WB Studios - A Festival of Frights

[DTH]

SoCal, do you think Conjuring would've been worth a 2 hour wait on a traditional, more busy night? And did you think the price was fair for the amount of mazes, or would you pay extra for the "2 more mazes" you'd want?

 

[ManWhoLaughs]

Uh oh, another glowing review! Quick! Someone ask him if he works for WB! LOL

 

[Viator]

Glad to hear your comments, @SOCAL110! it felt balanced, and wasn't entirely glowing.

Sooo happy last weekend for Horror Made Here, y'all.

 

[ManWhoLaughs]

Yeah you're right! My review was the glowing one even though I listed more negatives AND said the event was priced too high! :bs:

 

[SailwiththeTide]

Uh oh, another glowing review! Quick! Someone ask him if he works for WB! LOL

I think wait times are a big factor in any experience. If you have to wait less than 10 min all night it becomes a really enjoyable experience regardless of the actual quality. I know even at HHN wait times will skew the experience. I would not want to wait over an hour for ST.

 

[ManWhoLaughs]

I think wait times are a big factor in any experience. If you have to wait less than 10 min all night it becomes a really enjoyable experience regardless of the actual quality. I know even at HHN wait times will skew the experience. I would not want to wait over an hour for ST.

I agree completely. I was just taking a shot at the people that accused me of working for WB. It really is weird how some people are acting over positive reviews to an event they haven't even been to! Hell, some of them aren't even going to ANY haunts at all this year! What's really going on? LOL

 

[SailwiththeTide]

I agree completely. I was just taking a shot at the people that accused me of working for WB. It really is weird how some people are acting over positive reviews to an event they haven't even been to! Hell, some of them aren't even going to ANY haunts at all this year! What's really going on? LOL

Keyboard Warriors :smash:

 

[NuteGunrayWasFramed]

Keyboard Warriors :smash:

Ahh, yes...a keyboard warrior... on that forum we're all members of.

 

[deadbydawn]

SoCal, do you think Conjuring would've been worth a 2 hour wait on a traditional, more busy night? And did you think the price was fair for the amount of mazes, or would you pay extra for the "2 more mazes" you'd want?

I know you didn't ask me this, but as someone who did The Conjuring (on a relatively slow Sunday) and loved it, I would say nothing is worth a two hour wait. No ride, no maze, nothing. This is just a weird personal opinion of mine.

The price was fair I think. If you look at the month of October for the bigger events around Southern California, they are all $75+ depending on the night.

Again I know you didn't ask me, but as someone who went and had a good time I thought I'd add my two cents.

 

[UNIrd]

So you guys know I'm not a plant but I got to experience this on the last night (Sunday 10/28) and thought it was a blast. I'm honestly surprised at some of the reactions on here when something like The Conjuring reminded me of something more akin to the Alone house in HOS. Small groups, interactive, solid acting, etc. It was short but I thought really thrilling and that ending sent us running and screaming out of there. I will admit, there was NO wait to speak of so obviously that would skew the reaction more positive.

It and Arkham were great from a set design perspective, just lacked scare actors. The Exorcist was a great, unique experience and I'm surprised Universal didn't execute something like it first. The only real wait we had all night was about an hour for Nightmare at Camp Crystal Lake but we thought it was worth it and would have done the wait all over again. It really scared the poop out of us. Seeing Jason rise up from the lake and charge towards us is worth the price of admission alone. I've honestly never quite seen anything so cinematic from an HHN haunt.

I know this will continue to get compared to the other haunts in SoCal, of which there are a decent amount, but I hope they keep trying to deliver unique themed attractions like this and not just more HHN-style houses.

 

[Rideguy70]

I actually liked Conjuring to Delusion... a pulsed room style show. Not scary per se, but more creepy and entertaining.

 

[DTH]

I keep hearing "Jason rising out of the lake" the last few weeks. So like he was literally coming out of the water? That's pretty bada$$.

