Thats right... Today, November 4. I turned 19.

WARNING: This is a long journal. If you do not feel like reading my overview and review of Halloween Horror Nights, feel free to skip it.

I went to Universal Studios Hollywood on Friday, October 23 for the Halloween Horror Nights… and I loved every second of it!

Watch my video compilation of my night here: [link]

To sum up the whole event and night: it was amazing, beautiful, terrifying, and hilarious all at the same time.

I went two years ago when the theme was the "Carnival of Carnage." The mascot was a deranged clown named Jack who brought the worlds of Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th), and Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) to life. I went through the Texas Chainsaw Massacre maze (a movie I never saw until after the event) and was absolutely terrified! We also did the Terror Tram (awesome!), Jurassic Park In the Dark (terrible disappointment; the last room had jack-o-lanterns everywhere… definitely not scary), and the Bill and Ted Halloween show (hilarious!!).

This year was a whole new ball game. The theme was "You'll Wish It Were Just A Movie" with the mascot of the Saw franchise, Jigsaw, leading the event. The minor mascots included Michael Myers of Halloween, Harry Warden of My Bloody Valentine, and Chucky of Child's Play.

Once again, I had never seen any of these films and had no idea what to expect. In my previous experiences I was absolutely terrified when confronted with mazes based on films I'd never seen. Would this year be the same? Let me tell you about it.

Let the Games Begin...

We stepped through the gates to a whole new world filled with thick fog and spinning saw blades projected on the ground. We started off the night by being greeted with a trio of pig-faced chainsaw-wielding minions. One member of our little group, Abby, didn't take too well to them. We then proceeded to the "Terror Tram: Live or Die" Studio Tour. This has always been my favorite thing to do. You board the tram, head towards the backlot, watch a message from Jigsaw's puppet, Billy, and get off of the tram and walk through a series of "haunted" movie sets. You start off at Whoville, walk through and around the Bates Motel, go up a long trail in the hills, come back down and through a mini maze with Michael Myers, move next to the Bates House, and finally make your way through the massive twisting wreckage of the War of the Worlds plane crash set before boarding back on the tram for a final message from Billy and determining your fate. This was the longest terror tram set they've ever had and its a huge improvement. The scariest part was going up the hill on a pitch black trail with speakers lined up all the way playing animal sounds that really sounded like a mountain lion would pounce out at any second. My favorite part was of course walking throughout the plane wreckage littered with zombies and dead bodies. It is the perfect use of the War of the Worlds set.
My rating:
Notable Scene: Zombie Containment Zone (War of the Worlds Set)

Next, we headed to the lower lot where lights projected jigsaw pieces spinning slowly on the ground with the Saw theme in the background. One member of our group managed to get front of the line passes for us from his dad (who worked at the park). If you happen to go to HHN, GET FRONT OF THE LINE PASSES! It is definitely worth the extra dough unless you prefer waiting in lines 1 to 2 hours long just to go through a 10 minute maze.

We rode the Jurassic Park in the Dark with the huge improvement of less lighting, more black lights, and velociraptors in the final room tearing apart scientists with strobe lights and Guns N Roses playing "Welcome to the Jungle" in the background.
My rating:
Notable Scene: Welcome to the Jungle!

Next we ate and decided to go through the Saw maze (Saw: Game Over), our first real maze of the night (located behind the Mummy: the Ride). I was terrified. I never saw any of the films and all I could picture were people being ripped to pieces in gruesome traps. I felt sick to my stomach as we came to the entrance in seconds (thanks to our passes). And then… we went in. The traps were excellently executed live, the scares happened at the right times, the sets looked accurate to the films. If you're a fan of the films, you'll love it. If you've never seen the films but love horror, you'll love it. If you're queezy, it really isn't as bad as you may think!
My rating:
Notable Scenes: Billy the animatronic puppet, Needle Pit (AND I HATE NEEDLES!), and the Boiler Room (could've done without the burning flesh smell though)
Footage of the maze: [link] [link]

