Pauloween 2012: Busch Gardens Williamsburg Howl-O-Scream 2012

Every year, Busch Gardens Williamsburg puts together what is, essentially, the best deal in haunts around with their annual Howl-O-Scream event.  Unlike most other theme park Halloween events, BGW’s Howl-O-Scream event isn’t separately ticketable.  So whereas you have to buy a specific ticket for events like Halloween Horror Nights, or even Busch Gardens Tampa’s Howl-O-Scream, for the event in Williamsburg, you can purchase a regular day ticket (or, for season pass holders, just show up at any time during the day), enjoy the regular park during the day, and enjoy the Howl-O-Scream festivities in the evening.  The best part of all?  All the Howl-O-Scream shows play during the day as well, so you can watch all of them before the houses even open, and hit the houses without interruption, which is kind of vital, considering the crowds this place gets on weekends.

Howl-O-Scream opened this year on September 14th, a direct response to the fact that for almost the last two years going, the park has hit capacity every Saturday of the event, dealing with extremely long lines and wait times and, worst of all, turning away business.  Of course, I attended this year’s event on a Saturday, and, even though I got to the park at 1PM and was able to hit a good amount of the shows and a coaster or two before the house’s opened.  Sadly, even with this head start, without a Quick Queue pass, I was only able to hit 5 of the 6 houses, and 2 of the 3 shows.  Yes, the lines were THAT long, and closing the park at 10 (4 hours after the houses opened) didn’t help.  I’ll talk a little bit more about the options available for those trying to jam it all in in one night after the jump, as well as reviews of each of the houses!

Read the rest of this entry »

Written on October 4th, 2012 , The Rest, Theme Parks Tags: , ,
Pauloween 2012: Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights Photo Update!

Enjoyed our review of this year’s Halloween Horror Nights event at Universal Studios Orlando?  Well, given the rain on opening night, we weren’t able to get a ton of photos of the themeing around the park.  We’ve rectified that today with a brief photo update of the goodies you’ll see as you walk around the park!

For more information and tickets, hit www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com!

And stay tuned this weekend for our review of Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s annual Howl-O-Scream event!

Written on September 28th, 2012 , The Rest, Theme Parks Tags: , ,
PAULOWEEN 2012: UNIVERSAL ORLANDO HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS 22

It was a dark and stormy night….literally…

For those following along, you’ll recall that yours truly was filling in for our faithful host for this year’s Pauloween event. I last visited Universal on Halloween Horror Nights Media Day, during which I was able to speak with some of the event’s creative team and get a sneak peek into this year’s event. You can find my recap of Media Day here: http://ideologyofmadness.spookyouthouse.com/archives/20355

Based on the preview that I received last week, I was anxious to return to Universal Studios for the official launch night. Halloween Horror Nights 22 features seven houses, roaming scarezones, and two shows. The houses offered this year are split between commercial partnerships with some of pop culture’s biggest icons (AMC’s The Walking Dead, Silent Hill, Penn & Teller’s New(kd) Las Vegas, and Alice Cooper – Welcome To My Nightmare) and all new Universal original creations (Dead End, Gothic, and House of Horrors). In addition to the annual “Bill & Ted” show, Universal has also added “The 20 Penny Circus” to their roster.

There is a reason why Universal consistently wins awards for presenting the best theme park Halloween event and this year’s offerings solidify their standing as the industry leader. Being an annual pass holder myself, I was amazed at how the park is transformed in such short time in between normal hours and the opening of HHN. Scarce traces of Universal’s daily family fare existed as the gates open to dense fog and eerie lighting to illuminate congested paths in between each house of horror. This atmosphere contributes to the simply amazing presentation inside each house. Each of the houses within HHN this year offers something truly different and each venture offered a memorable experience. Universal Studios offers multiple ticketing options for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights, and while the event is worth every penny, if you are local, you would greatly benefit from a multi day pass. There is so much to see at HHN, and due to the throngs of fans in attendance, you would not be able to experience everything in one night.

For those that don’t want to see any spoilers, stop reading now and head to Universal to go wait in line (or go see the new Dredd movie). Read the rest of this entry »

Written on September 23rd, 2012 , The Rest, Theme Parks Tags: , , , , , , ,
Pauloween 2012: Universal Studios Orlando Halloween Horror Nights Media Day

Intrepid Pauloween Reporter Kyle ventures through the houses of Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando.

Pauloween 2012 is here! We kick off our festivities with an article from new site contributor Kyle, who was able to attend the Halloween Horror Nights Media Day in Orlando, FL yesterday. Tons of great info and pics from this year’s event below!

