Eat, Park, Shop, Repeat - October 2014 Jez Reviews HHN

[debidee]

So, what are the three rules of HHN:

1 - Express Pass
2 - Express Pass
3 - Express Pass

We attended out first HHN last year and didn't manage to cover all houses across two full nights (6pm - 1am)... so this year an Express Pass was essential for me. At $89.99 for just me though, it will get very pricey for groups. If the costs prohibit getting the express pass then be prepared to queue... and I mean queue. As you'll see from the photo's queues regularly hit 90 mins plus for the houses. Is the overall experience worth the queues... for me yes, but then I am a bit of a horror geek. Someone would need to pay Debs a whole holidays worth of shopping money to ever set foot in HHN again... and even then I think she would think twice! Bear in mind that you also need to purchase and extra ticket for entrance to HHN... the normal Universal ticket alone will not suffice. A one night (specified date) ticket was another $41.99!

I arrived just after park opening at 6.30pm and was already way back... the entry lines are fairly long and slow as the security checks are thorough (pockets emptied / scanners / pat downs / lift up shirts to show belts etc... , still trying to work out if that last one was just saved for me). Once in, the park is manic. Be prepared for lots and lots of people... much more than you'll get in the park on an average day. Also bear in mind that alcohol is on sale and so the longer the night goes on, the more raucous the park gets. On top of the crowds be prepared for people to jump out at you... last year it was Zombies... this year it was The Purge... I'll cover that more later.

I decided to follow the map this year and enter the houses in order. First up was From Dusk 'Til Dawn. This one was based on the new TV series more than the original film but was very similar. Good fun but probably the smallest house and for me, probably the least effective. This was before 7pm so the lines were still short at 30 minutes. I was entering the house in 10 minutes with the Express Pass.

Next up was The Walking Dead. Now I am undoubtedly biased towards this house as it is my favourite TV programme... this one was spectacular. It recreated recent haunts such as the prison and terminus faithfully and there were plenty of jumps... be prepared for Zombies to come at you from all angles! By 7pm (ish) the line was 75 minutes and I was entering the house in 10 minutes with the express pass.

Next up was Alien vs Predator. Very good and for those of us that love the Alien franchise (especially the early films) the recreation of the ship and the claustrophobic corridors was excellent. There were a few sights of the Alien, plenty of face huggers and then a good few jump outs of the predator. Great for the geeks but for me a lack of tension and genuine scares. This one was a 45 minute wait around 7.10pm and I was entering inside 10 minutes with the express pass.

Next up was Dracula. I was looking forward to this one and it was clearly based on the new film currently doing the rounds. If I'm honest I found this one a little disappointing. It was clever, well set but with a lack of genuine scares. This one was a 30 minute queue at 7.20pm and again I was entering in 10 minutes with the express pass.

Giggles and Gore Inc. was up next and I didn't expect a lot from this one. How wrong was I... with little expectation I entered the house and... well, I've always felt a little uneasy when it comes to clowns. This house totally freaked me out and looking back I'm sure I edged through this one a little quicker than the others. For me a bit of a gem... not too many scares but a genuine feeling of uneasiness in the pit of my stomach. All for a 10 minute queue as well... I think it probably took longer to get in with the express pass.

Halloween was next and wow, what a house. Without doubt my favourite of the night. Never has a sprayed white William Shatner masked ever been so scary. Michael Myers was everywhere, jumping out at you wielding his knife. He honestly came at you from all directions in a house that could have been lifted from the original 70's film. There was also a fantastic surprise at the end which had me in stitches (watching others) although I'm not sure I'd have laughed quite so much if it happened to me. There was a 60 minute wait for this ride at 7.50pm and alongside The Walking Dead it was a house that I would happily have queued that long for. Luckily for me the express pass had me in within 10 minutes.

Dollhouse of the Damned was next up and again with little expectation I entered and again I felt a little uneasy... this time with giant baby dolls. It really was quite freaky. Swap the Clowns from Giggles and Gore Inc. with dolls and you get the gist. I really enjoyed this one mainly from watching others around me duck and swerve as giant dolls jumped out at them. Very funny. A 25 minute wait at 8.10pm and once again I was entering in about 10 minutes with the express pass.

The final house was Roanoke - Cannibal Colony. This one was okay and generally wasn't that scary... although it gave me my one genuine fright of the night. After a few houses you get used to people jumping out at you from the front, back and sides but I never thought of someone laying on a platform above you as you walk through a hole... suffice to say one mouldy, scabby hand dropping into my eyesight from above my head and then lightly brushing my head was enough for my reflexes to kick in. From memory I did a sideways twitch, followed by a quick duck and a jump to the side, a customary look up to see what the hell had just happened and then the realisation that all cool had been lost in a few fleeting seconds. Then came the laughs from behind me as people found my involuntary movements just as hilarious as all those I had been laughing at all night. What goes round comes round I guess.There was a 45 minute wait for this one by 8.30pm and I was in within 10 minutes using the express pass.

