The Review
After last years event, we all had hopes for a phenomenal anniversary year. The scare zone "Shadows of the Past" gave off a dark vibe that would honor the history of what we all love. Immediately fans were anticipating the arrival of the HHN XX, a year we thought would triumph all others. Upon hearing that this year would usher a new era of darkness I thought "Twenty Years of Fear" would be a brooding, intense event which would stand as the pinnacle of horror and the epitome of what Halloween Horror Nights should be. The event hyped itself to unprecedented levels, but I personally did not find the marketing to really build anticipation for the event. In retrospect, the poor website should of been my personal indication that the event would not do well. Every year before hand the websites had ambiance, interaction, and other means to create excitement. Nevertheless, I forgave my superficial judgment of the event and attended. Compared to most of the years I have been going, this year fell completely flat on its promises. What went right... In terms of scare zones, I'm quite pleased they brought back the pumpkin scare zone. It has an atmosphere that was not seen anywhere else this year; dark, mysterious, and pure Halloween. Saws 'n Steam was an excellent idea and had neat sets that used Sting Alley quite well. The Orfanage certainly had a dark theme that I appreciated, believed, and ultimately enjoyed. Great touches were the falling ashes near the entrance, the flame effect, and the props near the entrance. Legendary Truth had some neat effects and a great facade, and I really loved the concept that we were going to investigate a haunted house. Moreover, the wires running from the entrance gave the maze a nice touch. Havoc was a loud, intense house with a ferocity unseen in other houses. Catacombs was a cool idea, and despite the repetitive sets, I enjoyed the dark nature and history of the house (it deserved a sound stage). Hallow'd had awesome props in the warehouse sections. What went wrong... Universal must really consider its use of the Studios. There was far too much dead space. I felt as if half the park was unused. Scare zones such as Saws 'n Steam should of been expanded farther into the street, for example. The carnival games are absolutely ridiculous and kill the mood of the event. How can I expect to be immersed when I come out of a scare zone and see brightly lit games? Note, I overheard regular, drunken members even laughing how out of place it was. The price of the event is getting ridiculous, it's getting to the point where HHN does not justify the price. Crowds are clearly less than the years past (and I go to the event the same time, in the same weather conditions, every year). I don't have facts, but when I am not seeing ridiculous waits and people are able to get each house down in one night, that is an issue (remember, houses are being "pulsed" this year). Reflecting on the event, Fear was a horrendous icon and did absolutely nothing. His story was not reflected well in the park, he came across as pathetic, and he should of been used in the event more. Standing in stilts is improper use of an icon. Let's go back to the days when the icon had a house. I never felt any cohesion to the event which could of bonded all attractions together. This is very important, HHN 15 was a superb example of how to create a truly believable, ambient event. I did not hear any characters on microphones interacting with guests (ex: HHN 14 the two cyborg creatures near the Tesla Coil, HHN 15 Eelmouth, and in certain scare zones in HHN 18/19). Failing to do this dampens the potential immersion of the guest. There were no characters standing on the outside of the houses inviting guests in (ex: Dungeon of Terror: Retold), nor did they have any actors near the facades of the house (ex: Ghost cowboy at Ghost Town, whom was amazing). The scare zones have to start being innovative in scares. Go to Howl-O-Scream to see how less themed scare zones are scarier than anything HHN puts out: Proper hiding techniques, more in your face scares, less posing, etc. Frankly, I am sick of having scare zones be a photo opportunity. By taking a picture with an actor it destroys the fun another guest may have. Despite what Universal thinks, people go to be scared - when you have actors posing as if it were a photography studio it prevents guests from being scared. None of the scare zones truly felt scary. Twenty Years of Fear had neat props, but it prevented any actors from effectively scaring because of a lack of places to hide. Fear Revealed was a joke. Zombiegras - how did this even get approved? The worst scare zone in the existence of the event. The Coven was okay, but needed more props. The houses were a disaster overall. Universal, please stop using triggered sound effects when an actor attempts to scare someone. In the past it worked well, but when you use it for every single scare and the hiding places of actors are completely obvious (gaping holes in the wall aren't effective) then it loses its ability to frighten someone. Did I mention that the hiding places for actors are becoming more obvious? When I went to HOS (and I am not sack riding HOS) I had absolutely no idea where the scares would come from because it varied in location and technique every single time. Every house needed to be longer.
Why were there PowerPoint slides in the middle of Catacombs? This house needed to have more scenes about the sick rather than the plague doctors. Hades had a terrible facade and did not live up to the image of Hades that we all have: A good way to see if people know what it is is to question, "If I put a guest in the middle of the house without saying what it is, can the idea be picked up on?" Frankly, Hades had me baffled why it was not grand in scale and in variation of sets. Legendary Truth's costumes were horrible and was a bit too short. Hallow'd Past's rooms were poorly chosen (Dead Exposure, Treaks n' Foons - are these really highlights of creativity?) and the house was way too short. Psycho Scarepy was an absolute disaster with repetitive theming ( I don't remember a single thing from this house). Zombiegeddon, the main house I was excited because each year there is a quirky house, did not live up to my expectations. The absence of gore was disappointing (I know you don't need gore for scares). Please put more color in your houses. There was a ridiculous amount of blue this year (except for LT, Hallow'd).
( I don't know why the formatting is off)
