rocketman23
<font color = green>Zamp in the Lamp<br><font colo
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2001
I visited Howl-O-Scream on September 28 for the Freaky Preview. It was free with my Platinum passport and I was hoping that the event would be much less crowded than last year. The group started in the hold area for those guests in the park when it closed. Got some laps in on Scorpion and rode a few flats. When 7:30 rolled around it was time for some houses. Ill break it down into attractions I visited chronologically.
Speed Demons, Scare Zone:
Simply the worst scare zone I have ever walked through. It had no theming what so ever, there were few actors, and the ones that were there were not scary at all. Throughout the night it stayed this way and never really improved.
Agony Express, Scare Zone:
Last years Agony was very well done, but this year had slacked a bit. It had some good actors and props, including lights simulating fire. The split man was back this year which was the highlight of last. There was a lack of shovel dragging actors which had really boosted this zone last year. That was the primary disappointing change, but still a good zone.
Escape From Insanity: Residents Revenge, Haunted House:
The line was short and remained so throughout the evening. We got to do this house two different times. It was a solid house last year, and got a little better this year. It begins in the reception hall where a rather funny man-nurse welcomes you into the asylum. Into the courtyard we find a few wandering actors, a loudly banging barrel, and rubbage everywhere. Into the house is a series of cells which for the most part was well themed but under staffed. There was a janitor room which worked very well. It was composed of lots of fake roaches and a flooring which made it feel as though you were crunching over hundreds of roaches. Moving forward there were pictures that would drop to reveal actors, an electrocution room, and a cuckoo clock with a killer cuckoo. The medical and restrooms were the best portion. The medical room contained a man with his hand stuck in a garbage disposal which would spray water at you, a hall of bloody curtains which would be randomly drawn back to reveal an inmate, and a sullied toilet which would spray water at random. A long hallway let the way out. At the very end there was a very funny touch. There was a trashcan with two puppets sticking out which an actor would manipulate and say funny things. Overall, the house is very well done, theres plenty of bits that will stick with you and stand out. The main downfall here as last year is that there was a lack of actors in several parts. An improvement over last year nonetheless!
Demented Dimensions, Haunted House:
The line was very short throughout the night and we got to do it a total of two times throughout the night. This house is one thats more fun than scary. Last year it had a spinning tunnel which was the highlight as well as a pink shag room, but both were gone this year. The house was full of colors including a mouth room which provided the best scares, a room with many doors, and a spider room. The actors blended in very well. At one point I leaned up on a gate inches from a actor behind it and was none the wiser until he jumped out. The house also included a very large robotic animal which would ride every so often. It was short, but still retained the fun from last year despite the tunnel loss.
The Mortuary, Haunted House:
Long line at first, but got shorter as the night went on. I visited the house 4 or 5 times. The house begins in line with the presence of the creepy Mister speaking to the captive audience. This was the best character and actor of the night. With a voice that would creep out Vincent Price and an ear to ear smile, he would address death (we are not here to mourn the dead, we are here to join them). The maze itself did not change from last year and by the end of the night I memorized where all the actors were. It begins in a hall lined in red curtains. We wind through here as two good instances of misdirection is used to surprise the guests. At the end of the halls, we dodge a leaping black cat and go through the closet of the mortician. From here we enter the underworld of the mortuary. A organ beckons guests to goof off and play it only for the pipes in front of you to drop and reveal an actor. We see the operating rooms with undead and mad morticians. The furnace room is next and hellish haunts dwell within the bowels of the furnace. This segways into a pitch black portion of the maze into the bloody finale. Bodies hang from the ceiling and blood coats the walls. Some bodies real, some fake, all mangled. After a brush with our own death, we exit into the outdoors only after worms are dropped on guests. The outside presented 3 or 4 more actors placed one after the other leading to the exit. The maze still stands as a favorite of all time and is very intensely themed. The actor placement is the best possible and the scares are frequent.
