So leaving in an hour and will be back for my opinion on everything, I hope Scarlett's revenge is better tonight..
Howl-O-Scream
- Thread starter wombat96
- Start date
Its early. I can't sleep so here's a quick rundown of what happened last night.
Scare zones were overall kinda weak. Understandable for opening night. Most felt really short staffed. Ripper only had two actors. Vampire only had about four. Wendigo lost some of the actors from last year and so far the actors this year aren't very strong. Pirates tried a little harder and were well staffed but they only stuck to one corner of the bridge down to the bungee. Demon has chainsaws so they're at am advantage.
As for mazes
Pirates were weak as usual. Not enough actors going around to be effective.
Bitten was running as well as usual. A few dead spots but the actors were great.
And the new ones
Cornered felt somewhat short staffed. The maze utilizes great gimmicks like the mirrors and the ending scene but there are a lot of bare walls and cheap paint. More corn like Cornstalkers and a few more actors and you've got a good maze going. Better than Root for sure.
Lumberjack had some solid actors and I loved the setting in the woods. I'm surprised the park hasn't utilized a maze like this yet. As usual there are a few dead spots and some of the makeup looks a little funky but I can deal. My biggest issue with this maze is that it's too short for the length of time it takes to walk back there. They should've moved the entrance to the Festhaus Park. Also having to walk past the exit to get into the maze is a little weird.
Unearthed was actually pretty good. Yes there are dead spots. Yes the finale felt disappointing to me. But the overall maze was great. Its long, actors are solid, well themed, and they use the simulator building to its fullest. The projections on the screen were a little small and I think the fear of heights room wouldve been a cool gimmick to have.
Overall not a bad night. Event is going through growing pains which is normal anyway. Just wait until the end of the season. More detailed review will be posted after I finish the mazes.
Scare zones were overall kinda weak. Understandable for opening night. Most felt really short staffed. Ripper only had two actors. Vampire only had about four. Wendigo lost some of the actors from last year and so far the actors this year aren't very strong. Pirates tried a little harder and were well staffed but they only stuck to one corner of the bridge down to the bungee. Demon has chainsaws so they're at am advantage.
As for mazes
Pirates were weak as usual. Not enough actors going around to be effective.
Bitten was running as well as usual. A few dead spots but the actors were great.
And the new ones
Cornered felt somewhat short staffed. The maze utilizes great gimmicks like the mirrors and the ending scene but there are a lot of bare walls and cheap paint. More corn like Cornstalkers and a few more actors and you've got a good maze going. Better than Root for sure.
Lumberjack had some solid actors and I loved the setting in the woods. I'm surprised the park hasn't utilized a maze like this yet. As usual there are a few dead spots and some of the makeup looks a little funky but I can deal. My biggest issue with this maze is that it's too short for the length of time it takes to walk back there. They should've moved the entrance to the Festhaus Park. Also having to walk past the exit to get into the maze is a little weird.
Unearthed was actually pretty good. Yes there are dead spots. Yes the finale felt disappointing to me. But the overall maze was great. Its long, actors are solid, well themed, and they use the simulator building to its fullest. The projections on the screen were a little small and I think the fear of heights room wouldve been a cool gimmick to have.
Overall not a bad night. Event is going through growing pains which is normal anyway. Just wait until the end of the season. More detailed review will be posted after I finish the mazes.
Identical structure, theme, etc. Performed much better last night than it has in the last two years though.
Okay, here we go. I'm going to start with the mazes, from last to first.
- Maybe it was because it was the end of the night, but Deadline was terrible. I've mentioned before that I know every single potential scare spot in that maze from start to finish (not an exaggeration), so my standards are set pretty darn high I suppose. I kept expecting people to pop out of certain spots and they didn't. Low energy everywhere, maybe two or three actors were actually trying to do anything beyond a lazy grunt. Now, as I understand it, the year I was in this maze was the year it started to go downhill (about 1/3 of our cast was underage) and I suspect the same still applies, due to all of the behind-the-wall spots that are perfect for sticking minors. Maybe this has nothing to do with the quality of the house, and of course the scare elements are ruined for me, and of COURSE it will improve once the season moves in, but I still couldn't help but be disappointed. Spots such as the vending machine and toilet rooms were not utilized as well as in previous years, so hopefully that will change once the actors reach out of their comfort zone a little bit.
