Isn't it obvious why RUSSIA was omitted? Current day events aside, the house is about Vecna's Curse and the upside down.
Halloween Horror Nights 32 (UOR) - Reviews, Photos, & Videos
- Thread starter Brian G.
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- Sep 23, 2013
- 4,160
- 3,765
This is my first time seeing minions area, and I personally liked it. Brings a lot of color to this area and a lot of light. I just really wish we can get our scarezone back. It's much better than how the area looked with Shrek
We just need a chainsaw horse outside minions. No props. Just actors. ( make them look pretty if you need to, make them look clean.)
To be completely fair, you don't know what the studio demanded, these houses have rules and limitations, they are working with the studio. Thing have to be approved. Not everything gets green lit?
Chucky is the perfect example of this. 2009 was an original take on Chucky and it was incredible and amazing. ( was scarecrow was a take on jeepers creepers if I remember correctly?) We have many more examples of stuff like this...
Personally I did not like this stranger things as much as the other ones. The other 2 houses were much better. Much better, Scenes didn't translate well. ( you only have a very limited amount of rooms in a house, you literally cannot add everything in such a small number of rooms. They needed to adapt an entire season with different storylines going on) erasing Hopper and Russia would make sense practically. It would make it easier to adapt the rest.
But who knows what kind of demands they had to make this house, or budget issues, I don't know. I'm starting to be afraid of IP houses now.
There could be so many limitations. I am completely sure that if hhn could do their own take on stranger things and it would turn out completely amazing.
The carnival games were loud, tacky clutter. I'm glad they're gone personally.
HHN rarely has anything with an actual Halloween theme. It's not the norm, so you shouldn't expect it. The key word here is horror. Halloween is merely the excuse for said horror. I mean the event starts at the beginning of September now...
IPs have been part of HHN since the 2nd year, so I don't know what to tell you. Do I prefer them? No, but they aren't going anywhere. You said it yourself, many people base their decision to go to HHN off the IPs. That is why they are included.
Alright. Let’s keep this as the review thread and move along.
Quick thoughts after a few hours last night:
-First the bad, the streets may be the worst I’ve ever seen. Lacking energy and just a bit listless overall
-Bloodmoon is VERY good
-Had a horrible run through Dragons, but I see the potential
-Yeti is a lot of fun
-Nightmare Fuel is the best it’s ever been
So far a decent year from what I’ve seen, but will be at the event for much longer the next two nights
-First the bad, the streets may be the worst I’ve ever seen. Lacking energy and just a bit listless overall
-Bloodmoon is VERY good
-Had a horrible run through Dragons, but I see the potential
-Yeti is a lot of fun
-Nightmare Fuel is the best it’s ever been
So far a decent year from what I’ve seen, but will be at the event for much longer the next two nights
Too early for house reviews, but I think zones tend to stay the same throughout the run.
All zones now have plenty of security/supervisors to ensure no flash photography or guests acting inappropriately.
- Oddfellow - a poor excuse for a "grand statement" zone. Oddfellow stuff is cool, but it's way too small and doesn't really make sense
- Vamp '69 - I like it a lot, no problems here
- Shipyard 32 - They need to stop putting huge props that disrupt crowd flow. It's a really bad experience and actors unfortunately end up off to the side to avoid getting crushed.
- Jungle of Doom - it's great idea, love the bat eyes, but the costumes threw me off the first time I saw them lol
- Dark Zodiac - favorite zone this year, no idea what's happening, but I like the atmosphere. Very similar to Graveyard from last year
All zones now have plenty of security/supervisors to ensure no flash photography or guests acting inappropriately.
Initial House Ranking
Just a snapshot after week 1, to compare come October 31. Very rough order, and there is a lot of parity here. Nothing is bad, but nothing is particularly great either. Ten houses any one of which would probably rank in the #3 - 6 range in any other year.
Yeti - creatures bring the scares, camp brings the comedy. Standard criticism of 2023, tho: the sets are amazing, but actors' costumes become repetitive.
