Halloween Horror Nights 25: The Carnival Returns!
I know i said this was coming yesterday, funny thing about life: It always has an interesting way of taaking you in another direction. Not that this is a horrible thing. Sometimes, it takes you in the direction you need instead of the one you want…
ANY HOW!!! MOVING ON!!!
Lets put this baby in to gear and take it there. Input some corridinates. Play with the navigation a bit. I do love the sound the controls make to go to Halloween Horror Nights. You all don’t know about that yet though…Hmmm…Story for another time perhaps? Yes! Anyway, pulll this lever and… We’re off! While we are heading there I have a few words to add. Ive not actually visited this year yet. The opening night was last night. I’ve already heard some good things. This is really just a sit down and see whats in store. I know a lot of you creepy little monkeys already know, but hey there are some that may still not. So far, we are planning to go the 8th of October in this year of 2015. I like how I worded that! HA HA! Also yess, I do realize i still owe you a review for last year. So this year you get a twofer!! Doesn’t make up for it huh? I’m sorry guys just bare **MORTIS crashes down** with me. We’re here!
Let’s open the door and see if we can have a peek. Where are we–
**Door creaks open to see a very angry fire haired clown looking at his now crushed desk**
Crypt with purple lights!? Only one person I know that drives a crypt with purple lanterns… MALICE!!! Get your Top Hatted ass out here! What did I tell you the last time you dropped in!? Call first!
Jack “The Clown” Schmidt everyone! Jack I apologized for that. Besides, you still have Eddie as a Chainsaw weilding maniac! Did you really need the one with the stitched face?
Yeah I know I have Eddie, but do you know what its like dealing with that prick Michael Bay? Almost as bad as watching his Nightmare on Elm Street! I shudder just thinking about it!
What if I promise to get you a new desk hmm? I’m sure I have something. Why don’t you show me around a bit and I’ll have Minion go look for one and set it up? Good?
Alright deal! But it better have some tricks to it. I liked that damn desk! Chance!!! Come on babes, let’s show Malice around!
**I peek in the door to the MORTIS** MINION!!! Get a desk out of one of the old office rooms and set it up for Jack while I’m gone!
Is that an order Bosss. I thought last night at the party we agreed you were downgraded to miniion?
Do you really want to have this discussion now?
You got a point Bosss, right away!
**Chance comes bouncing in the door**
Sure thing! **Stops wide eyed and plays with the dirt with her foot before looking down** Hi Malice…
Hi there Chance…
Do you really want to cross this bridge with me right now?
Yeah your right, let’s get this thing on the road! What we got for this year my grease painted fiend!
As you may know this is the 25th anniversary of Halloween Horror Nights. So who better to help celebrate than yours truely? So to help celebrate I brought some of the best hits from the last 25 years to life in a side show that people won’t soon forget. I even put a twist on a few classics. Last night went well, but as you know it’s not really a show until the body count beats last year! And boy are we hoping to set the bar high. So.. without anymore adue… WELCOME TO THE SHOW!
This year the event boasts nine houses to keep you screaming in terror. Five Screamzones over run with the best kind of maniacs you can dig up. Two shows to make you laugh and make you yell “Hell Yeah!” to the top of your lungs. And finally as a bonus, Universal has graciously let some of their more popular rides stay open, to flesh it all out. The houses look like this:
Houses
The Walking Dead: The Living and The Dead: Travel through a maze where the living can be just as dangerous as the Dead. Back by popular demand, Take a trip through the 5th seasons of AMC’s The Walking Dead. Don’t get bit…
Freddy vs. Jason: Ladies and Gentlemen, I remember how much you loved the New Lines Monsters in 07′, So I’ve brought them back again…and in a big way. Two Horror Icons, one house! I’m going to let them duke it out and you get a front row seat. Remember, Whoever wins, you still lose!
Insidious: This trick took some planning. Prepare to take a trip through the Further. A place where everyone is dead and they all want one thing…YOU! Watch your back. As Beetlejuice says, Possession is 9/10ths of the law!
The Purge: Welcome to a world that is my kind of place! They activated The Purge in the streets last year, this year I’m going to make it a little more personal. Will you survive the night? Or just become another Victim?
An American Werewolf in London: This is a transformation you won’t want to miss. And no it’s not Bruce Jenner! One of the most popular house in Halloween Horror Nights history is back! Come face to face as this horror movie classic howls back to life.
Jack Presents: 25 Years of Monsters and Mayhem: For this attraction, I took a look through the back list of the last 25 years. This is a maze made out of the worst of the worst. The cream of the chop! If you are a Horror Nights fan, all your friends are here. I know you’re just dying to see them…. or rather… you will be.
RUN: Blood, Sweat, and Fears: You know I can’t do a show without Eddie having some input. One of your favorites returns for a third installment. This time the maniacs of RUN are dressed up as a TV show. Makes you really wonder about that new show “Hellevator” huh?
Asylum In Wonderland 3D: Well this made an amazing Scarezone in the past. And everyone loved the cameo in Scary Tales. So I figured… Why not make it larger than life. This isnt the Wonderland you know…
Body Collectors- Recollections: I wonder what will happen when you release the Body Collectors on the Maniacs of Shady Brook Asylum…. Lets find out shall we. What could those collectors possibly be doing with these pieces?
Scarezones
Psychoscarapy – Unleashed: With the Collectors loose in their Asylum, the more aggressive ones hit the street. That place really needs some better security. What do you think?
HHN – Icons: Looks like the gangs all here! Can’t have a birthday bash without some old friends. Its okay kids…they won’t hurt you….Much!
Scary Tales – Screampunk: Your favorite fairytale twisted up with a dash of Saws N Steam… What can possibly go wrong? Well they could turn into blood thirsty maniacs… but that wont hurt me one bit!
Evil’s Roots: Sometimes you just haave to go back to your roots… And that’s what we have done. HHN has grown some pretty horrible monsters in the past, and thats just what I’ve done for you here…. Only I planted them in Central Park! Ha Ha Ha!
All Nite Die-In – Double Feature: You loved it as a house, now its a Scarezone! Whats better than a Drive Thru? How about a Drive Thru that brings movies to life… Horror Movies that is!
Shows
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure: Your favorite time traveling duo is back and no pop culture icon is safe! If you have seen it on your Facebook, chances are you’ll see it here. Bring your sense of humor!
The Carnage Returns: You loved my show back in 07′, What kind of host would I be if it didn’t come back! And bigger than ever! Don’t miss the greatest show unearthed…Staring me!!!
Rides
Transformers: The Ride 3D: Help the Autobots fight against the Decepticons. Don’t let them get whats left of the All Spark! Personally I’m pulling for the Deciepticons.
Hollywood Rip Ride, Rock-It: Get ready to ride the music! Pick a tune, and then hold on tight! Good luck hearing your song over the sound of all the screams!
Revenge of the Mummy: Saddle up on this run away coaster as the mummy tries to claim your soul. Either I get you or him. Take your pick.
Men in Black Alien Attack: A;liens have crashed in New York and you have been deputized catch them all and bring them back in. If you bring some to me, theirs some green in it for ya!
Simpsons The Ride: Side Show Bob is on the loose and he has set his sights on, surprise, The Simpsons. Some people never learn!
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringott’s: Can you survive a trip down to the depths of one of the most heavily guarded banks of the Wizarding world?
So, what do you think Malice? Sound like one hell of a show?
Jack I always trust a show you are part of. Why would I have a reason not to? Horror Nights royalty right here. I can’t wait to experience the whole thing in the flesh. Well I hear the sirens blowing up and calling your name. Better get to it. You got a busy night ahead.
That is true. Let me walk you back to the tent.
Any chance i can ask you for one last favor?
Anything for an old friend….
**We talked as we walked back to his office tent**
Well Minion, its time to go back. Before we go though, There is a matter that needs to be discussed.
Oh yeah? Whats that boss?
Well the other night you had some pretty harsh words for me. And well, I just wanted to tell you I’ve thought long and hard on them. I appreciate your honesty and well. I want to reward you with a sneak peek at one of Jack’s secret attractions.
Really Boss? Damn that’s awesome! I thought you would have been mad…
Me Mad!? Noooooo! That’s not me. You see it’s right over here in this cage. You just stand… right there yes, and pull that rope to undo the curtain.
OK here goes! Wonder whats inside...
**Minion pulls the rope. The floor drops out and he falls down a shoot into a dark hole**
Uh Boss I think I pulled the wrong one..
Oh no Minion, you pulled the right one.
You are actually really mad aren’t you?
Furious actually! **said with a smile** IF YOU EVER CALL ME A MINION AGAIN!!! Well, I just hope you remember this…
What the hell is down… OH GOD! Somethings moving…What do you got down here?
**Toss down a light** Here use this.
Nice of you! What do we got dow…. Oh NO! Oh MAN! THATS A LOT OF TEETH
**Maniacs scream, Zombies Moan, and wolves howl down in the hole as a little light runs around the room** Have fun Minion!
How long you leaving him down there?
Oh I’ll be back after this weekend. He’ll be fine. Just throw him some of the garbage from clean up. Have fun!
**Walking inside the MORTIS I turn some knobs and throw a few switches**
Hmm, I wonder where we go to go next. Maybe I’ll think on it…Was I being too hard on Minion? Leave a message in the comments with what you think!
Until Next Time, My Cheeky Monkeys,
Malice Psychotik
I’m Late!!! I’m Late!! For a very important date!!! HHN 24! Time to shake off the rust!
*Shaking his Ass* SHAKE SHAKE SENORA!! OH SHIT!!! Sometimes vaporation is a good easy way to transport one somewhere. But I’ll be honest, its when you do it instinctively that it gets annoying! Just enjoying a morning romp. Anyway where was I…well I was dancing! *Shakes maracas* Well this is rubbish! Toss these aside *cat yowl* Ohh, Sorry!
HELLO MY CHEEKY MONKEYS!! I’ve missed you all something fierce you have no idea. Again I’ve been away dealing with personal nonsense. I do believe this time…this is what the third time?….Anyway, this time I’ve resolved it! Feel like a new Malice. You will all see a new Malice. See Cheshire Cats….well we are a bit like Time Lords in that…Well that is neither here nor there…or over here…or over here! The main point is, I’ve missed you all terribly and I am dearly sorry to anyone that supported this site and helped it grow. I feel like I’ve let a lot of you down. I am not gone….I am not out. I will survive and preserver! So lets get this show on the road! Halloween Horror Nights starts…umm….this stupid watch *tap tap tap* TOMORROW!! HOLY SHIT ON A CTHULHU!! Well then we have no time to waste! Drag in the banner guys!
Halloween Horror Nights 24 starts tomorrow and I couldn’t be more elated! Oh my, the lineup this year is great: Halloween, AVP, From Dusk Till Dawn, Killer Dolls, Killer Clowns, people who are dead that eat you, people that are alive and eat you…SCAREZONES!!! YES!!! Oh my God, we have a return to scarezones. It’s about time. I guess all those subtle hints and messages really didn’t go unnoticed….
Bartleby: Eh Boss, you kidnapped the head guys intern and threatened to cut off digits until they did bring them back.
Your point Bartleby?
Bartleby: Well you made it to five fingers and a two nubbes….
Sacrifices had to be made…..Don’t you have the MORTIS to polish? Go do that….anyway where was I…OH
With a year this good it is going to be hard to pick a favorite. And they will all be good so….Well I’ll just give you my picks.
8. Halloween- Why do I pick this dead last? Not because I don’t think it will be good. I think it can be done very well. Its more or less this is going to be a house for fans with some jump scares. I really hope this one will blow me away. But…i’m setting the bar low.
7. Dracula Untold- Reign of Blood- I put this over Halloween based on the fact that it’s Dracula and has potential to be gory regardless. I have no idea about the movie and know nothing about it. I still give it better than jump scares.
6. Roanoke- Cannibal Colony- I’m putting this above the last two if not because it sounds very interesting. I will say the only thing that could go bad here is cannibals don’t scare me. We shall see….
5. Giggles and Gore inc- I like the premise. I have great expectations for this house. Clowns….and people being torn apart to make more clowns…i don’t need to give you anymore reasons than that.
4. Doll House of the Damned- Dolls are creepy as fuck by nature. Damn soulless eyes do it for you every time. So if this house sucks, I’m going to be very disappointed. It’s practically in the bag and just with the premise.
3. Walking Dead: End of the Line- I’m only putting this one this high up because its going to be the biggest that Universal has put out to date. Biggest house ever. It better deliver. I’m not alone in the fact I’m sick of AMC taking over HHN. The price of having Walking Dead is just too damn high. So…this one better be good guys….and the last one for a while….Next year I let Bartleby and Baxter eat the lot of them.
Bartleby: Yeah, we do like rotted zombie meat!
Baxter: But…I don’t think they are real zombies boss are they?
Does it matter?
Bartleby and Baxter: No not really!
2. From Dusk Till Dawn- This could either be shit or awesome. They already sort of did this with HHN 15’s Demon Cantina. So they can do this. They can deliver this. Even if it’s a cloned house from those plans I would be happy. Wish it was based on the movie and not the show…but hey…got to work with what you got.
1. Alien Vs. Predator- I may not be a fan of the original movie but the second one requiem was bad ass. This can be done so right. Xenomorphs are terrifying…and you don’t even have to see a damn predator to know it’s horrifying. I peg this to take it…Lets see how it goes.
Normally I would rank the scarezones here…but you know…first year they are back..I’ll just enjoy them. I think I’m going to really like the Purge Anarchy one if not just for the fact I’ll end up getting people. The people I am going with…all of us look like we would belong there. The scarezones are as follow: The Purge- Anarchy, Face/Off- In the Flesh, Bayou of Blood, MASKarade – Unstitched
October 23rd is when I will be there this year. Should be a good year. Will be meeting up with past companions The Legend Billy Fuentez and his lovely wife Margarita! We will be doing the RIP tour and living it up. So expect a nice review! I can’t wait! Halloween Horror Nights 24….BRING IT ON!!
Until Next Time, My Cheeky Monkeys!
Malice Psychotik
Updates! Updates! UPDATES!!!
My Cheeky Monkeys I have some very exciting news for you all!!! Hot off the presses!!! Boys bring in the pic!!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?! AND I CANT MAKE IT!!!!! AGHHHHHH!!!!! Damn ministry of Magic is crafty and casted Anti-Vaporative spells over the parks….must of caught wind…hmmm…Anyway! This is happening and some of the details rolling out are awesome. So far one I’ve seen shows magic shop windows. Yes…now you will be able to use the wands you buy in the park. By finding little medallions around Diagon Ally…you will be able to try out a little magic and see how the other half of your kind does it. I’m just soooooo excited. The only thing better is visiting the Universe those stories take place in.
In other news…not so hot off the presses…some HHN 24 news hit last week. This one is bitter sweet…The Walking Dead will be heading back to HHN for the third year in a row. I’m not happy about this mostly because it appears the deal to get TWD involves AMC’s logo feces spread all over everything. The good part however is this years Walking Dead maze is supposed to be the biggest one in Halloween Horror Nights history. That could be interesting if done right…..Octobers still a long way off my Monkeys…
Until Next Time, My Cheeky Monkeys,
Malice Psychotik
Evil Taking Root…Halloween Horror Nights 23 Reviewed
Yes Darlings, it’s that time of year once again. We made it through another great year of HHN and it’s time to tell you what my thoughts were this year round. Over all, not a bad year. The houses were pretty good. The ones that didn’t meet up to snuff, were more than carried by the ones that were over the top. The atmosphere was decent to keep the vibe, but the street scareactors were nowhere near as good as last year for sure. We also managed to visit for the first time ever the Transformers 3D attraction and the Springfield area. I’m going to leave those out though, I think they deserve their very own article. I may do that leading into the Thanksgiving leg of the Holiday season..who knows.
