Could someone please do a review of the Terra Cruentus year (2005)?

[pumpkinbot343]

It’s really weird that for a year that has one of the more revered detailed backstories in HHN (revered by die hards); no one really knows anything about the event itself. The only things known was that Body Collectors ruled and that Cold Blind Terror was horrible for the wrong reasons.

This was the lineup for that year; here in case to freshen up someone’s mind (it did take place years ago):

STREETS

• Port of Entry- Terra Guard Run (Basically the entryway)
• Seuss Landing- North Hollow (Entrance to Maldaken Pass)
• Maldaken Pass (Festival passageway to USF with games)
• Lost Continent- Fire Pits (Middle Earth gone wrong)
• Jurassic Park- Cemetery Mines (people who attended 30 will remember the Knucklegrunts)
• Toon Lagoon- South Hollow (Dementors)
• Marvel Superhero Island- Blood Thunder Alley (Evil Bikers)

HOUSES

• Where Evil Hides (childhood fears like Boogeyman)
• Cold Blind Terror (mentioned above)
• Blood Ruins (medieval torture village)
• Terror Mines (Gnomerat infested Poseidon’s Fury)
• Body Collectors (remember Buffy’s Hush episode)
• The Skool (evil schoolchildren)
• Demon Cantina (From Dusk till Dawn)
• Rat Run (Chainlink maze with Jack)

Anything will be great, and thanks.

 

[pumpkinbot343]

Admittedly bumping this thread in hopes someone who attended 2005 can answer, but I might as well put something of merit. Two concept art pieces from Tales of Terror.

 

[Brian G.]

From the 31 Thread:

It was the hardest the event has ever leaned into fan service (yes, I also attended 25). The whole "everything is connected" gimmick -- which felt like a stretch even then, evil schoolgirls and bikers and the guys you ripped off from Buffy all live in the same universe? -- gave online fans a sense of power, like knowing the houses before all your friends do or learning from the Behind the Screams tour that the masoleum names are all the actors from The Brady Bunch.. And they kept it up through the event, culminating in a dozen or two super-fans actually getting to take a part in the final show. Even though relatively few got to do that, the fact that they did was mind-blowing to the online community.

Also, her show was solid. The set was large, the effects were surprisingly gruesome. Eelmouth, the main MC, did a fair amount of ad-libbing and was played by actors who would also be fan favorites as Jack the Clown and Otis T. Wren, so they knew how to work the mic. Backed up with an overall solid house line-up (two GOAT in there for me), and the last event in IoA. In other words, a solid event only improved though the lens of nostalgia.

I'd also like to add that you probably don't hear a lot about it because a lot of the veterans from that era don't post as much anymore - so you have a community full of newer fans who either started during the Walking Dead era, or the Stranger Things era.

 

[SeventyOne]

I'd also like to add that you probably don't hear a lot about it because a lot of the veterans from that era don't post as much anymore - so you have a community full of newer fans who either started during the Walking Dead era, or the Stranger Things era.

This is very true -- in old "Disney Vault" terms, we're two generations removed. And the event wasn't that well-attended compared to later years. I've mentioned it before, but Oct. 31 was projected to be so slow they waived the no-costume rule (a much bigger deal back then, before "bounding" was a thing) to have a $1,000 costume contest. Remains one of the most surreal nights at the event. Also cell phone cameras weren't common yet, so it was harder to document.

Most importantly: nostalgia is a hell of a drug. Even the creatives seem to recognize Cold Blind Terror was a massive whiff. Blood Ruins was in my bottom 10 for a long time, although honestly I remember next to nothing about it these days. All I can recall is being disappointed. The Skool and Terror Mines were polarizing -- I quite liked the former, hated the latter, but opinions on each at the time seemed to split 50/50. Body Collectors and the main show were just that good, with strong assists from Demon Cantina and Jack in the Rat Run queue. That's what everyone remembers.

 

[MrRoamer]

For some reason I honestly don't remember a whole lot from this year. Body Collectors was absolutely fantastic. Terror Mines was hilariously fun, how can you go wrong giving one person in a group the only light source.
I also think this was the year that they had the Rock stilt walker, which I think to this day is probably the best street gag they've ever had.

IoA is just a weird place to have HHN. The paths are way too small and there wasn't really any room to do much. Basically you and everyone else is locked into their decisions at the start of the night and you go from there. Add in the restrictions from Marvel and Seuss and you lose even more. One of the major benefits of the Studios that no one talks about is that you really can make alterations as you go.
We did have yards back then tho :beer:

 

[pumpkinbot343]

Did you know you can find the blueprints for Demon Cantina online?

