Archive for the ‘Terror Tips’ Category

« Older Entries

Scare Zone’s 2012 Top Haunts

Sunday, November 25th, 2012

Another Haunt Season has passed away, so now it’s time for us to reflect back and rank the best and worst of our 2012 haunt stalking.

As you all know, haunt experiences can be a highly individual and subjective experience; what may scare one person might not be frightening at all to another, and what scares you one night might fall flat on a return visit. In addition, this season, like horror movie victims, we split up and did some individual haunt stalking so we will feature separate rankings from both Scare Zone ‘terrorspondents’ M. Leota and Matt E. Horn.

We visited a few great haunts across the country, so this year’s rankings will include haunts we visited in California, New York, and Florida. For a list of all the places we visited and to read our full reviews, please click here. Now, on to our 2012 Top Haunts   

To understand the ratings please see our ratings guide.

 

M. Leota’s Rankings

Best Maze Design:

  1. Blumhouse of Horrors
  2. Haunted Play Presents Delusion: The Blood Rite
  3. Trick or Treat (Knott’s Scary Farm)
Best Maze Theme:
  1. Trick or Treat (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  2. Blumhouse of Horrors
  3. La Llorona (HHN Hollywood)
Scariest Maze:
  1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Saw is the Law (HHN Hollywood)
  2. Reign of Terror
  3. Sinister Pointe

Coolest Scene in a Maze:

  1. Blumhouse of Horrors – magician’s quarters
  2. Los Angeles Haunted Hayride: church
  3. Haunted Play Presents Delusion – Blood Rite: hallway/bathroom scene

Best Maze Name:

  1. Pinocchio: Unstrung (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  2. Deadrise (Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor)
  3. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Saw Is the Law (HHN Hollywood)

Best Scare-Actors/Monsters:

  1. The Haunted Play Presents: Delusion – Blood Rite
  2. Blumhouse of Horrors
  3. The Walking Dead: Dead Inside (HHN Hollywood)

Most Improved Maze (compared with  2011):

  1. Uncle Willy’s Slaughterhouse (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  2. Fallout Shelter (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  3. Terror of London (Knott’s Scary Farm)

Best Scare Zone:

  1. Ghost Town (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  2. Klownz (HHN Hollywood)
  3. Toyz (HHN Hollywood)

Most Unique Haunt Experience:

  1. Trapped (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  2. The Haunted Play Presents: Delusion – Blood Rite
  3. Blumhouse of Horrors

Best Value Haunt:

Knott’s Scary Farm

Best Maze of 2012:

Blumhouse of Horrors

Top 2012 Stand Alone Haunt

Blumhouse of Horrors

Top 2012 Theme Park Haunt

Knott’s Scary Farm

Matt E. Horn’s Rankings

Best Maze Design:

  1. Blumhouse of Horrors
  2. Alone (Howl O Scream)
  3. Tie: Dead End (HHN Orlando) & Gothic (HHN Orland0)
Best Maze Theme:
  1. Blumhouse of Horrors
  2. Pinocchio: Unstrung (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  3. Tie: Gothic (HHN Orlando) & Circus of Superstition (Howl O Scream Tampa) 
Scariest Maze:
  1. Gothic (HHN Orlando)
  2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Saw is the Law (HHN Hollywood)
  3. Sinister Pointe

Coolest Scene in a Maze:

  1. Blumhouse of Horrors – Finale magic act on main theater stage
  2. Alone – Stretching steel hallway with machete man (Howl O Scream Tampa)
  3. Gothic – Cathedral balcony overlooking the church (HHN Orlando)

Best Maze Name:

  1. Pinocchio: Unstrung (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  2. Deadrise (Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor)
  3. Times Scare

Best Scare-Actors/Monsters:

  1. Alone (Howl O Scream Tampa)
  2. The Haunted Play Presents: Delusion – Blood Rite
  3. Blumhouse of Horrors

Most Improved Maze (compared with  2011):

  1. Uncle Willy’s Slaughterhouse (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  2. Village of the Damned (Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor)
  3. Fallout Shelter (Knott’s Scary Farm)

Best Scare Zone:

  1. Ghost Town (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  2. Toyz (HHN Hollywood)
  3. Klownz (HHN Hollywood)

Most Unique Haunt Experience:

  1. The Haunted Play Presents: Delusion – Blood Rite
  2. Blumhouse of Horrors
  3. Tie: Alone (Busch Gardens) & Trapped (Knott’s Scary Farm)

Best Value Haunt:

Knott’s Scary Farm

Best Maze of 2012:

Blumhouse of Horrors

Top 2012 Stand Alone Haunt

Blumhouse of Horrors

Top 2012 Theme Park Haunt

Knott’s Scary Farm

Scare Zone’s Worst Rankings

This is where we load up the buried skulls and drive them off to the crematory. Of course, being in the world of horror, we’re aptly aware that not everything will die immediately or forever, but until the sequels here’s our call for the worse of 2012.

Worst Design

  1. All Haunted Hollywood Sports Mazes
  2. Terror Tram: Invaded by The Walking Dead (HHN Hollywood)
  3. Evil Dead (Knott’s Scary Farm)

Worst Theme

  1. All Haunted Hollywood Sports Mazes
  2. Tie: Virus Z (Knott’s Scary Farm) [Matt E. Horn] & Alice Cooper Goes to Hell [M. Leota]
  3. Terror Tram: Invaded by The Walking Dead (HHN Hollywood)

Least Scary Maze

  1. Tie: All-American Armageddon & Cannibal Caverns (Haunted Hollywood Sports)
  2. Penn & Tell New(KD) Vegas (HHN Orlando)
  3. Terror Tram: Invaded by The Walking Dead (HHN Hollywood)

Worse Value

  1. Haunted Hollywood Sports
  2. Haunted Grimm House (Orlando)
  3. Tie: Times Scare & L.A. Haunted Hayride

Worse Haunt of 2012

Haunted Hollywood Sports

2012 Repass

This year we observed that the Haunt industry is rapidly growing with more haunts (good, bad, or worse) opening up all over the country and with Theme Parks extending their haunt offerings and calendars between September and October. There’s also a growing popularity with the general public as we saw, and experienced, some of the biggest crowd attendance at haunts across the country. Haunting is really a   popular world-wide pastime now.

‘Stand Alone Haunts’ really set the bar this year, giving us some of favorite experiences this season. In the Southern California area we were very fortunate to have two very unique, celebrity produced, haunts that really impressed and scared us – Blumhouse of Horrors and Delusion: Blood Rite. Both of these attractions seamlessly combined storytelling, state-of-the-art effects and scares. They were able to give haunt stalkers  something fresh and scary instead of just relying upon the standard haunt formula. Other places like Sinister Pointe and Reign of Terror also expanded their respectively unique haunt experiences; making them some of our highest rated haunts of the year.

For the theme park haunts such as Halloween Horror Nights (both coasts) and Knott’s Scary Farm, it was pretty much business as usual. They are still fun and provide quite a few thrills. However, it seems that this year many of the themes were either commercial tie-ins or recycled/remixed themes. There’s no question that Knott’s has made a nice come back and in our opinion is back on top as the best theme park haunt. Universal still has some of the most elaborate mazes in the business at both of their parks but as an overall Halloween experience Knott’s couldn’t be beat this year. We hope that in the coming years the theme park haunts work to refine and create more original mazes that not only capture our imaginations (and wallets) but continue to push the boundaries of fear.

As we’ve said before, we take haunting and our earned dollars seriously, so we don’t have tolerance for the haunts that are more interested in taking people’s money than putting effort into a quality production. While some of our reviews may seem harsh or scathing we’re doing our best to provide the best information on where to spend your money. We realize that for many, they will only choose 1 or 2 haunts to visit so with more haunts to see we want to help you find the best one.  With that said, there were many high-quality haunts and mazes that didn’t make our top list, but they did offer a great time and good scares such as Howl-O Scream, Then Empty Grave, and Fear’s Gate. We also acknowledge all of the great haunts out there that we didn’t get to this season, like The Haunted Hotel, Coffin Creek, and Eli Roth’s Goretorium just to name a few.

We thank all our fellow Haunt Stalkers and Haunt reviewers for joining us on our 2012 scare-ventures. We appreciate all of you who shared your own experiences and ratings with us this season and throughout the year. We appreciate all your support and engagement with our site, and we look forward to having more scare-ventures together.

Scaringly yours,

M. Leota & Matt E. Horn

Co-Founders & Writers,  Scare Zone

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Florida, Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, Haunt News, Haunt Reviews, Howl-O-Scream, Knott's Scary Farm, New York, Southern California, Terror Tips, Travel Terrors, Trip Report | No Comments »

Haunt Review: Haunted Hollywood Sports

Wednesday, October 10th, 2012

In 2011, Hollywood Sports Park in Bellflower, CA, introduced “Zombie Killhouse,” a one-of-a-kind Halloween experience customized for the paintball and gaming amusement park. This year, the park expands its haunt offerings, becoming Haunted Hollywood Sports (HHS), a Halloween event that spans the entire park, including the “Zombie Killhouse,” another all new killhouse, plus four walk-through Halloween mazes and two scare zones. We always welcome new entrants into the Haunt market, so we included HHS as a last stop of the night of our OC haunt tour, which included visits to Sinister Pointe and The Empty Grave (we know they’re not in the OC, but close enough).

