DTH316 Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 Universal Studios Hollywood presents in association with Halloween Horror Nights DTH's Trip Review "DTH and The Exorcist Brothers vs. Krampus from Hell: A Horror Story" September 16th, 2016. Opening Night. 6 PM - 2 AM As always, this is a very detailed review. By it's nature, spoilers are abound. This is for people who have already gone and want a refresher, for people who will never be able to go and want perspective outside of just watching walkthroughs, and for people who don't mind spoilers and want to just get more excited. [ARRIVAL] Arrived in the ET parking lot at 4 PM and walked around for about an hour and a half, took a look at the merch, some of our group ate, etc.. Made our way through security, which was really fast but they made me throw away my brand new pack of gum!!! The early entry felt really confusing this year because it was too simple and felt like a trick. Basically, the regular entrance is the early entry. Essentially, they just let EVERYONE in instead of a cool little secret thing like it used to be (I don't know if they'll change this but keep in mind this is an opening night review). We lined up at 5:30 and just sat there for a very long time, as I assumed we'd be going in at this point. They started letting the herd in at 6:00 PM and we got wristbanded. We made our way down the starway and I looked down, there was already a huge line forming for The Exorcist. As we were heading to the backlot, they stopped the mass of people for a moment, and we just stayed idle in front of the Exorcist facade and just held us up there for a good five to ten minutes, for like no reason, as there were no cars driving through or anything. At 6:30ish, they finally let us keep going. [THE PURGE: ROUTE 666 SCAREZONE] The music was thumping and the scareactors are in close distance. They were rocking the two times we went through here and energetic the whole time. I liked Walking Dead in this tunnel more, as it was more ominous. This zone felt more "fun" than anything. [THE PURGE: BACKLOT SCAREZONE] This is the "Party in the USA" section, but since it was still daylight, the lit up car wasn't shining yet. Bummer, as this was oddly something I was looking forward to the most out of the Purge this year. When we went through, it didn't seem full of scareactors yet, as years before, this zone always seemed to be swarmed with talent hitting on the containers, but there wasn't much of that going on. The chainsaw crew at the end of the zone were in full effect though. [AMERICAN HORROR STORY] Advertised Wait: 10 In Line At: 6:42 PM In Maze At: 6:45 PM Actual Wait: 3 minutes Coming onto the backlot and seeing every maze already open and only be 10 minutes each felt like Christmas, errr... Krampus ;). But I knew AHS was the most popular, so we quickly ran to this one. Entering the maze, the stage is quickly set via the sound design as you're being introduced to the Murder House, which I think is a neat touch. Although, it would've been better to get the facade and just have that playing on the outside, but perhaps they didn't wanna confuse guests into thinking it's solely a Murder House maze. The first 1/3 of the maze felt very lackluster because the scareactors were attacking us but their sound triggers weren't going off! Unfortunately, it's opening night and at this point, if they're reliant on the triggers, I don't blame them. But if this happens later in the run, the scareactors need to learn to be more aggressive with their scares if they're going to get any reaction. Also, the trigger produces a light, so when they popped out, I half didn't even realize a scareactor was coming for me because they weren't going ARGH or anything. Again, the aggression needs to pick up for the first 1/3. At the end of the section, I think in the basement, the trigger actually went off and gave me a jolt because I wasn't expecting it at that point (or is that purposely the design of the scares here?) Freak Show segment is hands down THE BEST part of the maze in every level. The scares, the characters, the sounds, the smells - I WAS THERE in the show. Luckily, their triggers were working and got many scares in this section. I loved the Twistys, as they all had his "movement" down. The whole cast was going for it the hardest in here and I applaud them. Hotel I was mainly just trying to piece together what the hell was going on, considering I hadn't seen the season. I was slightly confused but still got some scares in here. The best scare I got in the entire maze though was a camoflauged scareactor hiding in some drapes which dang near had me run out of the maze. I think this really works here, as oppose to other years that tried this like in Crimson Peak, because this wasn't EXPECTED and was right at the end when you thought it was over. Facade - 7. To grade this one for the outside of the maze wouldn't be fair. It's an anthology maze, so I'll judge it based on each section. There's a Freak Show and Hotel facade (although a small one) inside that I think would be more fair to judge this by. With that said, the Freak Show one is FANTASTIC. Hotel is whatever. The actual facade to get in the whole maze really isn't that bad. There have been