Evil Taking Root…Halloween Horror Nights 23 Reviewed
Anyway, I’m sure you are all chomping at the bit to know what I thought. This years trip was a little late some I’m sure you have heard everyone, but mine (Next year I’m going to try to do two times. Once at opening and once more toward the middle) get the dirty business of Scarezones out of the way first:
Scarezones:
So for the last two years I get the feeling they are either trying to phase them out or just make them a bit easier to do…or something. Last year you had the theme of the roaming hoards with no safe zones. I rather liked that idea. I thought that they were going to continue that idea this year. Instead it seemed, they were going to marry the two concepts into one. You were going to have roaming hoards with the added effect of themed areas related to The Walking Dead. Sounds good…on paper. The only areas that really seemed to take your breath away were the area themed after the farm and the one themed after the camp site. All of the others were merely set dressing, I felt, with vehicles strewn about. The Atlanta area could have been a lot better. They can do zombie war zones! They did it in Deadtropolis pretty successfully. Maybe if they had firing weapons or soldiers…I don’t know. Also, every zone could have used more zombies. All of the areas just felt spread too thin. I just think the idea was there, but the execution was lacking. Maybe it’s better on a peak night? I don’t know, but I just felt kind of luke warm and was annoyed with the zombies more than afraid. I liked the idea of having victims though…just wish maybe they would have played that idea better.
Shows:
Again this year I did NOT attend the shows. I didn’t have enough time and…wasn’t interested. The last 2 times I had seen the Bill and Ted show, it was pretty lacking. I feel like the internet has killed the Bill and Ted show. By the time October rolls around a lot of the pop culture references are either: played out, not relevant, internet did it, or they just did it better. I know most don’t care about that sort of thing and I’m sure if you don’t keep up with the internet it would be hilarious to you. I just don’t find it funny. Before we went I heard from several other people who it was what you have come to expect from the last couple of years….that didn’t make me hopeful. As far as Rocky Horror goes, I like that they add in Rocky Horror to the Halloween season. If I feel like watching it, I’ll watch the movie. 20 minutes seems pretty rushed to me. It sounded good while I was waiting for HAVOC: Derailed. So no shows again…to be fair though…I didn’t see them…So I can’t judge them too harshly.
Houses:
Now for the meat and potatoes! Countdown begins with:
8. Afterlife Death’s Vengeance– I was disappointed with this house. Everyone played it up so much for me. I’ve grown to get excited when I see a 3D house. I’ve been pretty impressed since HHN 17. The In Between from HHN 21 was the best out of that style of houses. This one seemed like a bad attempt of a repeat. The scares were few and far. The characters weren’t original. I sort of liked the concept of going into a executed murderers personal hell. I just don’t think they delivered on that at all. The torment aspect wasn’t there. It more seemed like you were going through his head or…I was just very confused and didn’t like it. A lot of the 3D effects were very recycled and repeated. I wasn’t wowed at all. Maybe give the 3D thing a break next year…
7. HAVOC: Derailed- I will give them this, it was better than the first HAVOC: Dogs of War. I really didn’t like that house. This one was pretty decent in the last couple of scenes. The first few were very basic and sort of lazy. You really just walked in a straight line down the “Train” as the Dogs of War rattled cages and tried to slip out. The better parts came when the train derailed and you were left outside with them. I got one good scare almost by chance. I walked into the scene and one scareactor stand alone in the darkness. He looks at me and says “Nice Hat.” Before I could answer he gives the command “TARGET!” and before I knew it i was surrounded by about 8 scareactors all with guns trained on me. Pretty intense…That was about it though. I don’t find soldier people scary…sorry
6. The Walking Dead: No Safe Haven- This wasn’t a bad house. It was pretty decent, just the others were better. I think maybe if they would jump away from trying to take you through that seasons events, they could do better. I know at that point though, how would you know it was The Walking Dead? Like I said though, it wasn’t bad. I liked getting to walk through my favorite scenes. Seeing them come to life had a bit of a wow factor. I enjoyed the whole making you crawl down by the ankle bitter zombies. I know what they were going for with multiple versions of the “Penny” zombie, but it ruins the illusion when you see several at the same time. The phone trigger was really cool. I just wish you could hear it better is all. The final scene is the best. Walking the cell block over run by zombie was pretty cool. The scareactors were a bit better there as well. On a final note, I’m a bit tired of The Walking Dead being at HHN. I’ll touch on it more towards the end, but I do hope they give it a break next year.
5. Resident Evil: Escape from Raccoon City- I loved this house! It was a lot better than I thought. I will say it could have been terrifying with a few tweaks or if they would have used the films, but still top-notch job. You had all kinds of nods to game fans. Look for herbs or other items lit up especially for you to find like in the game. The scenes as well as the monsters look very authentic to the game. You do feel like you are dropped into the game. You especially get that feeling once you walk through the type writer room and into the “PAUSE” room. There you are greeted by a falling Leon being attacked by a Tyrant…frozen in mid-air. You get a few good scares from some zombie dogs, some lickers, and Tyrant in the wall. I actually really liked this house. It was all topped off by the “Your Dead” at the end. Would love to see more.
4. Urban Legends: La Llorona- This house came out of left field to surprise me. Most people had been saying how much they disliked this house. I think it was just because they didn’t do any research. The story of Llorona is a very spooky one indeed. Also very emotional and dramatic. The scareactors were the ones that made this what it was. Again i have to say, I was missing some scenes that were absent but present in the Hollywood version. The actors made up for it though. The Lloronas that populated this house had this way of looking menacing a disturbing even when they weren’t actively scaring you. The amount of pain that was conveyed was fantastic. The very first one you see comes out moaning and bends over backwards over a childs coffin…creepsville man! The scene with the children face down in the water was pretty intense. A LOT of misdirection. I enjoyed the whole thing. Don’t miss this house!
3. Evil Dead- I’m usually pretty harsh on the houses that just take you through the motions of a movie. But I have to say, this house does it like no other. You walk through a room that sets you up with the book and pages above your head. Then you walk through the title logo accompanied by the dramatic opening music. From there it’s pretty much the movie summed up and in your face! Pay close attention while the character is reading from the book. They use a projections system to still show you the demon coming through the woods. All of the effects were great. The way you were taken in the cabin out of the cabin, and back in was smooth. Usually houses like this have a rough transition. Wasn’t a problem here. You even get to see the epic final showdown between Mia and the Abomination. Surprisingly had a low wait all night. Don’t miss it!
2. American Werewolf in London- First house of the night and boy did it set the pace! Amazing! Just amazing! I would have never expected to see such craftsmanship in the puppets. The special effects were what get you the most. That and those puppets. Every time you see a wolf whether you see it coming or not, it gets you good. I also like the Police Box…I KNOW IT WASN’T MEANT TO BE THE TARDIS!! BUT WE CAN ALL DREAM RIGHT?! Doctor Who reference aside, you will love this house from beginning to end.
1. Cabin in the Woods- Not only is this number one of the year….NUMBER ONE OF ALL TIME! Never before have I seen scenes from a movie replicated so well. Never before have I been actually “Scared” in a house. And never before have those images stuck with me when I’m trying to sleep! This is the house to see. You don’t have to watch the movie, but you will appreciate the terror a bit more if you have seen it. The elevator scene gives you the best “HOLY SHIT!! OMG!! WTF!!!” feeling in the world. Stay in there until it dings…don’t leave until the elevator dings. All of the monsters are recreated with the most epic detail. Don’t miss this house. Hit it early, the wait time is killer. This one WILL be a white buffalo if you miss it. Promise that
In Conclusion
After taking everything in. this year was cemented at the top! I will definitely remember this year for years to come. That being said…Can we please NOT have Walking Dead have anything to do with next year? I was so sick of it by the end of this year. The logo was all over everything. The scarezone didn’t execute well, the house was so-so, and it covered the merchandise. Time to grow a pair again Uni. Do your own thing. Don’t ride the fads. The IP houses were pretty good, the best ones this year. But don’t forget you started this shit, and you kept it going for a while doing your own thing. More so your own than with IP houses ((IP= Intellectual properties)) Don’t forget Universals 100 year Legacy of Horror. It means you guys know your shit!
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
Halloween Horror Nights 23 Pre-Ranked.
Alright Darlings! Today is the Day! HHN23 is just a few short hours away. Which will be the best of the best? This is what I think:
8. Havoc: Derailed
7. Resident Evil: Escape from Raccoon City
6. La Llorona
5. Afterlife: Deaths Vengeance
4. Walking Dead: No Safe Haven
3. American Werewolf in London
2. Cabin in the Woods
1. Evil Dead
Here is what Seras thinks:
8. Havoc: Derailed
7. Cabin in the Woods
6. Afterlife: Death’s Vengeance
5. Resident Evil: Escape from Raccoon City
4. Evil Dead
3. Urban Legends: La Llorona
2. Walking Dead: No Safe Haven
1. American Werewolf in London
We shall see. See ya there!
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
Psychotik Top 10: Best Halloween Horror Nights Scarezones
WHAT’S UP!?! Ha Ha Ha! Hey there Darlings. Yesterday we had an article on our Top 10 Halloween Horror Nights Mazes. Tonight we have our pick for the Top 10 Scarezones. I’m not going to be wordy with this one. No need! Funny I feel that way because Universal has been trying to 86 Scarezones since 2007. I think they now have the idea of an all-inclusive scarezone down to a science…or so everyone says. Wednesday…we shall see. So without further a due…
Psychotik Top 10: Best Halloween Horror Nights Scarezones
10. The Path of the Wicked- Halloween Horror Nights 18: Reflections of Fear: Scarezone based on a twisted version of Oz. In this land, the witch reigns supreme. Featured Flying Monkeys, Twisted Oz characters, and Wicked Witch way up high insulting the passing traffic.
9. Cemetery Mines- Halloween Horror Nights 15: Tales of Terror: The cemetery mines featured creatures from Terror Mines and Body Collectors. I made a pet here. His name was Spike! Taught him to attack…
8. Streets of Blood- Halloween Horror Nights 18: Reflections of Fear: Scarezone was based on the White Chapel area of London. Tied in to the house The Body Collectors- Collections of the Past. Was based off of Jack the Ripper as well. Populated by Collectors and Victims. Lines with carriage hearses featuring real death certificate of actual Ripper victims.
7. Blood Mascarade- Halloween Horror Nights: Sweet 16: Populated by lots of vampires. Some made to look like statues that would spring to life. Each end of the zone featured an elaborate facade with candles that reacted to the environment. They also each had a vampire that resembled Akasha from Queen of the Damned.
6. Deadtropolis- Halloween Horror Nights: Sweet 16: Nicely done zombie scarezone. Plenty of zombies including one prostitute zombie that dry humped Seras. What made this number 6? ROBOSAURUS! Yeah when a scarezone has a giant transforming robot that eats cars and kills zombies…it earns some massive cred…
5. Zombie Gras- Halloween Horror Nights: 20 Years of Fear: Another Zombie scarezone. Populated by undead themed to Mardi Gras. What made this stand out was the fact it tied directly to the story of the ZombieGeddon maze. Small zone, but effective.
4. Blood Thunder Ally- Halloween horror Nights 15: Tales of Terror: Imagine taking From Dusk Till Dawn and throwing in some Mad Max. Demon Bikers everywhere. Caged Dancer girls lining the street (all demons). Steel and Fire…metal heads dream.
3. Asylum in Wonderland- Halloween Horror Nights 18: Reflections of Fear: How could I not have this up on the list? Populated by various Wonderland characters warped by the looking-glass. Lots of lights, color, and a disturbing musical track. Did I mention a appearing and disappearing Cheshire Cat?
2. 7- Halloween Horror Nights 21: This almost took number 1. Featured the 7 deadly sins. At the beginning of the night the girls representing the sins were very docile and masked. A chorus version of “The Beautiful People” by Marilyn Manson played over head. By the end of the night, you say the girls completely consumed by their sin and the actual version of “Beautiful People” blared overhead. The scareactors were very enthusiastic and made the zone what it was.
1. 20 Years of Fear- Halloween Horror Nights: 20 Years of Fear: The level of detail was too good. Each icon featured its own area. Great photo opportunity. Again, the scareactors made it what it was. Everything was accented by the fact all the icons were able to flesh there characters out in a way never imagined. Also the giant FEAR was great.
Well that’s all of that. Stay tuned…tomorrow is our pre-rank for Wednesday!
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
Psychotik Top 10: Best Halloween Horror Nights Mazes
Hello, Freaky Darlings! 5 Days out from Halloween Horror Nights…so this is our Road to Terror. What better way to pass the time than talk more about Halloween Horror Nights? I kind of wanted to lead out with a prediction list of what we think the best HHN houses this year will be. At the last second though, I decided to take a look back at our picks for the best of the best. The ones that still to this day stand out in our heads the most. These are what this years event has to shoot for. Will one get knocked off the list this year? Who knows! So which mazes made the cut? Let’s start with 10 huh?
Psychotik Top 10: Best Halloween Horror Nights Mazes
10. Screamhouse: Resurrection- Halloween Horror Nights: Sweet 16
Coming in a number 10 is the second incarnation of Screamhouse from HHN 16. What made this house in particular stand out was the atmosphere and smells. The Facade was very well done. I remember it well. The interior just blew me away. All of the Caretakers in this house were awesome. Made sure to swing those blades they had right past your head. I also remember the smell of dirt as you wandered into the crypt area. That smell has stuck with me for years. In fact, I get flash backs every time i walk past the mulch at Walmart…
9. Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Walkers- Halloween Horror Nights 17: Carnival of Carnage
Good old Freddy Kruger finds himself in the number 9 spot. Dream Walkers had so many things done right. Out of all the New Line slasher houses, this one was the best. It had a great story leading into it. Your mind was just turned topsy turvey in this maze. To set up the house you walked through a tent where Freddy had some human puppets pump a sleep drug into it in large doses. From there you are put right in front of the iconic house from the films. As you walk through your very own nightmare come to life, you were brought some pretty epics scenes from the film. Ending the house in the boiler room really clinched it for me. I don’t ever remember a dull moment to be honest. Just a great house all around.
8. H.R Bloodengutz presents Holidays of Horror- Halloween Horror Nights 21
This house was just darling. Some of the most cheesy, campy, and sometimes- very good- horror movies are those based on Holidays. This is what this house was about. An old Horror host at the end of his rope decided to make one last stand of it and show the big wigs what real terror is. While he is doing this to them, he takes you on a tour of Holiday terror. It was great walking through and trying to guess the holiday. Arbor Day was the hardest to guess. I loved the nuclear explosion in Presidents Day with the zombie presidents. That was just great. Definitely an idea you hope to see revisited down the road.
7. Where Evil Hides- Halloween Horror Nights 15: Tales of Terror
Had to look to the back of my vault for this memory. HHN 15 was my first exposure to the event. It was also the last year they did the event across two parks (LOT’S OF WALKING). This year always holds a special place in my chest. This is one of those memories occupying that spot. This house had a grand entrance to an old house. Basicly everything you would be afraid of as a kid, this house took it to the next level. Dark corners, weird noises, half cracked doors, the monster under the bed…anything you can imagine turned to pure nightmare fuel. If you weren’t careful, you could have missed The Storyteller in the attic reading a story to a victim on a bad of spikes…with an anvil hanging over his head…The house was also built so well if you managed to get ahead of your group, you could enjoy scaring them as well (I hate you Andrew!)
6. Scary Tales: Once Upon a Nightmare- Halloween Horror Nights 18: Reflections of Fear
You didn’t think I would leave Reflections of Fear out do you? This is the only Scary Tales house I have been through, but damned if it didn’t leave a lasting impression. So many things right with this. What is not to like about fairy tales gone wrong. You had a footless Cinderella, a full mad Alice (She was eating poor March Hare! The nerve!), and all of this mess caused by the Evil Queen. What still sticks out in my mind the most was the Alice in Wonderland Scene and the Oz scene. Like I said the Oz scene you were transported to a mad tea party gone terribly wrong (Poor Hare never saw it coming I’m sure..) The Oz room took you into a corn field with demented versions of the classic characters. Dorthy had been tied up and murdered. Scarecrow was left to pluck at her brain. A very Angry tinsman would either A) swing an Ax at you or B) Squirt you with oil. The Lion would roar as you left the room. You really did have to see the characters for this as they were pure nightmare fuel.
