Halloween Horror Nights 2015

This is my second year in a row going to Universal Studio's Halloween Horror Nights. It's not quite as good as last year, but the construction cut down at least one maze and a couple of scare zones. It was still an enjoyable experience with lots of fun mazes. While Knott's was much better than last year, Universal still tops it because everything in every maze contributes to the scare: the amazing makeup and costumes, the music, the sound effects, and the detailed sets. It's just hard to beat.

The Good

* Halloween: Michael Comes Home



Halloween is my all time favorite horror film. This maze puts you right in the movie. Even waiting in line has a projection of little Michael killing his sister with the iconic John Carpenter music blaring with Dr. Loomis' description of Michael over it. What follows is like walking on to the movie sets. The most iconic scenes are there: little Michael in his clown costume, Michael in the sheet strangling Lynda, Judith's gravestone, even the scene with the bed sheets. Audio from the movie is all over the place and it lent a particular attention to detail. Going through the maze, I was too giddy to really be scared. It was amazing to see the sets up close and experience one of my favorite films. The only part I thought was lacking was the mirror maze part. While it was cool not to know which one was real, it wasn't part of any of the movies. I was a tiny bit disappointed the car scene with Lindsey wasn't there instead. Other than that, the maze was perfect and my favorite of this and last year.

* Crimson Peak



This is a brand new maze featuring a film I can't wait for. The sets are gorgeously replicated and the scares are top notch. The music is eerie and the house is beautiful and creepy. I'm intrigued by the story with the changing portrait, the vats of blood, and the ghostly woman, but the only draw back is that the story is unknown. I love the room where you walk through the dark. It's so simple to execute yet so effective. I get that they didn't want to spoil the movie, but I think it would be more effective if people had a chance to see the film first. Other than that, the maze was awesome and one of my top picks of the night.

* Insidious: Return to the Further



I don't make it a secret that I despise the Insidious movie. The first one was extremely unmenorable, the second was a transphobic mess, and I refuse to watch the third. However, the maze managed to be a million times more enjoyable than all the films combined. This was the first maze of the night when it was still light out. I usually wait until it's dark to enhance the ambiance, but I wasn't expecting much. That Tiny Tim rendition of Tiptoe through the Tulips is super creepy. The ghost lady and demon guy throughout the maze tied the whole thing together and scared me every time. The only part that fell flat for me was the "he's got your baby" guy. It almost fools me into rewatching the films, but not quite. This maze was an unexpected high point.

* Alien vs. Predator



This was the best maze of last year and it's exactly the same. There weren't any surprises, but the sets, animatronics, and actors were top notch as it was last year. The alien queen is giant and an impressive creation. Everything is here from the Predator hunters to the face huggers to the egg sacks that housed them. Glowing green Predator blood even splatters the walls and floor at times. Although the movies are cheesetastic, the maze is a frightening and fun to go through. Still highly recommended.

* The Walking Dead: Wolves Not Far



The Walking Dead maze starts just like season 5: with the inside of Terminus with butchered people left and right and murderous cannibals. Then it goes to St. Sarah's Church where the group holed up for a while and ends with a FEMA camp gone crazy. Not a lot is revealed of the new season, but it was cool to walk through season 5 of this awesome show.

* Corpz



Corpz is the best scare zone complete with zombie soldiers and creepy set pieces.

The Bad

* This is the End



I liked the movie. It was hilarious, went places I didn't expect, and played with some horror movie tropes. The maze is kind of boring. The comedic film just doesn't translate well into a horror maze. The whole place is decorated in eyestabbing neon colors that are made all the more nauseating with 3D glasses. A similarly designed clown maze was there last year and I didn't like the effect either. Some of the dialog is censored which is jarring and none of it was really scary. The same demon is featured throughout the maze, but after the first couple surprises, it loses it's scary. Just meh,

* The Purge Terror Tram and Scare Zone



I actually really liked the lead up to the Terror Tram and Scare Zone. The Terror Tram advertises this party for people uninterested in participating in the Purge. There is supposed to be games, food, arts and crafts, and patriotic sing-a-longs. Then a sickeningly cheerful news anchor comes on and reveals that it's all a ruse. We are to be hunted down and killed as swine. The videos were really well done, but the actual scare actors were unimpressive. The Walking Dead Terror Tram was so much better last year and this one was disappointing. The Scare Zone had a similar set up and was equally disappointing, but a little shorter.

* All other scare zones

The other scare zones just weren't as immersive and interesting. One had a pest theme with mutated rats and cockroach people. The Krampus scare zone was better last year. The Purge scare zone was again done better last year by the Walking Dead.

* Go go dancers



I have no idea why the go go dancers are here. At least include male ones as well since the crowd isn't made up of all men. They are glaringly out of place and unnecessary.

