Howl-O-Scream
- Thread starter Zachary
- Start date
So, as I think all y'all know, my friends and I went to HOS this past Saturday. We had a fantastic time! HOS is always my favorite event of the year, so this is probably no surprise.
What follows are my scatter-shot thoughts on the event. I want to highlight up front that I believe I approach HOS differently than many of the people who post here. I am very analytical in real life. HOS, for me, is an escape from that. In addition, I don't go to HOS several times a year, so I don't have the opportunity to observe the second and third level details. I go once and simply immerse myself in HOS, without over-analyzing it too much. I feel it more than observe it, if that makes any sense. So what you will find below are impressions, not observations.
"You're so analytical! Sometimes you just have to let art... flow... over you." - Nick, The Big Chill
I loved Cut Throat Cove and Bitten; these were my two favorites. They were both fantastic mazes, but for entirely different reasons. CTC was just cool. I wouldn't call it all that scary, but it was really well dressed and felt super-eerie at twilight. I really think they should open this maze up during the day for people to walk through without the scare actors. It would be a perfect "family-friendly" attraction.
Bitten without question "scared" me the most. The actors are incredibly well-timed. Tony says that the same guy got me several times in a row (as usual). They also did a great job of double teaming me this year. One would scare me right into the arms of another. There is also something about the atmosphere that the other houses don't quite have. I simply never relaxed or let my guard down throughout the entire maze. I was wound tighter than a drum for most of it.
Root of All Evil wins the prize for Most Improved Maze this year. It was great and the scare actors were phenomenal. I believe that I had my own private scare actor for one part, which probably made it even better for me. Interestingly, looking back on it, I don't really recall most of the decor. I just remember getting startled a lot.
I like Catacombs. I wish it were longer. I don't develop that desire to "escape," because I am out so quickly.
I don't have a lot to say about Deadline. They are some brilliant bits, like the subway car, and some gross-out sections, like the toilets and mops. The latter did nothing for me, but maybe they appeal to others? One of my friends thinks we would have enjoyed Deadline more, if we didn't use the QQ. We really didn't get any of the back story, and she thinks (and I tend to agree) that affected how we experienced the maze.
It is probably evident from my post on the 13 thread that I was not wildly enthusiastic about that house this year. I really think it is a cool concept, but the implementation just wasn't great. I can't say I'm very surprised: as I have commented previously, it s difficult to translate phobias into visual and audio cues that will scare everyone. That said, I love the fear of heights room. I think it needs to be moved two Cut Throat Cove and turned into a plank. There could be some cool opportunities for scare actors to chase people down the plank.
I loved Ripper Row and Ports of Skull. I think the actors do a great job. We were sitting on a bench watching RR, and (with Tony's help) one of the Rippers scared me right out of my seat. They all did a phenomenal job of stalking people who were walking through England.
As I've said before, the pirates were just cool, and really seemed to enjoy their jobs. I really liked both rum drinks, BTW.
Visually, however, Demon Street was the best Terror-tory for me. We can debate the relative merits of fake DJs and house music all day long, but in terms of dressing and scares this one was my favorite. I saw "Paris burning" from the top of the Griffon, the Sky Ride, Trappers eating area, and the path from the Wild Reserve. It looks fantastic. The effects are really cool. The demons were really active and enthusiastic, as well, even in huge crowds.
Anyway, just my thoughts.
What follows are my scatter-shot thoughts on the event. I want to highlight up front that I believe I approach HOS differently than many of the people who post here. I am very analytical in real life. HOS, for me, is an escape from that. In addition, I don't go to HOS several times a year, so I don't have the opportunity to observe the second and third level details. I go once and simply immerse myself in HOS, without over-analyzing it too much. I feel it more than observe it, if that makes any sense. So what you will find below are impressions, not observations.
"You're so analytical! Sometimes you just have to let art... flow... over you." - Nick, The Big Chill
I loved Cut Throat Cove and Bitten; these were my two favorites. They were both fantastic mazes, but for entirely different reasons. CTC was just cool. I wouldn't call it all that scary, but it was really well dressed and felt super-eerie at twilight. I really think they should open this maze up during the day for people to walk through without the scare actors. It would be a perfect "family-friendly" attraction.