5. Nevermore: The Madness of Poe- Halloween Horror Nights 21
Top 5 people here we go. What a good way to start it off. I was so please this house delivered. I’m a big fan of Poe’s work and it was nice seeing it brought to life. You had a shit ton of scares. Lots of misdirection. I think my favorite scenes were from the Tale Tell Heart”, “The Masque of the Red Death”, and one scene that involved Poe and Virginia. Lot of great effects were used. If you are a Poe fan or not, you could have found enjoyment in the house. Everyone loves a good Madman. Could they do this house again…Quoth the Raven…Eh Maybe…
4. Demon Cantina- Halloween Horror Nights 15: Tales of Terror
Here is the other part of HHN 15 that sticks with me. This was my first year, this house was my first one ever! Demon Cantina is a nice homage to From Dusk Till Dawn. You enter through the front of the bar and travel into hell! Out front they had a very cool puking animatronics. Your greeted with a broken bottle against the bar. Scenes that stand out in my mind…An exploding toilet, a strobe light room with dancing demons, and the end. The end you were greeted by the Devil himself. My friend and I hit the ground ala’ Waynes World, screaming “We’re not worthy! We are worms!” (Just a joke of course, I know Lou…he looks nothing like that and is a terrible Yahtzee player) This will always be so special for me….
3. ZombieGeddon- Halloween Horror Nights 20: 20 Years of Fear
Words can’t accurately describe this house. It had everything going for it. Hands down Universal’s best Zombie house yet. The Walking Dead house this year has a high bar in this house. The story was the US Government re-took America and started these training facilities to help people learn the finer points in putting to rest the undead. You start out kind of light-hearted. Just going through a shooting range no big deal. Then they pull off what could be the best “OH SHIT!” moment in history. You see lights and smoke when a float crashes into power lines, crippling it indefinitely. Now things are real and the undead get their revenge. To add to it, the people who were training you have now joined their ranks as well. From there you exited to Zombie Gras…that is for a different list though…
2. Saws and Steam: Into the Machine- Halloween Horror Nights 21
So, HHN 21 kind of ran all over this list huh. It was a good year…what can I say. This almost squeaked into the number one spot. It was narrowly beaten. I really had never been into a house that told a story better than this. I wish this house could be turned into a movie. This maze was based on the Scarezone of the same name the year before. In the world of Saws and Steam water is almost impossible to find. That is until someone realizes the human body is made up of 70% water…Into the machine shows more of that world. A group known as the Elite ask people to make the sacrifice on their 31st birthday to “Give of their liquid.” so that they may better the cause and feel no more pain. By doing this, they would enter “The Horizon”…or paradise. Obviously it was a load of shit and as you walk through the maze there is nothing that screams paradise (Unless of course you have a hard on for steam punk then…well this will give you quite the chubby) So many good scares, I don’t know where to start. I think they end was really awesome with the guy in the old style Scooba suit splashing a water curtain at you. They must have gotten a lot of water. (Also important to note this was the final house featured at the Jaws location…sad I know)
1. Psychoscarapy: Maximum Madness- Halloween Horror Nights: Sweet 16
Here we are..number one! How can you go wrong with an asylum that has been taken over by the inmates. Guess they should have thought twice before taking in good old Jack the Clown. Story is simple…Jack comes in, drives the crazy insane, and you are there for a full-scale riot. Even the nurses have gone loony! Many scenes stand out in my mind. The empty hallway that when the lights go out and come back on it’s filled with inmates. Or rather was it the room covered in shit! (Smelled real…IT SMELLED REAL!!) Or the hulking juggernaut that followed Seras out telling her he would “eat her babies.” Either way you slice it this house was fun, scary, detailed, and told a fun story. Oh! And it featured the best icon of them all, Jack the Clown.
That is all for now Darlings! Stay tuned tomorrow when we look at the best Scarezones!
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
Road to HHN 23
Hey there Darlings! Well it’s less than two weeks out from our annual trip to Halloween Horror Nights. I’m very excited for this year! I’m sure some of you have went, but I’m positive an equal amount have not. If you did go, what did you think? Post some mini reviews here and we will compare notes. Why not!? Anyway, leading into the event I managed to catch the video review from one of my favorite people. A man known to HHN otakus everywhere as THOR! This guy is great. His videos are a laugh riot and he tends to have the best video coverage. Doesn’t have bad taste either when it comes to which houses are good and which ones stink. Anyway…i wanted to show the man some love and give you a link to his youtube video here. Remember if you like it, go to the video page and like it. Show him some love and tell him Malice Psychotik sent you!
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
Halloween Horror Nights Reveal Week!
Hey there Horror Fans! Great week we have been having for Halloween Horror Nights Reveal Week huh!? If you have them liked on Facebook…and we know you should…you would have noticed each night at midnight we have seen a reveal on one house. They start hints at about 8pm or 9pm, the at the stroke of midnight you see what it is. So far we had…
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
We have two whole hours before they announce tonight’s and the below image is what they hint at as well as this cryptic message:
“The appearance on the outside is an illusion on what hides within”
I think any jabroni with a brain can tell that is American Werewolf in London. If it’s not…they are sneaky, sneaky. Head on over to the Facebook at midnight for the reveal…or better yet for to Encyclopedia Psychotika’s Facebook and I’ll pass it along as well! Stay Tuned!
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
Halloween Horror Nights 23 Rumors and Updates!!
Good Evening Darlings! Our favorite Halloween traditions approaches closer. Seems like it creeps up on me every year. Not that I mind the sneakyness. Wouldn’t be good at scaring people if they weren’t a little sneaky. Anyway though, I’ll catch you up on a bit of info as well as some rumors that are circulating the proverbial campfire as it were. Well let’s catch up on the facts shall we?
Halloween Horror Nights 23 Confirmed:
- First maze confirmed of the year was one based on Cabin in the Woods. This maze will be at both Orlando and Hollywood. I’m impressed! This movie can give was to a pretty terrifying haunt if done correctly. The movie is practically made for use as a Halloween haunt.
- Second maze announcement came in the form of the new Evil Dead movie. Never before have I been more impressed by a re-visioning. HHN fans have been asking for something Evil Dead or Army of Darkness for so long…It’s about time our wish was granted. Hope Ash is still in it somewhere, anywhere…but I maybe asking too much.
- Third maze was announced last week and confirmed a resurrection of The Walking Dead. The walk through will take you through the prison and then to Woodbury. This wasn’t the only announcement made that night though…
- It was also confirmed that the whole park would be themed to The Walking Dead, so that for the first time, you would be completely imersed into the hit AMC show’s world. I believe the only scene that has been revealed here is the tank scene from season 1.
- The Bill and Ted Show will be back as always
- I don’t really like putting this as confirmed but apparently people are auditioning for it so it’s about 99% there. The Rocky Horror Tribute will be back this year. So YAY! No more bad magic shows (That’s not to fair of me to say, I didn’t get to go to 20 Penny Circus. I’ve heard they were really good, but it’s nice to see RHPS coming back. I liked hearing the music while in line at the Disaster Que Mazes.
Next we have rumors. For this section I’ll just list some rumored houses I’ve come across to give you some good ideas
Rumor Mill:
- Mama
- Insidious
- Resident Evil (This actually holds water because they had a Resident Evil type thing in Japan)
- Another Penn & Teller
- Alice Goes to Hell in 3D (Again this was used last year at HHN Hollywood, and we also say a recreation of HHNH’s Welcome to my Nightmare…so)
- Something involving Legendary Truth
- True Blood
- A return of H.R. Bloodengutz
- American Werewolf in London
- Our very own version of La Llorona
That’s all I really have for now Darlings. It’s rumored another maze announcement is coming soon. I’ll keep you posted. You can also like the Facebook page HERE. Or follow us on Twitter HERE.
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
Something lurking in the Woods…Halloween Horror Nights 23
Freaky Darlings…it’s that time again. Can you smell it? The stench of the undead…the cold wind creeping in from the dark places of the world…the Vault is opening. Yes Darlings,it’s time for Halloween Horror Nights news. Now I know this news has been out a little bit, but I’ve been very busy with interviews lately. So sorry for the delay, but late is better than never.
Last week was the official release of the first house. It started with some teasers of a blurred picture that got clearer as the night progressed. Seras and me caught on when it got more clear and a tag line was posted with it “Don’t read the Latin.” This could only mean one thing…Cabin in the Woods house BA-BY!!! Totally caught me off guard. I guess if I would have went to the show that was in Orlando last month, I could have been privy to that info…but bah. I love surprises! Supposedly they are teaming with Lions Gate. So with the announcement of a Cabin in the Woods house…and a tag line like “What Evil has Taken Root?”…what else could be in store for us? Maybe another Saw house? Another Silent Hill? Perhaps even one based on Texas Chainsaw 3D? I’m going to throw my hat in and guess at a Possession house. Either way, I’ve heard a rumor that we could see something with the new Evil Dead movie. I know that one isn’t Lions Gate but…it does fit the theme of something in the woods.
It’s also exciting to announce that the Legendary Truth is back and better than ever. Knocking some dust off the old Facebook page, this year promises to deliver more than last year. It’s a shame I don’t live in the Orlando area. I would love to participate in this. Unfortunately, unless you can participate multiple nights, it doesn’t make much sense to try to play the game. But I do enjoy watching! (I’m a watcher) You can find that Facebook page HERE Be sure to add them to get fun extras as the event gets closer and rolls on. You may also find some merchandise on the Universal Orlando site. Right now it seems they only have some hat’s with the emblems from the creature clans from HHN22. Can’t wait to see what else they will add. Go Strengoit! You can find those item HERE.
The info is rolling out a little sooner this year than last. Maybe we will have a full line up before long…I can’t wait. Stay tuned for more on this and more fantastic interviews from Fatality Fest 2013. Next up? Seras caught up with the one and only Eddie Munster, Butch Patrick. You won’t want to miss that.
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
And here is a picture of Jimmyo Burril…for absolutely no reason at all…Picture by Derek Shembarger of Infinite Focus Photography
P.S Look everybody Jimmyo got mentioned in an article for Halloween Horror Nights 23…could he have anything to do with this years event? Who knows…but you should probably go watch Chainsaw Sally just in case…
Halloween Horror Nights 22 Revisited…
You know kiddies, there really was a few more things that I could have mentioned about Halloween Horror Nights 22 that I didn’t. Things that didn’t really translate to the review like personal experience, things we all did, or you know that stuff. I’d like to take the time to share at least 3 cool stories from HHN 22 with you…why? Because I feel like a bum when I’m not doing something on this site for you people to read! lol ENJOY!
Every year we have ever gone to HHN, we have a had a little goofy joke that follows us around all night. One year it was something about the JAWS Ride (Miss you Bruce)! Another year it was about my bro getting scared by a duck call! This year we may have created something for the ages. Yes, Encyclopedia Psychotika is the front-runner in a new way to completely diffuse a scareactor situation. What is it you ask? SIMPLE!!! Emergency Gangnam Style! Ever find yourself in the midst of a horde of scareactors? I know you have this year ((wink wink nudge nudge)), and I bet you got the p[ants scared off you. Well if you want to prevent further loosing of ones pants, follow these simple steps. Set up a sign with your friends. Ours was doing the lasso loop in the area and yelling “Opa Gangnam Style!” Then do the dance! ((See below for music video to learn the dance moves.))Simple as that! No scareactor can resist it. You never know…you may get them to follow in some sort of weird flash mob. Wanted to do it with all of the Walkers but…wasn’t in the cards. If I find video of it, I will post it. We were doing it all night that night.
Another thing about that night I feel necessary to mention is, if you ever have the chance to go to HHN on a full moon…do it! I looks awesome! The atmosphere is like ramped up all the way, you just have no idea. The only thing that could have made it more perfect would have been it being a bit cooler. unfortunately, it was hot as balls outside! But the full moon…with the graveyard…and the Walkers…It just kind of made things 20% cooler (Yes I went for a MLP reference while talking about HHN and I don’t give a hoot!) The only downside I for see for you is….crazy shit happens on a full moon. I mean we ended up having such a rough time getting there because of what I like to call “Full Moon Madness.” Now before all of you go thinking I’m weird an superstitious…I’m not that bad. “Full Moon Madness” is the phenomenon that happens because everyone else is that superstitious and let’s it be an excuse to act stupid. Fools forget how to drive, forget how to act…like they lost their freakin’ mind! Wasn’t so bad that night, but man it could have been worst I’m sure. Just thought I would throw the warning out there before a bunch of people try to go to HHN on a Full Moon and blame little old me.
You know funny thing is I swear I had more to talk about. As I have been sitting her typing a few paragraphs and retyping them…I really can’t remember. This kiddies, is why you should always make sure you have a pen and paper handy. Oh and don’t try to watch Power Rangers while typing an article…That helps too! Well I have managed to procrastinate house work for another little bit. Time to get off my ass and do something constructive. Have a fun day Freaky Darlings!
Until Next Time My, Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
No Escape…Halloween Horror Nights 22
Happy October, My Freaky Darlings! It’s that time again! The joyous time of year where all of us freaks, madmen, monsters, and weirdos feel are just a little more accepted (Not that it really matters!) Well, a week ago we made our annual trip to Halloween Horror Nights. I have to say another great year down, was a shaky start at first with lack of website among other things. They really surprised me this year though. Not to say it was perfect, but definately some of my favorite houses. I will warn, this year I didn’t make it to the shows. Funds being what they were, we just couldn’t go Express (Something that will be remedied next year!) The last couple of years though I haven’t been too impressed with Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure anyway…so no big deal. Would have really enjoyed 20 Penny Circus, but alas it wasn’t in the cards. Let’s stop the dilly with the dally and jump into this thing huh?
No Escape…Halloween Horror Nights 22
We ended up getting out…they are going to be soooo pissed!!!
Houses
7) Universal’s House of Horrors– I really wanted to like this house more. I loved the concept, I think there was a lot of room for good scares. I did receives at least two really good scares. I just think it could have been better. What made me have a bad taste about this one? Simple! The house scenes and everything were done in UV paint. I know what they were going for, trying to make you feel as if you were walking into the living film, it just could have been better. In fact, I really feel houses like this are lazy. To top it off, there was no facade. You just walked into the beginning scenes which were very much like the beginning to All Nite DIE-in: Take 2. What was the reason for this house being so thrown together? Again…Simple! Remember a couple of months back when I reported that the seventh house was going in SS44? I have no proof, but it’s my opinion that this house really was thrown together pretty quick. I never did find anybody who posted a building permit for that location. Also looking around, the floats that were supposed to be housed in that area were next to it in a rather temporary storage. Not bad if they did throw it together last minuet…but it had room for improvement.
6) Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare– This house was a lot better than people give it credit! I love Alice Cooper and his style of shock. This house displayed that nicely…Alice’s own personal brand of madness. Why so low on the list then? Well that’s just how good the other houses were! I managed to go through with a real energetic cast. You had twisted nurses, asylum patients, angst teens, and of course Steven and Alice. The theory was you walked through several of his greatest hits showing the personification of the songs themselves. My only real problem was I wanted more! I think the one in Hollywood was better. I know they wanted to make it different, but maybe they should have made it the same. At any rate, don’t miss it…Alice will know! (P.S…Keep an eye to the writing on the walls for a hint to what you are about to see next. If you’re an Alice Cooper Fan…you’ll know.)
5) Silent Hill– First house of the night and really set the pace. I love Silent Hill and I love this house. I was in total fanboy overload!! The nurses, the music, the other creepy tidbits…every Silent Hill fans dream. Even managed to catch Pyramid Head, which Seras tried to take home…I think she scared him. The best parts are the opening scene and facade, the janitor scene (which is very disturbing to say the least), and Pyramid Head. Really wish there would have been more of him. You did have a mess load of nurses though…I suppose that made up for it. Room for improvement? Maybe a little more energy on the scareactors part. As far as design wise, Universal possess tech to make it ten fold scarier. Maybe when they optioned the rights, they got a few more years out of it…and this won’t be the last we will see of good ol’ Silent Hill. One could hope! Either way…don’t miss it!
4) Penn & Teller New(Kd) Las Vegas– For a funny house this was higher on the list because A) it was trippy B) it had surprisingly good scares C) the interactive aspect D) Penn and Teller paid my $40 bucks to bump it up! LOL Just Kidding…they gave me $10 and thats why it’s #4! Anyway, this was the best of the typical fun houses I have been though. For years, Psychoscarapy: Home for the Holidays was my favorite…this house dethroned it. In this house you will find everything you love about sin city…everything you love horribly irradiated with nuclear waste. You see, Penn and Teller aren’t the kind of people to let a little thing like nuclear waste get them down…NO!! In fact the see the wonderful opportunity to turn a negative into a positive…and make some cash on the side. My favorite parts in this house is the kitchen scene and then the wedding scene. Both got me good…some more than others…Seras. Would have been higher on the list if we would have went the week before when Penn and Teller were actually there!!! Would have been number one!!!