some mazes with literally NO facade (Evil Dead), so I can't even be that mad. I think for the concept, this works. It would've been a LOT better to have been the Murder House, since that's where we start, but my guess is they were trying to save some money haha. Set Design - 8. For some reason, Murder House didn't seem distinguished as it was in the show. The Freak Show section was definitely on point and the best part of the maze as a whole, look-wise because I think they had the most ambiance to work with. Hotel, not having seen the season, was pretty good too and had a nice creepy vibe. Sound Design - 8. This I loved, especially in the beginning being introduced to the Murder House. Again, the Freak Show section benefited the most from it's soundtrack and really put us in the environment. However, I gotta dock this 2 points because of the sound trigger issue for most of Murder House. Scareactor Design - 10. The scary characters in Murder House kinda went over my head, since it's been so long since I've seen that season, but they looked creepy. Freak Show's characters were awesome, especially Twisty. Hotel had some good characters as well. Make-up, overall, resembled the show very closely. Cast Performance - 9. I felt like everyone was on their game, but they were inhibited without their sound triggers in the first 1/3. Special Effects - 7. This maze isn't heavy on special effects, since it's not really relying on them Length - 10. The longest maze of the night and I really enjoyed it, as it never felt too long because the sections were vastly different. Scare Level - 7. I didn't run out of any rooms screaming, aside from the one camoflauge thing that got me. I think this will hopefully improve the next time I go. Story Comprehension - 10. As an anthology maze, this really worked, as I was worried the story would be sloppy. However, there were clear distinctions as to which season you were in and those specific story lines with each one. Personal Bias Points - 8. I've long waited for AHS to come to Horror Nights and it finally delivered. I would've preferred Asylum over Hotel, but hopefully that'll be next year.84 out of 100. 'B' [KRAMPUS] Advertised Wait: 10 In Line At: 6:52 PM In Maze At: 6:58 PM Actual Wait: 6 minutes FvJ still had a 10 minute wait also, so we figured it didn't matter which order we did everything in at this point (I was wrong haha but more on that in a bit). I didn't have high expectations for this maze but just walking up to the facade had me giddy. We figured out the password for tonight, "Gingerbread," and literally waved the postal man down. He ran all the way from where he was at the other end of the queue just as we were about to enter the maze and he quickly gave us a card when we gave the password. Thanks for your postal service, guy, you rock! Walking in, we were quickly hit with a cloud of FOG which had me overjoyed. The sets in here were AMAZING. The maze is a bit repetitive as you go through the living room over and over again, but I didn't mind too much since each time was vastly different. I pretty much loved everything about this maze and it wasn't comical, like I thought it would be. The only part that was kinda funny was the gingerbread man scene, but it was FILLED with detail that I'll have to look for something new each time I go back. One of the best scares I got was from a Krampus in the chimney, which I just didn't expect for some reason. Only part I think was a dud was the moving snowmen, which barely moved (unless I just didn't see the scare here). Walking out, I was VERY surprised that the maze was actually scary. I knew it'd have great sets, some of the best HHN has ever done, but I didn't imagine this would be one of the best mazes of the night. This line I don't think ever reached an hour long (while AHS, FvJ and Exorcist were a constant 2 hours+), so be sure to hit Krampus, it's worth it! Facade - 10. I wish I could've seen it at night, but it was gorgeous even during the day. Set Design - 10. Again, some of the best sets HHN has ever done. Sound Design - 9. I loved the music and the chaos the soundtrack brought, but there weren't any memorable sections. Scareactor Design - 10. Krampus was AMAZING and everything else looked great too. Cast Performance - 7. As of now, the scares could've been more aggressive, as this maze mainly relies on it's settings, which luckily actually really works for the most part. I think they'll improve in the run, however. Special Effects - 9. There was some great stuff in here, especially that damn chimney Krampus. Also, smothered in fog! Length - 9. The maze was just the right length, but I felt they could've added a bit more orignality since it seemed all the other mazes were about that this year. Straying from the movie and doing something unexpected would've been great. Scare Level - 8. Wasn't the scariest maze of the night but I was scared more than I expected. Story Comprehension - 9. I felt like I got the maze very well, considering I saw the movie, but some in my group who hadn't were still confused as to who Krampus was or why and blah blah blah. *shrug* Personal Bias Points - 9. I had been waiting for the creator of Trick 'r Treat to come to Horror Nights and it lived up to my