Bitten without question "scared" me the most. The actors are incredibly well-timed. Tony says that the same guy got me several times in a row (as usual). They also did a great job of double teaming me this year. One would scare me right into the arms of another. There is also something about the atmosphere that the other houses don't quite have. I simply never relaxed or let my guard down throughout the entire maze. I was wound tighter than a drum for most of it.
Root of All Evil wins the prize for Most Improved Maze this year. It was great and the scare actors were phenomenal. I believe that I had my own private scare actor for one part, which probably made it even better for me. Interestingly, looking back on it, I don't really recall most of the decor. I just remember getting startled a lot.
I like Catacombs. I wish it were longer. I don't develop that desire to "escape," because I am out so quickly.
I don't have a lot to say about Deadline. They are some brilliant bits, like the subway car, and some gross-out sections, like the toilets and mops. The latter did nothing for me, but maybe they appeal to others? One of my friends thinks we would have enjoyed Deadline more, if we didn't use the QQ. We really didn't get any of the back story, and she thinks (and I tend to agree) that affected how we experienced the maze.
It is probably evident from my post on the 13 thread that I was not wildly enthusiastic about that house this year. I really think it is a cool concept, but the implementation just wasn't great. I can't say I'm very surprised: as I have commented previously, it s difficult to translate phobias into visual and audio cues that will scare everyone. That said, I love the fear of heights room. I think it needs to be moved two Cut Throat Cove and turned into a plank. There could be some cool opportunities for scare actors to chase people down the plank.
I loved Ripper Row and Ports of Skull. I think the actors do a great job. We were sitting on a bench watching RR, and (with Tony's help) one of the Rippers scared me right out of my seat. They all did a phenomenal job of stalking people who were walking through England.
As I've said before, the pirates were just cool, and really seemed to enjoy their jobs. I really liked both rum drinks, BTW.
Visually, however, Demon Street was the best Terror-tory for me. We can debate the relative merits of fake DJs and house music all day long, but in terms of dressing and scares this one was my favorite. I saw "Paris burning" from the top of the Griffon, the Sky Ride, Trappers eating area, and the path from the Wild Reserve. It looks fantastic. The effects are really cool. The demons were really active and enthusiastic, as well, even in huge crowds.
Anyway, just my thoughts.
Nic, nothing against your post at all- in fact I agree with a lot of it- but I have to do this.
You just described a scarezone, not a Terror-tory. Terror-tories require deep, immersive atmosphere where scares and scareactors take a back seat to a story and loosely scripted occurrences. There are only two true Terror-tories at this year's event and Demon Street isn't one of them. I have no gripes about people calling Demon Street a fantastic scarezone (though I still have yet to see it perform particularly well myself), but I do honestly think people doing Ripper Row and Ports of Skull a massive disservice by lumping them in with Vampire Point and Demon Street.
Nic said:
You just described a scarezone, not a Terror-tory. Terror-tories require deep, immersive atmosphere where scares and scareactors take a back seat to a story and loosely scripted occurrences. There are only two true Terror-tories at this year's event and Demon Street isn't one of them. I have no gripes about people calling Demon Street a fantastic scarezone (though I still have yet to see it perform particularly well myself), but I do honestly think people doing Ripper Row and Ports of Skull a massive disservice by lumping them in with Vampire Point and Demon Street.
Zachary said:
Interesting point. And I think you are right.
Let me rephrase:
Demon Street was my favorite area in the park. The effects and scares were really cool.
In terms of the working definition of Terror-tory, Ripper Row was the best, in my opinion. I didn't see it the first weekend, but my impression is that if they hadn't toned it down and if there were more space/fewer guests, it might have been cooler than Demon Street. The concept is amazing. PoS was super-cool, but it felt more like an immersive shopping district than anything else. (I loved it, to be clear.)
Vampire Point felt too diffuse to me. I saw a couple of scare actors, and one of them startled me, but generally it didn't feel well-staffed or immersive.
A few things I forgot to mention.
First, the staff generally seem to be doing a good job preventing "congo lines" and "stacking" in the mazes. We were there on a Saturday night, in Summer-like weather, when the park was predicting maximum attendance, and I rarely felt crowded in the houses. The exception was (you guessed it) 13. In then other five houses, however, I rarely saw anyone other than my friends, and I sometimes lost them, as well.
