Goo

Lovely house. Those puppets are pretty scary. Was there ever an actor in the first room though? It seemed like there was but when I went there there wasnt one.

There is a scene were it looks like a someone shoves a knife through an actors back and it comes out the other side. I believe there's some water squirting as well. Pretty cool effect.

So this weekend my friends and I road tripped to Orlando for Horror Nights. All was good up until we were about 40 minutes away from Orlando and the driver (my friend) lost control of the car and ended up running into the median and rolling over 4 times. Thankfully we all had our seat belts on and there was some grass because if there wasn't the accident could have been a million times worse. So with that said, if you're driving, whether it be 30 minutes away or 5 hours away, wear your seat belts because it saved my life this weekend. Now onto the actual review. I'm gonna keep it simple and concise because there's no need to restate what a lot of people have already said. I had to push my friend around in a wheelchair, because yes, we still went but sporting some bloody shorts and some cuts and bruises. It was kind of a new experience pushing a wheelchair around, too. I'm gonna give my three favorites and then the rest kind of fall under the "meh" category but still follow the order of what I liked the most and the least. Houses 1. Evil Dead - This was my favorite house of this year. The detail was spot on and it followed the movie well. The layout of the house was somewhat awesome to me for some reason. The way you go from the woods to the cabin to back into the woods and then back into the cabin was very well done and and it felt very fresh and new. My only gripe is what was with the giant white screen with no video playing on it? But then you go into the cabin and the movie is playing? Felt very odd to me. Also the effects weren't really what I was expecting, the gore didn't seem there either. 2. AWiL - Lovely house and very well crafted. Felt bare in some areas but it still flowed very nicely. Was there ever an actor in the first room? Because it felt weird that there wasn't anyone in there. Anyways, the scares were there and I sets were great. Followed the movie very well and puppets were awesome. 3. CitW - The first half of this house was really, really good. The second half however... was okay but I didn't find it nearly as good or scary as the first half. Disappointed that the merman was just a prop and there was no unicorn scare. I felt like the second half was just full of missed opportunities but it was still pretty good. 4. La Llorona - This house has BEAUTIFUL sets. Like really just stunning but that's about it. No scares here really and the final was just so flat I walked out thinking "that's it?" The giant puppet for Hollywood should have been where the last scareactor is in the house. Also, this house was the hardest to get through with the wheelchair because there are some pretty tight corners. 5. Walking Dead - Great sets, followed the show well, but I didn't get why we don't start in the prison, but that's just my opinion. Scares weren't there for me but I thought the multiple paths were a neat idea and I hope they explore the possibilities of this in the future. Also, I appreciated that the wheelchair section wasn't scare-less. Actors were doing pretty good with what they had. 6. Havoc - Honestly this house could have been awesome but it ends just as it's getting good. Is this the shortest house in HHN history? Because it felt like it. I felt bad for the actors in the beginning because they're all in cages and they can't do much but yell at you. After the crash though things pick up, but sadly, that's when it ends. 7. Resident Evil - Honestly the only reason that this house isn't last is because of the sets. Again, beautiful. But scares? Pretty much none. I'm not really sure why they didn't just do the mansion considering that seems like a better setting for a house. The sets again were great and the references to the game were cool but beyond that this house really falls flat. 8. After Life - Honestly this house just flat out was disappointing to me. There were some neat rooms but it just felt very "been there done that" to me. It's very much like The In-Between but not as good. The best part was the knife bursting through the chest. Cool to look at but that's about it. Streets Honestly the streets, in my opinion, sucked. Has nothing to do with the actors because you guys were doing what you could, but what's exciting about seeing zombies everywhere you go? Nothing. The sets were cool but there are a few areas that were pretty much made for taking pictures, which made getting through with a wheelchair somewhat of a nightmare because of the crowds (especially in the woods area). It really just didn't feel like HHN to me at the end of the night. I didn't care about stopping to look at things or to watch the actors scare people because honestly, I could not care less about the Walking Dead. Not only that, but zombies just aren't that cool anymore. I was happy to see the Drill Team but they were in the worst possible place in my opinion. They really clogged up the area they were in and they could have been used to fill in the front of the park a little. Just didn't make sense to me. Overall, the streets were very disappointing and I hope they never give the streets a central theme like this ever again because it really just felt lame. I felt the legions were cooler because of the variety they gave the crowd, and yes, the sets weren't that extravagant but they were consistent and gave the actors what they needed to scare. I'd like to see a mixture of the legions and the classic scarezones in the future. Shows Sadly I didn't get to see any because we only had three hours in the park by the time we got there. Overall, I think this is the first year that I could have probably missed without really caring. I'm glad I went because it helped us all relax and have some fun after the accident that happened on the way up but comparing it to passed years I just don't think this year was anything worth running out to. I had a good time but I could have went to Howl O Scream and had just as much fun but for a cheaper price and might have even left a little more satisfied at the end of the night.