expectations. But with that now said, and since the maze knocked it out of the park, GIVE US TrT!!!90 out of 100 'A'- [FREDDY VS. JASON] Advertised Wait: 25 In Line At: 7:02 PM In Maze At: 7:43 PM Actual Wait: 41 minutes The line jumped up an extra 15 minutes, which I didn't think was that bad, but it was longer than advertised. So if I were you, after AHS, I would run for this maze and do Krampus last, since it's sadly the least popular on the backlot. Walking in, I felt somewhat as if I was living a new movie featuring my favorite slashers and that's the best feeling I could've had. This maze is completely different from the film and was VERY original and that's what I loved the most about it. It did it's own thing, as if Murdy had his own script in mind before the movie came out and wanted to go with that. I also loved the aspect that this maze "took it's time" and built up to the climax, with first showing us Freddy's journey and then Jason's, and then showed us them fighting. A lot of people said "I forgot what maze I was in until Jason popped up" and I think that works in this maze's favor, as it's really driving home STORY. This maze is very Freddy-centric, which I think really worked, and literally it's him terrorizing Jason the whole time. My favorite scene is the Freddy snake EATING A LITTLE KID JASON. I just imagined a random victim for that scene, but that extra layer of awesomeness really sold that moment and I was very surprised. Which made the ending where Freddy wins all the more sad for Jason haha. In my mind, that's the only ending there should be, since that's the one that makes sense considering everything we saw in the maze. If Jason wins, since it's the last scene, you wouldn't get to see his glory of overcoming such a great foe. But with Freddy winning (which is the version I saw, if you couldn't tell by now), it's like he strived the whole maze to do it and that last scene is like "success!" Anyway, some of the best stuff in here is what worked in AVP so well. There are scares from both sides, as if the two are fighting. There's an AWESOME room where the walls fade away to reveal the slashers right next to you, which we saw last year in Insidious and it works well again here. Also, the scares were very aggressive from both Freddy and Jason, making this -- AGAIN -- one of the most surprising mazes of the night. I expected this maze to mostly just be "cool," not scary. Facade - 10. Not one of my favorites, but since it's in tribute to the late great Wes Craven, it automatically gets a 10 (otherwise I'd say it's like a 7 or 8) Set Design - 9. Greatly designed maze and felt like I was on Elm Street and Camp Crystal Lake. This only loses a few points because the other mazes this year (even one of the other slasher ones) have sets that are phenomenal. Sound Design - 10. Like El Cucuy, you'll greatly benefit from listening to Freddy talk while going through the maze. As where that was a companion, this time it's almost essential to know what's going on. And that really drove home the story for this maze. Scareactor Design - 10. The Freddys and Jasons looked on point, and the victims looked great, too. I'm convinced the Freddy girls outside of the Elm Street house were actual kids haha. Cast Performance - 10. They were so aggressive and rocking it, coming out of two places at once often times. Special Effects - 8. Other than the Freddy Snake, which is an old hat at this point, there wasn't much new and innovative, but there is some cool things in here, just not much you haven't seen before. Length - 10. The story was fully told in it's length, plus it was completely original in doing so, and I couldn't ask for more from it in that regard. Scare Level - 9. Some great scares in here that'll be only more aggressive later in the month, which I can't wait for. Story Comprehension - 10. Again, the story here is FANTASTIC. I would love to see this version of the story filmed. Personal Bias Points - 10. I just loved the hell out of this maze, more than I was expecting to. These are my favorite two icons and they really deliver and it was so cool to see them in one maze finally.96 out of 100 'A' [HALLOWEEN: HELL COMES TO HADDONFIELD] Advertised Wait: 40 In Line At: 8:02 In Maze At: 8:53 Actual Wait: 51 We walked into line for Exorcist since it didn't seem that bad. We kept walking and realized there was zigzags super far out and quickly jumped out to see it was actually 90 minutes but Halloween was sporting a 40 minute wait, so we opted for that instead. We got in line and there was a hold up for quite some time, but then it finally started moving. I was oppose to them doing a Halloween 2 maze. I don't know why, I just simply didn't want it haha and would've preferred a whole franchise run through but this is what we got instead. With that said, again, I was VERY SURPRISED by this maze. It worked, a lot of it, and I liked this way better than last year's Halloween maze. This felt very fresh and different and I applaud them for continuing the story. This genuinely seemed like a sequel (unlike another maze, which we'll get to later). The maze literally takes place where the last maze left off, with Loomis shooting Michael. I expected a bit more originality in the kills department