I honestly can't wait to go tomorrow, is it sad to say by myself though? I really get to appreciate little things when my face isn't in someone's back while going through a house. Does anybody know when the park closes tomorrow?
Howl-O-Scream 2016
- Thread starter Diamond Dave
- Start date
Went through all but catacombs today. Ranking goes
1. Circo sinestro- I saw people talking about staffing, and I didn't see that. There was consistent staff in areas and it was a push towards quality mazes I would love to see at Busch!10/10
2. Lumberhacked- new entrance and a little few new effects but mostly the same. Nevertheless the actors were great using the lack of great hiding spots in some areas.storbed effect at the end mad eit hard to see the maze at times and it could use more ambient red light.8/10
3. Unearthed:Scarlett's Revenge- dear lord, it was actually staffed! There was consistent actors in various spots . Only one room didnt have actors and that was the collapsed room . Also the trickster wasnt there. A few good scares but was in the frint so a lot of scares went behind us to the middle. 8/10
4.Cornered- better built sets and better scares. Albeit it wasnt until the end i had the really good scares, still a nice cheesy fun maze.7/10
5.Deadline- not much has changed except for the screens which really didnt add anything for me... Maybe the subway car it was neat. 7/10
6. Bitten - can we PLEASE let it die! O saw maybe 8 cast members in before cast change! They werent energetic and someone legitimately said "Boo!" Last year was a decent year and would of been a great time to retire it... But now we have...this! 2/10
Shows
Fiends:I've heard that it's that last year and I made sure to see the first showing of the day. Some new jokes and an energetic cast made the classic show feel fresh and lively. 8/10
Night beats: it was good, except i dont think a gaga number is as relevant in today's age as it was in '08. Dont expect the same show as about of half of it is new songs from when Ulrich was host. 6/10
Monster stomp: fantastic! While the show itself is the same, it felt less choppy (pun not intended) than last year. Plus, the new female lead proved her worth!8/10
Terrortories
Demon street: same as before. Seemed a bit understaffed/all chainsaw lumped together. 6/10
Wendigo woods: understaffed and clumped. Same as last year, besides the bungee and movement of props 6/10
Vampire Point: bless their damned undead hearts... The actors are trying with nothing to work with. Give them a shack or two to work with! Seriously!4/10 but not against the actors
Circo sinestro: AMAZING costumes and actors, tiny barely decorated area . It's far enough to avoid people being scared away from Festa yet still well placed. Thebwind up doll, marionettes, and the fortune teller were my favorites 7/10
Ripper row: by the time we came through it was closing and nobody was out. unable to judge
Besides bitten biting it, it was one of my favorite HoS opening days ever!
1. Circo sinestro- I saw people talking about staffing, and I didn't see that. There was consistent staff in areas and it was a push towards quality mazes I would love to see at Busch!10/10
2. Lumberhacked- new entrance and a little few new effects but mostly the same. Nevertheless the actors were great using the lack of great hiding spots in some areas.storbed effect at the end mad eit hard to see the maze at times and it could use more ambient red light.8/10
3. Unearthed:Scarlett's Revenge- dear lord, it was actually staffed! There was consistent actors in various spots . Only one room didnt have actors and that was the collapsed room . Also the trickster wasnt there. A few good scares but was in the frint so a lot of scares went behind us to the middle. 8/10
4.Cornered- better built sets and better scares. Albeit it wasnt until the end i had the really good scares, still a nice cheesy fun maze.7/10
5.Deadline- not much has changed except for the screens which really didnt add anything for me... Maybe the subway car it was neat. 7/10
6. Bitten - can we PLEASE let it die! O saw maybe 8 cast members in before cast change! They werent energetic and someone legitimately said "Boo!" Last year was a decent year and would of been a great time to retire it... But now we have...this! 2/10
Shows
Fiends:I've heard that it's that last year and I made sure to see the first showing of the day. Some new jokes and an energetic cast made the classic show feel fresh and lively. 8/10
Night beats: it was good, except i dont think a gaga number is as relevant in today's age as it was in '08. Dont expect the same show as about of half of it is new songs from when Ulrich was host. 6/10
Monster stomp: fantastic! While the show itself is the same, it felt less choppy (pun not intended) than last year. Plus, the new female lead proved her worth!8/10
Terrortories
Demon street: same as before. Seemed a bit understaffed/all chainsaw lumped together. 6/10
Wendigo woods: understaffed and clumped. Same as last year, besides the bungee and movement of props 6/10
Vampire Point: bless their damned undead hearts... The actors are trying with nothing to work with. Give them a shack or two to work with! Seriously!4/10 but not against the actors
Circo sinestro: AMAZING costumes and actors, tiny barely decorated area . It's far enough to avoid people being scared away from Festa yet still well placed. Thebwind up doll, marionettes, and the fortune teller were my favorites 7/10
Ripper row: by the time we came through it was closing and nobody was out. unable to judge
Besides bitten biting it, it was one of my favorite HoS opening days ever!