 

[Wesker69]

I'm probably the biggest fanboy of 2005's event... and I only went TWO nights that year. :look: When I'm not completely drained from work, I PROMISE I will make a full review of the event. Yes, it's been 17 years, but I can remember it all (depending on the day haha)

 

[Legacy]

I'm probably the biggest fanboy of 2005's event... and I only went TWO nights that year. :look: When I'm not completely drained from work, I PROMISE I will make a full review of the event. Yes, it's been 17 years, but I can remember it all (depending on the day haha)

I’m like that with 2004.

 

[Wesker69]

 

[ghostsarejerks]

These are the tales I'm going to pass onto my children and grandchildren

 

[MI1287]

Some of the house locations at IOA have always intrigued me (Popeye queue and JP Discovery Center in particular). I have been in both numerous times and just cannot envision there being enough room to make a full house and queue area. I did attend in 2004 but neither of those locations were used that year.

 

[Tobias]

Terror Mines was hilariously fun, how can you go wrong giving one person in a group the only light source.

Considering how polarizing Terror Mines was, it wasn't hard for it to go wrong. The helmets were not given out to one person in a group, they were handed out to every so number of people in line. It was very easy for groups to not get the helmet at all, and things would go wrong very quick when that happened. I vividly remember someone relaying that the helmet went to someone outside of their group, and they panicked early and ran off with the helmet, leaving them to navigate most of the house in total darkness (save for the occasional fire effect) which just wasn't fun for them.

The best modern comparison I can give about Terror Mines is it was the haunt version of Millenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run. Your enjoyment was severely dependent on who you were with, who was around you and who got the helmet or not. I know folks who really liked it, but at the same time I know folks who really didn't.

 

[MrRoamer]

Considering how polarizing Terror Mines was, it wasn't hard for it to go wrong. The helmets were not given out to one person in a group, they were handed out to every so number of people in line. It was very easy for groups to not get the helmet at all, and things would go wrong very quick when that happened. I vividly remember someone relaying that the helmet went to someone outside of their group, and they panicked early and ran off with the helmet, leaving them to navigate most of the house in total darkness (save for the occasional fire effect) which just wasn't fun for them.

The best modern comparison I can give about Terror Mines is it was the haunt version of Millenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run. Your enjoyment was severely dependent on who you were with, who was around you and who got the helmet or not. I know folks who really liked it, but at the same time I know folks who really didn't.

That was a little tongue in cheek but also I laughed through the whole thing. They gave it to the tallest person in our party who happened to also be very easily distracted. Half the time she was looking at random walls and corners, with us not being able to see anything and running into things all over the place.

Was it great for a Haunted House? No, it wasn't nearly as good as many houses they've had.
Was it completely different and fun? Absolutely, I'd love to see more houses that have different ideas, experiences, takes on what a House can be. I put the original Run in the same category of unique and different that could be amazingly fun or completely flat.

 

[pumpkinbot343]

Here’s some vids from that year:

 

[ghostsarejerks]

Really wish Universal kept a robust archive that was accessible to the public. I know intellectual property is probably all tied up in confidentiality agreements, but like a HHN museum would be so invaluable.

 

[pumpkinbot343]

Really wish Universal kept a robust archive that was accessible to the public. I know intellectual property is probably all tied up in confidentiality agreements, but like a HHN museum would be so invaluable.

It’s weird since they do have the material (as seen in snippets in the vids below) from all the past years, I wonder why won’t they share the content (like blueprints, queue vids) from the originals of years past?

 

[moistowlette1989]

For the Terra throne- it lists actor hanging - did they really have an actor hanging (presumably by harness) for long periods of time?

 

[Legacy]

For the Terra throne- it lists actor hanging - did they really have an actor hanging (presumably by harness) for long periods of time?

It was the sacrifice pit. The actor would be pulled from the audience, “tied” to the rope, and lowered into the pit.

 

[pumpkinbot343]

I’m like that with 2004.

Oh yeah I remembered; this vid covers pretty much I believe everything from 2004.

 

[MrRoamer]

One thing that I just remembered watching this video, was that Dueling Dragons was absolutely amazing during HHN. It was one thing going on it at night, but you go on it with tons of fog sitting on the ground and fire erupting all over the place was an whole experience!