[Spooky Empire Ultimate Horror Weekend]

Not strictly HHN, but it's literally just down the road. This weekend is the Spooky Empire Ultimate Horror Weekend at the Wyndom Hotel on the corner of I-Drive and Sand Lake Road. I've been to the last couple and they are a blast! It's especially worth attending the Zombie Walk, which starts at 4:00 today (10/7) at the Uno's Pizza on I-Drive. Some of the guests this year are:

Clive Barker

Malcolm McDowell

Jeffrey Combs

Lance Henrickson

Doug Bradley

Barry Bostwick

And, if you missed them last night at HHN, the Ghost Hunters.

Click here for more info.

[HHN Alcohol]

This topic comes up every year, but I think it is getting way too out of hand this year. There were obviously drunk people in every house line I was in last weekend, a woman on line for B&T suddenly raced to the railing and hurled, and the bushes by the Simpson ride reeked of vomit. On the street by the entrance to Saws and Steam there was a bar kiosk, in the middle of the street was one of the ever-present blood-bag nurses, and across the street was a Coors wagon. All within 50 feet of each other. I know the alcohol is a big money-maker for the park, but has Universal finally taken it too far?

Each outlet is supposed to limit you to one drink per ID, but when there are 3-4 outlets next to each other, that rule is essentially meaningless.

I've seen cars weaving across lanes as I leave the park at night.

I feel this year that Universal is pushing the alcohol harder than prior years, and not only is it becoming more annoying while trying to enjoy the event, I think it is only a matter of time before there is a tragedy as people are driving home.

Has anyone else noticed this, or am I just becoming an old prude?

[Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure]

I'm afraid you'll have to count me as someone who was also very disappointed in this show. It seemed like it has turned into a burlesque instead of inspired comedy. Everytime the writers couldn't think of a joke, they had the women dancers lose their shirts and flash their bras, or have the characters make crude sex jokes that were already no longer funny when I was in 6th grade. I applaud the actors, but the material they had to work with was awful. I think I'm swearing off B&T until the clever lampooning of old returns.

[H.R. Bloodengutz: Holidays of Horror]

Thought this house was great! Kudos especially to Abe who scared my wife while George acted as his wingman and came at me with the hatchet. Gotta love the dead presidents!

My only complaint: There was a shift change that walked right alongside the line while we were waiting in the queue and we got an unexpected (and unwanted) preview of the characters in the house. It did detract from the experience a bit. I wish they would change out the scareactors out of sight of those waiting in line. I think it's especially important in this house because a big part of the "charm" is the costuming for the different holidays.

[HHN XX Advice please!]

Arrive as soon as it opens and do the most popular houses first (I think Hades and Orfanage had the longest wait times the times I've been there). Then make a circle around the park hitting the other houses. If you text "TONIGHT" to 64646, you will get texts back with the house wait times so you can refine your plan. Hit the shows later in the night.

It's possible to see everything in one night. Good luck!!

[ZAP T-Shirts: Missed Marketing Opportunity?]

This is the second year in a row where I think that Universal misssed a marketing opportunity. Last year, people were clamoring for Meetz Meats masks. This year, I would have proudly worn a t-shirt proclaiming that I was a certified Zombie Removal Specialist, trained by Z.A.P. Would anyone else have liked to see a ZAP t-shirt this year?

[Opening Night Rain - Where were you caught?]

I lucked out. Was on my way over for my ZAP training (at Zombiegedden) when the heavens opened up. So I decided it was dinner time and ducked into Richter Burger. By the time I was done eating, the rain had stopped.

[Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure]

Without getting into a review of the entire show, I wanted to shout out some props for the actor who played Doctor Who. You NAILED that character! Excellent!

[Is Jack A Sell-Out?]

I'm not sure how I feel about the Photo with Jack booth. Does having someone who is arguably the scariest icon available for photos make him less scary? To me, it reduces him to another Universal character like Scooby-Doo or Homer Simpson. What do you think?

[Which ICON would you like to see host HHN 20?]

Can I be a non-conformist and choose "None Of The Above"? What I'd really like to see is a brand-new, most awesome, uber-terrifying icon for the 20th anniversary. One that will have parents groups protesting because of the horrifying nature of the billboards. One that will make me nervous about even walking in the gates of HHN 20. One that will make Bloody Mary look like Barbie, and will make Jack look like Bozo. One that would make little kids want to give Storyteller a big hug because in comparison she reminds them of grandma. One that makes Usher look like a college kid just trying to earn beer money.

Instead of retreads, let's pull out all the stops and put the HORROR back in Halloween Horror Nights!