3) Gothic– You know I almost skipped this house? We were running low on time, and so far all night I hadn’t heard any good things about this one. We ended up lucking out though and hit Gothic and Dead End last minuet…I would have been mad if I had missed it. I was taken away by how cool this house really was. You really felt like you walked onto the site of an old cathedral being renovated. So many good scares…I really lost count! Kudo’s to the Gargoyle that got into the Italian “Eh!” match with me…you made my night. I absolutely loved the candle scene, the catwalk scene, and the nice midnight stroll on the roof. You will be scared in this house and you will be taken away by the beauty at the same time (Pretty much how they get you! Bait and Switch!) This house again proving that Uni doesn’t require fancy movie and TV properties to scare the crap out of you…however…the next house sort of ruins what I just said…
2) The Walking Dead: Dead Inside– This is THE perfect zombie house…never will there be anything more accurate for a zombie house or scarezone. So many emotions felt in one house! Universal was able to bring to life The Walking Dead in a way I never though possible. The scenes that you walk through are every bit as iconic as they are in the show. You really never know when a walker is going to come at you. Could be here…could be there! The very end is my favorite part. Let’s say…i think they were lying when they said House of Horrors had more scareactors in a single scene…wait till you get to the end of this one. Without giving too much away…let’s say your personal bubble is greatly reduced and if you are afraid of zombies…your going to love this. Don’t miss it…as a matter of fact…go through it twice!!!
1) Dead End– Well we are at the end of the count down…may favorite house of the year. Another one I nearly didn’t get too. Boy I’m glad I went. Really wish I could have moved into this old house…it has a certain character…By character I mean it scares the piss right out of you at every turn. By far the most scares in one house all night. This is why it got number one!! Could tell whether it was all the things that weren’t what they seemed…or the glowy white ghost that get’s you at every turn…but this house just got me! And that’s rare!!! Do not…and I repeat…do not miss this house! It will become your White Buffalo. I can’t even peg down a favorite scene it was that good. I suppose the scenes with the glowy white ghost were the best…BEWARE OF THE GLOWY WHITE GHOST!!!
Street Performance
I will touch on this real quick. I wasn’t big fan of the idea of roaming hordes of scareactors. The no scarezone idea had been tried before in 07′ and failed horribly. This year made me a believer. You never know who is going to catch you and where they are just kept moving all night. What I thought was even cooler was the music queue was moving all night. They actually moved the sound track to fit who was in the area…nice touch. I also loved that fact that when I was amongst the vampires…I was mistaken as scareactor…like 20 times! Had three pictures taken of me…(I hope they caught my good side!) I really wish I would have gotten more pictures of them for you, but that night was hectic…little one was sick, no express passes, having to rush whilst being worried…pictures were just not on my mind this year. I will add what I have though to the Encyclopedia Psychotika Facebook page though if you want to have a look. I think my favorites ended up being the Vampires (Real surprise there!)
In closing, this was a good year to go. I definitely felt like it was money well spent. Can’t wait for next year, and wish I could go again this year! As I said i was not able to hit the shows. My dear friend Samhain however was able to hit Bill and Ted, so maybe she will be so kind as to send me a small review. Also!! I will be collecting some reviews from our fellow cast of weirdos that went with us, and post them as well…why just take my opinion on the night…right? (Hee Hee That rhymed) Stay tuned for more madness to come!
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
P.S I re-preposed to Seras under the archway to the cemetery….SHE SAID YES!! CONGRATS TO ME!!
Seras, Me, and ArnieFreeze…the rest of you should have been there damn it!!!
Halloween Horror Nights 22 Revealed!! And Ranked!!
Holy Shit on a carbuncle!! It has been ages since I have anything new to say about Halloween Horror Nights! A bit slow to the punchline they’ve been this year! Top that with massive amounts of depression, massive amounts of happiness, total loads of debauchery, and boat load of liquor and what you get is quite possibly the biggest bi-polar orgasm the world has ever seen!!! AT ANY RATE!!! We have some Halloween Horror Nights 22 business to get down to…let’s begin!
Theme and Icon:
This year really doesn’t have one. No icon…No theme. Well I suppose with the list of houses you could say the Theme is AWESOME!! One word with a shit load of exclamation points! What I’m taking from all of this is they are trying to strip the event down to the basics…haunted houses. Maybe they are trying to see if they can survive on the mazes alone. Maybe I’m over thinking it and they were a bit busy. Maybe they spent have the year pulling the pud and threw this stuff together at the last-minute! I DON’T KNOW!! What I do know is, they have a hell of a house line up and this is all I really have to say on this bullet point…moving on!
Website:
I look forward to this year in and year out. After one HHN falls I begin the wait for the next…the only thing that tides me over is the website coming active over the summer. So what do I think of the website this year? DAMN PATHETIC!!! No Games…No Extras…And they made us all wait until a month before the event to give us anything!!! Uni this is not your A-Game in this area. As craptastic as 19’s website was, it was still better than a hallow frame-work! Shame on you!!! The lack of website could be explained by the lack of theme…but still…a game or two wouldn’t have killed ya!
Shows:
As you might have guessed I’m saving the best for last…the houses. However, I’m impressed with the shows (or rather the new show!) Yeah they only ever add one show, and I’m cool with that. As long as it’s not the bad 30 minuet mockery of Rocky Horror Picture Show…or freakin’ Brian Brushwood…I’m cool. The 20 Penny Circus looks like the perfect act to fit in with HHN. Bill and Ted has been hit and miss the last couple of year to be honest. Last year was good, but still not up to snuff from years like 05′-07′. Maybe they will pull out some stops this year. Just look at what has been in pop culture for 2012…and there you have it!
**If you would like to know more about 20 Penny Circus, check out their Facebook page HERE
Scarezones:
Not to thrilled to say this but I will. there will be no set zones this year. Yep, all of the barriers are down! If someone wants to chase you from one end of the park to the other…they can! One thing that does have me excited is that supposedly there is going to be no personal space. They can touch you. Now in years past, I’ve had scareactors do this anyway…so I’m curious as to how this will all pan out. The only thing is they tried this back in 07′, and it didn’t work. Maybe this year will be different, It’s anyone’s guess. The different “hordes” of scareactors include: Vampires, Warriors, Prisoners, Traditionals, Beasts, and a new breed The Iniquitus. At least the scareactors sound interesting…
***UPDATE***
As I am writing this HHN Crypt posted on their Facebook page some photos of the street elements for this years event. I’m a little impressed. They are going to have some sort of set dressing. It appears that the Walking Dead: Dead Inside will spill out onto the street with a walker area. Other areas look to be taken over by cemetery. There was also some pictures of vampire posters posted. I’m a little more hopeful.
Houses:
The meat an potatoes of this article…the moment you have been waiting for…my pre-ranking for this year’s event!! Now, yesterday was the media preview, and I’ve seen a bit. So far I’m impressed with what I have seen. Thank you to all the websites that were there and spread the word over the internet. So here we go…
7) Gothic- The only reason I’ve ranked this last is I don’t know much about it like I do the rest. The premise is there, to be honest I think it will be cool…I’m just not convinced it will be better than the other ones. I could be very wrong with this house, but hey I’m ready to be proved wrong. Just something doesn’t seem that scary about Gargoyles…not sure what it is.
6) Dead End– I’ve seen very interesting things about this house. However, I can’t rank it that high because this house was done two years ago. I think I will like it, because I liked that house! I love the real hidden scares. Sneaky is good…I just hope I don’t keep getting the feeling of Deja Vu.
5) Penn & Teller New(kd) Vegas- I only put this one here because I know it’s going to be a fun house. I can’t very well put a fun house in a pre-rank above some of the phenomenal looking ones. You never know though, Penn and Teller are who they are. The thought of it being a fun house could prove to be a load of…well…Bull Shit!
4) Alice Cooper- Welcome to My Nightmare- I have seen the walk through of Hollywood’s version of this last year. Damn impressive! HHN meshes so well with Alice Coopers particular brand of rock music. The godfather of shock rock’s HHN maze may prove to be quite…shocking! Alice Cooper said it best with his announcement, “Welcome to my nightmare…I think you’re gonna like it!”
3) The Walking Dead- I’m going out on a limb making this my number 3. I wanted to make it 2 or 1 but the other two have my attention more. At the core of it this house is still a zombie house. I’m not saying it won’t stand out against other zombie houses. Far from it! There are some pretty iconic scenes in this house. My problem is with the fact it’s going to be a walk through of those scenes instead of a linear house. I could be wrong, but that’s the fun of these things…
2) Universal’s House of Horrors- This one…this is one to watch. The news on this house is there will be two firsts. One is a scene in which you have to crawl on your hands and knees while scareactors loom over head. The second achievement comes in the final room of the house. Supposedly it will set a record for the most scareactors in a single scene. It would also appear that the house will be in Black and White, I’m not sure though. Why not number one you ask…well I’ll tell you!
1) Silent Hill- I have been hoping and dreaming for this house since the first time I ever went to a HHN back in 2005. Silent Hill offers so much to a haunted house…it’s like the game was practically made to be put in other mediums just to be awesome! I can wait to feel the ash, to see the foggy scenes, to be nearly sliced to death by a nurse, and have my skin taken off by Pyramid Head. This house just has so much going for it. They didn’t reveal a whole lot media night (and you could tell it!) This makes me one excited Psychopath!
Well this article has taken me a lot longer to write than usual. Lot’s of stuff has been going on lately and to be honest I’m still trying to get back into the routine. At any rate, we will be at Halloween Horror Nights 22 on Sept. 28th doing the Annual Passholder thing. The group will be there with our freak hats on, so you won’t miss us. Everyone from Myself, to Seras, to ArnieFreeze!! We even have some new comers going with! Good friend Samhain and Magic Bob!! So come on out, say hello, get scared, and get your mug posted on a website!
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
Special Thanks to all of those that went to the Media Preview night and provided everyone with the awesome video and photo thrills. You help make the wait go a lot less painfully. Encyclopedia Psychotika thanks the following Screamscape, Inside the Magic, HHN Nightmares, Behind the Thrills, Attractions Magazine, and HHN Crypt. You guys get the best info!
HHN 22 House Announcement and Speculation!
GOOD MORNING DARLINGS!!! It’s your host, Malice Psychotik bringing you the word…NO!! Not the Bird…this time! No, I have some news on Halloween Horror Nights 22 (and some speculation). Wishing the fun website would go live soon!!! Need HHN fun play time…oh well…My fun is found in writing to all of you! ((And slacking off playing Final Fantasy IX…hee hee)) So, without anymore wasted time…
First off, yesterday we found out a new house. A couple of days ago, Screamscape.com posted an interesting pic showing off the facade to one of the Sprung Tents. The facade featured an orange wall of barrels and a burnt up “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign. Originally I was going to post about this earlier, as I had some good thoughts. I kept thinking it would be cool if they did something with Fallout: New Vegas. A little effort into a web search revealed though my original thoughts of what if KONAMI owned the rights to that game as well…proved them wrong. KONAMI does not in fact own the rights to that game at all. So as I had run out of ideas, I dropped it. If I would have been smart and read my own site though the answer would have been clear. Remember back months ago when I talked about the speculation that Penn and Teller were some how involved with the event? Then it turned out that Penn and Teller actually had shows in other areas during key nights to HHN 22? (Actually I don’t think I ever posted…Well damn there goes me not reading the site again…dunce!!) Anyway…Turns out Penn and Teller have a house at the event this year! Penn and Teller New(kd) Las Vegas! As you can imagine. Las Vegas has been NUKED (By our Bullshit-tastic Duo!) and you are taking a trip through a city repaired with a little bit of paint and a truck load of Bullshit…Did I forget to mention this is all in 3D? Yeah…that’s important….
Next is regarding the site…I’m going to speculate that we should see a major update within the next couple of days. Last year the main site went active Aug. 4th..Maybe it will happen tonight…WHO KNOWS!! I hope so! More than likely we will have to wait another week, that is if the site get’s better at all. If you want to form your own timeline, you can look at this link to HorrorNights.be. Here you will find a timeline for when things were updated on the website for the last couple of years. Enjoy!!!
Last but not least is an announcement for Hollywood. Up until now, all of the houses have been similar. Silent Hill, Alice Cooper, and Walking Dead will be taking place at both events. The most recent announcement for both parks though revealed two different houses. Orlando got Penn and Teller New(kd) Las Vegas and Hollywood got La Llorena: Cazadora de Ninos. So, does this mean they jsut tried to throw us for a loop…or are they going to start differing? Only time will tell, but I thought I would mention it. Saw a walk through of last years La Lorena house and was very impressed. While we are on the topic of Hollywood houses finding their way over here…I’ll also mention that they had a Hostel house last year. Now in years past, when they rent rights from movies, they have leased it for a couple of years (I believe the New Lines Slashers were leased for three years). Might we see a Hostel house this year? I’m thinking no if not just for the fact there is no more hype going on over any sort of Hostel movie…then again I don’t think their was last year either…
That’s all for now Darlings. Like I said hopefully we will see a full website update sometime soon. For all of you curious, it’s almost looking like the Encyclopedia Psychotika crew will be out at the event on the 28th of September (Yeah I know Early!!!) I’ll keep you all posted.
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
Halloween Horror Nights 22…Silent Hill and Walking Dead…Mother of God!
It has been months of waiting and weeks of sifting through crap…BUT IT HAS HAPPENED!!! Halloween Horror Nights has finally announced some details about this years event (other than dates…it’s just important to mention that they have announced dates) It all started last Saturday at ComicCon with an announcement that Silent Hill was going to be used in the event. It’s definitely going to be used as a house, but I have to wonder if they will use it as a zone as well. Either way this one just came way out of left field. Everyone was totally expecting Walking Dead. That wasn’t the only announcement though. Yesterday it was finally confirmed that Walking Dead was going to be a part of the 2012 event. The buzz has been there for months, but I have to say it’s nice to have it a definite thing. I’m still puzzled as to what will tie this all in together. No mention at all of a theme or an icon. For now let’s just speculate on what we have…
Can’t wait to see them in the boobs…I mean flesh!…I meant Flesh!!
Welcome to Silent Hill
Not lying when I say this gave me a woody. I have been wanting a Silent Hill house since the first time I went to Halloween Horror Nights. It’s really to perfect! Creepy town, disturbing creatures, and graphic-beyond reality violence…it’s perfect! I’m really just wondering if they are going to solely do a house or if they will include a scarezone too. I really hope they maximize the experience and add a zone too. I loved it when they used to tie in the zones to the houses. It’s almost like it gave it a little extra “umph!” Either way I’m sure we can expect a seriously twisted time. Can’t wait to see Pyramid Head in the rotten flesh! If you need reasons to fear this thing known as Pyramid Head…be sure to look at the very end of the article.
Goose Bumps!!
The Walking Dead
This one is an old rumor made true. So excited to see Universal make this a reality. The Graphic Novel and the Show have so much to offer as a house. If you look at the video below you can see some of the scenes and guess whats in store from there. They show blueprints for the hospital scene with the door that reads “DON’T OPEN DEAD INSIDE” (by far one of my favorite visuals ever. There is also what seems to be a room with lot’s of hands trying to get in. I’m sure they are going to do such an off the wall fantastic job, the only thing that could complete it, would be walking through the house with our dear friend Melissa Cowan! Since people have been taking construction pictures the last little bit, we can only assume this house will be in the Disaster que. People have sighted what looks like a barn being constructed and a Winnebago that looks like the one from the show. Again…hope they use this as a zone too!
In closing, this year looks like another good one. Can’t wait! Also no definite on what is going on with the whole SS 44 business. Rumor has it (damn that bitch has a lot) that the new location will be SS 33. Which is good news because it’s a better space. I’ll let you all know more as it comes to light.
