Halloween Horror Nights 19 Review

[_Veritas_]

Halloween Horror Nights 19 was my first HHN event ever (and only (so far,)) even though I have followed the event since 2003. I went opening weekend for my birthday after saving up to go for several months. It was totally worth every penny. I did a rather lengthy review of the event at the Vault after the event, and now realized I never did one for HNN. Better late than never, right? And also, I apologize for this being really long.

Enjoy.

This being my long awaited first HHN my heart was pounding once the crowed was allowed into the park after the Cirque du Freak panel was over. I will admit I was slightly disappointed in the fact that there were no opening “scaremonies,” but the video that played on the huge screen above the entrance was pretty bad ass to watch while you waited in line. Once inside the park I couldn’t take enough in, even though little did I know this wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg.

Several yards ahead of me was the first scarezone, Containment. The sun was still out so the full effect that was missing and as I walked past Containment towards Dracula I felt slightly let down. I didn’t feel scared, although my heart was still beating with excitement.

The first house I went in was Dracula. It was about twenty minutes after HHN had opened by the time I was let into the house, and the sun was still showing. When I entered the house I couldn’t see a freaking thing it was so dark. I have pretty good vision in the dark, but this was crazy. At one point I got turned around in the house because I couldn’t see and ended up back stage (with the two random girls who happened to cling to me at the beginning of the house.) We were kindly escorted back to the main path of the house and finished it. I had mixed feelings at this point because I pretty much missed everything in the house because I couldn’t see. It somewhat bothered me but I continued on with my night hoping it’d get better.

I met up with my mother after that, who tagged along on this trip. She had been at the hotel we were staying at and walked over while I was in Dracula.

The next house after that I wanted to visit was SAW. On the way there my mother and I went through War of the Living Dead. Once again this scarezone really was a letdown to me my first time through. The loud noises worked well, but the rest left me unsatisfied.

The wait in line at SAW was interesting because I kept meeting Vault members, which was fun. By now it was dark outside, and by the time we entreated the house my excitement was renewed. The SAW films are a guilty pleasure of mine, and I had high expectations.

The house was a sound overload I remember. I remember hearing saws, and chains, and feeling extremely warm in the SAW house. The set pieces made me smile, and Uni defiantly got the feeling of Jigsaw’s lair correct in this house. The house worked like the films I feel, in the sense that the films (besides the first one) really aren’t scary but more like shock and awe feel (except… maybe not the aw.) Feeling “blood” being squirted on you was a nice touch and the actor playing Jeff with the saw got one of the only two scares I received from this house. The last room with the several pig heads/Jigsaws was the only other room to get me scared.

Overall I felt that SAW was defiantly more of an atmosphere house, rather than a true scare. I was pleased.

Atmosphere 4/5

Scares 2.5/5

Overall 3/5

Now, after that I’m not sure exactly which order I visited the other houses or scare-zones.

I’d like to say that after SAW the next thing we did was go to the Bill and Ted show. I’ve only ever seen the films, and watched YouTube vids of pervious shows (which I absolutely loved.) My hopes were high and I was not let down. The Bill and Ted show was awesome and my mother and I were cracking up. I love it when a crowed is fun as well, and we had a good crowed with us which made it even more enjoyable.

5/5

The Apocalypse scare-zone was my favorite of the first night at HHN I believe. The large fireball the randomly seemed to go off drew me towards it. I am a massive Jurassic Park geek and seeing that flipped JP Jeep made me squeal with joy. But after that, I began to notice the scareactors starting to swarm around me, and for the first time at one of the scarezones I genuinely felt creeped out.

I did feel it needed a little more atmosphere to it, but overall Apocalypse was well done.

3.5-4/5

I remember going through this part the second night of the event during the torrential downpour that drenched the park. That was interesting to see a few of the scareactors huddled with the people who didn’t want to walk around in the rain. But I used this time to visit The Wolfman for the second time, which leads me to my next house review.

The Wolfman was a movie I was highly anticipating. The original rivals Frankenstein for my favorite Universal Classic horror movie. I’m not a fan of most of the remakes that were coming out, but I couldn’t help it. I was excited for Wolfman. The fact that Uni had made a HHN house to promote it was even better.

The wait in line, both times I went to the house, was not bad. As I continued getting closer I remember hearing the howls inside and it sending chills down my back. As I entered the house I remember just feeling cold. Right off the bat, just a bitter cold. It chilled me to the bone. The whole house was like that and it truly felt like A.) we were outside, or B.) (allow me to be a tad dramatic) death was upon us. It was a feeling that made my hear race as I moved forward into the house. I remember the house felt so elaborate, and the actors did an exquisite job. The scent of fire, and woods was an awesome touch, and the lighting couldn’t have been more perfect.

