Greetings internet dwellers!

Just wanted to pop in really quickly, and give an update on my rankings. My mind isn't all on HHN this week. Had some family issues over the weekend. It's been taking up a lot of my mental, and physical space. So, I will be doing this as brief as possible. 

I wanted to say something quick about the mobile app game stuff. This thing, while good intentions it may have had, is just so bad. I still try and play the trivia portion every week. Still nothing. While some of the QCR scanners have been placed in better lit areas, I noticed that some of them are moved a lot. And one or two of them, don't scan properly. I'm still trying to scan the houses every time. Sometimes it records, sometimes it doesn't. 

Anyway, as far as houses go, things are still pretty steady. The most notable improvement, is Nightingales: Blood Pit. It has moved up in the rankings the past two weeks. The intensity in there has been ramped up, and the scareactors, are finding a groove. While it has moved up just a tick, it may continue to movie up next week. However, I'm holding off to see if the consistency is there. If the house is as good next week, it may continue to climb. 

In the opposite direction, Ghostbusters has fallen a bit backwards for me. I'm keeping it in its current position for now, but it could very well fall next week. Winston, has returned in the house, which is good. However, things were a little wonky this weekend. We'll see how it goes next weekend. 

So without further delay, here are the current house rankings:

1. Universal Monsters
2. House of 1000 Corpses
3. Graveyard Games
4. Ghostbusters
5. Killer Klowns From Outer Space
6. Us
7. Nightingales: Blood Pit
8. Yeti: Terror of the Yukon
9. Stranger Things
10. Depths of Fear

I also wanted to update the scare zones. I haven't done that in a while. Nothing major has changed. I still think the scare zones, are all pretty good this year. 

1. Rob Zombie: Hellbilly Deluxe
2. Anarch-Cade
3. Vikings: Undead
4. Vanity Ball
​5. Zombieland: Double Tap

So, that's it for me this week. I return to the event Thursday. Hard to believe we are getting closer to the end. It's been a really fun year this year. I said it early on, but I really, really, like this year. A lot. 

Hasta La Bye-bye for now. 

Greetings internet dwellers!

We've reached week 5. It's simply crazy, to think that we are this deep into the event. There is still a lot more HHN to go, but sadly, I can begin to see the end. The dawn, is ever so slowly rising in the darkness. Slowly, but it's happening. 

I'll keep this brief. A few points of note about the updated house rankings. First, Nightingales: Blood Pit, had a bit a of a resurrection last week. The biggest problem for the house, at least for me, was always a timing and energy issue. It seems they tried to rectify that situation, and whatever they are doing, the need to keep it up.

Depths of Fear, is still a fun house in my opinion. However, it's run into a bit of weirdness. I think they are still trying to figure it all out. They are still tweaking things, which is both good and weird. The solid runs I had the week before, became very inconsistent this past week. We'll see what happens next week.

I like the Stranger Things house. Just because I have ranked it last, does not mean I don't like it. In fact, it has been hovering around eight and nine, since the beginning. The main reason why it's now ten this week, is because I simply didn't do it as much as the others. The one run I had, was decent, but during a cast change, so I'm not doing to fault it in the long run for that. I'm not going to join the sheep, and hate on it just for the sake that it's Stranger Things. It's a solid house. 

So, without further delay, this weeks house rankings:

1. Universal Monsters
2. House of 1000 Corpses
3. Graveyard Games
4. Ghostbusters
5. Killer Klowns From Outer Space
6. Us
7. Yeti: Terror of the Yukon
8. Nightingales: Blood Pit
9. Depths of Fear
10. Stranger Things

So that's it for now. I return to the event, possibly this Wednesday late. Thursday at the latest We'll see how it goes.

​Hasta La Bye-bye for now. 

Greetings internet dwellers!

I will seriously keep this brief this week. This bug that I caught, just won't go away. It's less severe than it was this past week, but I still need some rest, and relaxation. It's hard to believe we are four weeks, into HHN 29. Where does the time go?