_MG_5878

Unfortunately, our excitement for HHS quickly turned to frustration. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by chaotic parking, ticketing, and security operations. The absurdity of their operational issues included paying $5 to park in the dirt and for some unexplained reason, security was overly adamant about preventing women from bringing perfume into the park (what about guys bringing in cologne?). After taking 30 minutes to buy our tickets, confirming to multiple staff members that we had no perfume, and getting through security, we finally made it inside the park.

We are sympathetic to the challenges faced by first-year haunts. However, we can’t be so forgiving to an established “amusement park,” where the core issues are with its operations. Inside the park, we were faced with dark walkways with no signage or clear directions on where to go. It was like going through a maze just trying to find the attractions. When we did find the mazes, monsters could be found eating at a picnic table near the entrance or the maze could be temporarily closed so the monsters could take their breaks.

From our understanding, the team responsible for the creation of  the haunt overlay is a separate entity from the park management. The effects of the obvious disconnect between the groups leaves the impression that HHS is just trying to siphon haunt dollars from other nearby haunts without providing a quality haunt experience. One of the scariest things about this place is that it costs us only $6 less than Knott’s Scary Farm. However, the mazes are nowhere near the quality of Knott’s, or even some local community center haunts we’ve been to for that matter.

_MG_5880

Sachse Pediatrician

For this review, we won’t torture you by going over each maze, as aside from having different names, it’s nearly impossible to distinguish one maze from the other. The designs of the mazes here are just long walks through the dirty paintball field with a couple of lights, tarps, and fog machines set up for good measure (Terror Tip: Don’t wear your best clothes here, and if you have dust allergies, stay away!). They also have a couple standard animatronic props that you can pick up from any local Halloween store. The scare tactics were lacking, and we did see a lot of good hiding places and opportunities for scares, but the monsters just weren’t there. We can’t be overly critical of the monsters and staff, as they were obviously working hard and trying their best to make the most of their abysmal settings. In some of the mazes, we encountered some of the most enthusiastic monsters we’ve seen this season. Sadly, the overall environment at HHS takes away from these ghouls’ ability to really be scary.

After waiting in line (if you do go and buy a front-of-the-line pass, good luck finding the FOL entrance) and walking through the dirt for more than an hour, we had no interest in paying an addition $20 to go in the Killhouses. We imagine they’re just like the mazes except you get to shoot a paintball gun at the poor and probably underpaid monsters while you walk through the dirt. We did go to check out their Club Crimson, which according to their website and ticket booth -isn’t included with general admissions but it is included with paid admission? WTF? Nonetheless, we figured out if you’re over 21 you can get in with paid admission. Once inside, sadly, there’s nothing to see here either. It’s just a makeshift bar set up selling cheap beer, wine, and bottom-shelf alcohol.

_MG_5887

Ray Ban Glasses

We think there could be some potential for HHS, but we aren’t sure that the park’s management has the commitment to sustain or improve the haunt offerings in years to come. With so many equally priced and higher-quality first-time haunts arriving in Southern California, we just can’t recommend that our Haunt Stalkers pay their hard-earned haunt dollars here. For the talent working there, when we last checked, Knott’s was still hiring!

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: Buried Skull
  • Theming: Buried skull
  • Scare Factor: Cracked (1/2) skull
  • Fright Value: Buried Skull

Overall Rating for Haunted Hollywood Sports: Buried Skull

Click here to read about our rating system

Tags: , ,
Posted in Haunt Reviews, Southern California, Terror Tips | 5 Comments »

What Scares You? A Breakdown of Common Haunt Themes

Tuesday, October 9th, 2012

As we venture through another season of haunts, we’re enjoying our time attending all the usual big-name, theme park attractions as well as some smaller operations. After many years of being chased by clowns with chainsaws, horror movie killers, vampires in billowy gowns, and of course countless zombies , we’ve come to expect encounters every year with some of the same haunt archetypes. The fact that these themes reappear year after year seems to indicate that they’re the most popular and probably most scary to the public. Here, we break down these common themes and list a few of the current incarnations.

And we ask you: Which of these themes scares you the most?

Vampires

Vampires have been a popular haunt theme for many years. Vampire mazes usually have elaborate sets, lush soundtracks, and scareactors who love to play up the drama. In our opinion, most haunts focus too much on the sets and drama and don’t provide enough menace to their vampires (and we pray never to see a Twilight-based maze). This year Knott’s Scary resurrects some narcissistic nocturnal blood suckers with their revamped Dominion of the Dead.

Current mazes: Flesh They Crave (Headless Horseman), Castle Vampyre (Freakling Bros.), Bitten (Howl-O-Scream Williamsburg), Club Blood (Cedar Fair Parks), Dominion of the Dead(Knott’s Scary Farm)

Post-apocalyptic Nightmare Scenarios

The post-apocalyptic maze is usually filled with a lot of fog, a deafening soundtrack of industrial or metal tracks, zombie-like scareactors in tattered clothes, graffiti-splattered walls, and the occasional overturned car with a corpse inside. Oh, and don’t forget the metal barrels. We wonder where all the metal barrels will come from after the apocalypse, but in a maze, they make a great hiding place for monsters. This theme has been a favorite at Knott’s Scary Farm for many years.

Current mazes: Endgames: Warriors of the Apocalpyse and Fallout Shelter (Knott’s Scary Farm),

Horror Movie Killers

Another classic theme. Horror movie mazes are popular because their killers are instantly recognizable by the guests, which gives any scareactor in a killer’s mask a built-in terror factor. HHN Hollywood has built their entire event around the movie theme. However, there are only so many iconic killers, and HHN might be running out of icons they can choose from. We’re already seeing a change in direction at HHN Hollywood which has started to include a some original mazes to their lineup. This year the killers also seem to be rather absent and harder to find than they were in years past.

Current mazes: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Halloween Horror Nights)

Ghosts and Apparitions

This is a hard theme to pull off in a maze. Effective ghost scares rely on a very precise build up of suspense. Ghosts are usually ethereal and elusive, and how do you turn that into a scare? For this reason, we don’t see many of these haunts, and the most effective have been at Halloween Horror Nights.

Current mazes: Dead End (HHN Orlando), La Llorona (Halloween Horror Nights), Headless Horseman (NY), Main Street Hotel (Hong Kong Disneyland)

Zombies

It’s sometimes hard to tell the difference between a post-apocalyptic maze and a zombie maze. The two themes go hand in hand. All things zombie have been very popular for the past several years. This is often a low-budget maze theme because all you need is some makeup and tattered clothes—and voila—you have a zombie! As with vampires, we usually don’t find the zombie mazes to be too scary. Zombies are usually portrayed as slow-moving, drooling creatures. Haunts should consider putting a new spin on their zombie mazes if they want to keep the theme interesting.

Current mazes: The Walking Dead (Halloween Horror Nights) Zombie Mortuary (Howl O Scream Tampa), The Uprising (Fear Overload), Zombie Manor (Texas), Pittsburgh Zombies (Pittsburgh Scarehouse), Zombieland (13th Floor, Phoenix), Virus Z (Knott’s), Ward of the Dead  (Fright Dome)

Slaughterhouse (often paired with hillbillies and cannibalism)

People must really be afraid of being cannibalized, because this is a theme that won’t die. These mazes are gory and disgusting, often including scents of rotting meat and sprays of blood as you walk past a gruesome scene of dismemberment.

Current mazes: Uncle Willy’s Slaughterhouse (Knott’s Scary Farm), Glutton’s Slaughterhouse (Headless Horseman), Slaughterhouse (Scream World, Texas), Hillbilly Hell (Fright Dome, Las Vegas), Blood Shed (Worlds of Fun)

Clowns and Circus

The technical term for fear of clowns is coulrophobia, and haunts love to exploit this common terror. Clown mazes often have a lot of black light and warped and demented soundtracks. These mazes can be fun or terrifying, depending on your personal fears.

Current mazes: Uncle Bobo’s Big Top of the Bizarre (Knott’s), Circus of Superstition 3-D (Howl-O-Scream Tampa), The Forsaken (Pittsburgh Scarehouse)

 

Haunted Mansions

We love a good haunted mansion, and yet this theme can fall flat if not done right. The best haunted mansions are usually put on by smaller haunts with a crew dedicated to extreme detail (for example, Reign of Terror).

Current Mazes: Willoughby’s Resurrected (Six Flags Magic Mountain Fright Fest), Dark Manor (Connecticut), G. A. Boeckling’s Eerie Estate (Cedar Point), Reign of Terror, CA, Netherworld (GA)

 

Insane Asylum

Maybe they are insensitive to those with mental illness, but insane asylums are always creepy and scary. The frenetic and unpredictable nature of the scareactors and the dank sets combine to create that uncomfortable feeling that puts you on edge.

Current mazes: The Asylum (Reign of Terror, CA), Terror Behind the Walls (PA), Mangler Asylum (Valley Fair), The Asylum Haunted House (CO)

Pirates/Natical Haunts

This is one of the newest themes, and the number of pirate mazes has jumped considerably since the Pirates of the Caribbean movies hit theaters. Of course, Pirates of Emerson in California is the original pirate maze, but other haunts are getting creative and coming up with some interesting takes on the theme.