It’s that time of year again, when for some, the thought of waiting in line for overpriced Pumpkin Spice coffee at Starbucks brings feelings of joy. For the rest of us, today marks the countdown to euphoria by way of having the ever living shit scared out of us by the fine folks at Universal Studios during Halloween Horror Nights 22.

Universal Studios held their media day yesterday and I was on hand to meet some of the brains that bring Halloween Horror Nights to life as well as to get a sneak peek at 2 of this year’s haunted houses, before the event opens to the public on Friday, September 21st.

Tom Schroder, Vice President of Public Relations opened the event by welcoming us into a room filled with signature pieces of the 7 houses and 6 street experiences that are included in this year’s event. Along with the signature pieces for this year’s houses were blueprints that outlined the house design. This year’s house lineup includes 4 licensed properties (The Walking Dead, Alice Cooper – Welcome To My Nightmare, Silent Hill, and Penn & Teller New[kd] Vegas) and 3 original creations (Dead End, Gothic, and House of Horrors). While Tom kicked off the event, horror makeup artists began to demonstrate how they transform mere mortals into terrifying HHN scareactors.

Next up, we were greeted by Jim Timon, Senior Vice President of Entertainment. Jim provided more detailed insight into this year’s offerings and noted that the 4 licensed houses this year each bring something new to the table, including a still in progress television show (never been done before), video game horror, Las Vegas with a new perspective, and horror based on a set piece of music. Jim emphasized that he felt the lineup this year was top of the line and is better than any previous year. Jim then introduced the creative team behind HHN and allowed us time to speak with some of the members. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on September 13th, 2012 , The Rest, Theme Parks Tags: , , ,
Pauloween 2011: Busch Gardens Tampa Howl-O-Scream

You know what they say?  Absence makes the heart grow fonder.  Never have those words been more true then in the case of Busch Gardens Tampa’s Howl-O-Scream.  I don’t mean to be harsh, but I’ve never been a big proponent of recycling haunted houses.  Recycling items in those houses, sure.  I understand that there needs to be a way to save money.  But, given that the event is a separate ticket event (you have to buy a ticket – you can’t just get in with a day pass), it seems to me like there should be enough money to at least re-theme the houses, with different actors or slight alterations.  Instead, both Busch Gardens parks (Tampa and Williamsburg) recycle entire houses with almost no changes, which makes for me second guessing the point of attending for, essentially, one or two new houses each year.  *review of 2009′s event here*

So…I skipped 2010′s event.  I really wanted to go, but the draw of Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter was stronger to me.  Not only that, the “chick band rock star” theme last year didn’t intrigue me as much as some of the previous year’s themes.  However, I think the break from the event helped me to enjoy this year even more. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on October 13th, 2011 , Theme Parks Tags: , ,
PAULOWEEN 2011: Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights XXI

You guys know I love me some Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights.  The event, which has been voted best theme park Halloween event multiple years in a row, is definitely the cream of the crop when it comes to top notch scares.  Universal Orlando definitely puts a ton of money and effort into the event, and last year’s 20th anniversary culminated a good number of outstanding storylines and themes that the attraction had been running for years.

This year, Universal is going to back to basics, primarily going with original concepts (save for one house based on the upcoming prequel to The Thing), including the event’s icon, Lady Luck.  For those avoiding any specific details on the event, I’ll briefly summarize by saying that, while I wasn’t overly impressed with the scarezones this year (more detail on that after the jump), the houses this year were absolutely amazing in theming.  Universal stepped up their game this year and created some truly memorable, exciting experiences that will impress you while trying to scare you.  Definitely worth the price of admission, some of the houses are truly awe-inspiring.  I highly recommend checking out the event this year.  I do want to note, however, that due to the popularity of the event, I’d also recommend finding some way to attend more than once.  One trip will leave you sorely missing out on some of the event.

For those who don’t mind some spoilers, details on the event and reviews of each house are after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on September 28th, 2011 , The Rest, Theme Parks Tags: , ,
PHN 2011: Official Details for Busch Gardens Tampa’s Howl-O-Scream 2011!

Well, much like I’m attending this year’s Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando, Florida, I’ll also be attending (a scant hour or so away), Busch Gardens Tampa’s awesome Howl-O-Scream event as well!

I’ve been a huge fan of this event, especially some of their awesome mascots.  Characters like The Raven Twins, the House of Vayne, the Death Jockey…vicious stuff like you don’t see here in Virginia.  Well, this year, though the advertising of each park is a little different, the theme is the same between Tampa and it’s Virginia counterpart – “The Dark Side of the Gardens.”