Darkest Deal - second run cleared up a lot. Great designs, some effects that feel new and unique, tells a story. Feels a bit short, tho, and perhaps the most timing-dependent house this year. This and Yeti probably duke it out for my #1.
Blood Moon - the sets are that good, and the cast is aggressive. I just wish their costumes had more variety. Wouldn't have minded a supernatural/more Hallloweeny hook as well. As is feels like the lesser little brother to Dead Man's Pier and its variety of creatures.
Phantom & His Amazing Friends - starts off incredibly strong, then sort of fizzles. The weakness of the story has been discussed to death in the main thread, but the sheer number of curtained hallways with no action is a far bigger issue. Still enough good scenes to keep this near the top of the event, but not the all-timer its two predecessors were.
Dueling Dragons - personally means a lot to me, so like Ghostbusters, willing to overlook a lot of flaws. Does what it does well.
Dr. Oddfellow - has the most room to improve, but as is a fun little circus house. In an ideal world, this would have been a soundstage house in Carnival Graveyard's set.
The Last of Us -- put me in the world of the TV show, even though it covers material not in the show I guess. Gamers behind me marked out hard for Joel, Ellie and some Easter eggs, so I think it serves its target market well.
Exorcist - just straight up scary. Forced synergy house never going to be an all-timer, but this is damn solid,
Stranger Things - a slightly above average book report house that only drops the ball for the two most iconic scenes of the season. Can't stress enough, this would be no lower than #6 most years. Just so much parity this year.
DNF - Chucky, Friends had zero desire to see, in an awkward part of the park to double back to.
Just a snapshot after week 1, to compare come October 31. Very rough order, and there is a lot of parity here. Nothing is bad, but nothing is particularly great either. Ten houses any one of which would probably rank in the #3 - 6 range in any other year.
Yeti - creatures bring the scares, camp brings the comedy. Standard criticism of 2023, tho: the sets are amazing, but actors' costumes become repetitive.
Darkest Deal - second run cleared up a lot. Great designs, some effects that feel new and unique, tells a story. Feels a bit short, tho, and perhaps the most timing-dependent house this year. This and Yeti probably duke it out for my #1.
Blood Moon - the sets are that good, and the cast is aggressive. I just wish their costumes had more variety. Wouldn't have minded a supernatural/more Hallloweeny hook as well. As is feels like the lesser little brother to Dead Man's Pier and its variety of creatures.
Phantom & His Amazing Friends - starts off incredibly strong, then sort of fizzles. The weakness of the story has been discussed to death in the main thread, but the sheer number of curtained hallways with no action is a far bigger issue. Still enough good scenes to keep this near the top of the event, but not the all-timer its two predecessors were.
Dueling Dragons - personally means a lot to me, so like Ghostbusters, willing to overlook a lot of flaws. Does what it does well.
Dr. Oddfellow - has the most room to improve, but as is a fun little circus house. In an ideal world, this would have been a soundstage house in Carnival Graveyard's set.
The Last of Us -- put me in the world of the TV show, even though it covers material not in the show I guess. Gamers behind me marked out hard for Joel, Ellie and some Easter eggs, so I think it serves its target market well.
Exorcist - just straight up scary. Forced synergy house never going to be an all-timer, but this is damn solid,
Stranger Things - a slightly above average book report house that only drops the ball for the two most iconic scenes of the season. Can't stress enough, this would be no lower than #6 most years. Just so much parity this year.
DNF - Chucky, Friends had zero desire to see, in an awkward part of the park to double back to.
Okay, house rankings after one full night:
1) Darkest Deal - Almost put me on my butt multiple times with some great, aggressive scared. Some awesome effects and scenic in here.
2) Monsters - The Monsters houses keep on delivering. Mr. Hyde got me multiple times. House starts off a bit slow but ramps up into something awesome.
3) TLOU - I had a great run in this. And as a fan of the game, there was so much to enjoy.
4) Oddfellow - Just a solid spook house. I have no idea what was going on, but it was fun.
5) Bloodmoon - Very reminiscent of Winter’s Wake. Beautiful, huge, and with some good scares, but more atmospheric.
