Seems about time to catch up, and I think photos shall be required. So I'll just jump into it, shall I?

I've not yet posted about Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando! I've been twice now, and I'm thinking I'll go once more before my pass expires at the end of next weekend. The short version: Awesome but crowded like whoa.

I went on opening night and met my friends there, the couple who included the pass as part of my payment for shooting their wedding. And it rained. all. night. long. Luckily it wasn't a hard rain, just a steady sprinkle that still had us pretty well soaked after an hour or two. We did a couple houses on our own, and then met up with a large group from some web forum they're on. It was okay, but I felt like I could have done a lot more solo--though I guess that wasn't really the point. Anyway, we did the Roanoke Cannibals, Dollhouse of the Damned, and Aliens vs. Predator houses, all of which were pretty awesome. AvP was probably my favorite of the night, because it was pretty spiffy to be thrust into that world for a few minutes! But Dollhouse definitely got high points for creativity and overall wow-factor. After the houses we rode Men In Black (first time I'd ever ridden with others good enough to get us rated as Galaxy Defenders!) and then got back with the big group for the last Bill & Ted show of the evening.

And I feel like that a bit of explanation is required here since most of you have no idea what HHN is all about. So the basic idea of the event is that they turn the theme park into a big haunted house. A handful of rides are open in their normal states, but the scary stuff is the main attraction: there are scare zones with different themes set up around the park, with decor and set pieces and fog machines and lighting and scareactors (rhymes with characters, get it?) in costumes and makeup and carrying knives and chainsaws and stuff, wandering around lunging at unsuspecting passersby. And there are also a bunch of scare houses, each with its own theme, that you tour through. Sometimes a house theme is a generic concept, but more regularly these days it will be some licensed popular property from horror film or tv (The Walking Dead, Child's Play, Dracula, Halloween, the aforementioned AvP, etc.). The houses are sorta like mazes, though (usually) with a single well-defined path, and along the way are scareactors hiding around corners or behind curtains or as part of the decor who will jump out at you (though they aren't allowed to touch you, of course). To me it seems like a terrible job because I have to imagine they get slugged out of pure reflex on occasion. Anyway, it's all a lot of fun, and being Universal the theming and set construction and costumes/makeup are all top-notch. There are also some shows, the main one being the Bill & Ted show, wherein B&T from the classic '80s movies participate in a far-fetched and ridiculous storyline that lampoons the past year's pop culture headlines and luminaries at every turn. It's always a treat, and great fun to yell "Catch you later, Bill & Ted!" in response to their "Catch you later, Audience Dudes!" at the end of the show.

Anyhoo, visit #2 was this past Saturday night, and this time I stayed solo. I headed straight for the Halloween house, which I'd heard was the best of the year and knew would get longer lines later. Even going straight there, it was almost an hour wait. Did I mention the event is crowded? Always. And this is even early in the season--lots more people go as October wears on! Anyway, the Halloween house was pretty damn good, as I expected, with lots of creepy Michael Myerses lurking around the corners. After that I went to Giggles & Gore, a generic-themed house based on the idea of killer clowns meeting their demise in a factory by way of various industrial equipment. That one was mainly memorable because of the group in front of me: about 4 teenage girls, one of whom would literally fall down on the floor every time a scareactor appeared. And that happens a lot, so she fell down a LOT, and would often take one or more of her friends down with her. Fun is fun, but that kind of fun has gotta get painful after a while! After that I checked the wait times, and Dollhouse of the Damned was pretty short so I went through that one again and was again quite pleased with it. And then I rode some rides (they generally have pretty short waits during HHN since that's not why most people are there), including my first go on Transformers: The Ride 3D. That was pretty good, though essentially just a re-themed version of the Spider-Man ride at Islands of Adventure. And then I got a Ben and Jerry's milkshake and called it a night, since my legs were jelly from the wedding and theme-parking.

So let's see, the houses I haven't hit yet are Dracula, From Dusk Til Dawn, and The Walking Dead. Not really being a vampire fan, I don't care too much about Dracula or Dusk, though I'd hit them if the lines are short enough. I definitely want to do Walking Dead, so I think that will be my priority next visit. I wouldn't mind doing AvP again too, though it's one of the always-a-long-wait houses this year for sure. And I'd like to see Bill & Ted again. Oh, and ride Minion Mayhem, another ride I've not yet done.

So here, have some pics!

( Clicky! )
Okay, that's plenty for now. I hope your week is off to a good start!