Howl-O-Scream

[MAZ]

And what business does a Claustrophobe have in a haunted house? Seriously?

 

[Peej1212]

Ripper Row was terrible. Why do you guys even like this scare zone again?

IMO it is the only one that really fits its area. I mean an event that occurred in London in that section? Seems to make sense but it needs to be staffed to work( like any other area). It is a good theme for just a scare zone. It might need some upgrading but it uses what the park already has and honestly if the park can save a bit on themeing by using the set that already exists. I say go for it. Because again my opinion is that Ripper row is one of if not the most IMMERSIVE scare zones and that is because of the look of the area already. They don't have to do much to make it look authentic. That's already been accomplished.

There were a couple of actual claustrophobes (I guess that's a word) that walked through it and had a real panic attack and had to exit the maze, so it's scaring some people... Just not in the right way.
 

To me that IS the right way. Yes the may have had a medical reaction to what was occurring. BUT that is what is supposed to happen. For example i am terrified of clowns. I have had panic attacks from that. But i know to expect that from haunts. I know that someone somewhere may be dressed like a clown and scare the shit out of me. But that is ok because i know what i paid for. If there is that big of an issue they shouldnt be going to something like HOS.

So went to the park yesterday, seen and done everything twice,
Fiends, was alright no major changes but more sexier actors which i liked, also when i saw the last show the fog effects were in full blast to where i thought i smoked it. Night beats, was odd to me it seemed toned down and some dancers were off. Monster Stomp was perfect.
DeadLine, performed perfectly. Unearthed (went two times) great props and opportunities not being used. The black light hall eith symbols felt cheesey, thought it was great they used effects with the screens and the wind where she was flying or somthing. But looked cheap, the characters were not there to be behind there cards only two were there the first time ,destiny and trickster. So i came back at night and none of them were there, then Scarlett pops out near the end she just stands there... Ooh. Scary. Overall the house was okay. The three women outside dressed like her were more interesting than the house. Cornerd, was interesting but a serious back up when the bags filled with air on both sides suffocated me when some idiots stopped. But a nice house, Lumber Hack, i found myself jumpping from times to time. Some masks were cheap looking and some didn't, liked how they gotten underneath the walkway and poped up. Bitten is about the same as usual some spots felt empty. Cut throat cove felt empty. Walked through the first half and no body was there. And finally catacombs was toned down the actors were saying boo, which wasnt scary at all.
The terror-tories were okay, vampire point was full of actors and i got a photo with a cute one. :aww:  Wendigo woods was empty hardly any good actors. Demon street was low on some demons, the Dj didnt stay long at all. Ports of skull was bare like last year. But good actors, England was low on actors and were just everywhere.

I think that SOME of this (not all of this) is a bit harsh. Because from what you have said before BGW doesnt have the detailing Tampa does. So does some of the cheesy-ness really surprise you?

 

[Username]

Ok, I just want to clear up some things, I know a lot of you have complaints about the claustrophobia Room in Cornered. There is a path on the right side of it that you have the option to take. There were a couple of actual claustrophobes (I guess that's a word) that walked through it and had a real panic attack and had to exit the maze, so it's scaring some people... Just not in the right way.
  Also, someone a few pages ago said they don't like how weak Cornered starts and then complimented the ending. The actors are lighter and not as scary in the beginning on purpose. The story is... Well look it up on the website, I'm too tired to post it. Anyways after reading it, you know you're starting off going into the fields and by the end you're in the heart of MEE MAWS Cornhusk factory. It's supposed to be scarier at the end. So the closer to the end, the scarier.

I wish I would have taken the extra pathway for the claustrophobia room, I was an inch away from a panic attack (If people moved one second slower...)

On the story, I feel like you shouldn't have to research the story online in order to get the point of a maze. The story should be fairly clear in the house, which is kind of one of my issues with this year's HOS. There are some great stories, but you have to have too much prior knowledge before even arriving at the park to get it. I will have hope and assume this was just an opening weekend problem...

 

[Peej1212]

On the story, I feel like you shouldn't have to research the story online in order to get the point of a maze.  The story should be fairly clear in the house, which is kind of one of my issues with this year's HOS.  There are some great stories, but you have to have too much prior knowledge before even arriving at the park to get it.  I will have hope and assume this was just an opening weekend problem...

I agree it is good if a story reveals itself to us instead of digging for it.

 

[Ziva]

And what business does a Claustrophobe have in a haunted house? Seriously?

Uh, outdoor haunted houses don't typically make you claustrophobic? You couldn't reasonably predict that there would be a claustophobia tunnel in a corn maze themed haunt?

How dare disabled people exist in public and do things??

 

[Peej1212]

How dare disabled people exist in public and do things??