 

[SOCAL110]

SoCal, do you think Conjuring would've been worth a 2 hour wait on a traditional, more busy night? And did you think the price was fair for the amount of mazes, or would you pay extra for the "2 more mazes" you'd want?

You bring up a good point. My experience was colored by the lighter crowds. But, I will say that I would never wait 2 hours for ANYTHING. My max is 1 hour. 90 minutes if we're talking the upcoming Mario Kart at USH.

If crowds were heavy, I would've bit the bullet and gotten FOTL pass. I rather pay, than wait in long lines.

As regards to the price, I didn't feel like I overpaid for the event. Well actually I did feel ripped off on the food. Almost $25 for crappy carnie food did piss me off. Honestly, I would have been happy with a turkey leg.

Bruh, you should've checked out the event on a cheaper off-night. I think you would've enjoyed it. As a horror fan, you would've LOVED Camp Crystal Lake. Mazes were great too if went in with the expectation they they are more theatrical than HHN constant jump-scare based. Also, I think you would have fit in with the horror-loving crowd.

I'm glad you enjoyed the maze but yeah we must have gone through different mazes. Because I truly hated the Conjuring. I liked the facade a lot with the various Easter eggs but that's about it.

My main issue is that despite the fact that it is a Tour of the Warren Museum it doesn't stick to that concept. It jumps from different scenes from different films (Conjuring 1 "Look What She Made Me Do", Conjuring 2 Crooked Man, Nun/Old Man, Scarecrow from Annabelle Creation) when none of that has to do with the Warren's tour.

It feels incredibly nonlinear and doesn't feel like it actually wants to tell the story of these films. IT the maze tells the story. Conjuring is just kinda a best of and the execution of those same scenes aren't really all that well designed or are really scary.

For most of the Attraction I was just bored which is bizarre because this is the Conjuring I should be in fear because of walking through it I should feel dread as I do going through Camp Crystal Lake or Queen Mary Ship Mazes. But I don't.

The design in most rooms are pretty bland and don't have much to it. The Scares are weak. And the costumes are okay. It's overall the worst overall attraction at the event but I am glad that you enjoyed it.

Dude, I didn't mean to take a shot at you or anything.

But yea, I think you were a victim of your own expectations. I don't think you should be disappointed that the maze represented different films in the universe because that's how they advertised it. It's not like they marketed it as only being The Conjuring 1 maze.

Again, I was really impressed how it felt like you were walking through a real house, instead of a small tent facade with black walls. The production value of the sets, acting caliber, horror-loving crowd and low wait times made it a really enjoyable experience for me.

How was your crowd for that maze? I got a REALLY good crowd who were super into it so it truly enhanced the experience.

 

[HHNManics]

Dude, I didn't mean to take a shot at you or anything.

But yea, I think you were a victim of your own expectations. I don't think you should be disappointed that the maze represented different films in the universe because that's how they advertised it. It's not like they marketed it as only being The Conjuring 1 maze.

Again, I was really impressed how it felt like you were walking through a real house, instead of a small tent facade with black walls. The production value of the sets, acting caliber, horror-loving crowd and low wait times made it a really enjoyable experience for me.

How was your crowd for that maze? I got a REALLY good crowd who were super into it so it truly enhanced the experience.

I'm quite aware you weren't taking a shot at me I was just stating my opinion. My crowd was fine they weren't that bad. They didn't talk that much they were just fine. It was a fine crowd.

But that real house literally just didn't have much to it. Say what you will about those black wall tents but when it isn't black walls it can sometimes be unbelievably gorgeous. The acting for mine was pretty bleh. The Scare actors really can't do much and the actors themselves are kinda weak. There's no real life to it like at least HHN has good actors and some good sets here and there. At least it has life to it. The Conjuring experience has nothing.

