atigeg

Dunno if anyone wants one of the HHN coins given away at the tweet-up but I'm willing to swap one for admission at the team preview. Please send me a message if have a spare ticket for Weds. and want a coin.

I'd have to see some reviews of Arcane Insights, and they'd have to knock my socks off, before I'd spring that much money. I'll pop the $$ for something that's really, really, really worth it, but I can't imagine what could be so much better than the lights-on tours to justify that kind of money. It's pointless to do it for RIP access into the houses since we get Express on our FF+ anyway. Please, please, please review it in detail if you do it!

Here's a video from our lights-on tour from last year, featuring the Hades house. Hopefully it will give you a flavor of what you'll see and whether it would spoil things for you:

I mostly just get startled, but I've had a handful of genuine scares. It all depends on the circumstances, and sometimes it's just the most simple thing but you're just not paying attention. One of the best scares I ever got was when I was on my way to Guest Services, with my full mind's focus on that. I totally forgot where I was and wasn't looking at what was going on around me. A scareactor snuck up on me and snapped a big clapboard right at me. Made me nearly jump out of my skin! It wouldn't have worked if I wasn't distracted, but the circumstances made it one of my best scares.

We're going on 9/24 at 11 a.m. Feels so good to be posting here again. HHN is in the air!

I love it! Thank you SOOOOO much!

Yes, that was us! Tony had a purple and a black cat, both with mardi gras beads. He was looking at me with this half laughing/half perplexed face, going, "The cats are gone! The cats are gone!" I retrieved them when they showed up again later in the house. It was hilarious! He should have known better than to flaunt felines at the Dogs of War.

This was indeed an amazing zone. We always came through a few times, even when it was out of our way, just for the amusement and energy (and I got a few good scares too).

We were very lucky with this house. Almost always consistently great run throughs on both teams. It's very rare that I don't heavily favor one team over the other, but three houses were awesome no matter which one you hit and this was one of them (the others being Catacombs and Havoc). Always an aggressive, crazy house which is just how I like it.

Cast A was our favorite in this one, but we had a heck of a good run last night when we went through and mistimed it and there was a cast change when we were midway through. I wanted to see the Frightanic guy and the Storyteller once last time and we missed them so I hope maybe they see this here and know they are appreciated. But the icons at the end, especially the Director, were amazing (he got me twice). Loved the Body Collector who often petted my cat, the aggression in Dead Exposure, the guys in the beginning of the house...just lots of fun all the way around.

The chair on Team B was always a highlight for me, whether I was being terrorized or watching someone else get attacked.

House of the Year...woo hoo! Congratulations! Very well deserved, as the energy level in this house never once waned throughout the season and even on the very last night. Yesterday was classic. You should have seen the expression on my husband's face when his cats disappeared! This house was constant noise and action...I always felt a bit exhausted when we staggered out after a run-through. Can't even imagine keeping up the energy working it as a scareactor, but you all pulled it off.

So sad that I won't be able to comb my cat in the Catacombs anymore, but it was a great run. I even made my husband participate in the cat combing yesterday, and we made sure to be the last people on the last run-through last night so we could express our appreciation. This house is in my top five of all time. Such a simple concept pulled off so brilliantly. Proves you don't need a huge space and fancy special effects to pull off a brilliant haunt. Both teams were consistently excellent. I'd love it if those clues were true and especially if a new incarnation of Catacombs showed up in 2011.

Some last shout-outs from yesterday, and a big thank-you to ALL for making XX an awesome season: Havoc: Loved it when you stole the two cats right out of my husband's hands. His expression was priceless! The kitties showed up later and they weren't even chewed up by the dogs. Also loved it when one of the guys in the plexiglass room stuck his hand out the little holes at my dog, as well as the one who petted him farther into the house. Catacombs: This is the house I'll miss the most, although it's neck and neck with Havoc. We were the very last ones through on the last set of the night. Hope you all heard us shouting out our appreciation. Orfanage: I'll miss being scared by the pirate every night and the giraffe towards the end too. Zombiegeddon: Hubby will miss harrassing the poor guy with the megaphone every night. Psychoscareapy: You guys totally deserved scene of the year. Big congrats! So many good scares throughout this house. Loved the patient in the first room with the nurse (Team who was obsessed with getting my kitty. Hallow'd Past: We somehow hit a cast change so I didn't get to see my favorite guy in Fritanic to hear him growl "Missed me?" in my ear one last time. Love the guys in the first room, the cat-petting Body Collector, and everyone else in there on Team A, although Team B really gave us a run for our money on that changed-in-the-middle set. Director even got me twice! Hades: Consistently good every night, including the last. Legendary Truth: Cast B chair, you were vicious! Sigh...it's gonna be a long wait till next year.