Where was the sideshow territory? I didnt see anything on the bridge and we were.trying to get to the last showing of monster stomp. My review on Night Beats is they DESTROYED IT! Absolutely horrible such a shame
Any clue as to how crowded it might be this weekend? Thinking of going tonight or tomorrow. Any guesses as to what will be the better day?
Went on a whim yesterday because I heard it wasn't crowded at all (which was true!)- I didn't get to do everything but here are my thoughts:
1. Circo Sinistro was very cool! A bit understaffed but very unique- while all the other mazes get their scare-factor from jump scares and startling guests, this one took a different, creepier approach IMO.
2. Lumberhacked and Cornered were both similar to last year (which was good). Unearthed was better than last year, though it's still hard to maintain tension throughout a house that long... I think the screens were better utilized (no more weird hanging person, as someone else mentioned).
3. One interesting change is the park is using screens and projections a lot more, both within the mazes and throughout the park. There's an amazing new prop in the Wild Reserve- it's a sheer projection screen hung between two trees that has green ghosts flying up from the ground. You can't even tell there's any sort of screen there until you get right up to it and I think it looks fantastic.
4. Overall I thought the park decor was underwhelming, though I understand they'll probably keep decorating more in the coming weeks. As I mentioned in a previous post, I feel like they are moving away from the Terror-tories concept and now it's just a smattering of decorations throughout the park (Demon Street and Wendigo Woods being the exceptions).
1. Circo Sinistro was very cool! A bit understaffed but very unique- while all the other mazes get their scare-factor from jump scares and startling guests, this one took a different, creepier approach IMO.
2. Lumberhacked and Cornered were both similar to last year (which was good). Unearthed was better than last year, though it's still hard to maintain tension throughout a house that long... I think the screens were better utilized (no more weird hanging person, as someone else mentioned).
3. One interesting change is the park is using screens and projections a lot more, both within the mazes and throughout the park. There's an amazing new prop in the Wild Reserve- it's a sheer projection screen hung between two trees that has green ghosts flying up from the ground. You can't even tell there's any sort of screen there until you get right up to it and I think it looks fantastic.
4. Overall I thought the park decor was underwhelming, though I understand they'll probably keep decorating more in the coming weeks. As I mentioned in a previous post, I feel like they are moving away from the Terror-tories concept and now it's just a smattering of decorations throughout the park (Demon Street and Wendigo Woods being the exceptions).
As pointed out before, one of the big new things this year was the addition of various projections and TV screens with various characters acting all spooky-like. Below is a list (in the spoilers) of the ones I noticed. The analysis after also might contain spoilers, but this list is if you want specifics.
These are technically impressive and when used properly like in the Wild Reserve, they work really well. Unfortunately, this really isn’t the case in all the park. The thing is that these clips were bought as opposed to being custom made for the park. I can’t really hold this against the park because custom making these for every single instance with the level of visual effects needed to be convincing to work would be expensive.
What is concerning is the there are several instances of the clips being used don’t match the aesthetic of the location where they are used. The best example I can think of with this problem is Lumberhacked where the projection subject matter did not match the overall theme of the maze at all, which was a bit off putting and pulled me out of the experience. There are several more instances of this that I noticed.
Theming aside, one other issue I noticed was that the brightness of some of the screens was not well matched. They often illuminated the room they were in too much. The TVs also were often set up in such ways that you could clearly tell that it was just a TV put on a wall. They could be way more effective if they were all positioned as windows or such as well as the image being better adjusted to match the light in the room better.
One other concern I have, which may or may not be founded, is that since they can be cheaper than scare actors in the long run, that the park focus on these over actors. Good actors know when to come out, how to read people, ect ect. These pre-rendered loops can’t really do that and lack any physicality. They’re great set pieces, but that’s all they should be.
With that being said, the implementation this year wasn’t bad. Some of them were really effective and cool looking. I really hope they expand their use properly next year.
Deadline - One projector at the beginning showing various zombies grabbing at the cloth at the start of the maze.
One TV showing a bunch of silhouettes of zombie walking around a large empty space in the control room.
The Subway car has multiple screens where the windows are showing zombies attacking and eating various body parts.
Cornered - The first room has a screen where tons of mice are coming out of the wall.
Unearthed - On the large screens, blood drips from the top and then a jumpscare appears.
Circo Sinestro - In a train there’s a ghostly old-timey conductor on a TV.
Lumberhacked - A projection showing a grim reaper doing things located in the woods.
Jack Hannah Wild Reserve - The wagon has two projections, one of an older woman drinking tea in the door and a younger woman lureing people in.
A large screen next to the Aviary with lots of ghosts rising up.
Main Entrance - A large projection screen which people walk through displaying the footage of Mr. Karver, but nothing we haven’t seen before.
One TV showing a bunch of silhouettes of zombie walking around a large empty space in the control room.
The Subway car has multiple screens where the windows are showing zombies attacking and eating various body parts.
Cornered - The first room has a screen where tons of mice are coming out of the wall.
Unearthed - On the large screens, blood drips from the top and then a jumpscare appears.
Circo Sinestro - In a train there’s a ghostly old-timey conductor on a TV.
