blueoktober

Great logic! So Howl o scream at Busch Gardens should have only houses based off beer, zoos, and Rollercoasters, while Knotts Berry Farm should have houses based on cows. I've been going since it was Fright Nights minus a couple of years (yes I'm old) and have watched it evolve. Original content built the event for 15 years and IPs did not. Yes, there was a couple of houses here and there but they most certainly were not the driving force that made the event what it is today. Today it's only about money and not content. We all love scare zones and houses but the event was much more than that. The themes, the overall atmosphere was of a scary Halloween event. I akin it to movies being made... Original content or endless remakes. Remaking a house so I can live the movies is not original or scary no matter how anyone spins it.

Completely agree. This house had some very solid scares and "sneak attack" surprises. I accidentally fell backwards into someone and we both hit the ground. That hasnt happened to me before in 19 years of going.

Just to add, Specialty license plates typically do not have the Orange in the middle and if it does the text is written over it. I have one. However Florida plates are just 6 digits if they are generic/normal ones.

When you have less money, you get more creative. In all aspects of life. The houses were once very creative and the point was to entertain and scare you....not to make you feel like you're walking through a pretty TV/Movie set. Scare Zones I have never cared about, so I don't get into that.....but I will say the cohesive environment played a HUGE part of how much I loved the event. I understand people love it, and until last year, I was still a huge fan. I just finally woke up when some of the local haunts entertained and scared me MUCH more than anything at HHN. It feels like a frat party taking a backlot tour at a movie studio instead of a major horror event.

But is it a lie? I know it gets tiring to hear complaints, but some of us know exactly how awesome it used to be. Back when the budget was MUCH LESS than it is now. It's a lazy cash grab recently.

http://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2017/05/02/evil-dead-and-the-shining-rumored-for-universals-halloween-horror-nights

You might not have liked it, I did, but the point is they at least tried something new. I went in by myself and loved what they attempted to do. There was thought behind it and maybe next year the sets and design will be better. Scream A Geddon near Tampa is also new and very good. The point I was making is that there are others out there that are hungry and really want to scare you. I am so tired of walking through houses at HHN and picking out sets from past years more than I am being scared. The recorded audio is simply stupid. More people laughed in the Exorcist than screamed. It was embarrassing. The last room with the "take me! take me!" and that deformed, laughably bad Regan doll with curled up polio legs was just pitiful. I don't even care about crowds because I genuinely look forward to what is in the house. People loved Ghost Town's sets. Why? Why should I get excited about a set when the content of the house sucks? I honestly have no idea why people like this year's house. The original was good and that's where it should have stayed. IPs are great and all, but they limit creativity. We all know what to expect when going into an IP house. It's like a walking museum. Original houses have things we have never seen, and are therefor much better at scaring us. I used to leave HHN full of awesome ideas that I wanted to implement at home. After the Hallow a few years ago, I decorated my entire yard based on that house. This year I left each night wishing I could feel that way again. It's not that hard ya know. They could stop this shoving IP down the throat crap, put some atmosphere into the parks again, make it immersive instead of it being nothing but walkways to soundstages so we can marvel at the Facades. I know people will get shitty about this, but it's the truth. There is nothing about "missing the old days" because we are old timers. What made us fans to begin with? What made me go for so many years and save up for months so I could buy every single piece of merch? It sure as hell wasnt 5 years of the Walking Dead.

Sometimes the truth is the truth. Hell, even Howl O Scream in Tampa is better at creating atmosphere and scares with a hell of a lot less budget. I went to a "house" here in Orlando called Catharsis and the whole thing was unique and entertaining. HHN has become a corporate sell out event, and there's nothing that can change that now. After going fro 19 of the 26 years, I can honestly say this was probably my last time of buying the most expensive passes, hundreds of dollars in merch and food. I think it's time to support local and more creative events.

I have a FF+ pass with Express. I have been twice and have no desire to go again. I've been going since 1994 and just have no love for this year outside a couple of houses.

http://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2016/10/13/rumor-has-it-that-halloween-horror-nights-may-be-extended-a-weekend

Just a quick comment - I was watching the trailer for The Descent this morning and one of the first blurbs from critics that came across the screen was "Claustrophobic". Not saying we will get the Descent, but I think what was said above about cobweb might be true.

