Rate Each Year: 2006

[Freak]

Since DTH hasn't created a thread for the 2006 event, I guess I will. If my suggestion does pull through about having individual forums on each individual year on here, then I'll make review threads for Asylum, Terror Tram, and House of Horrors on this.

This was the first year Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood has returned since 2000.

Title: Will You Make the Cut?

Icon: The Director

Mazes:

-Universal's House of Horrors (Van Helsing: Fortress Dracula)

-The Asylum (Shrek Queue)

-Terror Tram: the Director's Cut

Shows:

-SlaughterWorld

-Carnival of Carnage

-Fear Factor Live: Dead Celebrity Edition

-The Mutaytor

-Chucky's Insult Emporium

EDIT: Whoops, forgot to put the poll up. Oh well.

Edited September 20, 2010 by Freakazoid

[Grindhousehero13]

Since DTH hasn't created a thread for the 2006 event, I guess I will. If my suggestion does pull through about having individual forums on each individual year on here, then I'll make review threads for Asylum, Terror Tram, and House of Horrors on this.

This was the first year Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood has returned since 2000.

Title: Will You Make the Cut?

Icon: The Director

Mazes:

-Universal's House of Horrors (Van Helsing: Fortress Dracula)

-The Asylum (Shrek Queue)

-Terror Tram: Will You Make the Cut? (Correct me if this is the wrong title, please.)

Shows:

-SlaughterWorld

-Carnival of Carnage

-Fear Factor Live: Dead Celebrity Edition

-The Mutaytor

-Chucky's Insult Emporium

EDIT: Whoops, forgot to put the poll up. Oh well.

I think it was called the Director's Cut not sure though I let my ex keep the map >.<

Ok I went with my school for some Senior thing I forgot what it was called but Basicly I soent it with my ex we hit the rides first since she was kinda chicken at first then first we went in Fortress Dracula I actualy liked Van Helsing so this was awsome for me espeacialy the Wolfman at the End which until a year ago I thought was mechanical LMAO but it was fun and seeing the Brides was Awsome. then we went into the Asylum great maze The girl with the doll Was freaky, Then it was Terror Tram time loved it for an outdoor maze it was a sight never saw the director though after we hit the shows Dead Celebirty Fear Factor.....Lets never speak of this again...SW was alright , Chucky was funny as always, we didnt stop for the mutaytor just walked past it.

I give it B although it lacked alot it got me hooked

[Trevler]

It was in fact called The Director's Cut.

[Freak]

It was in fact called The Director's Cut.

Thanks Trev! Fixed it.

[electro_killer]

2006 was my first year, and one of my favorite years.

Everything (though it wasnt much) was so fresh and new (Duh because it was the first year returning).

Terror Tram: The Director's Cut was a dream come true for a film student like me. To walk the backlot by the Bates Motel, Bates Home, and WOTW was more than words could describe. I loved seeing the Director @ the end of the tram right before going into the Mummy tunnel.

House of Horrors: Was amazing that first year because it was new.

The Asylum: wow it was just amazing, and really terrifying. I still find it amazing that our first year we had an original maze, and it took us another 4 years to get another one.

[DTH316]

I still find it amazing that our first year we had an original maze, and it took us another 4 years to get another one.

Debatable lol

[silentbeeker]

Ahh, HHN 2006. The beginning of an annual tradition for my group of friends, much like Robots vs. Wrestlers (How I Met Your Mother reference, for those that don't watch the show). It was also the first Haunt event I ever attended. Anywho, for this year being the restart year, I must say it was amazing. Especially given the fact it really only had one original Maze. I'm not going to review everything in-depth, as it's been 5 years now, and I don't exactly remember all the details, so I'll just give me general opinion on each attraction.