6) Yeti - Just fun overall, but like Terror of the Yukon, just a little too repetitive for me to rank it higher.
7) Stranger Things - A really great book report house. The Vecna actors have been doing good scarework, and the demogorgon got me good.
8) Exorcist - Way better than I expected. Intense and visceral, but the run I had wasn’t amazing. Could move up after tonight.
9) Dueling Dragons - I dunno y’all. If this didn’t have the name it did, I feel like it would be universally considered a clunker.
10) Chucky - I don’t even know what they were thinking here
1) Darkest Deal - Almost put me on my butt multiple times with some great, aggressive scared. Some awesome effects and scenic in here.
2) Monsters - The Monsters houses keep on delivering. Mr. Hyde got me multiple times. House starts off a bit slow but ramps up into something awesome.
3) TLOU - I had a great run in this. And as a fan of the game, there was so much to enjoy.
4) Oddfellow - Just a solid spook house. I have no idea what was going on, but it was fun.
5) Bloodmoon - Very reminiscent of Winter’s Wake. Beautiful, huge, and with some good scares, but more atmospheric.
6) Yeti - Just fun overall, but like Terror of the Yukon, just a little too repetitive for me to rank it higher.
7) Stranger Things - A really great book report house. The Vecna actors have been doing good scarework, and the demogorgon got me good.
8) Exorcist - Way better than I expected. Intense and visceral, but the run I had wasn’t amazing. Could move up after tonight.
9) Dueling Dragons - I dunno y’all. If this didn’t have the name it did, I feel like it would be universally considered a clunker.
10) Chucky - I don’t even know what they were thinking here
Yesterday felt like a Friday in October. Pack your patience this year.
HHN desperately needs a capacity adjustment. Forget about house wait times, the scare zones feel like they're bursting at the seams.
Nightmare Fuel has been reaching capacity 10-15 minutes prior to showtime.
HHN desperately needs a capacity adjustment. Forget about house wait times, the scare zones feel like they're bursting at the seams.
Nightmare Fuel has been reaching capacity 10-15 minutes prior to showtime.
Yeah, we did our favorites (Monsters, tent houses, Exorcist, Yeti, Bloodmoon) using Early Entry and were able to bail at around 830… I don’t regret it. The park was mobbed when we left and there were still tons of guests on their way in.
- Sep 3, 2021
- 167
- 426
The wait times looked really bad, but half of the ones I did were way less than they said. Like I had a 65 minute wait only really be 30, a 50 minute only be like 13, and another 65 was like 20ish. So you never know. I got in a little later, didn’t start doing houses until 9 pm and I got 8 out of 10 of them done (without express).
Anyway, as said I have two still to do (Chucky and Yeti), I’ll hold off on ranking here until I get them all done, but had a great time last night, very satisfied from those 8 houses. Ironically and sadly a little disappointed in 3 of my groups top most anticipated ones, but still pretty good (TLOU, Stranger Things, & Dragons), and the other 5 were all amazing!
Didn’t see Shipyard, M3GANs, Death Eaters or the show yet either. Really liked Vamp 69, Zodiac, and Jungle though!
Anyway, as said I have two still to do (Chucky and Yeti), I’ll hold off on ranking here until I get them all done, but had a great time last night, very satisfied from those 8 houses. Ironically and sadly a little disappointed in 3 of my groups top most anticipated ones, but still pretty good (TLOU, Stranger Things, & Dragons), and the other 5 were all amazing!
Didn’t see Shipyard, M3GANs, Death Eaters or the show yet either. Really liked Vamp 69, Zodiac, and Jungle though!
Yea over inflated wait times are running rampant this year
- Nov 9, 2019
- 987
- 1,986
I honestly don’t hate the zones as much as everyone else, they do feel middle of the road but definitely has some good energy and some cool interactions.
Give ‘em a few weeks to grow.
Give ‘em a few weeks to grow.
After my last night:
1) Darkest Deal - The platonic ideal of a HHN house. Great scares, great story, great effects.