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
Halloween Horror Nights 2012: Fact and a Bit of Speculation
Well, it’s that time of year again. School is letting out, Hurricane season is getting ready to loom its ugly head, and Universal Studios Florida has began construction for Halloween Horror Nights 22. Uni has been pretty tight-lipped this year. No hints to the theme or the house names, just permits. The Permits were filed for construction the 8th of May. So far it looks like they are only going to have 7 houses, but then again it’s early we could see another. Some seem to think we could see a return of a double house ( I get so excited when this info comes to light. I know there are some other info that has been out for a while, however, that info has now been pretty well dashed to bits. Let me explain…
A couple of months ago I ran across a rumor mill over on Behind the Thrills. It was pretty good, but I felt it was the same old same old that had been rumored before. About every year since the last one that was in two parks, there is a rumor that the event will spread back to the two parks. I just don’t think it will ever happen again. When the event takes up both parks, I just feel that it’s too over the top. The walking from park to park really kills you, not to mention that there are several parts of IOA that are hard to theme. HHN 15 had no theme to speak of in Suess’ Landing. Not to mention…rumor has it (no not that song) Universal can’t have HHN in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter due to something in the contracts. Now mind you, they can close that area off and use the bypass but I don’t think that will be the case. Now they did have a nice rumor that Uni was going to take a shot at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party with a similar event. Believe me, I wanted to see this. You never know it may happen. But with the permits already surfaced…I don’t think we will see anymore. Still though, give it a good look because you never know what may come out of it as far as theme and icon.
Getting back to the permits though, there was some interesting clues pointed out by Park Rumors. Apparently there were a few scene names revealed within the permits. One has something mentioned of a “Bat Belfrey” and “Mirror Room.” They think that leads to a castle or a cathedral. I sort of agree with that. I can’t come up with anything better than that. The next one says something about a “Hospital Hallway” and a “Rooftop.” Now they don’t seem to think anything other than Hospital. I agree with some of the other readers that posted below on that page. Some others believe that there could be a Walking Dead themed house. To help substantiate that thought, look HERE. Seems Behind the Thrills noticed a certain property in the Cyber Image store that I did my last visit. Honestly, I didn’t think much of it at the time. Cyber Image generally is home to some pretty cool merchandise from all over the place. They also had some True Blood stuff at the time. Can’t imagine a house after that, but you know I wouldn’t be surprised either soooo….yeah. Back on Topic, the last house had a scene in it called “Creature Pit.” This had them stumped and me too. It’s too vague of a term really, Creature could mean anything. Maybe a long rumored Army of Darkness house? Who knows! I think it all will depend on the theme.
Remember the first link I told you to look at from Behind the Thrills? There is an excellent little bit in there about the theme having to do with two’s. Like having a double icon and theme it around choices and duality . At first I thought maybe this one wouldn’t hold water. With the rumor floating around though of a double house, I don’t know there could be a bit more to it. Personally, I think with the hundred year anniversary, we are more likely to see something along that lines. Again this is only speculation. Hopefully we will get a bit more in the next month or so. Until then, this is it! Stay tuned for more soon!!
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
Your Luck Has Run Out…Halloween Horror Nights 21
Well, it’s a sad time of year for me. October has ended. My favorite month of the entire year gone just like that. So much has happened this month I can’t begin to tell you everything. Most disappointing is, I wasn’t able to post a quarter of the articles I had planned. INCLUDING my annual review of Halloween Horror Nights 21. This pains me to no end. I feel as though I have failed you all..(All three of my regular readers! Ha Ha!!) So it occurred to me, does the fun really have to stop? I mean, does the horrible fun of Halloween really have to stop because of something as trivial as the month ending? HELL NO!!! If the stores can stock Christmas a week into the Halloween season, I sure as hell can extend my Haunt season! So prepare yourselves…I have every intention of extending my haunt season until Thanksgiving. The review will mark my protest against the end of October. That being said, pull your Jack-O-Lanterns back out…and buy some more candy…this season isn’t over yet. I’ve no idea how this will turn out. To be honest, I’m kind of pulling this all out of my ass! At any rate, let’s take a look back on Halloween Horror Nights 21…
Well, another Halloween Horror Nights has passed…and what a Horror Nights it was! I was absolutely blown away by some of this years houses. This year marks the hardest I’ve ever had to think when ranking them. That’s not to say this year didn’t have room for improvement. It did seem like they put so much attention into the houses and some of the newer aspects of the Scarezones, that they really dropped the ball in the Scarezone department. The easiest way I can paint a picture of this years event is to discuss it one moment at a time. Let’s start with the Houses…In Count Down order!
Houses
8) The Forsaken– This house was really the only let down of the night. I don’t think it was because it was bad. More, I just had higher hopes for it. The hype just didn’t hold up. It has a nice story, that is conveyed rather nicely. (Although, one in our group was convinced the Spanish Troops were actually Gladiators…I didn’t thinks so…but still) The Scareactors just weren’t up to par. All of them had masks with glowy green eyes…not the best choice. The ship’s mast room everyone was talking about wasn’t doing it for me. You could tell that there were dummies and actors in the room (Note: This effect was used entirely too much at the event…and it only really worked once…). Like I said though, it wasn’t all bad. In the beginning there was some pretty nice gore. The wind and rain effects were a nice touch. The best room in my opinion was the tilted room. You were kind of forced to be near the Scareactors in a narrow environment that kept you way off base. One of the coolest effects was a bungee Scareactor. Looked cool seeing him look like he was flying from way out to burst in the room. Still, it just wasn’t up to snuff when you consider the rest of the event.
7) Winters Night: The Haunting of Hawthorn Cemetery- This was another surprise! I picked this for number 2 and it dropped to number 7! This one really wasn’t that bad…It just wasn’t scary.This house had some of the best visuals I have seen. The grand cemetery facade was just breath-taking. Perfect for a HHN wedding. The cold was a nice touch, which would have been more obvious if it hadn’t been cool that night already. My favorite effect was a half zombie pulling itself across the ground. You see they raised the ground to your right and had a well hidden Scareactors top half-dressed to look like a zombie pulling itself over the ground…you had to see it! One of the crypt scenes was noteworthy as well. The mirror effect used to make a skeleton look like he was crawling out of a big hole would have looked a lot better…If it wasn’t for seeing the mirror that made the effect. The Scareactor dressed as a pile of bones was a could throw back to last years Scareactor dressed like a chair (The chair was less obvious!) I didn’t want it so low, but I just can’t rank a house higher based on how pretty it is.
6) The Thing- OK something was definitely strange about my HHN Spidey Sense…I PICKED THIS FOR NUMBER ONE!!! This house was still what I expected. Really nice creature effects, shit your pants gun shots, and cinematic scenes of sweet The Thing goodness! Really, the fact this one was so low should attest to how good the other one’s were! The animatronics were really more disturbing than I expected. It was hard to look, but then again it was hard to look away. The one hanging out of the ceiling and the one at the very end were the things (Pun intended) nightmares are made of. The gun effects were a lot better than I remember from 07′. I wish I would have seen the movie though. It would have let me know exactly how good the story was told. However, from what I know of the original, they managed to tuck a few of the iconic scenes from the original. (To explain what I mean…If you have never seen the original, there is a scene where the team of the American outpost investigates the aftermath of the Norwegian outpost.) The best of those that I hope people caught was the radio room where you see the operator kill himself. If you stayed in the room long enough, you would see him laid back in the chair wrists out, just like the movie. I also want to mention the over head Scareactor in one room. He really just made you feel nervous.
I only had a few issues with the house as a whole. Unlike the previous The Thing house, the protagonists had no interaction with you. Really it was like you were walking through the movie. You almost felt in the way…Seras waited for one of the actors to shoot in one room. I just wish they would have interacted a little better. My next issues was the “scary” Scareactors. Most of them just looked like they had a tumor growing out of their mouth. The ones toward the end did get better, but the beginning ones were a bit silly.
5) H.R. Bloodengutz Presents Holidays of Horror- From number 7 in the prerank…to the number 5 spot…this house did not disappoint. From beginning to end was a constant onslaught of the campiest horror this side of the SyFy channel (Only it was actually good and entertaining!) I wish I would have had time to watch the que video’s outside. The que showed you clips from the H.R. Bloodengutz show. Each clip was featured in the house, but the rate you go through…you don’t have time to see them. The facade to the house was fitting. It was like you were entering through the back of the TV station. The loading dock smelled like a real loading dock (Not that it’s a hard scent to achieve, but a nice touch none the less!) The guy playing H.R. in the opening room was really into it. He kind of set the mood for the whole house. It’s really funny when you notice some of the holidays. Everything was represented from the big holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving all the way to the obscure like Presidents Day and Arbor Day. The funniest one when you noticed it was St. Patrick’s Day. Your kind of caught off guard at first, until you see the pot of gold and all of the shamrocks. The most imaginative was Presidents Day. When you walked into the room, the key effect was a nuclear bomb going off outside. You see the “Football” suitcase counting down on the president’s desk. When it goes off you hear the loud “BOOM” and the room floods with light. That’s when you notice the mutilated president corpse on the couch and the zombie Abe Lincoln and George Washington. The last I have to mention is Christmas. The only thing I can really say to describe the true epic nature of this section is…Crazy Cartoon Elves with Machine guns…with a murdered Mrs. Clause and a Santa with his head blown off.
4) Nightingales: Blood Prey- From here on in was some of the hardest decision making I’ve ever had to make on houses. All of them were top contenders and this one was no slouch. Let me first say, this had a really imaginative concept. I really didn’t know how they would pull off the trench atmosphere. It could have went either way, but they knocked it out of the park. The facade made my jaw drop. I couldn’t belive the grand scale of it all. When you first enter, you only really see German soldiers for a scene. To be honest, the Nightingales are more terrifying. One of the effects that stuck with me was a soldier trying his damnedest to protect you and move you out of the area. As he is telling you to run and stay down, he is grabbed from behind. All that’s left when she pulls him away is his bleeding legs. The rest of the house is full of some of the best gore I’ve seen at HHN. Honorable mention goes to the soldier laying out on a table just spewing “blood” into the air. Made everyone get the creeps. I was really concerned about the masks at first, but you know upclose…they work. I don’t really remember having any real problems with this house. I think I just wish it would have been longer.
3) Saws N Steam: Into the Machine- From right here just let me say, any preconceived notions I may have had this year for a house just because of the location…well now they are right out the window. The location of these top houses usually held the background starters of years past. Now they hold the best ones! I had high hopes for this house. As good as the Scarezone was last year, it had a lot to live up to. If there is one thing this house proved, it’s that you can take a really good Scarezone and turn it into an epic house! I don’t even know where to start. The whole house was done so great. You really felt as though you walked into a giant machine-made for extracting fluids. The story line was told clearly. The effects were top notch. Everything from people being mutilated on a table to canisters of meat being squished to squeeze every last drop out. The further your journey takes you…you see more and more water. One room is lined with what looks like fish tanks on all sides. Closer inspection reveals those aren’t fish in those tanks…but bits and pieces that slipped through. As you make it to the last scenes, your faced with a giant waterfall with a man in an old-fashioned dive suit behind it splashing water at you. It’s at this point you remember…the only way these people have water is to harvest it…THAT’S ALOT OF FREAKIN’ WATER!!! I really hope they use this house as an example of what to do for future years. Maybe we will see a 7 house next year…hmmm….
2) The In Between- This house set a new standard for all 3D houses…HELL..Effect houses in general. I picked this one for dead last and it nearly walked away with number one. One of the easiest ways to describe this house is a bad acid trip…A REALLY, REALLY BAD ACID TRIP!!! From beginning to end, the whole maze became an all out war on your senses. Sight, Touch, Sound, and I believe in one part Smell…It could have been someone crapping themselves come to think of it…anyway…all of these became your worst nightmare. There was one room with laser lights being sprayed everywhere. If you looked down, you felt as if you would drop off the face of the Earth. To top it all off, you had these near invisible black strings hanging down and hitting you. Giving ou the feeling you could feel the laser dot’s. The rooms that had creatures in them…you couldn’t see them until the wall came to life. AND BEFORE I FORGET!!! The spinning walkway was the worst it has ever been. I feel like I’m going to fall down when I walk through this effect when it’s normal. Add 3D and BAM! No Bueno!!! I cam close to naming this my number one. But, their was something the number one house had that this one didn’t…
1) Nevermore: The Madness of Poe- I have been a fan of Edgar Allan Poe since…well…EVER!!! I had to think on this one for a while because I wanted to make sure that it was the house that made this number one and not the little goth kid deep down inside. The whole maze painted a brilliant story and captured the very essence of Poe’s madness. The first scene you are faced with is Poe writing at his table frantically in an alcohol fueled rage. The most I can guess is this is supposed to be when the madness takes him over. As you progress you walk through the incarnations of some of his better stories. If memory serves me right, it was Tell Tale Heart, Pit and the Pendulum, and Black Cat. Tell Tale Heart was the coolest of those three. As you walked in, the same scene of the narrator tearing open the floor boards revealing the heart is recreated on every wall and even the ceiling. My first scare in this house came from the Scareactor hanging out of a hole in the wall. I loved the beating heart noise as well. The second act of this house came when you entered a grand hall. At the top of a stair case you could see Poe swaying back and forth drunk of of his mind. Beware though, the spirits of his late wife haunted the room at every turn. And I do mean EVERY turn! I can’t remember the exact sequence of events after this point but I can tell you this…Masque of the Red Death and Cask of Amontillado were the bomb diggity! Cask was creepy when you looked to the right and say a skeleton chained inside a wall. Even worst was when you looked to the left and saw Poe Bricking YOU in.
The only part I thought was a bit silly, was the giant ravens. Not that they were bad. They were very cool…but all I could think about was the Big Horney Bird from Hell in Little Nicky. I would have just died if they would have started dancing to the tune of “Ladies Night.” That was really the only thing I found off, and even that wasn’t really off. Just more of a humorous observation.
Picture By Amanda Rivera
Now that I’ve went through the Houses…it’s time to attack the Scarezones. I still have mixed feelings about the Scarezones. Some of them really weren’t the best, but I still liked some parts. However, my number 1 Scarezone this year is my all time favorite. Let’s examine shall we:
Scarezones
6) Nightmaze– As much as a good idea as this zone sounded on paper…it equally failed to deliver. I just felt like something could have been done to make it better. I liked the thought of a moving zone. The actors had a good idea going with no caring if you were coming or not and closing off sections to make you go back. But the way it was designed just looked sort cheap and last-minute. Really you could recreate this area at your own house if you wanted. One time out of three was decent going through it. It just wasn’t up to par.
5) Your Luck is Up- The new team that has taken over this event since Michael Roddy left has done one thing in both HHN XX and HHN XXI that I have not liked…The Icon of the event has not had a house.With Fear it wasn’t a big deal. The Scarezone was enough. For Lady Luck, we had a nice story line. A story line that was wasted because their was noting to tell it. Consider for a moment, if you will, the zone that was in Sting Ally last year. Saws N’ Steam was a great zone (My personal favorite of all time until this year!) So you can’t blame the area. The set design was OK…but it was the same thing at either end. It was home to 5 Luck Scareactors, 3 Monster and 2 Normal. This made the area very predictable. The whole distraction tactic was easy to see through. It looked cool, but it was just kind of meh…Not what I would expect after seeing last years zones.
* Editors Note: The area that they used to take pictures with Lady Luck served as a better zone for the Icon…
4) Grown Evil- This Scarezone was pretty good. It brought me back to the year they had Harvest of Souls. The creatures were pretty decent. Not sure why the Bat Stilt Walkers all had boobs that were like “Look at me!!” Maybe there are some Furries on the creative team…I don’t know! I’m not complaining about that. My complaint, and this could have just been their direction for the night, I couldn’t get not one damn picture of them! Everytime I went for one, they would cover up or turn their head. It was frustrating to say the least. So for punishment…Your at Number 4!! Ha! Now who get’s the last laugh. Also the actors didn’t try near as hard as they should have to scare Seth or Myself. On another note I did like that they used Silent Hill music in the area. It was a nice touch.
3) Canyon of Dark Souls- From the first pictures I had seen of this area, I didn’t expect much. It really wasn’t that bad in the long run. With wind blowing it made it impossible to see where the Scareactors would come out of. The costumes did a good job of blending in. The music was fierce and the fire effect was great. I also enjoyed the area being lit only by the light of the fire. Seth was dressed as Death the Kid from Soul Eater so he had ton’s of fun with the Scareactors. He kept wondering if they were all members of the Death Family. People were loving it…I don’t think this zone’s actors got it, but believe it or not there was more than once he was noticed. My only problem? This zone could have been a lot bigger.
