Halloween Horror Nights 28: Back in time
Once again, Universal Orlando opens up the gates to one of the biggest Halloween events in the country. This year the overall theme was the 80's with some of the biggest names in horror joining Universal's brilliant original creations to create a classic.
Houses
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers- Universal returns to one of the icons of horror for the third time. After doing Halloween, and Halloween 2, it is time to delve into the fourth film of the franchise. The house does do a good job of hitting scenes from the movie, such as the mental hospital from the beginning, to the streets of Haddonfield. Unfortunately, there just isn't much new you can do with Michael Myers. Most of his appearances in the house involve popping out from a spot, and swinging a knife with swishing sound effects. This just feels like a retreat of the earlier houses from years past. It is still a fun time, and is still worth going through, but it may be time for a break.
3 / 5
Trick 'r Treat- Based on the cult classic from 2007 of the same name, this house invites you to visit Sam and friends. Just make sure you respect the rules of Halloween. This house was incredible, with great use of illusions to distract from scares, which seemed to come from all directions. The set design is incredible, with every major scene represented. Especially impressive is the school bus wreck, where ghoulish children try to claim more victims. This one does a great job of making you forget you are at a theme park, and putting you deep into the movie. This house is near perfect, although personally, I think Sam was used a little too much. Other than that though, this is one of the highlights of the event.
4.75 / 5
Seeds of Extinction- An original house, this sees you travel through a world where a meteor has wiped out most life on the planet, while also making plants evolve into vicious hunters. The house is basically wandering through everyday environments, where plant life has taken over everything. From general stores to nurseries, you will be traveling through hostile country. The environment is great in this house, and once again, it does a good job of immersing you in the story. The monster costumes are also well designed, resulting in creepy plants coming out of bushes all around you. The only thing holding this house back is that it feels like the actors weren't quite sure about how best to approach their roles. Still, there were some good scares, and this is one I'm sure gets better as the season progresses.
4 / 5
Dead Exposure: Patient Zero- Head to Paris in the 1980's where a zombie virus has caused havoc. Fortunately, there is a vaccine for it. Bad news is, it causes momentary loss of vision. This is an amazing house. The blindness is simulated by having the house be near pitch black, with strobe lights turning on every few seconds to let you glimpse your surroundings. The zombies take advantage of this, attacking just as the strobes hit, getting some incredible scares. The set design is really well done, as you travel through a lab, to the metro, and even through the Paris catacombs. Everything in this house is designed to keep you off your guard, and never knowing where to expect the next scare to come from. This is a legit terrifying house, and one of the best HHN houses I can remember.
5 / 5
Slaughter Sinema- Return to the good ol' days of the 1980 drive in's, where B-movie horror is being shown all night long. However, walking in for a bite to eat at the snack bar results in getting transported into the films themselves. This is a fun one, and is the comedy house of the year. You will see trailers for the fake films you are about to walk though in the line, and it does a good job of setting up the mood for this one. This is pure camp, with a ton of blood. Each film is a parody of tropes, such as a werewolf biker gang, to a satanic sorority, to a deformed slasher who kills people because of the way his daddy raised him. The actors go at it with gusto, embracing the campiness of the house. Each movie is well designed, and do a good job of transporting you to the location. Most impressive is a Chuck E. Cheese like location with a bloodied arcade, complete with a claw machine with body parts inside. The one issue with this house is that there is a few spots with dead space, and kind of seem pointless. Some additional actors in a couple scenes, like the Demon Dogs portion, would have pushed this over the edge. Still this is a great house, and well worth the wait.
4.5 / 5
The Horrors of Blumhouse 2: Return once again to the world of Blumhouse, with Happy Death Day and The First Purge being the focus this time. This is easily the weakest house of the year. Happy Death Day does have some good set design. The First Purge...doesn't. The way it is designed make it feel like just generic city streets. Quite honestly the movie itself doesn't lend much help in the way of recognizable characters or scenes to build a house around. The actors are doing their best with this, but this house has one major flaw. If you haven't seen the movies, you will have no clue what is going on. Those who haven't seen Happy Death Day won't understand why one scene keeps repeating throughout the house. Also, The Purge has been done to death at HHN, and there just isn't any new ground to cover. This is an okay house, but can easily be skipped if you are running short on time.
3 / 5
Poltergeist- Wow. That's all that has to be said about this one. Based on the classic movie, take a trip to the spirit world, in the house built on a cemetery. This is truly one of the best houses in HHN history, and arguably the best house I've seen since we started going back at HHN 19. Everything about this house is perfect. The scenes from the movie are incredibly designed, and are done in such a way to distract fans, and get you from areas you don't expect. The actors do a great job getting screams out throughout the house. This house is a love letter to the movie, and must be experienced by fans. Even those who haven't seen the movie will be able to follow the plot, and still get a great experience without confusion. This is a legendary house, and is one that must be seen.