- A note for nearly all of the houses, I noticed a lot of cliche "help me!" victim roles in places that didn't make much sense. It kind of killed the vibe a teeny bit, but I'm picky about stuff like that.
- CTC was the worst house of the night. If I can go through a house completely stone-faced, there's a problem. I feel bad for the actors. All 3 of them.
- Unearthed was, er, hmm. I don't really know how to feel about it. The screen thing ruined the mood for me, but the props were great, and I would even say the actors' costumes were neat. The goat things scared me the most, ugh I was CREEPED out by just looking at them. I didn't see any of the icons, not a single one that I could recognize at least, and that was disappointing to my whole group. I don't think it was quite as terrible as other people have said, but that might be because it's something "fresh" to look at to me, as opposed to say, Bitten, which objectively performed better but is boring to me regardless.
- Catacombs did okay, I think. It's another matter of actors who haven't yet learned to utilize their spaces to the fullest, but at least I saw plenty of them. I feel like overall it was one of the stronger mazes of the night, definitely above Deadline and CTC if anything.
- Cornered was confusing. The screen at the front of the line would have me believe that there was some sort of story to it, like Deadline or Root. But the line moved too fast for me to watch it, and I couldn't really understand the who, what, where, when, and most importantly, why, until I went back to the HoS website and read the synopsis. With that said, it's currently at #2 of my favorite houses this season. It would be tied for #1 if it weren't for that obnoxious inflated room that they brought over from 13. Seriously, what was the purpose of that thing being there? The actors were great though. Needs more corn.
- Lumberhack was my #1 of the night. I didn't even think I would like it, because I thought it was going to rely too heavily on chainsaws carried by flannel-wearing men with minimal makeup (Wendigo Woods-style). So, the costumes creeped me out, the props were creative AND used in a creative way, the energy was terrific, and the maze itself was at a length that the theme did not get stale. I can't wait to go through it again.
- Bitten. Lots of returning cast, minus a few. It actually got a couple of jumps out of me, which was impressive. Like Deadline, I know all of the spots in this house, so the fact that I got even the slightest bit tense was quite a feat. Could use some more staff, but that goes for all of the mazes.
The terror-tories were all pretty meh. I saw the most actors in Ripper Row and Wendigo Woods. Vampire Point got a jump out of me. I wish the park would decorate more, even in non-tory areas.
I only got to see Monster Stomp, and again the energy was pretty low from both the crew and the audience. Exhaustion was a likely factor.
- Overall, it was a great night. My expectations for the event as a whole were met, if not exceeded. I would say that it felt more like 2011 HoS again, thanks to the integrity of the new mazes. Definitely better than last year, I think?
- Maybe it was because it was the end of the night, but Deadline was terrible. I've mentioned before that I know every single potential scare spot in that maze from start to finish (not an exaggeration), so my standards are set pretty darn high I suppose. I kept expecting people to pop out of certain spots and they didn't. Low energy everywhere, maybe two or three actors were actually trying to do anything beyond a lazy grunt. Now, as I understand it, the year I was in this maze was the year it started to go downhill (about 1/3 of our cast was underage) and I suspect the same still applies, due to all of the behind-the-wall spots that are perfect for sticking minors. Maybe this has nothing to do with the quality of the house, and of course the scare elements are ruined for me, and of COURSE it will improve once the season moves in, but I still couldn't help but be disappointed. Spots such as the vending machine and toilet rooms were not utilized as well as in previous years, so hopefully that will change once the actors reach out of their comfort zone a little bit.
- A note for nearly all of the houses, I noticed a lot of cliche "help me!" victim roles in places that didn't make much sense. It kind of killed the vibe a teeny bit, but I'm picky about stuff like that.
- CTC was the worst house of the night. If I can go through a house completely stone-faced, there's a problem. I feel bad for the actors. All 3 of them.