Having a family member with a disability, i dont read it that way. No one is saying dont come out and do things. Yes you might not have been expecting things like squeeze bag thingies. But everyone is just saying think about it. Like my grandmother LOVES haunt events. But she cannot do the walking, so she decided that she would go to a different haunt when we go. I dont ever think that anyone meant that in a negative way.

 

[netdvn]

A maze does NOT have to have an elaborate storyline to be good. An extensive backstory is nice to have, but for me, its not really a requirement. None of KD's mazes have an extensive backstory other than what you read on the back of the map.

Just read the blurb on the back of the map and you're good.

Alright so final HOS opening weekend rundown from worst to first.

Catacombs (3/5) Done 1x - Probably the worst maze of the weekend, but honestly not that bad. Had its share of good actors and the maze felt a bit different this year than the previous two. I'm glad the park keeps changing the layout somewhat to keep things fresh. Wish they'd do the same with Bitten. Since Catacombs consistently gets better and better, I'd expect this to be on par with last year's version at the end of the month.

Cut Throat Cove (3/5) Done 3x - Started off really weak but finished pretty strong. Got a few decent scares out of this maze. Props still look cheap though. I wish they could at least get rid of half the hanging stuff as its really annoying to walk through. Staffing is still short toward the beginning of the mazes but the actors get better and better toward the end.

Scarlett's Revenge (3.5/5) Done 3x - Amazing props, amazing makeup, and decent scares make this maze one of my favorite themed mazes in the park. That being said, it suffers from short staffing and there's still a few dead spots that carried over from 13, however its not as bad as 13 thankfully. The end scene with the cards is cheesy but what can you do with such a limited space? I'd actually love to see the dead rooms transformed into rooms for the different cards and have the scenes come together in the hallway at the end.

Lumberhack (4/5) Done 3x - A great maze. Got a few scares out of it. All the actors are pretty good. No hanging crap in your way every 5 seconds. Not to mention the actors get cool props to play with. My biggest gripe is the walk back to get to the maze, which the park has taken care of by moving the entrance back to Bitten plaza, however that line on busy nights will be crazy. If the park really does shift the line to the back on busy nights, I can only imagine how crazy that wait will be if the line is full. My other major gripe is the maze length. If it was a little bit longer, I'd rank it higher.

Cornered (4.5/5) Done 2x - New HOS strikes again with a brand new, really good maze. Actors are great, mirror room is fantastic, and the end is awesome if you have no idea where you're going. There's still a shortage on actors at the beginning, many of the interior sections are a bit on the bare side, and I feel they should add more corn stalks to the bare walls like KD did with Cornstalkers. This is a maze that uses gimmicks to its full potential though and I hope future BGW mazes do the same.

Bitten (5/5) Done 3x - It's old, it's tired, and it's performing very well as usual. Opening night had its share of bugs but come Sunday, the actors were performing like a crew at the end of October on a peak night. I wish they renovated the maze a bit to change things up but the actors really shined this past weekend. Kudos to them.

Deadline (5/5) Done 2x - Deadline was so weak the past two years, but it seems like they've brought the 2012 crew back from the dead. No short staffing, little if any dead room. I got a few jumps out of this maze, which rarely ever happened outside of 2012. Overall, this maze is fantastic and I hope it carries over through the rest of the season and into next year.

Scare Zones
Mazes were a huge strong point this year. Unfortunately it didn't really carry over to the scare zones as much. From worst to first.

Ripper Row (1/5) - Its rather tame really. The atmosphere is there but the scares aren't. No more than 3 actors roaming the area, no more police officers, there's a serious staffing issue here. This area will never be as good as 2013 when they re-introduced the scare zones and even then it wasn't very scary to begin with anyway. Its just a good staging area for entering the park and a nice area to sit and relax at the end of the night.

Vampire Point (2/5) - Another short staffed area. There were more actors Sunday night roaming but most weren't really all that scary. Clock tower looks kinda bare too unfortunately. I wish they would just add the vampire statues back so it looks nicer. I also noticed the upper sections of the clock are still covered so it probably won't be fully decorated for CT either (not that I really mind anyway).

Wendigo Woods (3/5) - Also short staffed, but the actors are better here. No more clipboard lady or bleeding eye guy though, which is disappointing. I love how the actors are spread out but half of them stand around and the other half are actively scaring.

Ports of Skull (4/5) - Got some solid scares here, but the actors are pretty much just prowling the star. If they spread themselves out a little more, it would be much better. I wish they used the bridge scare again too instead of just relying on the bungee to do all the major scares. The park should bring the snarky pirate photo ops back too. Those guys were hilarious.