for this one but they actually went with the ones in the film, which I thought were pretty tame. Here, they work, aside from the syringe one. Michael attacking with a syringe is just... not scary. You could barely tell he was holding anything. I think they should re-work that, but that's just me. The Halloween 3 reference in here works way more than it has in the past. I also like that they included my favorite part of the movie, with the little kid who bit into the razor blade. I also liked the Laurie Strode they cast, as I thought she looked very close to Jamie Lee. Michael bloody, swinging his blade around blindly, was pretty scary too. Now, where the real fun begins because I wasn't expecting this ending AT ALL. If you don't want to be spoiled on this, even though this is a spoiler heavy review, skip to the next review. Anyway, in my opinion, this is the best part of ANY maze this year and one of the best segments in HHN history. Not only was I surprised by the originality and innovation, it was a very hauntingly beautiful moment. With the distorted "Mr. Sandman" playing as we walked through this gorgeous nightmare, I was in complete awe as to what was going on before me. The first pumpkin segment with pumpkins just everywhere, and some of them being actual people with pumpkin heads, was brilliant. I thought the maze was over there, but then you travel into a giant pumpkin where Michael roams. This was brilliant and reminded me of Sleepy Hollow Mountain's ending at Knotts Scary Farm at first, but that's where the similiarties stop. Think El Cucuy's lair, just made entirely of pumpkin. How Murdy or any of the creators thought of this to be tacked onto the ending of Halloween 2, I have no idea, but it was BRILLIANT. Even if it was like "oh, we ran out of movie and we have all this space in the maze left, what should we do?" Well, you succeeded in doing something that was so good, I really would love to see a maze based on solely THAT ending. It was very WTF but in such a good way. Bravo. Facade - 8. A basic house and not much going on outside of it other than some gunshots. In my opinion, going over the ending of the first Halloween wasn't necessary, but that's just me. Set Design - 10. The hospital looked great, but most of these points are mainly for the ending. If it weren't for that, I'd say it's like an 8 or a 9. But that ending really took this maze to the next freakin' level. Sound Design - 10. Again, everything is fine, but that ending's soundtrack was PHENOMENAL. A friend asked me what song it was, and sadly, all I know is it was a mix of "Mr. Sandman." I would love to download it myself. Scareactor Desin - 9. The Michael's looked really great this year, I thought! I mainly dock a point here because all the victims were dummies. Cast Performance - 10. Aggressive Michael's, as there should be. Great Loomis and a great Laurie, who I don't think we've seen done as well in a maze before. Usually it would just be a generic blondish chick, but this girl looked just like her. Special Effects - 9. That ending with the pumpkins had such great lighting. I'm also surprised they pulled off the tub kill with actual water, as I expected them to substitute it somehow. Length - 10. The tacked on ending was great, because the maze felt fully realized of Halloween 2, but this was great. In my "what we expect" thread, Murdy really pulled off not just doing the same thing he did last year like I expected. He outdid himself in every way. Scare Level - 9. I thought this was a great 7, but once we got to the ending where we had no idea what was going on, it rose up quite a bit. Story Comprehension - 10. They retold the end of part 1, told all of part 2 that made sense, and then throw you into a nightmare. Personal Bias Points - 10. If the rest of this maze was nearly as creative as the ending, this would've been the best maze of the night. However, I'm just glad this was better than last year's maze as I had zero expectations for this and it took it to the freakin' moon and back.95 out of 100. 'A' [JURASSIC PARK IN THE DARK] Advertised Wait: 10 In Line At: 9:17 In Maze At: 9:27 Actual Wait: 10 minutes I go on this every year in hopes they secretly did something different. They didn't lol. Lots of dinosaurs missing and car isn't falling. Sadness. [ELI ROTH PRESENTS: TERROR TRAM] Advertised Wait: 40 In Line At: 9:58 In Maze At: 10:32 Actual Wait: 34 minutes The long line of death where you just walk in zig zags forever! For the love of God, FIX THIS by monitoring it better because this has happened every year since 2011. Anyway, they played some short films on the screens in line, which were really fun to watch. Had nothing to do with Eli Roth or clowns, but oh well. The story starts getting sold once you're on the tram, with a video that I thought was pretty good. The clown with balloons waiting for you as you get off the tram is FREAKY AS HELL. Great touch. They really should've opened up Whoville so you could see it though, it is clowns after all and they could've done so much with that part. Bates Motel segment seemed like every other Terror Tram, just with clowns. The real change is in the WotW area. But this is my biggest gripe... there is literally another line smack dab in the