My Opening Night review...

[Nightcrawler]

Here were my thoughts on opening night...
Things admittedly started on a VERY frustrating note for me. The people they had running the lines that night were SO freaking incompetent! I was in line for the "Will Call" kiosk and close to reaching the kiosks in question, when out of nowhere, the aforementioned buffoons in charge of the lines randomly took me and about fifteen others out of that line, and with no explanation, had us just stand in a separate section of the main ticket area. This wouldn't have been quite as bad if we were actually part of the line then, BUT NOOOOOOO! They had us just standing in a separate area, watching more people come into the main ticket line, while the three stooges running the line seemed to be talking amongst themselves as to how a line is supposed to work. After several minutes of this, they FINALLY let us into the main ticket line. The end result was, while I normally would have almost certainly been through the line and into the park by 6:45, I ended up not being able to get into the park before about 7:15, and was NOT happy about it.
Fortunately, though, almost immediately after entering the park, my bad mood dissipated and I got happier and giddier with each step I took! It's just the wonderful effect Halloween Horror Nights has on me! By the time I went home a little after midnight, I had broken my record for most Houses hit in one night (Express Pass? I don't need no stinkin' Express Pass!), and so that record now stands at six!
So, on to the Houses:
Saw: I came across it almost right away and, while I am not a fan of the film series, I figured it would be a good first House this year. It was. I found it alright, pretty intense as just a House, the trap depictions were good, though I wished they didn't rely on pig- masked guys so often. Good way to get me a little more hyped up for the rest of the event, so by the time I reached my second House, I was singing to myself!

 

Scarecrows: Mixed bag. On the one hand, as just a House going through it for myself, it was great! It was terrifying (I've never in my life seen scarier scarecrows in ANY media), well- decorated and immersive, I lost count of how many times I screamed in this maze. However, one thing tainted it just a little; In addition to obviously experiencing it for myself, I was also in a sense scouting it out for my girlfriend, who will likely be coming to HHN later in the event. She was very excited for this particular House, but a problem is that she has night- blindness (i.e. in 'Tomb of the Ancients' last year, it was so dark that she literally could barely see a thing the entire House), so I went through the House to see if there would be enough lighting for her to enjoy it when she comes. I don't think there is, it's a little too dark, especially considering the way it goes pitch- black at one point near the end. Still, I liked it well enough myself.

 

BlumHouse: AWESOME! It was better than I thought it would be. It felt so immersive, like I really was in each of those films. It was also a House of well- done contrasts: For most of the House, the movies are clearly separated, with you being able to see the writing that indicates what film you're about to enter. In the end, though, it seems like they blend together, with the final room having baddies from all those films attacking you at once, and it works out great!
 

The Fallen: On the one hand, it was a scary House. The demons looked great, and there were some good scares throughout it. Plus, of course, the "Flying" parts were incredible! The only thing was, there didn't seem to be much of a story to it: You're going through I guess a cathedral, and demons are attacking you. That's it. Still, nice enough House.

The Shining: LOVED IT! Right away, when entering the hedge maze and hearing the magnificent opening- credits music, I knew it was going to be great, and so it was! So many classic scenes handled perfectly (Especially the scenes with the twins and the "Elevator doors" scene that had me so curious how they'd do it), and so many characters included. It truly felt like stumbling through the Overlook Hotel! Also, my g/f will be happy to know that, other than the Hall of Mirrors part, the lighting was good too. Literally the only thing I'd have done differently was that I might have liked if there was a segment showing Halloran's death (Since it's clearly based around the movie, rather than the book in which Halloran survives). His death scene was so sudden/ surprising and so brutal it left a big impact and would have been perfect for a section of the House. Other than that, though, absolute gold!

Dead Waters: Another amazing House! Even just the opening with us making our way through the swamp to get to the riverboat, everything was so beautiful and detailed. The interior was great, too! The characters looked great, the environments looked amazing and so immersive, just a great House in every sense!

The SZ's were really good, too. The only minor issue was that with many of them, the Scareactors weren't very active in scaring people that I saw (Other than the "Roaming Hordes" clowns).
"Invasion,' though, looked great, 'Purge' had a lot going for it, and as a 'Trick 'r Treat' fan, I of course loved that Zone as much as I thought I would!
My favorite Scareactor interaction was in the 'Trick 'r Treat' zone; I was checking out and taking a picture of the "Scarecrow" with Emma's head on it, when the "Battle- Damaged" Sam walked up to it and started excitedly pointing to it! I said with a smile, "Admiring your handiwork, Sam?", and he vigorously nodded! I thought that was so cute/ funny, and in character for Sam!
So, an awesome opening night. I can't wait to go back!

Edited September 17, 2017 by Nightcrawler