The *OFFICIAL* HHN Review Thread

[inkkognito]

On Friday, I never saw any house get above 30 minutes, except 60 min. for Reflections of Fear, so I would say that on Friday night, the crowds were quite light compared to some nights I've seen.

I'll back you up on that one. I was pretty ticked because it was a $69 express price night (vs. the $39 nights) and we only used the EP for four of the houses. We did every house, and some many multiple times on Fri. Our feet were killing us on Sat. because we were able to do such commando housing.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

PG? Uh, no. Thank goodness you didn't go see the Rocky Horror Tribute. You'd probably be catatonic. Mickey definitely sounds more to your taste. As for me, I will take all the blood and vulgarity and people running around in teddies while the audience yells obscene responses I can get.

Us too ... the more blood, gore and rudeness the better

 

[Metro West]

On Friday, I never saw any house get above 30 minutes, except 60 min. for Reflections of Fear, so I would say that on Friday night, the crowds were quite light compared to some nights I've seen.

These were the wait times at 9:30pm:

Certainly not worth the price of the EP that night.

Also...did you see anyone selling the lanyards with the EP that was good after 10pm? They were only $25.00!

 

[F-L-A]

Yes you can eat at Finnegans. We did Get there early because it is CROWDED. I went there about 1 1/2 hrs ahead of time and people were already there. Wheel Chairs were able to go into the events. I saw a few while there.

My opinion of HHN is it was the BIGGEST waste of our money. I live near Busch Gardens and Kings Dominion in VA. I have those to compare HHN with. My family thought most of the houses were LAME compared to the scare factor at other parks. I will give them a thumbs up for organization and great detail in the houses. Bill and Ted's show was VULGAR. Crude wasn't the word for a couple of their scenes. If you're going to go the HHN get the express pass. The lines without it were TERRRIBLE!!!! We made it thourgh all houses,shows and scare zones with about 1/2 hour to spare. We did not ride anything or stop to eat. If we did not have the express pass all of our time would have been in line for one maybe 2 houses. One last thing the houses are very flashy so be prepared for alot of strobing. Expect nothing and maybe you will get what you expect. We got nothing out of HHN except horrible memories and a sad way to end our vacation !!!!! I spoke to guest services and they gave me a comp ticket to use again. Well gee thats what I want another ticket to spend more money in their park. SORRY Its back to Mickey for me!!!!!! NEVER EVER AGAIN!!!!! Well that is unless they get the rights back to Ghost Busters and Back to the Future!!!!!

Do not come here trying to disguise your Universal hating as a negative review of HHN. Your intentions are clear as day, and I'm not convinced you even went to HHN. If you like Mickey so much, stay on his side of the board.

 

[Purseval]

Do not come here trying to disguise your Universal hating as a negative review of HHN. Your intentions are clear as day, and I'm not convinced you even went to HHN. If you like Mickey so much, stay on his side of the board.

She did sound kind of troll-like but if I paid $125 to see HHN and didn't have one hellacious time I'd feel ripped off too. That's why I avoid express passes like the plague, I'd have a bad attitude the moment I got the bill and it would probably go down from there.

 

[Purseval]

Also...did you see anyone selling the lanyards with the EP that was good after 10pm? They were only $25.00!

If the EP wasn't worth it at peak times why would it suddenly become a deal at the time crowds would be starting to thin out? The thing to see is if they offer the same deal on a mid-october saturday night when there are still 2-hour waits on all of the houses at midnight.

 

[Metro West]

If the EP wasn't worth it at peak times why would it suddenly become a deal at the time crowds would be starting to thin out? The thing to see is if they offer the same deal on a mid-october saaturday night when there are still 2-hour waits on all of the houses at midnight.

Exactly...last year Universal didn't charge the higher fee for the EP opening weekend and I was shocked they did it this year.

 

[inkkognito]

Exactly...last year Universal didn't charge the higher fee for the EP opening weekend and I was shocked they did it this year.

It might have been worth it on Sat. (not sure...we didn't arrive till two hours before closing and some houses still had long waits but it was dropping rapidly...we did four in two hours). But Fri. it was NOT worth it. I wrote to express my displeasure, since they shafted me at the higher price on closing weekend last year too. I hope others contact them as well to perhaps convince them to take a closer look at the EP pricing. We'll be spending a bundle this year between EPs, t-shirts, booze, and always eating at the park when we are there for HHN. It's an insult to have the EP be overpriced on top of it.