middle of the Tram which ruins ALL the momentum. As for what's presented inside and after, it's all great. I loved every single bit of it. But the practicality of throwing that many people into a small container was a very dumb idea and I have to be bitchy about it because it's like the damn people who make this invent never attend it during normal operating hours. This is obviously a very stupid idea and all the adrenaline that was pumping was subsided by this dang line. Anyway, kudos to the cast and the set design, it's the best Terror Tram has been since 2009, in my opinion. They finally did something innovative, just at the cost of being really stupid with the planning of it. As for Eli Roth, he's nowhere to be seen in the video before or after, and I didn't really feel his touch on the project, which makes me wonder exactly what it is he was involved in with this. Maybe it was all his idea, but none of that really shows. Anyway, I dug it, I just hope to go on a day less jam packed with people so I could stroll through the experience much better, but I doubt that'll happen.'A' [TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: BLOOD BROTHERS] Advertised Wait: 35 In Line At: 11:28 PM In Maze At: 12:10 AM Actual Wait: 42 minutes This line was moving God-forsakenly SLOWWWWW. They were letting in way too many FOL people at once and they pulsed the maze, which is why. At this point in the night, I just wanna make sure I get all the other attractions in. Anyway, we were promised a sequel to the first movie, but not a direct recreation of TCM 2. So this was supposed to be a TCM 1.5, if you will. Well, WRONG. This maze IS the first TCM all over again! They have some new stuff in here, no doubt about it, but they have the Franklin kill, they have the dinner scene, they have the graveyard, the girl on the hook! I was so mad!!! What the hell was the point of doing this maze just to do most of the first movie all over again? WITH THAT ASIDE, was the maze good? I mean, sure. Better than "Saw is the Law?" Eh, about the same. The scares were pretty good and the set design seemed more grim, more towards BIB (just nowhere near as good, obviously). But if you're looking for a cool new story based in the TCM universe like FvJ or the ending of H2, you're in for a sad awakening. Just for being tricked/conned, I almost want to say this maze sucked, but it surprisingly had some good scares so I can't be as bitter as I want to be. Anyway, this was a lot of my group's favorite, but they're not as versed in HHN history so this was mostly new to them. The maze IS good though, it's just the weakest of the bunch FOR ME. But considering this is the weakest, that means this year is beyond your WILDEST SCREAMS!!! Facade - 8. Kinda basic, but I liked the music out there. Set Design - 9. It had the feel of the first movie, just a darker version. Sound Design - 9. The trigger scares were pretty good and loud, I'll give it that. Scareactor Design - 8. Some of the dummies actually looked pretty bad, but anyway, you got Leatherface and clan. Cast Performance - 8. They could've been more aggressive, in my opinion, but they'll be more rocking toward the end of the year. Special Effects - 8. Not much going on in here. Length - 10. This maze ended exactly where my bitterness reached it's peak, so I guess that's good. Scare Level - 9. There's some jolts in here, no doubt about it. Story Comprehension - 6. Is it part 1? Is it part 2? Is it like an alternate reality? Who the hell knows. Fuck this concept bahaha. Personal Bias Points - 5. I'm just bitter. Don't mind me.80 out of 100 'B'- [JABBAWOCKEEZ] Was gonna do Walking Dead, which sported a 10 minute line as we were in line for TCM, but as soon as we walked out of the maze, it jumped up to 60. WHAT?! We decided we could miss it and wanted to rest for awhile, so we caught the 12:30 AM showing. The show is similar in concept to last year, just with new routines and music. Personally, I love this stuff but I know most of you don't. As for the horror bit, it's only in the beginning, which I think was kinda in last year's show, too. It's a fun show and a good detour for 30 minutes, but only see it if you have the time and don't want to repeat any mazes.'B'+ [THE PURGE: GAUNTLET OF FEAR] I really loved this zone more than I thought I would. The beginning was empty of talent and I thought that spelled bad news, but as soon as we got to the courtyard, things really picked up. The bushmen were INCREDIBLE and they got me at every turn! For some reason, those always scare the crap out of me. Considering this almost has an outside maze feel, I really think they should throw in some triggers into this zone to really amp up the scares. Just be a lowkey, outside maze, Terror Tram hybrid and I think that would really take this to the next level. I was walking around Baker Street and the stilt guy got me SOOOOO good. He was hiding behind something and I just did not notice him at ALLLL. Great job. 