atigeg

Yesterday I proved that I love you guys almost as much as Catacombs by bringing my Dogs of War through. Loved it when one of you tried to chew the head off one of them! This house blows me away every time. There are no calm parts whatsoever, just screaming and chaos and attacks. That's why I love it.

This is definitely the house I will be finishing with on Halloween night. Gonna be a fun night but so sad too.

Oooo, doctor, what a big pecker you have!

Great idea! I brought my cat and comb yesterday, so I'll definitely play goblet pitch today and see if I can win a dog to give my second-favorite house (and nipping at Catacombs heels) equal time.

People actually seemed much less obnoxious earlier in the year. This past Sunday and yesterday (Weds.) seemed to be "Jerks Get In Free" days. I was shocked at the drunk level for a Weds. The house atmosphere were sucky too...not the scareactors, but the guests, most of whom either seemed bored and not in the mood to be scared or who felt lik touching everything, looking into boo holes and trying to scare the scareactors. I really miss the atmosphere of the earlier season.

Had a blast in Catacombs last night with my cat and comb on both Team A and Team B. It was funny to listen to the comments waiting in line, especially when a person "got it," and the people walking through the house around us thought the reactions were hilarious. The cat got attention in other houses too, especially Havoc. We messed up our timing and went through twice on B while trying to hit both teams, so I got harrassed for bringing the cat in again (remember, they are "dogs"). Catacombs and Havoc are the two houses I am going to miss most from HHN XX.

Can't wait to see what craziness goes on late on the last night. We'll be sure to come through! I've been amazed at how the energy has not diminished one bit since Day One.

I think a Catacombs doctor would make a great icon. Just imagine "The Doctor" joining the ranks of Caretaker, Jack, Director, Storyteller and Usher.

I miss the guy on the float too. He's been gone for a while now. My husband used to make it his mission to beg beads (I think he gets flashbaacks to regular Uni Mardi Gras). I noticed now that the zombies sometimes hand out beads. They've always taunted with them, but when we were there recently, one offered some and I reaching, thinking they would get grabbed away, and they weren't. I will always have a special affinity for this zone because it's where they did Media Boo Camp and I got to work two shifts as a zombie, with a real make-up job and costume and everything. Gave me even more respect that the mountain I already have for the scareactors.

Careful, she may hold you to it! I almost always have at least one little stuffed toy from the games. A year or two ago (can't remember which scare zone but over in the Hades entrance area), late on the very last night, one of the scareactors there really liked one of my critters. It was either a little dog or a little pony. She was saying she wanted it and I didn't know if she was playing around or serious so I have it to her and she accepted it. I saved one of the other little critters I had that night, and when I see it, I think of its sibling "living" somewhere with a scareactor. Kim, we talked to you early on in the event...will have to return now that we know how to tell which one is you by the shawl. That scarezone just gets so wicked crowded! But I love bantering with the icons. Had a great time with Cindy (again) and Chance the other night. Chance sure is fast with that knife!

I have never been a fan of military themed houses, with the exception of a defunct one in Chicago many years ago. Nothing else could live up to it (they started it by putting you in very small groups, blinding you with a flashlight to the eyes, and shoving you all into a pitch black hall and it got meaner from there). Havoc has gotten me over that bias and has totally won me over. The scareactor energy makes this house absolutely incredible! It's like boom, boom, boom, something happening or coming at you at every turn. We always get lots of Vault/HNN shoutouts in here, depending on which shirts we are wearing. The concept sounds very run of the mill, but Havoc pulls it off in an incredible way.

I'm not big on this house, mainly because the effects are so timing-based that it's too darned easy to have a bad run through even tho' it's not the scareactors' faults. I do like the one chatty person at the beginning and I love the chair! Have any of you been to HoS at Busch this year, and if so, have you noticed the similarities in the very beginning? They rethemed Trapped in the Walls to be a paranormal research site and there is equipment set up out front ala Spirit Seekers. I've only seen the first cast there, but the woman manning the equipment is really, really good with the banter. It also has the inflatable walls that HHN is missing this year after having them for the past two years. I wonder if it's coincidence that the beginnings are so similar or if it's a Roddy side-effect.

It's been a real pleasure watching this house mature over the course of the event. At first it was towards the bottom of my list. Part of that was probably because I was digruntled they didn't do it as the humor house this year, since Home for the Holidays is one of my all-time favorites. But it gets better and better every time we go through it and now I'm making an effort to see it more. We usually go through on Team B although I enjoy both. How can you not love a lunatic singing Rubber Ducky to you or growling "Welcome back, honey"? I llike how they added a patient in the first room too. The nurse was missing the first time I saw that and he followed me and came over the counter at me. Nurse was there second time, and he still did the same thing. Loved it! While nothing can knock Catacombs out of #1 for me, you guys have really rocketed up in my rankings based purely on the scaractor energy and performances.

Cast A, right?

I am now prepared with Cat anfd Comb and will try to get through a couple times on Thurs. on both A and B. Here's what to look for (the comb doubles as the cat's nose, and as you can see, my real black cat, SheiKra, approves):

Mwwa haaa haaa, I love it! Alas, they don't give out stuffed cats at the goblet toss but I've had little doggies and other assorted critters with me every night (mostly little poofy doggies), and all have been fondled and infected with the plague. My frog got stolen and then passed back down to me through the line of guests...that was a riot. We're usually through on Team A but B is great too...you guys better get House of the Year. I would definitely buy a Cats & Combs t-shirt.

My husband and I laugh about it all the time. We get a ton of houses done w/Stay and Scream before resorting to express. His theory is that some people are there to do one round of the houses and out. They get focused on that, use express for their round, whether or not it's needed, then leave. My favorite was last year and the people who were really, really proud and vocal about their pride in being the first to use Express at whatever soundstage house opened first that year for stay and scream (maybe Wolfman?). They thought they were going to be first in, but ironically a ton of us got ahead of them because they had to stop at the scanner and it took forever to scan their passes.