 

[lachica]

Saturday 27th with PH wristband:

I missed out on Creatures & Interstellar I thought it closed at 2 not midnight.

Our (Dh & I) favorite was Doomsday, not because it was scary but because it brought the movie which with both endured through - to life. It was very detailed with every major scene of the movie. The wall itself had us talking...

So my list is:
Doomsday (best movie recreation)
Body Collector (best scare factor)
Dead Exposure
Scary Tales
The Hallow
Reflections of Fear (but i'm jaded due to the wait)

I like screaming and getting freaked out in houses. I think that you have to go in with that mind set so like me you get targeted. I conga line with hubby in the front, i'm in the middle grabbing his shirt and cousin (cute 21 y/o) as bait in the back. Between her and my screaming we make the screamactors day! Not to mention I think my hubby signals us or throws us right into them.

So The Hallow and Scary Tales was too dark even at night. We were banging against walls and columns the whole time. I was blaming it on being light out still - since your eyes can't adjust...

Oh forgot to add we also ate at finnegans and we all love it! thanks for the advice on that - but like a dork I forgot to give them my card and get the food discount! d0h I just thought about it right now.

 

[BigTiggerGuy]

Come on everybody! There have to be more of you that went over the weekend! Let's here some reviews! I'm going on Thursday and LOVE to hear what everyone thought of the event.......

 

[inkkognito]

It will be interesting to see how my ranking of the houses changes over the course of the event. I know that Dead Exposure will stay at the top because I love dark, disorienting houses with lots of stobes and scareactors. But it was funny...I was only "meh" on Body Collectors on Fri. because it was rather flat. When we went through on Sat. it was awesome! We only did it once on Sat. because we just came for a couple hours before closing so I can't wait to do it a couple of times next Thurs. for comparison to see if it holds its new high position.

With Creatures (which I like because it reminds me vaguely of Psychoscarapy), they don't even really need the creatures. They could just take those out and emphasize the "Bubba" redneck side of things. Just change the name to the Deliverance House, add some banjos, and you're all set. I'd be scared out of my wits!

 

[chataro]

Hello all. Just got back last night from spending the past two days having a ball at HHN!!!

I am a huge junkie for all of this and my DW goes along with it and is actually starting to have as much fun as me and looks forward to opening weekend every year. In fact, I got her to stay at HRH so we could do the whole weekend. Alas, though, we are getting old and so now we are both sore as all get out and I really could use a few days off to rest up, but "You Play, You Pay"!

I'll start off first with the AP Party.

I really get kind of annoyed when I see people bashing this. I am very thankful that US at least does something for their APers. I didn't cost me anything, there were discounts on food and beverages, find me a $3 beer in the park after the party, and they opened two houses for you at right around 5:15p.m. I don't know what others were expecting, but I for one want to thank Universal for at least giving us something for the money we spend on our APs. I won't say who, , but when I had passes to another park, I can't recall getting one thing above the free parking and admission. So just by US doing something is waaaaaaaay better then nothing. My own opinion, but I really thing US take care of us and goes above the call of duty to make sure each major event is a little more special for us. Plus the discounts alone made it all worth it for me. Thank you US! Thanks for caring!

Okay, off soap box and on to my review.

Friday the crowds were great. We were also able to get through all 8 houses by 8 and we finished up all the shows, except RHRS, by 11. We then took in Doomsday again and then watched the chainsaw team do their thing for about 30min. I would also have been upset if I would have purchased the express pass, but we all know you are rolling the dice either way, you're either going to wish you had them, or wish you didn't! I was glad I didn't spend the extra money cause there was absolutely no need for them on that night. Sat. would have been a better night to get them, but you probably could have made it through all the houses and maybe catch one show without them.

House reviewsby order I did them)
1.Scary Tales: Absolutely loved this one. DW got scared many times in this one. The scenes in this one are very well done and it was neet to see the different fairy tales come to life in a very bad way. A don't miss house IMO, there are enough cool spots in this one that really are impressive.(9/10)

2. The Hallow: This house is very, very dark. I had to guide my DW through most of it cause she couldn't see anything. There are some good visual effects in this one and DW got it quite a few times. Go through this one at night though, cause the last scene was just too exposed to really have the effect they wanted.(7/10)

3. Dead Exposure: Bizarre house. Very disorientating. There are some very cool visuals and there is one area that is a not miss and is worth going to the house just for this alone. Once again, very dark and hard to follow. I'll just say this on was a freak out for your eyes and ears.(7/10)