Darkhearts Fear Fair, Haunted House:
Always about a 10 minute wait. We did this one 5 or 6 times throughout the night. Last year this had been an abominable house, absolutely horrible. This year was a HUGE improvement. The house had four different ways to travel through and was fairly short, but it had some of the best elements to any house in the park. It begins with a carnie welcoming you in over a megaphone. I really like these welcoming characters, this one and Mister were an excellent touch. After it was THE TUNNEL, yeah! This was the spinning tunnel from last years Demented Dimensions but seemed longer. I thought quick and got my 3D glasses out for this portion of the maze which makes you feels incredibly off balance. A couple freaks (including a midget actor!) led the way into the first split. The right was a series of tall crates creating a narrow path. It was alright, but left was the better path. Left included carnie games and a kissing booth. Further in was a man with one of the Test Your Strength mallots and a water gun game aimed at the guests. It also led into a air gun game with flashing strobes. The two paths joined up at this point then split off in the mirror maze. I never did the right here because it consisted of a guy in a trampoline and everyone that went right agreed left was so much better. The mirror maze was packed with strobes and had two actors hidden within the mirror breaks. Very disorienting and led to my biggest scare of the night. This took place walking towards the end of the maze and seeing three Darkheart clowns, one real, two reflection, staring at me with inhuman eyes. Never has a character I could see stop me in my tracks, but it did and I made someone else go first. Normally a character would have to jump out to scare me, but not that time. It was a circle and we would pass this completely unhuman looking monster twice. He didnt need to jump out, his presence was enough. It was at this point we enter one of the best effects of the house. Its a circular room with rainbow strobe lights. The walls are mostly black and there is a black pole in the middle. There is one actor dressed in all black. The actor never failed to surprise. Sometimes it be against a wall, sometimes behind the pole. Even if you could see the actor as you entered, itd move through the room and disappear then reappear in front of you. Very creative and extremely effective. From here there was a opera room Im not really sure why or for what reason, but it was kind of neat. The exit had a few chainsaw men and two clowns which would jump out off of a trampoline and rebound back. The house worked because it had very memorable elements and the multiple paths created smaller groups making the scares more effective. Well done!
Whiplash, Scare Zone:
A new one this year located next to the Land of the Dragons and a new best. It featured regular actors, metal sliding sparkers, and my favorite, the stilt goons with air pop guns. The air guns were very bizarre, but awesome. They were like small accordions that could pump out a poof of air at whomever the actor picked out. Many actors were here and the scares came often.
Cursed, Scare Zone:
Moved from Timbuktu, this was now on the bridge over the Orangutans. Last year this was a very energetic zone and it was for the most part again. Same props including an eye thatd squirt water, a caged man, a person in a book, and a busty sourceress (touchee Busch). One of the better scare zones this year as last.
Grisly Gardens, Scare Zone:
Last year this was a top notch zone with tight spaces and many actors. This year the actors were more dispersed because it was a two way path this year rather than one. The statues and griffin actors were very realistic and the ones hiding in the bushes were not visible at all. This zone has the best theme and costume design, but not the most fun or intense.
Ripper Row, Haunted House:
Lines always low, did this house twice. Last year this was not last on my list only because Bloody Bayou was so horribly done. This year, nothing really changed for Ripper Row. The actors for the most part were very dull and not scary. We are warned to stay out of the alley by a loud actor in line. So, we go into the allies of London and discover among many things a man eating a cow and a playground murder scene. One good scare in the early going was a man laying on a table appearing dead. He suddenly jumps at guests inches from him as Jack cuts his throat. The other good scare comes towards the end in the wax museum where we cannot tell which figure is real and which is not. That was a nice touch, but everything else was just way too dull.
Tortured, Haunted House:
Lines flowed fast and were always 10 minutes or under. I did this house 3 or 4 times during the event. Last year this was my favorite house because it mixed a great theme with many scares packed in. This year it lost a little ground due to a few less actors and a little less intensity. It begins in the courtyard with three energetic actors giving it their full effort. Once in the house, we see caged people and their torturers. Long winding halls reveal twisted people out to mangle. We encounter three people from the roof using small dusters to tickle your ear or back of your neck. throughout the house. Coffins line one hall with real and fake actors. Another hall is lined with ghoulish figures, some real, some fake. This is an effective trick which Tortured, and Busch for that matter, does well. Theres also a series of three clear bloody walls with actors being slid against from the inside followed by a hall of severed bodies which spray blood on us while actors pop out of walls. This is a more traditional house and still one of the best. It goes straight for the gore and intense scares and achieves its purpose.
We stayed up until 1:30 when the houses closed then left. This year was on the whole better. Despite this I saw a decline in scare zone quality headed by the awful Speed Demons with bright spots in Whiplash and Grisly Gardens. The houses generally improved with the atrocious Bloody Bayou being replaced with the memorable Fear Fair. Escape From Insanity and Mortuary were at their best, but Tortured slipped from my favorite and Demented lost its tunnel and pink shag. Ripper Row is still the black eye in Buschs collection of original scares. Crowd control improved beyond belief from last year, which in turn greatly improved the experience. Im hoping next year we see some changes in houses to improve the overall experience. Howl-O-Scream is nearing HHN in quality particularly in the house category as opposed to scare zones the year before. If youre considering visiting this event, do so, its sure to become an annual tradition like HHN!
