Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights 22

[cfc]

To the guest there really is no theme to annoying people in black robes or masks walking around on concrete midways. We need sets! Scarezones were so much better at HHN (on the contrary, I do like the scare actors all over the park at BGT). The park really lacks on atmosphere this year.

 

The lack of atmosphere was a big minus for me, too. It just didn't have the "HHN feel" of past years, and the houses were pretty weak, as well.

 

Well considering how late it is in the event, I don't think they'd turn around and add theme'd scare zones. They hired on 80 more scare actors to place in the park. I feel that is a pretty good attempt at an answer to help make it feel like more is going on.

 

I don't understand the whole "out of place" concept I keep hearing. The park dug up a dark force called the Iniquitis who than rose up several dark legions to terrorize the park. This is the first time they've had a cohesive theme through out the event in a while. Everybody talks about the "Themed" scare zones, while yes they are awesome, usually had nothing to do with anything else in the event.

 

Lady luck had one terrible scare zone, and then there were 5 other random have nothing to do with the "theme" zones. I can't say I love the roaming legions but I do love the fact that they are all apart of the same purpose. Warriors are the only thing that I didn't fully understand but hey, they made it work. The Iniquitis prepare them before they break...and send them off. I love that! I always hated how by the time I got to Kidzone and MIB there was literally nothing going on there....and now they have scareactors there. I love it! Again though, I'm biased...sorry for the rant haha.

 

Is anyone expecting them to add themed scarezones now? Of course not. While I agree that the "Lady Luck" theme didn't come off last year, I don't think "the Iniquitis" stuff did, either. It just seemed too generic.

[Bryce]

Park hours have been extended on Thursday and Sunday, closing time is now 2 am. Going to be a busy last week!

Yay, my trip is on Sunday! Glad I have a R.I.P. Tour...

[simtanic8]

Meant to post my review a while back but just got.....lazy.

 

I went on two nights, the 7th(Sunday) and the 12th(Friday)

 

On the Sunday I went with one of my friends Anna, and we arrived around 5pm. At first it seemed like a good idea to go on a Sunday because everyone having school and work the next day but I was wrong. We only got through five of the houses the entire night. We technically could have gone through the other two but the lines were so long that we decided not too. Plus we were tired and had class the next morning. We did get to see every legion that night just by walking up and down from MIB to Transformers twice. The shortest house wait was 30minutes, not bad. Then it gradually increased to 90 minutes by the time we left the 5th house, Penn & Teller. Which we waited 60minutes for.

 

The second time I went was a Friday with my roommate and a friend. We got there around 530 because I knew what the lines would be like. TO my surprise, they already were allowing people through the detectors at the gate. We got in line and entered the park. We met another friend who just got off from working at Rip, Ride, Rocket and went through the first house, Silent Hill. Wait time? 10minutes. But wait...it's a Friday, why is it 10minutes? Next up Gothic, again.....10 minutes. Then Dead End, 15 minutes. Walking Dead, 20 minutes. Penn&Teller, 20 minutes. House of Horrors, 10 minutes. Alice Cooper 10 minutes. This was a Friday night and the longest wait was 20minutes, surprised the crap out of me. The fact that we got through all the houses three hours into the event was incredible. The longest wait we waited for was the Mummy, which was a 40 minute wait. By the time we left the park, we had walked through every haunted house, seen every legion, and rode every ride at the park. All by midnight, and the park wouldn't close for another two hours.

 

Houses: In order from best to worst(on my experience)

 

1. Silent Hill

By far my favorite and the best one both nights. Going through at the very beginning we stopped a lot in the entrance but by the time we turned the first corner we had plenty of room. I did see half the scares in front of me but that did not stop the actors. All of them got me! The sets were greatly made and the Nurses scared me the most. Not to mention that Pyramid Head was actually leaning over me swiping down at us. Though the second time I went through he wasn't there. And I am sad that I did not know about Pyramid Heads knife being near the ceiling, but I still loved this house!

 

2. House of Horrors

The fact that this entire house is all black and white made it very unique. There were a lot of times at first when we stopped and couldn't go anywhere but soon after wards we were running through the house. The last scene with the film strips was so disorienting, every actor in that room was getting me really good and kept blocking any paths out. Then that Frankenstein's monster scene, WOW! Awesome scares from classic films!

 

3. Walking Dead

For a house based on zombies this one was awesome. First time through I enjoyed it, but the second time. Oh man! I was out of breath from screaming so much. It was gross, amazing, and terrifying! Through the barn scene there were countless times when the actors had their arms in front of me inches away from my face. I would turn and there would be another zombie in my face. Awesome scares!