* No VIP experience

The very awesome VIP experience last year included a rest room at the beginning so we don't have to wait in line, a guided tour through 2 mazes and the Terror Tram, a wonderful buffet with free drinks (regular and alcoholic), free valet parking, plus the buffet area is a quiet rest area for the VIP people with dessert later in the night. It was an amazing value even for the high price and now it's gone. There was no explanation really given and it's really disappointing. The VIP experience just gave it a little extra awesome and I hope it comes back next year.

Zombies in Theme Parks

Lots of theme parks have Halloween themed mazes and festivities. Here are ones (some that I went to and some that just look really cool) that included zombies. 

1) Corpz Scare Zone at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights

It's a small section, but it was the best scare zone in the place with zombie soldiers and creepy props.

2) The Walking Dead: Wolves Not Far maze at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights

This maze heavily features zombies and takes you from the beginning of the 5th season to presumably the start of the 6th season. Enjoyably frightening.

3) Zombie Mob at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights Japan

Zombies dance to Thriller and a medley of other songs. I wish this were at the American version instead of the Jabbawockees, who didn't really have much to do with horror or Halloween.

4) Special Ops: Infected interactive maze at Knott's Scary Farm

This is a pay to participate maze, but you get to go through and shoot zombies in real life. It looks pretty fun, but I didn't pay the extra money when I went. It looks like it's possible for you to die and then no longer participate which sounds pretty horrible especially because of the extra cost. The rest of the park is sadly zombie free except for some scare zones. 

Next month, I'll review both parks I went to and break down what I liked and what I didn't like. Stay tuned!

Halloween Horror Nights 2014

For the first time ever, I went to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood. I was a little nervous because the only other event like it I've been to is Knott's Scary Farm, which isn't as big or well funded. I went with my sister and we got the VIP experience, complete with a VIP lounge that had a buffet dinner and free drinks, unlimited front of the line access, a special VIP Terror Tram, and a tour guide to take us through the Terror Tram and 3 mazes. It was expensive, but super worth it since the attraction is only open for 7 hours and the line for Alien vs. Predator was always at least 2 hours long by itself. The event was amazing with 7 mazes, 5 scare zones, the Terror Tram, and the rides. Although 7 mazes isn't a lot compared to Knott's 11(of which 2 need separate tickets for access), these mazes are longer and much better quality with crazy attention to detail.

The Good:

Almost all the mazes had these little string things that hang in your face like spiders and that alone made each maze a bit scarier.

* Alien vs. Predator



By far the best maze ever. Best makeups I've seen for the actors with amazing attention to detail and animatronics. That room with the alien and predator on either side with the flashy lights scared the crap out of me. I love the chestburster room because the people on the wall are real and the alien queen animatronic is spectacular.

* The Walking Dead: End of the Line



The set for the Walking Dead is amazing. The outside looks like the prison the cast stayed in and it's huge. The zombie actors were awesome and there were so many! I loved the supermarket because of the super calm, serene music and the zombies stuck in the rubble, which was very unexpected. The set is the strength of this one and really transports you inside the show.

* An American Werewolf in London



Very unexpected maze. The train room was surprising and I loved the way the transformation scene was incorporated. It makes me want to watch the film.

* Terror Tram



It's basically a big scare zone, but it incorporates the crash site used in War of the Worlds. It's bigger and more involved than anything I've ever seen. The chainsaw guys were surprisingly scary. My only criticism is that it was really dark. My night vision isn't great and I would have liked to see more of the actors.

* Mask-a-raid and The Purge: Anarchy Scare Zones



The Mask-a-raid Scare Zone has a great concept: a cannibal cult in masquerade balls during preRevolutionary War France. The out of tune harpsichord music is perfect and it melds horror with high class aristocracy with morbid tableaux and cannibals. The Purge Scare Zone was fun because since many of the dressed normally besides a mask, it was easier for them to hide in the crowd and make the scares more surprising.

The OK

* Face/Off: In the Flesh



I love the show and I liked seeing the makeup up close, but the themes are all different. They didn't mesh well and ended up looking kind of confused. The music was pretty cool and made it creepier than it really was.

* Dracula Untold



Ok maze. Nothing special, but not awful. It doesn't make me want to see the movie when it comes out.

The Bad

* Clowns 3D



Not very scary. I liked the eerie music, which was written by Slash, but the maze was meh. Bright paint covered everything and became dizzying with the 3D glasses (which kept falling off my face). The actors lost interest right after the scare and it ruined the illusion for me. A lot of it was mannequins instead of people. Very unrealistic over all plus the whole maze smelled sickeningly like cotton candy. My sister is terrified of clowns and she was also unimpressed.

* From Dusk Till Dawn



Also not very scary. The set was still cool, but Dracula Untold was just so much better. I thought having 2 vampire themed mazes was odd, but this one dropped the ball.

* the dancers



Really? Were there dancers in The Purge? No. Please don't try to keep horror a boys' club. Half of the crowd is women and at least have some hot male dancers to include everyone if you really want to have them. It's just annoying when people still assume that horror is only targeted at men when it hasn't been for years.

