: B-
House of 1000 Corpses - Second verse, same as the first. I liked this maze last year but I was just bored with it this year. It's like pizza that you ordered on Friday and has been sitting out all night long. On Saturday, you can still eat it. It's ok but it's kinda stale, cold, and you'd rather have something else.
Grade: C
Terror Tram: Scream 4 Your Life - Well I liked the two trams at the end with all the Ghostfaces and that we skipped the Mummy tunnel. *Must not go off on rant about how this is the same Terror Tram that it was in 2010, which was the same as 2009, which was the same as 2008, which was the same as 2007 and how it was a complete waste of the Scream license and I don't know why they bothered and how I could now walk this path with my eyes closed by now* Whoops. Sorry bout that.
Grade: C-
Scarezones- Exactly the same as last year. Oh wait, except the swapped out the pig masks with skeleton masks. I guess that counts as "all new". These are now just atmospheric paths to get to the next maze and are no longer attractions unto themselves. I say that with no disrespect to the SAs. You guys are awesome. But these just keep getting rehashed. See Orlando's event to see truly ambitious and unique SZs. Oh, and they manage to create new ones every single year!
Bill and Ted- I can't help but wonder if Universal got into some legal trouble over this show last year because the amount of characters spoofed this year was considerably less. In year's past, they would trot out one parody after another for the length of the show but here, they seemed to do it very sparingly. Overall, it was decent. I was entertained but there were some cheap shots in there (a Mexicans at Home Depot joke?!?!? Really?!??! Hasn't every hack comedian already covered that one enough by now?!?!?). But the big dance number at the end is always fun and high energy. It still seems so odd to me that the audience here in LA still doesn't quite know what to make of this show. In FL, they go nuts! They laugh, applaud, and go crazy. Here, everyone just sits there and quietly watches. It's so strange.
Closing thoughts- Well, here we are with another year of HHN. Overall I think it's quite solid. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's the "best year ever" but we've seen some growth and improvements. Here's the final breakdown!
GOOD:
-One more maze this year! That brings us a grand total of 6! Well, 5 1/2...
-New and original content with La Llorona and WTMN!!!
-Huge improvements in facades for ALL mazes!
-Level of maze theming is still the best in town
-I was still able to do everything in one night, with minimal rushing, without paying extra for FOTL or RIP.
BAD:
-Too much repeated content! The Terror Tram and SZs really need some work! And will we ever have a year with ALL new mazes? I kind of doubt it.
-Murdy needs to stop worrying about which mazes give him the most quality time with celebrities and start focusing on which will just make great experiences -cough- Hostel -ahem-
-No more multi-night pass!!! WTF guys! Well, I can guarantee you're losing money on me and my friends. Bad idea and way to stick it to the fans!
Despite my gripes, I still had a great time. I always do!!! It's a blast of an event and, as everyone else here, I just provide some contructive criticism to help it constantly improve. We know what Murdy and co. are capable of and I just want to see the event continually raise the bar.
Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood 2011 Overall Grade: B+
Thanks for reading and Happy Haunting!
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kwyjibo:
"I went opening night and was very dissapointed with this. I understand that the rights were only to Scream 4 and thusly didn't have rights to use stuff from the original trilogy. But even still this had no attempt to have anything to do with Scream or Stab and was entirely just a Ghostface centric ordeal, even the tram video setting up the story of he Terror Tram kinda proves HHN Creative Director John Murdy has either no grasp of how the GF character works, or just doesn't care (the rest of the event revolved mostly around fan worship of B list at best horror celebs Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper and Eli Roth. Or plugging universal films Wolfman and The Thing) the only part that had much creative spark was the La Llorona maze. Otherwise the whole event was a big misfire, and I hope dearly Scream gets done properly in the future and I shudder to think what horror properties Murdy manages to ruin in the future in his attempt to be a very high paid autograph hound."
I don't know this guy but I like the cut of his jib! I've been saying this for years. Murdy is much more interested in hanging out with B-list celebrities than in bringing new and original content to the event.