Honestly that was only a fragment of my argument and if you'd really like to read my argument I made a thread for it. I do know what goes into HHN, don't tell me I don't. Yes, I know IPs take work. Yes, I understand I haven't gone yet (I am going tomorrow) so I can't entirely say how I feel about this year. Yes I also know that not everything is original. Guess what? Nothing is. It's all recycled. Movies, clothes, etc. It's all recycled and made into something new and that's why BC was good because of how they manipulated it to something we haven't seen. You call me bitter yet here you are putting words into my own mouth. Havoc is the worst house this year? Maybe that's because there were only three "original" houses this year? And you know what's funny? La Lorona came from Hollywood, Havoc was a sequel and After Life is pretty much the same concept as the In-Between just put to a different setting. So basically you could argue that there wasn't anything original at the event at all this year. They took the popular originals and pretty much brought them back. Also, I agree, the sets are great but then again so were so many other sets in original houses. I've said it numerous times, HHN wasn't always the event where you could walk through your favorite movies like it is today. Also, TWD is a copout because not only did we get it last year, but they plagued the streets with it this year AND gave it a house, simply for the sake of milking the cow as much as they could. They could have done another popular TV such as American Horror Story, but no, they brought back material we already had. Also, I don't just eat up anything original. Get real, I have tastes and opinions and just because it's a first timer doesn't I'm gonna be in love with it. I do RESPECT original work far more than work that is copied from something else. More work goes into original content because someone has to make everything from scratch. It comes from their imagination and I automatically give them props for that because that's difficult. There's no movie to look at and draw from. They have an idea and they run with it. Sometimes they'd borrow pieces of films/shows and such, like Body Collectors, to make a house. That's cool, it's like collage of horror. I like that. Somebody liked a movie enough to reference it in a house, I have no problem with that because they're twisting it into something new. Don't try to make me look like a fool when I know what I'm being fed. I'm well aware of what came from where. HHN got the respect they have for being a game changer, being big, and being original. There was nothing like it for a while, and there still isn't. But now it's about bringing in massive crowds and making money. Okay, I get that, but you know what? I don't like that. So you know what? I'm gonna go somewhere else and I'm sure a lot of other people will too. That's just how it is. They used to care about the fans but the fans have taken the back seat. That's not cool to me because we're the loyal customers who have been going to this event for ages, and I know this because of the half assed crap they TRIED to put together for the fans. They didn't even finish the PS story because it was stupid and quite obviously a last minute thing. I'm not being bitter. I'm being honest and sharing my opinion. I could not care less about what you think about it because I've been attending this event for enough to have this opinion. HHN used to excite me because I was excited to see what they were gonna do, but now it's more like "I wonder what movies they're gonna use".

Agalloch I honestly completely agree with you. The sad thing is, is that IPs are most likely here to stay. Yes, the glory days were what made HHN what it is but marketing has slaughtered this event to the point of what is probably no return. Early in the year when we got the house line up I posted this same argument but I still stand by it. I'm going this weekend but I already think this year is absolutely garbage. TWD is a flat out cop out and the over use of IPs is ridiculous. If things don't change, I'm probably gonna head over to HoS because it's cheaper and I think they're going in the direction that HHN should have went. I would love to go back to having only one or two IPs and having all original content but that isn't realistic anymore and we can't really do much about it. It's BS but that's how it is. At this point HHN is becoming less and less of a "thing" for me. I used to love it but there's no creativity anymore and that's what got me into it in the first place. I think marketing doesn't really get what HHN is because this year isn't it and last year wasn't really it either. I honestly think that if they did an original year with maybe 1 IP that the same amount of people would show up and the same amount of tickets would be sold. HHN doesn't need the fluff that we got this year. They got the reputation they deserved AND wanted, but then marketing practically threw it in the trash with all this popular movies and tv shows nonsense. I understand having a movie house because it's Universal, but when they dominate the event I find that lazy. The fact that they think TWD is good enough to even have a house at HHN really makes me laugh honestly. Whoever thought that idea was good needs to be fired. In fact, everyone whos on marketing needs to take a look at the Art of the Scare doc that the travel channel did and educate themselves on what HHN was.

