ManglerMatt
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After spending a night at California's Great America, we advanced to the Winchester Mystery House Fright Nights event. My buddy who I was with had been to the event the week prior to my visit, and wouldn't stop talking about how amazing it was, so naturally I was intrigued, and ended up dishing out the $40 so we could go.
We arrived at around 11pm to a ghost town. Now typically you all would associate that with Knott's, but when I say there were 10 other people there, there were at maximum 10 other guests in the vicinity. The Haunt is set up so you can go through the Fright Nights haunted house as many times as you want, which makes the $40 worth it to begin with. On top of that, you get an audio guided tour of the Winchester Mystery House itself, which was possibly the coolest, craziest, and creepiest house I've ever been in. Look it up on Google Maps to see how large the house itself is..... It's unbelievable.
I'm not going to go into detail because I really don't want to spoil any of it for you folks, but when I say that this is literally the best Haunted Attraction I have ever experienced, I'm not over-exaggerating. If you want to see a daytime walkthrough of the maze, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOtJ_gwfFN8. Otherwise, I highly recommend visiting the maze next fall. This attraction had better set design than I can even put into words, the props and detail were far beyond anything I could've ever dreamed of (yes, better than HHN on either coast), and I literally couldn't find a lazy actor/actress. Each character played their part to perfection, and I can say with 110% honesty that I saw some scares I had never seen, heard of, or thought of before.
Part of my amazing experience might have been the fact that it was literally just us in the maze. That means that we got every scare, every effect, etc. I recognize that HHN doesn't have the ability to do this given the massive crowds, attendance, etc. With that said, if you guys ever go to Winchester, go early on in the season on a Friday or Sunday night. You'll have the opportunity to go through as many times as you want, get full attention from the characters, and have an all around sensational experience.
Again, I literally demand that you go if you're from the San Jose/San Francisco area. Best $40 you'll spend in the next year.
Once again, thanks for reading!
-MM
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Ah, yes; the Tram!
We began our VIP Tram Tour at 8:40pm, and decided not to do the entire tram ride over again due to the fact that with the VIP tour, it covered most of what the GP sees anyway. Overall, it was a fun experience — Our tour guide was hysterical, and kept our entire group laughing for the entirety of the tour. The various sets were cool, and to be able to go all around the expansive backlot & Universal property was fantastic! Overall, on the horror side of things, I can't really say it was all that great. I understand that the actors put in a lot of work, but given how open everything was and how the regular props interfere with any atmosphere they try to create, I'd say it was up to par with our mazes at Valleyscare. (A.k.a. not too impressive)
I would venture so far as to say it would almost be better if they built an entire maze—tent-style—in one of the many open areas that are available in the backlot. Either that, or do something similar to the VIP Tour, except have a VIP experience (think Trapped at Knott's) where you venture into the Jaws town/village thing & have it be an interactive story type attraction. I think Universal could pull that off very well given its resources & creativity. Anywho, Terror Tram was decent, but left me unimpressed for the most part. I think I enjoyed the views & history behind it more than the scaring side of it.
Atmosfear - 2.5/5
Design - 3/5
Intensity - 2/5
Overall - 2.5/5
Also, one last interjection regarding HHN. After going through the first two mazes of the night, I found myself scratching my invisible beard thinking about the ways in which you all effectively scare people. The whole process of hitting some sort of button which cues lights, sound, and the actor to jump out & begin their "on-stage" interactivity is brilliant, but in such a simplistic sense. I had never seen that method of scaring before, so I found it to be very intriguing. HOWEVER, once I recognized that the scaring method is just that for most of the mazes, I found myself looking for the boo-doors, possible entry points for the actors, etc. To be honest, that didn't necessarily ruin the scares (again, that method works very effectively), but made them extremely predictable. At Valleyscare, we don't use the "Button-Method" of scaring, but instead use things like drop-doors, improvised hiding places between props, and simple guest-character interaction. I find both methods to be effective in their own certain ways, though I do believe Cedar Fair parks (like Knott's) could pick up some ideas from HHN, and vice versa.
I'll post a Winchester Mystery House review in a little bit, followed by a Knott's review sometime in the future. Again, thanks for reading!