4. Reflections of Fear The only house I was not too keen on. Don't get me wrong, it was a okay house, but for this to be the theme house, I really expected more out of this one. It seemed too short IMO and they really didn't get this one to flow. The tunnel of cloth was really cool, but they should of had something at the end of each one scare you. Seemed they should have put more thought in this one and put it in one of the studios.(5/10)

5. Doomsday: Reminded me of Texas Chainsaw House last year in a lot of ways. Good sets with plenty of gore and some very good smells coming out of this house. The final scene was really cool, but it really wasn't a scare area, just a production number. Worth seeing though.(7/10)

6. The Body Collectors: Liked the scarezone in front of the house cause it set the house up before you got into it. The house was very gory and had some really neat torture scenes. There were some good scares in this one and just the detail they put in this one made it worth it.(8/10)

7. Creatures: Loved the entrance into the house and walking through the bar was way cool. The "hicks" were good, but just more loud and YeHawish. It was kind of like Deliverance vs. Aliens. Good sounds and smells in this one though. (6/10)

8. Intersteller Terror: Reminded me a lot of The Thing last year. We only went through this on once over the two days cause the line got large on Sat. There was a lot going on in this house and the sets were great. Good scares in this one, but I want to go through it one more time to make a educated decision on this one.

The Scarezones:

The scarezones are something that will always be talked about. It really depends on what happens to YOU when you go through them. You get scared, your going to enjoy it, you don't, then it sucked. Hard to judge them cause there is so much going on in them.

Scarezones Liked:
1. The Path of the Wicked: Very creative in this one
2. The Skoolhouse: Really liked the decor in this one. The pumkins were great but the kids just weren't scary IMO.
3. American Gothic: I really liked this one cause my DW really got it bad several times in this one. The headless guy and the tree in this one really made it good.
4. Streets of Blood: Good for the build up into the Body Collectors house. Liked the sounds and the acting by the scaractors. Did anyone else get refused a picture with the Body Collectors, just wondering if it was part of their thing or just a dud performer?

Scarezones not liked:

1. Asylumm in Wonderland: This looked good but the actors were just walking around talking to everyone. Didn't have a scary feel to it and I didn't get this one.

2. Fractured Tales: Liked the play on the fairy tales, make sure you see Jack in this one, he didn't make it over the candlestick, But like in Wonderland, they just walked around and posed for pics. Not scary, just unique take on classic fairy tales.

Well I didn't mean for this to be this long and I apologize. I won't bore you with my take on the shows and I'll leave it at this.

I love HHN and there will always be good and bad with the event. It's a personal taste thing with all of us. I love the sights, smells, and all that US does to let us have a good time. Is is expensive? Can be. Is it for everyone? Obviously not. Could it be better? Yes, everything could. Could it be worse? Yes, much worse. Did I have fun??????

I sure did!!!!

 

[Purseval]

I'll back you up on that one. I was pretty ticked because it was a $69 express price night (vs. the $39 nights) and we only used the EP for four of the houses. We did every house, and some many multiple times on Fri. Our feet were killing us on Sat. because we were able to do such commando housing.

Perhaps if the crowds stay light they will expand the nights for the FFP holders, that would be really nice.

 

[inkkognito]

Perhaps if the crowds stay light they will expand the nights for the FFP holders, that would be really nice.

They did that last year for the final weekend so we're hoping for the same this year.

 

[Otownpartydude]

Got a chance to go Opening weekend. Went both Friday night and Sat. Friday night got there early but had some drinks at CityWalk waiting for the event to start.

Looks like Universal made some changes to the front gate with more support people telling people where to go. Compared to last year it was a LOT more organized. The lines to get in on Friday where not that bad. A short wait for security and we were off. It was still light out when we got in. I can't stand being In HHN when it’s light out.

The crowds seemed well behaved. Lots of Orlando police around and NNH security. Beer stations were set up all over the park just like years before. But it does seem they cut back on some of the bars. Weird thing is that one bar would have a long line and then you would just walk down 20 feet and there was another bar with no one at it. Weird.

Got a beer and headed to Doomsday first. Good house but it seems like it was not fully staffed yet. Great production on the whole set. It was only a 10 mins wait then we first got to the house. I would give it a 6/10.

Next up was The Hallow. Like some other people have said it is a very dark house. I got stuck a couple of time and had to have the staff point me in the right directions. There are some great visual effects in this one. I expect this one to get better as time goes by. 7/10.

