Chris the Coaster Freak Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 This year is definitely stacking up to be a good one. The three houses I am looking forward to the most are Psychoscarepy, Scream House, and People under the Stairs. I really enjoyed the helmet with light technique used in Terror Mines last year, and I hope it transfers well over to People under the Stairs. My only concern is with the acutal Scarezones. Although each sound good, my last encounter with definitive scarezones (HHN14) was somewhat a letdown on the scary factor. I guess I'm going against every HHN purist when I say that I prefer the way they did it at IOA, where every area of the park had an entire encompassing theme and scare factor, leaving nowhere (other than Seuss Landing) to hide. In HHN 14, I didn't have that "look over my shoulder at all times for someone running up to scare me" factor, since the vast majority of scareactors were ultra-concentrated in a direct area. Maybe one of you that went to pre-IOA HHN's can tell me if USF had scareactors out of the scarezones also. I just dont want to feel "safe" from Hollywood all the way around past San Francisco... -CtCF-who really hopes his broken hip heals enough for him to be able to at least use a cane to get out of a chair to experience the houses in time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECZenith Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 Chris, I'm sorry to hear of your injury, but keep in mind Universal's haunted houses are able to accomodate guests in wheel chairs, so that would be the worst case scenario, you'd still be able to experience them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT3000 Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 HHN XIV was nothing like previous years at USF, since the scarezones were inbetween the parks. While I do think there should definitely be more than three scarezones this year, the overall atmosphere at USF usually trumps what they were capable of at IOA by a long shot. Certain areas of IOA, namely Seuss Landing, Toon Lagoon and Marvel, really worked against what they were trying to achieve. They weren't made with a Halloween event in mind. USF has much more realistic theming, which creates a more real and visceral atmosphere. Once you see the park made over for HHN, you will understand what the "purists" are talking about. You won't get to see anything as detailed and exotic as Lost Continent, obviously, but once you see HHN in action at USF, you won't care. The main focus of HHN while it was held at the Studios was scares, not overdone theatrics. Not only do I expect HHN to regain some of it's old intensity, I also expect this year's houses to blow last year's out of the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECZenith Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 ^ Well said. as I mentioned before I don't think this year will have any lame houses. There's always one bad house... like Cold Blind Terror, Jungle Of Doom, etc. almost as if they just used the last of the budget to squeeze out one extra haunted house... This year all the houses are based on previous concepts that were proven at previous events to be successful. I love the fact the event has gone back to the studios. I haven't missed HHN since 2001 and agree the event is much better at USO than IOA. Every year IOA has to keep similar themes to its previous year, there's not much you can do to retheme a jungle as anything else but an "evil jungle". And marvel as a city overtaken by "evil." At USO, they're able to modify any of their many available buildings to make GREAT houses. IMO, there hasn't been a better HHN since 2001 when they had edgy houses like Pitch Black and Run, and since it's finally come back to just USO, I see great things. We'll see on Sept. 30! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doitdumont1128 Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 I know this would never happen, but i think it would be really sweet, if they re-did rides like ROTM for HHN. nothing major but still enough to make it a truely unforgetable experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrasher Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 Last year, I really thought they were gonna place characters on the JP ride, but nuthing. I cant wait for more production die-ries to come out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TmanHHNXIV Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 I worked HHN last year and am going to work it again this year. I am a little confused about how "The Storyteller" has anything to do with "The Dungeon of Terror" because that wasn't a house last year. I did like the fact that you pretty much were in a Scare Zone anywhere you went last year (of course not the back lot area) so you couldn't completely get away from scare-actors. I am excited about seeing what my house will look like & what kind of costume I get to have this year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris the Coaster Freak Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 Thanks to everyone who explained the HHN experience at USF a little better. I definitely will admit that the scarezones that are going up so far look incredible. I'm especially looking forward to what I've seen of Deadtropolis: Zombie Seige so far. The only thing it needs to complete it will be definite amounts of thick fog (a gimmie I believe in this case), and the laser effect they've been using the last few years at Toon Lagoon. TmanHHNXIV: I believe the Storyteller was more of a "where can we put her and have it make the most sense" this year. It's the same as Jack taking over Psychoscareapy: Maximum Madness this year. The thing that gets me is that they still don't openly accept Eddie back into it. I know he will be featured in RUN: Hostile Territory, yet he seems to have gotten the shaft from being featured with the other icons so far. I guess I can understand since he got scrapped in 01, but we had him openly talked