2) Acid Assault- I liked this area and at the same time felt it had room for improvement. The effects used to make the buildings look like they were falling apart were epic. I can’t wait to see how these effects are used in future years. The music was fitting. The set dressing was spot on, and the Scareactors I did see looked good. My only issue was the lack of Scareactors. The area had next to no scares. It looked great and that’s why it got so high on my list. However, it ended up being Michael Bay…all style…no substance. You might be thinking to yourself, “Malice, it just sounds like the Scarezones this year were all awful!” Well, I still have one more to tell you about…
1) 7- Words can’t accurately describe my love for this Scarezone. This zone was able to do so much with very little. You can honestly say it was the actors that made this area. I loved that it changed as the night progressed too. When you first got there, the ladies that represented the deadly sins were rather tame. The minions still offered scares. I mean, they can’t sacrifice that just for effect. The music playing all around was a choir version of Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People.” As we progressed through the zone, the actors were very responsive, acting out perfectly what their sin was. The Lust guys were my favorites. Before we left, my friends Lenny and Seth were both molested. This spells a good time in my book.
Later on in the night, I decided I should go back through and catch anything I might have missed. I was really interested to see how the 7 zone had progressed. What I walked into was so much better than expected. The music had changed from a choir version to the real version. The girls that once looked to be temptresses, were warpped completely by their sin. The pictures and the video I’m going to include will say it all. It was like you walked into a night club gone terribly wrong. Like you were in a horror movie, and this was the big reveal. It has even inspired me for a short story. I just can’t say enough right now. Hats off to you Uni! Take a bow!
Now I know this review has been rather long, but I still have things to go over. Mostly I want to discuss the shows and the icon. Then I will close this mother, and let you and me have a nice nights sleep…
Shows
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure- I’m not going to lie, I get less impressed with this show as the years go by. Last year I nearly gave them an excuse, until I looked back and found they DID have a lot of funny stuff to go off of. This year had even more than last year, so that excuse went WAYYYYY out the window. I will say that it was better than last years…but that’s like saying a you have a higher IQ than the guy with a lead pipe coming out of his head. I just think they get to afraid when it comes to making fun of anything Disney has done. You don’t have to make it the same character, you can get around it and make it just as funny. Which they did do in one instance (El Capitano Mexicano anyone?) One of the funniest things of the whole night was a bit they had using Jeff Bridges’ character from True Grit. All of the things they could have used, they used wrong…I mean…COME THE FUCK ON PEOPLE!!! Man up! Rent Seth McFarland for Christ sake…OR Trey Parker and Matt Stone…SOMETHING!!! I did this one first this year…Next year, you can be sure it will be dead last on my priority list.
OH…and before I forget…Drop some of the music numbers! They add more every year…and they get less impressive every year. If I want to go to a PG-13 strip club…well I wouldn’t go to a PG-13 strip club!! So just…NO!!
Death Drums- I did not get to see this show up close and personal. No, I decided to go to Bill and Ted…*sigh*…BUT, I have seen it via the wonders of the internet. I have to say i was really impressed. It was nice to see Brian Brushwood was gone. I do hope this show comes back for next year. The drummers and dancers were all very talented…I’ll add the video for you below. It speaks louder than my words.
*Editor Note: Video is from Inside the Magic…be sure to give their YouTube channel and show some love…
Icon
I have mixed feelings about the Icon this year. Lady Luck was a wonderful Icon…the way she was portrayed in the media and promotions. When you got to the event, all of the Lady Lucks (except the Monster version) were just kind of…there. They didn’t talk…they didn’t elicit a response…you might as well have put a Royal Gaurd in a green dress! I just didn’t get how you go from the one on the advertisements and the one you met. I also really enjoyed the connections between the houses and Luck. She had a great story…the delivery just wasn’t there.
In Conclusion
Taking everything into consideration, It wasn’t a bad night. It wasn’t the best HHN ever, but it wasn’t the worst either. I think HHN XX set that bar too high. I still see seeds that were planted this year that I’, sure will blossom into something great next year. I spent HHN with great friends. Some I just met, some I’ve been with before. HHN wouldn’t be the same without you guys. Special thanks to Seth Garner, Lenny Mosco, Amanda Rivera, Cullen Wheeler, and of course my lovely Seras Psychotik! Thank you Amanda and Bo Van Hassel for watching the Demon Seed, you helped a lot in all of this as well.
* Editors Note: I didn’t think about this until later, but I can’t help but wonder why they used so many masks this year. I hope this isn’t a new trend because some of the masks really ruined the realism. Nothing like getting into a performance…and then seeing a blatant mask line…
Lenny Buddy, I hate that you weren't in this picture...let me talk to an associate of mine and we shall remedy this...
ALSO!!! Incase you think I forgot about us being at IOA during the day…think again! I remember the pain very well. NEVER AGAIN shall we go to the park for the whole day before doing HHN. NEVERMORE!!! It was fun…just too exhausting. I will give an update on that…but it will be later. November 12th I will be going to one day of the Harry Potter Celebration for a thus far unnamed Q & A session. So, look forward to that!
That’s all for now Freaky Darlings, stay tuned for more to come. Here’s to HHN past and looking to HHN future…
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
Halloween Horror Nights 21…House and Scarezone Pre-rank
Hello, Freaky Darlings! As some may or may not know, Halloween Horror Nights released all info on the 31st. I’ve waited a bit to post this, if not only for the fact I wanted to see what else the website was going to do. The wait was worth it, because the site still has a couple of tricks up its sleeve. I’ll get to all of that in due time. For now, I want to talk about the houses and zones. This is the first year I’ve gotten around to doing so much with HHN before the event, so I think now will be the time to make my predictions for how I’m going to rank the houses and zones. I feel this early in the game with knowing only what the website says will make my opinion a little less biased. This year is going to be hard. I have like 4 houses tied for the number one spot! Alas, I will try to be fair….
(Editor’s Note: I broke my own rule in the process of doing this article. Opening night came and went and I had to sneak a peek at the scarezones. So far no videos for the houses…so it’s only a little cheat…DON’T JUDGE ME!!!)
House Pre-Rank
(I’ll start in reverse. Kind of like a count down…)
8. The In-Between- This one rounds out my bottom. Not because I don’t think it will be a good house, but because I don’t think it will be near as awesome as the others. I could be wrong! This house is another 3D house, which is not really a bad thing. I believe the last I was in that was 3D was in 07′ (Jacks Funhouse in Clown-O-Vision). Even then, that house wasn’t bad, it was just more a trippy thrill ride. I tend to rank this type of house more like a fun house. The description, however, tells a different tale. According to the website, this house is supposed to be in your face terror as you step into a third dimension with terrible creatures around every corner. So you never know, this one could push its way up the list!
Using the website as a tool to imagine what we will be dealing with, I can’t tell much. On the HHN Facebook page, they have released a picture from inside the house. It didn’t seem really “scary”…more it looked like something out of a black light painting. This house was represented by the Green Card in the backroom (“Certain Rune”). There really isn’t much that you can figure out from that game. Although now the Carnival of Carnage ferris wheel makes a lot more sense! Maybe when the second game goes active and I can unlock the special pages, I will have more to add to this article. I will note that this house is in the newer Parade building, and that spot does have a tendency to yield very pleasing houses.
(Editor Note: Since I have started writing this, a few things have been said about this house. Uni is claiming that this house will be like no other 3D house to date. They also promise there is a scene in this house so epic, they need not tell you what it is. You will know it when you see it. And when you see it, you will talk about it for years to come…)
7. H.R Bloodengutz presents Holidays of Horror- This one pulls into my number 7 only because I know this one is going to be a hilarious house, not a frightening one. Not to say that it is bad, but again I just don’t think it will hold up to the others. Keep in mind, the funny house from last year nearly took the number 1 spot. Don’t count it out! The story is of a horror host at the end of his career, and he is going to make sure you never forget him. The house boasts that it will be a collage of various B rated holiday horror films. (Home for the Holidays ala 2007 anyone?)
From what I have unlocked on the site, the story behind the house is pretty tight. H.R Bloodengutz is a failed theatrical actor that had to turn to Horror Hosting to stay in the biz. Now, years later, he finds himself canceled and out the door. This doesn’t sit well with him. After delivering so many years of faithful service, he deserves a grand exit…and he’s going to give it to you. There is a piece of a police report detailing an assault on the station manager. Also, there is a recording from H.R’s answering machine. You really get the feeling that this is something he didn’t want to do, Horror Hosting. He wanted a position in a more theatrical environment. I’m not sure if it will be important that his uncle was a taxidermist, and he was going to work with him…but it was mentioned. Incase you want to know how to unlock it, you will have to play both Yellow card games. Last, I will mention this house is going to be in the Disaster que. Houses in this area have been pretty good, but so far I belive there has only been one that really blew me away. We will see.
6. The Forsaken- I picked this as my number 6. I do believe that this house has potential to move further along up the list. The concept is really cool and I enjoy any house that is mixed with real history. Gives it a bit of a realistic element. Also, this house is firmly planted in the parade building. So far, I have yet to see a sour house come out of that building. INFACT…the last two years Encyclopedia Psychotika has went to HHN (2008 and 2010) that building has housed my favorite house for that year. Not that the location really matters, but if it did, that would set the bar pretty high.
The story follows the fate of the doomed 4th ship of Columbus’ Voyage. With the flip of a coin, the captain and crews fate was sealed. Years later, the crew still haunts their final resting place. Filled with rage from a terrible death, you will feel their wrath. Looking to the website for clues, their isn’t a whole lot more than what I’ve mentioned. The back of a picture frame on the desk establishes the ship as a member of Columbus’ fleet. A piece of parchment shows you a decree by the Queen. This decree says the leader of the voyage should be decided by a coin toss. The last piece of paper is a decree, seems to be written in blood, that states that 4th ship should be erased from history. That no one is to ever speak of the captain or the crew ever again. I’m guessing this has pissed them off. I’m curious to see what the actual house will tell us.
5. Saws N’ Steam: Into the Machine- I toiled over this one. The next houses in this series are very hard to rank. Mostly because they all look awesome. This is the first year I have had this big of a tie for number one!! Usually it’s only between 2, but this year…just wow. Back to the maze, this is the first time HHN has ever taken a past Scarezone and turned it into a house. Last year Saws N’ Steam got my number 1 for Scarezones. The only reason it is further down on the list is because of the sheer number of great looking houses. I have extremely high hopes for this one. The only check I see so far, is the location. The house is located in the Jaws que. Not that every house that comes out of this area is bad…I’ve just not had a favorite yet. The area is limited with what you can do. I’m just hoping the area doesn’t clash with the Steam Punk atmosphere.
From what I can tell from the info available, it seems this houses back story involves a fake cult. The people who were featured in Saws N’ Steam the zone need people to take water from. I’m guessing that they have created a cult or some sort of community that promises a better life if you give everything to them. So as you might have guessed, once you get in…your not leaving. At least not with all of your bodily fluids. Last I checked, water in your body was a good thing.
4. Nevermore: The Madness of Poe- This spot nearly went to Saw N’ Steam: Into the Machine. However the little goth kid in me would have slashed my insides until I bled out! I love Edgar Alan Poe and am thrilled to see a house built around him and his books. I especially love the tie in to Lady Luck, and can’t wait to know more. I’ll get to that in a minute, for now allow me to get giddie. Some of you may ask yourselves in a Canadian accent, “Why didn’t he put this at number one if like’s it so much, eh?’ Well, from here on out, these houses are all tied for number one!!!They are just all so damn good! The only thing I find disappointing about this house is it is in a Sprung Tent. I would have loved to see this house get the Soundstage treatment.
Now…about the house. The Madness of Poe is supposed to be a trip into one of the darkest literary minds known to man! From the website you can see there was a choice that Lady Luck had influence over. He was on the wrong end of that choice, thus giving a reason to his mysterious death (I love you Universal Creative!!). Not much is clickable on the hints for this house. There is a news article establishing the winner of the game of chance gone wrong. There is also a nifty poem written by Poe about Lady Luck. I’m assuming there will be more of a story told within the house. I might also add that a preview video spread around online revealed a few books used as scenes in the house. I was able to pick out: “Tale Tell Heart,” “The Raven,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” “Fall of the House of Usher,” “Pit Pendulum,” and “Masque of the Red Death.” I can only hope there will be more! Moving on…
3. Nightingales: Blood Prey- I love that Universal has elected to add so many real-world elements into some of these houses. This is the third I have mentioned so far that is actually based in history. Might I also add how cool it is they chose WWI instead of WWII. I always love what they do with soundstage houses. Even if they aren’t great, they look fantastic. The house setting win’s me over as well. Trench warfare is terrifying to think about in general. So many hiding places…I’m giddy with delight!
The story behind this follows a victim of Lady Luck that decided to go overseas instead of helping his family business back home, (See kid’s…Family First…they keep you from being mauled to death by fanged blood-sucking freaks!!) Following the hints given, you can tell the soldier in question has become injured. His crossing of paths with Nightingales comes from his stay in the military hospital. You see by night the nurses have a deadly secret…they aren’t nurses at all (I wonder if his HMO knows this?!) You see the Nightingales stalk their prey when they are injured until they are at their weakest. Unfortunately for our soldier, I think he is at that point…and what do you know….He’s just in time for supper. Fortunatly…so are we…or unfortunatly depending on how adventurous you are!
2. Winter’s Night: The Haunting of Hawthorn Cemetery– Seras and Myself have very high expectations for this house. It has an interesting back story, it’s in an old style graveyard, it’s winter time, AND it’s in a soundstage. A few F/X have been released. Of course there is a cold effect. To top that off there is supposed to be real snow! I’m curious as to whether they are going to handle the scareactors as zombies or ghosts. I’m hoping both!! I want the type of ghost F/X they used in Wyndott Estate from last year.
Lady Luck sinks her teeth into a victim here with a choice. That choice was as simple as where a newly wed couple wanted to pick the land for their new home. Apparently, Mr. Hawthorn chose wrong, because his wife died of mysterious circumstance. After her death, he turned the land into a cemetery. Now there is a legend saying that the dead come back to life once every hundred years…and what do you know…Happy Anniversary!
1. The Thing- One of my favorite houses from 2007 is back with a vengence…sort of. This one is based off of the new prequal coming out soon and this time it get’s the soundstage treatment. So what happens when one of Malice’s all time favorite movies get’s the treatment it deserves? It makes me bounce of the walls with excitement! They also manage to tie it in pretty well to the Lady Luck theme.
Apparently one of the characters from the movie (or so I am guessing) is flying a Helicopter and needs some gas. She has the choice, either land in a village close by and take longer to get back in the air or land at a research facility and barely make it. You guessed it…that research base is the one with the copycat alien running amok. Judging off of the last Thing house, Uni knows what they are doing. Taking what they already know they should be able to kick it up another notch. Keep in mind this house is tied with three others, so you never know it may end up lower down. Time will tell.
Scarezone Pre-Rank
Okay, when ranking these, I’m not going to go to far into the description. More I’ll give you a short summary as to what I’m looking forward to from what I have seen online.
6. Canyon of Dark Souls- I put this one last only because there wasn’t anything that really blew me away in the videos I have seen. Then again, camera angles are everything. In person it could be completely different.
5. 7- I would like to put 7 higher, but the main draw is going to be the outfit changes. There are three outfit changes through the night. Seeing all of them together may paint a better picture and make me love this one more.
4. Nightmaze- As much as I would love to put this higher, you really can’t see much here. Yes, I’m aware that’s the point…but still. I didn’t see any scareactors in the area, but then again you really just couldn’t see much! It could be really good in person.
3. Grown Evil- Every picture I’ve seen from this zone intrigues me. The characters look very cool and the scenery looks even better. I must add, I also gave it kudos because they use a main theme from Silent Hill in the area! It’s just one of those themes that add an extra air of eerieness.
2. Your Luck Has Run Out- I have to put the Icon Scarezone high up. I love this years Icon and her back story. I love the 20’s speak easy feel and am expecting a lot out of this zone. Maybe I’m setting myself up for disappointment? I don’t know…
1. Acid Assault- From everything I have seen, this Scarezone looks like hands down the best. The effects in the zone look top-notch. My only concern is lack of scareactors. It’s still to early to tell though. That zone is really open, and the opening nights rained out. Taking that into account, the scareactors may have not been so active. Still, the acid damaged building falling apart look great.
