Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood Photos & Video

[TheRealTinkerbell]

Well, if you have an Annual Pass, you get almost the same discount if you purchase online($39.99). But don't worry, there's plenty of vending machines to purchase your coke cans!!!

[Brisal73]

went on the 12th

 

Took a few co workers with me. First thing I noticed was that IT WASN'T CROWDED..interesting... maybe the price hike compared to previous week or the threat of rain

 

anyhow

 

Decided to hit lower lot. First Up Texas Chainsaw... i loved it, but it really freaked out my guests. Sets, scares, talent all good. Loved the ending and got some chest blood squirted in my face. i went to this event last year and was disappointed, but after the first maze I started to feel it was getting better already. 9/10

 

Next up Jurassic Park. Ok ride and not all the lights were out like last year. Got much wetter this time around...oh well 6/10

 

Mummy was next...I hate this ride IT SUCKED..nuff said 0/10

 

Then the trek back up the escalators. It might just be me but trekking down and up the escalators takes you out of the experience. Especially with no scare zones in between.

 

Anyways, Terror Tram was next. I expected to be disappointed after the reviews I read, my feelings were the opposite, BUT just a bit.

 

Warning rant coming**

I am the type of guest that experienced HHN when it first started in Hollywood. I LOVED the Tram then. Back then the tram took you through different parts of the lot and stopped throughout to give you a Horror Scene. I MISS THAT... if Universal is listening BRING THAT BACK. That is the one thing the event needs.

 

So back to my current experience. The tram was a better in a way that I took my time through it this time. I also liked the fact you walked your way around and through the airplane disaster set. Last Year it was just a straight line. Other than that it was the worst thing there (don't even make me bring up the lame Mummy tunnel).

6/10

 

The tram was so bad that 12 of the 13 guests I had left. Some were a bit weirded out and others thought the event was lame. I'm just glad I stayed because the event got a whole lot better afterwards.

 

so let me explain

 

Next up was Nightmare on Elm Street. Loved the movies while growing up and really enjoyed the recognized scenes. Some reason the nurses were scarier than Freddy but I liked when Freddy comes out of the fat woman...nice 8/10

 

Next up Bill and Teds. I never experienced BAT so I was interested in knowing what the fuss is about. All in all it was a good show. Some slow parts but it had a very good ending. Loved Britney with the Babies. 8/10

 

After BAT it started to RAIN and by rain I mean buckets, gallons, dogs and cats... I liked it and it added to to the atmosphere. Whys that?..cause

 

Friday the 13th was next. Had a great time met two girls in line that were unfortunately wearing sandals so they were pretty much screwed when it came to it raining. So as the polite guy I am I let them in the maze first. Every scene had really good scares and I loved the victims. Btw the girls half way through wanted me and my friend it front. Being squeezed by cute girls is something you can only get in a Halloween Maze. Thank you Jason

10/10 (i am not counting the girls)

 

After that we headed to House of Horrors. This was the worst maze of tonight. So much Potential and not enough scares. 7/10

 

So that was my night. All in all it was WAAAAY better than last year and I look forward to next year.

 

things I would add for next year

#1 Original Terror Tram ride

#2 More mazes..where is Michael Meyers?

#3 More Victims. Idea they could use is have actors play the role of maze guest (walk with the guest) and then get attacked by Jason, Freddy, etc... That would be scary and something Ive never seen

#4 Add rain effects to certain areas. Last nights rain storm added a lot to the event

 

 

Thx for reading

[haiderodes]

So we made it to HHN on Saturday and a good time was had!

 

Ended up not having to work Saturday, so we headed down about 1230p. Drove straight through with little traffic. Arrived at USH about 4-4:15 ish and decided to just get dinner at CityWalk (Buca Di Beppo).

 

After dinner we walked around and eventually ended up at the security check about 6p. Quite a few people waiting, but no rediculous line, but it picked up during the wait at the turnstiles. Lots of nice thick fog at the entrance...LOVE THAT STUFF!

 

It was getting dark, but not totally so we headed to the lower lot for Texas Chainsaw so we wouldnt have to go back down there. My roommate has been to HHN in Orlando the past few years, and I was a newbie so I was pretty excited to see how the haunts stacked up to the ones we have in Vegas.

 

What really impressed me is pretty much the same thing that everyone else mentioned is the level of detail. Down to the smells (particularly that bathroom scene. We managed to hit all of the haunts in a resonable amount of time. We also saw Bill & Ted, Slaughterworld2, and the rediculously funny Chuck's Insult Emporium (great show!).

