Halloween Horror Nights 23 Reviews & Photos

[Hatetofly]

The two events are so much different in terms of budget, execution, story, training, and so on. The best comparison I can make is Orlando is similar to a blockbuster horror movie. It has huge over the top sets, massive budgets, and a more tech savvy approach when it comes to scares. Hollywood on the other hand is like a B Grade horror flick that relies on more shock factor, in your face yet less impressive effects, and most importantly creative and aggressive scareactors who are very active all night. Each event has its pros and cons but I have to admit I like the sets better in Orlando while overall the HW is scarier and more creative.

And as for Ll Llorona I really enjoy the Orlando house but it missed several opportunities IMO. The two in HW were very well themed and inside a tent over a queue none the less. But the actual scares are close to non existent IMO in Orlando. Both Hollywood Houses however scared the crap out of me. I mean like I was nervous going through lol. Everyone know the scares you got out of AWIL? Most of the HW houses are liked that on a scare level for me personally.

I wish people here could just experience the difference is all. Because one thing is sticking out and that's that whenever HW and Orlando do the same IP or original story HW almost always wins out. For example all these properties that I've personally experienced were better in HW than in Orlando.
Ll Llorona, Alice Cooper, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Silent Hill, Walking Dead, and the Thing. Orlando did Wolfman and Monsters Remix better. Score 6-2. What's that say?

 

[Lucky Planet]

Orlando has a far, far, far, far bigger budget than Hollywood. Same with space.

Wow, I was actually trying to give Orlando the benefit of doubt. If this is the case then it makes it so much worst than the Alice Cooper and la llorona ended up being the way they are.

If they have a bigger budget why couldn't they just make new Llorona puppets for Orlando? I really do not understand that.

not only that but they reused some stuff from other years. Some rooms were the same as previews houses.....

 

[Shucker]

Just got back from a 3 day weekend at HHN. I will give a more detailed review later, but I will say overall some of the best houses ever. The best house last year (Gothic IMO) would be ranked 5th this year in my rankings.

1 An American Werewolf in London
2 The Cabin in the Woods
3 The Walking Dead: No Safe Haven
4 Havoc 2: Derailed
5 Evil Dead
6 Resident Evil
7 La Llurona
8 Afterlife: Death's Vengeance (I really hated this house. Had the opportunity several times to walk right up and just passed)

 

[shiekra38]

^duh thanks!!!!

question somebody said orlando has a higher budget than hollywood? is that true? cause hollywood sets always look so big!

I compare HHNO to HHNH the same way I compare HHN to HOS...Rock Concert in and Ampitheater vs. Rock Band in a Small City Venue...one is more theatrical and the other is more in your face and loud...but both are playing the same songs and doing it well..

 

[JungleSkip]

Best year since I've been going by far. Each house, save for Havoc, was super enjoyable, and even Havoc looked better than the worst houses last year.

1. American Werewolf in London - The best haunt experience I've ever had. The wolves were completely breathtaking and legit scary each time I went through the house.
2. Cabin in the Woods - Sometimes sheer numbers make the difference. Loved being attacked on all sides by the monsters.
3. Evil Dead - First time through wasn't spectacular (other than the sets), but the second time was amazing. Got so many great scares, and a lot of nice effects here.
4. After Life - In-Between had previously been my favorite house, and I appreciated the return of a similar house, but it was a little too similar for me.
5. Resident Evil - I really liked RE. Thought it was a lot of fun, and the big green guy in the wall got me good. Only disappointment was the crappy dog scene.
6/7 La Llorona/Walking Dead - Both had problems for me. La Llorona was beautiful, had some cool effects, but needed more actors. Walking Dead was just kind of dull, but had some great sets.
8. Havoc - What the hell were they thinking? I thought the stuff on the train looked cool, but amounted to nothing more than canned yells and guys shaking cages. And then it somehow got worse after the crash. Just a really poor concept overall, but was saved by how great the rest of the houses were.

The streets wee fine. Not scary in the slightest, but at least they brought a sense of location and atmosphere to the park missing last year. Still, no more Walking Dead, please.

Love Bill and Ted this year, didn't see Rocky Horror.