 

4. Gothic

This one was a bit iffy for me the first time. The sets are beautiful but I missed a lot of the scares. The organ scene was brilliant though and I really enjoyed the roof distraction where you looked down into a room. The second time through was better. I got to see the flying gargoyle, and that was really cool! Had to be one of the most unique scares. Liked the house and loved the sets!

 

5. Penn&Teller

The first time going through we waited an hour for the house. Though I will admit it was worth it. The color theory used in this house was great. The walls were popping out at me a lot and the flowers in the chapel used the 3D effect very well. The scares weren't as good as the In-Between last year though, and the advertising pictures somewhat ruined the house for me. Not a lot of other scenes were in the house other than the ones shown already. I did enjoy the gags used in this house though.

 

6. Dead End

Crazy right? This house is the second to last on my list even though its on the top on others. Do not get me wrong, the house is Beautifully made and the rooms were phenomenal. Just the scares....they didn't work for me...well the ones I was ABLE to get. Both times through the house was the worst case of "conga lining." Constantly stopping in every room at a minimum of two times. The scares I got were ones I saw, and even then I only was scared by ones that distracted me. The second time around was better, but still had the constant stopping problem. The only time I got really scared was in the greenhouse/garden scene by ONE actor. Sets are awesome, conga lines.....not awesome.

 

7. Alice Cooper

Not a fan of him and not really a fan of the house. A few scenes were so dark I had to stop just to try to see were I was going. The scares were good but only because half the time stuff was hanging in front of my face blocking my view, so I guess those did work. Going through I didn't get a sense of story or really anything. Seemed like a mixture of Walking Dead doctors and random asylum stuff with high school bleachers thrown in. I left not really being scared as much as I left feeling disgusting from the mattresses.

 

Streets:

1. Iniquitis

These guys go above all others just because of their costumes. They are stunning! The winged stilt walker is by far my favorite! What I would give to just have that costume, and how their jaws actually move and are not just a simple mask. Then the ones with two heads and those with glowing eyes.....man they were the coolest characters this year. Just something about seeing a pair of red eyes in the fog creeps me out, and these guys do it very well.

 

2. Prisoners

by far the most energetic and creepiest group. The way they talked, gah! Creepy! I still remember one saying "A little Jumpy aren't we" as she chased me. Then in the Hollywood area one of them set the chainsaw off, which caught me completely off guard so I ran. And she followed me! Then as I turned while running another one started to chase me. After stopping and turning back I saw people laughing and the prisoners going after those laughing. Then there was a time when Anna and I were walking towards Mels and they were marching by us....well...they actually marched around us. Trapping us in the middle of them. All were snarling at us and setting their chainsaws off! Thank you prisoners for making that night one to never forget!

 

3. Traditionals

Scary? No, but they are full of energy and very into character. The fox girl had to be the best one of the group! And I loved how they had cow bells and horns, very neat!

 

4. Warriors

Did not get a lot of time with this legion, but the time I did was good enough. Going through Hollywood and seeing them just appear out of the fog was terrifying. Then how some would be just crawling on the ground and hiding behind props. Woah! I swear i saw that girls face distort in a way no has done when one came after her. The lack of a great "costume" didn't stop their energy, fantastic group

 

5. Vampires.

I am very happy with Universals take on vampires throughout the centuries. Seeing the traditional vampires mixed with the new age "sexy" ones was different. Also, Kudos goes to the vampire in the red robe who scared me in the Universal Store. Did not see you come up behind me while waiting in line to pay.

 

6. Beasts

These guys were cool, Beasts is a very fitting name. Incredibly intimidating to see following you or coming after. But, they don't really interact much from what I experienced. Other than the occasional Lunge, they just walk away. Then again, that was when a group of girls came through who were very easily scared. So going after them was a lot more entertaining than going after us. Thank you Beasts!

 

7. Walkers

Leaving the Walking Dead I was still scared from all the zombies and this legion, well more like only scare zone, is perfectly placed. Carrying around legs, arms, and other body parts was disgusting but fit so perfectly.

 

 

My second Halloween event ever and I want to go back so bad! Love the event this year and I really REALLY want to go back. Maybe next year I will be able to audition to be apart of it.....

[Aaronupsidasium]

Went Halloween Horror Nights 22 this Sunday and had a fun time despite the crowds. I got five houses in but no tears, I'm going Wed and Thurs with Frequent Fear Pass and Universal was nice enough to extend the event by an hour Sunday since there were so many people.

 

I honestly can say that themed scare zones would be impossible this year if held at the Studios. Just look at the locations:

 

Shrek Alley: walled off for Transformers construction.

 

Annex between Hollywood and Central Park: Any temporary sets would block the Superstar Parade or the site lines for guests watching the parade. Also the bright lighting of the full blown Transformers construction site would ruin the setting.

 

Hollywood: similarly, complex sets would block the guests viewing the parade. They did have some props in the middle of the street that i assumed they rolled out after the park closed.