2) Monsters - A very good house, but I feel like they tried to do too much with this one. Feel like it’s a bit shaggier because of all the themes/locations they tried to put in it.
3) TLOU - I had a great run in this. And as a fan of the game, there was so much to enjoy.
4) Bloodmoon - Great vibes, great story, solid scares.
5) Yeti - Just fun overall, and when the cast is bringing it a good amount of scares too.
6) Oddfellow - Solid clown house, but after more runs I don’t know if the story really comes through.
7) Stranger Things - A really great book report house. The Vecna actors have been doing good scarework, and the demogorgon got me good.
8) Dueling Dragons - After a really good run, I moved this up. A fun house, with some good effects. No Dragon puppets really hinders its ranking tho.
9) Exorcist - Way better than I expected. Intense and visceral, but the run I had wasn’t amazing.
10) Chucky - I don’t even know what they were thinking here
Over all a really solid year, with 9 of 10 houses being better than average. The streets were pretty lackluster, but if that means the houses are like this, I’m willing to make that trade.
1) Darkest Deal - The platonic ideal of a HHN house. Great scares, great story, great effects.
2) Monsters - A very good house, but I feel like they tried to do too much with this one. Feel like it’s a bit shaggier because of all the themes/locations they tried to put in it.
3) TLOU - I had a great run in this. And as a fan of the game, there was so much to enjoy.
4) Bloodmoon - Great vibes, great story, solid scares.
5) Yeti - Just fun overall, and when the cast is bringing it a good amount of scares too.
6) Oddfellow - Solid clown house, but after more runs I don’t know if the story really comes through.
7) Stranger Things - A really great book report house. The Vecna actors have been doing good scarework, and the demogorgon got me good.
8) Dueling Dragons - After a really good run, I moved this up. A fun house, with some good effects. No Dragon puppets really hinders its ranking tho.
9) Exorcist - Way better than I expected. Intense and visceral, but the run I had wasn’t amazing.
10) Chucky - I don’t even know what they were thinking here
Over all a really solid year, with 9 of 10 houses being better than average. The streets were pretty lackluster, but if that means the houses are like this, I’m willing to make that trade.
Second week in the books and I think this will be thought of as a top 10 or a top 15 of all time batch of houses.
I attended HHN 32 on September 3 (Sunday) with express pass. I got to complete all ten houses, and even did a pair of them twice. Additionally, towards the end of the night, I got on Revenge of the Mummy and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. Both of those rides were awesome. First of all, I personally preferred Orlando's version of Mummy over Hollywood's. Getting a front-row nighttime ride on Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit was also incredible. Now, time to rank all ten houses from worst to best.
10) Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count x2
This house was not scary whatsoever. I was a big advocate for the use of puppets rather than Chucky actors but it simply didn't deliver. Instead of evoking a feeling of dread, the scares were easy to spot and the puppets never got close enough to actually appear threatening. Too many videos of Chucky throughout the house, but overall they weren't effective. I found the break in the middle to completely kill the flow, if there even was any. There isn't much that is memorable from this house.
9) Stranger Things 4
I will start by mentioning that I have never seen any season of "Stranger Things" so I wasn't looking forward to it as much as many others were. This house reminded me why previous Stranger Things houses in years prior haven't properly worked out (at least in Hollywood). Amazing sets and effects, but horrible scares. A majority of the scares in this house came courtesy of the human characters from the show, but those are not scary. I wanted to see more of Vecna, Demogorgons, and other creatures instead.
8) The Last of Us
I have also never played "The Last of Us" but was excited to see how a video game would translate into a house. The scenic was great, but once again the scares were rather lackluster. The first half also had lots of scares from the game's main characters (humans), which just doesn't do it for me. I did enjoy seeing the creatures towards the end, and the sounds they made were awesome. However, this is a horror event and the scares needed to be heightened tenfold.
7) Bloodmoon: Dark Offerings
This house had unbelievable scenic design, both in quality and grandeur. The color of red emanates from every room in this house, making everyone aware that the blood moon has risen and everyone is in danger. This house had lots of gore, yet I still found the scares to be tame. Additionally, every room felt the exact same as though there wasn't a sense of progression regarding the story of this original house. Lots of eye candy, but simultaneously bland in specific aspects.