And then there were the scares. For the first time I was genuinely scared throughout a whole haunted house. The werewolves got me, they got me real good. The one that was climbing above us in the trees made me scream out “shit” in front of my mother and fall down to the floor to try and avoid it. That kind of reaction has never happened to me at a haunted house (at HHN or elsewhere.) The second to last room with the hunter and the wolf-man was awesome and the actors got me twice. I turned to see a gun pointed in my face one second which scared me, then turned around to see a werewolf charging at me. I ran out of that room and then was scared one final time by the last wolf-man before the exit.

The house was awesome, and not only is in my top three for the event but is my favorite house of HHN19. The atmosphere was incredible, and spot on in every way. The costumes were awesome, scenes were amazing, and the scares were incredibly effective.

Atmosphere 5/5

Scares 5/5

Overall 5/5

At this time in 2009 my English class was currently reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the operator/creator of the haunted house that I personally work/worked at really wanted me to be the Frankenstein monster that year. I’m a big guy, about 6’3 and 150 lbs. so it would have been a great roll but I was on the fence about it, because I wasn’t sure what all could be done with the character because even though I loved the classic film I felt that portraying THAT kind of monster would not be as scary as it was back in the 30’s. But the novel was indeed reeling me in (so much so that I went ahead and bought my own copy of the book and that I now consider it one of my top five favorite novels) and I was hoping that maybe I might get inspiration from the HHN19 Frankenstein house. And boy did I. Creation of the Damned was an amazing experience. Every now and again when I talk about the event I even think sometimes that it’s a tad better than Wolfman in some ways.

Once again, like Wolfman as soon as you enter the house you are immersed in the universe of Victor Frankenstein and his work. As I walked through I couldn’t help but just stop and look at some of the props. This house was incredibly elaborate taking inspiration not only from the 1930’s film but from the 1994 Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein film and even the novel (which made me smile.) The house actually seemed to play out as a movie, not starting off scary but rather reeling the person into a story slowly at the beginning. As you walked through the first section you really seem to grasp Victor’s obsession I feel, and are uneasy with it as well. But that uneasiness gives way to pure unadulterated terror once The Creature is created and unleashed in the house. Once again, I am not a small guy… in Frankenstein: Creation of the Damned I felt puny. I felt so small and feeble in this house compared not only to the monster but to the scale of everything around me in the sets…but especially the monster. Heh. To all the actors in this house, you have my utmost respect because I think you guys were some of the best actors of the whole event. This house made me terrified. I yelled so much that by the time I was out of the house my voice was raspy and I felt like a little bitch. I felt that I had been through a horrible nightmare, and it was an amazing feeling. I literally ran, RAN, out of this house and once I was out I had to stop to catch my breath and wait for my heart to calm down. The Wolfman house was outstanding, and because it was my first real scare that I ever experienced its first I believe. But Frankenstein: Creation of the Damned was by far the scariest house for me during HHN19. Everything from the sets, lighting, and acting played a vital part in immersing the victim into this horrific world that was so damn beautiful and amazing to experience.

Atmosphere 5/5

Scares 6/5

Overall 5/5

(And yes, after that my mind was made up and I was The Creature for the haunted house I worked at.)

At the end of the first day, after my run through Creation of the Damned my mother and I walked through Containment again. Except it was different this time. Walking towards it I was remembering how unimpressed I was, but now it was different. Oh how great the complete darkness of night can make a difference, hm?

Now there was fog, everywhere. It was thick and hard to see through. The lights were blinding, and sounds were unsettling. And the actors utilized this, popping out when you looked other ways or when you tried to peer through the thick fog. This time going through was much better. It still wasn’t/isn’t my favorite scarezone but it defiantly went up a few pegs since my first walk through. Then I got to thinking about it being the beginning of the event during my first run through and it kind of made me want to go through Dracula again to see if that was any better.

Containment:

3/5

The Spawning was a house I wasn’t sure about. From people I was talking to in the park I was getting mixed reviews about, and so I was kind of anxious to make my own judgment about the house.

The Spawning was better than I personally was expecting. This was one of the first houses I was in that REALLY used smell to invade the victim’s space. The atmosphere of the house worked really well also. Lighting was amazing, and it did have a few good scares. It gave me a classic 50’s-6o’s scifi creature feature feel which was nice.

Atmosphere: 4/5

Scares: 3/5

Overall: 3.5/5

Lights, Camera, Hacktion was one of the scarezones I went to for the first time the second night of the event. I’m not quite sure why I didn’t go the first night because this ended up being one of my favorite scarezone of the event. There is a special place in my heart for psychos who run around with chainsaws so I was very happy seeing them chase my dear mother around the street while I stood back and laughed. I will admit though it was the people without the chainsaws who got me. A few of them hid around and would jump out. They startled me a few times.

4.5/5

Cirque du Freak was another interesting scare zone. It was definitely a real good atmosphere setter, although it seemed to be lacking in scares. My mother was freaked out by some of the side show characters, but well… that’s my mom. She gets creeped out fairly easily. It did help establish a Halloween feeling to the event though and the pumpkins hanging from the trees and the singing were incredibly eerie.