Current mazes: Pirates of Emerson, Ghost Ship, USS Nightmare, Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor, Pirates’ Revenge (Jason’s Woods), Carnage at Crimson Isle (Valley Scare)

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Haunt Profiles, Terror Tips | 3 Comments »

Haunt Review: Knott’s Scary Farm 40th Haunt

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012

For the past few years, we’ve been “a little critical” of Knott’s Scary Farm, which seemed to be falling behind as newer and more innovative haunts have populated the Southern California area. However, this year, there’s no mistaking that the venerable Haunt is back and ready to prove that there’s still more to fear inside the Scary Farm. We won’t call it a comeback because they’ve been haunting for 40 years, but this year Knott’s Scary Farm presents one of the most fun, nostalgic, and most importantly, scary Halloween Haunts we’ve experienced there in years.

In addition to being Knott’s 40th, this year marked the 20th anniversary of when the Scare Zone crew started haunt stalking together, and Knott’s was the first haunt we went to, beginning our obsession. So, on this trip, we went with a sense of nostalgia, reminiscing about mazes such as Uncle Ernie’s Madhouse, Lair of the Vampire, Terror Mountain, Toxichem, and Mother Noose’s Scary Tales, all of which  frightened us and haunted our imaginations.

Knott’s Scary Farm 1992 Map

Looking back to 1992, admission cost us $28, they had 8 mazes and attractions, Elvira was headlining her own show (“Red, White, and Boo Revue”), and Haunt ran for “only” 11 nights.  Now, 20 years later, admission “only” cost us $36 (Sunday night early in the season), they have 13 mazes, 3 scare zones, and Magician Ed Alonzo is the headliner.

To further help us reminisce, this year also features the 40th haunt Museum which offers a satisfying tribute to Haunt for the fans. Inside, there’s pictures and memorabilia highlighting some of haunt’s most memorable and scare-breaking moments. We were lucky enough to stop in during a signing by Ted Dougherty of his new book, Knott’s Scary Farm Halloween Haunt: A Picture History. As a side note, this book is must have for all Haunt Fans as it includes accounts and pictures from all the mazes, monsters and shows from Scary Farm’s 40 years.

Another cool addition for 2012 is an opening “scare-amony” featuring the Green Witch just outside the Haunt front gates. Because we followed our terror tips and arrived early, we were there to see the Green Witch rise up out of the fog and curse us all before the gates opened. It was really cool and prepared us for the new “theatrical” tone Haunt has adopted this year.

After the exciting opening act we ventured into the Scary Farm for the 20th time…

NEW MAZES

We do our best not to spoil the mazes for those who’ve yet to experience them, so we won’t provide scare-by-scare reviews, but we will share highlights and our overall opinions from our own experiences in the mazes.

Trick Or Treat

It’s strange when you think about it, but mazes themed to the actual holiday of Halloween are pretty rare. So we were very excited when the theme of this maze was revealed earlier this summer. And it did not disappoint: This maze was chock full of Halloween spirit.

The maze begins at the front door of the Green Witch’s house, where we were told to ring the doorbell and yell “Trick or Treat!” The door opens, and the Green Witch is there to greet us. Jack-O-Lanterns line the staircase, and the front rooms have special ghostly effects. The maze has a “haunted mansion” feel to it, and the Tricksters show up in various rooms along the way. You may recognize many of the sets from 13 Axe Murder Manor, but they fit in very well with the new theme.

This maze was much more theatrical than any other maze at Haunt. The Green Witch is a true character, and the Tricksters stop you in the end scene so you can be cursed by the Witch herself. Overall, the scares were a little weak, but we loved the atmosphere and story line.

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 5 skulls
  • Theming: 5 skulls
  • Scare Factor: 3 skulls
  • Overall Rating: 4.5 skulls

Pinocchio: Unstrung

He has no strings to hold him down, so you better watch out… This maze is on a new level for Knott’s Scary Farm. This is the kind of maze we’ve been screaming for, no lie! It has beautifully detailed sets, a full and understandable story line, and some new scare tactics. Past haunters will notice that the layout is the same as the former Doll Factory and there’s the similar scene of marionette girls moving in an disjointed fashion; however, the rest of the maze is an entirely new experience. The entire setting feels like walking through a bloody, after hours, version of Disneyland’s Pinocchio ride.

Just as Mother Noose’s Scary Tales did 20 years ago, Pinocchio successfully twists the popular children’s story in a way that makes its feel as if we were trapped inside a dark storybook nightmare. What’s unsettling about the maze is how the once innocent characters are now placed into scenes of distress, gore, and horror. It’s rather tragic to see Gepetto, Stromboli, and the Blue Fairy meet their fates at the hands of a torturous wooden puppet who instead of becoming a real boy now wants to be a real killer.

This maze is not to be missed. We think it’s an instant Haunt classic. You really should go through it at least twice, in order to be able to fully take in all the scenes and first-class set and prop designs. We look forward to being terrorized by Pinocchio in the years to come.

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 5 skulls
  • Theming: 5 skulls
  • Scare Factor: 4 skulls 
  • Overall Rating: 4.5 skulls

Dominion of the Dead

After the demise of Club Blood and a brief respite from vampire mazes, Knott’s has brought back this “beloved” maze from the 90s. Unfortunately, we have fonder memories of 1992′s Lair of the Vampire. This maze has nothing fresh to offer, and the concept is as dead and tired as the fiddle-playing vampires lazily wandering around the halls inside.

This maze has all the old cliches about vampires: frilly shirts with ruffles, dying flowers in fancy vases, decadent furniture covered in velvet, paintings of vampires lying around on said furniture, etc., etc. The vampires stand around playing string instruments that are partly composed of human body parts. Before Haunt opened, we kept hearing how “detailed” this maze was going to be. However, it did not live up to this hype. Many of the walls were bare, with only a couple of vampire paintings thrown on for scenery.

If you’re a 12-year-old who loves Anne Rice novels or Twilight, this maze is probably for you. For the rest of us, it’s a boring trek through scenes we’ve experienced countless times in other vampire mazes.

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 2.5 skulls
  • Theming: 3 skulls
  • Scare Factor: 1 skull
  • Overall Rating: 2 skulls

The Evil Dead

Twenty years ago, the Timber Mountain Log ride was transformed into Terror Mountain. The mountain was filled with monsters and scenes of carnage throughout. It was a very scary ride as riders felt vulnerable sitting the the open logs with monsters attacking from every direction. In recent years, the log ride hasn’t been nearly as scary. You could count all of the monsters on one hand, and the haunt props were scarce. Early in the year, we had heard that the ride wasn’t getting a haunt layover; however, at the end of the summer, there was a surprise announcement that it was being themed as The Evil Dead for haunt.

We were excited to see the Evil Dead being featured at Knott’s, and believed the log ride was the perfect setting for this theme. To our disappointment, this ride ended up not featuring much in terms of a haunt layover. There was a slight increase in the number of monsters and a few new props such as the infamous “Book of the Dead.” But it’s obvious that the CAL-OSHA crackdown on monsters being stationed along the flume and management’s push to keep haunt from interfering with the experience of day-time guests have taken their toll. Outside of the soundtrack and a few nods to some iconic scenes in the movie, the ride really could of been any haunted cabin in the woods type of theme. It also didn’t have any kind of consistent story line as they just made the scenes fit wherever they could along the flume and in the mountain.

Furthermore, we were a little disappointed that this ride wasn’t really based on the classic Evil Dead movies. Instead, it promoted the upcoming 2013 remake. It really seems that this was a last-minute addition made to secure some sponsorship dollars. We still like think the log ride is a fun attraction–just don’t go on it expecting an intense or elaborate haunt experience  We also recommend that you get on it early in the evening before the lines get too long.

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design:2 
  • Theming: 2
  • Scare Factor: 2
  • Overall Rating:2

Trapped

This was Knott’s first VIP/up-charge maze and a complete departure from their standard conga-line maze format. This maze costs $60 (for up to 6 people) and requires a reservation in advance. When we arrived at our reservation time, we were asked to read and sign a waiver. After we signed, we were ushered into a holding room, where we received more warnings from a personable hostess. We really didn’t know what to expect from this new “experience,” so we were a bit nervous.

Of course, we’re not actually going to tell you what goes on inside; after all, if you’re going to pay $60, you should get the full experience and be surprised. We can tell you that you’ll have to solve puzzles to progress through the maze, and there will be some uncomfortable experiences along the way. The actors inside are much different from other actors in the regular mazes: they are playing actual speaking roles and do a great job of staying in character as they interact with you. They’re there to help you figure out what to do in order to move onto the next room. Some of the puzzles were harder to solve than others, but the whole experience ended up taking us only 15 minutes to get through. Unfortunately, we didn’t find it to be very scary, but it was a very fun experience. We wished it were just a tiny bit longer–maybe just 2 more rooms would’ve made the $60 seem a bit more of a value. Nevertheless, we applaud their innovation with this concept and really hope they bring this back next year.

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 4 skulls
  • Theming: 3.5 skulls
  • Scare Factor: 3.5 skulls
  • Overall Rating: 3.5 skulls

RETURNING MAZES

Delirium

Back for its second year, Delirium is an indirect sequel to the past Asylum mazes, where now we’re going inside the mind of one of the demented patients. The entrance is amazingly elaborate where we have to enter the “mouth of madness” and then pass through the stomach of the bloody beast.  This opening scene features enlarged animated eyes, teeth and claws reaching for you, and it really draws you into Delirium’s nightmarish dimensions.

Once inside, we encountered many disturbing scenes, which included people spewing cockroaches, monstrously large flesh-eating maggots, and hideously bloody monsters hiding under the beds. This maze also featured some of most interesting lighting effects and props.