'A' [THE EXORCIST] Advertised Wait: 95 In Line At: 1:19 AM In Maze At: 1:30 AM Actual Wait: 11 minutes At this point, we were gonna do the Mummy and hit Exorcist dead last like right at 1:50 to get the shortest wait. However, I was on the Starway and noticed the line was VERY SHORT. Has the wait times been lying all damn night for this thing?! At one point I saw it at 150 minutes for this maze! So we decided, maybe we could do this maze fast enough and still get Walking Dead in, which we did! So we jumped in line and I heard so many bad things about this maze... alot of what you've heard is true. It's all mannequins and puppets and animatronics... BUT... THIS IS THE SCARIEST MAZE I WENT THROUGH LAST NIGHT. Maybe the scariest I've been through since Back in Business in 07 and 08. I had high expectations, I just molded those with the bad reviews of what I heard already so I was already accepting this maze for what it could be. And boy... I'm trying to gather my thoughts. Okay, here we go. Entering the maze, you see that subliminal dude on a wall and I already thought that was cool. You see the Spider Walk on the stairs, which is creepy in itself. Is it suppose to move? I didn't see it happen, but it was a nice reference. Anyway, I was first ahead of my group and there was NOBODY in front of me. I didn't catch up to the group ahead of us until like the last scene. So maybe this maze being so great was just my VERY special experience, what the creators get when going through and feeling completely alone. I asked some of my group that were behind me what they thought and they thought it was good, but not as great as I did, because they were shuffling and crammed into the maze apparently, going slow. I feel like I got the intended product of this maze and it worked like a freakin' charm on me. And maybe I'll never experience this maze like this ever again on my next few trips, but I'm just so glad I got to experience this maze like this at least once, and on my first trip through which made it all the better. EVERY - SINGLE - SCARE was directed at me and they all hit me HARD. By design, this maze isn't great, but I think that works in this maze's BENEFIT. I'll explain. You walk into the house. Then dark hallways. You kinda start to expect the scares to be in the dark hallways. You have to go through those hanging curtains. But after those curtains, there's a scare. So now, by response, you know every time you open that damn curtain, something is going to come out at you and that always terrified me each time as I was going into a dark hallway. In my opinion, that made this maze genius, as oppose to the dark hallways of say AWIL, which just had those dark hallways as transitions. These dark hallways are USED for the main scares, as there aren't many in the other theatrical rooms. There's some real people, there's some puppets, and there's some other effects, but mainly, those scares are when you're completely in the dark and sometimes in areas you're not expecting them. I screamed OH FUCK at least 5 times, and when I scream "oh fuck," that means I'm GENUINELY being scared. I was shaking half way through the maze, eyes watering, not wanting to go into the next room, squirming, terrified to see what else this maze had to deliver as they just kept getting crazier and crazier. Even the FEEL of the maze just worked and felt so uncomfortable, especially with those hanging invisible threads that touch you each time you're in the darkness to make you squirm all the more. In the theatrical rooms, it really felt like the movie, which I thought was so cool. The Reagan mask was great and I wasn't even bothered by most of the dummies/animatronics of her like I thought I would be. I feel like they're more warranted than the Mia's in Evil Dead which easily could've been a real person while these couldn't have. The priest mask, however, looked really stupid. Luckily I didn't look at him much, since my eyes were on Reagan, but please change those dang priest masks. The only scene that was a bit of a dud was the statue toward the end, as the guy just wasn't that still and even when he moved to scared, he was so big and clunky, it was almost comical. Overall, MY FAVORITE MAZE EXPERIENCE EVER. I know the maze won't be this good for me the next time, and I know it sucked for a lot of other people, but if I somehow get the same experiences on my next two trips, this will be my favorite maze IN GENERAL. Yes, Back in Business was great in every single aspect and can't be outdone, but the EXPERIENCE that I had in this maze was one of a kind and I'm sad I just may never have it again. With that in mind, I didn't go through this maze like everyone else did or will, but I was very fortunate to get more scared than I have ever been in a maze and I go through most mazes STONE FACED, but this had me looking like a little bitch. JOB WELL DONE. Facade - 10. The music, the light, the fog! It was perfect. Set Design - 6. The rooms recreated were fantastic. The dark rooms, although by design I think do work, are afterall - dark rooms, so I can't be too generous on this one. Sound Design - 10. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT SHE DID?!" This was classic. Scareactor Design - 9. Docking a point for the main priest HORRIBLE mask. Everything else was A+. Cast Performance - 10. The people that WERE real in here must've had a personal vendetta on me, because this was the most aggressive cast I've ever seen in my life. They were trying to MURDER ME and I was targeted every single damn time for every single scare and they ALL got me SO GOOD. Special Effects - 10. I was very surprised this didn't look extremely fake like I was expecting. It works for this maze. Length - 10. I literally wanted to get out as soon as possible because I was so frightened. The fact that I had to keep going and it was only the middle is what Horror Nightmares are made of. Scare Level - 15. Literally, I gotta give 5 extra points. Scariest experience ever. No exaggeration. Again, this will NOT be the same for other people. Unless you're in the front of your group and there's nobody in front of you and you don't see the scares coming and all the scares are directed at you. If you had/have the same conditions as me, I guarantee this maze will deliever shrieks. Story Comprehension - 10. I loved the aspect of us being possessed, and the banned trailer aspects, and also witnessing the possession of Reagan. Personal Bias Points - 10. One of, if not, MY MOST favorite maze I've ever been in.100 out of 100. 'A'+ [THE WALKING DEAD ATTRACTION] After Exorcist, we realized we had maybe 15 minutes left in the night and figured hell, we should just do The Walking Dead since it's on the way out instead of The Mummy so we can officially have completed every maze. We ran in, not even checking the wait time, but we waited maybe 5 minutes at the most. With that said, I won't review this as if it's apart of the actual line up because it's just not. However, it was my first time going through and I really dug it alot. I'm overjoyed this is a permanent, year round attraction and I can't wait to randomly stroll in on a random day in March. A lot of the walkers seemed to be out of action, which I guess is fair considering I went through at closing time. I was also the last one in my group and I saw a lot of the scareactors in their booholes waiting to come out, and I never saw them attack anyone ahead of me since I was so far behind. Basically, they lost a lot of good scare opportunities on me when they could've been coming on quicker intervals to make sure the whole group is being targeted. I was scared at first, because I was last and there wasn't anyone behind me at all, but that quickly went away when they just weren't going for the kill. Standouts were the guy at the burning cabin, a guy in the prison, and a guy randomly in the forest somewhere -- thanks for trying on me! Overall, I think this is a good replacement for the House of Horrors. Even though I do miss it, Universal has to stick with the times and I don't blame them. 'C'+ [LEAVING] It was 2:02 and the guy working TWD was saying "last call" for people to get in, props to you for keeping our nightmares going! Anyway, walked through chainsaw chase out and they started just as I walked out. I feel this always happens to me [OVERALL] I love this year SO MUCH. There isn't a single weak maze and there's SO MANY strong ones that are among my all time favorites. I definitely will be revisiting multiple times and if you weren't planning on going, I urge you to see this year, you will not regret it. Quite simply, this is what Horror Nights has been progressing to be after a few weak years. There's been so many great years hindered with at least one bad maze and this year, to finally get EVERYTHING RIGHT, is lovely. Years before, I'd say "if you had to miss one," but you really can't miss ANYTHING this year. You have to be there early or get FOL and you HAVE TO SEE EVERYTHING. Even the Terror Tram is a must see and that NEVER happens! Given I am VERY bitter about TCM, I even have to say that maze is pretty damn good still. Also, it's nice to say the Behind the Mummy maze location is back to greatness after subpar mazes since 2011. Cheers to Murdy, the scareactors, the designers and everyone involved. YOU DID IT. THE GREAT WHITE BUFFALO. IT HAS HAPPENED. THE PERFECT YEAR. 'A'+ RANKINGS -- Mazes: AMAZING - The Exorcist, Freddy vs. Jason, Halloween GREAT - Krampus GOOD - American Horror Story, Texas Chainsaw Massacre AVERAGE - The Walking Dead OKAY - N/A BAD - N/A WTF - N/A Scarezones: The Purge Gauntlet of Fear Backlot Entrance Route 666 Terror Tram (through the years): AMAZING - 08, 09 GREAT - 16, 13, 12 GOOD - 14 AVERAGE - 07 OKAY - 15 BAD - 11 WTF - 10 Overall Years: *PERFECT* - 16 AMAZING - 14, 08, 12, 10, 13, 09 GREAT - 15 GOOD - 11 AVERAGE - 07 This is when I entered every attraction (to help with your game planning and for scareactors/Universal to know when I went through): Early Entry - 6:00 PM AHS - 6:45 PM Krampus - 6:58 PM FvJ - 7:43 PM Halloween - 8:53 PM JP - 9:27 PM TT - 10:32 PM TCM - 12:10 AM Jabba - 12:30 AM Exorcist - 1:30 AM TWD - 1:55 AM 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsylumSB Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 Great review (as usual) DTH! It sounds like Early Entry is a bit off when compared with last year. We were given our wristbands and told to enjoy the event, no waiting, and finished several attractions by 7pm. Regarding TCM, were the original scenes placed in the beginning of the maze, or dispursed throughout? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTH316 Posted September 18, 2016 Author Share Posted September 18, 2016 They were just randomly throughout, if anything, I wanna say they're mostly in the middle. I have to re-watch the walkthrough again, but it definitely was a maze mostly based on part 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTH316 Posted November 7, 2016 Author Share Posted November 7, 2016 On 9/17/2016 at 5:36 PM, DTH316 said: [THE PURGE: ROUTE 666 SCAREZONE] The music was thumping and the scareactors are in close distance. They were rocking the two times we went through here and energetic the whole time. I liked Walking Dead in this tunnel more, as it was more ominous. This zone felt more "fun" than anything. [THE PURGE: BACKLOT SCAREZONE] This is the "Party in the USA" section, but since it was still daylight, the lit up car wasn't shining yet. Bummer, as this was oddly something I was looking forward to the most out of the Purge this year. When we went through, it didn't seem full of scareactors yet, as years before, this zone always seemed to be swarmed with talent hitting on the containers, but there wasn't much of that going on. The chainsaw crew at the end of the zone were in full effect though. GONNA UPDATE AND COMPARE with my CLOSING NIGHT EXPERIENCES: Didn't get to see either of these zones on closing night. Early Entry people were held in the tunnel with no music or lights. The backlot zone was closed off, and I heard cheering coming from inside there so I think they were doing some sort of closing night ritual (would love to know specifically what, if anyone knows!). Even when I was done with the mazes down here (granted still early like at 6ish), nether zone was open. Also, there was some sort of hold up and we didn't get to go on the backlot until 5:40ish. For the inconvenience, everyone was given FOL passes for the lower lot rides and the Terror Tram (it wasn't crowded at all so they weren't even needed). They were handing them out like flyers so we ended up with two each! On 9/17/2016 at 5:36 PM, DTH316 said: [AMERICAN HORROR STORY] The first 1/3 of the maze felt very lackluster because the scareactors were attacking us but their sound triggers weren't going off! Unfortunately, it's opening night and at this point, if they're reliant on the triggers, I don't blame them. But if this happens later in the run, the scareactors need to learn to be more aggressive with their scares if they're going to get any reaction. Also, the trigger produces a light, so when they popped out, I half didn't even realize a scareactor was coming for me because they weren't going ARGH or anything. Again, the aggression needs to pick up for the first 1/3. At the end of the section, I think in the basement, the trigger actually went off and gave me a jolt because I wasn't expecting it at that point (or is that purposely the design of the scares here?) Hotel I was mainly just trying to piece together what the hell was going on, considering I hadn't seen the season. I was slightly confused but still got some scares in here. So after opening night, I watched some videos throughout the month to see if there were any changes to Murder House and apparently having no triggers for the majority of it was intentional. I think it's a bit of misstep, I could hardly see anyone come to attack me without it, and made the first 1/3 of the maze the weakest (although my friends loved it). And now that I've seen the Hotel season, I really feel like they dropped the ball on that portion of the maze. Freak Show is still the best part. On 9/17/2016 at 5:36 PM, DTH316 said: [HALLOWEEN: HELL COMES TO HADDONFIELD] Scareactor Design - 9. The Michael's looked really great this year, I thought! I mainly dock a point here because all the victims were dummies. They cast probably the most perfect Michael ever for the "lifted Nurse" scene. I looked him dead in the eyes, STARED IN THEM for a good 10 seconds and I swear to you, it had to be the guy who played Michael Myers in H20. I know those eyes anywhere. He stared right back at me, creepily enough, and it was the closest I'll ever get to encountering a real Michael Myers IRL. It was HIM. Those eyes are very striking and specific. Was it luck that they got this guy with the same damn eyes as the guy they hired for H20? Or was it on purpose? Totally crazy moment. TERROR TRAM I purposely took the other route on Tram on the end half, just to see what it was. It was just a fence with Christmas lights. I was like WTF, that's it?! TCM I wouldn't say TCM is the weakest maze anymore. I still don't like it as much as the others, but the scares are so hard hitting, it's hard to ignore it. It's better than AHS now that I know they dropped the ball a wee bit on Hotel. THE EXORCIST Still my favorite maze this year, easily. I didn't get all the scares aimed on me this time like before but it was still very frightening. The lady in front of me was broadcasting the whole thing live on Facebook, so she got some of the scares, and the light from her phone made the dark scenes illuminated a bit. Regardless, my friend that I was with was shaking, closing her eyes, and crying the whole way through this maze, she was that petrified. I'm just so happy this maze was pulled off and worked beyond what any of us could have expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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