Howl-O-Scream 2013: Rumors Have a Way of Spreading

[Celticdog]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

I doubt it, hordes were a complete failure at the park and were not scary in execution.

I wouldn't say they were a complete failure. We had a ball laughing at them scaring each other in the dark and fog.

 

[redsoxfan787]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

you mean to tell me they haven't gotten rich off of the water guns at Pompeii yet?

 

[Party Rocker]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

I doubt it, hordes were a complete failure at the park and were not scary in execution.

I don't think hordes were a complete failure. They did a decent job. There were many people who would stop and try to stand off to the side of the path while they passed, but the actors were smart enough to go after those ones.

I think if the park spent more time on the logistics perhaps if they moved more slowly but still constantly moving, that way they don't look like their coming right at you, but their still on the go, instead of running right at you and past or staying in one area for 15 minutes and then moving on at the command of a glow stick.

There is no saving that house.

Actually, there is always a chance at saving anything. It just takes a lot of time and money and good ideas. I do have hope for this go around, especially if they let Oak Island give them some help in design this go around. I think that was the ultimate doom for the maze was the park designed it in-house rather than letting Oak Island design it. Oak Island gave us an amazing Deadline, so if they help or actually do Root, there is still hope.

I'm confused by this statement. Are you trying to say: They are pulling Entwined, and using the extra money to re-do ROAE? If that was the case I'd be very happy, or were you trying to say something else. Sorry I just don't understand what you're trying to say.

He was saying they are going to reinvent Root of All Evil so that the only thing that is the same is the name; a very similar situation occurred when the park reinvented Entwined a third time. Entwined will stay because they can't just cut their losses. They are sticking by their crap I find it admirable, yet annoying.

 

[redsoxfan787]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

The clowns were by far the best horde, I thought it was funny how they would torment people. I saw them chasing people into shops and restrooms. I think the other hordes need to be more energetic and more enthusiastic like the clowns were

 

[Hoopla]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

The clowns were by far the best horde, I thought it was funny how they would torment people. I saw them chasing people into shops and restrooms. I think the other hordes need to be more energetic and more enthusiastic like the clowns were

One of the clowns scared us with an air horn in the line for Dead line. It was the BEST! One time they completely surrounded me, not fair.

 

[chickenking]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

I had the impression that most people here thought the hordes were pretty darn good in the second half of Howl-O-Scream 2012. Did I misunderstand?

 

[Ghost of Pretzel Kaiser]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

You do misunderstand. Clown horde was okay, but overall the hordes were nothing but a waste of money and employees they could have put back into the houses and scare zones. Hordes were so bad that at the second week the redid scare zones.

 

[CastleOSullivan]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

^^ I agree, however, that was only because they had some actors that would stay in one area. Somewhat like a scarezone.
Edit:Pretzel Kaiser beat me to it.

 

[chickenking]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

I went twice a week (sometimes all three days of the weekend) for the entire length of Howl-O-Scream. I witnessed the horrible start, and the evolution of the scare zones and hordes. By mid-October, I thought the hordes had their $h!t together and were pretty good. Clowns and zombies were the best. Werewolves were kinda meh. Now I don't know how much most of you go, but I think I got a pretty good perspective on this.

Anyway, my previous comment was directed specifically at the "second half" of Howl-O-Scream, and I know I wasn't alone in thinking they did a pretty good job then.

 

[pandorazboxx]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

I agree with you ck. Went the first night and they were horrible. Went the next to last weekend and everything was functioning smoothly. Besides root of all evil.

 

[Shafor]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

I hated the hordes. My one wish for HOS this year is that they get cut.

 

[chickenking]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

I so wish I could bring my own chainsaw to the event. I already scare people on the walkways without trying. Just love walking through the fog into a group of guests. :evilgrin:

 

[Applesauce]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

Actually, there is always a chance at saving anything. It just takes a lot of time and money and good ideas. I do have hope for this go around, especially if they let Oak Island give them some help in design this go around. I think that was the ultimate doom for the maze was the park designed it in-house rather than letting Oak Island design it. Oak Island gave us an amazing Deadline, so if they help or actually do Root, there is still hope.

Ah yes, you said the most important thing. Money is number one, which has been tightly constrained this year. I'm not going to pretend to know how much they have to spend on Howl-o-Scream, but if other events and shows are suffering, chances are HoS will suffer from it as well.

How noticeable it is, will depend on how creative the team can get with a limited budget.

Buying a ton of plants, that die after a couple of weeks, because of whatever reason is just going to waste more money than save it. Not to mention if they got rid of it all together, they could possibly save some money by hiring less people, as they now have one less house to staff. Not that, that's a good thing, as we've all seen the other houses rather understaffed. So they could hire the same amount of people and place them in different houses, when they originally would have been in Root.

Root is not worth saving, with a limited budget. If they had extra money to spare, I'd be willing to say "Yeah, they could fix it, and this is how." but considering the other houses, not to mention Fear Fair which has damage done to it, it's safer, and much more of an intelligent idea, to drop the house and give up that money to the other houses which were more successful, and could use it.