- Unearthed was, er, hmm. I don't really know how to feel about it. The screen thing ruined the mood for me, but the props were great, and I would even say the actors' costumes were neat. The goat things scared me the most, ugh I was CREEPED out by just looking at them. I didn't see any of the icons, not a single one that I could recognize at least, and that was disappointing to my whole group. I don't think it was quite as terrible as other people have said, but that might be because it's something "fresh" to look at to me, as opposed to say, Bitten, which objectively performed better but is boring to me regardless.
- Catacombs did okay, I think. It's another matter of actors who haven't yet learned to utilize their spaces to the fullest, but at least I saw plenty of them. I feel like overall it was one of the stronger mazes of the night, definitely above Deadline and CTC if anything.
- Cornered was confusing. The screen at the front of the line would have me believe that there was some sort of story to it, like Deadline or Root. But the line moved too fast for me to watch it, and I couldn't really understand the who, what, where, when, and most importantly, why, until I went back to the HoS website and read the synopsis. With that said, it's currently at #2 of my favorite houses this season. It would be tied for #1 if it weren't for that obnoxious inflated room that they brought over from 13. Seriously, what was the purpose of that thing being there? The actors were great though. Needs more corn.
- Lumberhack was my #1 of the night. I didn't even think I would like it, because I thought it was going to rely too heavily on chainsaws carried by flannel-wearing men with minimal makeup (Wendigo Woods-style). So, the costumes creeped me out, the props were creative AND used in a creative way, the energy was terrific, and the maze itself was at a length that the theme did not get stale. I can't wait to go through it again.
- Bitten. Lots of returning cast, minus a few. It actually got a couple of jumps out of me, which was impressive. Like Deadline, I know all of the spots in this house, so the fact that I got even the slightest bit tense was quite a feat. Could use some more staff, but that goes for all of the mazes.
The terror-tories were all pretty meh. I saw the most actors in Ripper Row and Wendigo Woods. Vampire Point got a jump out of me. I wish the park would decorate more, even in non-tory areas.
I only got to see Monster Stomp, and again the energy was pretty low from both the crew and the audience. Exhaustion was a likely factor.
- Overall, it was a great night. My expectations for the event as a whole were met, if not exceeded. I would say that it felt more like 2011 HoS again, thanks to the integrity of the new mazes. Definitely better than last year, I think?
So here are my initial impressions from the first night. As usual, I expect things to change over the course of the event.
I have rank ordered them from best to worst.
1. Bitten. I always like Bitten, but last night it was absolutely my favorite maze. There was a scare before we even entered. It was the only house that made me anxious, and more importantly, I became increasing tense throughout the entire maze. I still don't understand the sand, but other than that, it was just amazing. The actors did not just rely on startles, and there a lot of staff throughout the entire attraction.
2. LumberHack. I was completely disoriented throughout this entire maze, and I have always loved wide open haunted attractions, as well. I also really enjoyed the theme; I felt as if I had fallen into Deliverance. The actors were really creative and actually seemed to chase me with axes and and chainsaws. More importantly, they were working really effectively in pairs: one guy would back me into a second. One odd thing did happen, however. I had no idea where the attraction actually started. We used QuickQueues, which meant that we walked directly from the exit of Bitten to an unmarked entrance to of LumberHack, and somehow there was no line there, just a grouper standing in the middle of a road. Overall, LumberHack reminded me of the open-air mazes that they used to put where Forest of Fun is now, and I have really missed those experiences.
3. Cornered. While I admit the first part of this house still needs some work, the mirror and corn mazes at the end were simply fantastic. At first I was really disappointed in this attraction, because it seemed understaffed and the actors clearly needed a lot of practice. But then we entered the mirror maze. Based on my experiences in Maze of Madness last year, I expected to have no trouble navigating this section. I could not have been any more mistaken. I was in the lead and there was no one visually in front of me, so I was relying entirely on where I could see my reflection to find the path. My understanding was that the rest of group was equally lost, despite being right behind me. I am told that there were also actors in that section, who startled me, but honestly I was so focused on trying to find my way out, that I honestly don't remember them. Once we escaped the mirrors, we found ourselves in an open area full of corn stalks. It was impossible to see the way out and the actors were actively pushing us in the wrong direction. I got completely turned around there too. I really hope the front part of this house improves, as the actors learn their roles, because the second half was brilliant.