I knew from the start it would include all films. I'm disappointed in how they presented it. They present two storylines 1. A real tour guide element to walk through the Warren's house 2. Actual scenes from the Conjuring Universe. My problems lie that they try to mesh it together and it doesn't work. Why am I encountering scenes from the First Conjuring and Second and the Annabelle films if I'm supposed to be in the Warren's house? By including those scenes you destroy the elements of the tour guide and that you are in the Warren's house. That I'm jumping from location/scene to location/scene within a house and it doesn't mesh with the Tour guide element. It's so nonlinear and makes no sense.

And even ignoring all of that logic and just focusing on the actual experience again the sets are generic and don't feel like the Warren House, Scares are awful and I don't feel threatened or frightened throughout, and that's it. That's personally why I really hate it.

 

[SOCAL110]

I'm quite aware you weren't taking a shot at me I was just stating my opinion. My crowd was fine they weren't that bad. They didn't talk that much they were just fine. It was a fine crowd.

But that real house literally just didn't have much to it. Say what you will about those black wall tents but when it isn't black walls it can sometimes be unbelievably gorgeous. The acting for mine was pretty bleh. The Scare actors really can't do much and the actors themselves are kinda weak. There's no real life to it like at least HHN has good actors and some good sets here and there. At least it has life to it. The Conjuring experience has nothing.

I knew from the start it would include all films. I'm disappointed in how they presented it. They present two storylines 1. A real tour guide element to walk through the Warren's house 2. Actual scenes from the Conjuring Universe. My problems lie that they try to mesh it together and it doesn't work. Why am I encountering scenes from the First Conjuring and Second and the Annabelle films if I'm supposed to be in the Warren's house? By including those scenes you destroy the elements of the tour guide and that you are in the Warren's house. That I'm jumping from location/scene to location/scene within a house and it doesn't mesh with the Tour guide element. It's so nonlinear and makes no sense.

And even ignoring all of that logic and just focusing on the actual experience again the sets are generic and don't feel like the Warren House, Scares are awful and I don't feel threatened or frightened throughout, and that's it. That's personally why I really hate it.

Hmmmm...I think you're biased towards HHN, hence your name.

For the record, I enjoy both HHN & HMH. They are completely different experiences with both their strengths and weaknesses.

I went in with a completely open mind. It kind of sounds like you were overanalyzing things instead of just being open to the experience. I remember really enjoying the American Horror Story maze back in 2016 at HHN, even though it was also a mismatch. For example, you started in the Murder House, then you're suddenly in a carnival. Again, instead of overanalyzing things, I just enjoyed the experience with an open mind.

As for the Conjuring maze, I think they tied the universe well enough. The first thing you notice is that you are in the Occult Museum at the Warren's House and you see Annabelle missing. Hell breaks loose as she terrorizes you. It's a simple setup, but it works.

Also, as much as I love HHN, how in the world can you say the acting is superior to HMH? We really did experience a different event.

The majority of acting at HHN is someone in a mask popping out at you at every corner then retreating back to their scare hole. Very little interaction. At HMH, I had LONG interactions with many characters. I loved my chat with Harley Quinn, she had her voice, accent, costume, dialogue, and sexuality down to a T. Again, never seen anything like that at Universal.

I guess we'll just agree to disagree.

 

[HHNManics]

Hmmmm...I think you're biased towards HHN, hence your name.

For the record, I enjoy both HHN & HMH. They are completely different experiences with both their strengths and weaknesses.

I went in with a completely open mind. It kind of sounds like you were overanalyzing things instead of just being open to the experience. I remember really enjoying the American Horror Story maze back in 2016 at HHN, even though it was also a mismatch. For example, you started in the Murder House, then you're suddenly in a carnival. Again, instead of overanalyzing things, I just enjoyed the experience with an open mind.

As for the Conjuring maze, I think they tied the universe well enough. The first thing you notice is that you are in the Occult Museum at the Warren's House and you see Annabelle missing. Hell breaks loose as she terrorizes you. It's a simple setup, but it works.

