RPC Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 So after skipping KSF for the first time last year and using DTH316's survival guide for HHN, we decided to do it again this year. There may be spoilers in this, so be forwarned. For my rundown and early entry plan of attack, see my posts in the HHNH Planning & Insider Tips (The 2016 Edition) Once again we went in with the game plan and we were successful at getting everything done even with repeats! Boo yah! Let me start off by saying hell to the yeah for using some of the "standards"/classics, and a big two thumbs up to all you scare actors and folks working the mazes and props! Scare actors were balls on!! We did early entry and had AHS, FVJ, and Krampus all knocked out by 5:50PM.....that's the good news, the bad is it was still daylight so one, our eyes had a hard time adjusting from the outside to the seemingly pitch black interiors, so it was hard to admire the elaborate sets but on the plus side we got the crap scared out of us because we couldn't see anything until it was already on us. AHS I loved this one! Sets were well done, especially the characters from Freakshow and some good scares, we definitely got to appreciate it more when we returned to repeat it in the dark later at 645PM Walking down the Hotel hallway and commenting how well they nailed the sets from the show and right when I said they should have someone come out of one of these doors....pow! Got me haha shoulda known! FVJ Probably our favorite overall We loved the facade, the sets were well done, the smells, a few good creepy moments and scares. Worm Freddie eating little Jason! Omg awesome! I think we just loved it because it's familiar territory, who doesn't love Freddy??? Of course we had to cheer for the razor gloved one at the kill scene in the end.....and he ate it up with a give me more gesture and a hand to the ear! Thanks for playing along! KRAMPUS We had read some mixed reviews ahead of time so for some reason I went in with no big expectations. But....I had a blast on this one! Nailed the movie 100%! We had gotten the "secret word" and whispered it to the frozen delivery man......that was a cool added touch, the facade is very well done. I really love the way these facades and set designs really set you up and put you right into the story before you ever even enter the maze....something that other scary place needs to figure out fast or get left behind (yes I'm talking to you executives at Knotts!!!!) OK, sets great, smells holy cow, scares were on!!!! I really dug the hell out of it!......the first time. Actually the second time the the snowmen were really aggressive so plus on that. The Exorcist I really wanted to love this immensely, I liked it, it had some good set designs and a few things pulled off well, and maybe part of it was how much daylight was filtering into the maze due to how early it was (?) But it was missing something, not sure what, maybe the very mechanical almost too fake looking effects (spider walk up the stairs, levitating over the bed via forklift) made it feel corny? Again not trying to bag on it, we got a few jump scares out of it, and the live actors did a hell of a job. HOLLOWEEN Really good job with set design and capturing the essence of the sequels! Got a kick out of walking through the inside of a pumpkin and actually smelling the scent of the guts of a pumpkin haha, and again, great job by the actors, likedrink it but didn't have the same punch as last year's Holloween. Terror Tram Did I miss something? Is it just me or did this thing almost suck?? Sorry, but to me this is a skip it (unless you're looking forward to the photo up with Norman out in front of the Bates house.) Our wait was not long at all, maybe just under 15, I already expected there to be plenty of walking, but where are the scares? There were way too many dead spots with nothing really going on, the few scare actors that we did see were ok, Twisty the clown was creepy and we egged him on to slit his victims throat (better her than me right?) But really not enough scares and not enough variety to make it worth it.....felt like an underwhelming, too long scare zone that needed to be rethink. TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE Our longest wait of the night, an hour. It was worth the wait, and we think the maze was even better than the movie! Good scares, good design, and holy crap, great use of live scare actors! This one we liked better than Exorcist and not because of the theme, but design and level of scares. The Walking Dead Oh boy.....a huge fan of the show. You guys decided to make this a permanent attraction so it benefits from a more elaborate facade and more detailed sets. So plus points for some if the great "right out of show" feel for the set designs while in que. It just didn't have I don't know.......oomph, balls, heart, somwthing... the zombies jump out and ok, surprise.....but they get right up on you so fast and then walk away it was almost comical....there was no sense of fear or danger.....it was just "oh look' that looks good," or "good job with the make up" but we got better scares and adrenaline pumping on the other mazes....and with a 45 minute to an hour wait......you have to consider if it's worth it especially since you can catch it any other time of the year. OVERALL RATING, FEELINGS,OBSERVATIONS We still love Universal's HHN and we will be back again next year. I think they do the best when it comes to authentic set designs, costumes and make up ,(then again, woukd you expect anything less from a Hollywood movie studio?) We still are impressed with overall maze designs and use of themes etc Scare actors, behind the scenes people, props operators, scare zone actors, park staff etc....you guys are awesome! You rock, and everyone from the ticket taker, to the line attendant to the guy making the snowman move, made our experience a no hassle, welcomed guest, flat out good time! This is still the standard to measure up to and with a little planning and playing it smart, you can knock out every single maze in one night. Here's where Universal needs to be careful....... 1) Crowd control/traffic flow through the mazes. Last year, we were impressed with the fact that Universal kept track of groups going through the mazes and cutting line at the right points to prevent overcrowding in the mazes (something KSF didn't do in the past). This year, there was still some line management, but there were several times in a few different mazes where we either ended up stalled "bumper to bumper" just standing still, or almost worse....the group in front of us got the scare and by the time we walk up to that point the scare actors hadn't barely gothe back in his hole to "reset" so we just got dead space. Trust me, no matter how awesome a maze is or how talented the scare actor...nothing kills the experience more than waking through several dead spots with no scares just because the timing is off! 2) overuse of the same scare tactics and gags over, and over, and over again. In fact, the same scare used multiple times over in the same maze and then repeated multiple times in all the other mazes....change it up, variety...don't get lazy. Now I realize in certain situations there's only so many ways you can jump out at someone. But when there's a dark black corridor, hallway, corner etc we all know that somebody's popping out of a "hidden" curtain or sliding panel and "boo". Ok the first time, not the fourth time and not when every maze copied the same thing. Well there you have it, it's still a top flight haunt and if you do early entry on a not oversold night and the prices don't get out of hand it will stil be worth it to go out of your way to make it happen. And if Universal keeps the standard high and doesn't let it slip, they will still be THE haunt to beat in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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