6) The Exorcist: Believer
This house was rock bottom in my anticipation list, and it is safe to say it has absolutely exceeded the expectations I had. The sets are grand in scale, and the first room (facade) is actually amazing. The actors were aggressive but I personally failed to get any major scares. Also, I would prefer to see more of the devil rather than the two possessed girls who kept reappearing throughout the house. Overall, it had great props and sets and the scares were somewhat decent as well.
5) Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate
This was at the top of my anticipation list (not because I know anything about the now-defunct ride), but because of the fantasy and magical theme. However, I feel it is for that reason exactly why this ranks in the middle as it is not scary whatsoever. The effects in this house are amazing, but the costumes feel too big and clunky. The sets are also a joy to look at and walk through, but I do think the actual "dueling dragons" part of the story is nonexistent. The ending where it splits is also anticlimactic, but still unique nonetheless. My sister and I chose ice and it was great to see the almighty Merlyn at the end.
There is a noticeable gap between rankings five and four since the rest are actually top-tier. They have a great mixture of BOTH amazing set design and scares.
4) The Darkest Deal x2
This house was fantastic in a plethora of ways. The facade was incredible to look at, with plenty of details. The music that could be heard from the queue was ominous and sent shivers down my spine. The entire storyline was executed great, from seeing the deal take place to entering the devilish afterlife that Pinestraw Spruce must endure for eternity. I really enjoyed walking through the sets, and the actors were very aggressive throughout the entirety of the house. The costume design was incredible, and the scares were clever. Altogether, this was an absolute joy to experience from start to finish.
3) Dr. Oddfellow's Twisted Origins
This house absolutely exceeded my expectations in so many ways. The outdoor circus tent facade was great to see, but it was the interior that made this house excellent. I really like the theme of walking into a shady circus tent that inhabits deranged carnies. The presence of Dr. Oddfellow himself worked well, but I think the main reason this was great is due to its intensity. The walkways are narrow, which ends up having the scares get right in-your-face and be effective.
2) YETI: Campground Kills
This house blew me away in many aspects. They yeti costumes were brilliant, as they were huge in scale and rather terrifying. The scares were well-positioned, and the overhead arm swing scare was clever. The set design absolutely immersed me into the campground, and it felt like I was actually being hunted and attacked by these massive creatures. The lake scene was actually mind-blowing. I do go camping occasionally myself, and I can assure you that this house is immersive and detailed.
1) Universal Monsters: Unmasked
This house was easily the best of the event in every aspect. The opening room deserves unlimited praise, the bridge with the live actor looked phenomenal and the raining effect complimented the room flawlessly. All of the monsters had their moments to shine, but I especially liked the Phantom of the Opera and Mr. Hyde the most. However, this house was also scary and had a lot of eerie tension throughout. It gave me one of the best scares I have ever gotten in the Invisible Man attacking from above. I literally jumped three steps backwards and was surprised I didn't hit the floor. Amazing house and a stroke of genius from a design standpoint.
In terms of the scarezones, none of them are scary in the slightest and are barely even memorable. To the average guest who wasn't aware of Dr. Oddfellow, all of these seem like zones themed to rather basic Halloween concepts and ideas. Definitely felt underwhelmed, the only saving grace was Vamp '69: Summer of Blood, which played "Sweet Caroline" once in a while and had everyone jumping and dancing.