Terror Tram : It's gotten better over the years, sure. However, as they say, you never forget your first. And for some reason, this years Terror Tram is one of my favorites, most likely from the nostalgia factor of being the first Terror Tram, and first ever Haunt attraction that I walked through. I also find it sort of interesting how this was the most hyped item for 06, and then over the years, it seems Terror Tram has become less and less of a factor for the event. Not surprising though, since it's generally the same layout every year, just new monsters.

The Asylum : Great original maze. Despite HHN taking a different turn (movie based mazes) in the following years, this maze proves that Murdy can indeed come up with strong original, non movie based mazes. And, hopefully in the future, He can sort of develop a nice blend between original and movie based mazes.

House of Horrors : Ummm, Honestly, I don't even recall this one much. I'm assuming it was like HOH every other year, so decent I suppose.

Only show I saw this year was Fear Factor Live..... If I may quote : "Lets never speak of this again".

Another interesting thing I recall is that, this was the only year that we needed to stay in the park till 2 am to do everything we wanted.. I just find it odd, given how the number of mazes has increased over the years, yet the actual time in park needed to see everything has decreased.

[zombieman]

Of all the HHNs since its third incarnation (2006 to present), 2006 - with only one constructed maze - is far better than any year since. What they lacked in quantity they more then mase up for in quality. And the sad fact is - since 2007, they have consistently cut the quality and instead gave us larger quantity.

Starting with the website itself, we saw the closest HHN Hollywood has ever gotten to an Orlando HHN style, layered teaser site. While Orlando was busy teasing Floridians with Sweet 16, Californians were being introduced to arguably the fan favorite of all Icons: The Director. But instead of just giving us an Icon with no explanation or backstory (like they did in 2007), the website kept us visiting to see what new photos or videos the Director would present. We got several original, high quality videos that revealed a very deep backstory - much deeper than even Orlando initially presented in 2003. Sadly, the Hollywood website ever since has been a lackluster cookie cutter. No more backstory (as I stated, Jack was thrown at us with very little explanation). No teaser videos; just an occasional Behind the Scenes video....

The scarezones in 2006 and ever since have been very good. No real decline that I can speak of, except that in the New York Streets of 2006, we saw the scaractors putting on little shows of horror. Each lasted about 10 minutes. They were really, really good. There was one actor in particular that was outstanding. He played a punk with a green mohawk. I miss those little shows; they have never happened since.

House of Horrors - Let's face it, HoH has never and may never be utilized in any decent way at HHN. The 2010 Vamp theme may have been the best utilization of characters not seen in the year round attraction. Maybe - just maybe - this might be the best setting for a Clownz maze. I say that because this house would benefit from 100% original monsters and also because the alternative setting for a Clownz maze would end up looking too much like any of the Knott's Clown mazes from the last decade. In any event, I am not even considering the use of HoH as a reason for why 2006 was so good.

Asylum - An absolute classic maze. I remember writing a review way back when that stated "Dear Knotts, THIS is how you do an Asylum maze." Asylum was your standard "inmates have taken over" maze - but done with laser precision. Will anyone forget the body strapped to the wall with syringes stuck in every possible location, yet the person's arms and head are thrashing about? And the little Christmas scene? That house was one of the best I have seen on either coast - in my top 5. Yet, what did they do the veey next year? They slapped Freddy in the house while leaving all the props in place. Presto - from first to worst. It just didn't work at all. And from the Department of Redundancy Department, we have seen the premier room (shock therapy) repeatedly reused every single year since with hardly any attempt to freshen it up.