I've said pretty much the same thing the past few weeks. I really am digging this year. While this past week, I noticed some little things that changed some of the rankings, for the most part, HHN 29 is still really strong. I also noticed an uptick in the streets, which is a good thing.

1. UNIVERSAL MONSTERS
2. HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES
3. GRAVEYARD GAMES
4. GHOSTBUSTERS
5. KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE
6. US
7. YETI: TERROR OF THE YUKON
8. DEPTHS OF FEAR
9. STRANGER THINGS
10. NIGHTINGALES: BLOOD PIT

As the weeks progress, there are things that have noticeably changed. Which is why I like to keep a running commentary, and not review things until the end. Ghostbusters for example, has lost a Scareactor or two. While I've had some issues with the house over the course of the event, it seems like they are trying to up the intensity a bit. I have noticed some to the puppetry is a bit off. Such as the screaming white ghost, being on its stick backwards, and missing its screaming queue quite a bit.

In fact, timing, seems to a big issue when it comes to the scares this year. A lot of the houses seem a bit off on their timing still. Depths of Fear, seemed to me, to be a house that really tried to work on that. While the shrimp-people costumes still don't do it for me, they are trying to up the intensity in there. And it has moved up a bit in my rankings. Even Nightingales, has made some improvements. 

I would be amiss if I didn't quickly mention the mobile game. This thing, is such a disaster it hurts. The Terror Trivia never works for me. The scanners are either too poorly lit to scan, or in hard to get to places to scan. Sometimes, points aren't awarded when you do scan. Sometimes points aren't awarded when you play the Terror Trivia. As a person who likes to partake in the games, it's frustrating. Last year's mobile game had issues, but nothing compared to this year. 

Anyway, that's it for this update. I will return to the event this Thursday. 

Hasta La Bye-bye for now. 

Greetings internet dwellers!

I'm going to keep this brief, as I've come down with a bit of a nasty cold. Usually, I get sick around HHN time, as things like lack of sleep, and lack of rest, run down my body. So, I naturally get sick. However, this year it's early. 

I said it when we started HHN 29, but the houses this year is the best collection of houses since 2011. It's remained pretty consistent. A few houses that were on the bottom of the list, may have shifted slightly. However, for the most part, things remain the same.

10. Depths of Fear
9. Nightingales: Blood Pit
8. Stranger Things
7. Yeti: Terror of the Yukon
6. Us
5. Killer Klowns From Outer Space
4. Ghostbusters
3. Graveyard Games
2. House of 1000 Corpses
​1. Universal Monsters

While I maintain that there are no "bad" houses this year, Depths of Fear seems to be the one that can't quite get on its legs. The costumes don't help much, and some of the problems they have been having in the house tech wise, are hurting it a bit. We did it a few times last week, and the timing on the scares was off quite a bit. There was a noticeable down-tick in intensity. Still, I really like the setting it's trying to sell, and when it works it works.

​Nightingales and Ghostbusters, are the two surprises for me from this past week. Both noticeably had improvements in the scare department. Klowns, while still one of my favorites, we seemed to hit at bad times, but it's still a great house. 

​Overall, things are starting to solidify a little bit. My top five, will probably change constantly as we move forward. It's just that type of year.

There has been a few odd things in terms of Operations this year, that I think need to be addressed. I get that they are trying to move people through the houses in a timely fashion. However, shouting at people to keep moving, especially when the line is still moving, is a big no-no in my book. It breaks the experience of the house. It's bad enough to have people waiving a hand, or light constantly. We don't need shouting. 

They need to do a better job with those tickets, to prevent line jumping. In years past, they seemed pretty good at taking the tickets at the end, and counting to make sure those in your group, were those in your group. This year, the tickets are basically a deterrent as you enter, but most of the houses don't even ask about the tickets before you enter the actual house. We ran into a problem at Depths of Fear with this, and unfortunately, had to report a group of people for line jumping. I don't want to be that guy, but I will if I have to. 

Scare zones, are still the same. Hellbilly Deluxe, is still my favorite zone. 