-MM
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Coming from the Land of 10,000 Lakes where we have 10,000-9,050 Haunted Houses, I found myself overly excited to travel to California to visit California's Great America, Winchester Mystery House, Halloween Horror Night's and Knott's Scary Farm. Not to discredit the work that goes into each Haunted House in Minnesota, but after going through the same old attractions year after year, I was looking forward to new mazes, scares, and technology. With that said, I traveled with two other buddies of mine who go to college out in California, and work with me at Haunt in Minnesota. We decided early on that we would be purchasing the VIP Tour, which turned out to be one of the best decisions we made on the entire trip. Well worth the money in my opinion, especially if it's as busy as it was when we went.
After dropping our car off at Valet parking, we headed to the VIP entrance where we got everything scanned, got wristband-ed, and entered the event. Now a little precursor to this review, I mentioned that I work at a Haunt in Minnesota. I assist in the design & constructional aspects of the Halloween Haunt at Valleyscare, which is run by the same company as Knott’s Scary Farm. With that said, I have a decent background in the Haunt industry, and was well aware of the reputation that HHN Hollywood and Orlando hold. Needless to say, I had high expectations, and overall I would say that, for the most part, they were met.
Upon entering the event, I saw the Clown characters running around. One thing that immediately struck me as impressive was the sheer size of half of the clowns. At Valleyscare, given the majority of our cast is comprised of teenagers, we tend to have smaller, thinner people running around the park in our mazes and zones. This obviously was not the case at HHN, which left me saying “Touche.... +1 for HHN.”
Quick interjection about the scare zones you guys have set up around the park. They are all drastically different, but great in their own respective ways. In Minnesota, we have tombstones & props in the middle of the walkway, which I’m guessing wouldn’t work too well with the amount of people you guys pump into the park. However, despite the difference, I still loved all of the zones! The props on the side works very effectively, and the cast in each zone was so full of energy. Great job folks!
We headed to Alice Cooper Goes to Hell in 3D first which had an extensive 30 second wait. Talk about unfortunate! One other thing I noticed prior to entering the maze was the length of the lines..... Dear Lord. Ya know that song racks on racks on racks? Switchbacks on switchbacks on switchbacks. I was blown away so much that I almost missed out on the complimentary 3D glasses. Another difference from Valleyscare? We charge $1 for our 3D glasses; having them included with our $200 VIP package was great. The facade of the maze was fantastic, and after entering, I could already tell it was strides better than our 3D clown maze in Minnesota. The detail within the maze was pretty solid, and the scares were fairly continuous. Highlights? The large firey hell scene to a certain extent; I felt like it could’ve been a lot more detailed and structured. What do I mean structured? The frozen hell. Dear Murdy, what a beautiful scene. Claustrophobic, detailed, and so well executed, I found myself smiling as I walked through. Overall, a pretty good maze.
Atmosfear - 4/5
Design - 4.5/5
Intensity - 3.5/5
Overall - 4/5
We headed over to the VIP Lounge to check out the buffet & general area, and again, I was blown away by how accommodating it was to the VIP customers. Well done HHN, well done. We proceeded to the Walking Dead maze after that, which we had to wait a whopping 45 seconds for. (Note - All wait times were under a minute, so I won’t mention those anymore. Another side note - GET THE VIP PACKAGE. It’s worth it!) The outdoor scene transitioning into the first part of the maze was done very well, and that foreshadowed what I found to be a great maze overall. A few startles here & there, and a LOT of crawlers (the folks buried in the ground/in a table). The scenes were, well . . . scenic, and I loved how I could easily relate numerous scenes to scenes seen in the show. (Say that 5x fast) I walked away pretty impressed, though I was waiting for “that one maze that scares the absolute crap out of me”. Nonetheless, the Walking Dead was another solid maze.
Atmosfear - 4/5
Design - 4.5/5
Intensity - 4.5/5
Overall - 4.5/5
We walked across the upper lot to La Llarona, which was my most anticipated maze of the night. It really did live up to my expectations, and tied with Silent Hill for my favorite mazes of the night. The entire maze was just elegant, and so well themed. I can’t express enough how well detailed it was from the beginning scene to the very end. Literally flawless up until the ending. One downside I noted was the amount of big props and animatronics at the end. While they really added to the maze & were very effective, I found myself nearly rolling my eyes in the last room. I personally would say one less massive prop in the ending few rooms, and the maze is literally perfect. Bravo HHN, you have one of my top 3 mazes I’ve ever been in.