Also, as much as I love HHN, how in the world can you say the acting is superior to HMH? We really did experience a different event.

The majority of acting at HHN is someone in a mask popping out at you at every corner then retreating back to their scare hole. Very little interaction. At HMH, I had LONG interactions with many characters. I loved my chat with Harley Quinn, she had her voice, accent, costume, dialogue, and sexuality down to a T. Again, never seen anything like that at Universal.

I guess we'll just agree to disagree.

I'm not particularly just biased to just HHN. Matter of fact all of the haunts I went to last year I liked more than HHN. And this year I liked Queen Mary more than HHN.

Also the AHS maze from 2016 started in the Murder House and had a Transition to the Season Freak Show which explains why you are in a carnival.

HHN has it's fair share of problems no doubt. Like the First Purge is a incoherent mess of a maze. And black walls and awful costumes at times (Ex: Ash Mask, Skeletor Mask). But Horror Made Here is a event that literally put too much into it's mouth since the designers knew what they could do with the properties (Budget-Wise) and went all out with this crazy lineup that was extreme hype for everyone that then turned into disappointment from the poor execution. It's like if the 2016 lineup of HHN had a 2017 execution.

The acting from Horror Made Here was great in Arkham for interactions but again Arkham is not a scary maze at all and Conjuring isn't either. There should be a balance between Scare actors that interact with you story wise/character wise and ones that scare you. HHN Orlando does that incredibly well actually from what I hear. Another thing too is that Horror Made Here is not scary which it should have great scares but it doesn't. Queen Mary, Knotts, HHN, etc... are all far scarier events than Horror Made Here.

If the experience is poor then I overanalyze/nitpick I did the same for HHN last year with the Purge Gaunlet in Blumhouse and how literally it was all reused and it was the most boring and lazy thing I had seen in a while.

I'm glad you do enjoy HMH. And I hope that they get better. But I overall just think the event is okay.

 

[Viator]

Going to the topic of HMH..So, next year. Do we want to create a new thread for Spec, or just stay here until they talk anything? Because from what I'm gathering, it sounds like WB did a lot of surveying during the 2018 operational season for HMH.

 

[chris.g]

I went this previous weekend with a really big discount and I'll post my review later... but it was fine. A lot to be improved upon but not terrible.

 

[ManWhoLaughs]

I went this previous weekend with a really big discount and I'll post my review later... but it was fine. A lot to be improved upon but not terrible.

 

[SOCAL110]

I'm not particularly just biased to just HHN. Matter of fact all of the haunts I went to last year I liked more than HHN. And this year I liked Queen Mary more than HHN.

Also the AHS maze from 2016 started in the Murder House and had a Transition to the Season Freak House which explains why you are in a carnival.

HHN has it's fair share of problems no doubt. Like the First Purge is a incoherent mess of a maze. And black walls and awful costumes at times (Ex: Ash Mask, Skeletor Mask). But Horror Made Here is a event that literally put too much into it's mouth since the designers knew what they could do with the properties (Budget-Wise) and went all out with this crazy lineup that was extreme hype for everyone that then turned into disappointment from the poor execution. It's like if the 2016 lineup of HHN had a 2017 execution.

The acting from Horror Made Here was great in Arkham for interactions but again Arkham is not a scary maze at all and Conjuring isn't either. There should be a balance between Scare actors that interact with you story wise/character wise and ones that scare you. HHN Orlando does that incredibly well actually from what I hear. Another thing too is that Horror Made Here is not scary which it should have great scares but it doesn't. Queen Mary, Knotts, HHN, etc... are all far scarier events than Horror Made Here.

If the experience is poor then I overanalyze/nitpick I did the same for HHN last year with the Purge Gaunlet in Blumhouse and how literally it was all reused and it was the most boring and lazy thing I had seen in a while.

I'm glad you do enjoy HMH. And I hope that they get better. But I overall just think the event is okay.

Fair enough.