Halloween horror nights at universal is called by hauntworld the number 1 amusement park halloween event of 2008. Perhaps it was the night we went or the crowd that night but I left disappointed with the overall haunt effects. While scare actors are the best way to scare people the ones in halloween horror nights houses didn't seem to know or possibly didn't care about the 5 laws of fear. The actors in the scare zones were better and their interaction with guests was excellent but the houses also lacked the technical sophistication of say the 13th Gate which I assume they could easily pull off on their budget. The rocky horror show tribute would be a huge disappointment to anyone who has ever been to an actual cast screening of the movie. Bill and Ted's excellent halloween adventure was amusing at best. The saving grace for the shows was Brian Brushwood who put on an intriguing and albeit rushed very fun and funny show that even incorporated a good scare even if half the audience probably knew it was coming. I have been converted to be one of the cult of Mr. Happy Pants. Unfortunately the houses were quick and mostly disappointing featuring one or possibly two tired effects in each house. Lines were up to 90 minutes wait time and people were not staggered into the houses creating a line all the way thru the attraction. Even if you had purchased the fast pass all you did was save yourself the line of drunks outside the attraction and not the line of drunks inside. Bloody Mary's scenes were the best in that they were the most detailed but not very technically impressive, again there was a line of people in front and behind me the whole time letting me know when things would be happening and the house hinged on 2 effects, one of which happened in the first room. and I was sad to see the tired or apathetic scare actors yet again. Finally the drunk people put the nail in this coffin, while standing in the 80 minute line for Bloody Mary's house I got to experience a drunken idiot mercilessly hit on one of the sexy blood bag sellers as another drunk climbed the hill in back of the jaws ride all while the security staff stood uselessly oblivious and talked to each other ten feet away. To sum up the "scariest" part was the scare zones and the best was Brian Brushwoods show. The houses were not very scary at all. My suggestion to universal is add a better climax effect to each house. Teach the scare actors how to scare and stagger groups entering the haunts cutting them down to the small group of people they came with.