Recap of Halloween Horror Nights 2014

Roanoke: Cannibal Colony–

Located in the prop warehouse, this maze was sort of a sleeper hit. As with Dollhouse of the Damned, crowds were pretty split on whether or not they enjoyed this house. It wasn’t particularly scary, but there were some interesting scares, costumes, and use of blood/special effects. The ravenous colonists hunted you down as their stomachs’ had an undying craving for MEAT thanks to the curse of the Wendigo spirit. There was drum music playing throughout the house which actually made it pretty fun to go through, and the scareactors were very eager to interact with guests. Overall it was a bit weak, but Roanoke did evoke sort of a nostalgic HHN atmosphere that I appreciated.

Dracula: Untold–

Based on the Universal film that was released last fall, this house took guests through an updated Dracula tale. Because the house was designed before the movie premiered and there was little material to go off of, there were actually scenes in the house that did not correlate with the film at all. Baba Yaga’s cottage was one of my favorite rooms in this house, as it always smelled of freshly-baked cookies (certainly what must have lured in the poor children that were caged there). The gothic-aesthetic was well-represented here, and there were some really nice sets that evoked a medieval atmosphere that matched the Dracula legend well. There were even a few really good scares scattered throughout the house. However, this was by far the biggest let-down of 2014 and never really grew on me.

From Dusk til Dawn–

Whether you’re a fan of the From Dusk til Dawn film franchise or television series, this maze was just fun to visit. Guests entered through the facade of “The Twister” which was manned by a live greeter that enticed people in with the promise of “chicas that smell like warm apple pie”. I for one was extremely happy to see that they had someone in this role, AND that they were allowed to be raunchy! A majority of the rest of the maze featured vamp-like strippers popping out from behind curtains, crazed Mayan creatures, and of course the charming Gecko brothers. The house wasn’t particularly frightening, but it boasted a lot of high-action scares, humorous details, and sets that really meshed well with the story line of the FDTD tv series.

The Walking Dead: End of the Line–

Until this year’s Monsters and Mayhem, The Walking Dead: End of the Line was the largest maze that Halloween Horror Nights had ever put together. As an HHN frequenter, I am admittedly one of those fans that’s a little “zombied out”. But, I can’t deny that I was impressed by this house. I actually found it to be much more enjoyable than the two previous TWD houses featured at Horror Nights. Not being very familiar with the show, I can’t say how accurately the house portrayed certain scenes/sets, but I do know that my friends who are fans were completely satisfied with the maze’s design. The Art and Design team really went all out putting together a house that was FULL of zombies and clever easter eggs.

Giggles and Gore Inc.–

Giggles and Gore was an original house that highlighted the bloodier side of Halloween Horror Nights. The facade of this house led guests into a factory where a twisted production line was turning humans into evil clowns. The characters and sets in this house were really creepy, and super menacing. It definitely included some pretty gory gags but still delivered on classic clown humor and even made a few nods to Jack himself. I saw people cry in this house, on multiple occasions, and I definitely had a hard time going through it. It was an awesome presentation of a refreshingly dark maze.

AVP: Alien vs. Predator–

This was one of the Intellectual Properties that had people most excited about HHN 24. After whispers of an Alien house had circulated for a while, it was finally announced that this maze would actually be including both Aliens and Predators. Like they did with An American Werewolf in London, the A & D Team had special puppets made for this house to create a lifelike alien effect. There was great attention to detail in this house, and it continuously improved throughout the season, However, it tended to leave people wanting more of a battle between species as well as a more exciting finale. It will be interesting to see if the puppets created for this house will be re-used in the future, as they could lend to a really neat outerspace environment.

SCAREZONES:

Bayou of Blood–

This area brought voodoo out of the bayou and straight into Universal’s Central Park area. The scarezone was adorned with a spooky plantation-style shack, beautiful lighting, and subtle decor that inspired the perfect swampy ambience. Scareactors in this zone really got into character and it resulted in a lot of great scares. Unfortunately, there was a sacrifice show that was set to be held hourly by the voodoo queen herself, but it was cancelled after the first weekend of the event.

The Purge–

Universal Studios invited guests to take part in the annual Purge; a singular night during which all crime is legal. Purgers gathered in the streets to let off steam and rid society of its undesirables by hunting down the weak and poor. Based on the movie series, this scarezone featured characters from both films as well as a staged auction scene from the second Purge installment. It was a chaotic zone that frequently buzzed with chainsaws and a lot of highly active scares.

MASKerade Unstitched–

Located near the front of the park, this scarezone was aesthetically beautiful and included some pretty interesting costumes and effects. Scareactors were dressed as if attending a traditional masquerade ball, but behind their masks they revealed bloody, skinless faces. On nights of the event when there wasn’t rain, half of the cast in this area would roam on stilts. There were clever weapons used in this area, and a lot of good opportunities for scareactors to blend in with fog and dark areas. At times they would even dance together, and it was really lovely to sit and observe things in this area for a while.

Face Off: In the Flesh–

The Syfy Channel series Face Off was brought to life during Halloween Horror Nights, showing off some of the most recognizable and well-liked makeups that have been created by contestants on the show. Several past Face Off cast members actually work for HHN, so they were able to re-create a lot of Face Off that were highlighted in sets specially designed for the scarezone. Based on when you walked through the zone, different makeups and themes would be represented. This zone was done in the style of 7 from HHN21, so there were photo opportunities with main characters on platforms while their “minions” roamed around and scared guests on the ground. It was a very fun zone that boasted some creative and stunning details.

The two shows featured at Halloween Horror Nights 24, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and The Rocky Horror Picture show have both been featured repeatedly throughout HHN’s past, so for the sake of saving time I doubt that they need much explaining.

Overall, 2014 was a pretty exciting year. The event really grew stronger as each week went by, and I grew quite fond of a lot of the attractions that it had to offer. Halloween became one of my favorite HHN houses of all time, and a few of the other houses would probably make it into my Top 10 list. There wasn’t really a coherent theme or overarching draw for this year, but it had a well-balanced presentation of classic terror, gore, and creative design.

With ten months of saying farewell to the scares of HHN24 behind us, the time has finally come to say “Welcome, and cheers to Halloween Horror Nights 25!”

Johnny and I hope to see some of you in-park over the next few weeks and can’t wait to share our first HHN 25 experiences with you in the coming days.

Here’s to another year of horror.

-Courtney