A Non Haunters First Time Behind The Screams HHN32
We went on a company outing - who doesn't love a field trip, right? But this wasn't just any field trip, we went to...drum roll...Halloween Horror Nights' Behind the Screams! So awesome!
I am excited to share with you my first "Behind the Screams" experience. We got to walk through six out of ten of the haunted houses, in a small group, with the lights on and with a tour guide. It was great to be able to take time to appreciate all of the nuances and details that I would have otherwise missed. It was fascinating learning more about the industry and even some HHN trivia. Another plus was being able to take pictures, the shutterbug in me thoroughly enjoyed that!
The facade of the 'Universal's Monsters: Unmasked' house was exquisitely eerie. Set in the streets of Paris with street lamps, a full moon and even some foreshadowing with sheet music cast about, a nod to the Phantom of the Opera, it beckons you to enter the catacombs. In the Phantom of the Opera part of this house, a two way mirror was used very effectively. I also enjoyed seeing the mossing and rusting techniques used here (I am looking forward to trying this at some point).
Something I found interesting in the 'Chucky' house was that while the hero puppet was prominently displayed in the opening scene it was half covered.
The 'Blood Moon: Dark Offerings' house was visually stunning. The way the Parish Village was constructed was so well done. The artistry and attention to details was so fun to admire. For example, the subtle but effective cult symbols throughout, hand dipped candles and if you pay close attention, you will notice in the tavern there are 3 cups missing from the bar, which is because there are 3 cups on the tables. I found this house chillingly haunting, even with the lights on, and without audio or actors!
I have never seen the Netflix series, Stranger Things (I know, I live under a rock, lol!) but our tour guide was a fan of the show and did a great job of giving the backstory for the 'Stranger Things 4' house. In the first scene, a bedroom off to the left is thoughtfully staged, even though it may not be seen by many people, once again adding depth. Another little detail is that all of the clocks are set to 11:15 throughout the house. It was also interesting to learn that all of the audio and visual were provided by Netflix and ripped directly from the series, creating excellent continuity. One stand out scene in my opinion, was the hole between the upside-down universe and our universe with the sheet between them. Eleven's shirt is also in a basket in the corner of this scene. This house captured my imagination and I am excited to start watching 'Stranger Things.'
Did you know that 'Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate' is based on the concept of a previous Universal ride, where patrons could choose the end of the ride? Similarly, this haunted house has alternate endings and lets you 'Choose Thy Fate.' Myrlin's realm of this house has an enchanted forest vibe that I really enjoyed. The ice dragon's scene was also really nice, and even displayed a part from the original ride.
YETI: Campground Kills takes place at Shadow Creek State Park in the 1950's. Every detail of this house was well staged, from the trailer to the rotary phone to the handwritten retirement note and even the list written on a post-it, sitting on the bait shop counter next to the dead body. Water seems notoriously difficult to make convincing but here they did it by using mirrors, constructing a dock over the water and cutting the body in half to give the appearance it's floating. One thing I really love about the YETI house is it's comic relief, from the snake in the outhouse toilet, to the YETI holding the "Bait" sign, to the map with "murder lake" on it, so great!
My first HHN 'Behind the Screams' tour was a fun and fascinating experience. I learned about lighting and gel coating LEDs. I learned more about implementing scent and corpsing. I also learned interesting facts such as, HHN has a massive warehouse to store all of the props and a morgue with toe-tagged manikins. I would highly recommend this tour, especially if you are interested in slowing down and taking it all in.