 

My favorite maze had to be A Nightmare on Elm Street. Runner up was Friday the 13th.

 

Let me say those queues are intimidating! They wind up and down and around. Especially that Friday the 13th one, it was the ultimate "think you are getting close, but not really" type line. The House of Horrors one was also tricky with that secret queue in the back.

 

In speaking of House of Horrors, our first attempt through was marred by a fire alarm less than a 1/4 of the way into the maze. All the lights came on and we had to leave. This after waiting 30 minutes! The good thing is coming back later the line wasnt as long. It was interesting though to be evacuated from a haunted house.

 

Now for my gripes...

 

1. I guess it comes with the territory of having so many people want to see these houses, but its irritating to stand in line for 30+ minutes to essentially stand in line for another 10-15 minutes walking through the maze. Instead of letting groups of people in, they just let the line snake its way through. I understand the need for capacity, but it greatly lessened the scare potential when you are standing in one spot for 2 or 3 minutes at a time and you see the actors "reset". Then again, if they did send in groups, the wait time would go up, so I don't know a good solution.

 

2. The Terror Tram ended up seeming like a poorly done maze. The area was too open to have such a narrow pathway. Granted some people still ended up getting scared and the Bates Motel area was cool, but the shaker cans...MY GOD! I was expecting more scares on the actual tram, you know people jumping out or something...ANYTHING! It has potential though, hopefully they make it longer next year and add more scares.

 

3. Gaps in the park were very apparent. Particularly on the StarWay. Add a smoke machine, some lights, something please!

 

Overall I had fun, never really got a good scare or scream. They seem to have a lot of room to grow and make it scarier. While at the park we decided (since we were down there) to check out Knott's Scary Farm so it became a Super Haunt Weekend!

 

I love Halloween!

[DATman]

^^I think the best point you brought up is that there whould be a scare zone in that flat area between the escalators. It has a great view and theres almost nothing (other than the Apollo 13 set piece) there. Not only would it break up the bad transition from upper to lower lot, it would provide something else to make that trip down feel more worth it. It has so much potential too. You could have scareators using the escalators with the guests and things like that.

[SharkTums]

I hope you understand why it would not be a good idea to have a scare zone or scareactors on the starway!!!!

[Gnome]

Imagine all the people who would hurt themselves down the escalator.

 

Lawsuits waiting to happen.

 

I don't know but maybe they could have some fog or lighting just to keep the mood.

[Jew]

^Even fog and/or dim lighting would be pushing it...I know if I was in charge, I wouldn't want stairs to have fog or dim lighting.

 

As far as the "old" tram goes...it was cool, but I can imagine the logistical nightmares and costs associated with not getting in the way of the actual studios business. I think it's awesome people get to walk the sets, I just with they'd do more than just those sets. Add a "mini maze" somewhere on the hill or something.

[haiderodes]

I totally can understand why it would be a saftey issue, but then again, some fake cobwebs or something along the top of the canopy wouldn't hurt anyone. Maybe a display or two on the landings. Something would be better than nothing.

[aardvark_man]

I visited on Saturday, and here is my review in which I focus more on what to improve than the positive:

 

Mazes

 

The Terror Tram : Enjoyed it, but the drive over seemed too scripted, no scares on the tram, Mummy tomb seemed irrelevant. 8/10

 

A Nightmare on Elm St.: Freddy's Revenge: I love Freddy, so this maze was awesome for me. True, a little short and a recycled Asylum, but exciting for me all the same. 9/10

 

Friday the 13th: Camp Blood: Friday the 13th is my favorite horror series. True, the movies are horrible, but they have a fun feel to them. Recreating all the movie scenes was an awesome treat, and made this my favorite thing of the night. 10/10

 

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Back in Business: This was a good maze, but it reminded me too much of the remake. I know, they had the licence only to the remake, but my hatred of it stoped me from enjoying this maze too much. 8/10

 

The House of Horrors: Same as day with more actors. Good, but familiar. 6/10

 

Shows

 

Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure: Good show, but the audience was REALLY not into it. I felt bad for the actors. When Sylar paused for the audience to say brains, there was like a 10 second delay. 7/10

 

Slaughterworld 2: A little too dirty for my tastes. Didn't make any sense 5/10

 

Chucky's Insult Emporium: Not much to say. A decent show. 6/10

 

Scare Zones

 

Just speaking in generalities here, but the scarezones this year were good, not great. The main problem was they just weren't big enough. If you walked quickly, you could finish one in less than a minute. I understand the space just isn't there, but they still were extremely small. The scareactors did their best though and I did get a few scares.