Next was the Halloween Maze (Halloween: The Life and Crimes of Michael Myers) located at the old Wild West Show stage. I loved the atmospheres in this maze. I really felt like stepped into an 80's horror flick. Michael Myers was EVERYWHERE! And yet, he always came out at the perfect time.
My rating:
Notable Scene: Bedroom strangle scene (Michael is wearing a ghost sheet as he picks up his live victim on the bed and tosses her back down.)
Footage by theapplefreakk: [link]

Next we went through Chucky's Funhouse (House of Horrors). I was really disappointed with this. There was no real change from the normal daytime maze. Only difference was a few more scareactors running around, and maybe a few sound bites of Chucky here and there. If they'd given Chucky a maze of his own then he'd get the respect he deserves as they mention on the official site.
My rating:
Notable Scene: Chucky puppet at the end of the maze with a flashlight.

The final maze that the event had to offer and our next destination was My Bloody Valentine's Be Mine 4Ever Maze located in the queue area of Shrek 4-D. I truly had no idea what to expect from this maze. At least with the other attractions I knew who the characters were and what their stories were all about. Here I was in the dark (no pun intended). I was a little disappointed with this maze for 2 reasons. The first being that it smelled like rubber throughout the whole maze. It was a little distracting. The second reason being that it was too short. The other mazes were fairly long in comparison. As soon as I walked in, I tripped on a (fake) dead body on the floor. If that wasn't a bad start, I don't know what is.
My rating:
Notable Scene: Not sure. Was moving too fast to really take in the whole maze since it was too short.

All we had left to do were the shows. Our first show was the Rocky Horror Picture Show: A Tribute located in the T2:3D Theater. Now, I love RHPS… But I had no idea I was a RHPS virgin until I stepped into the pre-show theater. There is really so much more to the movie than just watching it on DVD. I have got to see this in the theater now! The show at HHN was phenomenal. Hilarious moments and amazing vocals. Not to mention Rocky was incredibly ripped and HOOOOT! (shhhh don't tell my boyfriend! lol)
My rating:
Notable Scene: two words: TIME WARP!…. and Rocky's sexy body

We had some time to kill (yet again, no pun intended) so we rode Jurassic Park one more time before seeing Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure: Land of the Lost Pop Culture located in the theater that houses the Creature from the Black Lagoon musical. I laughed soooooo hard. This show as fabulous. The dancing was incredible (Michael Jackson's compilation was absolutely epic), the jokes were relentless, and it was just a ton of fun. Apparently the show changes depending on when you see it, but only a little. For example, the opening dance number differed from show to show (I saw the tribute to Twilight whereas the only video I could find on youtube featured jedis ). If only they had this show year round. Then again, it wouldn't be an annual romp now would it?
My rating:
Notable Scenes: The Sleestak (Land of the Lost lizard thing) with the talking collar from Up, Wolverine riding a tricycle into the theater, the jokes on Twilight (I can't help it if I sparkle!), Rorschach humping the nerd and flashing the audience, and Michael Jackson coming back for an encore performance.
Footage from the show: [link] [link] [link]

The park closed at 2 AM but the Bill and Ted Show didn't end until after 3 AM. As we made our way to the main gate, the roar of chainsaws grew louder and louder. It became clear that every single scareactor the was wielding a chainsaw throughout the night in the park had come to the main gate to give guests one last scare. There had to be anywhere from 20 to 30 chainsaw-wielders slashing at the ground, chasing guests, and waving their weapons in the air. Then suddenly, the noise just stopped. There was a siren coming from a megaphone on one scareactor's shoulder. They all turned to the back and then walked into what looked like a marching band block. The fans on the sidewalks all clapped and cheered for the scareactors' wonderful performance and hard work throughout the night. Once the scareactors were all in a block, there was a pause of silence and their chainsaws ripped to life once again. One pigface scareactor started slashing at the ground, signaling their exit. The crowd cheered again as the scareactors marched away. I really found that to be the cherry on top for the night. It was something special and beautiful. How often do you see a chainsaw marching band anyway? :]

Now I have the Saw theme stuck in my head and I feel like drawing Billy!
[link]

HOLY FREAKING HORSE HOOPERS BATMAN!!