My favorite houses:
1. Mortuary... Mister's acting put this one over the top.
2. Tortured... Traditional house done right.
3. Darkheart's Fear Fair... Very memorable, very fun.
4. Escape From Insanity... Intense theming, but understaffed.
5. Demented Dimensions... Still fun, but no tunnel or shag this year.
6. Ripper Row... Wax figures nice touch, but not enough to save it.
Speed Demons, Scare Zone:
Simply the worst scare zone I have ever walked through. It had no theming what so ever, there were few actors, and the ones that were there were not scary at all. Throughout the night it stayed this way and never really improved.
Agony Express, Scare Zone:
Last years Agony was very well done, but this year had slacked a bit. It had some good actors and props, including lights simulating fire. The split man was back this year which was the highlight of last. There was a lack of shovel dragging actors which had really boosted this zone last year. That was the primary disappointing change, but still a good zone.
Escape From Insanity: Residents Revenge, Haunted House:
The line was short and remained so throughout the evening. We got to do this house two different times. It was a solid house last year, and got a little better this year. It begins in the reception hall where a rather funny man-nurse welcomes you into the asylum. Into the courtyard we find a few wandering actors, a loudly banging barrel, and rubbage everywhere. Into the house is a series of cells which for the most part was well themed but under staffed. There was a janitor room which worked very well. It was composed of lots of fake roaches and a flooring which made it feel as though you were crunching over hundreds of roaches. Moving forward there were pictures that would drop to reveal actors, an electrocution room, and a cuckoo clock with a killer cuckoo. The medical and restrooms were the best portion. The medical room contained a man with his hand stuck in a garbage disposal which would spray water at you, a hall of bloody curtains which would be randomly drawn back to reveal an inmate, and a sullied toilet which would spray water at random. A long hallway let the way out. At the very end there was a very funny touch. There was a trashcan with two puppets sticking out which an actor would manipulate and say funny things. Overall, the house is very well done, theres plenty of bits that will stick with you and stand out. The main downfall here as last year is that there was a lack of actors in several parts. An improvement over last year nonetheless!
Demented Dimensions, Haunted House:
The line was very short throughout the night and we got to do it a total of two times throughout the night. This house is one thats more fun than scary. Last year it had a spinning tunnel which was the highlight as well as a pink shag room, but both were gone this year. The house was full of colors including a mouth room which provided the best scares, a room with many doors, and a spider room. The actors blended in very well. At one point I leaned up on a gate inches from a actor behind it and was none the wiser until he jumped out. The house also included a very large robotic animal which would ride every so often. It was short, but still retained the fun from last year despite the tunnel loss.
The Mortuary, Haunted House:
Long line at first, but got shorter as the night went on. I visited the house 4 or 5 times. The house begins in line with the presence of the creepy Mister speaking to the captive audience. This was the best character and actor of the night. With a voice that would creep out Vincent Price and an ear to ear smile, he would address death (we are not here to mourn the dead, we are here to join them). The maze itself did not change from last year and by the end of the night I memorized where all the actors were. It begins in a hall lined in red curtains. We wind through here as two good instances of misdirection is used to surprise the guests. At the end of the halls, we dodge a leaping black cat and go through the closet of the mortician. From here we enter the underworld of the mortuary. A organ beckons guests to goof off and play it only for the pipes in front of you to drop and reveal an actor. We see the operating rooms with undead and mad morticians. The furnace room is next and hellish haunts dwell within the bowels of the furnace. This segways into a pitch black portion of the maze into the bloody finale. Bodies hang from the ceiling and blood coats the walls. Some bodies real, some fake, all mangled. After a brush with our own death, we exit into the outdoors only after worms are dropped on guests. The outside presented 3 or 4 more actors placed one after the other leading to the exit. The maze still stands as a favorite of all time and is very intensely themed. The actor placement is the best possible and the scares are frequent.