Delirium was once again one of the better mazes at Haunt. We love the nightmare/dementia theme that gets progressively more twisted as the maze progresses. This one will likely be around for a few more years, so we hope they can change up or add a few more scenes next year.

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 4 skulls
  • Theming: 4 skulls
  • Scare Factor: 4 skulls
  • Overall Rating: 4 skulls

 Terror of London

This maze has a good mix of monsters who are there to scare and those who’s presence is simply to add to the eerie atmosphere. Our favorite moment was in the outdoor graveyard where we encountered a surprisingly new and loud scare.  We liked the extended brothel and sewer scenes. And per our review last year, we like that in the final scene they switched out the Dr. Frankenstein laboratory for a dark and bloody torture chamber, which better fits with the proceeding scenes. We believe that maze may have a couple more years of “death” left in it at KSF.

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 4 Skulls
  • Theming: 4 Skulls
  • Scare Factor: 2.5 Skulls
  • Overall Rating:3.5 Skulls

Uncle Willy’s Slaughterhouse

Last year, our review of Slaughterhouse had this advice: “If Knott’s decides to continue Farmer Willy’s mayhem, which they probably will, they should redesign the layout, improve the lighting effects and props, and bring in more real-life victims.” This year, Knott’s has completely fulfilled all our requests. This maze was totally redesigned, and even though it’s shorter than before, we feel that it’s a vast improvement on an old theme. The maze has a much darker tone, and although the opening scene in the diner is a bit comical, the laughs end there. Inside the “Slaughterhouse” portion of the maze, the sets and actors are much more menacing than in previous years, and the monsters were able to scare us many times. Overall, this maze was one of the highlights of our night as it reminded us of another Scary Farm uncle named Ernie, who terrorized us 20 years ago.

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 4.5 skulls
  • Theming: 4.5 skulls
  • Scare Factor: 4.5 skulls
  • Overall Rating: 4.5 skulls

Dia De Los Muertos in 3D

This maze has been changed a bit this year, although the changes are not very major. They did add some street scenes with a more enclosed feeling, but unfortunately the monsters (and hence scares) were once again absent. For most fans, this is one of the least favorite mazes of Haunt, and nothing much has improved in 2012. The colors and 3D effects are interesting, and there are also some very cool looking scenes, like the church, graveyard, Amazon jungle, and Aztec sacrifice temple. However, there’s just something about this maze that prevents the monsters from ever really scaring anyone. We hope the Dead can rest next year and something new can take the place of this maze.

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 2.5 Skulls 
  • Theming: 3.5 Skulls
  • Scare Factor: 1 Skull
  • Overall Rating: 2 Skulls

Uncle Bobo’s Big Top of the Bizarre in 3D

It’s time for Uncle Bobo to pack up his Big Top and move onto the next town! This maze has worn out its welcome.  There have been a few changes since last year, but nothing worth writing about. As the years go on, Uncle Bobo’s has become almost entirely overtaken by toilet humor. We didn’t think they could put MORE flatulence and excrement into this maze, but it appears they have. It seems the clowns have completely given up on attempting to scare anyone and now merely shake their asses in sync with the farting soundtrack all night. Please, Knott’s, we beg you to flush this one!

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 2 skulls
  • Theming: 2 skulls
  • Scare Factor: 1 skull
  • Overall Rating: 1.5  skulls

Virus Z (Featuring Carrie)

When this maze debuted in 2010, it was notable for its more elaborate sets and the sense of place it created. The maze had a coherent story, and it lacked the black walls and empty spaces that filled some of Knott’s other mazes. Creating more detailed and interesting mazes has been Knott’s new direction for the past few years (most likely in response to competition from Halloween Horror Nights), and we love to see them taking that route. And that is why we were completely baffled by the half-assed tie-in with the Carrie remake they tacked on at the very end of this maze.

We have no idea why or how Carrie White has come to be in a town infected with a zombie-creating virus in the 1960s. They did attempt to expand the school scenes to perhaps create more of a flow with the Carrie story, but it just doesn’t work. It’s so obviously a marketing gimmick–and for that reason it distracts from an otherwise interesting maze. Whoever came up with this lame promotional deal should have a bucket of pig’s blood dumped on his head.

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 3 skulls
  • Theming: 1 skull (for nonsensical Carrie tie-in)
  • Scare Factor: 3 skulls
  • Overall Rating: 2.5 skulls

Fallout Shelter

This maze bares some resemblance to the 1992 Toxichem maze, which featured radiated and toxic mutant monsters. There was a slight improvement to this maze over last year’s version. Once again, we were the only ones inside, so we received the monsters’ full attention. This maze does have some extraordinary animatronic props, and it’s very claustrophobic in sections. The problem with Fallout Shelter is that the story isn’t coherent and the theme is hard to get. In addition, it’s considered a 3D maze, but the 3D effects are minimal, so it’s hard to tell if there was anything that was really supposed to be in 3D. If anything, the 3D glasses merely cause a sense of disorientation, which makes everything a bit fuzzy and actually does contribute to the fear. But if this maze does return next year, we’d like to see some more props and a bit more 3D effects.

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 4 Skulls
  • Theming: 3.5 Skulls
  • Scare Factor: 4 Skulls
  • Overall Rating: 4 Skulls

Endgames: Warriors of the Apocalypse  

A new maze for 2011, Endgames was inspired (loosely) by the Hunger Games book series. Most of the maze has a standard post-apocalyptic, industrial feel with a bit of gore mixed in, but the twist to this maze is the addition of video screens throughout. The screens show live feeds of people walking through other parts of the mazes, which would be a great way to heighten the suspense…if those other people were getting scared. Crowds were light on the night we attended, so there wasn’t much action on the video screens. The feed is also streamed live on the Internet, but the live feed is filled with commercials, so if you have friends watching for you in the maze, they might miss you. But we do appreciate the addition of the interactive video effect. We see some potential in this maze as the years progress. Overall, we didn’t find it to be too scary, but the sets were pretty detailed and interesting.

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 4 Skulls
  • Theming: 3 Skulls
  • Scare Factor: 1 Skulls
  • Overall Rating: 2.5 Skulls

SCARE ZONES

Ghost Town: This is a Knott’s classic, and after 20 years, walking through the fog-filled streets doesn’t stop being a nerve-wracking  good time!

  • Scare Factor: 5 Skulls

Carnevil: Some disturbing antics from the Crazy Killer Clowns who are on the loose in the streets. These guys are fun and not very scary, but they are engaging with guests and full of pranks. These are also some of the biggest hams and will eagerly pose for your pictures.

  • Scare Factor: 1.5 Skulls

The Necropols: This is scare zone features Victorian Steampunk vampires in the most elaborate costumes of all the scare zones. Due to changes in Knott’s haunt operating policies the settings in this area were more sparse but the the monsters were still aggressively scary. They were even scaring people who dared to look down to text or who were walking out of the bathrooms (then having to go back in).

  • Scare Factor: 4 Skulls

Calico Mine Train – Curse of the Green Witch: This isn’t a scare zone, and it’s not a maze/attraction…we don’t really know where to classify this one. It didn’t even make it onto the park map this year, and we heard that there were no effects in the ride on opening weekend. However, we were glad to see that they have added a few Haunt elements to this attraction. Similar to the log ride, recent regulations from CAL-OSHA have now prevented actors from working in this attraction, so everything inside is just props or special effects. As you proceed through the ride, the driver of the mine cart tells the story of how the Green Witch was exiled from the town of Timber Mountain and took up residence inside the mine, where she cast her spell over the miners to do her bidding. The animatronic miners wear strange masks (e.g., a bunny mask, a bird mask), and there are a couple of Green Witch and skeleton props as well. The open cavern scene includes the return of the spinning ghosts and a pretty cool shadow effect of the Green Witch. While it’s sad that the Calico Mine Train, which housed some of the scariest mazes in years long past, will no longer be able to contain live actors, we’re glad that Knott’s still did something with this ride. And the story tie-in with the Green Witch was actually pretty cool. We recommend checking this out if the line is short.

  • Scare Factor: 1 skull

REPASS

There’s no question that Knott’s is still the “worlds largest and scariest Halloween party.” What differentiates Knott’s from Universal is that it creates a complete feeling of Halloween throughout the park. Where else can you actually get a mask and go trick or treating inside the haunt? They also offer the most variety of themes, shows, and attractions, where you’ll find everything from traditional Halloween ghouls to modern-day, adrenaline-pumping blood and gore, and everything in between.

This year, we may have been more nostalgic, but we can honestly say that we found the mazes to be scarier and more elaborate. There’s still some improvements that can be made, but Knott’s Scary Farm really is a cultural phenomenon, and we’re glad to see it coming back with a vengeance to retain its crown as the granddaddy of all haunts. There’s no longer a question that they’ll continue to reign over Halloween for 40 more years and beyond.

 Knott’s Scary Farm Fright Value: 5 Skulls 

Overall Rating of Knott’s Scary Farm 2012: 4.5 Skulls

Check our ratings guide for further details

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Haunt Reviews, Knott's Scary Farm, Southern California, Terror Tips | No Comments »

Haunt Review: Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood 2012

Tuesday, September 25th, 2012

 

There’s no question that over the past 6 years, Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) at Universal Studios Hollywood has become one of the premiere haunts in Southern California and some would argue the U.S. Now, in 2012, it’s obvious that this popular haunt has definitely found its groove, with guests returning in chaotic masses to experience the elaborate mazes based on Hollywood’s top movie franchises and names in horror. Being located in a movie studio, Universal’s advantage over the others has always been its direct access to top-level production sets, state-of-the-art effects, and (scare)actors.