Check out this collection of creepy, amazing, awesome, intense video footage of ghost sightings in Disneyland! Just in time for Halloween!

From least strange to the most bizarre!

Space Mountain "ghost partner": this ghost comes in from the left of the video and sits next to a single rider at the top of the video (the rider is wearing a brown shirt and is sitting in the front row of the car). It is a faint blue light that disappears as the train passes below the camera.
[link]

Tower of Terror "ghost rider": this ghost shows up in two different seats during the duration of the ride. One theory is that its a reflection of the maintenance worker because the ghost is holding a clipboard (a. the ghost isn't holding a clipboard, b. the maintenance worker is wearing a hat whereas the ghost isn't, and c. what can possibly be reflecting "holograms" of riders?) The ghost is seen at 0:27 (right behind the maintenance worker in a flash of light), again at 1:23 through 1:27 in the second seat in row 5 (left of the video), and finally in the same seat (second seat row 5) at 1:52.
[link]

Tower of Terror "sitting ghost": this ghost appears to be sitting outside of the doors that open for a picture. Then he vanishes!
[link]

Fireworks "watcher ghost": this ghost appears to be standing next to a tier above Sleeping Beauty Castle during the fireworks show. He appears at approximately 0:13 and again at 0:30 where he disappears at 0:37.
[link]

And finally, my personal favorite, the "wandering ghost" of the Haunted Mansion: perhaps the creepiest video with a full bodied apparition. Please, if you have a serious explanation for this one, I'd love to hear it! You absolutely can't miss seeing the walking light emerge out of the mansion, through the gate, along New Orleans Square, and running across the Rivers of America. There are even instances where the ghost is seen in two screens from different angles.
[link]

Special thanks to my boyfriend, Stephen for finding the TOT maintenance worker "ghost rider" and Haunted Mansion wanderer videos. :]

Now, I'm a huge believer of ghosts. You may think I'm crazy. I think that there are instances where the phenomenon is misconstrued due to media and hokey stories... but I believe that there really are spirits among us. I happen to live and go to school at a college that was once a mental hospital (the running joke here being CSUCI doesn't stand for Cal State University Channel Islands. It really stands for Cal State University Crazy Institute). Our campus is crawling with paranormal activity! My roommate has been possessed in the middle of the night, I've seen faint lights in the fog as it rolls across our quad, and I have visited the abandoned buildings that are being left undeveloped. After seeing these videos, I have become a pretty firm believer.



9 STUFF
I'll be on aim to RP every weekend (unless otherwise noted). Sign on and come rp with me! Look at rp buddies (below) to find my screen name.

I am going to do a massive upload as soon as I get the time to scan my work. The deviations will consist of stitchpunk art and some of the comic development.

I started an animation of the twins. So far, I'm 1/3 of the way into it with approximately 500 frames. There are around 1600 frames total. I'll be posting the animation to my youtube account when its done.

Thanks to the recent Dumbo project, I'm sculpting some mini stitchpunk sculptures of the 9 group. If I can get a paypal account, you can commission me to make your stitchpunk oc (or any sculpture for that matter. )

The prologue fancomic and oc fancomic have begun development. The prologue/origins comic is based on all of the information found at this site -> [link] while the oc fancomic is based on my oc and the oc's of my friends here on dA. Please do not ask me to add your oc into my comic, its not going to happen!

I've decided not to open another account. I just wouldn't be able to be consistent with it. I don't even update ~OurAdventures as much as I'd like. If I got a third account, I'm pretty sure it would collect dust.

this video is made of epic win! haha
[link]

lol... wait... what??
[link]

PS updates coming soon!!