That’s pretty much all I can say at this time. The website looks really nice in all of its entirety. This year looks like it’s going to be legendary. It just seems like the 19th isn’t coming soon enough…THAT REMINDS ME!!!!
ATTENTION ALL FREAKY DARLINGS!!!
Enyclopedia Psychotika will be at Halloween Horror Nights October, 19th 2011! We will be there all day. I’m currently planning a few things to tell you all where we will be and when. If you are going to be in the area, come out and say hi! Anybody I see that day will have their picture taken and used on the review for the event! DETAILS COMING SOON!!!
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
Possible Houses? A Good Guess at Halloween Horror Nights 21…
Hello Freaky Darlings! I hope you all enjoyed my last update for Halloween Horror Nights 21…I’m sure it should keep all of your mouths wet until the 31st. This update is not really an update…but more an after thought to the last one. I rushed the last update out, so there was no time to discuss possible house themes for this year. I’ve done some searching, and I’ve found what others have suggested. Taking what they have said into consideration I do have my own notes as well. The way I will break it down is by the game on the site with corresponding color…Here’s what I think:
Red Card- The Horizon- When you start this game you are given an unfinished questionnaire. The questionnaire is asking you about a new utopian society known as The Horizon. At the end your asked a True or False question…if you answer True, you are allowed to play the game. The game is a steam punk matching game. You have to pull the levers, it will reveal a picture and you match it. Standard matching game…however you have a count down clock on the left and on the right you have a tube of water that moves down the more levers you pull…so you have two things working against you.
I think this game points to the rumors of a Saws and Steam house. Last year that was one of the best Scarezones and it really deserves a proper house. Everything about it points to that. The background throws you off with an air of a school house…and the fact it looks like you are sitting at a school desk. However the art for the play card has a saw…and if you look closely…there is a saw drawn on the table…My vote is for Saws and Steam….
Orange Card- Loose Cannon- To get into this game you have a coin toss. Select heads and it will take you to the game. This game focuses around stopping a cannon from rolling all the way to either side of the ship. As the ship moves back and forth you have to move your cutlass in the opposite direction…while you do this…you have to focus on cutting a line on either side. You have two chances to get the right ones to balance it out…prepare to pull your hair out trying to win this one…
As far as the theme goes…this is hard. Most think it is going to have to do with a Pirate Ship…more specifically…Screamscape seems to think a Spanish Pirate Ghost Ship. I actually think that this is a sound theory. There is really nothing to throw you off. It is a pirate ship…and if you pay attention the coin you flip is a Spanish gold coin. My Vote? Spanish Pirate Ghost Ship it is!
Pink Card- You’re Toast- The choice you have to make to get into this game revolves around landing a helicopter. You have two choices…left takes you to a Norwegian base the right takes you….OK I don’t know where just don’t go right….When you get to the game you have a flame thrower and 5 dark figures are coming closer to you. Three of the are “Things”, Two are human…don’t shoot the humans…
Obviously this house points to The Thing. The Thing has already been released as a house..so there really is no guessing here. Like I said, it’s very obvious….
Blue Card- Don’t Judge a Book- To get into this house you have the choice to ship off to Boston.(Like the Drop Kick Murphy Song) or take a ship to Baltimore. Pick the land of the Raven…Baltimore and you enter a game where you have to choose 5 books. Be careful though, bugs have eaten two of them…and if you find thse…it’s game over. Choose carefully…
Rumors say this one points to a Edgar Alan Poe house. Strange thing is, HOS was rumored to have one of those as well…could it all be a rouse? Uni has been known to mess with us around this time of year…But the evidence is there…You take a trip to Baltimore…All of the books you find are from around Poe’s time period…What does this psycho think? I actually am going to go against the popular rumors here! As much fun as I think it would be to have a Poe house…I almost think they are screwing with us…Maybe a possibility would be a more classical literary version of Scary Tales? Well, we only have a couple more days untill we find out…I vote Classic Literary Scary Tales….But I’m not ruling out Poe…
Dark Purple- Enlist- To gain access to this game you are presented with two posters. The one on the left that says “Fight” is the one you want. The object of the game is to pick the boxes that don’t explode. If you hit three explosions…your done…
This seems to point to a World War II house, and the rumor mill points to the same. Old WWII posters, the game looks like a the car is 1940’s military, it’s in a trench. It doesn’t really point to anything else. Now I did have some theory’s as to what type of WWII scene it would be. Two films had scenes dealing with that very same war this year. One was Captain America: First Avenger. The other was in Sucker Punch, (There is a scene that seems to be a steam punk version of either WWII or WWI…And i have to say Steam driven zombies would be cool…but it would be a gross over use of Steam this year)…So my vote for this will have to stick with the World War II theme…I’m just curious as to the execution of it…
Yellow Card- Channel Surfing- To access this game, you have to choose the right line on the telephone. Line 2 is a Taxidermist…ad Line 10 is the cable company…Pick Line 10! This game you are faced with nine TV’s…of these three are bad…pick the good 6 and you win.
I belive rumor mill is a bit off on this one. Some are saying they have pictures to prove this one. They say this one should be a holiday haunt…but I don’t know. Using what you have, you seem to be more in a security office. BUT all the TV’s are playing old black and white horror movies. To me this suggests maybe a house dealing with old movies coming to life? Maybe I’m not looking far enough into it, and the security office is in a mall and it will be set around the holidays…I think that would be stretching. Then again, the whole thing could be irrelevant! Seras seems to have a gut feeling (or more a fan girl want) for there to be another Psychoscarapy…maybe it’s a psyche ward security room…Hmmm I kind of vote against the norm on this and say Old Monster Movie House….
Turquoise Card- The Key- To get into this game you are presented with 3 graves. The one on the far right is the one you’ll need. From there, you are taken to a game where you have 3 crypts and 5 doors. Get all three and the lanterns light and you win…get them wrong and you sacrifice tokens…
This one everyone says leads to a graveyard house. I’m not real sure about to tell you the truth. They don’t give you a lot to go off of…maybe if I knew more about famous cemetaries…I don’t know. Some think the name on the right tombstone may be Lady Luck’s real name…thus hinting that one to be the Icon house and thus have nothing to do with a graveyard…Only time will tell. As far as a vote, I really don’t have one so I will just go with the Graveyard theory I suppose…
Green Card- Certain Rune- This one is a thinker…and the answer key is right in front of you. Select the block of runes to start the game. When you get there, you have a board you have to place the rune pieces on. Simple…right? WRONG!! Supposedly you can write down the runes and put them into that position…the catch is which way is going to follow….clockwise or counter clockwise…either way the odds are stacked against you.
What do I think this game represents? I think it’s the Icon House! Rumor mill will simply tell you that this house is just something about Runes. I beg to differ…it may have something to do with Runes…if that ties into the Icon! If you look on the shell in the lower right hand corner there is a sphere that looks like a weird crystal ball. If you look closely you will see Lady Luck’s reflection in it. I was looking at it today after seeing all of the Lady Luck Pictures and noticed it First her hair…then her Ace of Spades card…it fits…so you know what my vote is! Let’s see if I’m right….
Well, those are my guesses. We will see how right I was (or Wrong) August 31, 2011…I can’t wait!
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
Meet Lady Luck!! Halloween Horror Nights 21 Icon Leaked!!
Hello, My Freaky Darlings! I have a treat that I’m sure you will love. You know how Burger King is always one of the main sponsors in Halloween Horror Nights? Well in a year that has been shrouded in mystery thus far. A year that Universal has been so tight-lipped about everything and anything Halloween Horror Nights…a leak sprung in their dam!! Yes ladies and gentleman, thanks to a leak from Burger King we now have a good look at what our icon for this years event looks like! The picture that I have, was actually passed to me by a secondary source…(You really have to love Facebook sometimes! Ha Ha!!)…the person that uploaded the photo’s name is Ferdinand Lopez (We thank you dearly! I give credit where it is due and you sir made a find!) The person that passed it along to me is long time Encyc. Psych. Fan, Joe Edenfeild…So without any more a due and no more wait…It’s with great pleasure this psycho brings you…..Lady Luck!!!
But wait….THERE’S MORE!!! searching through YouTube yesterday I managed to stumble upon a video. The content of this video just so happens to be a rough cut of the commercial for this year…or so it says anyway. ANYWAY!!! It looks completely legit…I just hope to Cthulhu that they change the music and retouch the sound a bit…I’ll just hurry and let you see it! I know you fellow HHN fanboys are geeking your pants for this….
* Editor Note: If anyone knows more about this video do let me know and I will mention it along with your name! By the way the YouTube channel I pulled this from is JeffreyChangaHHN…do leave him a comment and a like or two for finding such a jewel!
At any rate, I will be sure to make another update when they release all the details on the site on August 31, 2011….so stay tuned to HalloweenHorrorNights.com for that. With all this being said….
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
Halloween Horror Nights 21 Update….Bout Time!!
Hello my Freaky Darlings…It’s that time of year again. When Universal pulls all of their ghouls out of the warehouses and letting the monsters out of their cages. All in preparation of this years Halloween Horror Nights 21. The rumor mill has been pretty tight-lipped as compared to years before. A trend that does seem to get worst as the years go by. There are three sites that I have found reliable info while sleuthing the web: Screamscape, HHNRumors, and Behind the Thrills. Now I warn you this isn’t much, but at least I have saved you the trouble of searching yourself! So let the milling begin!
Event Icon:
This late in the game normally there is at least an inkling as to who or what the icon is going to be. I think it has been pinned down three likely candidates, with one being the more likely than the other two. One rumor is a gambler, and I’m not fond of this rumor. I just don’t see this as a workable angle. I mean the only way it could work is if his back story involved him losing too much to the house (being the event itself), and now he must draw in as many souls as he can to help pay his debt. Sort of interesting, but not as good as the other two. The Dealer I see being fun! Cut out the middle man of the gambler and go straight for the most feared person at a casino. The Dealer represents a person that can influence you to keep going and keep going until in the end he takes everything…in this case including your soul. The last and most likely is Lady Luck. Lady Luck is interesting in itself because again like Universal is taking a mythic concept and giving it new life (Bloody Mary anyone?) Making this even more likely is what the writer over at Screamscape points out. Did you know Jack wasn’t the original idea for HHN07′. Instead it was a fortune-teller, Lady Luck. I do remember hearing this but it wasn’t until he mentioned it I remembered. Taking this into consideration, I do see Lady Luck as more likely, but then you never know time will only tell…
Houses:
Belive it or not there is one house that was announced already and I’m as excited as ever for it. Universal announced last month that Halloween Horror Nights would once again be the home to an attraction based on The Thing. Only difference is this one is more based on the newer movie which is promising it will be more terrifying than the original. They better deliver on that promise, as that’s a pretty tall order! Still I’m glad to see this concept coming back. When the The Thing: Assimilation was announced, I was one that back tracked and found the history of the house. Finding out it was slated to be a house way back when in 02′. All the things I found about the house made me giddy, (The Thing is one of my all time favorite movies.) So the fact they are bringing it back with the promise of it being MORE terrifying than the last…That’s enough to make me want to go.
As for other houses, I’m really kind of stumped. If you go to HHN Rumors they have a casting list for some of the roles cast. I really can’t pick much from it. The only things I have seen yet point to maybe and Alice in Wonderland/Through the looking-glass house and maybe something to do with a prison. Feel free to look at that casting list here. If you have any theories, be sure to let me know and I will post them here, giving you credit of course.
Website:
All I can say is “Wow!” The website has some rather interesting games going on with it. These games are able to win…regardless of what some have reported. The one with the Tv’s is the easier of the two. There really isn’t a way to cheat them either as in times past. The only one I belive people can help you with is the key game, but I have yet to crack that one as well. I’m curious as to how many games are available. All I can say is wager carefully. Lose against the House and you are banished for an hour. Really I think the development team has done a good job starting out. Anything is better than 09′! Check it out here!
Thats all I have so far. At the very least I will attempt to keep you updated once a month, but somehow I feel they will come a bit more frequent than that. Hope this get’s your mouth-watering!
Until Next Time. My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
P.S Check out the very same sites I get some of my info from at the links below:
A New Age of Darkness Begins…Halloween Horror Nights XX: Twenty Years of Fear
For the last Twenty Years, Universal Halloween Horror Nights has terrorized people from all around the world. The event has grown so far from Fright Nights twenty years ago. Even though last year was a low point, this year truly proved why people love HHN. The houses were top notch. The scarezones where the best I have seen yet. Unfortunately this year the shows took a back seat, but we will explore that later. This year I was joined by the lovely Seras Psychotik, and the ever interesting Arnie Freeze! I have so much to touch on, so let’s take the plunge. I had so much fun at the event this year! So it is with great pleasure I bring to you, an Encyclopedia Psychotika Review…
A New Age of Darkness Begins…Halloween Horror Nights XX: Twenty Years of Fear
This years event revolved around the coming of the entity behind the last twenty years of Halloween Horror Nights, FEAR! Fear has ultimately been the one pulling the strings. With all of the icons being meerly his puppets, you really had to wonder what he was going to be like. For weeks they teased with small flashed of him, and pictures of a rather gnarly looking mouth. When he was finally revealed, I have to say it ramped me up for the event ten fold!! Most were ready to write this off as a carbon copy of Sweet 16, but they were proved very wrong. This year wasn’t about the past so much as it was about A New Age of Darkness. If this year is any indication to the direction of the event, I think we will all be very pleased to see what happens.
First I would like to talk about the media for the event this year. That advertisement campaign this year has me with mixed feelings. I have really enjoyed the commercials, and some of the other videos that they have released. However, I was really disappointed with the website this year. They have only really added one point of interactive content. No back stories, no tie in’s. On the other hand though, they have had some other really cool content in exclusive pictures, interviews, video, etc… so I can’t really say that I don’t like it. I guess I would just like to see more story development than what was given. I’ll let you decide though. Below I have collected some rather interesting videos. The first three are the teasers for Fear. Following those is the media teaser video and the commercial. Enjoy:
Starting into the event, I was pretty jazzed up! I didn’t get to go last year, and this time away from HHN was far to long. I was really intrigued, and couldn’t wait to get in the doors. The archway wasn’t as dressed as it could have been. At night it looked better, but let’s face it the majority isn’t going to see it at night. I want it to look good going in the day when I’m going in, and leave me a strange feeling of foreboding (like I’m going to die!) But, I’m not going to hinge the entire event based on whats outside. They did have the video screen in the arch this year. I have it for you below in its original format as it appeared on the website:
Once we got through that arch, (Took a while being heckled by security. I swear I’ll have my annual passes next year!) we were met by the all to familiar clouds of fog and the Chainsaw Drill Team. In the past I generally over look these guys. Never made sense having a “Drill Team” that wasn’t army fatigued. I got my wish this year. They were marched in front ans center and directed to unleash hell right in front of the Universal Store. It was so fun seeing people scatter! I forgot how good it felt seeing the look of terror on other people’s faces once they see a group of twelve chainsaw-weilding-maniacs disperse in a crowd. This was a good beginning to an epic night.