Terror Tram - 1992 had been the last time HHN presented the Terror Tram, and it was doozy back then. I remember the CMs stating to people in the lines that it took 14 years to bring back the Terror Tram, and it would be worth it. In 2006 TT on-ride video, we got an even deeper backstory of the Director than we got on the website. We also got to see some of his creations (actually some obscure yet famous hugely gory B&W scenes). This was done without attempts at stupid humor (Chucky), or endless commercials for upcoming Universal features. The Terror Tram of 2006 was not your father's TT; the tour guides were given full license to be as raunchy as they wanted to be. They gave us the same spiel about Universal being the birthplace of horror, but didn't stop there. Nope. We got to hear the story of one producer who had some seriously strange fetishes, and how he died while choking on a black...um...latex object. ThemeParkReview has a video on Youtube where they recorded the story. The TT of 2006 was a soft R. Maybe a medium R. Where the Terror Tram really excelled was how they did the walkthru. To further enforce the Director Icon, each scene you walked through was supposed to be one of The Director's sets. So you weren't walking through the Bates Motel scene - it was the Sorority Massacre scene. What a huge difference from today, where every single thing you see has to be linked to a movie franchise you've seen a dozen times. But wait - it gets better. Every scene you walked through put you in the action. Scenes of horror were going on around you - not just a character jumping out and saying Boo. In this case, the actors generally ignored your presence. You were walking around essentially through a real time movie. I have a Youtube video that shows exactly how this sort of thing looked and felt (search for HHNZombie). The video is set to an Alice Cooper song. I can't stress enough how effective Terror Tram was. best of all, they let people with video cameras stay as long as they wanted and record as much as they wanted (as long as the street didn't get too crowded). Contrast this to what we have seen on the TT since: the same basic formula (Icon takes over the TT). But now we get endless promos for upcoming movies and sometimes the whole thing is set to be comedic. Scareactors now just do pop scares. The TT has become a big "Hidden Mickey" walkthru - see who can spot Freddy 15 times, or Chucky, or Jigsaw. Seriously? Zombies in the WOTW scene was original the first year, but by 2008, it was getting old. Who would have thought the WOTW walkthrough would be about as exciting as the Mummy Tunnel?

Notice how little content there was in 2006 compared to today. We're up to, what, 5 houses plus a Terror Tram? Sounds like it should be kicking major butt. The point is that Terror Tram is a shell of what it used to be, HoH has never worked, and not a single house has matched what Asylum delivered. A few have come close: TCM and F13 in 2007, Halloween, MBV, and HOTC. But that's about it. This year, rumors are that we can "look forward to" Scream (which tanked at the B.O.), Trick R Treat (which 1% outside of this board has seen or heard of), maybe a return of the Rob Zombie house (meaning yet more recycles). And the latest rumors are an Exorcist house (how that translates into a house is way beyond me) and Amityville Horror. Why? Because the lead of Creative gets all squishy inside when it comes to horror movies. Now, I know for a fact that two of those themes (Amityville and Trick R Treat) presented in a generic format DO work. Orlando already did both, Legendary Truth and The Hallows. Both were incredible houses. Who would have thought that an old fashioned no-gore haunted house and another based on Halloween folklore would be scary, original, and successful? Somehow, I don't see the same outcome by slapping a movie title on them.

Edited May 9, 2011 by zombieman

[Shotguy06]

Asylum - An absolute classic maze. I remember writing a review way back when that stated "Dear Knotts, THIS is how you do an Asylum maze." Asylum was your standard "inmates have taken over" maze - but done with laser precision. Will anyone forget the body strapped to the wall with syringes stuck in every possible location, yet the person's arms and head are thrashing about? And the little Christmas scene? That house was one of the best I have seen on either coast - in my top 5. Yet, what did they do the veey next year? They slapped Freddy in the house while leaving all the props in place. Presto - from first to worst. It just didn't work at all. And from the Department of Redundancy Department, we have seen the premier room (shock therapy) repeatedly reused every single year since with hardly any attempt to freshen it up.