 

Sting Alley (New York): the lights and walls from Transformers is still pretty distracting.

 

So that leaves Production Central, New York, San Fransisco, Central Park and KidZone which puts all of the houses and scare zones on the left and right of the park with the entire middle section as a major dead zone.

[BBparks57]

Well, I can't believe it is over. What an amazing experience. I met so many awesome people, and fulfilled something I had wanted to do for years. I had a blast and I'm sad that it has come to an end. This year, as FireCrew I was sent all over the park to fill in holes each night. This year I was a part of The Warriors, Vampires, Iniquitis, Gothic (Got to be on the forsaken flying rig, what fun!) Alice cooper (did this house the most, same role pretty much. Loved it!) Penn and teller (got to actually work with Penn and Teller!) House of Horrors (Some of the best scares I got at the event were in this house) Walking Dead. Such a blast, I wish it was still going on!

[ernierocker]

^Sounds like a cool experience. You definitely lucked out getting Firecrew your first year, because you could of been stuck in the same spot for the entire event!

[robbalvey]

Can you actually tell us a bit more about how you got on the Firecrew? There were some of us who were considering doing it this year.

[BBparks57]

Yeah! I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity. There is a definitely advantages to being hard casted in a location. The family that is built in each cast is really cool...also you get to perfect your scare! Which I did get a little taste of for I was Steven 6 or 7 times. Although I still think I prefer moving around and getting to experience a little bit of everything each night.

 

Getting on Fire Crew was honestly by chance. It's what I was offered so I accepted. The only advice I can give is when/if you go to the audition, on your application there is a comments section. If you are interested in a specific role, such as fire crew, fill it in there!

[cfc]

I've never even heard of this "Fire Crew" thing--it sounds great.

[ernierocker]

I think when they first started it, Firecrew was usually reserved for veterans that they knew could take on multiple roles.

[Jew]

Sounds like it is basically a "pool" cast---you show up and they put you where ever they need someone to fill in that night.

[BBparks57]

Fire Crew used to be significantly larger, but this year they slimmed it down by about 50%. It is very similar to Active Backup, only difference is Active backup is not guaranteed work. Fire crew will be cast every night no matter what. People on Active backup could be sent home each night if there is no where for them, and also only have to show up 5 times to meet their requirements to be employed.

 

As fire crew, we show up about an hour and a half before everybody else. We are then lined up in a trailer and casted by a panel of very familiar faces. (Show runners/directors/creative directors) It is by height and sometimes weight. You will most likely play very similar/repetitive roles considering they casted you specifically by your body type. Another huge perk of Fire crew is being walked through all the houses on the training nights of all the hard casted individuals. So on Sept 6th, we walked through 2 houses, and then again on the 12th and 16th in order to "study" our options. It was cool to be the "test subjects" for our fellow scare actors. Also saved me from having to fight to terribly hard to see the event, since that is a very difficult task when working HHN.

 

I know it has existed for quite a while, but I'm not sure of the origin. Some people "respect" the Fire Crew for it's considered an awesome position. I also found a lot of people don't like it, since every night you show up somewhere new...you essentially don't know what you are doing. Learning the scare and or gags that others have had weeks to practice. Sorry for typing a novel, just thought I'd add a little info on the topic.

[cfc]

It sounds like a good idea for the park--and a nice source of seasonal work for, say, college students.

Edited November 3, 2012 by cfc

[triggernel]

How competitive is it to get a job at HHN? I'm guessing they only hire 18+, but what are some of the other requirements? What percentage of people that audition actually get a job? Which position is harder to get a job as, Mazes or Scare Zones?

[BBparks57]

Yes it is 18 and up. It's quite the competition to initially get the job. Every year they host a reunion audition for all the scareactors from the past year. This year they filled over 70% of their roles just from that. They then held 3 separate days of auditions in which they hired the rest. On the third day, halfway through they had already seen around 2,000 people from all three days. The audition it self is pretty simple for it is a type cast out. You either fit what they are looking for or you don't. You could be put in the street or the house...just chance. Again there are comments section and it wouldn't hurt to put an area of interest. Availability is another consideration for the job.

[ThatFloridaDude]

The event was rather ejoyable this year. All the construction really made me look into what was going on. The fact Universal has changed so fast but HHN 22 was fun.

[Hockeyman55]

Here are a few pictures I got on our visit to HHN, we ended up going the last weekend of the event on Friday the 26th and really lucked out with the weather from Sandy. I always enjoy this event but did miss the scare zones of years past.

Gates of Hell! Let the mayhem begin!

Parade of Ghouls

20 Penny Circus. Wasnt really all that impressed with this show. Seemed like your typical circus sideshow act.

[Wes]

^ Nice pics!