 

[Shucker]

Ok a little more detail for each house:


1 An American Werewolf in London - A - Nothing more to say than whats been said. Make sure you have seen the movie as it helps with the transitions from scene to scene. The Wolf scenes were very cool and got me every time.
2 The Cabin in the Woods - A - Again seeing the movie first is imperative. Walked through a few times where the elevator scene was not scary, but when you hit that scene at the right time it is great. Same with the Monster cages. AWIL and CITW were easily the best houses for us.
3 The Walking Dead: No Safe Haven - B+ - This house got better every time we went. However it is very dependent on how many actors they have going (as with most houses). If you can get a prison break at the end, it makes for the best ending of all houses.
4 Havoc 2: Derailed - B - I have read many reviews that some did not like this house, but I though it was very creative. We actually got a lot of scares on this one even though many were in cages. I like how the walkways were so inclosed as well. The ending though is a little weak.
5 Evil Dead - B - Did not think I was going to like this house, but I thought it was great. I did not get many scares, but the sets were great.
6 Resident Evil - B - First time I went through did not like this house at all, but as I went through more it started to grow on me. I am familiar with the movies, but not the video games so I am sure that had a bearing. But as we went through more times I really liked it. I even liked the Pause room. Its a small room so it does not really waste alot of space.
7 La Llurona - B- -Fun house, lots of scares.
8 Afterlife: Death's Vengeance - F - Did not like it at all. A little too much use of 3-d for me. Actually got dizzy at the end which is obviously why I did not like it

Scarezones - D - I love the Walking Dead, but I have to agree with many that it was over kill. I also did not like the lack of any Halloween related decorations. The barn was cool, and some of the sets were nice, but way to much of WD.

Bill and Teds - B - I liked it, not much else to say
Rocky Horror - A+ - If you like RHPS you are going to love this. Top notch performers and great set list. Every show we saw there was lots of audience participation like the movies. But if you have not seen RHPS and dont like musicals, might not be your cup of tea.

 

[romo]

The two events are so much different in terms of budget, execution, story, training, and so on. The best comparison I can make is Orlando is similar to a blockbuster horror movie. It has huge over the top sets, massive budgets, and a more tech savvy approach when it comes to scares. Hollywood on the other hand is like a B Grade horror flick that relies on more shock factor, in your face yet less impressive effects, and most importantly creative and aggressive scareactors who are very active all night. Each event has its pros and cons but I have to admit I like the sets better in Orlando while overall the HW is scarier and more creative.

And as for Ll Llorona I really enjoy the Orlando house but it missed several opportunities IMO. The two in HW were very well themed and inside a tent over a queue none the less. But the actual scares are close to non existent IMO in Orlando. Both Hollywood Houses however scared the crap out of me. I mean like I was nervous going through lol. Everyone know the scares you got out of AWIL? Most of the HW houses are liked that on a scare level for me personally.

I wish people here could just experience the difference is all. Because one thing is sticking out and that's that whenever HW and Orlando do the same IP or original story HW almost always wins out. For example all these properties that I've personally experienced were better in HW than in Orlando.
Ll Llorona, Alice Cooper, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Silent Hill, Walking Dead, and the Thing. Orlando did Wolfman and Monsters Remix better. Score 6-2. What's that say?

HTF thanks for the insight i wish i had the budget to go to Hollywood and experience the event but thats just not going to happen....but this makes it better for me to understand....are you going this year? if so would love a review of there houses!!!

 

[shiekra38]

SO it appears HOTY is a tie right now between Cabin and Werewolf...and Worst house is a tie between Havoc and Afterlife...hmm

 

[JungleSkip]

SO it appears HOTY is a tie right now between Cabin and Werewolf...and Worst house is a tie between Havoc and Afterlife...hmm

I don't see how people dislike After Life nearly as much as Havoc. Havoc is COMPLETELY awful. Worst house I've been in.

 

[The_Bled]

I don't see how people dislike After Life nearly as much as Havoc. Havoc is COMPLETELY awful. Worst house I've been in.

Did you ever do Vampyr: Blood Bath or Cold Blind Terror? I'd take Havoc over both those houses anyday.

 

[JungleSkip]

Did you ever do Vampyr: Blood Bath or Cold Blind Terror? I'd take Havoc over both those houses anyday.

No, I've only been going 3 years, but I've heard those two were really bad.

 

[Cupcakes]

What really stunk the most about Cold Blind Terror was that its queue video was 300x scarier than the house itself. Therefore it got you all pumped up for nothing.