So that's it for this week. I return to the event on Wednesday. We still have quite a ways to go. I'm still really digging this year. Let's keep it going. Now, where's my Robitussin. 

​Hasta La Bye-bye for now. 

Greetings internet dwellers!

Well, week two has come to an end. With it, also the end to my first vacation of the season. I spent a lot of days out at HHN 29 the first 2 weeks. I plan on spending a lot more out there, as the weeks continue. Like I said after opening weekend, HHN 29 is a strong year. 

While talking to some other people, the consensus seems to be the same. Although I'm hearing some flack about the scare zones. While I don't share the same sentiment about the zones, I do agree that the zones, at least some of them, need a bit of tweaking.

Zombieland: Double Tap is by far the weakest zone. However, I still get enjoyment out of walking around in there. They rolled out a prop from the Zombieland: Double Tap film, which was parked in the middle of the zone. It is essentially the Presidential limo, modified to fight zombies. It is quite a big, and impressive prop.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rob Zombie: Hellbilly Deluxe is still the best zone this year. Although, people tend to hang out in there. A lot. So the crowd level can be a bit overwhelming. Still, it's the best zone this year and a lot of fun. 

I spent some more time inside Vanity Ball. I know it's become a cool thing to attack people who don't really like the scare zone. Which is a horrible thing to do. I enjoy the zone. It's fun and lively, and the Scareactors are all great. However, it's essentially a place for people to hangout. The Scareactors don't really try to scare you. It's a party zone. Horror Nights has done these types of things in the past. People are either going to like it or hate it. I do really enjoy the make-up and costuming in here. 

Vikings: Undead added some more props and things, and the I quite like the atmosphere in here. Anarch-Cade, is still really fun. All in all, I dig the zones this year. There's a lot of enjoyment in each one. Even Zombieland: Double Tap. 

The houses though, is where it's at this year. Like I said last week, every house is good to great. It's been a long time since I've personally had trouble ranking the houses. Essentially, my top four are tied. Especially my one and two. This year, truly rivals 2011 for houses. There's not a horrible one in the bunch. And the really good ones, are REALLY good. 

Ranking these every week, is going to come down to run throughs of each house. So let's update the rankings for this week. 

I did get to check out Academy of Villains: Altered States. It's another great show from the group. I love the story elements they incorporated this year. I also really enjoy how they brought back the shadow play. The Halloween Marathon of Mayhem show, is a must see. It's a fantastic use of the fountains. 

So that's it for me. I will return to the event this Wednesday. I'm really, really liking this year. Like, a lot. 

Hasta La Bye-bye for now. 

Greetings internet dwellers!

Well, opening weekend for HHN 29 has come to a close. I'm tired. However, I had some time today so I made a little Topher's Log talking a little bit about the weekend. To sum up a bit here, I'm really liking HHN so far. Most everything seems strong. It's a little jarring to me, that HHN went this hard for 29. I hope they go even harder for HHN 30.

Anyway, here's a quick recap of my current house rankings so far. You can watch the video to get a little more insight below. 

10. Nightingales: Blood Pit
9. Stranger Things
8. Us
7. Yeti: Terror of the Yukon
6. Depths of Fear
5. Ghostbusters
4. Killer Klowns From Outer Space
3. Graveyard Games
2. House of 1000 Corpses
​1. Universal Monsters

And quickly, here are the scare zones

5. Zombieland: Double Tap
4. Vikings: Undead
3. Vanity Ball
2. Anarch-Cade
​1. Hellbilly Deluxe

And that's it for this week. I return to the event on Thursday. I hope to catch Academy of Villains. That being said, Halloween Marathon of Mayhem is an excellent show, and shouldn't be missed. You can watch the Topher's Log below. Really, a strong year. Can't wait to go back. Keep checking back with me every week, for ranking updates. 

​Hasta La Bye-bye for now. 

Greetings internet dwellers!

It's been a long pre-season. I've been a bit busy the last few weeks. Between going down to the parks and updating on the street progress, to going down to the parks and updating on the street preparations for the hurricane, and just general life, I haven't had the chance to say a word or two. 

This hurricane, messed with a lot of things. The poor Bahamas. It's simply a devastating situation what has happened down there. If you feel the need to help in any way, please find a charity to do so. This thing also messed with my head. I sometimes suffer from a bit of anxiety and this damn storm, had me on edge for a while. 

But now we're passed that. HHN 29 is happening. TM preview was last night. Down at the parks yesterday, was an interesting sight to see. There was just an army of people trying to get the food and beverage tents back out. Watching them work on the house queues was quite fun too. With the event starting, and for people who may be new to how I generally do things every year, I will explain a bit.

First off, I think it is pertinent to mention that because of the storm, HHN 29 may feel a bit off kilter this weekend. I suspect by Sunday things will be just about 100%. So bear that in mind if you decided to go this weekend. Not only did they have to take some stuff away, but they also had to stop where they were in construction of the streets. They lost a few days of prep, so people will probably be working some overtime Thursday and throughout the weekend. 

My coverage of the event, will be the same. I visit the event every week, usually Thursday's and Fridays. If I am on vacation like this coming week, it will be more. I don't do a full review of the event until it's all over. What I do do though, is keep a running commentary on the event every week. I will update my favorites list every week. Both here, and on my Twitter, @HHNLegacy and Facebook.

HHN always ebbs and flows. Things change all the time. Scareactor's get more used to their rolls, tactics change, things may be added or subtracted; it's just the nature of the game. And I will keep track of it every week. 

As far as in the park goes, I get asked all the time about meet-ups and things. I don't generally do them. But if you see me around, don't hesitate to say hey if you wish. I don't bite. I'm usually flying around the park like a crazy person, so you may witness a confused individual looking around frantically. 

But that's it. I will leave you with a look at my final Hype Lists for the event.

​See you in the fog. Hasta La Bye-bye for now. 

Greetings internet dwellers!

We have our commercial. Well, rather a short film, which can be broken up into tiny commercials, for HHN 29. I really like the approach to do a mini-movie, rather than just dumping a random commercial on us. Back in 2017, we had director Eli Roth, do something similar with that commercial. There was a long version, dubbed the "Director's Cut", which was shortened to air on TV. "Watch Party", has more of a narrative than that one though. 

With "Watch Party", you can clearly see the points where they can break up the add, to promote individual things. Featured, is Stranger Things, US, and Universal Monsters. HHN Orlando's Twitter, also gave us a short version, which features Ghostbusters separately. 

Now we wait for the billboards of course. The Publix standees are already popping up in stores. The marketing blitz for HHN 29, is now in full swing. 

We are t-minus two weeks away, from opening night. 

Hasta La Bye-bye for now. 

Greetings internet dwellers!

Well, we have one of our little surprises this year. HHN 29 will be utilizing the lagoon, to do their own show. Halloween Marathon of Mayhem, will showcase 80's classics. It feature everything from TV shows, to Stranger Things, to Ghostbusters.

​The show will run on event nights, 3 times a night. I suspect this is one of the reasons why South Street isn't being used as a scare zone location either. Nevertheless, I'm excited about this, as I've been hearing about this for a while. Of course, nobody believed me when I said it was happening. 

Anyway, so there you have it. 

​Hasta La Bye-bye for now. 

Greetings internet dwellers!

I know this is late, but I would be angry with myself if I didn't didn't do a blog. Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses, is coming to HHN 29. It is our last house in the lineup for the year. The house will be based on Zombie's cult classic film from 2003. 

You know the drill. Corpses, is inspired by 70's Grindhouse films. Including the Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The house will be located in the MIB Tent. I am really excited about this house. It's pretty self-explanatory. It will be based on Zombie's film. 

That's it. We have our lineup. 10 houses. 5 scare zones. 2 shows. One show left to be announced. The event is mere weeks away. 

You can see the announcement video below. 

​Hasta La Bye-bye for now.