Previously, the mazes at HHN were tied only to movies, but now there’s a broader showcase of “Hollywood Horrors,” with mazes based on TV shows, video games turned movies, and classic horror rockers. Last year, one of our favorite mazes ended up being the non–movie-based ones such as La Llorona and Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare.  This year, we were looking forward to experiencing new and terrifying mazes; however, going in, we couldn’t help but feel that there was a certain lack of authenticity with the announced maze themes that proactively featured “tune-in” messages and promoted “premiere dates.” Nonetheless, we were still excited to go and went with high hopes to once again have HHN surprise and scare the crap out of us.

Usually we wait for the second or third weekend to attend HHN to allow them some time to work out all their scares, but since we have a very full haunt-stalking agenda this season (including a trip to HHN Orlando), we went opening weekend — which we don’t really recommend. Fortunately, we know what to expect and how to navigate the insane crowds, which perhaps this year should be called “The Walking Alive.” Of course, to survive the night, we had Front of the Line (FOL) passes (we can’t say enough how much they’re worth it), and we followed our own Terror Tips, starting with the new mazes in the front of the park first. This worked well as we were able to get through the first three mazes without using our passes, guaranteeing a few repeat visits later in the night.

We hit the new upper lot mazes first, The Walking Dead and Alice Cooper Goes to Hell, before descending to the lower lot to experience Silent Hill and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. We then took some time to ride the new Transformers ride (awesome), Jurassic Park in the Dark, and Revenge of the Mummy. After a second trip through Silent Hill, we went back to the upper lot to experience The Terror Tram, La Llorona, and repeat visits of The Walking Dead and Alice Cooper. We then wandered through the scare zones and finished the night with Universal Monsters Remix.

Now, here’s our full review of HHN Hollywood. We do our best not to spoil the mazes for those who’ve yet to experience them, so we won’t provide scare-by-scare reviews, but we will share highlights and our overall opinions from our own experiences in the mazes. Also, having been to HHN multiple times over the past few years, we are aware that we may have some very high expectations. Therefore, to maintain a fresh perspective, we invited some “HHN virgins” to join us and help rate the mazes. For our reviews, we’ll also include a special rating from our HHN Virgins (*note that the “Overall Rating” excludes the HHN Virgin rating).

Check our ratings guide for further details.

MAZES

The Walking Dead: Dead Inside

We think “Season Premiere, Sunday, Oct 14th on AMC” is also a part of the title. This is one of the mazes that blatantly promotes the property it’s based on with tune-in messaging plastered all over the maps, signage, and just about everywhere else. We’re surprised they didn’t have a room with “OCT 14th” painted all over the walls. The maze is set up to take victims through the post-apocalyptic world of the The Walking Dead television series, where we follow in the footsteps of the show’s human survivors, making our way from the devastated suburban hospital, through the streets of Atlanta, to the remote countryside, where we then make the bad decision to seek refuge in the barn. For fans of the series, there were some recognizable scenes and characters, including the “bicycle lady” and the “God forgive us” victims. The makeup on the scareactors was impeccable, and given how hot it was this night, we really give credit to the scareactors who kept their energy up in this maze. Some of the set pieces were cool but not specifically unique, and of course we noticed that a few set pieces were redressed from previous mazes such as The Thing and Friday the 13th, but we can’t hold that against them.  There were a few good scares in this maze, which used Universal’s signature “strobe-and-sound startle” scare effect. The effect did seem to be overused in this maze, and after the third scare, the effect started to become redundant and predictable. It seemed as if they were relying on it too heavily, with most of the scares in this maze really being the typical monster popping out of a dark corner. The finale scene of the maze wasn’t necessarily scary but still one of the most climactic of all the mazes and a nice showcase of HHN’s makeup and scareactor talent.

 

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 3.5 skulls
  • Theming: 4 skulls
  • Scare Factor: 2.5 skulls
  • HHN Virgin Rating: 5 skulls

Overall Rating*: 3.5 skulls  

Alice Cooper Goes to Hell 3D

Last year’s Alice Cooper’s Welcome to My Nightmare maze was a surprise hit for us. This year, Alice takes us through the mythical levels of Hell themed to the 7 deadly sins. We found Alice’s nightmares to be far scarier than his Hell. As we expected, this maze really was a combination of Rob Zombie’s House of 1,000 Corpses and last year’s Alice Cooper maze. To us, this maze suffered from having too many scenes with scareactors acting out the deadly sins and too few actual surprise scares. There were also a lot of rooms where nothing happens at all. We went through the maze two times, and both times there were a lot of “dead spots” in the maze, such as a room with some dead twigs…yes, a room with dead twigs. Conversely, this maze did have one of the most fantastic 3D sets we’ve seen at a haunt, and it seems HHN has perfected the art of the 3D haunt maze. From a visual perspective, this maze is worth seeing, but you most likely won’t get very scared, which for us is always a disappointment. We also feel bad for those who end up waiting over an hour to get inside.

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 3.5 skulls
  • Theming: 2.5 skulls
  • Scare Factor: 1 skulls
  • HHN Virgin Rating: 4 skulls

Overall Rating*: 2 skulls 

Welcome to Silent Hill

 

Being fans of the games, we went in with very high expectations for this maze as the story, settings, and characters lend themselves well to a terrifying maze. In fact, a few years ago, we went through a very frightening Silent Hill maze at Sinister Pointe. The HHN version was a solid maze, but we probably went in with even higher expectations than it delivered (I know, we’re hard to please). The maze begins by crossing through the portal of pain from Fog World to Otherworld, into the forsaken town of Silent Hill. There were some very elaborate effects featured in the maze, such as see-through walls with disappearing figures. We also were attacked by colossal Pyramid Head executioners and the disfigured nurses who were superbly acted out. One scene perfectly re-creates navigating past the blind but sound-seeking nurses who are aimlessly swiping their knives at you. There is also an appearance by the Bogeyman, who threateningly appears smashing his murderous hammer at us, and of course Robbie the Rabbit. There were some interesting special effects used, such as the flashlight effect, and it seems they got carried away using the sh!t smell effect. Our biggest criticism of this maze was the fact that it felt as if they just repeated a few scenes over and over. Almost as if we were stuck on the same level in the game. With that said, Silent Hill did deliver with some very surprising and nerve-wracking scares.

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 3 skulls
  • Theming: 3.5 skulls
  • Scare Factor: 4 skulls
  • HHN Virgin Rating: 5 skulls

Overall Rating*: 3.5 skulls 

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Saw is the Law

Now leave it to an old horror icon to really bring the terror! This maze was one the best HHN offerings this year. There’s been a few years of silence on the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot, but now the buzz is back. Many of you will remember in ’07 and ’08, HHN featured a Texas Chainsaw Massacre maze based on the 2003 remake. This version takes us back to the original 1974 Tobe Hopper classic. Inside you’ll find the entire Sawyer family, including Leatherface, Old Man, The Hitchhiker, and Grandpa. We also get to see Leatherface wearing his different grotesque human masks. This maze keeps up a frenetic pace, with scareactors attacking nonstop. Not only do they appear, they chase you as well!  The scenes fall in sequence with the movie, and overall, the maze was a very fitting tribute to the movie. One scene we didn’t see, or maybe missed, was the girl being placed on the meat hook. Nonetheless, we all left this maze out of breath and delighted to have experienced and survived it! Now that we have a maze based on an original Tobe Hooper movie, we can only hope that 2013 will bring us a maze based on his other horror classic movie, The Funhouse.

Ratings: 

  • Haunt Design: 4.5 skulls
  • Theming: 4.5 skulls
  • Scare Factor: 4.5 skulls
  • HHN Virgin Rating: 4 skulls

Overall Rating*: 4.5 skulls 

La Llorona: La Cazadora de los Niños (The Child Hunter)

Last year, the La Llorona maze was terrifying. It tells a haunting, dark story of the Mexican woman who drowns her children to be with a rich man, who then rejects her. While it isn’t based on a movie, it’s like being in one. Just as it was last year, the set design of this maze was really beautiful. It really transports you to another place and time. The maze takes you through a church and into the village, where you enter Maria’s home and even see the lake where the children lay drowned. Given that it’s the second year of this maze, we somewhat knew what to expect with the scares, but we were still caught off guard with some scareactors hiding in unpredictable locations and props that surprisingly lunged to life.  There were also a few updates with giant La Llorona animatronics and slightly more grotesque scenery. It seems this year La Llorona was angrier and consistently scary.

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 5 skulls
  • Theming: 5 skulls
  • Scare Factor: 4 skulls
  • HHN Virgin Rating: 4 skulls

Overall Rating*: 4.5 skulls 

Universal Monsters Remix

Terror Tip: Walk right past this maze when you get in the gates and find something better to start off with. This maze will have no line later on in the evening

We really hated the idea of this theme when we first heard about it, but it turned out not to be as bad as we anticipated (but it still wasn’t great). The maze is still nothing more than an overlay of the House of Horrors, which this year meant dubstep versions of the classic horror theme music being played throughout the maze (the mix of the Psycho theme was pretty cool). Inside you’ll still find the usual Phantom of the Opera, Wolfman, vampires, and Chucky scareactors. The maze’s main Frankenstein laboratory room featured what looked like dancing Lily Munsters moving under colorful strobe lights and a DJ Frankenstein. Due to the “club” lighting, it’s very hard for the scareactors to hide, and the scares in this maze are also predictable with monster’s popping out of a corner. Our HHN virgins weren’t particularly impressed or scared by this maze, but they still gave it 3 skulls for the music – lol.