3.5/5

Leave it to Cleaver was the only house of the event my mother didn’t go in, and only because she was worried that the smell of rotting meat would get to her. This was another house I had heard mixed things about but the video that played while I was waiting in line got my hopes up high. It seemed like something that perhaps Rob Zombie would have directed. It was erratic and unsettling, and put a big smile on my face. The line was held up though before I entered for an actor change out. And as I entered the house my hopes started dwindling. Each room as I continued on in the house kept giving me more of a… campy feeling? I’m not sure how to describe it. Maybe that’s what they were going for, which a house named Leave it to Cleaver, but it seems like there could have been a lot more done with the theme of butchers killing people for meat filler. This really was the only house of the event that disappointed me.

Atmosphere: 3/5

Scares: 1/5

Overall: 1/5

Chucky was the third member of the trifecta of movie monsters/killers that were (along with the icon of the event : The Usher) the poster characters of HHN19. His house, Chucky: Friends till the End, was a house I was both looking forward too and dreading at the same time. Before I review the house you need to understand something.

I. Hate. Dolls.

I hate them with a burning passion of a thousand suns, and it’s ALL because of Child’s Play 2. I saw a clip from this movie when I was seven and have been scared of doll (and dummies as well) ever since. Show the character of Chucky is one that torments me, but in a good way. I love to get scared (why I’m at HHN,) so I was excited for this house

The Child’s Play theme is one of my favorite horror themes and the fact that it was playing right from the get go in the house had me thrilled. The actors wasted no time in scaring us, getting right to it. Chucky’s were waiting around every corner it seemed, along with various other demonic toys. The addition of other toys seemed a tad weird to me, but if the main goal is to be scared then it worked anyway. The atmosphere and rooms were very well made, even though the scares weren’t the best of the event. It still enjoyed it though, just like SAW.

Atmosphere: 4/5

Scares: 3/5

Overall: 3.5/5

I finally revisited Dracula again with my mother, and my second trip through was so much better than my first run through had been. I had been wearing my Vault shirt when we went through and I heard one of the actors yell out “Vault!” and another said “Nice shirt!” I smiled as we continued on.

The impaled bodies and thrown of Vlad at the beginning was a great mood setter and the house only got better after that. The rooms and sets were beautiful, absolutely beautiful. The lighting was magnificent as well, really keeping the mood eerie and dark. This was another house with some genuine scares for me, especially with the bride flying around above me. Actually being able to see everything was great as well. The Renfield actor made me smile as he bit into a rat and warm “blood” shot across my face. It was a nice touch and things like that are testimonies to how detailed Universal is.

Atmosphere 5/5

Scares 4/5

Overall 4-4.5/5

The final scarezone, Horrorwood: Die-In, was by far my favorite. Not only did it have the scares, it had most of my favorite horror movie characters in one location. A horror geek’s wet dream, right here! My only regret of the event is losing my camera and not being able to get pictures with them (and then finding my camera the next day at lost and found >< .) But it was an amazing zone to me, even though I do feel it possibly could have used a little more atmosphere it was pure bilss.

4.5-5/5

The final house of my review is Silver Screams, the Usher’s house. I visited this house the second day of the event and this house ended up being tied with Frankenstein for second favorite house of HHN19. The façade was absolutely beautiful, and the aroma of popcorn is one of my most favorite scents. This house, like Horrorwood, is a horror fan’s dream come true. All these horror films coming together in once house. The very first room, the Phantom, had me cheering almost. When he slammed on the organ though my mom screamed. I hate the remake of My Bloody Valentine, and have unfortunately not seen the original. But neither of those facts mattered because I yelped light a frightened puppy when the minor rush through the hall. The Thing is one of my most favorite horror films of all time, and The Thing room got me twice. The Stranger’s room was another one that scared me a good deal. It caught that eerie feeling of the film for me. I entered the room and the burlap masked man was just standing there. The girl in the window just tapped on it and I couldn’t help but think “wtf…” but that’s when Mr. Burlap rushed with his ax raised and scared the piss nearly out of me. Even the Shaun of the Dead room got me. Finally the hanging people behind the curtain was a disturbing touch, and like the Frankenstein and Wolfman house, the final room with the Usher had me running out. But Silver Screams had the same effect as Frankenstein and I had to stop right outside the door to steady myself. This house didn’t hold back on the scares, and the atmosphere was top notch.

Atmosphere: 5/5

Scares: 5-6/5

Overall:5/5

That’s my review of HHN19: Silver Screams. I had an amazing time, and know that eventually I’ll be going back to HHN to enjoy it with the rest of you!

[AaronPaHHNFan]

Wow your really late but it's a good review.

[Creeper06]

As you said, better late than never! I love reading these because it's like a little trip down memory lane. I totally agree that the Wolfman house was amazing and one for the books! And I also have never been a fan of "humor houses" like Cleaver. Thanks for sharing.

[_Veritas_]

No problem, and thank you both!