How dare they get our beloved peckers in trouble! My cats will claw their eyes out while I beat them with my comb. I myself have multiple cats because I know the dangers when exposing felines to the black plague, although my kitties have always come back to me (so far...I figure tonight is the last night so all bets are off). Feel free to attack me and my cat, as seen below, in any way, shape or form you see fit without fear of complaint:

Oh yeah, I remember that too! Am so sad tonight is the last night. You scareactors have really given it your all this year. Truly one of my favorite years.

Final Total for HHN XX Catacombs 45 Hades 36 Hallowed Past 33 Havoc (dogs of war) 32 Legendary Truth 28 Zombiegeddon 29 Psychoscareapy 27 Orfanage 28 B&T 3 Brushwood 0 Nights 18 (including Team Preview) FFP+EP

I predict lots of complaints at Guest Services tonight and/or lots of hassling of TMs. At first I was sad when they added the day because we had already booked a repeat of Alone at HoS (did it by ourselves last time so trying it together now). I brightened up considerably when I found out about the Express restriction because I DO NOT do Saturdays without Express.

Now that HHN is almost over and I am afraid of withdrawal, could you please make me wallpaper to ease the pain? I love the Cats N Combs logo, so could you please make black wall paper with that across or at the top (or maybe the bones bordering it), and at the bottom "Black Fur Rising" over the bones? I don't know if I'm really explaining that right, and actually I'm pretty open as long as I can see my icons. I think my desktop is 1280 x 800 (it's a laptop). THANKS!!

Catacombs delivers yet again! Team B even stole my cat, but he showed up at the end of the house. Ops is even getting in on the act and petting the cats. Loved it when the Team A clown in Treaks & Froons tried strangling the kitty. Scary when Storyteller and the Frightantic guys on that Team recognize me, as does one of the Psychoscareay manics. Always nice to be welcomed back! Got scared once again by my favorite "creepy kid" on Team A Orfanage too,

Even Ops is getting into the spirit of Cats N Combs. I had one stop me in there to pet my cat tonight! He got stolen from me on Team B. I thought I'd have to go back through for him but he showed up at the end. Poor creature almost certainly has black plague now.

Wow, we missed the fight last night. We actually had a very good experience after kind of a downer Weds. Met nice people to chat with in many of the lines. Even the extremely drunk people in front of us at LT were an absolute riot going through the house (as opposed to obnoxious). We left pretty early tho' (8:30ish) before the overall alcohol level skyrocketed. My husband and I both hate seeing the scareactors in the zones getting abused. Just the other day hubby pointed out some little douche tweener poking and pulling on someone's mask and thinking it made him look so cool. I'd love to see anyone who does anything like that kicked out immediately, no discussion or excuses. Word would get around if things got tightened up and I suspect a lot of it (not all, but a lot) would stop.

This is not one of my faves overall (Jaws queue imposes too many limitations), but we've had some really good run throughs. It has improved over the course of the event. I can't even imagine working in there without AC. We always go through early, before the lines build, and have managed to do it "Alone" a couple of times. Yesterday was a riot when one guy (in a pirate costume I think...on the righthand side, jumps out with red lights) scared me and then told me, "I scare you every day!" Quite true, since we're there every FFP+ day at the same time, and that jump scare always gets me. I go through blind because of the bright sun and then sudden darkness, which enhances my vulnerability. For those who say there is only one Cindy, there are definitely two but you won't always catch the one at the end.

Okay, I've discovered the best way to go through this house. Have drunk, petrified people in front of you! It's still a meh house for us because we like the ones with all the action (Catacombs, Havoc and Hades) but we always do it anyway because I still like to gape at wall ghost, floor ghost, bed, chair etc. So last night we were behind a couple who had obviously consumed a lot of liquid courage. It was their first house, so we warned them that it was very special effects based and to not assume they wouldn't see much in the others if their timing was bad in this one. We went through and their timing was PERFECT! They got every single scare and special effect, and they were totally freaking out. I wish flip cams were allowed in the houses because it would be a YouTube classic. The only thing they missed was the floor ghost, and that's because they weren't looking down. Last we saw them, they had stopped to buy a blood bag at the exit to fortify themselves for Psycho.

I know I'm forgetting some (as usual), but here are a few quickies: -Scareactor in Orfanage (jump scare, Team A, I think in pirate outfit). You cracked me up last night when you got me yet again, then said "I scare you every night!" -Hades Team A, where I was getting called out by name last night. -Havoc, I think Team B, esp. the guy biting the head off my dog -Coven witch, Weds., playing with my black cat and making it squeal