4. Deadline. For anyone who is familiar with my opinions of HOS in recent years, you will no doubt be surprised at how highly I have rated what I used to consider a museum. To be clear, I still do not love Deadline. I know everyone else thinks it is brilliantly designed, but I have always found most of the rooms boring, with the exception of of the subway train. For the first time in years, however, I encountered human (zombie?) life in this maze. I counted 20 actors, and I was startled several times. I imagine the gross out rooms probably worked better with the number of actors in them, as well (not being a fan of that kind of scare, I can't speak definitively). The previously mentioned subway train was excellent. They had several people in there interdispersed with the mannequins, so you never knew when you might be threatened. Deadline probably was the most improved house for me this weekend.
5. Catacombs. I still like this maze, but I much preferred it in the dark. I appreciate their revamping and decorating this house, but I wish they had left the ceiling in place and turned the lights out. The actors were preforming really well, but there were not enough of them. I do love the ceiling startle, and they had the exit scare staffed.
6. Cut Throat Cove. As much as it pains me, CTC really needs a lot of work this year. I have always enjoyed this maze, especially the ambiance. Unfortunately, it was severely understaffed last night, and the actors need practice. In the past, they worked effectively in pairs and really used the house to their advantage. I felt none of that this week. The strobe room was still disorienting, but it wasn't enough to make up for the shortcomings elsewhere. To be fair, however, I was a bit irritated, throughout, as we were trapped behind an incredibly slow group, which effectively made it impossible for the house to create tension for me.
7. Unearthed. Not to be snarky, but this house needs to be reburied and forgotten. The props outside were clever, but that is the only good thing I can think to say about it. It wasn't just understaffed, it was empty. And oddly, although we were completely alone (long story, but they didn't let us in until long after the previous group had exited), some of the few actors actually ignored us, as we came through. The two EITA screen rooms honestly left me perplexed. I really don't know why I walked through two rooms with nothing but a massive light shining behind a witch handing in front of a fan. I get that she was supposed to be Scarlett, but why was she hanging in the top corner what looks like a massive movie theater? And the endless hallways from 13 were back. Lastly, as I have previously discussed on the Forum, the importance of sounds and music for me, especially at haunts. Killarney already annoys me, because the classic rock is as far from creepy as you can get. But this house didn't bother to have any kind of background music at all. It made me feel as if we were just touring the maze, before the park opened. In the end for me, Unearthed was just a long, empty, boring building.
I wanted to say a few things about the terror-tories. With the exception of Ripper Row, which seemed fully staffed and already performing up to par, the scare zones seemed thankfully diminished this year. I fear it was really just the rain, but my hope is that none of the other terror-tories will be returned to their previous levels. Last night they created an acceptable ambiance on the paths, without being distracting. Vampire Point has never actually existed, but Demon Street and Ports of Skull were both fairly noninvasive, as well last night. Actually I found the Pirates somewhat scary this year. They threatened me with knives and stalked me around the bridge to Festa. They even startled me in San Marco. I think that like last year Windigo Woods will "improve" with time. I'm not sure how I feel about that, however. Perhaps, like Ripper Row, it is OK for this terror-tory to become fully immersive be as it is in a fairly discreet, self-contained area.
The rest of the paths were delightfully spooky, especially in Heatherdowns and in front if the Wild Reserve. They were fairly dark and had haunting music playing throughout. The decorations were clever, and they maintained the creepy ambiance that I look for in a haunt. The terror-tories have always been very disruptive and jarring to me, and I personally prefer these normal paths.
Overall I think HOS is on track to be a fantastic event year, and may be returning to its old glory.
I have rank ordered them from best to worst.
1. Bitten. I always like Bitten, but last night it was absolutely my favorite maze. There was a scare before we even entered. It was the only house that made me anxious, and more importantly, I became increasing tense throughout the entire maze. I still don't understand the sand, but other than that, it was just amazing. The actors did not just rely on startles, and there a lot of staff throughout the entire attraction.