After the two houses we just walked around the parks and took in the scare zones. Sometimes that is as fun as the houses. Went to Finnegan’s and it was packed by this time. Then we hit the Simpsons with hardly any wait to get on. By this time some of the houses times where 20+ mins which is not long for me. Plus I was meeting some people at City Walk. So we called it a night.

One more thing..I heard from some friends that came in that traffic to park was a nightmare so just plan on getting there early and hang out at Citywalk until the event opens.

Also I have to agree with FLA about the Disneybrat post. Sounds like BRAT did not even give HHN a chance. Its opening weekend...and anyone who reads the board knows it will get nothing but better as time goes on. As far as the event being PG rated....everyone knows it more on the lines of hard PG-13. I bet she is same type of people who complained about the billboards about the state as well.

I will post a quick post about Sat night as well as the AP party I went to sometime today as well. Going to hit Bush Gardens event next weekend to compare the two.

 

[Otownpartydude]

FYI ----I just got a New Halloween Horror Nights Satisfaction Survey asking about opening weekend......

 

[lachica]

Same here - links below.

HHN AP night survey: http://www.visitorsatisfaction.com/start.aspx?s=hhnap

HHN survey: http://www.visitorsatisfaction.com/start.aspx?s=hhn

 

[Metro West]

It will be interesting to see how my ranking of the houses changes over the course of the event. I know that Dead Exposure will stay at the top because I love dark, disorienting houses with lots of stobes and scareactors. But it was funny...I was only "meh" on Body Collectors on Fri. because it was rather flat. When we went through on Sat. it was awesome! We only did it once on Sat. because we just came for a couple hours before closing so I can't wait to do it a couple of times next Thurs. for comparison to see if it holds its new high position.

With Creatures (which I like because it reminds me vaguely of Psychoscarapy), they don't even really need the creatures. They could just take those out and emphasize the "Bubba" redneck side of things. Just change the name to the Deliverance House, add some banjos, and you're all set. I'd be scared out of my wits!

Yes...that's why I like to go throughout the month...to see how the cast changes the routine.

 

[Purseval]

FYI ----I just got a New Halloween Horror Nights Satisfaction Survey asking about opening weekend......

Make sure you let them know that everyone thinks their Express Pass prices are outrageous and is giving them a bad reputation, maybe they will make some adjustments if they get enough feedback.

 

[Mennamachine]

We just got back. My boyfriend and I went on Friday night (26th) and got the express pass. (We knew we would only be able to go the one night, and didn't want to miss anything.) Overall, we thought last year's was better, though this year's was still good.

Bill and Ted Show: Not as good as last year. This could be because I didn't really get all of the pop culture references (Didn't see Hellboy, Speed Racer, or Batman). The audience didn't seem as into it as it was in the past either. It had its moments, but overal it was just OK. Finale was just "eh".

Scarezones: Generally excellent. The Path of the Wicked was the best, by far.

Houses: (Favorite to Least Favorite) *the boyfriend and I try to bait the scareactors into scaring us. I clutch onto him and pretend to hide. It really works. We usually get about 75%+ of the scareactors to "get" us*

Reflections of Fear: My one and only complaint was that I wished it was longer. The Marys did a good job of scaring, and worked together to have things coming from all angles. I am predisposed to being scared, though, as Bloody Mary was the terror of my elementary school years.

Dead Exposure: Great use of strobe and blacklight effects. It seemed to have people every which way you turned. The strobe helped to make things look less fake because you only saw them for a snatch of time and then it was dark again.

Scary Tales: Great themeing, good scares. The Evil Queens part was the best.

Doomsday: Went through this one twice. The first time was just "ok" but the second time was great! the cast seemed more into it.

The Hallow: Good theming. The cornfield was a nice touch. Not as scary as some others, but good.

Body Collectors: Twice again. It was ok the first time and better the second time. I didn't love it, but it was still good. The theming and costuming was excellent.

Interstellar Terror: Just did this one once. I really enjoyed it. It wasn't as scary as others, but I thought the themeing was neat. It was at the same level as Body Collectors.

Unpopular opinion time!

Creatures!: Ugh. Worst house by FAR. There was nothing scary. The rednecks were comical. The creature was so fake looking as to be dull. I was bored. We went through twice, and it was (if anything) worse the second time. I got tired of even trying to bait scareactors into scaring me and just wanted to get out. There's a reason it always had a 5 minute wait... If you have to skip a house, make it this one.