Atmosfear - 5/5
Design - 5/5
Intensity - 4.5/5
Overall - 5/5
I found myself wondering, “Wow, how could that be topped?” after exiting La Llarona. My question was answered when we went to the lower lot to experience Silent Hill. The line was just ridiculous, and I started to pat myself on the back, reassuring our entire group “That VIP thing was DEFINITELY worth it!” We entered the maze which began with the large outdoor section. Kind of sparse character wise, but nonetheless very detailed given the location. What I imagined would be sparsely detailed was the complete opposite. I found myself walking down a street with shops on both sides, no people in front of me (We walked slow so we wouldn’t get stale scares - Sorry, not sorry), and an unparalleled atmosphere. Out of nowhere, a pyramid head dude on stilts came sprinting at me, which nearly got me on the floor. Boom - Biggest scare of my life. I almost cried out of happiness to be quite honest. That was followed by a ton of great scares, innovative costumes & characters, and scenes with so much detail I found myself wanting to go through again. Once again, props to the VIP package for making this possible, and props to the entire Silent Hill cast. You guys killed it both times we went through.
Atmosfear - 5/5
Design - 5/5
Intensity - 5/5
Overall - 5/5
After coming out of a maze that absolutely blew my mind, I was expecting a LOT from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. After weaving through the overly extensive VIP line for the maze (something I’d recommend fixing for next year somehow), we got to the facade, which got me even more stoked to venture into the maze. After entering, I was greeted with . . . Smells on smells on smells. Holy mother of a chainsaw Batman. While the cast was pretty high energy & the sets were beyond impressive, I just couldn’t get anything out of this maze. After going through alone the second time, I got one startle out of the entirety of it, and that was it. I was a bit bummed to say the least. However, I do have to give a shoutout to the cast who was a part of the outdoor scene with the porch. The blinding flood light scare worked to perfection, and resulted in my only scare in TCM.
Atmosfear - 4/5
Design - 3.5/5
Intensity - 2/5
Overall - 3/5
I wish I could say we saved the best for last, but we saved Universal Monsters Remix for the last maze of the night. It was decent, though I wholly admit I watched a flowthrough of the Universal Monsters prior to going through the maze this October. This kind of ruined the maze for me, though the cast did a great job, all things considered. The dubstep was a fun touch, and overall it was a “fun” maze if anything. Not too much to say here, other than nice sets, great atmosphere, and entertaining stuff overall.
Atmosfear - 4/5 (Only because of the Dubstep)
Design - 3/5
Intensity - 2.5/5
Overall - 3.5/5
What an event you folks put on. The energy around the park is fantastic, the houses/mazes/scare zones are beyond detailed, and the talent is just unreal. Bravo to all of the casts around the entire facility, and thank you for sending me into borderline depression after visiting a Minnesota Haunt two weeks after visiting HHN. To Mr. Murdy, you do one heck of a job, and I look forward to seeing this event expand in the future. Hats off folks! I hope & pray I’ll have the opportunity to return in the future. Thanks for reading & have a great Offseason! Oh wait.... #MinnesotaProblems
-Mangler-Matt
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Being a devout Catholic, I don't know whether to be offended by this theme, or completely & utterly ecstatic. I think I'll choose the latter.
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Just curiously, is admission to the event included with the VIP/RIP package?
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I dunno about you guys but I would love to see some more original themes. Catacombs sounded like a great time, so I can only imagine what they would do with various themes like Zombie-Infested Sewers, Abandoned Silo's (Aliens), or an Ancient Burial Tomb.
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Happy to add some detail about Fear Factor in 2002. The concept for the house was solid. The idea was for it to be pitch black and you have to feel your way through it while encountering all the things we fear: snakes, bugs, angry dogs, etc. It was all tactile with a couple small lit areas that show what you're supposed to be encountering (i.e. someone with spiders crawling on them). So if it had been kept this way where you had to feel your way through the dark, it could have been unique and cool.
