Archive for August, 2011

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Halloween Horror Nights Orlando: Complete 2011 Details Revealed

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

While HHN Hollywood has been teasing us for months with guessing games and then revealing their mazes one by one, HHN Orlando has for the most part kept their details locked up. The only house announced was The Thing (to coincide with Hollywood’s announcement). Finally, with only 24 days to go before opening night, all has been revealed. Once again, the event will include 8 houses and 6 scare zones. Here’s the full line up:

HOUSES

Nightingales: Blood Prey: Set in a World War I battlefield, the nightingales will be hunting you.


The In-Between: A “Phantasm of Terror.” This house looks like it will be in 3D.


The Forsaken: A haunted Spanish pirate ship.


Nevermore: The Madness of Poe: We’re not sure how this happened, but Howl-O-Scream Tampa also has a house called “Nevermore.” We wonder who thought of it first. We guess all that matters is whoever pulls off the better house. We can’t wait to read all the comparisons.


H.R. Bloodengutz Presents Holidays of Horror: Christmas-themed houses have been very fun and unique in the past. This version also adds a TV horror film fest element. Can they capture the evil spirit of the season in this house?


Saws n’ Steam: Into the Machine: A “mechanical nightmare.”


The Thing: Something is lurking in this Antarctic outpost. Don’t forget: the movie comes out October 14!


Winter’s Night: The Haunting of Hawthorn Cemetery: A snowy cemetery filled with some not-so-happy haunts.

 

SCARE ZONES

Your Luck Has Run Out: This year’s icon, Lady Luck, will haunt this scare zone. Do you dare enter?

Nightmaze: An “all-black” maze that “morphs” as you go through it. Completely dark houses/scare zones can fall flat or be terrifying. HHN Orlando’s previous attempt at a completely dark maze (Pitch Black, in 2001) was a flop. But we’re definitely intrigued by the “morphing” aspect of this scare zone.

Acid Assault: Acid rain has destroyed the city, leaving behind cannibals.

Grown Evil: Watch out for the evil creatures who lurk in this garden. (Wait a second, isn’t Howl-O-Scream’s theme this year “The Dark Side of Gardens”?)

Canyon of Dark Souls: The “sense of death” will surround you.

7: Seven temptresses show their evil side.

 

Be sure to check out the full details on the Halloween Horror Nights web site. The event opens September 23!

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2011 Haunt Profile: Pirates of Emerson

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

The Pirates of Emerson are getting ready to set sail for another season of bloody terror, beginning Friday, September 30th. This pirate-inspired haunted theme park makes its home at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA and consists of five haunted houses. The authentically frightening location is set with pirates (of course), belly dancers and fire breathers. There’s also the extensive use of special effects, robotics, animation and of course scareactor interaction which provide an intense hair-raising experience.

Scare Zone will be making a trip this year to sail with this rowdy crew of Bloody Buccaneers. So, keep checking back to follow our upcoming 2011 Haunt Sacreventures!


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Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood – The 2011 Mazes

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

FINALLY!

We all waited, like a dead old lady in a hotel room window, for the full line up HHN Hollywood mazes to be announced. It was almost more torture than a Jigsaw trap. After playing the game of cryptic clues that terrorized us for the past 8 months we can all either brag about guessing right or shame ourselves for being wrong.

Since January when Scare Zone broke the news of all the concepts they where considering, our Haunt Stalkers have been keeping the site busy with all of your guesses.

Here’s a a look a what all of you had hoped to see this year. It appears Murdy and his team did deliver with your top 3 choices of Scream, House of 1,000 Corpses, and Hostel. There also was strong interest in seeing classic monsters which we get with The Wolfman. The biggest surprises of the season are the Alice Cooper and La Llorona mazes. We truly enjoyed everyone’s input!

Now, with no further ado, here’s the entire 2011 Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights line up!

*Que Horror! Just Confirmed* La Llorona: Villa De Almas Perdidas: The maze will tell the story of La Llorona, doomed to walk the earth forever after drowning her own children to win over a lost love. When they failed, she drowned herself.

Terror Tram: Scream 4 Your Life

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hostel: Hunting Season

The Wolfman: The Curse of Talbot Hall

Rob Zombie’s House of 1,000 Corpses in 3D

Alice Cooper’s Welcome to My Nightmare

The Thing: Assimilation

SCARE  ZONES

Scream: The infamous Ghostface killer is on the loose and may be right behind you — ready to strike with his razor-sharp blade!

Zombieville: Feel your stomach churn as you encounter a decaying English village, ravaged by the walking dead. Breathe in the foul stench of decay as the corpses of butchers, barbers, and yes—even senior citizens, reawaken in search of satiating their hunger for human flesh.

The Reapers: The Grim Reaper and his evil minions of death have been unleashed upon the Earth, equipped with mutilating chainsaws. There’s nowhere to run or hide; death lurks around every corner!

Klownz: Murder and mayhem reign as an ultra-violent gang of clowns take over “The Big Apple.” These psycho 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 again!

Freakz: A renegade band of out of work sideshow performers have set up camp on the smoke-choked streets of Paris. With the Freak Shows shut down and food in short supply, the Freakz have developed a taste for human flesh! If you venture into their camp after dark, you may not make it out alive!

Keep checking with Scare Zone as we follow final planning before the studio gates creak open for another season of horrors. Also, here’s a look back HHN Hollywood from years past.

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Posted in Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, Haunt News, Southern California | 1 Comment »

Theaters of Terror – August 26th

Friday, August 26th, 2011

We’re very interested in this weekend’s release of Guillermo Del Toro’s remake of the 1973 TV movie classic Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark. This is the movie that made kids who grew up in the 70′s terrified of their fireplaces. With an ‘R’ rating and the new CGI version of those beastly little demons, we expect this version will really ratchet up the scare factor.

1973 Demon

2011 Demon

As always, we’ll be evaluating the movie for haunt potential. From the trailer alone, we think that Del Toro’s signature story style will lend itself well for a haunt experience based on this creepy tale. It will just be a challenge to find actors small enough to play the the demons (*rim shot*).

In Theaters

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark: Introverted Sally Hurst has just moved in with her father Alex and his girlfriend Kim when she realizes that their sprawling estate holds its fair share of secrets. Ascending to the depths of the house, Sally gains access to a secret lower level that has lain undisturbed for nearly a century, when the original builder vanished without a trace. When Sally accidentally opens the gateway that kept the creatures locked up tight, she realizes that in order to prevent them from destroying her family is to convince her skeptical father than monsters really exist.

The Caller (Limited Release): Troubled divorcee Mary Kee is tormented by a series of sinister phone calls from a mysterious woman. When the stranger reveals she’s calling from the past, Mary tries to break off contact. But the caller doesn’t like being ignored, and looks for revenge in a unique and terrifying way.

At Home

Tucker & Dale vs Evil (VOD – Fri, August 26):  Tucker and Dale are two well-meaning hillbillies who just bought the vacation home of their dreams – a run-down, lakefront cabin in the middle of the woods. Only their peace is disrupted when a group of rowdy college students choose their area of the forest to go camping. When one of the girls falls into the lake (a result of Tucker and Dale startling her), they bring her back to their cabin to bandage her up. The catch: when they tell her friends they have her, the teens think they had kidnapped her. A chain of hilarious misunderstandings ensue, consisting of the teenagers accidentally killing themselves in front of the unsuspecting (and truly baffled) Tucker and Dale.

Outcast (VOD – Tue, August 30): It tells the tale of Petronella (a Scottish/Romany girl) and Fergal (her mysterious Irish traveller boyfriend). As their doomed relationship plays out, a Beast stalks the estate, killing locals, working its way towards our protagonists. Meanwhile Cathal and Liam, two mysterious travellers from Ireland use ritual and magic on a blood hunt. Mary, Fergal’s mother performs ritual and magic of her own. As Cathal comes face to face with Mary in a vicious finale we know one thing: the Beast must die.

Children of the Corn – Genesis (DVD - Tue, August 30): TIM and ALLIE seek shelter in a remote desert compound after becoming lost and stranded. A strange Manson-like character, PREACHER (Drago), reluctantly allows them inside with strict orders to be gone by morning and not wander “where you are not invited.” At first, Preacher and his mail-order wife OKSANA (Nedeljakova) deny the faint screams and cries that emanate from one of the crumbling outbuildings. When Allie sneaks outside to investigate, she discovers that she and Tim have stumbled onto a bizarre cult worshiping an entity that may — or may not — dwell inside a haunted little boy.

Orcs! (DVD – Wed, August 31): Faced with extinction, two park rangers are forced to defend the national park against hordes of rampaging orcs. Ancient and long forgotten, these orcs are unleashed from the depths of the mountains, and they won’t stop until we’re all dead.

 

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Michael Myers Has Come To Las Vegas…

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Michael has come to Fright Dome!

After “coming home” to HHN Hollywood in 2009, Mr. Myers is now headed out to Las Vegas to kill any chances of luck that you may of had. Michael Myers is one of our favorite horror icons so we may have to make a special trip to Las Vegas ourselves to see if “what stalks in Vegas, kills in Vegas”.

Beginning Saturday, Oct. 1 Fright Dome takes over The Adventuredome at Circus Circus and will partner with Compass Films International to theme two of its five haunted houses after the legendary horror film HALLOWEEN. Fright Dome’s HALLOWEEN themed houses will bring together popular scenes from the iconic horror movie guaranteed to terrify even the bravest. Guests can look forward to touring the famed Haddonfield Memorial Hospital through the psychiatric ward where Michael Myers is being held… or is he?

The second house will immediately transport the unsuspecting onto the front doorstep of the Myers home for a journey through the beginnings Michael’s terror. “We’ve always had one of the top haunted attractions in the nation but I would have never dreamed that I would have the opportunity to work with the most-recognized horror film of all times and the team behind it,” said Jason Egan, owner and creator of Fright Dome. “HALLOWEEN is a timeless classic and most people fear Michael Myers over any other characters out there. I’m thrilled that Las Vegas has embraced this event every year allowing us to grow and make this year truly the most terrifying yet.”

“Compass International Films is proud and excited to be part of Fright Dome this year,” said Malek Akkad producer of the HALLOWEEN franchise. “HALLOWEEN is the quintessential suspense film, and one that continues to thrill audiences every year, especially during Halloween season! We, along with the creative team at Fright Dome, are delighted to bring Michael Myers to the Las Vegas Strip. I am sure this will be a fantastic experience for horror fans of all ages.”Dark and fog-filled, Fright Dome creates a chilling atmosphere with roaming characters, high-powered strobes, multi-colored lasers and five acres of fright made up of all new extreme scare zones, rides, attractions and live shows.

In addition to partnering with Akkad to bring the new theme to Fright Dome this year, there will be a third new maze called Fright High. Returning haunts include Chainsaw Massacre and Hillbilly Hell.

Furthermore, Egan is working together with him to bring the message of his recently launched non-profit organization to the Las Vegas community. The sCARE (Suspense Community Allocating Relief and Empowerment) Foundation is dedicated to alleviating the hardships of poverty and homelessness facing today’s youth throughout North America to honor the suspense genre’s loyal teenage fan base. “sCARE Foundation is thrilled to be a sponsor of this year’s Fright Dome in Las Vegas,” said Akkad. “sCARE Foundation enables fans of the horror genre to give back and contribute in fun and engaging ways. Our partnership with the imaginative talents at Fright Dome will enable fans to do just that! We look forward to being a part of this great event and seeing all of the fans at Fright Dome in Las Vegas.”

Fright Dome is open from 7 p.m. to midnight Oct. 1-31 on select nights. General admission tickets are $36.95 and fast pass tickets are available for an additional $15 which allow express line entry for all five haunted houses.

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Kennywood’s Phantom Fright Nights 10th Anniversary

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

 

Kennywood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has announced the 2011 Phantom Frightnights haunted house!

This year marks the 10th Anniversary of Phantom Fright Nights, which has grown into a wildly successful addition for one of the nation’s oldest amusement parks. Phantom Fright Nights started just as a way to extend their season, but it quickly grew in popularity and was even named “One of the Best Halloween Events” by the annual Golden Ticket Awards readers’ poll. This year boasts 7 mazes, scare zones, and pitch-dark rides on their impressive roller coasters. There will be on new house, named BIOFEAR.

Here’s the rundown of the Phantom Fright Nights houses.

Brave a warehouse of science experiments gone terribly wrong. Biofear is sure to be unlike anything you’ve experienced at Phantom Fright Nights.

VooDoo

Experience Swampland Canoe And Raft Excursions (SCARE) for the adventure of a lifetime through the Voodoo Bayou.  The Bayou includes numerous surprises, including a long forgotten cemetery loaded with tombstones, coffins, and anything but a peaceful rest for its inhabitants. Broken, discarded coffins and disrupted graves leave the undead restless and angry. Granny Granger’s old house in the swamp appears less than welcoming. The Voodoo King and his collection of shrunken heads find a fitting home in the swamp, as do far too many spiders.

Villa

Enter a world of Vampires under the backdrop of an Ancient Gothic Castle. Beware the Mausoleum where bloodsuckers are waiting behind every coffin. Pass through catacombs and werewolf infested hallways. No matter where you turn, they’ll be waiting………….

mortem manor

Witness the final Manifestation of Mortem’s Manor. Awarded Haunt of the Year for the last 2 years among the Kennywood staff. Come see for yourself why guests can’t get enough of the raw energy behind this frightful mansion!

cemetery

Zombies rise from graves old and new. Cloaked figures hide in the nearby woods chanting your name. Statues seem to watch your every move. The rotting hands of the dead are reaching for you from every direction.
Come brave the gates of the Kennyville Cemetery!

gory park

When darkness falls over the park, and the streets begin to calm, the occupants of “Gory Park” begin to emerge from the alleys and sewers of Lost Kennywood. Mutant rats come out to feed and toxic fog fills the streets…
Even the most unassuming of characters can’t be trusted. Watch your back when entering Gory Park, you may end up a permanent fixture…. in pieces!

ghost town

This Ghost Town has it all: including zombies and undead horses that stop for no one!

Dates & Times

Phantom Fright Nights at Kennywood Not Recommended for Children Under 13.

OCTOBER 8, 15, 22 are expected to be the busiest nights.

It’s recommended that Haunt Stalkers try to schedule their visits on less busy nights, such as:
SEPTEMBER 30, October 1, 9, 28, 29.

TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased online for $27.99

VIP Coaster Tour Pass is also available for an additional charge

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ONE SCARY YEAR!

Saturday, August 20th, 2011

Greetings Haunt Stalkers,

We’re glad to share that today is the one year anniversary of Scare Zone!

We launched as a blog on January 7th, 2010 and expanded to this site on August 20th, 2010. In our first year we’ve already reached over over 44,000 unique Haunt Stalkers in 134 different countries. We also have published over 300 articles about news, rumors, and reviews of theme park and other commercial haunted attractions throughout the United States and the world. In addition, we’ve conducted haunt surveys and covered stories about horror movies, haunt industry conventions and other scary things.

Here are links to our top 5 stories read over the past year:

HHN Themes  (January 7, 2011)

Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor: An Impressive Resurrection (October 2, 2010)

Haunted Trail of Balboa Park (October 12, 2010)

Knott’s Scary Farm: 2011 Information Released (May 13, 2011)

Haunt Stalkers Survey: SoCal Haunts

 

We have to give a scream out to our online friends who have shared our stories, information, and supported our site over the past year:

Screamscape, haunTopic, MiceChat, theRealmCast Fangoria Magazine, Theme Park Adventure, L .A. Times Funland, HauntersDigest.com,

Also, a scream out to the haunts who’ve creaked open their doors and provided us with ‘behind the screams’ access:

Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor, The Haunted Hotel, Winchester Mystery House, Sinister Pointe, Reign of Terror, Scare Brothers Haunted Nightmare, and The Fright Factory.

Most importantly, a huge scream out to all our Haunt Stalkers! Keep visiting us frequently at Scare-Zone.com and tell your friends too. Be sure to like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter too. We’re planning more site upgrades and features in the coming year!

We’re having a great time sharing our love for haunts and look forward to sharing even more scary adventures with you all during the 2011 Haunt Season… and beyond.

Scaringly yours,

M. Leota & Matt E. Horn

Co-founders and Chief Terrorspondents

www.Scare-Zone.com

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Posted in Haunt Profiles, Haunt Reviews, Haunted Happenings, Horror Movies, International Haunts, Interviews, Survey, Theatres of Terror | No Comments »

Busch Gardens (Tampa): Howl-O-Scream 2011 Details

Friday, August 19th, 2011

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has finally released the details for this year’s Howl-O-Scream.  As we already know,  they’re sharing the “Dark Side of the Gardens” theme with the Williamsburg, VA park. However, in Tampa, the subtitle is “Zombies Live Here” while at Williamburg it’s “Fear Grow’s Here”.  There won’t be any Scare Zones this year, but the zombies will be lurking and stalking from all over the park making the entire park a Scare Zone.

Here’s a full look at what’s lurking in the dark side of their gardens.

New Haunted Houses

Nevermore: This is the Edgar Allan Poe themed maze. Described as a living horror story of madness and disillusionment  where we venture through the manor of Lenore that’s filled with ”beating hearts, swinging pendulums and a raven’s cries”.