Demon Street (4.5/5) - This area wins out for best opening scare zone for the third year running! Actors are still trying to get into their roles but when they do, the scares are phenomenal. Love the dance party setting, love the flames on the rooftops, love the view across the train tracks, and especially love the people watching. Its kinda funny how one of the ugliest areas during the day can transform into the best scare zone by night. I still don't know how people could hate this area, but whatever, their loss.

- Festa still looks ugly. Nothing new here.
- Shows are great as usual. Monster Stomp was a bit of a miss but still solid.
- Glad to see a fully decorated park come opening weekend.

Overall an excellent opening weekend for Busch. Please keep this up throughout October and this will be the best Howl O Scream yet.

Can't wait to check out Haunt in a few weeks. Will it be better or will it be on par with HOS like last year's event was? Stay tuned to find out

 

[Peej1212]

A maze does NOT have to have an elaborate storyline to be good. An extensive backstory is nice to have, but for me, its not really a requirement. None of KD's mazes have an extensive backstory other than what you read on the back of the map.

Just read the blurb on the back of the map and you're good.

Alright so final HOS opening weekend rundown from worst to first.

Catacombs (3/5) Done 1x - Probably the worst maze of the weekend, but honestly not that bad. Had its share of good actors and the maze felt a bit different this year than the previous two. I'm glad the park keeps changing the layout somewhat to keep things fresh. Wish they'd do the same with Bitten. Since Catacombs consistently gets better and better, I'd expect this to be on par with last year's version at the end of the month.

Cut Throat Cove (3/5) Done 3x - Started off really weak but finished pretty strong. Got a few decent scares out of this maze. Props still look cheap though. I wish they could at least get rid of half the hanging stuff as its really annoying to walk through. Staffing is still short toward the beginning of the mazes but the actors get better and better toward the end.

Scarlett's Revenge (3.5/5) Done 3x - Amazing props, amazing makeup, and decent scares make this maze one of my favorite themed mazes in the park. That being said, it suffers from short staffing and there's still a few dead spots that carried over from 13, however its not as bad as 13 thankfully. The end scene with the cards is cheesy but what can you do with such a limited space? I'd actually love to see the dead rooms transformed into rooms for the different cards and have the scenes come together in the hallway at the end.

Lumberhack (4/5) Done 3x - A great maze. Got a few scares out of it. All the actors are pretty good. No hanging crap in your way every 5 seconds. Not to mention the actors get cool props to play with. My biggest gripe is the walk back to get to the maze, which the park has taken care of by moving the entrance back to Bitten plaza, however that line on busy nights will be crazy. If the park really does shift the line to the back on busy nights, I can only imagine how crazy that wait will be if the line is full. My other major gripe is the maze length. If it was a little bit longer, I'd rank it higher.

Cornered (4.5/5) Done 2x - New HOS strikes again with a brand new, really good maze. Actors are great, mirror room is fantastic, and the end is awesome if you have no idea where you're going. There's still a shortage on actors at the beginning, many of the interior sections are a bit on the bare side, and I feel they should add more corn stalks to the bare walls like KD did with Cornstalkers. This is a maze that uses gimmicks to its full potential though and I hope future BGW mazes do the same.

Bitten (5/5) Done 3x - It's old, it's tired, and it's performing very well as usual. Opening night had its share of bugs but come Sunday, the actors were performing like a crew at the end of October on a peak night. I wish they renovated the maze a bit to change things up but the actors really shined this past weekend. Kudos to them.

Deadline (5/5) Done 2x - Deadline was so weak the past two years, but it seems like they've brought the 2012 crew back from the dead. No short staffing, little if any dead room. I got a few jumps out of this maze, which rarely ever happened outside of 2012. Overall, this maze is fantastic and I hope it carries over through the rest of the season and into next year.

Scare Zones
Mazes were a huge strong point this year. Unfortunately it didn't really carry over to the scare zones as much. From worst to first.

Ripper Row (1/5) - Its rather tame really. The atmosphere is there but the scares aren't. No more than 3 actors roaming the area, no more police officers, there's a serious staffing issue here. This area will never be as good as 2013 when they re-introduced the scare zones and even then it wasn't very scary to begin with anyway. Its just a good staging area for entering the park and a nice area to sit and relax at the end of the night.

Vampire Point (2/5) - Another short staffed area. There were more actors Sunday night roaming but most weren't really all that scary. Clock tower looks kinda bare too unfortunately. I wish they would just add the vampire statues back so it looks nicer. I also noticed the upper sections of the clock are still covered so it probably won't be fully decorated for CT either (not that I really mind anyway).

Wendigo Woods (3/5) - Also short staffed, but the actors are better here. No more clipboard lady or bleeding eye guy though, which is disappointing. I love how the actors are spread out but half of them stand around and the other half are actively scaring.