Notice how little content there was in 2006 compared to today. We're up to, what, 5 houses plus a Terror Tram? Sounds like it should be kicking major butt. The point is that Terror Tram is a shell of what it used to be, HoH has never worked, and not a single house has matched what Asylum delivered. A few have come close: TCM and F13 in 2007, Halloween, MBV, and HOTC. But that's about it. This year, rumors are that we can "look forward to" Scream (which tanked at the B.O.), Trick R Treat (which 1% outside of this board has seen or heard of), maybe a return of the Rob Zombie house (meaning yet more recycles). And the latest rumors are an Exorcist house (how that translates into a house is way beyond me) and Amityville Horror. Why? Because the lead of Creative gets all squishy inside when it comes to horror movies. Now, I know for a fact that two of those themes (Amityville and Trick R Treat) presented in a generic format DO work. Orlando already did both, Legendary Truth and The Hallows. Both were incredible houses. Who would have thought that an old fashioned no-gore haunted house and another based on Halloween folklore would be scary, original, and successful? Somehow, I don't see the same outcome by slapping a movie title on them.

I know that it is so many years later, but I smiled just reading this. I was in the Asylum and absolutely had a blast, with such an awesome cast. And if you cant tell by my screen name I was the psycho who threw the guy on the wall and put the needles in him haha. I am so happy that 5 years later, that was still a remembered room. I havent been back to Hollywood since, and unfortunately it doesnt really seem like I have missed much, especially since Ihave worked with Orlando for 3 years and may have been spoiled now. But it is def awesome to see the character I helped bring to life (even tho he was based on a real person eek) is still remembered :-)

[zombieman]

I know that it is so many years later, but I smiled just reading this. I was in the Asylum and absolutely had a blast, with such an awesome cast. And if you cant tell by my screen name I was the psycho who threw the guy on the wall and put the needles in him haha. I am so happy that 5 years later, that was still a remembered room. I havent been back to Hollywood since, and unfortunately it doesnt really seem like I have missed much, especially since Ihave worked with Orlando for 3 years and may have been spoiled now. But it is def awesome to see the character I helped bring to life (even tho he was based on a real person eek) is still remembered :-)

I don't know if I caught your particular cast or not, but that room provided me with the best memories.

If John Murdy was really involved in that maze, then I have to take back some of what I said about lack of crativity; he DOES have what it takes to do great original content. I just don't undersrtand why he hasn't done any since.

BTW, what have you done at Orlando? I go there every year also.

Edited May 12, 2011 by zombieman

[HHNZone]

2006 seemed to be an amazing year, sadly, I didn't get to go that year. My first year was 07 but I still went to 06 Hollywood Daytime so I saw all the decor and things. I really hope we get an original Icon for Hollywood soon and if we do, I wouldn't mind the Director again only because he's my fav. I'm not saying I would want fresh original icons that Hollywood can create, but Director would still be awesome! I would've loved to go on the Asylum and that Terror Tram that year, they seemed to be the best

[Cow Missing]

THE DIRECTOR’S CUT – Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of LA,  will blur the line between frightful illusion and grim reality with its presentation of ”Halloween Horror Nights” beginning Friday the 13th of October.  The event will be helmed by “The Director” ― a sociopathic cinematic auteur – who will convert Universal’s working studio backlot and the theme park’s most popular rides and attractions into terrifyingly realistic settings for an intense and enveloping vision of mayhem.  By creating the ambiance of a true “horror genre” production, “The Director”  will set the stage for a transformative horror experience. Universal Studios Hollywood presents Halloween Horror Nights on Oct. 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28 and 31.

 

Some videos from the 2006 event:

Halloween Horror Nights - The Director - Universal Studios Hollywood

 

 

 

Halloween Horror Nights Loop - Universal Studios Hollywood "The Director":

 

 

 

 

 

The Making of The Asylum Maze Universal Halloween Horror Nights:

 

 

 

INSIDE: The Asylum Maze - Halloween Horror Nights (2006):

 

 

 

 

The Asylum Maze - Halloween Horror Nights (2006):

 

 

Fear Factor Live! - Universal Studios Hollywood - Dead Celebrity Edition:

 

 

 

 

Fear Factor Live! Dead Celebrity Edition - Contestant Video 2006 Universal Studios Hollywood: