Just got back from a long weekend in Orlando to peep the Halloween Horror Nights festivities. It's pretty damned epic. The entire park is filled with new props and sets for "Scare Zones" where actors are performing, chasing people around, and jumping out of different spaces. There are 10 legitimate Haunts set up and each one includes some of the best make-up, staging, and effects I've seen in any haunted walk-throughs. They're also long walk-throughs...3-5 mins of walking through each experience.
The reason I was down to plan a whole trip for a couple of days was that they remade the original Halloween house as a haunt. You walk through a set and it's like being in Michael's childhood room, then you pass by Judith Myers' body next to the mirror in her room, and then you stroll through essentially the entirety of that first classic film. Loomis popped out to warn us, Laurie Strode was hiding in a closet, and the iconic kills were all there. That's not to mention Michael constantly popping up to chase us into the next location. The only thing they changed was to set up a last room that was full of mirrors so that there were 10 Michael's lined up at either side and you wouldn't know which were real or not...pretty epic way to close out.
That shyt alone was worth it for me. But there were other dope ones. They did a theme where the classic Dracula, Wolfman, and Mummy clash against each other. You walk through rooms based on each character and they scare you while a scrap is implied to be happening. The cool thing on that one is there's a new winner at the end of each day. So for my walk-through, Dracula was staked and the Wolfman held down the final room with the Mummy's head in his hands. But someone else might see a different result.
Blumhouse had a combo haunt that started as Freaky and switched to the Black Phone. This was especially cool because they really stuck to the films. With the Butcher from Freaky chasing you and a two-way mirror showing him switching places with the Final Girl. Then she was catching bodies as we walked through her part. The Black Phone haunt was most of my family's favorite. They included that amazing scene where he's sitting on the chair with a belt in hand and you have to walk past him. Phones were at the end of each hall and would ring when you passed.
My pops especially loved the Chupacabra-themed haunt. Chupacabra stories in Puerto Rico have always been around like Jersey Devil tales in south Jerz and Big Foot tales in forest states. These included pretty epic animatronics that would jump out and snap at people from behind walls and windows.
Others included a Weeknd theme that was...weird, but the music slapped. Some typical joints like a Prison, a Speakeasy run by a coven of witches, a haunted Sea Town, and a Bug-infestation house that included all the nasty textures to gross you out.
For horror heads, it's DEFINITELY worth a visit. Especially if a movie you really love is being themed out. The Halloween experience was really incredible IMO and the Haunts themselves had great scares. I don't jump at movies or scare easy, but they made sure to sneak up on and chase me more than a few times. It was a dope time for my horror-obsessed family and my only complaint is that I screwed up by not extending my trip. There was more to do that i just didn't have time for. In two days, I logged 25 miles worth of walking around the park and haunts. I'd have been happier to stretch that over 4 or 5 days, but now I know it's worth it.