Ratings:  

  • Haunt Design: 2 skulls
  • Theming: 1.5 skulls
  • Scare Factor: 1.5 skulls
  • HHN Virgin Rating: 3 skulls 

Overall Rating*: 1.5 skulls  

Terror Tram: Invaded by The Walking Dead

The Zombie Apocalypse that started in Atlanta, Georgia, has spread to the West Coast, and now the famous Universal backlot is teeming with hordes of “Walkers.” However, the real “Walkers” are us, as we stumble through a giant crowd of people and climb up the dark and very dusty “terror trail,” which really just feels like you’re in line to get back on the tram. One of our HHN Virgins asked if this were the Jenny Craig Workout maze!

Over the years, for repeat haunt stalkers like us, the Terror Tram has become a flatlined attraction. The one exception may have been in 2009, when they first expanded the layout with the Halloween (Michael Myers) and My Bloody Valentine overlays. Despite having different themes, the Terror Tram always ends up being the exact same experience year after year. Instead of Chucky or Ghostface, this year we have zombies roaming around the Bates Motel, the backlot hillside, and the War of the Worlds set.  They did add the novelty of being able to take a photo with Norman Bates in front of the Psycho House, but it is just another 10+ minute line to stand in, and in previous years we found it easy to take a quick picture without this formal setup.

On the actual tram, we also “get to” watch commercials for the new season of show, premiering on Sunday Oct. 14th (in case you’ve forgotten) as you ride to and from the backlot. We recommend saving the Terror Tram for one of the last things you do aside from Universal’s Monster Remix, but do keep in mind it closes earlier on Thursday and Sunday nights. And if you’re running out of time, this could be one attraction to skip altogether.

Ratings:   

  • Haunt Design: 1 skull
  • Theming: 1 skull
  • Scare Factor: 1 skulls
  • HHN Virgin Rating: 4 skulls

 Overall Rating*: 1 skull  

SCARE ZONES

It kind of seems as if the HHN Scare Zones were an afterthought this year, as none of them were particularly memorable or scary. The Klownz scare zone always kicks things off during the opening “scare-amonies” and concludes the night with the traditional “chainsaw chase out.” The Toyz scare zone was the scariest as it was filled with dense fog, dim lighting, and a horde of monsters lurking about.  The Witches were not scary at all, as the scareactors spent more time doing curtseys and posing, but some of the costuming was interesting. Finally, Silent Hill was barely a scare zone as it only consisted of Pyramid Head and a few nurses wandering at the bottom of the escalator going into the lower lot.

Klownz: Murder and mayhem reign as an ultra-violent gang of killer Klownz take over “The Big Apple.” Watch as blood spills throughout the city streets while this psychotic freakshow butchers everyone in their path! These circus rejects are armed to the teeth and hell bent on  destruction…yours! Now that the Klownz have come to town, the city will never be the same! 3 Skulls

Silent Hill: Before you enter the world of Silent Hill, come face to face with the town’s most feared residents. Cower in fear as The Bogeyman towers over you, preparing to smash you to pieces. Feel every cut sink deep beneath your skin as hideously disfigured Nurses scar you for life. Pray for mercy as you confront Pyramid Head, the merciless executioner of The Otherworld, and hope that his great knife doesn’t find its mark! Remember, in Silent Hill, nothing is as it seems! 1.5 skulls

Toyz: Hidden away on the foggy streets of London is a quaint little toy shop. The place looks innocent enough from the outside but don’t be fooled, unspeakable horrors are taking place inside the Toy Maker’s workshop! For decades, The Toy Maker delighted the children of London with his handmade teddy bears and dolls but times change and toys go out of fashion. Faced with ruin, The Toy Maker snapped and decided to take revenge on the people who turned their backs on him by using his skills to serve a darker calling. Now, anyone who ventures too close to the Toy Shop at night is in danger of being abducted by the Evil Toy Maker and turned into one of his monstrous new creations…human toys! 4 skulls

Witches: Enter a European fishing village that is haunted by an ancient evil — a coven of blood-thirsty witches hell-bent on revenge! For centuries, this sleepy seaport was home to witches who practiced their black art under the cover of darkness. One terrible night, the villagers hunted down the witches and burned them at the stake to cleanse the town once and for all of their pagan influence. It is said that some of the condemned swore revenge on the town, right before the flames consumed their flesh. Now, on autumn nights when the fog rolls in, the coven of witches reassembles on the streets of the village to burn the living! Be warned, for if you look into their charred faces, it’s already too late! 1.5 skulls 

REPASS

This was another fun year for HHN, but not the best one in our opinion. HHN Hollywood still offers high-quality maze designs and theming, with top-notch lighting, music, props, and special effects. It kind of feels as if they placed new names on some of the old mazes (some they actually did—Terror Tram and Monsters Remix), but it’s probably noticeable only to the die-hard HHN fans. Our main concern is that as the years go on, HHN will become more and more of the same with recurring themes, scenery, and scares. We hope that in the coming years they begin to create even more innovative scare tactics and add more mazes to accommodate the large crowds they draw.

It was also noted by the HHN Virgins that when compared with Knott’s Scary Farm, HHN doesn’t seem to create a complete atmosphere of haunt across the park. That is a valid observation, as the scare zones are isolated to certain parts of the parks and they don’t even put any effort into dressing up and adding extra features to some of the rides (we think it would be very cool if they did a Treehouse of  Horror version of  The Simpson’s ride). Overall, they found HHN’s mazes to be impressive and felt as if they made them feel they were in the movies, shows, and video games.

We know in the coming weeks, others may have different experiences as the scareactors will begin to click and get their scare timing down. It also can’t be expressed enough that this haunt is extremely popular, and you must really plan ahead to fully enjoy the experience. We hope you consider following our terror tips, and we look forward to hearing from your experiences at HHN this year.

HHN Hollywood Fright Value: 4 Skulls

HHA_2011__4685

Overall Rating of HHN Hollywood 2012: 3.5 Skulls

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, Haunt Reviews, Southern California, Terror Tips | 3 Comments »

Terror Tips: Getting the Most From Your Haunt Visit

Saturday, September 22nd, 2012

With this weekend marking the opening of many of the major theme park haunts (Halloween Horror Nights, Knott’s Scary Farm, Howl-O-Scream), we’ve resurrected our Terror Tips for getting the most screams out of your night. In preparation for the scream season, we have assembled a list of tips that should help you see every maze and show at the mega-haunts.

1. GET THERE EARLY

This is the number one tip. Seriously, if you follow only one recommendation on this page, this should be the one. This will make or break your entire night. TRUST US. Get there before the haunt opens; we recommend at least a half-hour early. Some haunts will actually start letting people in about a half-hour before the posted start time. You might be able to go into a maze with almost no one else in it. Other haunts have “opening scare-amonies” that are worth watching. At Knott’s we’ve been able to get into three mazes within the half-hour before the haunt even opens, and we’ve never bought the early entry, “pre-scare dinner” option.

Related to this: Buy your tickets in advance if you can. Waiting in line for tickets wastes valuable time. Why add another queue to your night?

2. Work Front to Back

Note: this works only if you’ve arrived early. You might think going straight to the mazes in the back of the park is a good idea, but you’re wrong. Sure, there will be no one in the back when you get there, but when you circle back to the mazes in the front of the park, they’ll be packed. Almost everyone else will be working from front to back, so as long as you’re ahead of the pack (by getting in early, see #1 above), this approach works best. If you’ve arrived late, forget it. You’re screwed, no matter what approach you take.

3. Eat Dinner Before You Get There—Or Wait Until You Leave

Do you really want to wait in line for a crappy hot dog that costs $8? No, you don’t. As part of the “GO EARLY” plan, you should have an early dinner near the park. If you get hungry, grab a snack and eat in line. Don’t waste valuable time queuing up for theme park food. On the other hand, you could also wait and eat afterward. For example, Knott’s usually has a “midnight breakfast buffet” (12 am to 3 am) at the Chicken Dinner Restaurant next to the park that might be a good option.

4. Keep Your Group Small

“The More the Merrier” does not apply to haunts. Hitting all the mazes, scare zones, shows, and rides in a single, crowded night requires coordination, and the more people you have in your group, the less likely it is that consensus will be reached about where to go and what to do. Some people will want to go on the rides first, some will want to hit the mazes, some might be hungry and want food (see #3 above). We recommend keeping your group to no more than 6 people, unless you’re willing to accept that you won’t get to everything.

5. Ride Coasters and See the Shows Only After You’ve Been in All the Mazes

It’s Halloween season, and mazes/houses are the main attraction. These are open only 5 or 6 weeks at most during the year. You can go back and ride the coasters some other time. And let’s face it, most shows at haunts are pretty terrible. Save these for last, or at least until after you’ve hit all the mazes you really wanted to go through.

6. Go Early in the Season

Haunts get more crowded the closer it gets to Halloween. They hit their peak on the weekend before Halloween. We suggest attending as close to opening weekend as possible. The actors are also fresh and ready to scare. We’ve witnessed “monster fatigue”  when we’ve gone near the end of haunt season, when we’ve noticed monsters talking to each other inside the maze or drinking a soda as they lean against a wall. The only downside with attending early in the season is that some scares might not be completely worked out, and actors might just be finding their groove. The second or third weekend of a haunt is usually the best time to visit.