REQUESTS/ART TRADES
Instead of requests, I've decided to open up art trades. If you're interested, please note me!

PLEASE JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT LIFE HAPPENS. I HAVE OTHER COMMITMENTS SUCH AS SCHOOL AND FAMILY THAT WILL TAKE PRIORITY OVER COMPLETING MY ART. THESE THINGS JUST TAKE TIME. PLEASE BE PATIENT. :]

81 with the twins -> sketched

FEATURES

[link]


[link]


[link]


[link]


[link]
[link]

CONTESTS
Currently no new contest news.

OUR ADVENTURES
I have a gallery for my show/comic series "Our adventures" here on deviantart. You can check it out by clicking on this ---><---

Don't be afraid that someone is stealing my stuff if you see my pieces turning up over on that gallery. Its me, I promise. Go check it out!

AMAZING ARTISTS (No particular order)










SCHOOL BUDDIES



"9" RP BUDDIES
...anyone want to rp?
stitchpunk19

CLUBS I'M IN

I just didn't want to keep that angry/upset journal up on my front page.

I feel better. Not completely. But definitely better.

I have ~Odjit-Banafrit and =Lily-pily to thank for giving me support here on dA. My boyfriend Stephen definitely helped me calm down at school. Playing KH 358/2 together after a heavy load of homework definitely helped me blow off a lot of steam.

~Odjit-Banafrit requested =TechnoRaverCall to make us each an icon with our respective stitchpunk ocs, 26 and 19. Now I've finally changed my icon. I loooooooove it!


=Lily-pily made a wonderful gift art for ~shadowcat9279 and myself of our stitchpunk ocs. she did a lovely job. I just love 19 in her style! You can find her gift-art by looking at her gallery or scrolling down to my features.

It seems like all of us here on dA are facing a bunch of hardship, feeling down, depressed, stressed, and flat out frustrated.

For anyone who is feeling as crappy as me... I'm right there with you my friends!

In regards to all the workload I have, I've managed to find the time this weekend to just sit down and do what needs to be done without feeling like I'm being rushed. I'll be going to see the Toy Story 3D double feature tomorrow night. I might put up my opinion of it if I feel up to it.

I started sculpting a soap dispenser for our bathroom. My dad asked me to since our old halloween themed soap dispenser broke. I'll post pictures once its painted.

I came home today to find out that our indoor halloween decorations have been put up during the week. I was happy since that meant that I didn't need to worry about taking time away from homework to help out my dad. I felt bad though that he worked alone all week to get it all put up. It looks good though. I'll be posting pictures soon.

Not much else to report. So with that, good night!

9 STUFF
I'll be on aim to RP every weekend (unless otherwise noted). Sign on and come rp with me! Look at rp buddies (below) to find my screen name.

I am going to do a massive upload as soon as I get the time to scan my work. The deviations will consist of stitchpunk art and some of the comic development.

I started an animation of the twins. So far, I'm 1/3 of the way into it with approximately 500 frames. There are around 1600 frames total. I'll be posting the animation to my youtube account when its done.

Thanks to the recent Dumbo project, I'm sculpting some mini stitchpunk sculptures of the 9 group. If I can get a paypal account, you can commission me to make your stitchpunk oc (or any sculpture for that matter. )

The prologue fancomic and oc fancomic have begun development. The prologue/origins comic is based on all of the information found at this site -> [link] while the oc fancomic is based on my oc and the oc's of my friends here on dA. Please do not ask me to add your oc into my comic, its not going to happen!

I've decided not to open another account. I just wouldn't be able to be consistent with it. I don't even update ~OurAdventures as much as I'd like. If I got a third account, I'm pretty sure it would collect dust.

this video is made of epic win! haha
[link]

lol... wait... what??
[link]

REQUESTS/ART TRADES
Instead of requests, I've decided to open up art trades. If you're interested, please note me!