This isn't really a rant, but a puzzlement. Yesterday I spent most of one of my run-throughs of Hades with a total stranger glued to my shoulder. She wasn't hurting me or anything. She just was totally freaking out. She'd scream, run up beside me, grab me for a while, let go, and then the whole cycle would start again. She was an adult, with a group of other adults, so here is my puzzlement: First, if you're obviously that scared, why go into the houses? Why not just wait outside for your group, or not go to the event at all? Second, why take the lead? You'd think she'd want the safety of being in the middle of her group and have people she knows to grab onto. She wasn't really obnoxious...more like funny...but it just seems odd to me that someone would torture themselves. I was sure she was going to wet herself before the end of the house. And speaking of wetting, this IS a rant: Since when did the Zombie express line behind the Beetlejuice theater become an impromptu urinal? We saw one guy go back there to pee (where that big equipment thing is). I know what he did because he was drunk and announced it loudly to the world. Then I saw a second one a few days later get kicked out by Ops, apparently as he was about to unzipper. Is it really so hard just to use a bathroom before you get in line? As for the debate on what you can and cannot bring in, just go for Stay and Scream and you can bring in an entire arsenal, as long as it fits in your pockets. There is no metal detector recheck once you're in the park and inside a holding pen so just get a day ticket, wear cargo pants and go before five if you want to bring lethal pins, mace, knives, guns, nucleaar devices etc.

Catacombs has ruled all year. I love Cast A but Cast B is nipping at their heels. Had a blast with Cast B in Psychoscareapy last night too. Loved the maniac in the first room who came over the desk at me the first time we went through, when the nurse wasn't there. Returned on a later set, nurse was there, but he still came after me again! And then I got a "Welcome back, honey," inside the house. You guys have finally gotten me over my grudge against it not being a comedy version this year. I'd better not tell hubby that's Invader_Butters in Zombie or he'll be calling him out. He kept harrassing him about the free Twinkies yesterday. That house has matured very nicely, although the Ops people were going nuts with the flashlights and "Keep moving! Keep moving!" in there last night.

Why tolerate it for 30 minutes if it bothers you physically? Why not ask him to stop? Point out that it's forbidden (it says it right on the map) if he questions you, and get an ops person if he's a real jerk about it. I had to ask several people to stop smoking around me in lines last night, and thankfully all of them were polite about it. It makes no sense to suffer in silence.

I demand that Ops deal with smokers if I ask them to stop myself and get a hassle (and some of the drunk ones turn downright nasty). This year I've chatted with way more nice and interesting people in line than assclowns, but it seems the ass population is growing as the event goes on. Not sure why, and it's sad to see. Last year the overall atmosphere were terrrible with drunks, jerks, etc. from day one so at least there was some relief this year. Both at HHN and HoS I'm sick of the idiots who run into my back...I mean really run into it hard so it physically hurts, or stomp my feet, or do both. I'm fine with people who run up and grab me or hang onto me in a way that is not physically painful; I've had total strangers with a death grip on my shirt back for entire houses. But some seem to not care about bodyslamming or thing it's cute to run and shriek and crash into others. I had a group of squealy teen girls in Hallow'd the other day, and after the second hard smack, which left my back aching, I puched her good backwards the third time she hit me (gee, officer, something slammed me and caused intense pain so of course my instinctive reaction was to lash out in self protection) and whirled around and snapped in my most vicious voice, "You will stop that RIGHT NOW! I mean RIGHT NOW!" I'm only 5'2" but I'm from the South Side of Chicago and you can tell when it's time to stop crossing me. I yelled it so loud that the nearby Ops person heard it and pulled her idiot group aside. Dunno if he told them to knock it off or they figured I shouldn't be messed with, but they stayed the hell away for the rest of the house. Similar thing in Nightshare last night at HoS, but it was a teenage boy who was smacking my back and trampling my feet. Finally I gave a light warning kick backwards, thinking he was maybe too drunk or stupid to realize he was hurting me. Nope, smacked me hard again, and I mule kicked him hard, whirled around and said, "That hurt, didn't it? What you're doing is hurting me so I suggest you knock it off." Once again, problem solved. It's like people don't learn empathy these days; you have to literally show them that their actions impact others and that you are ready, willing and able to impose consequences.

The guy at the end of Zombie with the bullhorn is supposed to be the same guy you like in the beginning, but zombified (guess they got him after the float crash disaster). My husband loves him too, if it's Cast A you're talking about. We were very much underwhelmed by Zombiegddon early in the year. Usually that happens with Disaster queue houses (Doomsday, Cleaver) where we hate them in the beginning and they become a favorite by the end. This year I swore "No way!" but it's really growing on hubby because he loves that first (well, second) room. I do have to say the zombies have turned more vicious and aggressive too.

Catacombs all the way, although I love Hades and Havoc too.

I'll add to the gripe about no more Premier HHN valet. I don't care what it says on the pass, they let me do it for years. I always arrive before the event; how do they know I'm not just staying and hanging around CityWalk? I could see if there was an arrival time restriction, but this sudden change is just B.S. Besides, it says in my Premier benefits folder that I get unlimited Express after 4, and suddenly now it's a limit of one time per ride. They're just pulling stuff out of their butts and making it so I'll just end up getting a preferred. I do get my revenge every HHN night tho'. As we take come in from the garage, I go down to valet and use my Premier to cover parking for whoever happens to be in line at that moment. Uni owes me the damn free parking on HHN days and they're going to give it to me one way or another (yes, I'm a vengeful bitch).