Even with the bad stuff, I had a lot of fun. I will definitely be going next year. I can only hope that the Halloween/Michael Myers themed maze will make it here next year.

Knott's Halloween Haunt

My sister convinced me to go the Knott's Halloween Haunt with her this year, which features thousands of actors dressed as monsters to provide chills and thrills plus 12 different themed mazes. This is, of course, in addition to the rides, shows, and other attractions. I don't like people jumping out and scaring me. I'm skittish and easily startled. I did surprisingly well and went through all the mazes except for one that cost extra money to go through because my sister shelled out the extra $60 to get front of the line passes. Totally worth it!

The Good



* The Forevermore maze was one of my favorites because it was based off the magnificent and timeless works of Edgar Allan Poe. A murderer kills people in the manner of his favorite Poe stories, ranging from The Cask of Amontillado to Rue Morgue to The Telltale Heart. In the line, videos of news stories detailing the notorious actions of the murderer are on display. In some rooms, an ominous, an ominous voice recited the poems that were the focus of the room. It just added to the creepy atmosphere. Even the bird masked people were kind of creepy. One even threatened to peck my eyes out. The tableau were people are tarred, feathered, and posed on a table was the crowning moment of the maze. Some minor disappointments were the Masque of the Red Death room where zombies danced unenthusiastically with bad techno music (the video is actually much better than what I saw) and the Cask of Amontillado where no one was getting bricked up.



* The End Games maze is a cross between Hellraiser and Mad Max. The loud metal music got annoying after a while, but the gory visuals made it worth it. It's probably the bloodiest maze at the park. The giant creatures in cages plus the stone giant at the end were amazing. The detail on them and the obvious care that went into making them was unparalleled. This maze has the best ambiance. Even the metal music contributed to it and the set was probably the best crafted one.



* Trick or Treat is a fun maze that features a twisted version of childhood Halloween. There's the witches, deranged trick or treaters, creepy clowns, a macabre dinner part of corpses, and a general atmosphere of Halloween. I found it charming and fun. It was the first maze of the night and I was really tense, so this one got me to loosen up and enjoy the sights and sounds of Halloween.



* Dominion of the Damned is a vampire themed maze that shows the regal, cultured version of vampires. Although the actors mostly looked snooty and aloof, the set of the maze and the music are what made it for me. At the beginning, a charming Renfield tries to feed us to his carnivorous plants, but is foiled by his angry master. We then go into the house, adorned with beautiful paintings and playing ominous music. My favorite room is the one with the living statues. One stays still until you pass her and then lunges at you like you blinked at a weeping angel. The coffin room has a change of music from purely instrumental to mournfully operatic and had some good scares. I like when I don't know where the person is going to come from instead of seeing them coming from a mile away.



* Delirium was another well done maze. The disgusting mouth huge creature thing when you walk in sets the tone. The hallway where the walls come in on you and billow around you built suspense as to what was beyond that wall. I love the tableaus with the children and the bugs or the monster under the bed. The sounds were awesome: the buzzing flies, the garbled speaking, the discordant music, and the sinister whispers.

The Bad

* Most of the makeup and masks were just not very well done. When you get up close, it ruins the illusion. The darkness of the park and the mazes helped, but didn't obscure the fact that the masks look super fake and most of the makeup isn't very detailed. The actors tend to lose interest in you after the initial scare and that also affects the illusion. I like the actors that are in character all the time and creep after you even after the jump scare.



* Mirror Mirror is a maze entirely comprised of mirrors. It's much smaller than all of the other mazes and only has 2 actors in it. The mirrors were cool, but not very disorienting. The actors just walked around ominously and I just didn't find them scary. This video was much better in that the actors actually interacted with the public, not like when I went. Halfway through the maze, the lights turned strobe, which again looked kind of cool in the mirrors but was not in any way scary. The line was quite long because only one party goes in at a time and the walk through wasn't worth the wait. It also didn't help that the most annoying group of high schoolers were behind us pushing, shoving, and generally being extremely annoying.

* The Witch's Keep is the Calico Mine ride with a few witch themed props thrown in with narration. Boring and also not worth the wait. It was nice to sit down for a while after being on my feet all day though.



* Gunslinger's Grave wasn't scary at all. Judging by the title, I thought it was going to be outlaw zombies or some such thing. Alas, it was just random cowboys walking around and demanding my purse. I just said no and went on my way. There were no monsters and the maze as a whole was disappointing. The only part I liked was the saloon style Mad World played on the piano.



* Uncle Willy's BBQ Slaughterhouse was a maze I was excited for because I enjoy bloody stories of cannibalism. The maze didn't deliver. It wasn't bloody; it wasn't scary; and the body props looked extremely fake.

What are your favorite Halloween theme park events? Any favorite mazes or shows?