Cwoolboy's Opening Night review (some spoilers)

[cwoolboy]

Just got back, so I'm pretty tired. Don't expect a whole lot here, just my general thoughts on what I got to do.

HOUSES

Winter's Night: some parts were pretty wow, other parts not so much. Some of the characters reminded me of some seen in the previous Frankenstein house. I don't really know the whole backstory, so maybe that clarifies things a bit. To me it seemed like a cemetary where experiments had been performed. Interesting house overall. Will definitely give it a 2nd try. RATING: 6/10

Nightingales: Blood Prey: WOW. just....WOW. What a perfect house (and I don't throw the word perfect around lightly). From opening scene/facade you are thrust deep into the heart of battle. Guns blaze overhead, people can be heard screaming, and a nightingale bends down from above and reaches out for passersby as we enter the trenches. It makes for quite the first impression. My first reaction was to step back a bit and take it all in. Beautiful. The Nightingales are fantastic and terrifying (especially as they become more and more grotesque as you make your way deeper into the trenches). There are constant flashes of light and the sound of gunfire, it really feels like there is a war going on above and around you...it's a fantastic effect that works really well. I thought the portrayal of war was realistic enough (I've never been through warfare so I wouldn't really know how it truly is). Overall one of the best houses of the night. Rating: 10/10

Nevermore: The Madness of Poe: Another fantastic house. I was worried I wouldn't recognize all of Poe's works but I knew just about every one we walked through. The first scene was fantastic, seeing Poe furiously scribbling on paper and clutching at his heart. My favorite scenes were The Cask...(It was either this or The Black Cat), Masque of The Red Death, and one that appeared to take place in a mansion. The best parts of the house were when Poe actually began to appear in his stories, almost acting like our guide on this journey, It was really cool to see him in these parts and that just about made my night. I don't know about you guys, but I wanted to hug Poe...he was so cool. Overall a very different, fantastic house that any Poe fan should see. Rating: 10/10

The In-Between: I had high hopes for this one. As it was it was a good house, but didn't really blow me away. Every room was pretty warped and twisted (in a good way, LOVE how it starts out in a college dorm). The spinning tunnel combined with the 3D glasses was quite the nauseating effect (and I don't get sick easily...I just about fell over in this area). There was a never ending hallway effect (best way I could describe it...felt like the hallway was almost growing). The laser room was pretty cool. One of my personal favorite rooms was the yarn room...so confusing but so colorful and awesome! The In-Between is a memorable house that I will definitely be hitting several more times. Rating: 7/10

The Forsaken: I hit this baby right at the end of the night. For the first half of the house I was the only one there (with friends trailing behind me). It was nice to get the scareactors full attention. The sets, details, and character designs are phenomenal, but I felt like I didn't get a clear understanding of what each room was. Right when it felt like the house was getting to the good part it ends. so dissappointed. I could tell the scareactors are dedicated to their craft in here, and that's a very good thing and is one of the reasons I love this house so. I was also impressed by the hurricane effects (wind gusts and water splashes...love it). I'm definitely going to hit The Forsaken several more times. Overall a great house that is just too short ( I felt like it should have been 10x longer). Rating: 8/10

ZONES

Acid Assualt: I didn't get to walk all the way through this one, but was impressed from what I saw, the scares I received in the small area I walked through, and the character designs. Not gonna rate this one until I walk all the way through it, but color me hopeful.

Grown Evil: A beautiful use of the Central Park area. Really succeeded in makng the whole place feel like an overgrown garden/park. Loved the blue lighting and the fog to be found within. Pleasantly surprised by the amount of female screactors here (and whats more...most were good lookng). Good scares throughout and good character diversity (stilt-walkers, groundwalkers, raven types, etc). Overall a zone I will definitely be spending more time in. Rating: 7/10

Canyon of Dark Souls: Nothing jaw dropping here. Lots of fog that enshrouded my vision (loved it), tons of guardians (very cool), and occasional fire effects. Definitely succeeds at creating claustophobia (I was afraid I'd run right into a scareactor). For such a small zone they did a lot with it, and the scareactors do a pretty good job at creating scares and tension. definitely a fun zone to walk through. Rating: 7/10

7- Walked through at the end of the night when the scareactors had left. It looks good, and I LOVE the music choice found within. Definitely has soe good potential. Color me hopeful.

MERCHANDISE

Hoodie: I was thinking about buying one, but it's just an all black hoodie with Halloween Horror Nights 21 and a small symbol on the top left. I wish it had a cooler design to it. I decided not to buy it.

Blood Bag: Worth a purchase if you've never had one before. Very weak, lacks an appealing taste, but fun to suck on (almost makes ya feel like a vamp). I had to buy a coke to help wash down the taste of the thing. Probly won't be purchasing one again (I don't need alcohol to make HHN fun), but it was worth a try.

OVERALL

Not the best year by any means, but it definitely has some potential. It had both it's up and downs. I didn't feel Luck's presence in the areas I was in and the whole event seemed to lack a consistant theme (not really a bad thing, but definitely noticeble). That said, it does feel good to have pretty much all original material this year (minus The Thing). I understand that this is opening night and thus the scareactors are still finding their sweet spots, I know that as the event progresses they will get better and so will the event (one of the reasons I try to go multiple times). I have high hopes that this year will eventually grow into something truly beautiful, but as it is right now it's still a fun experience that definitley left me wanting more. Rating: 7/10

Edited September 24, 2011 by cwoolboy