PLEASE JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT LIFE HAPPENS. I HAVE OTHER COMMITMENTS SUCH AS SCHOOL AND FAMILY THAT WILL TAKE PRIORITY OVER COMPLETING MY ART. THESE THINGS JUST TAKE TIME. PLEASE BE PATIENT. :]

81 with the twins -> sketched

FEATURES

[link]


[link]


[link]


[link]


[link]
[link]

CONTESTS
Currently no new contest news.

OUR ADVENTURES
I have a gallery for my show/comic series "Our adventures" here on deviantart. You can check it out by clicking on this ---><---

Don't be afraid that someone is stealing my stuff if you see my pieces turning up over on that gallery. Its me, I promise. Go check it out!

AMAZING ARTISTS (No particular order)










SCHOOL BUDDIES



"9" RP BUDDIES
...anyone want to rp?
stitchpunk19

CLUBS I'M IN

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR RRRRRRGH!!!!!!!!!

...forgive me....

WARNING: Extreme ranting to ensue...

Why can't professors just leave me aloooone?!?!

I'm so mixed up right now. I don't know whether to scream in anger or cry from sheer pressure.

I thought I was going to be able to have a nice weekend. But no. My life drawing professor threw a MIDTERM PROJECT on me thats due next Wednesday! WTF?! I know exactly whats going to happen too. I'm going to be up til 7:30 in the morning all over again, get only about 3 hours of sleep and not get any of my other work done. FML!!

This weekend I wanted to just do the drawings that I'm missing for that class, rp with ~Odjit-Banafrit and maybe =Lily-pily too, draw some personal stuff, maybe do a little halloween decorating, get some parts for my halloween costume with my mom, and go see toy story 3D... well, i'm still going to see toy story but everything else can be tossed out the window.

Honestly, its no wonder everyone here is getting sick. We're all too friggin stressed! D:<

On top of everything, my fellow classmates are kind of moronic with the exception of a select few. I honestly don't know how much more I can take. This place is killing me slowly in all directions. I'm being piled on with way too much work. I'm neck high in tuition debt. I can't find a job to pay off that debt. I don't have time to do the things I'd like to do while I'm here at school such as exercise and scan my art. Its just so frustrating.

Now excuse me... I'm going to go work on my powerpoint presentation, 5 page lab paper, 10 pages worth of detailed sketches... and then I'm going to lay on the floor and cry.

Good-bye.

9 STUFF
I am going to do a massive upload as soon as I get the time to scan my work. The deviations will consist of stitchpunk art and some of the comic development.

I started an animation of the twins. So far, I'm 1/3 of the way into it with approximately 500 frames. There are around 1600 frames total. I'll be posting the animation to my youtube account when its done.

Thanks to the recent Dumbo project, I'm sculpting some mini stitchpunk sculptures of the 9 group. If I can get a paypal account, you can commission me to make your stitchpunk oc (or any sculpture for that matter. )

The prologue fancomic and oc fancomic have begun development. The prologue/origins comic is based on all of the information found at this site -> [link] while the oc fancomic is based on my oc and the oc's of my friends here on dA. Please do not ask me to add your oc into my comic, its not going to happen!

I've decided not to open another account. I just wouldn't be able to be consistent with it. I don't even update ~OurAdventures as much as I'd like. If I got a third account, I'm pretty sure it would collect dust.

this video is made of epic win! haha
[link]

lol... wait... what??
[link]

REQUESTS/ART TRADES
Instead of requests, I've decided to open up art trades. If you're interested, please note me!

FEATURES

[link]


[link]


[link]
[link]

CONTESTS
Currently no contest news.

OUR ADVENTURES
I have a gallery for my show/comic series "Our adventures" here on deviantart. You can check it out by clicking on this ---><---

Don't be afraid that someone is stealing my stuff if you see my pieces turning up over on that gallery. Its me, I promise. Go check it out!

AMAZING ARTISTS










SCHOOL BUDDIES



"9" RP BUDDIES
...anyone want to rp?
stitchpunk19

CLUBS I'M IN