(Once they get their act together, and have money to spend without worrying about scrapping things to save money, they can bring back Root with a redone idea. But seeing as it was basically the least popular house, I don't even know if it'd be worth it.)

 

[Party Rocker]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

It'd be worth it to keep about 1K people off the pathways But honestly, I do still have hope for it. I know they used frames from the greenhouses to create the billboards for Holiday Hills, so I am very interested to see their new greenhouses or how the set-up will be this year.

Also, not all of the plants died, in fact there were quite a few left over that were living and are still in the park to this day. But I do get your idea of money issues with this.

I am sticking by my original thought that they need to let Oak Island get creative.

Also, as far as budget issues go, I would think they probably are using last years budget with this years events, trying to spread out the dough amongst all four of their major events. Illuminights was the worst so it got cut the worst. I still think most of the money is going to Root this year in reinventing it and this is why Root should be better this year.

 

[Zachary]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

Root is not worth saving, with a limited budget. If they had extra money to spare, I'd be willing to say "Yeah, they could fix it, and this is how." but considering the other houses, not to mention Fear Fair which has damage done to it, it's safer, and much more of an intelligent idea, to drop the house and give up that money to the other houses which were more successful, and could use it.

I concur. Something tells me that if additional cuts come before construction begins, Root will likely be the first house cut. With that said, as things stand now, they seem pretty intent on resurrecting it on the shoestring budget they have.

I am sticking by my original thought that they need to let Oak Island get creative.

They couldn't afford Oak Island for Root last year. I highly doubt they'll be able to this year.

Also, as far as budget issues go, I would think they probably are using last years budget with this years events, trying to spread out the dough amongst all four of their major events.

No, it sounds like they have considerably less to work with overall this year.

 

[netdvn]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

I went twice a week (sometimes all three days of the weekend) for the entire length of Howl-O-Scream. I witnessed the horrible start, and the evolution of the scare zones and hordes. By mid-October, I thought the hordes had their $h!t together and were pretty good. Clowns and zombies were the best. Werewolves were kinda meh. Now I don't know how much most of you go, but I think I got a pretty good perspective on this.

This is pretty much how HOS was in 2011 as well. The event started off real weak and gradually got better and better as the season wore on. Since that was the first HOS event I ever attended, I'm assuming HOS (and Halloween events in general) were always kinda like this.

Buying a ton of plants, that die after a couple of weeks, because of whatever reason is just going to waste more money than save it.

If a theme park that's themed to actual gardens can't keep a few plants alive for a few weeks, I have absolutely no faith in this park whatsoever.

And if they fail to make a decent greenhouse maze this year (assuming some sort of greenhouse themed maze is coming back), I'll flip a table over or something. It really can't be that hard to build a greenhouse themed maze and make it scary. All you need is a few hiding spots, good makeup, good actors, props to work with, and a few plants. I don't see where this whole "blow up the budget for a maze" is coming from when all you need is plants and props.

 

[CastleOSullivan]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

As far as the plants dying; some of that was deliberate. The entire house was a constant battle between the entertainment and landscaping departments. That's the reason this maze never had a cohesive theme. They tried several different ideas throughout the season, but just about every idea got shot down. I think the moral of the story is: they shouldn't wait for last-minute to do these kind of things.

 

[Applesauce]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

If a theme park that's themed to actual gardens can't keep a few plants alive for a few weeks, I have absolutely no faith in this park whatsoever.

And if they fail to make a decent greenhouse maze this year (assuming some sort of greenhouse themed maze is coming back), I'll flip a table over or something. It really can't be that hard to build a greenhouse themed maze and make it scary. All you need is a few hiding spots, good makeup, good actors, props to work with, and a few plants. I don't see where this whole "blow up the budget for a maze" is coming from when all you need is plants and props.

I was trying to point out what CastleOSullivan ended up explaining better. I wasn't concerned about the fact that they couldn't keep the plants alive. But it felt very miss matched, half the time they were trying to make the plants die, then try to keep them alive. It just didn't work.

Well when you have actors who aren't into it, confusing pathways that shouldn't be, lack-luster makeup, and a set-up that looks like the garden section of a Home Depot, it's really difficult to make it scary. you're right, it shouldn't be that hard to make it scary, but for them apparently it is.

I wasn't saying it'd kill the budget to keep the maze, I would just prefer to see them take the money they would spend on the maze, and put it to the other mazes. Considering Root wasn't all that well regarded by the GP, and other mazes are in need of prop/theming repair. It just seems like a smarter move.

 

[Party Rocker]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

Entertainment: Die Daisies die!

Landscaping: No let them live! Their people too!

*Continues as a fight all Howl-o-Scream*

GP and Enthusiasts: This maze suck.

Honestly, I think they should just turn one of their ACTUAL greenhouses for the maze. Just add some decor, change the set up slightly and bam!

 

[Griff]

RE: Howl-O-Scream 2013

I think they should take the overrun Home Depot theme and run with it