And Blood Bath, ugh, that was horrible too.

 

[shiekra38]

What really stunk the most about Cold Blind Terror was that its queue video was 300x scarier than the house itself. Therefore it got you all pumped up for nothing.

And Blood Bath, ugh, that was horrible too.

Not to mention it was the promised "blackout" house that I have been wanting forever..Blood Bath was trying so hard to be After Hours that it failed miserably

 

[Norman Bates]

Can anyone predict what its going to be like on the 13?

 

[Eric]

I don't see how people dislike After Life nearly as much as Havoc. Havoc is COMPLETELY awful. Worst house I've been in.

No way. Havoc was leagues better than Afterlife. In Afterlife, most of the transitions were black painted walls and a lot of the effects focused to intently on chromadepth. The spinning tunnel was disappointing as well with just pointless faces.

 

[JungleSkip]

No way. Havoc was leagues better than Afterlife. In Afterlife, most of the transitions were black painted walls and a lot of the effects focused to intently on chromadepth. The spinning tunnel was disappointing as well with just pointless faces.

And Havoc was just a bunch of bald dudes laughing at you with fake guns in their hands.

 

[TylerDurden]

It's pointless to argue which haunted house is better because haunted houses are the most subjective experiences in themed entertainment. Transformers and Spidey are easy to compare because they're essentially the same ride every time. However, it's super easy to get wayyyy different experiences on two different haunted houses.

One of you could've caught one of the houses on a cast change.
One of you could've been behind a scared teenage girl who got all the attention in one of the houses.
One of you may focus more on sets and pacing than scares and actors.

The other big thing too is that even if you get a perfect run through two different haunted houses, opinions will wildly vary just because of the nature of the themes. Transformers and the Mummy are based on solid blockbusters and have storylines that are easy to swallow. HHN offers much more edgy and daring storylines and themes that can isolate people. I mean, Afterlife and Havoc BOTH offer very abstract storylines that lend themselves well to different things, and tap into different fears that all people might not share. For instance, one reviewer on here disliked Afterlife because it was disorienting, but that could be the most enjoyable aspect of a house to another reviewer. It's not like riding a roller coaster where you experience general adrenaline-inducing elements that are constant like height and speed on each and every ride no matter what.

Personally, I like Afterlife better because I LOVE the 1930's vibe, the 3-D/disorienting effects, the originality, and the general premise behind it. I thought Havoc lent itself better to action than horror, and didn't really find the premise scary at all which affected my enjoyment of the house. However, I can respect how someone with a different mindset (and run-through) might have enjoyed it more. Either way, it's no use arguing because there's no 'better' house this year--they're all stellar.

 

[Eric]

And Havoc was just a bunch of bald dudes laughing at you with fake guns in their hands.

Personally, I like Afterlife better because I LOVE the 1930's vibe, the 3-D/disorienting effects, the originality, and the general premise behind it. I thought Havoc lent itself better to action than horror, and didn't really find the premise scary at all which affected my enjoyment of the house. However, I can respect how someone with a different mindset (and run-through) might have enjoyed it more. Either way, it's no use arguing because there's no 'better' house this year--they're all stellar.

When I go into a house, I typically look for a full, cohesive experience. Havoc had decent actors, effective sets, and a cohesive story. It was pulled off somewhat effectively.

After the queue and maybe the first scene in Afterlife, I got zero 1930's vibe. Instead, I got some black painted walls, overused laser effect, and UV reactive paint.

Like TylerDurden said though, it is very subjective and debating which house is better is rather pointless.

 

[Drew]

Can anyone predict what its going to be like on the 13?

Decent chance of pretty big crowds seeing as how Monday is Columbus Day.

 

[Lucky Planet]

I don't see how people dislike After Life nearly as much as Havoc. Havoc is COMPLETELY awful. Worst house I've been in.

Havoc is boring and repetitive. But Afterlife is just a recycled gimmick house.

I really don't know which one is worst. boring or recycled.....I guess At least Afterlife is colorful and disorienting?

Havoc Could have been a great house if they make the soldiers escape the cages or if the train crashed earlier. But 4 rooms of nothing but the same stuff over and over again? (half the house) who wants that?
I don't understand why they needed to make the train into 4 rooms. the first room was cool but the rest seem redundant. I did love the last part of the house after the crash. I wish the house was more like that.