 

Overall: 8/10

 

Suggestions for next year:

 

- More Mazes:What you have is high quality stuff, I would just like to see more of it. 6 is a good number. Maybe 3 on the lower lot, 3 on the upper?

 

- Bigger Scarezones: Maybe combine them?

 

- Bring Back Bill and Ted: The audience was unresponsive this year, but don't let that discourage you! Write a better show for next year.

 

- Improve Terror Tram: Add another drop off point and have scares while on the tram. Try to combine the best elements of the old HHN and the new.

 

- Integrate Icon: Try to have the park themed more to the icon, possibly by adding a pre-show on the blues brothers venue or drop the icon idea altogether.

 

- Change House of Horrors: Don't use the same maze two years in a row! I know it is expensive to do so, but change the maze every year. Maybe close it in september, change it and reopen it on the first day of HHN each year.

 

- Don't bring back The Asylum: While the Freddy theme did work this year, I expect something entirely new next year.

 

- Make all attractions scarier and Halloween themed at night: Jurassic Park: In the Dark doesn't cut it! Put scareactors in Jurassic Park and Mummy, make things bloodier on both. Give the Simpsons a Treehouse of Horror theme! Make T2:3D more Mature and Violent. GIVE US REASONS TO GO ON THESE AT NIGHT!!!

 

-Put a better show in the Waterworld Venue: I see what you are going for with slaughterworld, but it could be so much better. Take a chance and try something new!

 

I hope that John Murdy takes these ideas to heart and gives us the best event possible next year!

 

Thanks for reading!

[SharkTums]

- Make all attractions scarier and Halloween themed at night: Jurassic Park: In the Dark doesn't cut it! Put scareactors in Jurassic Park and Mummy, make things bloodier on both. Give the Simpsons a Treehouse of Horror theme! Make T2:3D more Mature and Violent. GIVE US REASONS TO GO ON THESE AT NIGHT!!!

 

I don't understand why they haven't done this in Florida or now here in Hollywood.

 

One year they put Jack in Earthquake and Jaws, but they could have done so much more. Especially with Jurassic Park!!! Take what they did when they had Jurassic Park Scare Zone at IoA and put it in the ride. Wow, it would be amazing.

 

My guess is due to liability reasons. Same reason they can't put a scare zone on the Starway...if they scare people when they're on a logflume system they might try to get out and get hurt. Some rides they should be able to 'haunt' though.

[kraxleRIDAH]

Not sure if you already know this Robb, but you're featured in the "Reviews" section for Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights page.

 

http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/hollywood/news_reviews.html

[Jew]

I totally can understand why it would be a saftey issue, but then again, some fake cobwebs or something along the top of the canopy wouldn't hurt anyone. Maybe a display or two on the landings. Something would be better than nothing.

 

I think it's kind of nice to have an area of the park that is completely Halloween free. Sort of like an escape for guests. Sure it takes a little away from the atmosphere, but I am guessing most guests appreciate having a "break area" so to speak. Plus, if the location doesn't allow for something to be done at "Universal quality" levels, I'd rather them just leave it then do something half ass like fake cobwebs.

 

I think the big thing to remember about this HHN is that it is only two years old. Sure they did HHN in the past, but that obviously failed---so it's like starting all over again. If this is what year 2 has to offer, I can't wait to see what future years will have in store!

 

They very well may put mazes back in the soundstages/tram garage/level 7 of frankenstein parking (all previous maze locations), put a new show in Waterworld (IIRC, Bill & Teds took place in WaterWorld back in the day), change HoH every year, etc...but at the end of the night, Universal still has to be fiscally responsible. If you believe the rumors, one of the things that sunk the previous HHN was how expensive it was to produce---so I personally appreciate the fact they are taking "baby steps" each year to ensure it keeps getting better and better.

[haiderodes]

^ My roommate and I were talking about that while we were there. How much it costs to put these things on. Even with there only being 4 mazes, thats a lot of money put into personnel let alone decorations. The liquid fog mixture is pretty expensive in itself!

 

We were also thinking how much more money they could be bringing in if they sold liquor like they do in Orlando. In the interview John Murdy said it was a conscious decision to exclude it from the Hollywood park, I just wonder why it works for them in one park versus the other.

 

I can't wait to see what they come up with for next year!

[haiderodes]

Not sure if you already know this Robb, but you're featured in the "Reviews" section for Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights page.

 

http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/hollywood/news_reviews.html

 

That same quote is also featured in the most recent USH eNewsletter as well. Very cool!