Ports of Skull (4/5) - Got some solid scares here, but the actors are pretty much just prowling the star. If they spread themselves out a little more, it would be much better. I wish they used the bridge scare again too instead of just relying on the bungee to do all the major scares. The park should bring the snarky pirate photo ops back too. Those guys were hilarious.

Demon Street (4.5/5) - This area wins out for best opening scare zone for the third year running! Actors are still trying to get into their roles but when they do, the scares are phenomenal. Love the dance party setting, love the flames on the rooftops, love the view across the train tracks, and especially love the people watching. Its kinda funny how one of the ugliest areas during the day can transform into the best scare zone by night. I still don't know how people could hate this area, but whatever, their loss.

- Festa still looks ugly. Nothing new here.
- Shows are great as usual. Monster Stomp was a bit of a miss but still solid.
- Glad to see a fully decorated park come opening weekend.

Overall an excellent opening weekend for Busch. Please keep this up throughout October and this will be the best Howl O Scream yet.

Can't wait to check out Haunt in a few weeks. Will it be better or will it be on par with HOS like last year's event was? Stay tuned to find out

Man i hope to get the houses done this many times when i go! Good Job!

 

[Zachary]

Uh, outdoor haunted houses don't typically make you claustrophobic? You couldn't reasonably predict that there would be a claustophobia tunnel in a corn maze themed haunt?

How dare disabled people exist in public and do things??

LumberHack is the first outdoor house I've ever experienced that is "claustrophobic friendly." Every other outdoor house I've ever been through involves entering very tight, enclosed spaces at least once or twice.

 

[Preston]

Theres a tropical storm coming up the coast and is expected to hit Friday or Saturday. Looks like the park might close.

 

[MAZ]

And what business does a Claustrophobe have in a haunted house? Seriously?

Uh, outdoor haunted houses don't typically make you claustrophobic? You couldn't reasonably predict that there would be a claustophobia tunnel in a corn maze themed haunt?

How dare disabled people exist in public and do things??

The answer to your first question is 'no'. The second question is pretty much the same question that I asked. As far as your third question goes, I don't consider claustrophobia a disability, and I was in no way taking a stab at disabled people. It falls way more into the category of a mental health issue in my opinion, and cannot be claimed for filing any sort of government disability plan. I am sorry if my post seemed offensive toward a disabled person, it was not my intention.

 

[bgbackdoor]

Theres a tropical storm coming up the coast and is expected to hit Friday or Saturday. Looks like the park might close.

rain isnt shutting anything down.

 

[Applesauce]

Can I just point out, that its super difficult to get through the claustrophobia bit in cornered. Like I'm not afraid of enclosed spaces at all, but I actually reached a point where I felt like I couldn't move at all. Its more difficult to get through than the one in 13. That being said I don't understand the point of that being an effect in a house based on a farm. Especially since you're outside before and after the room. They could do the room differently, with walls that fall or something. It'd be better than what's there right now.

 

[Peej1212]

I personally am not a fan of the claustrophobia hell bags, maybe that's due to me being fat and feeling like im in a body sized blood pressure cuff. But anyway lol i just dont like the idea of people( no one in particular i have a few friends that went and complained about it) having a problem with things that make you uncomfortable in a haunted house. Yes that can make things slow in going and not an easy pass but isn't that the point? If these things were a walk in the park why would they go. I mean yes HOS is not one of those you sign a waiver and now we truly do horrible things within legality because you signed our paper giving us right to, immersive haunts. I mean to me i dont really consider them Haunts at all. But if somethings point is to scare a person than they get offended and ask why im just confused because shouldnt you know going in

 

[Ghost of Pretzel Kaiser]

It's with noting that people are upset on facebook that Nurses aren't serving drinks in the park anymore.

 

[KJM10]

It's with noting that people are upset on facebook that Nurses aren't serving drinks in the park anymore.

I don't completely mind those nurses being gone. They've been a point of contention for a long time anyway because of their outfits and demeanor. People complained that they were there, and the response I've usually heard/read is that it's not a children's event. But the nurses are out the whole day so that's a moot point. A better solution would have probably been meeting in the middle and becoming "naughty" nurses at 6 when the rest of the characters come out. Even if that meant they were "nice" nurses up until that point, to get a full day of alcohol sales

 

[Ghost of Pretzel Kaiser]

Nurses weren't out all day. :/

 

[KJM10]

They were definitely out all day 2 years ago because I got a picture with them early afternoon! I didn't go over that way during the day last year so maybe that was already changed?

 

[Peej1212]

I went two years ago as well and i didnt see them. I seen them at night . But who knows i went early that year so maybe it was still light out enough. Who knows... :unsure:

 

[KJM10]

You know what? I'm wrong. My picture was taken inside bar at the fiends theater. They didn't go outside until later. So never mind on all that lol