In Tampa, four houses return from last year, including “Alone,” a premium (pay extra) experience where you get to go through a house…well, alone!  New this year are a Zombie Casino and a Poe house, interestingly both similar to themes being used at UOR in Orlando.  Still, I’m sure the parks will do vastly different things with them.

I can’t wait!

All the official details are after the jump! Read the rest of this entry »

Written on September 2nd, 2011 , The Rest, Theme Parks Tags: ,
PHN 2011: Official Details of Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights 21!

Late last night Universal Studios Orlando released official details regarding this year’s Halloween Horror Nights event down at Universal Studios Orlando.

As usual, your favorite IoM Pauloween writer will be there covering the event! Check out more of the full details after the jump! Read the rest of this entry »

Written on August 31st, 2011 , The Rest, Theme Parks Tags: ,
PHN 2011: Halloween Horror Nights 21 Revealed?

As in the previous two years, your buds at IoM will be attending this year’s Halloween Horror Nights even in Orlando, Florida at Universal Studios Orlando.  Now, this year’s event has been shrouded in secrecy, the only hints revealed so far pointing to a casino/gambling theme.  For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been getting small playing cards with sayings on them related to “luck” and “death.”  Great stuff.

Well…this week news is finally starting to leak out.  On Screamscape, it was revealed that an Orlando Burger King accidentally put up a promotional poster for HHN early, revealing the event’s icon, Lady Luck (at right).  In addition, the TV commercial seems to have leaked online as well (below).

What’s most surprising, though, is that it seems that the themes for all of the haunts have been leaked too.  That’s pretty rare, but I guess when set pics for all of next year’s blockbusters can leak with all the security on movie sets, something like this isn’t too hard to get out.  Also from the link above, here are the themes for the eight houses (scarezone themes haven’t leaked yet):

  • The Thing, based on the upcoming movie
  • Madness of Poe
  • an old spooky cemetery
  • a crazy WWI era hospital
  • Holiday horror gone wrong
  • one based on the Saws & Steam scare zone from last year
  • something themed to Runes
  • one themed to a haunted Spanish ghost ship

Check out the commercial for this year’s event after the jump! Read the rest of this entry »

Written on August 27th, 2011 , The Rest, Theme Parks Tags: ,
PHN 2011: “THE THING” Invades Halloween Horror Nights!

UNIVERSAL PICTURES’ UPCOMING THRILLER “THE THING” TO BECOME HAUNTED HOUSE EXPERIENCE AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS’ HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS

Guests Will Experience the Fear of the Film at Both Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights Events Before “The Thing” Hits Theatres

 ORLANDO, Fla.,  UNIVERSAL CITY, Ca. (July 19, 2011) — An abandoned scientific research facility in the midst of a vast and frozen Antarctica will set the stage for “The Thing,” an all-new horror maze inspired by Universal Pictures’ upcoming film, at both Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights events, which begins on September 23 and continues on select nights through October 31. In the thriller “The Thing,” paranoia spreads like an epidemic among a group of researchers as they’re infected, one by one, by a mystery from another planet.

The new haunted house will offer guests an unprecedented first-hand preview of the much-anticipated thriller in advance of its October 14 release. Guests will find themselves in a series of face-to-face encounters with “The Thing,” an alien creature that can transform itself into an exact replica of any living being. “The Thing” maze will recreate the spine-chilling suspense from the film, confronting guests with the paranoia and fear that comes from being trapped inside the film’s Antarctic Thule station.The shape-shifting alien could be anywhere or anything.  Will they survive?

Eerily authentic, “The Thing” maze will feature elaborately designed and disturbingly real alien creatures and sets. They will match the film’s terrifying intensity and provoke both a memorable and disturbing experience. Universal’s theme parks have partnered with the film’s producers, Strike Entertainment’s Marc Abraham and Eric Newman (Dawn of the Dead) to create an experience that is authentic to the film. The sets, audio, musical score, creature and character references are all based on the thriller.

“We want people to live the film and experience the same terror that affects the film’s characters,” said Newman. “Our collaboration with Universal’s creative teams brought the vision of the film to life.  We’re excited for Halloween Horror Nights guests to experience ‘The Thing’ in this frighteningly real way.”

To see the movie trailer, click here.

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood starts on September 23 and runs on select nights through October 31.  More information is available at HalloweenHorrorNights.com. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on July 19th, 2011 , Theme Parks Tags: ,
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