I also wanted to include my brother's house rankings:
10) Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count
9) The Last of Us
8) Dr. Oddfellow's Twisted Origins
7) Stranger Things 4
6) The Exorcist: Believer
5) Bloodmoon: Dark Offerings
4) Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate (he chose the fire side at the end)
3) The Darkest Deal
2) YETI: Campground Kills
1) Universal Monsters: Unmasked
Overall, I had a lot of fun and was pleasantly surprised by the scenic quality, especially the large detailed sets that accompanied most houses. However, the scares need to be improved in general. The express definitely came in clutch, as I was able to do a total of 12 houses, spend ample time in the zones, and even get on 2 rides (which also had hour-long wait times). I did stay until park closure, but it is safe to say without express, I would probably only have completed 20% of what I actually did (my overarching goal being to do every house once) while not being able to enjoy myself and take my time without spending the entire time in very long lines in the scorching sun. The express lines were usually 5-15 minutes, the only exception being The Last of Us which took around 30. I would advise against going opening weekend at all costs (except if, like myself, it is the only time you can attend). However, if you do, express is a must or else you're simply torturing yourself. With all that said and done, time to go and do Hollywood's event!
10) Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count x2
This house was not scary whatsoever. I was a big advocate for the use of puppets rather than Chucky actors but it simply didn't deliver. Instead of evoking a feeling of dread, the scares were easy to spot and the puppets never got close enough to actually appear threatening. Too many videos of Chucky throughout the house, but overall they weren't effective. I found the break in the middle to completely kill the flow, if there even was any. There isn't much that is memorable from this house.
9) Stranger Things 4
I will start by mentioning that I have never seen any season of "Stranger Things" so I wasn't looking forward to it as much as many others were. This house reminded me why previous Stranger Things houses in years prior haven't properly worked out (at least in Hollywood). Amazing sets and effects, but horrible scares. A majority of the scares in this house came courtesy of the human characters from the show, but those are not scary. I wanted to see more of Vecna, Demogorgons, and other creatures instead.
8) The Last of Us
I have also never played "The Last of Us" but was excited to see how a video game would translate into a house. The scenic was great, but once again the scares were rather lackluster. The first half also had lots of scares from the game's main characters (humans), which just doesn't do it for me. I did enjoy seeing the creatures towards the end, and the sounds they made were awesome. However, this is a horror event and the scares needed to be heightened tenfold.
7) Bloodmoon: Dark Offerings
This house had unbelievable scenic design, both in quality and grandeur. The color of red emanates from every room in this house, making everyone aware that the blood moon has risen and everyone is in danger. This house had lots of gore, yet I still found the scares to be tame. Additionally, every room felt the exact same as though there wasn't a sense of progression regarding the story of this original house. Lots of eye candy, but simultaneously bland in specific aspects.
6) The Exorcist: Believer
This house was rock bottom in my anticipation list, and it is safe to say it has absolutely exceeded the expectations I had. The sets are grand in scale, and the first room (facade) is actually amazing. The actors were aggressive but I personally failed to get any major scares. Also, I would prefer to see more of the devil rather than the two possessed girls who kept reappearing throughout the house. Overall, it had great props and sets and the scares were somewhat decent as well.
5) Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate
This was at the top of my anticipation list (not because I know anything about the now-defunct ride), but because of the fantasy and magical theme. However, I feel it is for that reason exactly why this ranks in the middle as it is not scary whatsoever. The effects in this house are amazing, but the costumes feel too big and clunky. The sets are also a joy to look at and walk through, but I do think the actual "dueling dragons" part of the story is nonexistent. The ending where it splits is also anticlimactic, but still unique nonetheless. My sister and I chose ice and it was great to see the almighty Merlyn at the end.
There is a noticeable gap between rankings five and four since the rest are actually top-tier. They have a great mixture of BOTH amazing set design and scares.
4) The Darkest Deal x2
This house was fantastic in a plethora of ways. The facade was incredible to look at, with plenty of details. The music that could be heard from the queue was ominous and sent shivers down my spine. The entire storyline was executed great, from seeing the deal take place to entering the devilish afterlife that Pinestraw Spruce must endure for eternity. I really enjoyed walking through the sets, and the actors were very aggressive throughout the entirety of the house. The costume design was incredible, and the scares were clever. Altogether, this was an absolute joy to experience from start to finish.
3) Dr. Oddfellow's Twisted Origins
This house absolutely exceeded my expectations in so many ways. The outdoor circus tent facade was great to see, but it was the interior that made this house excellent. I really like the theme of walking into a shady circus tent that inhabits deranged carnies. The presence of Dr. Oddfellow himself worked well, but I think the main reason this was great is due to its intensity. The walkways are narrow, which ends up having the scares get right in-your-face and be effective.
