Halloween Horror Nights 17

So, being a die hard fan of HHN, I was going into this year hoping that it would be really good. I mean, you have Freddy, Jason, Leatherface, Mary Shaw, and the Thing... How could they fuck it up? With that said... I think that, for the first time in a few years, I can honestly say that I enjoyed every moment at HHN.

Because it was opening night, my dad and I bought the early admission to HHN for an extra 10 dollars. This was, BY FAR, the best thing we could have done. You get into IOA from 4-6 to ride whatever you want (I did the Hulk and Dueling Dragons) and then at 6 you get taken from IOA to Universal Studios. Here, you wait for about 5-10 minutes and then they let you loose on the park while people are still sitting at the front gate wondering what the hell people are doing inside. So, right off the bat I was able to go through Nightmare on Elm Street and Psychoscareapy. Then 6:30 hit and all hell broke loose because the front gates were opened. However, because we were able to rush to the other houses away from the entrance, we were able to do all 8 houses, repeat 2 AND see the Bill and Ted show by the end of the night. Before I go on, I will give you guys a brief run down on what I thought of each house. Here goes nothing:

Dead Silence: The Curse of Mary Shaw - Even though I liked the movie, I really did not go into this haunted house with very high hopes. I left it to be done 6th because it was right near the front of the park and I could have taken it or left it. However, I was greatly surprised because I really enjoyed it. I felt it's allure was less about how scary it was and more about how amazing the set was detailed. Dolls lined up, walkways over a stage and a vintage bedroom made this haunted house a really cool addition to the night (especially if you saw the movie). But like I said, not much about getting scared unless seeing an old woman's face come out of the dark freaks you out. 3.5/5

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dreamwalkers - Again, attention to detail was amazing. Anyone who is a fan of the movies will love this house. I mean, all I have to say is that certain rooms replicate certain ways that Freddy killed people and damn is one of them awesome. Also not all about the scares but hey, it's Freddy. Also, the sound track in the background will get very old. Freddy says about once every 30 seconds "Time to die." As a side note, this is probably the most popular house so it is best to do it early in the night (I did it first and because I still had time I came back and did it again 10th). 4/5

Psychoscareapy: Home for the Holidays - Oh man, what was not good about this house? Women gift wrapping severed heads, a mentally challenged man on a child's rocking horse, goofy laughter, and idiocy. I fucking loved it. GREAT detail down to the smell in rooms. However, might not do it for you if you don't have a twisted sense of humor. As for me, best of the night (saw it 2nd). The only reason this house does not score perfect is because it failed to scare me. I was just laughing too damn hard. 4.5/5

Vampyr: Blood Bath - Um... Not much to say really. It was a rip off of a vampire night club... Can someone say Blade (they even played the same damn song)??? Well, some men might say that the only redeeming factor about this house is the numerous scantily clad women dancing on poles and each other. It was fun to watch women get upset at their significant others for staring. Other than that, kinda a waste of time (saw it 8th). Never got scared and detail was off. 1.5/5

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Flesh Wounds - Not my favorite. Chainsaws typically don't scare me and the instances of seeing Leatherface were few and far between. However, I will saw that if you get very lucky, you might get to see a badass scene where Leatherface kills someone. That alone made my jaw drop because it looked so damn good. Other than that one scene, kinda seems like they threw it together last minute (did this one 5th). 2.5/5

Friday the 13th: Camp Blood - All I can say is... DO NOT DO THIS HOUSE DURING THE DAY! I went in it 3rd (while it was still light out) and you could see everything. The scareactors had no hopes of hiding. One Jason just sat there leaning on the window while you walked by. But I went again at night (9th) and it was well worth it. The detail is again good and you might see death scenes as well if you are lucky (it even got me to jump). I had to pretty much stop and hold up the line to watch them. 3.5/5

Jack's Funhouse in Clown-O-Vision - I really didn't want to do this house but we were talked into it by an employee who said it was amazing (we ended up going 4th). It was your typical 3-D house of years past. Not much different besides that the face paint they used seemed to jump out at you. Kinda odd. More than anything, I got scared once in this house because the 3-D classes kept disorienting me. I really didn't see it as that big of a deal. Worst of all, I never saw Jack... Go figure. 3/5

The Thing: Assimilation - I know most of you are thinking this would be horrible shit BUT I was pleasantly surprised. Despite going into this house 7th there was NO wait AT ALL. The entrance is hidden away by ET where nobody can find it. The scareactors did something they never do in other houses... ACT. I mean, you had Army men in there who looked terrified and were shooting their machine guns all over the place. They really gave you the impression that there was some crazy shit going on. A bit short but it was pretty damn cool. I even got properly scared in it. Let's hear it for the underdog. As a side note, you will probably hate it if you have never seen the movie. The nostalgia and novelty of it just wouldn't be there. 4/5

Bill and Ted - Not as good as past years and a bit too short. Seemed lacking overall. Eh. 2/5

Overall, I would definitely call this a good year for HHN. Each house had its own type of appeal and because Universal went with 8 different houses, the lines never got over an hour while I was there opening night. Kudos for a good year. I will be back on the 12th.