2. LumberHack. I was completely disoriented throughout this entire maze, and I have always loved wide open haunted attractions, as well. I also really enjoyed the theme; I felt as if I had fallen into Deliverance. The actors were really creative and actually seemed to chase me with axes and and chainsaws. More importantly, they were working really effectively in pairs: one guy would back me into a second. One odd thing did happen, however. I had no idea where the attraction actually started. We used QuickQueues, which meant that we walked directly from the exit of Bitten to an unmarked entrance to of LumberHack, and somehow there was no line there, just a grouper standing in the middle of a road. Overall, LumberHack reminded me of the open-air mazes that they used to put where Forest of Fun is now, and I have really missed those experiences.
3. Cornered. While I admit the first part of this house still needs some work, the mirror and corn mazes at the end were simply fantastic. At first I was really disappointed in this attraction, because it seemed understaffed and the actors clearly needed a lot of practice. But then we entered the mirror maze. Based on my experiences in Maze of Madness last year, I expected to have no trouble navigating this section. I could not have been any more mistaken. I was in the lead and there was no one visually in front of me, so I was relying entirely on where I could see my reflection to find the path. My understanding was that the rest of group was equally lost, despite being right behind me. I am told that there were also actors in that section, who startled me, but honestly I was so focused on trying to find my way out, that I honestly don't remember them. Once we escaped the mirrors, we found ourselves in an open area full of corn stalks. It was impossible to see the way out and the actors were actively pushing us in the wrong direction. I got completely turned around there too. I really hope the front part of this house improves, as the actors learn their roles, because the second half was brilliant.
4. Deadline. For anyone who is familiar with my opinions of HOS in recent years, you will no doubt be surprised at how highly I have rated what I used to consider a museum. To be clear, I still do not love Deadline. I know everyone else thinks it is brilliantly designed, but I have always found most of the rooms boring, with the exception of of the subway train. For the first time in years, however, I encountered human (zombie?) life in this maze. I counted 20 actors, and I was startled several times. I imagine the gross out rooms probably worked better with the number of actors in them, as well (not being a fan of that kind of scare, I can't speak definitively). The previously mentioned subway train was excellent. They had several people in there interdispersed with the mannequins, so you never knew when you might be threatened. Deadline probably was the most improved house for me this weekend.
5. Catacombs. I still like this maze, but I much preferred it in the dark. I appreciate their revamping and decorating this house, but I wish they had left the ceiling in place and turned the lights out. The actors were preforming really well, but there were not enough of them. I do love the ceiling startle, and they had the exit scare staffed.
6. Cut Throat Cove. As much as it pains me, CTC really needs a lot of work this year. I have always enjoyed this maze, especially the ambiance. Unfortunately, it was severely understaffed last night, and the actors need practice. In the past, they worked effectively in pairs and really used the house to their advantage. I felt none of that this week. The strobe room was still disorienting, but it wasn't enough to make up for the shortcomings elsewhere. To be fair, however, I was a bit irritated, throughout, as we were trapped behind an incredibly slow group, which effectively made it impossible for the house to create tension for me.
7. Unearthed. Not to be snarky, but this house needs to be reburied and forgotten. The props outside were clever, but that is the only good thing I can think to say about it. It wasn't just understaffed, it was empty. And oddly, although we were completely alone (long story, but they didn't let us in until long after the previous group had exited), some of the few actors actually ignored us, as we came through. The two EITA screen rooms honestly left me perplexed. I really don't know why I walked through two rooms with nothing but a massive light shining behind a witch handing in front of a fan. I get that she was supposed to be Scarlett, but why was she hanging in the top corner what looks like a massive movie theater? And the endless hallways from 13 were back. Lastly, as I have previously discussed on the Forum, the importance of sounds and music for me, especially at haunts. Killarney already annoys me, because the classic rock is as far from creepy as you can get. But this house didn't bother to have any kind of background music at all. It made me feel as if we were just touring the maze, before the park opened. In the end for me, Unearthed was just a long, empty, boring building.
