Killswitch's 2014 Review (some spoilers)

[killswitch22]

Hello all, as I've done for the part couple of years I will be writing my review of this years Halloween Horror Nights. I'd like to start by saying I was a bit apprehensive about this years event due to the significant amount of IP houses. I am happy to say there wasn't a house I was disappointed in this year. I am also happy that they brought back actual scarezones rather than the roaming hoards of the past two years. I would like to start my "review" with a few firsts and a couple of notes:

• This is the first year I was able to access the early admission houses with the annual passholders. I really enjoy this and it helps someone like me who can't afford the express pass.
• This is the first year I have had a friend as a scareactor in a house.
• I got to meet Mike Aiello in line for Dracula. I just said a quick thank you and he was very appreciated and seemed to be almost caught off guard. This was my first time meeting him and it was pretty cool for a super fan like myself.
• I'd like to thank Dr. Jimmy to not physically showing how he thought I was psychotic when I introduced myself to him.
• I abandoned my route I had been using for the past four years. If I see the same results the next couple times I go this year I will stick with this new route.
• I do feel like houses and scarezones are a bit understaffed.

House reviews are in order of which I entered them.

AVP: 7/10- This was the house I was probably most nervous about this house due to the feeling that I had that it relies on a lot of effects that can be hit or miss. Scares were scarce but was startled by a few xenomorphs. I commend the Predators on their intensity. I do feel like that I missed a good amount of scares due to my timing. Also I was hoping more for the crouching section at the end of the house, only found one actor right at the end. Overall not a bad house, but I'm sure this will change based on each run through.

Dracula: 8/10: Dracula: Legacy in Blood was the first house I have ever been in back in 2009 and is probably in my top five in which I've been through. I was really happy that the house took place in the castle rather than the caves. The wind effects were a really cool touch as well. I had 2 or 3 really good scares here and the I really enjoyed the finale room.

Roanoke 7.5/10: This was my most anticipated house being that it's based off early American history. The sets and smells were what really made the house, especially the burning smells. The intensity of the actors was pretty good. I do however feel like this house was very understaffed with a lot of dead space. Another thing I didn't particularly care for was the character audio. I feel like them saying "MEAT" over and over again was a bit cheesy.

Dollhouse of the Damned: (9.5/10) This house was the best run through of the night hands down. It was disgustingly creepy and had a hard time taking my time through the house. Smells were utilized very well in this house. The crib room was probably the most disturbing thing I had ever experienced at HHN and got the best scare of the night in that room. I felt like I missed the scares in the finale.

From Dusk Til Dawn: (9/10) Coming in to the event I had no idea what this show was really about and didn't make any effort to watch the show. I was very impressed by this house though. The facade scene is fantastic. The character was hilarious and he really set the tone for the house. The sets were very cool and the actors were intense. The club like scenes were nothing like I had seen before and I feel like that why I enjoyed this house so much. This house wasn't so much scary but very entertaining.

Giggle & Gore (8.5-/10) This was a pretty good house for me. I feel like I experienced most of the scares and jumped a good amount in here. The interactions with scareactors in this house were what made the house for me. Also it wasn't as short as I had expected which was a huge plus.

Halloween (9/10) I have been waiting for this house since I've been attending this event and I'm very happy to say I was not disappointed. One of the more aggressive houses of the year especially toward the end the house. Love the bedroom and living room scene though I feel like the couch stabbing could have been better executed. Lots of good scares and I was pleasantly surprised to see Dr. Loomis.

The Walking Dead (8.5/10) I hate to say it, but this is by far the best Walking Dead house that I've been through. I know we're all kind of sick of the whole Walking Dead and zombie fad but the sets were absolutley beautiful and the scareactors really seemed to embrace their roles. The finale was insanely good and I love the grocery store scene. The only thing that I didn't care for was the 105 minute wait.

Scarezones:

MASKerade (9/10)- At the moment this is my favorite scarezone. I've gotten the most interaction in this zone and the actors seem like their having fun with it. I also feel like this is the most well staffed zone in a year where a lot of scarezones feel empty.

The Purge ( 8/10) The actors here really know their parts. Very intense and a lot of movement which I really like in a scarezone. The bidding show was pretty cool as well. If there were more actors it would probably be the top scarezone.

Bayou of Blood (6/10): This one had the most potential due to its location but I feel like they didn't take advantage of it. During one of my walk throughs there were no scareactors in the tree covered part which was a huge bummer. The actors seemed really stagnant and the actors really only went after the people in their bubble

Faceoff (7.5/10) This was cool zone to look at. The roaming actors would a lot of fun and had good intensity. Like I said before this zone would be a lot better if there were more actors.

Shows:

Bill and Ted: I always make it a point to do Bill and Ted during the first week and see how it progresses to the last week. I was really happy how they just destroyed everything Disney. Frozen and the Somalian pirate were probably my two favorite bits and the end dance sequence was on point, especially the music selection this year.

House Rankings:

1. Dollhouse
2. Halloween
3. From Dusk Til Dawn
4. Giggles
5. Walking Dead
6. Dracula
7. Roanoke
8. AVP

Scarezone Rankings

1. MASKerade
2. The Purge
3. FaceOff
4. Bayou

Overall this was a great event and I had lots of fun as always. If you made it through this entire review thanks for reading. I will be doing edits throughout the season.

Thanks,

Killswitch

Edited October 16, 2014 by killswitch22