Lumberhacked - A projection showing a grim reaper doing things located in the woods.
Jack Hannah Wild Reserve - The wagon has two projections, one of an older woman drinking tea in the door and a younger woman lureing people in.
A large screen next to the Aviary with lots of ghosts rising up.
Main Entrance - A large projection screen which people walk through displaying the footage of Mr. Karver, but nothing we haven’t seen before.
These are technically impressive and when used properly like in the Wild Reserve, they work really well. Unfortunately, this really isn’t the case in all the park. The thing is that these clips were bought as opposed to being custom made for the park. I can’t really hold this against the park because custom making these for every single instance with the level of visual effects needed to be convincing to work would be expensive.
What is concerning is the there are several instances of the clips being used don’t match the aesthetic of the location where they are used. The best example I can think of with this problem is Lumberhacked where the projection subject matter did not match the overall theme of the maze at all, which was a bit off putting and pulled me out of the experience. There are several more instances of this that I noticed.
Theming aside, one other issue I noticed was that the brightness of some of the screens was not well matched. They often illuminated the room they were in too much. The TVs also were often set up in such ways that you could clearly tell that it was just a TV put on a wall. They could be way more effective if they were all positioned as windows or such as well as the image being better adjusted to match the light in the room better.
One other concern I have, which may or may not be founded, is that since they can be cheaper than scare actors in the long run, that the park focus on these over actors. Good actors know when to come out, how to read people, ect ect. These pre-rendered loops can’t really do that and lack any physicality. They’re great set pieces, but that’s all they should be.
With that being said, the implementation this year wasn’t bad. Some of them were really effective and cool looking. I really hope they expand their use properly next year.
Until Zachary creates threads for the two Escape Rooms, I will just post this here...
Last evening, Zachary and I attended the HOS 2016 Media Day. The main focus this year was, unsurprisingly, the new escape rooms. They didn't want to spoil the experience, so we essentially were given an opportunity to wander around each room and interact with the actors.
The rooms, themselves, seem really well designed. I won't be able to confirm that, however, until after I try the full upcharged experience. For now, I am confident in saying that the decorations and details are fantastic.
The actors were great, as well. Perhaps, because we were not actually looking for clues, Mr. Karver gave us an exemplary and super-creepy performance. At one point he even measured my eyes to see if they would be a good fit for one of his dolls.
The short preview the park gave us has me really excited to try both rooms.
One last note: we found out that prices vary by date and time and pass member discounts do apply.
Last evening, Zachary and I attended the HOS 2016 Media Day. The main focus this year was, unsurprisingly, the new escape rooms. They didn't want to spoil the experience, so we essentially were given an opportunity to wander around each room and interact with the actors.
The rooms, themselves, seem really well designed. I won't be able to confirm that, however, until after I try the full upcharged experience. For now, I am confident in saying that the decorations and details are fantastic.
The actors were great, as well. Perhaps, because we were not actually looking for clues, Mr. Karver gave us an exemplary and super-creepy performance. At one point he even measured my eyes to see if they would be a good fit for one of his dolls.
The short preview the park gave us has me really excited to try both rooms.
One last note: we found out that prices vary by date and time and pass member discounts do apply.
Did both rooms today. The Case of Mr. Karver was my favorite. I don't want to go into any of the details because I don't want to ruin it. However, I would defiantly recommend it. Case of Jack the Ripper was cool too. But the Case of Mr. Karver of defiantly more betters.
If you look in the BG app, you can see that now they have a scavenger hunt just like the SeaWorld app! Except this one is for HOS. Can anyone complete it and tell us what the prize is?(since you have to be at the park and im a little over 700 miles too far to do it myself)
Attachments
will BGW ever get their act together and fix Howl O Scream??? I keep waiting for the year we actually have a proper Howl o Scream again. My biggest complaint is the choice in music... pop and rock songs that sound completely out of place... understaffed, lack of scare zones...
What was the last season you considered to be a "proper" Howl O Scream, and what gave it that status for you?stoney said:
Just as a warning, last night QQ was a cluster. Half the houses didn't feed us in properly, and Circo Sinistro was actually letting the QQ line back way up.
To the person who told a bunch of asshole teens to shut up, you're my hero.
Or at least I would say that if you weren't dragging a small child through the maze.
Or at least I would say that if you weren't dragging a small child through the maze.
I've been disappointed so far. Went on the crazy busy Saturday and here now, on a slow day and just not feeling it. For now I'm chalking it up to opening weekend troubles. I'll post my opinions on everything later.
^Same.
I'm waiting for a maze and just watching Sideshow Square to kill time. These guys are great and all, but the area they were given hinders them. I don't know why the park has a problem with designing areas for path scares, but they need to outsource if they can't do it themselves.
I'm waiting for a maze and just watching Sideshow Square to kill time. These guys are great and all, but the area they were given hinders them. I don't know why the park has a problem with designing areas for path scares, but they need to outsource if they can't do it themselves.
I'm not going to defend most of the event this weekend, but Catacombs was amazing. The actors were brilliant. It felt like the last weekend, not the first. Also, I really liked the changes they made to the house.