So, was the express pass worth it... YES. The longer the night goes on, the busier it gets and when I left the park around 9.30pm... these were the approximate queue times.

Outside of the main houses there is a lot going on. Alongside most of the normal park rides (all Harry Potter rides were closed for the night) there are several Street Experiences. Think of this as actors mixing with the general crowd and then suddenly springing into action all around you so even those who don't go in the houses can't escape. This was done with gusto last year with the Walking Dead experience. Zombies were quite literally everywhere including several staged set pieces where they would bust out of vehicles or traps. It was totally exhilarating. By comparison, I felt this year was a little lame. There was:

- Maskerade: Unstitched - a kind of gruesome masked ball
- Bayou of Blood - You found yourselves in the Louisiana Bayou where practitioners of Voodoo were searching for victims to use in their sacrifice
- Face Off - In the flesh - A bit of a mish mash of gruesome characters
- The Purge - Anarchy - This is the one that really worked for me. The premise here for those that haven't seen the films is that all laws are abolished for a 12 hour period once a year, to allow everyone to purge themselves. Essentially there are lots of vigilantes running amok using anything they can get their hands on as a weapon. Cue masked people charging at you with chain saws, clubs and just about anything they can get their hands on.

The Purge worked in a similar way that The Walking Dead did last year. It was seamless and was great fun.

If you ever decide to go to HHN then remember that the cast members aren't allowed to touch you. They will try their hardest to make you jump but if you don't react then they move onto someone else and if they react then they will swarm. I have seen people literally sprinting down alleyways screaming with actors chasing them. It is totally hilarious. From memory Universal suggest that the whole experience might be a little full on for children under 13 years old but I have seen children younger than that who have the biggest smiles on their faces and I have seen adults (Debs, I'm talking about you) cowering in total fear.

Go on - you know you want to!

Until next year... Jez

[app]

New Photo Added by debidee - 18 Oct 14 3:54 AM.

[Guest]

Great report Jez, pleased you had a good time and that you did get scared, even if only a little. I love HHN, the wife not so much as she spends most of her time gripping to my arm it nearly cuts off the blood supply to my hand!

So gutted to have not seen this years as Alien and Predator is our favourite. You did well to do the whole thing in 3 hours, we have still been there at nearly midnight before. Whats amazing is the park is spotless for the next mornings guests, very impressive.

When we have done it before we have been in the park during the day and then they put all HHN goers in a holding pen normally by the Irish pub/Mummy ride. This way you are already in the mix of things and can make a direct beeline for your first house of choice.

[Jake71]

Brilliant report Jez, however, not enough to convince me to ever go to HHN, in fact probably the opposite, confirmed its definitely not for me. I'm glad you enjoyed it and the express pass certainly seemed like money well spent.

[Megandllsmum]

Great report jez. . . . . I think I would've had a coronary walking around there though. . . Debidees choice of the spa is more up my street, great you had a good night though, my OH just read your report and he's with you this is his sort of thing

[debidee]

Originally Posted by MickeyM

Great report Jez, pleased you had a good time and that you did get scared, even if only a little. I love HHN, the wife not so much as she spends most of her time gripping to my arm it nearly cuts off the blood supply to my hand!

So gutted to have not seen this years as Alien and Predator is our favourite. You did well to do the whole thing in 3 hours, we have still been there at nearly midnight before. Whats amazing is the park is spotless for the next mornings guests, very impressive.

When we have done it before we have been in the park during the day and then they put all HHN goers in a holding pen normally by the Irish pub/Mummy ride. This way you are already in the mix of things and can make a direct beeline for your first house of choice.

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Jez - Thanks for your comments and still holding out hope I will get Debs back one day in the not so distant future!
Debs - No Way! It's the spa every time ;-)

[debidee]

Originally Posted by Jake71

Brilliant report Jez, however, not enough to convince me to ever go to HHN, in fact probably the opposite, confirmed its definitely not for me. I'm glad you enjoyed it and the express pass certainly seemed like money well spent.

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Jez - yep the fast pass was def. a good investment!
Debs - hehehe the Spa appears to be winning ;-)

[debidee]

Originally Posted by Megandllsmum

Great report jez. . . . . I think I would've had a coronary walking around there though. . . Debidees choice of the spa is more up my street, great you had a good night though, my OH just read your report and he's with you this is his sort of thing

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Jez - I say give it a go at least once... even if scared you will laugh!
Debs - don't give it a go... run to the spa ;-)

[KittyBlackDog]

What a great report Jez.

I would be the numpty that would be running away screaming for my life from a swarm of actors 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

Give me the spa any day! 😁

DH would choose HHN over the spa lol

[JackyH]

Oh I could never do that. I want to cry just reading your report. I would be the one screaming and running down the street with a million zombies chasing me.