The issue was, after the first day or two of the event, the house would get all clogged up from guests moving too slowly (or not at all) because of the dark. So they hastily threw lighting in ALL of the rooms. Now you could see all of the cheap props that were never meant to be seen. Like the fishing lures on ropes meant to be bugs and worms, or the mattress pads behind chain link that were supposed to be rabid dogs. All of the sudden there was nothing scary at all about the house. It was just BAD! A good conceptual idea that wasd ruined by the realities of operations.
You can see what they had in mind here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qp_Mx6Veuo&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLE63A2043853274F0
I think the only way something like that would ever become successful was if they made it even more extreme & then charged an extra fee for it. (Stealing BGT's idea, I know . . . )
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Photo courtesy of Theme Park Review's Facebook
I know this thread is about house locations, but I think they could turn this new walkway into a wicked creepy scare zone. With walls on either side & an enclosed walkway, it could make for a cool theme & atmosphere.
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Just curiously, has Universal ever resorted to outdoor mazes? I know a lot of the Cedar Fair parks do them. Instead of a Scare Zone, it's directed & has scenes just like an indoor maze. Sorry for my ignorance if they have had them in the past, it just seems like a no-brainer to me.
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Where exactly in the park is the Herc/Xena stage? I'm aware of the Soundstages, but not that one. Never heard of it!
Halloween Horror Nights (Hollywood) 2013 Wishful Thinking
in Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood 2013
Posted · Edited by ManglerMatt
Just a few suggestions for next year, despite the fact that my opinion is worth . . . well as much as a Minnesotan's opinion is worth. I thoroughly enjoyed HHN Hollywood. What a privilege it was to attend an event of such high caliber, detail, skill (in relativity to detail, professionalism, etc.), yadda yadda yadda. With that said, I saw many areas that could've been improved, and this is merely as constructive criticism; I don't think the event needs that much modification to be a top-tier event in the first place.
1.) Lower Lot - We bought the VIP tickets, so we had the privilege of walking through the 10 minute obstacle course that is the TCM VIP line. I found it to be unorthodox to say the least; I would've liked to wait in a line that didn't have to go in back alleyways, down secret corridors, etc. This coincides with the exit for the maze: To walk onto the streets where the VIP Tram Tour (not sure if the regular tram tour passes that way too) was made things seem very . . . thrown together. I'd recommend a reformation of the TCM tent area & the line that leads up to it. Also modifying the exit wouldn't hurt either. How would this happen? No idea; you all know the lower lot a heck of a lot better than I do so I'm sure your creative minds can think something up.
2.) Scare Zones - The scare zones were decent, but two things I didn't like.
A.) The Post-Maze Zone was kind of a gimmick. I'd rather have more zones in the upper lot and maybe a guided zone in the lower lot than have a cheap, thrown-together scare zone like Silent Hill had. However, this is not to discredit the actors after the maze - They were all very good & played their parts to a tee - it just didn't have the feel of a scare zone.
B.) The Length - I recognize that HHN has to maintain flow within the event; keeping guests swarming through the park as unobstructed as possible. However, I would've liked to see lengthy zones ala Necropolis at Knott's. The themeing inside all of the zones was great, but I felt like they were just a 30 second mini-show that could've been much more effective had they been longer. To add to this - As a Games Supervisor at an Amusement Park in Minnesota, I recognize the demand for games; they're fun, people play them, it's great. However, the little Games Alley in the middle of the park seemed very gimmicky and weird. If they removed all of the games in that little midway for HHN, they could have one heck of a scare zone in its place. Just some food for thought.
3.) Button Scares - You guys hit the nail on the head with the trigger scares - I had never seen the concept before & I was astounded; I got a startle in every single maze..... the first time through. One thing that HHN needs to work on is their methods of scaring. They use every tactic in the book: Trigger Scares, Drop Doors, Scrims, Stiltwalkers, Statue Scares, etc. Some things I'd like to see? More Boo-Door type scares, more psychological scares (that don't rely on actors), less animatronics, and aerial scares. If these types of tactics are implemented, the variety would be outstanding, and I would applaud you all even more than I was first able to.
Just my two cents.