5 / 5
Scary Tales: Deadly Ever After- The Wicked Witch has taken over all the fairy tales, and has warped them into twisted nightmares. This is a imaginative house. Each fairy tale is instantly recognizable, and the gruesome things that characters makes for an entertaining time. To me, it was kind of comedic to see characters like Rapunzel stuck in ironic situations that destroy what I knew as a child. This is another house where set design is amazing, including an amazing facade with the Wicked Witch at her cauldron, casting spells, then flying over those entering her twisted worlds. This is one where you can tell the actors are having a blast. Scare are a little light in this one, and the last scene is a bit of a letdown. After elaborate sets replicating well known tales, it just ends on a corridor where the Witch jumps out a few times. It is a bit underwhelming. Still, the rest of the house is a great one, and is well worth it for the sets and facade alone.
4.5 / 5
Carnival Graveyard: Rust in Pieces- Visit the rundown remnants of various amusement parks, just watch out for the freaks that live among the wreckage. This house does a great job of feeling wide open, yet claustrophobic at the same time. The sets are grand, with old ride parts littering the path. Danger lurks everywhere, with electricity coursing wildly through old ride cars, and jagged metal everywhere. This house does a great job at feeling unsafe. The actors themselves do a good job, and the costumes are unique, like a nightmarish technological freak show. The use of actual old carnival rides is a nice touch, and makes it feel authentic. Another solid house, with a unique premise, and some good scares.
4.25 / 5
Stranger Things- The big one. This was obviously going to be the biggest, most popular house. Luckily, Universal does a good job bringing the world to life. This might be the best house ever at HHN when it comes to aesthetics. It truly feels like you have been transported to Hawkins. Every scene looks like it was ripped right out of the show, and the actors are really close to those found in the show. Audio is used from the show to complete the atmosphere. Unfortunately, this house is just not scary. The demogorgon pops up again and again, and though the costume looks amazing, it doesn't startle. This might honestly be a case of the source material itself not being that scary, and Universal not having much to work with. Still, despite a lack of scares, the amount of love that went into design the house itself has to be commended. It is well worth the wait to truly feel like you have been transported to the Upside Down.
4 / 5
Scare Zones
The Harvest- Not much to really say about this one. This is pretty much your standard photo-op scare zone. There are some really well designed costumes in this one, including a huge pumpkin monster on stilts that is genuinely creepy. Pretty much this is just the intro scare zone, and is there to get you hyped for the rest of the event. It succeeds in its job.
3.5 / 5
Revenge of Chucky- Step into Chucky's toy box, where you are the plaything. This is a fun zone. All the characters are versions of toys from your childhood. Toy soldiers, barrel of monkeys, and dolls now in ripped and bloodied dresses all stalk you throughout the zone. In the dead center of the zone, Chucky himself taunts the crowd from a Good Guy stage. This zone does a great job mixing scares and laughs. There are a few good set pieces, but I do feel another one or two would've given this a bit more for the actors to work with.
4 / 5
Twisted Traditions- Wander through a Halloween where evil has twisted all what we know and love into abominations. This is the return of the hundreds of jack-o-lanterns lining the trees of Central Park. This is another well done zone in the area, that takes advantage of the natural darkness of the tree lined area. The characters are genuinely creepy, and have some nice props to hide behind to get good scares throughout the zone. A great zone, but maybe another couple actors would've made it perfect.
4.5 / 5
Killer Klowns From Outer Space- Amazing. This is an incredible zone based on the classic cult film from the 80's, where the titular Klowns trap humans in cotton candy to take back home and eat. The classic theme song rings out over the PA system, and the ice cream truck the Terenzi Brothers drive is parked off to the side, while they plead with people to run out. The Klowns themselves look incredible, with costumes that look like they came straight out of the movie itself. Like the movie itself, this zone manages to get great scares and laughs all at once. This is a great zone, and the best one this year.
5 / 5
Vamp '85: New Year's Eve- Step into a New Year's party, where the stroke of midnight unleashes a feeding frenzy in the streets. I loved this zone. 80's music blares over the speakers. A hair metal band has been slaughtered on stage, with the lead singer being impaled through his mic stand. Vampires dressed in classic 80's looks wander, blood running down their faces. In the center of the zone, the ball hangs, ready to drop to bring your doom. This is a great zone that revels in the ridiculousness of the 80's and takes advantage of the size of the New York streets to create a feeling of chaos all around. Another standout zone in a year with a lot of standouts.
5 / 5
Show
Academy of Villains: Cyberpunk- AOV returns once again, to bring back their high energy dance, and stunt show. This time the show is done in a new location, on the stage where Bill and Ted ran amok for many years. This is another great show for the troupe, this time throwing in a developed story and more crowd participation than ever ago. This is a good show, but this still doesn't quite reach the heights of the original show done a couple years back. Still, this is worth the time, and I look forward to AOV coming back for years to come, and to see how they ramp it up year after year.
4.5 / 5
Overall
This is easily one of the best years in HHN history, if not the best year ever done. The houses are almost all of incredible quality, with even the lesser ones providing some memorable moments. The scare zones are great, and the show is a great distraction from the rest of the craziness. The detail Universal put into each house allows it to feel like you are transported into the worlds they have built better than ever. This year is amazing and the only thing that is bad about the event is the insane crowds that are coming in every night. Here's a tip, if you can afford it, for your sanity, please get an express pass. It will make your life so much easier.
5 / 5