Honestly, I'd like them to use a show that actually falls into the horror genre. The Walking Dead is not horror. It's a drama taking place during the zombie apocalypse. It was never meant to be scary. American Horror Story on the other hand uses many aspects of the genre and is intentionally crazy and creepy. That's an IP I wouldn't mind seeing. If they're gonna use IPs, which they will, they need to pick something that can be scary because zombies are been there done that (how many times now?). I for one wouldn't be surprised if TWD isn't at the event next year. Three years in a row is kind of risky. People don't want the same content year after year. Why would someone run out to HHN if they know they can just experience the same thing the following year? HHN has a reputation for new content year after year. If we do see it, though, I think having it as a scare zone would be appropriate. And by scare zone I mean the actual zones that we all know and love. I also think they need to incorporate the Legions and the zones into the event because I think that'd make the streets really awesome. Also, I would LOVE to see Nightingales and Catacombs back. Those two houses were superb.

Can anyone tell me if they've sold those express passes that only work at certain time? Two people in my group can't afford an express pass so we're hoping they'll be able to go those.

I'm honestly surprised it is back. HHN was the first time I was introduced to Rocky Horror and I walked out, but that show actually got me on to the movie and I fell in love with it. But like I said, I did walk out because I just didn't get it. It doesn't help either that the show is only bits and pieces of the movie. They really should have done what Legacy suggested with the shadow cast in terminator. I think that would have made it a lot better.

I'm pretty sad too that there's no Unicorn and the merman is a static prop? Just kind of a bummer. They could have easily done something simple for the unicorn at least. I was expecting something like the Lion scare in Scary Tales from a few years back.

Got this exact scare last year. Priceless. Nearly shit my pants honestly.

We've had people on motorcycles and little go carts I'm sure they can handle driving a van slowly through the park. It's really not that big of deal.

Did you guys really expect a normal sized barn... like really lol. It's gonna be exactly what I thought it was gonna be, and I'm sure you'll be able to walk through it.

I love that we are getting facades everywhere. This house looks BEAUTIFUL. That facade, too.. gosh I cant wait.

I never looked at TWD as a scary show. It's really just a Drama with zombies, so it's no surprise the house looks to be the snooper of this year, just like it was last year. Hopefully after this year it'll be gone for good and we can get some better material. What they need to get their hands on is American Horror Story. THAT show would make a kick ass house.

I liked the hordes because some of the actors got really creative with their scares. I wonder if the actors will have that freedom this year? And as for the theming on the streets this year... Honestly, how much can you really expect? The streets have one theme, which is the walking dead, and the majority of the show is cars, woods, and buildings... Which sounds like it fits in UO but really it isn't to much to work with in terms of creating sets. I'm sure there will be areas that stand out but as a whole what you see now is what a majority of it will be. I'm also pretty sure with the actors in there it wont feel so bland and empty.

Just like Silent Hill, this has the potential to be really great or really bad. The use of games over the movies is a step in the right direction, though.

This house looks sooo beautiful, and the last picture looks like an underwater scene? Very neat. Looking forward to this one.

Bummed I didn't get to see the pictures. AWiL looks great though. Edit: Thanks JDW. Everything looks great. Tons of detail all over! Love it.

So who thinks we'll be seeing Urban Legends: El Cucuy next year? And I'm pretty sure RE is still house. I think we would have known about it honestly. Not saying an original house that ties into the "theme" we have going wouldn't be cool, but I don't really see that happening.

Yeah, obviously nobody really thought out any of this it seems. The story is pointless and it isn't giving us anything new so I'm not sure what the point of it all is. Hopefully they'll learn from this year because this year has definitely been interesting..

Hollywood once again outshining orlando, it seems. They're idea of an experience is far better than what Orlando is getting. I think Hollywood is just a better place for things like this since they have these sets. Very interested to see the final results of the two.

This and CiTW are the only houses im truly excited for. The original Havoc was really great due to it's cast. I think the new setting/layout gives this house the potential to be fantastic if the cast is up to par with the original.

I was referring to the font. Although, I can't say I'm crazy about the overall look of it either. It just seems kind of... silly.

Gosh, that logo is probably the cheesiest looking logo I've seen from HHN... Seriously, what is this? Scooby Doo? Common. And the name... just not so hot. With that said, I am looking forward to this one. It could be great, or it could just be an In-Between repeat, which, imo, would be a let down. The In-Between had some pretty neat rooms and effects, so I'm curious to see how this house will turn out.

Maybe they'll do Bloody Mary the right way one day. This could be really awesome if it's anything like Hollywood's house. I hope they don't hold back, though. The dead kids in the water was a pretty neat scene in the Hollywood version. We'll have to wait and see.