about in HHN: Nightmares in HHN XIV. CtCF: Who is still waiting to see more details on USH's first HHN in quite some time.... The Director seems to be a perfect fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resonancej Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 It's good to see that all the HHN info is finally up, everything looks great for this year. It will only be my third and XIV was definitely better than last year. Now, my question is, is anyone here in town planning a HHN trip? Would anyone be interested in one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT3000 Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 The usage of Eddie is a disagreement between creative and marketing, I would assume. The marketing department probably don't want to use such a little known character to represent the event, and what they say goes, unfortunately. For those of you who don't know, the marketing department was also responsible for the oh-so-crappy Storyteller, who did not fit into last year's event whatsoever. Creative wanted the Terra Queen to be the icon character. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECZenith Posted September 6, 2006 Share Posted September 6, 2006 I could not agree more. The storyteller was completely lame... and I never understood how supposedly the Storyteller was the icon while the Terra Queen had the big show at the port of evil. Leave it to marketing to suck the life out of the creativite department... (She barely showed up in Where evil hides! So random!!) Even though Eddie barely saw any daylight in the past few years, he's still my favorite icon just due to the fact they took the time to make a GREAT backstory for him and he was genuinely creepy and not just another idea. Hopefully he will be showcased this year, even though I appreciated the Eddie scene in Horror Night Nightmares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida420 Posted September 6, 2006 Share Posted September 6, 2006 I will admit I am a bit upset about the lack of scare zones around the lake. I've only been to HHN once when it was in USO only, back in '99 and from what I remember the area around Jaws and all the games was a good one. They fogged it all up, some lasers and stuck a bunch of clowns there, very nice. But I guess they don't have any around the lake so you can see the lagoon show without getting the crap scared out of you every 2 minutes. But on that note, I have no doubt that the whole event will kick much ass!! I've been to every HHN from 2002 to now, and so far the first one at IOA (2K2) was my favorite, that's when the Islands of Fear was a fresh idea. The (not so) scare zone in Toon Lagoon with the soap suds, crazy faced clowns and flatulent carnival music has yet to be topped in my book. Although I was a bit trashed, but not too trashed to remember that the Fear Factor house sucked on toast!! as did the Skool last year. But I am looking forward to seeing my old friend the Caretaker, the first Scream house was the only house to date that made me jump, damn that half a corps. I will be there on preview weekend (one of many trips I will make there this year) at the end of the month, with bells on my toes? and rum in my pockets. I can't wait. On a sightly different subject, I am a bit pissed that HOS is almost identical as it was last year 5 of the 6 houses are the same and most of the scare zones are too. I went last year to both and I was pleased with HOS, but I'm not too sure about it this year. I am still gonna go, but only one night, last year I did two. I will be bringing a group of peeps that has never been, so that should make it fun. I hope. But I gotta go get my last Python ride in, I've already got some Tylenol put aside Sorry for the looong post. So yeah, C'Mon 29th P All Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT3000 Posted September 6, 2006 Share Posted September 6, 2006 I will admit I am a bit upset about the lack of scare zones around the lake. I've only been to HHN once when it was in USO only, back in '99 and from what I remember the area around Jaws and all the games was a good one. They fogged it all up, some lasers and stuck a bunch of clowns there, very nice. But I guess they don't have any around the lake so you can see the lagoon show without getting the crap scared out of you every 2 minutes. That, and the fact that Jaws, Dungeon of Terror and Bill & Ted are all in the same area. Amity will be really crowded. It's a shame, because Midway of the Bizzare is the only scarezone that's ever really scared me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT3000 Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Our old friend Albert has decided to raid some of the drawers in the Behind the Screams section of the site. Check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECZenith Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 I'm going on Sat Sept 30 and would like to know if opening weekend is generally busy for this event. All the other times I have gone in midoctober So I have no idea what the crowds are like on the first Saturday of the event. I would rather not by the express pass if it won't be needed as I can barely scrape by for this Florida trip... Also, it would be nice to be able to buy tickets at the event (after I get paid) than have to worry about getting them now and not having to worry about the event selling out. So to you Orlando residents, what's your best guess? Does the event usually sell out the first weekend, and what have the wait times for houses been like the first weekend. This will be a very big help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disneyfan1313 Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 I'm going on Sat Sept 30 and would like to know if opening weekend is generally busy for this event. All the other times I have gone in midoctober So I have no idea what the crowds are like on the first Saturday of the event. I would rather not by the express pass if it won't be needed as I can barely