I noticed even more scream leftovers this Sunday... Casey's boyfriend, gutted, is in the garage. Somehow I missed that my first 2 walkthroughs.

I walked through it again Sunday thinking I might have just not had a good run, but it made me hate it even more. I laughed out loud, and not in a good way. Awful.

Also, I was sent a survey yesterday from universal to give opinions of the event the opening weekend. There were two or three questions asking about bringing back The Walking Dead in 2016. I made sure to mention in every comment section that The Walking Dead is DONE. Anyone else get this survey?

It's my least favorite house ...EVER. And although I see a lot of people on here liking it, the line outside on Saturday night might be an indication of how much the GP likes it (hint, not much of a line and Friday night it was packed). My friends and I walked out...almost felt insulted...like was it a joke?

Literally ever scene in this house had Scream written all over it. The Drew mannequin, the kitchen, the tree, the garage, the Sidney bedroom, the toilets, the theater scene from Scream 2. All they did was paint graffiti all over the house. I applaud the scareactors in this house because the worked their asses off to provide thrills....but I just kept seeing what was meant to be and it let me down.

The music in NY is not what I am taking about....there's a backing track of, what I assume, is panic - disorder. It's impossible to discern what the point is since it just sounds like a bunch of noise. The projections.. do you remember Acid Assault? The projections of the building crumbling? Compare that originality to static huge 25s everywhere. A Bloody Mary video was projected on MIB a few years back - even though no one was really in that part of the park. There's a reason that people don't like the 25 and find it unoriginal. Although newly posting, I have been here for years. I posted a couple of years ago a leak and got in trouble so I went back to lurking. I say that because just because you think your point is valid, I also think mine is too. I started going during Fright Nights, so it's not like I am some newbie "expecting" something out of this world. Like I said, when you go through M&M and see all the cool things they've done in the past, then go into the new houses...it's night and day. I applaud them for trying hard this year... I think the merchandise (although crazy expensive this year) is awesome, I think having Jack back is awesome, and even the scare zones. But the houses this year are just blah. Tell me one house that compares to Gothic, or The Forsaken, or even Dead Silence. Hell even the 2001 houses that were tamed down were more inventive and exciting. I will be there again tonight for sure...because I have a FF+ with Express, so I wont waste it. I am glad a lot of people like it (and they do - looking at the general public on Facebook), but that doesnt mean I have to like it as much and it certainly doesnt mean my views/opinions arent valid. Like JDW, I am trying new things this year...after hearing HOS was crappy, I went last year and had a MUCH better time there...where it seems they still have the "old school haunt" feeling like HHN used to have. The end of the story is that Orlando's HHN is becoming Hollywood, and I just have to accept that and move on.

I kind of agree. I was thinking something was wrong with me for not liking the houses. FvJ started good, but the videos made me LOL. I did like BC, but I honestly didnt like any other house that much. The facades are all good, but the rest... I mean just walking into M&M and seeing the sets for older houses...then going into the new ones, it makes it completely obvious the lack of detail and scale for this year. I didnt do RUN or the Purge because I kept hearing how poor they are. Also the music in NY? What the heck? Loud and just....made no sense. I just think this year is generic. The only thing I truly enjoyed was the central park area. It was spot on....even though ever costume, prop and scare was recycled. Also, I had Express passes and have never waited as long as I did last night. The line for Express on Insidious was out to the ENTRANCE. Same thing for FvJ. I waited 45 minutes with Express! Oh well. I have been going since 1993 and maybe I am just past my prime. lol

Agreed. In fact the people I went in with all said it's the worst house they've been in in 15 years. I walked out and just thought...WTF?

Prices this year are insane. I went last night to get a jump on the merchandise and was floored - The shirts are the best value. Bottle Opener - $19 Tumbler - $27!! Mug - $21.95 Keychain - $17 Logo Pin - $17.95 Lanyard - $10.95 All Shirts - $24.95 Beach Towels - $24.95 (decent prices) Lunch Box - $20