What a waste of Scream. For one of the most iconic killers/horror franchises in movies (whether you're a fan or not) all we get is some Ghostfaces thrown into the same old Terror Tram. I mean, Hostel, a franchise no one gives a crap about, got more love than this. Depressing.
On the plus side, I will say that I appreciated the attempts to weave the locations into the story by putting up the "Now Filming" banners in each location. It's more than they've done in the past. But still, that makes this experience Scream how?!?!?
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LOL!
By 2012, we can probably take showers in there.If I can shower inside, I will happily change my vote. Until then, I'm gonna go visit La Llorona again
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Great review buddy! I was there on Friday as well! Too bad I didn't run into you (but I was waiting in the regular lines
). A couple thoughts:-I think you're love of WTMN is a bit skewed by how big a fan of Alice's you are. I mean, I enjoyed it but I think you're overselling it here. But that's ok. The Halloween maze from 09 is my all time favorite from Hollywood and do you think that's because Carpenter's Halloween is one of my favorite movies? Of course! You can't help but be affected by your personal preferences.
-Agreed on La Llorona. Beautiful, scary, and brilliant! Loved it!
-I understand your feelings on HoH. I agree, but I am still ok with it being open during HHN. It's something fun to do in the middle of the night when the rest of the lines are stupid long. And I think the Wolfman theme was the best yet. He just felt like he fit in there.
-Murdy's comments on Freddy and Jason are depressing and terrifying. God, I hope he doesn't get any bright ideas.
Oh and I didn't buy FOTL or RIP but we got everything done: 6 mazes, TT, Bill and Ted, some rides, food and still left by 1am. So it still can be done. It's not as nice as doing things as many times as you want but it's still doable if you don't want to spend the money.
On to Orlando!!! Cannot wait!
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^^^than your gonna be even more disappointed when you see that they completely removed the fence maze
sucks for the people who didnt get to go last week and experience it. that was the only thing that really gave the "stab 8" sets some little recognition. Great review though freak i enjoyed reading through everything I went on Friday and saw that!!! I couldn't believe it! It was one new element to enhance the TT and they got rid of it! I'm assuming it was causing too much bottlenecking? What a shame! (I'll be writing up a review soon)
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I would just like to say that you guys are awesome. Some really really great pics!!! I appreciate it because, number one, it helps make my wait until I'm in town a little more bearable and helps scratch my HHN itch. Number two, I usually only have one night to try getting pics and this will certainly help fill in any blanks for things I missed.
So THANK YOU!!!! And keep up the good work!
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It seems to me that Murdy and co. seem to think "well we've nailed the Terror Tram. It's not broken, no need to fix it. Just keep doing the same thing every year and people will still line up for it". But it has gotten extremely stale and boring. Last year was the tipping point for me. I realized it was just more of the same. I love walking on the backlot and getting close to the Psycho house but the actual execution is out of juice and inspiration. I started skipping it completely. Would I rather have another, original maze? Yeah. Because it's new. But am I ok if it stays? Yep! Because it is a huge crowd eater. So it can absorb huge groups of people while people like me, who have seen it a million times already, can skip it and use that time to enjoy another maze ot two.
Best part of the TT.
But compared to the WEST COAST competition, it wins hands down. The mazes are the best you can get in SoCal. It is unfair to try and stack it up against Orlando. It's like getting a Diet Coke instead of a Coke: it's not as good, not quite the same, and not your first choice, but it's still better than having a Shasta 
HHN Hollywood 2011 Discussion
in Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood 2011
Posted
We can certainly hope! I'm hoping that these Sundays and weeknights, where we used to fill the park with our FFPs, are now dead so they start taking a hit and bring it back next year. Although, I felt I got my money's worth last night because it was so dead. If we had stayed until close, we could have done all the mazes at least one more time (we left at 11:15... I had to be at work early this morning).
And, man, I wish they would have had a photo op with the Wolfman. Those costumes were freaking amazing!!!