I’m going to get a little less linear now while jumping into the houses and zones. Instead of discussing them in order of experience, I want to give them in order of bottom to best. Now, keep in mind, just because a house or zone is ranked last, doesn’t mean it was bad! Every house and zone this year has a very well designed, and nicely thought out! That being said let’s start with the Scarezones:
Scarezones
6) Esqueleto Muerte- I think my expectations were just to high for this one! All the things I had read leading to our trip told of how much of a cool party type zone this was. Then when I got to it, yeah the glowing effect was cool, and the costumes were great but it wasn’t party at all. Maybe they tried making it scarier and went the wrong direction. I will give the Scareactors credit, I did se them handing out a few jumps and screams. They looked very creepy, but in a cool sort of way. The overall design was amazing with the theme being a black-light Day of the Dead motif (sort of making it a Night of the Dead?) At any rate it was very cool to look at, and with the scares being abundant, it wasn’t the worst ever, I just think it could have been better. ((The design team get’s an extra nod for originality))
5) The Coven– I actually liked this zone more than I thought I would. Most zones in the Shreck Ally have been known to fall short for me (with the Exception of Blood Masquerade in 06′). The main theming was that of a small witch coven. The area was rather simplistic. You had a nice mixture of old-lady-hag witches and eye-candy witches. Each end had a pilgrim tied up and burning at the stake. I really liked this effect. While were passing through you had one that was playing the suffering victim straight forward. Then at the opposite end closer to the Wyndot Estate, you had a rather comedic pilgrim. I wish i could upload our footage, he was a laugh riot. The main scares were from the two little huts they had in the zone. Taking a page from the old Mole people scare back in 05′, you had these little huts. How they catch you is they had a sheet over the front of the hut, making you think it was more a mound than anything. Then at random timing, and old-hag witch would come screaming out of one of those things like a bat out of hell!! I unfortunately was right in front of one when this happened, and had to jump out-of-the-way! The effect got me and like 5 people around me so Ku-Do to them. The whole zone was finished off decoratively wise with a glowey obelisk in the middle of it. (It was glowing green when we walked up on it, Seras thought we were on Krypton!)
4) HHN: 20 Years of Fear- This zone kicked off the night just right! This zone was the perfect dream for any HHN enthusiast. The coolest thing is walking through and trying to pick out where you know certain props from. The Scareactors in the zone were pretty awesome. You had your all-stars from 16 and a few others from other years. They all utilized the area very well. The Chucky darted out between the props for some good scares. The best ones in the area though are the ones next to the HHN15 banners toward Fear Revealed. Neither one will you really see until it’s too late, they blend in that well! I would also like to note the freak out I got in the area. As you walk into the zone there is what looks like a Crypt Keeper mannequin in a chair. Well I thought it was a mannequin until it started walking next to me. I really wish I could have caught him scaring somebody, because he was so convincing he could have un-nerved the manliest of men!!
3) Zombie Gras- When I first read about this zone, I got giddy! I have a short story I have been working on that is pretty close to the sights seen in this area. If you ever been to Mardi Gras and thought, “You know…this event is pretty cool! But you know what? If we only had some zombies…” The Scareactors were very energetic and were in abundance. The main piece in the zone, is a Mardi Gras float with a sole survivor tossing out beads. Beware! While you may think he is tossing you a free prize, realize not all free things come without consequence. Here’s a hint: Zombies like shiny beads! This gave me some pretty good laughs throughout the night. You have no idea how fun it was seeing hapless saps get lulled into a false sense of security by the promise of Mardi Gras beads. Just to run to get them and find themselves face to face with a flesh-eating monster! Definitely the best Zombie zone they have done to date.
2) Saws N’ Steam- I really thought creative dropped the ball by putting this into Sting Ally. I mea, how on earth could you ever hope to have a good scarezone in such a small area. Let be the first to say I was proved wrong! This was the best as far as scares go. From the menacing leader of people of New Yorkshire to the people getting chopped in the ally ways…it just never stopped. Going through the zone really was like going through a gauntlet. Let me also tell you that if you dwell in the area to long, you will get wet! The chainsaw people in the area are pretty aggressive too. Expect more out of them than The Chainsaw Drill Team! It’s almost like going through a short house is the best way to describe it.
1) Fear Revealed- Why did this area get my number one? It was freakin’ awesome that’s why!! I literally spent all together 45 minuets in this area through out the event and could have spent more. The Icons never break character, not even for a second! (Trust me I tried!!) The little picture areas were a nice touch as well. I wish i could have gotten some more pictures of those. You could even walk over and sit down in them for photo-ops. Was it scary? No! Was it so cool that it made me totally geek out and act like a kid in a candy store? Yes Yes Yes YES!!! Fear was also very photogenic. I have to give the guy credit, it is impossible for him to not have an epic picture. I sort of wish there would have been an arrival show, but this area more than made up for the lack of one. If you know anything about the last 10 years of HHN, you will really enjoy this zone. Bring your camera’s. You won’t regret it.
Houses
As awesome as the scarezones were this year, (The best yet in my opinion!) they were still just the icing on the cake for the houses! The houses this year were fantastic. Not much wrong with most of them. A real good bounce back from last year (or so I have heard). Let’s dig in…
8) HAVOC: Dogs of War- This was my least favorite of the night for several reasons. First off the story was terrible. If you hadn’t looked in the map description you would really have no clue as to what this house was about. There was experimentation, that much is true apparent! Other than that just a series of roided out, bald freaks screaming at you. I’m afraid of UFC fighters like the next guy, but not something I want in my houses. Next big problem is the amount of hanging wires! It was like being walked though a room of naughty tentacles in about every room leading out of the houses. It was like being in a Japanese porn! I half expected them to spring to life and start having their way with some (It would have been an improvement, and at the very least more entertaining!) The hanging wires are really what ruined it for me. Just as you get into a few good scenes in the house, that’s when they hit you. The worst part is they start getting more frequent as you head for the exit!! Universal typically always has a stinker, this one was doomed to be it! I will say that the facade going in was really cool, and the overall theming of the house was that of a mad science lab gone terribly wrong. The gun turret on top of the house was a nice touch. I couldn’t imagine having to stand there for hours on end to make it in. That thing really does start to grate your nerves. As you get closer though, you realize what a great effect it really is. Point made if you don’t think you can make this house, don’t worry you aren’t missing much. It certainly won’t be your…..White Buffalo….(the one that got away)….
7) The Orfanage: Ashes to Ashes- Our first house of the night came in the form of this one. It was very cool getting to see Cindy get some proper treatment in the form of her own house. I will tell you that there are only a few scenes that will really knock your socks of, but the presence of this house is what gets you. The realistically give you the feeling of trying to escape a burning building all the while being haunted by the ever sadistic Cindy Cain! The story you get the feel for is that some how The Caretakers daughter didn’t die all those years ago. More she was sent to an Orphanage, and things didn’t go well. There is a very cool scene toward the beginning where you see little Cindy writing “Do on to others…” on a chalk board. As you pass there is a black light effect that makes words look like they are bleeding. The other scenes involve other children trapped in beds, or in cages while they slowly roast. It is also noteworthy that in these scenes if you’re not careful you will get a surprise from our little demented orphan! The final scene you walk through gives you a pretty “heated” experience, as you are exposed to some real flame to give you one last jump! The house is definitely a good starter if you want to heat things up…you know light your fire….help you feel the burn…OK I’ll stop!
6) PsychoScareapy: Echoes of Shadybrook- If you have been to HHN any number of years from 13 on up, you might have happened across a PsychoScareapy. The Shadybrook has made itself pretty infamous in its previous three incarnations. If you have been to the others I will tell you it has pieces from the other three. It’s not as intense as the original, or as treacherous as Maximun Madness, and it’s definitely not as fun-loving as Home for the Holidays. However, this one does carve out a pretty interesting legacy on its own. The facade you are met with is of course the iconic Shadybrook Asylum all boarded up and falling apart. As you go through the corridors some rather familiar faces are there to greet you again, only this time they are more twisted, and seem to be more blood thirsty! If you listen carefully through some sections you can hear the oh to familiar calming music playing distorted over the disintegrating PA. Some good scenes include some electro-shock therapy, and a caged corridor with many rows of hands…but which ones are real? It made for a very interesting experience, the only thing I could have asked for was more! It would have been nice to have more, maybe a revisit to the good ol’ poo room! I could have maybe asked for a Jack the Clown reference somewhere, but i sort of get why they didn’t…
5) Legendary Truth: The Wyandot Estate- So have you ever wondered what it would be like to go on a paranormal investigation where your provoking has gone a bit too far? Then this is the house for you! The premise of this house is a new invention for drawing out paranormal activity has been put into action…and you get to try it out! This particular house was home to some rather cool effects. Very ahead of itself this house was! The ghoulish glowy faced ghosts were a nice touch. especially when you realize the face is doing a sort of black light glow…and there are no black lights!! A few things to mention is a floating spectre on a wall (I really just couldn’t figure this effect out!), a hologram of the Storyteller that is über realistic, and living furniture! Man, that living furniture will get you eveytime! The distraction to that room is what get’s you. The room with it in there seems pretty normal except a ghost sitting in the corner. Well while you are busy watching him, a freakin’ chair scares you!! The house just has a very creepy feeling to it, and paints a pretty good story. I really can only hope they move forward with the tech in this house!
4) Catacombs: Black Death Rising- If there was an under-dog of the night, it was this house! I really wasn’t expecting much. Most people already discounted the house, said it wasn’t much to see. I wasn’t going to listen to that though, as I used to have a fascination with the Black Death. The story telling at the beginning was a great mood setter. I also enjoyed the accuracy of the Doctor outfits. It only added to the awesomeness when Arnie Freeze pointed out that they looked like Spy Vs. Spy. The house actually provided me with a couple of scares. The best one out of all of them was a three-way scare in the middle of the house. As you walk through a hallway, there is a archaeologist hung upside down twitching back and forth. As you look up one of the doctors takes the opportunity to catch you as your gaze comes down. Seconds after this a Black Death zombie rushes out of a grave hole, and then to end it all another Doctor comes out at you. This house also get’s awesome points because of the Doctor that tipped his hat to me on the way out (I was wearing my Top Hat).
3) Hades: Gates of Ruin- I will always love all things that have to do with Greek Mythology. That being said, I’m also very particular to the point where things have to be perfect. This was a the perfect Mythology house! You couldn’t take a step without their being a scareactor there to catch you. It was very nice how all of the scareactors were very camouflaged. Very nice effects!! One of the best characters was Medusa. That slippery-slithery Gorgon made even the steeleist of manly men crumble at the sight of her! She even sets a nice little trap. After the first main room, you pass into a room with a cut out section in the wall. In this section, Medusa’s head hangs and you think. “Ha, Perseus got that bitch!!” Well you find out exactly how wrong you are when a red strobe activates, the floor buzzes, and she jumps out of that hole for one last horrah!! My next favorite character was the Minotaur. The atmosphere that thing could set just staring you down, get’s you wired! I also want to add one of the parts that made the three of us jump unexpectedly. One of the last rooms we passed had holes in all of the walls. I kept thinking to myself, “I’ve seen all of the worst things mythology has to offer, must be a repeat or something…” Well apparently the Lizard from Spider-Man was a greek myth, because he jumped out of one of those holes and gave us a good shock!!! The only thing I think we missed in the house was Hades on his throne. I saw it there, I just didn’t catch him. If it was anything like the picture that house painted, I’m sure it was epic!
2) Zombiegeddon– This house almost got my number one spot. It definitely has a secured spot in my top 5 ever! I really went into this thinking it as going to be purely slap stick. I was pleasantly surprised to find a mixture of straight forward fear and goofy slap stick humor. As you enter you are met with the signs for Z.A.P. (Zombie Awareness Program) These guys don’t just kick zombie ass. They teach YOU to kick zombie ass! From there you enter a room with a specimen zombie tied up at a cash register with an arsenal of weapons on the wall. Here on out you enter a survival simulator. First lesson, No Mercy! What would it be like to walk into a nursery with an infected zombie baby? You find out here! I think from there you have about 2 more scenes of humor, then that’s when you here it (and see it!) Something smashes into the complex and causes a big disruption in this places harmony! The Zombies are let loose and are infecting the other survivors. The house takes a dramatic twist at this point, going from happy-go-lucky to pretty damn intense at moments! The first room to remind you of this is a containment room where all the zombies are pulling at chain link fences, letting you know incase you forgot that there are plenty of specimens! Most rooms you have the typical zombie is trapped behind something but bangs on shit to freak you out. One of the best freak out moments is in the room with the vehicle that started all the trouble. It’s a pretty wide open room with at least 5 undead in it, and the way they cam at us! Just Wow!!! I give this house an A for Awesome story telling. Of all the houses I have ever put under my belt, never has a house told a story, and in such perfect detail. From survival to shit storm in 2 seconds! I love it!
1) Horror Nights: The Hallowed Past- At last we have arrived at the best house of the night! Why was this one the best you might ask? This house took everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING I love about HHN and rolled into one big fat house! My only regret was this house wasn’t longer! You enter the madness by walking into the prop warehouse. From here you are allowed to journey through twenty years of props and banners. You could spend all day in these opening scenes and still not see and appreciate everything! Then seamlessly you enter a trip down memory lane. The house takes some of the best scenes from Horror Nights past and puts them into action. They replicate these rooms flawlessly. There were moments I honestly had to double take and wonder what year it was. It’s amazing how somehow they could manage to call up not just all the memories from the house, but the memories from that year!! Scenes used were Alice is Wonderland (Scary Tales III, HHN18), Dead Exposure (HHN18), S.S. Frightanic (HHN8), Body Collectors: Collections of the Past (HHN18), what appeared to be Silver Screams (HHN19), and definitely Horror Nights Nightmares (HHN14). Now could I have picked some better scenes? Yes, I would have traded Dead Exposure for something from The Thing or at something from Sweet 16. But, the way they evoked those memories was still too cool to discount the whole house. It gave you the terrible feeling of trying to remember all of those houses you have ever been in and then thinking “God, what will they do next!!?” Then you end up exiting through the Prop Warehouse, which comes as a perfect end to the perfect storm. If you are worried about not having experienced the houses the scenes are from, don’t fret. They are still really good scenes, and you get a small taste of what you missed. And if that is what you missed, think about whats next in this New Age of Darkness…..
So, with the meat and the potatoes discussed, let’s get to the slim pickings…the shows. The last 3 years the shows have sort of taken a back seat. The only two shows they have this year are Bill and Ted and Brian Brushwood. I won’t be able to review Brian Brushwood for you, but I can tell you I saw his act back in 07′ and it wasn’t impressive. From what I understood from other guests walking around the park that night, he hasn’t gotten any better. If you have to choose between a house or even Bill and Ted over Menace or Malice…don’t choose him! (By the way how dare he use Malice! There is only one Malice worth seeing and that is me baby!!) That being said here is my thoughts on Bill and Ted…
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure- First I have to say there wasn’t much to work with this year as far as hit movies go and other pop culture. (There was more than what they used, but I’m guessing that there were some other legalities) But to their credit they did good with what they had. The stage was totally redesigned for the event. Some topics you see parodied include: Iron Man 2, Doctor Who, Twilight: Eclipse, Jersey Shore, Justin Beiber, Lady Gaga, The Last Airbender, Toy Story 3, Katy Perry, Seaseme Street (not what your thinking, funnier), Lost, Sorcerers Apprentice, BP Oil Spill, and even Antione Dodson!!!! I’m sure there are a few more that I’m overlooking, but hey be surprised. There is even an old villain revisited (A villain that this show has beaten to DEATH!!!) Not the worst show, but definitely not the best. It’s worth seeing if you have time…
Where do I stand on HHNXX? It is defiantly one of the best years I have been to! If you haven’t gone this year, you need to. The event was crazy funny, and a nice homecoming for me and my group. I could have went back at least 3 more times and been happy. I hope you have all enjoyed the review, and if you go I hope you find it helpful! That’s all for tonight Darlings….stay tuned for more to come this month…Hint: Mr. Hush Weekend of Fear is right around the corner…
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
It’s time…
So today is the day. I can hardly contain myself! Halloween Horror Nights: Twenty Years of Fear. It’s been far to long, but I’m more than ready. I hope you all enjoyed my retro reviews. The next review is going to be all-inclusive and super detailed, so get ready for it. Right now I would like to make my predictions for houses and scarezones. This way everyone can see the comparison…
Houses
1) Gates of Hades
2) Horror Nights: Hollowed Past
3) Psychoscarepy: Echoes of the Past
4) Zombiegeddon
5) The Orphanage: Ashes to Ashes
6) Catacombs: Black Death Rising
7) Legendary Truth: The Wyndot Estate
8) Havoc: Dogs of War
Scarezones
1) Zombie Gras
2) 20 Years of Fear
3) Saw’s N Steam
4) Esqueleto Muerte
5) The Coven
6) Fear Revealed XX
So that’s my predictions. We will see how on I am! I hope HHN is ready for Malice Psychotik. FEAR asks who will face him….I WILL FACE YOU FEAR!! I AM READY!! BUT IS FEAR READY TO FACE MALICE!!! TOMORROW WILL TELL!! MALICE VS. FEAR…..PLACE YOUR BETS!!!
Encyclopedia Psychotika 