scrape by for this Florida trip... Also, it would be nice to be able to buy tickets at the event (after I get paid) than have to worry about getting them now and not having to worry about the event selling out. So to you Orlando residents, what's your best guess? Does the event usually sell out the first weekend, and what have the wait times for houses been like the first weekend. This will be a very big help. I have been almost every year since the first event and I always go the first weekend (usually on Friday but sometimes on the Saturday). It is very doubtful that the first Saturday will sell out - that being said IT WILL BE CROWDED. More and more people every year are visiting HHN on the first weekend and this year that Saturday is the only one that the Frequent Fear Pass is valid for. Usually on the first Friday the houses range from 30min-60min... the first Saturday will run from 60 min-90 min. for most of the event. It is not as bad as later Saturdays where every house is 120minutes from Open-Close but it is still packed. You may get to hit all of the houses if you concentrate on doing them, but do not expect to get in any other rides or shows without the Express Pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECZenith Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Yeah, I'll be at Universal Studios for that entire day for rides and I am only interested in doing the houses for the event that night. I'm hoping to just get in and hit the houses as they open avoiding any big waits, if I understand this correctly, the waits just get longer and longer as the night goes on but I'm hoping the first hour or so the lines won't be so bad. Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida420 Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 I'm going on the first weekend too, for the first time, with my FFP, so I don't know if this will work, but. If your in the park for the day, when they close it they'll rope off a section for all who are staying (I'm sure you knew that) as soon as they let us out we go to what ever houses are open first and as soon as we see the general public coming we head to the back of the park, to hit the houses furthest from the entrance, then work around to the front. Since people usually go to the first houses/rides they see, this works out good, for the most part. Last year on a Thursday we had all the houses done by 9:30, leaving the rest of the night for shenanigans!! Although I haven't been on a Friday or Saturday in a while, like 3 years, let alone on the first weekend, so who knows. I do know I aint gettin' no express pass, my trip that weekend and then 2 weeks later are gonna be pricey enough, I just have to risk it. Hope my useless info helps you enjoy the night more, BTW don't let anyone else know my secret "game plan" for HHN, keep it on the DL. P All Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida420 Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 Our old friend Albert has decided to raid some of the drawers in the Behind the Screams section of the site. Check it out. What's he doing? do you think it's another secret game, like last year? My guess so far, is it's just things that are gonna be in the scream house, Rat Lady, Vampyre vampires, ect. not sure what's up with the "heart" of the old scream house? Maybe it will be the same room? who's gonna remember? I don't know, just grasping at straws right now. Did any one else notice that BttF is not listed on the HHN map? I know it's getting the axe but I figured they would leave it for HHN to soak up some of the crowd. Are they using it for a house? any one have a clue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disneyfan1313 Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 I will post a quick TR (hopefully) after the first night and that will give you an idea of what houses seem to be the busiest and you can make a beeline to those. There is almost always 1 or 2 houses that seem to have very low capacity and will have a long wait even on the slowest nights (these are usually the ones that are not in soundstages and are in non-traditional areas) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECZenith Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 Thanks, that will be a big help. ::crosses fingers:: Can't believe it's less than 3 weeks away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT3000 Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 The "heart" of Scream House is apparently the greenhouse. Every house this year will include one scene from it's predecessor. Why they chose the greenhouse of all things, I'll never know. Does anyone even remember that scene? The most interesting part of this update is the card in the 2002 drawer. Most people think the message is a reference to the resurrection of Cindy, the Caretaker's daughter (who was supposed to be the original icon of 2002 until he replaced her.) New publicity photo. This makes for a funny wallpaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarmor Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 I kinda have a question. I'm planning on staying onsite but I dont know which of the three I should consider for my stay. Are they basically the same? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefitness Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Portifino 4 star Hotel...most expensive Hard Rock Getting refurbished so all the available rooms are most likely taken Royal Pacific Least expensive but still an awesome hotel(i like it better than hard rock) If you dont get in the first time you call keep calling...its always works for us because people cancel their reservations Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarmor Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Thanks for the info but im trying to find out the actual difference in the hotel experience vs the general information given on the net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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