Second, almost without exception the staff were polite, charming, and helpful. The bartenders at Open Casket were especially nice. I would imagine that especially on a busy night like last Saturday, tempers could easily fray, but we received some of the best service I have ever experienced at BGW. Of course, I rarely have a bad experience with the park workers anyway.
Third, I have now been to Blood Banquet (long story), and I still have no idea what the phrase "interactive pasta bar" means. That said, I want to say for the record how much I love the Culinary Department. They have been dishing up the awesome for a few years now, and I am their dedicated fan.
First, the staff generally seem to be doing a good job preventing "congo lines" and "stacking" in the mazes. We were there on a Saturday night, in Summer-like weather, when the park was predicting maximum attendance, and I rarely felt crowded in the houses. The exception was (you guessed it) 13. In then other five houses, however, I rarely saw anyone other than my friends, and I sometimes lost them, as well.
Second, almost without exception the staff were polite, charming, and helpful. The bartenders at Open Casket were especially nice. I would imagine that especially on a busy night like last Saturday, tempers could easily fray, but we received some of the best service I have ever experienced at BGW. Of course, I rarely have a bad experience with the park workers anyway.
Third, I have now been to Blood Banquet (long story), and I still have no idea what the phrase "interactive pasta bar" means. That said, I want to say for the record how much I love the Culinary Department. They have been dishing up the awesome for a few years now, and I am their dedicated fan.
lukemcnuggets said:
Nanette is mine Luke!! :heart:
So's her sister Nellie!!
A Train ride surprise!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YI6UrPKLTYMore Train ride fun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h3OG6msRRQParis is Burning at night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etiJr-l7WEYBONUS: Fear Fair is alive and well inside 13:Your Number's Up (Fear #5).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYGKnbrZMRk
The video at night, really makes me wish those blowing streamers were ripped to make it look a little more like fire, and a little less like a party.
And Christ almighty I don't remember the clown room being like that. Did I really try and suppress the memories of that room so much. ;__;
And Christ almighty I don't remember the clown room being like that. Did I really try and suppress the memories of that room so much. ;__;
Hi All - Wonderful site here!! Just providing feedback from our annual trip (actually semi-annual last few HOS events)...My daughters and I visited the park Friday and Saturday (10/4 & 10/5) and had a great time. We thought that England and France were fantastic at night with both decorations and actors...The headless ladies in England reminded me of HOS 2010 costumes...We enjoyed all the shows and haunted houses. My daughters got a nice unexpected photo-op with Mad Doctor, Igor and Swamp Monster between shows...Almost didn't recognize them out of costume except for the face makeup...Awesome actors that made our group feel very welcome and appreciated...Our only wishlist is to bring back MSR and Jack Is Back - and return to the Scare-Is-Everywhere...When we are in the haunted houses they are fun but the scares are expected...With the Scare Is Everywhere, we were amazed at how many times we were surprised by ghillie suited actors lurking everywhere. But main thing is that we had another wonderful trip and look forward to one more weekend this season.
Did I miss something or were there never floating pumpkins on the path to the right of the giant pumpkin if you were coming from Ireland?
The cables are there but there are no pumpkins. We noticed it this past Sunday and could not remember if they were there or not and why they would take them all down from that path.
The cables are there but there are no pumpkins. We noticed it this past Sunday and could not remember if they were there or not and why they would take them all down from that path.
Actually, this year is the most pumpkins that have ever been up in the skies. The pumpkins started out covering the front entrance area of Heatherdowns, and went down the path a little ways, but never fully made it to the Killarney Crossing.
The cables that you see on the other side are for the stars for Christmas Town. It is just much easier to put all the cable up at once and quicker, instead of putting up half for Howl-o-Scream and then half later for Christmas Town.
The cables that you see on the other side are for the stars for Christmas Town. It is just much easier to put all the cable up at once and quicker, instead of putting up half for Howl-o-Scream and then half later for Christmas Town.
Your welcome.
Also just throwing this out there but why is the park trying to pass off a Goblin head for a vampire?
Also just throwing this out there but why is the park trying to pass off a Goblin head for a vampire?
I honestly liked the ghosts above Heatherdowns entrance more than the pumpkins. In JHWR, they are low to the ground and not above your head. I loved looking up and seeing a ton of ghosts and such. Don't get me wrong, I love the pumpkins, I just liked the ghost more.