Ultimate Gamble – Vampire Casino: This may be a knock to HHN XXI. Victims will  test their luck in this sultry vampire hangout straight from Sin City. The seductive games and high stakes thrills at Revivara Casino are sure to get your blood pumping, but will you escape before your luck gets drained?

Zombie Mortuary: No one remembers how the epidemic started, but now, zombies live here. The undead that infest this small town funeral home feed on the fresh flesh and brains of mortuary mourners to satisfy their insatiable hunger.

Returning Haunted Houses

Death Row Vengeance: The inmates at Grey Echo Penitentiary are slated for execution, and they blame you. With their last breath, they curse those who do nothing to save them from the electric chair or lethal injection and vow to haunt those who watched them suffer. Will you make it out alive when they come back to make good on their dying promise?

Deconstruction: Dr. Edger VonAngst has the skill and technology to make you over… but what will you become? This mad reconstructive surgeon has fallen one notch deeper into insanity, putting people back together with mechanical pieces, combining flesh, bone and steel in the most hideous ways.

Nightshade Toys: By day, the old Nightshade Toy Factory appears abandoned. But as night falls, the mysterious manufacturing plant is aglow and hums with blood-curdling shrieks. You’ll run for your life when this already-bizarre factory tour turns into the Son of Nightshade and his possessed playthings seeking revenge on his twisted, toymaking father.

Alone… (A personal experience in horror): The deranged Master Alexander Daedalus opened Minotaur Storage to house his vast collection of “cultural” remains. But now his sinister obsession with hoarding has expanded to stockpiling people. Escape this lunatic’s labyrinth or you will become part of his collection. Can you make it out alone?
Alone is a unique, all-alone experience through the haunted house. This year it costs a steep up charge admission of $40 to experience!

Shows

The Midnight Hour (Dinner Show): The music industry can be a devilish business to break into, especially at the Hellfire Club, where some of pop culture’s most sinister personalities are there to coach you.  Last year’s dinner show was full of pop culture references and pop music, so this year’s may not be all that different.

Fiends: Returning again, with Dr. Frankenstein and his “naughty nurses”.

Dates & Times

Sept 23 – Oct 29

Thursday’s 7:30pm-1am

Fridays & Saturdays 7:30pm-2am

Tickets

Freaky Preview: Sept 23-24 $32.99

Advanced: $52. 99       Facebook Fans  $42.99

Twisted Thursday 4-Pack $24. 99 (must buy 4 tickets)

At Gate$77.99


 

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Friday Fright Links: August 19

Friday, August 19th, 2011

Disneyland set to debut Halloween collectibles on September 17 – Disney Parks Blog

Go behind the scenes at the Pittsburgh Zombie Academy – YouTube

A good overview of all the scary doin’s at theme parks around southern California this Halloween – About.com

A video of the work in progress at HHN Hollywood shows a very large Mexican church, which could confirm our La Llorona maze rumor – Screamscape.com

‘Scream 4′ Taking Over The Backlot At HHN Hollywood – Bloody Disgusting

Busch Gardens Tampa Shows Off Official Howl-O-Scream Ad – Screamscape.com

Alice Copper will debut new tracks from “Welcome 2 My Nightmare” on his Friday Night “Nights with Alice Cooper” show! – AliceCooper.com

Greensboro’s Spookywoods receives bone-chilling business membership – examiner.com

NBC is looking for people who own home haunts to be part of a new show - SlashFilm.com
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Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights Orlando is taking more bets - Halloween Horror Nights
Cedar Fair removes names of attractions “offensive” to mental health patients – USA Today

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Here Wolfy Wolfy Wolfy!

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

We Told You! The Wolfman is coming to HHN Hollywood. We’re honestly not sure how exciting this news is, since this will just be a thematic “layover” of Universal’s year-round House of Horrors. In ALL the past years, any theme that was placed in here ended up just being the inclusion of a few headlining characters into the haunt’s preexisting scenes.

While the house of horrors already has a Wolfman room, we expect we’ll see Wolfy popping out of the scenes of the other iconic horror movies featured inside. Guess we’ll finally get to see what Wolfman vs. Leatherface, vs. Chucky, vs. Norman Bates, Vs. Frankenstein will be like.

We could be completly wrong but so far, history has proven us right. Here’s a look at Universal’s House of Horrors aka The Wolfman: The Curse of Talbot Hall

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