7. Buy a Front-of-the-Line Pass on Friday and Saturday Nights

Perhaps this tip should have been titled “Avoid Friday and Saturday Nights,” but we know that’s not realistic for most people. Work and school get in the way of attending haunts during the week. Sunday night could be a good compromise—lines will be much shorter, and you’ll still be able to arrive early (see tip #1) to avoid more of the crowds (your co-workers are used to seeing you looking hungover on Mondays anyway). But if you absolutely must go on a Friday or Saturday night, we recommend upgrading your ticket to a “Front-of-the-Line” pass (don’t forget to buy in advance!). However, these passes can be pricey, so if you follow tips #1-6 above, you might be able to bypass the upgraded ticket and still see everything. After all, there are a lot of great haunts to attend, and you don’t want to blow your budget on a single ticket.

Here’s to a great 2012 season! Happy Screaming!

Posted in Terror Tips | 5 Comments »

2012 HHN Hollywood Auditions

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012

Universal HalloweenCalling all Scareactors, now’s your chance. Audition dates for HHN Hollywood have been announced:

 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 18th
Scareactors/Stilt Walkers
5:00pm – 9:00pm
Please try and attend the corresponding time slot based on your last name. Coming at your allotted time will provide for the shortest wait.
A thru G – 5:00pm to 6:30pm
H thru M – 6:30pm to 8:00pm
N thru Z – 8:00pm to 9:00pm
(Current AGVA members will be seen first provided they report at the appropriate call time)

We have a few tips for auditions from John Murdy, who has been kind enough to share these via his Twitter Feed.  Now if he would only tell us the mazes already!

  1. First off, you have to be 18 to work HHN.
  2. Don’t come to auditions in costume/make up. That goes for any audition you might go to. Instant turn off, we need to see you.
  3. Scareactors have to share in the vision of the event and work together as a team to achieve it. Gotta be a team player.
  4. Being a former HHN scareactor does not guarantee a role. We love our HHN alumni but you still must audition and earn it.
  5. They’re looking for uninhibited people who are in CONTROL OF THEIR BODY. Ever been hit in the face with a chainsaw? Not fun.
  6. They’re looking for people with special talents. They love stilt walkers and want more stilt walkers so leave your parade gig and join the darkside!!
  7. Scaring is not exclusive to men. They need the ladies as there’s lots of roles for women and not just the “Help me, please! help me!” victim roles. They need gals who can scare! SO BRING IT!!!!! Some of the best scareactors are women (and they’re fierce!)
To get a further sixth sense on what it takes to be apart of the terror check out our interview with a HHN Scareactor.

In other HHN Hollywood news, they’re going to start shooting behind the screams videos on Monday, after 4th of July weekend, and are already in construction on mazes 1, 2 & 3! So, if any of you Haunt Stalkers are at USH please be sure to take some HHN construction pics and share them with us and we’ll share with all our fellow haunt stalkers!

Get your scare on! HHN 2012 is coming…

*PLEASE NOTE SCARE ZONE IS NOT DIRECTLY AFFILIATE WITH UNIVERSAL STUDIOS NOR ARE WE INVOLVED IN THE AUDITION/HIRING PROCESS FOR HHN SO PLEASE DON’T ASK US FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR TO CONTACT YOU ABOUT EMPLOYMENT. IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN EMPLOYMENT, WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU APPLY VIA THE PROPER CHANNELS ON THEIR WEBSITE - BEST OF LUCK TO YOU* 

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, Haunt Construction, Screaming Soon, Southern California, Terror Tips | 2 Comments »

2012 West Coast Haunters Convention

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

From the desk of Ed Roberts, founder of the West Coast Haunters Convention.

The 2012 West Coast Haunters Convention will be held June 1-3 in Portland Oregon at the Doubletree Hotel at Lloyd Center.

This years’ convention is being held in Portland Oregon, at the Doubletree Hotel and exhibition center.

The WCHC is thrilled to announce two keynote speakers; Mike Krausert from Cutting Edge Scenic Design and New England’s Spooky World and more recently The Fear at Fenway park and Ed and Marsha Edmunds owners of Distortions Unlimited and the stars of the Travel Channel show Making Monsters.

Convention highlights will include: A haunt tour and dinner Friday night, a costume ball on Saturday night; Sponsored by Dark Light precision Lighting Systems, a hearse car rally featuring cars from around the northwest and other events throughout the weekend.

Education at the West Coast Haunters Convention is paramount and this year will be no exception. Classes and workshops will take place daily, with over 50 hours of topics related to all areas of haunting and haunted houses!

This years tradeshow floor will feature some of the top vendors in the industry and the new home haunter’s headquarters. The move to the Doubletree allows the tradeshow to more than double the available space for vendors. All this and the opportunity to network with hundreds of haunted house owners and enthusiasts can be found at the 2012 WCHC.

The show was started by Ed Roberts, of The Nightmare Factory, a charity haunt for the Oregon School for the Deaf. They were featured on Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

The West Coast Haunters Convention was started because other conventions were too far away or too costly for Ed to bring his students from the school for the Deaf, So Ed decided if he could not take his students to a convention he would bring the convention to his students with the intention of creating a haunters convention on the west coast for all haunters and Halloween fans.

One of the unique things about this convention is that it is run as a nonprofit that contributes to a foundation that provides grants for special education. There will always be workshops and seminars about charity haunting, be because the convention got its start at the Oregon School for the Deaf. Seminars will be interpreted for any deaf or hard of hearing participants.

All proceeds from the convention will go to the West Coast Haunters Convention Foundation, established to help teachers of both deaf and autistic children.

For more details please visit the WCHC web site at www.westcoasthauntersconvention.com

Tags: , ,
Posted in Conventions, Oregon, Terror Tips, Travel Terrors | No Comments »

13 Haunt Stalking Destinations for 2012

Sunday, January 8th, 2012

It’s a  new year so it’s time to start planning our 2012 haunt stalking. With the haunt industry booming, there’s going to be even more ‘scare-tivities’ to endure… err enjoy in the new year. Looking at our past experiences and the highly anticipated haunt events of  the new year, we’ve complied a list of 13 haunt destinations for 2012. So count up those frequent flier miles, put in for vacation time and keep your resolutions to set out on some terrifying travels. Remember this may be the last year any of us will get to haunt stalk.

 

1. Friday the 13th Haunts: Friday the 13th occurred only once in 2010 and ’11. However, this year, we get 3 unlucky Fridays in January, April and July! A few haunts will be open this month on Friday the 13th and we only hope that even more will be open during the other ‘Friday the 13th’ dates to give us some continuous mid season scares.

2. Valentine’s Weekend Haunts: More haunts are sharing the fiendish love with special openings Valentines weekend. Here are a few of  the top haunts offering Valentine’s day massacres: Sinister Pointe (Brea, CA), Moxley Manor (Bedford, TX) and Blood Manor (New York, NY)

3. TransWorld Haunt Show (March 8-11, St. Louis, MO): For the last 16 years, TransWorld’s annual Halloween & Attractions Show has been a “must attend” event in the Halloween & Haunt industries. This year is no exception! This is the only trade show that features vendors, from across the nation and overseas, that cover every aspect of the business, from ticketing to makeup and sound FX to giant animatronics. In addition, local St. Louis Haunts open their doors to attendees. If you are a pro haunter (want to become one) or a True Blood haunt stalker, you cannot afford to miss this event.

4. Monsterpalooza (April 13-15, Burbank, CA): This is an annual convention featuring Hollywood’s award winning FX Artists, Monster and Horror related art work displays, presentations and special guests from horror and Sci-Fi. For us the highlight is the Walk-thru Monster Museum!

5. HauntCon (May 3-7, Monroeville, PA *Pittsburgh): We attended this event last year and believe it’s worth a visit if you’re a haunter or stalker living on the east coast. This is the first year HAuNTcon will be in a convention center rather than a hotel in Monoroeville, PA which just happens to be next to the Monroeville Mall, most famous for its appearance in the George A. Romero horror film Dawn of the Dead.

6. Midwest Haunters Convention (June 8-10, Columbus Ohio):  This is the largest Halloween show of its kind in the US serving a primary audience of Haunted Attraction Producers, Actors, Artists and Home Haunters.  It provides regional businesses and residents the opportunity to shop for professional quality Halloween related products along with educational seminars and workshops and networking activities for haunted attraction industry professionals. Of course, the main reason to go is for the world’s largest haunted attraction bus tour.

299641 10150421988157110 525162109 10813190 1431436499 n 1 Tides of Torture: Worlds 1st Horror Con at Sea

7.  Tides of Torture (Dates TBD): We know that seeing Kathie Lee Gifford in a bikini could be scary enough, but this Caribbean cruise promises even more terrors at sea. This cruise convention will feature a Fangoria-sponsored film festival and some of your favorite horror actors including Jason actor Kane Hodder who really enjoys being on a boat.

8. London (UK) Haunts: Last year our friends at Theme Park Tourist shared some great reviews of the UK haunts and with the 2012 Olympics taking place this summer in London we highly recommend the trip over the bloody pond to experience their renowned year round and seasonal haunted attractions.

9. New York Haunts: We now know why this is the city that never sleeps. It’s because everyone is having nightmares! NYC boasts some of the nation’s most extreme haunts and offers haunts in unique metropolitan locations all the way out to the dark woods of Sleepy Hollow in upstate. This is a “not to be missed” destination during the fall.