I wanted to say a few things about the terror-tories. With the exception of Ripper Row, which seemed fully staffed and already performing up to par, the scare zones seemed thankfully diminished this year. I fear it was really just the rain, but my hope is that none of the other terror-tories will be returned to their previous levels. Last night they created an acceptable ambiance on the paths, without being distracting. Vampire Point has never actually existed, but Demon Street and Ports of Skull were both fairly noninvasive, as well last night. Actually I found the Pirates somewhat scary this year. They threatened me with knives and stalked me around the bridge to Festa. They even startled me in San Marco. I think that like last year Windigo Woods will "improve" with time. I'm not sure how I feel about that, however. Perhaps, like Ripper Row, it is OK for this terror-tory to become fully immersive be as it is in a fairly discreet, self-contained area.
The rest of the paths were delightfully spooky, especially in Heatherdowns and in front if the Wild Reserve. They were fairly dark and had haunting music playing throughout. The decorations were clever, and they maintained the creepy ambiance that I look for in a haunt. The terror-tories have always been very disruptive and jarring to me, and I personally prefer these normal paths.
Overall I think HOS is on track to be a fantastic event year, and may be returning to its old glory.
All of the problems everyone has talked about, I take with a gain of salt because it is opening weekend and it takes a little time to work out the "bugs". With that said I really do hope the coming tweaks make a difference. Usually as the season goes on the park would get more actors by hiring or switching staff around.I do hate to hear the park has again under staffed CTC. Unfortunately that has been a common problem with that maze; remember how well The Dark Woods and Circus worked when staffed.
I would like to say thank you to everyone who has posted reviews. I have enjoyed reading them this morning, keep them coming
I would like to say thank you to everyone who has posted reviews. I have enjoyed reading them this morning, keep them coming
I see a couple of people have already done lengthy reviews so I'm just going to hit the highlights of my impressions of last night:
-Literally everything (houses, Terror-tories) with the exception of Bitten and Lumberhack was understaffed. CTC and Unearthed most notably so, because they were basically empty. This is why I said in a previous post I wish we could find a happy medium between no new houses one year and three the next...
-I thought Unearthed has some super cool ideas (use of screens, intricate sets in many rooms) but was poorly executed. I have high hopes for it improving as the season goes on.
-Honestly, even a "bad" new house is more interesting to me than doing Bitten or Catacombs for the millionth time. Yaaaawn, would have been fine to give those up and see their staffs reallocated elsewhere.
-Lumberhack has replaced Deadline as my new favorite! You just can't beat the intrinsic spookiness of being up against those woods at night. Great use of the park's natural atmosphere.
-Cornered mirrors were so cool, ditto everyone else.
-Pirates and pirate photo-ops in Port of Skulls were majorly toned down. Otherwise Terror-tories were the same, just short-staffed and still getting in the swing of things.
Going back tonight so I'm looking forward to getting a second take on all the houses and hopefully seeing one or two of the shows!
Oh and if it's anything like last night, the rain will keep the crowds waaaaaaay down tonight so head over if you don't mind getting wet. Last night I was checking my watch at 8:30 thinking I must have lost track of time and the park was about to close because it was so deserted.
-Literally everything (houses, Terror-tories) with the exception of Bitten and Lumberhack was understaffed. CTC and Unearthed most notably so, because they were basically empty. This is why I said in a previous post I wish we could find a happy medium between no new houses one year and three the next...
-I thought Unearthed has some super cool ideas (use of screens, intricate sets in many rooms) but was poorly executed. I have high hopes for it improving as the season goes on.
-Honestly, even a "bad" new house is more interesting to me than doing Bitten or Catacombs for the millionth time. Yaaaawn, would have been fine to give those up and see their staffs reallocated elsewhere.
-Lumberhack has replaced Deadline as my new favorite! You just can't beat the intrinsic spookiness of being up against those woods at night. Great use of the park's natural atmosphere.
-Cornered mirrors were so cool, ditto everyone else.