Darkhearts Fear Fair, Haunted House:
Always about a 10 minute wait. We did this one 5 or 6 times throughout the night. Last year this had been an abominable house, absolutely horrible. This year was a HUGE improvement. The house had four different ways to travel through and was fairly short, but it had some of the best elements to any house in the park. It begins with a carnie welcoming you in over a megaphone. I really like these welcoming characters, this one and Mister were an excellent touch. After it was THE TUNNEL, yeah! This was the spinning tunnel from last years Demented Dimensions but seemed longer. I thought quick and got my 3D glasses out for this portion of the maze which makes you feels incredibly off balance. A couple freaks (including a midget actor!) led the way into the first split. The right was a series of tall crates creating a narrow path. It was alright, but left was the better path. Left included carnie games and a kissing booth. Further in was a man with one of the Test Your Strength mallots and a water gun game aimed at the guests. It also led into a air gun game with flashing strobes. The two paths joined up at this point then split off in the mirror maze. I never did the right here because it consisted of a guy in a trampoline and everyone that went right agreed left was so much better. The mirror maze was packed with strobes and had two actors hidden within the mirror breaks. Very disorienting and led to my biggest scare of the night. This took place walking towards the end of the maze and seeing three Darkheart clowns, one real, two reflection, staring at me with inhuman eyes. Never has a character I could see stop me in my tracks, but it did and I made someone else go first. Normally a character would have to jump out to scare me, but not that time. It was a circle and we would pass this completely unhuman looking monster twice. He didnt need to jump out, his presence was enough. It was at this point we enter one of the best effects of the house. Its a circular room with rainbow strobe lights. The walls are mostly black and there is a black pole in the middle. There is one actor dressed in all black. The actor never failed to surprise. Sometimes it be against a wall, sometimes behind the pole. Even if you could see the actor as you entered, itd move through the room and disappear then reappear in front of you. Very creative and extremely effective. From here there was a opera room Im not really sure why or for what reason, but it was kind of neat. The exit had a few chainsaw men and two clowns which would jump out off of a trampoline and rebound back. The house worked because it had very memorable elements and the multiple paths created smaller groups making the scares more effective. Well done!
Whiplash, Scare Zone:
A new one this year located next to the Land of the Dragons and a new best. It featured regular actors, metal sliding sparkers, and my favorite, the stilt goons with air pop guns. The air guns were very bizarre, but awesome. They were like small accordions that could pump out a poof of air at whomever the actor picked out. Many actors were here and the scares came often.
Cursed, Scare Zone:
Moved from Timbuktu, this was now on the bridge over the Orangutans. Last year this was a very energetic zone and it was for the most part again. Same props including an eye thatd squirt water, a caged man, a person in a book, and a busty sourceress (touchee Busch). One of the better scare zones this year as last.
Grisly Gardens, Scare Zone:
Last year this was a top notch zone with tight spaces and many actors. This year the actors were more dispersed because it was a two way path this year rather than one. The statues and griffin actors were very realistic and the ones hiding in the bushes were not visible at all. This zone has the best theme and costume design, but not the most fun or intense.
Ripper Row, Haunted House:
Lines always low, did this house twice. Last year this was not last on my list only because Bloody Bayou was so horribly done. This year, nothing really changed for Ripper Row. The actors for the most part were very dull and not scary. We are warned to stay out of the alley by a loud actor in line. So, we go into the allies of London and discover among many things a man eating a cow and a playground murder scene. One good scare in the early going was a man laying on a table appearing dead. He suddenly jumps at guests inches from him as Jack cuts his throat. The other good scare comes towards the end in the wax museum where we cannot tell which figure is real and which is not. That was a nice touch, but everything else was just way too dull.
Tortured, Haunted House:
Lines flowed fast and were always 10 minutes or under. I did this house 3 or 4 times during the event. Last year this was my favorite house because it mixed a great theme with many scares packed in. This year it lost a little ground due to a few less actors and a little less intensity. It begins in the courtyard with three energetic actors giving it their full effort. Once in the house, we see caged people and their torturers. Long winding halls reveal twisted people out to mangle. We encounter three people from the roof using small dusters to tickle your ear or back of your neck. throughout the house. Coffins line one hall with real and fake actors. Another hall is lined with ghoulish figures, some real, some fake. This is an effective trick which Tortured, and Busch for that matter, does well. Theres also a series of three clear bloody walls with actors being slid against from the inside followed by a hall of severed bodies which spray blood on us while actors pop out of walls. This is a more traditional house and still one of the best. It goes straight for the gore and intense scares and achieves its purpose.
We stayed up until 1:30 when the houses closed then left. This year was on the whole better. Despite this I saw a decline in scare zone quality headed by the awful Speed Demons with bright spots in Whiplash and Grisly Gardens. The houses generally improved with the atrocious Bloody Bayou being replaced with the memorable Fear Fair. Escape From Insanity and Mortuary were at their best, but Tortured slipped from my favorite and Demented lost its tunnel and pink shag. Ripper Row is still the black eye in Buschs collection of original scares. Crowd control improved beyond belief from last year, which in turn greatly improved the experience. Im hoping next year we see some changes in houses to improve the overall experience. Howl-O-Scream is nearing HHN in quality particularly in the house category as opposed to scare zones the year before. If youre considering visiting this event, do so, its sure to become an annual tradition like HHN!
My favorite houses:
1. Mortuary... Mister's acting put this one over the top.
2. Tortured... Traditional house done right.
3. Darkheart's Fear Fair... Very memorable, very fun.
4. Escape From Insanity... Intense theming, but understaffed.
5. Demented Dimensions... Still fun, but no tunnel or shag this year.
6. Ripper Row... Wax figures nice touch, but not enough to save it.