10. Pennsylvania  Haunts: While in NY, you might as well head down to PA as well. Pennsylvania is home to some of he nation’s most highly rated haunted attractions including; Jason’s Woods, Bates Motel, and Field of Screams just to name a few.

11. Texas Haunts: Texas is a big state which provides a lot of room for haunts. Throughout the year and especially during haunt season Haunt Stalkers can find a haunt (or two or three…) in nearly every town with the Dallas-Forth Worth area and Austin leading  the terror with their renowned haunts such as Cutting Edge, Hangman’s House of Horrors, and House of Torment.

12. Central Florida Haunts: If you’re a fan of haunts and Theme Parks then Central Florida is the destination for you. While there are only 2 major haunts, Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights and Howl O Scream at Busch Gardens; these 2 offer more than enough mazes and scares to make for a satisfying trip.

13. Southern California Haunts: From Hollywood down to San Diego; Southern California offers just about every kind of haunt experience a haunt stalker would want. There are first class Theme Park haunts, hayrides, stand alone professional haunts, boat haunts, and impressive home haunts. You’ll need to plan at least a week long visit, covering two weekends, in order to sample some of the SoCal’s top haunts.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Conventions, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Florida, Haunted Happenings, Howl-O-Scream, New York, Pennsylvania, Southern California, St. Louis, Terror Tips, Texas, Travel Terrors, UK, Valentine's Day Haunts | No Comments »

Scare Zone’s 2011 Top Haunts

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

Well, the 2011 season is over, so it’s time to rank the best that we Stalked! Haunt experiences can be a highly individual and subjective experience; what may scare one person might not be frightening at all to another, and what scares you one night might fall flat on a return visit. For this reason, the Scare Zone writers will be providing separate rankings.

Also, while we did visit quite a few great haunts across the country throughout the year, please note that we’re only ranking the haunts we visited in California and Nevada during the “official” Haunt Season (September – October). For a list of all the places we visited and to read our full reviews, please click here.

Now, on to our 2011 Top Haunts   

*Maze also refers to an individual haunted house or walk-through attraction.   

 

M. Leota’s Haunt Rankings

Best Maze Design (lighting, sound, FX):

1. Haunted Play Presents Delusion (Los Angeles, CA)

2. La Llorona (Halloween Horror Nights, Hollywood)

3. Curse of Sarah Winchester (Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, CA)

 

Best Maze Theme (consistent story/setting):

1. Haunted Play Presents Delusion

2. La Llorona (HHN Hollywood)

3. Castle Vampyre (Freakling Bros.)

 

Best Individual Scene in a Maze:

1. “Hallway/bathroom scene”: Haunted Play Presents Delusion

2. “Flying Vampire”: Castle Vampyre (Freakling Bros.)

3. “Cockroach room”: Delirium (Knott’s Halloween Haunt, Buena Park, CA)

 

Best Maze Name:

1. La Llorona: Villa de Almas Perdidas (HHN Hollywood)

2. Endgames: Warriors of the Apocalypse (Knott’s Halloween Haunt)

3. Gates of Hell (Freakling Bros.)

 

Best Scare-Actors:

1. Circus of Horrors (Freakling Bros.)

2. Haunted Play Presents Delusion

3. Gates of Hell (Freakling Bros.)

 

Highest Scare Factor:

1. Tie: Castle Vampyre, Gates of Hell, Circus of Horrors (Freakling Bros.)

2. The Thing (HHN Hollywood)

3. Sinister Pointe (Brea, CA)

 

Most Improved Maze (compared with  2010):

1. Lockdown: The Asylum (Knott’s Halloween Haunt)

2. Hellfire (Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor)

 

Best New Maze for 2011:

1. La Llorona (HHN Hollywood)

2. Curse of Sarah Winchester (Winchester Mystery House)

3. Delirium (Knott’s Halloween Haunt)

 

Best Overall Maze of 2011:

1. Tie: Circus of Horrors, Castle Vampyre, Gates of Hell (Freakling Bros.)

2. La Llorona (HHN Hollywood)

3. Curse of Sarah Winchester (Winchester Mystery House)

 

Best Haunt Scare Zone:

1. Ghost Town (Knott’s Halloween Haunt)

2. Necropolis (Knott’s Halloween Haunt)

3. The Barricades (Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor)

 

Most Unique Haunt Experience:

1. Gates of Hell (Freakling Bros.)

2. Haunted Play Presents Delusion

3. Ghost Ship (Newport Beach, CA)

 

Best Value Haunt:

1. Freakling Bros. Trilogy of Terror (especially for the $10 fast pass t-shirt)

2. Knott’s Halloween Haunt

3. Reign of Terror (Thousand Oaks, CA)

 

Top 2011 Stand Alone Haunt

Freakling Bros. Trilogy of Terror

Top 2011 Theme Park Haunt

Halloween Horror Nights, Hollywood

 

Matt E. Horn’s Haunt Rankings

Best Maze Design (lighting, sound, FX):

1. La Llorona: Villa de Almas Perdidas (HHN Hollywood)

2. Haunted Play Presents: Delusion 

3. Curse of Sarah Winchester (Winchester Mystery House)

 

Best Maze Theme (consistent story/setting):

1. Haunted Play Presents: Delusion 

2. La Llorona: Villa de Almas Perdidas (HHN Hollywood)

3. Reign of Terror

 

Best Individual Scene in a Maze:

1. “Feed the Beast” in Circus of Horror (Freakling Bros.)

2. “Collapsing Bridge” in Hellfire (Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor)

3. “Flying Vampire”  in Castle Vampyre (Freakling Bros.)

 

Best Maze Name:

1. Habitat of Hags (Pirates of Emerson)

2. La Llorona: Villa de Almas Perdidas (HHN Hollywood)

3. Delirium (Knott’s Scary Farm)

 

Best Scare-Actors:

1. Gates of Hell (Freakling Bros.)

2. Haunted Play Presents: Delusion 

3. Sinister Pointe

 

Highest Scare Factor:

1. 3-way tie Freakling Bros. Mazes: Circus of Horrors, Castle Vampyre, Gates of Hell

2. Alice Cooper’s Welcome To My Nightmare (HHN Hollywood)

3. Sinister Pointe

 

Most Improved Maze (compared with  2010):

1. Lockdown (Knott’s Scary Farm)

2. Hellfire (Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor)

3. Village of the Dammed (Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor)

Best New Maze for 2011:

1. Sinister Pointe

2. Curse of Sarah Winchester (Winchester Mystery House)

3. Haunted Play Presents: Delusion 

 

Best Overall Maze of 2011:

1. 3-way tie Freakling Bros. Mazes: Circus of Horrors, Castle Vampyre, Gates of Hell

2. Sinister Pointe

3. The Thing (HHN Hollywood) Curse of Sarah Winchester (Winchester Mystery House)

Best Haunt Scare Zone:

1. Ghost Town (Knott’s Scary Farm)

2. Zombieville (HHN Hollywood)

3. The Gauntlet (California’s Great America Haunt)

Most Unique  Haunt Experience:

1. Haunted Play Presents: Delusion 

2. Ghost Ship

3. The 13th Floor at Circus Circus

 

Best Value Haunt:

1. Knott’s Scary Farm

2. Freakling Bros.

3. Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor

 

Top 2011 Stand Alone Haunt

 

Top 2011 Theme Park Haunt

 

Scare Zone’s Worst Rankings

This is where we load up the buried skulls and drive them off to the crematory. Of course, being in the world of horror, we’re aptly aware that not everything will die immediately or forever, but we can hope.

Worse Mazes

1. Slaughter of the Swines  and Maze of Mayhem at Bonnie Screams

2. Mental Maze at Pirates of Emerson

3. Terror Tram: Scream 4 Your Life at HHN Hollywood

Worse Value

Worse Haunt of 2011

 2011 Repass

This year we experienced new haunt environments along with new levels of scares. During the official haunt season (Sept. – Oct.), we ventured throughout California and out to Nevada to visit as many new haunts as possible. Along the way, we encountered one of the best haunts we’ve ever been to and one of the worst. We give credit to all the haunts out there who are challenging themselves to create new environments and stories to scare us with. While some of our reviews may seem harsh, we take haunting and our earned dollars seriously, so we don’t have tolerance for the so-called haunts who are more interested in taking people’s money than putting effort into a quality production.

There were many high-quality haunts and mazes that didn’t make our top list, but they did offer a great time and good scares such as Fear Overload, California’s Great America Haunt (the CarnEvil maze was great), Reign of Terror, Theater 68, and a few of the Knott’s Scary Farm mazes. We also acknowledge all of the great haunts out there that  we didn’t get to this season, like The Haunted Hotel, Old Town Haunt, and Coffin Creek, just to name a few. We’ll also be curious to see how first-year haunts such as Haunted Play Presents Delusion and Ghost Ship do in their second years, if they come back.

Finally, we have to thank our fellow Haunt Stalkers from Theme Park Tourist for sharing their UK Haunt reviews and all our other fellow Haunt Stalkers who shared their experiences and ratings with us this season and throughout the year. We appreciate all your support and engagement with our site, and we look forward to sharing more scare-ventures together.

Scaringly yours,

M. Leota & Matt E. Horn

Co-Founders & Writers,  Scare Zone

Tags: , ,
Posted in Haunt Reviews, Nevada, Northern California, Southern California, Terror Tips | No Comments »

« Older Entries