Annoyance, fatigue, and fun, aka Nightcrawler's opening night review!

[Nightcrawler]

Hey,

Well, yesterday was interesting and exciting, and the whole day had me on a whole range of emotions.

First, I was a bit irritable when I arrived at the parking lot, because the traffic was so bad and I was later than I thought I'd be (I got there around 6:00).

I went to Bob's, and met the HNN crew there. Unfortunately, that was all I ended up seeing of them last night. I suddenly remembered that I forgot to write down what my parking space was, so I sprinted back to write it down, then ran back to the entrance, but I never saw them there. It's just as well, though, because I would have held things up for them with my next annoyance that night. See, I got my FFP from a Ticketmaster store like usual, but this time, they said it wasn't valid, and I had to get it validated at the guest service window. This, of course, took several minutes, and further irritated me. Finally, when I actually got into the park, my mood soon improved. The 20 Years of Fear and Fear Revealed Scarezones were a lot of fun, the scareactors were both scary and friendly, and the environments looked good. So, I set off for the first House:

Havoc: Dogs of War

Pretty good House. The facade was great, and I got some good scares. The set design wasn't anything special (Other than the medical chart screens in the beginning of the House) and it was took dark to see what we should have occasionally (Especially the final scene), but the scareactors worked well (I liked how they appeared to have barcodes tatooed on the side of their heads, nice touch) and there were a few good moments. All in all, a nice House which, while not terrifying, got me in the mood. I'd give it I think a B-.

From there, I decided to hit the Orfanage, since it was close, and it's usually good to hit Jaws Queue Houses on opening night when the lines aren't as long.

The Orfanage

Wow! This House was great! The designs were awesome, the effects, while minimal, worked well (There may have only been fire in one scene, but it worked all right), and the kids were great! I screamed a LOT. It's funny, when we were going through the final scene, I was thinking, 'Good House, but there really needed to be more Cindy,' when all of a sudden, the girl in question lunged right at me! Good times, probably the best Jaws Queue House I've seen in the four years I've gone. I'd say it deserves an A-.

Next, I went through the whole zombie area.

Zombiegeddon

This House took me by surprise. I expected it to be the funny House this year, and the amusing queue video reinforced this, but it quickly turned really scary in a hurry. The smell in a certain room(Those who've gone through it probably know which room I'm talking about) made me feel a little sick, but made it feel more immersive. The only issue I had was there didn't seem to be much variety in the zombies' costumes. Then again, considering the House is supposed to be a training scenario gone wrong, it makes sense that they'd be wearing similar costumes. Having Zombie Gras be right outside it was a nice touch. A good B+

So, I made my way through Saws and Steam. The Steampunk was great, and the actors seemed to be doing good. It was especially good/ scary in the alley, where it really lived up to the "Steam" part of the title. After this, it began quickly to rain (My final real annoyance of the night), just as I was about to go through the Coven (A later walkthrough turned out to be very good). So, I got shelter and an overpriced Cherry Coke in Mel's, while I waited for it to die down a bit, at which point I promptly went to my next stop:

Catacombs: Black Death Rising

Very scary. Lame facade, and repetitive designs, but both were to be expected. The scareactors did a great job on this, I screamed a LOT, especially at the doctors (Thought their masks kept makign me think of 'Spy Vs. Spy'). There were a lot of Scareactors in some scenes. It definitely scared me good. I'd give it a B.

With that, I wasn't sure what else to do, and fatigue was beginning to set in (I had a very long day before then). So, I hit the Simpsons Ride, MIB, and Bill and Ted

Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure, 2010 edition.

Okay, but not as good as it's been in the past. A few funny remarks, but as others have noted, the selection of guests could definitely have been better. SPOILERS! I didn't even know who it was that was supposed to be Ted's replacement, or the girl with him. The Mel Gibson part was unnecessary, as he hasn't really made news in at least a year or two. There were loads of movies this year they could have and should have used at the show (i.e. the Elm Street remake, Avatar, Clash of the Titans, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World would have all been great). The Toy Story part, the Twilight part (Especially the surprise at the end of it), and the Hit Girl part were good, but that's about it.

Worth a watch, but maybe not a repeat viewing.

So, I was feeling really tired, and decided to call it a night. All in all, a good time.

I'll be back tonight around 9:30 or 10 or so, to try and hit Hades, Psychoscareapy, and maybe Brian Brushwood.

[ryguyof87]

The Mel Gibson part was unnecessary, as he hasn't really made news in at least a year or two.

Have you been watching any news?? He's been hogging it!

[Nightcrawler]

Have you been watching any news?? He's been hogging it!

He had a couple scandals over the summer, but nothing like the one he had a few years ago. I still think they could have gone with others.

btw, to continue my review, I went back to HHN Saturday night (The first time I've gone on the first Saturday). I didn't get there until 10, to avoid the parking fee, and because I knew what I wanted to do that night.

First, I went right away to Hades, but it was closed temporarily due to "Technical difficulties." Annoyed, I went to the other House I was planning to hit that night:

Psychoscareapy: Echoes of Shadybrook

This was an alright House. I got a few good scares, but it wasn't as memorable as "Home for the Holidays." Nice enough set design, great facade, and good makeup for the mental patients, not to mention details on the walls (i.e. strange writing). I just wish the scareactors would interact a bit more. I'd say another B-

While I was in line there, I saw that the line for Hades opened back up, so after leaving the first House, I immediately went for it!

Hades: The Gates of Ruin

Absolutely amazing! A lot better than the other reviewers led me to believe. The facade looked great (Though it reminded me a bit of the Goonies), the environments were well- done (Especially the Medusa room), the hanging stuff was a bit of an annoyance but not enough to really bother me, and the performances/ makeup for the Scareactors was awesome! I was especially frightened by the Minotaur, he was freaking huge (And considering that I myself am 6'2", that's saying something)! The only real problem I had was that the final room seemed to be in need of a scareactor at a certain point. Other than that, an awesome House I'll gladly go to again later, earning at least an A-.

6 Houses down, 2 to go! I'll let you know how I feel about them and the Brushwood show when I tackle them.

Edited September 27, 2010 by Nightcrawler