-Pirates and pirate photo-ops in Port of Skulls were majorly toned down. Otherwise Terror-tories were the same, just short-staffed and still getting in the swing of things.
Going back tonight so I'm looking forward to getting a second take on all the houses and hopefully seeing one or two of the shows!
Oh and if it's anything like last night, the rain will keep the crowds waaaaaaay down tonight so head over if you don't mind getting wet. Last night I was checking my watch at 8:30 thinking I must have lost track of time and the park was about to close because it was so deserted.
Busch gardens has never been about scares but atmosphere. Unearthed created a great atmosphere as did many other mazes. When I went through RoaE I didnt feel I was somewhere else. Cornered did. Same for Unearthed and Lumberhack. This to me means they were a success. If I have fun and enjoy the maze and the world they take me to, I deem it a success.
Hey! I wasn't too harsh with Unearthed, I don't think. I think my problem was that I was too distracted looking for the icons that I didn't absorb as much of it as I would have liked. But I'm with you on the theming to an extent, they utilized the space better than I expected. However, I just don't think it's possible to create a maze in that building that will be consistent enough theming-wise when compared to the other mazes.
Also, somebody in CTC last night tried to scare me by yelling "tomatoes for sale". I forgot to mention that earlier. It was hilarious.
Also, somebody in CTC last night tried to scare me by yelling "tomatoes for sale". I forgot to mention that earlier. It was hilarious.
Jacques said:
Excuse me? How dare people give their first impressions of a Haunt event?
What exactly is your objection? I read your post and you just sound bitter. I'm sorry people aren't having good experiences in one of the three new houses this weekend...? (Something that is clearly the guests' fault I suppose)
Also, the "outpouring of negative feedback" hardly seems to be what's happening in this thread right now. I think the event is much improved over last year and it sounds like many people agree. The "negative feedback" seems fairly focused on a couple very specific points. Maybe that's an indicator that something is actually wrong with those specific aspects?
Well, I can't give any opinion on the houses, as I didn't go in any, but I did go see Night Beats. Night Beats has always been my favorite show, regardless of those of you who never cared for it. That said, the show is a far cry from its former self. The old Ulrich is gone, which for me, kills the whole show. The new guy attempts to copy the old Ulrich so much, that he must have watched the old show videos like 1000 times. Gabe put his own personality into the show, and for someone to come along and just try and copy it, well, it just didn't work for me. The show was all over the place and very choppy, a shadow of its former glory.
I have my memories and my videos, so I guess that will have to do.
They can now officially retire this show with my blessing.
I have my memories and my videos, so I guess that will have to do.
They can now officially retire this show with my blessing.
So after being disappointed last year with Howl O Scream I gotta say this year is gonna be great. Lumberhack and Cornered really impressed me and I love the themes. Unearthed needs some work but I'm sure it'll get much better. I also agree with Bitten being better cause I got a few more spooks then usual. And when I went to Catacombs earlier in the day the actors were great and there was plenty of them actually. Deadline felt empty, and I didn't even bother with Cut Throat Cove which I honestly which they would get rid of at this point. My favorite maze was probably Cornered with Lumberhack in a close second only due to short length. Both made me feel like I was in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre film or 80's film and I've always wanted them to have one in the actual woods. The rain was a bit annoying but other wise not a bad night. My group had fun and I'm sure it'll get way better. Lots of people last night seemed to enjoy the brand new stuff.
One thing about Lumberhack though, weird entrance that took a while to walk through, I honestly which they just gave people the option to go to it right after Bitten. Otherwise great maze.
One thing about Lumberhack though, weird entrance that took a while to walk through, I honestly which they just gave people the option to go to it right after Bitten. Otherwise great maze.
Malsdad said:
He's not really copying the old Ulrich, just following the script the park have him. Also I'm not filled with nostalgia over the old Ulrich, so I think that this guy is a talented actor and has a great voice.
Night Beats got screwed over last year when they decided to screw around with a perfectly good show to the point where they ruined everything good about it. So even with the original Ulrich last year, it was still a shitty show.
Does anyone know what attendance is like today? I'm heading down at 4 and am hoping its light due to rain.....