2) YETI: Campground Kills
This house blew me away in many aspects. They yeti costumes were brilliant, as they were huge in scale and rather terrifying. The scares were well-positioned, and the overhead arm swing scare was clever. The set design absolutely immersed me into the campground, and it felt like I was actually being hunted and attacked by these massive creatures. The lake scene was actually mind-blowing. I do go camping occasionally myself, and I can assure you that this house is immersive and detailed.
1) Universal Monsters: Unmasked
This house was easily the best of the event in every aspect. The opening room deserves unlimited praise, the bridge with the live actor looked phenomenal and the raining effect complimented the room flawlessly. All of the monsters had their moments to shine, but I especially liked the Phantom of the Opera and Mr. Hyde the most. However, this house was also scary and had a lot of eerie tension throughout. It gave me one of the best scares I have ever gotten in the Invisible Man attacking from above. I literally jumped three steps backwards and was surprised I didn't hit the floor. Amazing house and a stroke of genius from a design standpoint.
In terms of the scarezones, none of them are scary in the slightest and are barely even memorable. To the average guest who wasn't aware of Dr. Oddfellow, all of these seem like zones themed to rather basic Halloween concepts and ideas. Definitely felt underwhelmed, the only saving grace was Vamp '69: Summer of Blood, which played "Sweet Caroline" once in a while and had everyone jumping and dancing.
I also wanted to include my brother's house rankings:
10) Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count
9) The Last of Us
8) Dr. Oddfellow's Twisted Origins
7) Stranger Things 4
6) The Exorcist: Believer
5) Bloodmoon: Dark Offerings
4) Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate (he chose the fire side at the end)
3) The Darkest Deal
2) YETI: Campground Kills
1) Universal Monsters: Unmasked
Overall, I had a lot of fun and was pleasantly surprised by the scenic quality, especially the large detailed sets that accompanied most houses. However, the scares need to be improved in general. The express definitely came in clutch, as I was able to do a total of 12 houses, spend ample time in the zones, and even get on 2 rides (which also had hour-long wait times). I did stay until park closure, but it is safe to say without express, I would probably only have completed 20% of what I actually did (my overarching goal being to do every house once) while not being able to enjoy myself and take my time without spending the entire time in very long lines in the scorching sun. The express lines were usually 5-15 minutes, the only exception being The Last of Us which took around 30. I would advise against going opening weekend at all costs (except if, like myself, it is the only time you can attend). However, if you do, express is a must or else you're simply torturing yourself. With all that said and done, time to go and do Hollywood's event!
I honestly think a lot of talk is literally trying to justify being forced to buy stay and scream and express pass this year. The lines are terrible (never been worse)..the food is terrible and over priced. Never have I paid $15 for 5 ravioli after waiting on line for 45 mins. Gone are the days you could do all houses in one night and see more than one show. The event has become too big and Universal has some serious decisions to make next year. When they finally decide to open Islands and move some of the event to the other side then we will have progress. 5 house are pretty good and 5 suck. Let's get real.....Oh and the scare zones are terrible because they don't have the room they once had with larger crowds. This is all great for Universal but not for the guests. When the prices go up and the experience goes down it's time to make some adjustments.
- Sep 23, 2013
- 4,160
- 3,765
Every single year, every single year we all have these complaints, every single year people wish for hhn to be part in islands.
But every year universal ignores all these complaints. Every year universal sells out. Every single year people give good reviews online.
If you were universal and you saw the really positive reviews and you saw the tickets sold out and express sold out. You wouldn't think there's any problem that needs fixing.
And my attitude is not towards your post. I agree with you. I'm on your side
But if you open Twitter or look at reviews on Google, people keep loving the event. Merch and food keeps selling well. Shirts keep selling.
So uni might be like " but why do we need to change anything. Fans are really happy" technically on paper, things are great for hhn.
please take the discussion to the News & Info thread. This is strictly for Reviews.
