Topher's Blog

HHN 29 DATES ARE HERE

12/15/2018

Greetings internet dwellers!

Universal, either unknowingly, or knowingly, has revealed the dates for HHN 29. On UniversalOrlando.com, under the Halloween Horror Nights section, it says that Halloween Horror Nights 29 will begin on September 6th, and run until November 2nd. Of course, all of this is subject to change, as this is very early in the game.

The early date, should come as no surprise to anyone. With moving Rock The Universe to February, it opened the door to start the event early. RTU had become something of a hindrance for HHN. The close proximity of both events, didn't help in the prep for the event.

With the HHN continuing to grow in popularity, and a certain rodent starting their Halloween event in freaking August, the shift to an early start was inevitable.

That's it for now. Hasta La Bye-bye.

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HHN 28: FINAL REVIEW

11/2/2018

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Greetings internet dwellers!

Well, we've reached that point- HHN 28 is over. As I always do, I save my "official" review of any HHN event until the end. One of the reasons I enjoy going to the event as much as I do, is to watch the event evolve over time. Things change. Things are added. Things are taken away. Things just disappear. Things reappear. This is also why I keep an updated ranking of each house (and for the most part the scare zones), as the event goes on.

When you have a constantly evolving live-theater event like HHN, things are bound to remold itself over time. It's just the nature of the beast. Sometimes, things that were at the top, could end up at the bottom. The same can be said in the opposite direction.

Before we get to the final house and scare zone rankings, I want to address some things about the event first. Let's get those out of the way.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

HHN 28 was a solid year. A very good year. I would say it's the strongest event they've put on since 2015. I think the event was slightly better than 2015, as I think the houses were as a whole, a lot stronger this year. However, compared to last year, and more so 2016, HHN 28 will go down as one of the event's better years.

I think the last time I personally enjoyed an event as much as this year, was 2009.

SOME NEW AND WEIRD PROCEDURES

The past few years, it seems that daily operations of HHN become a surprise. Every year now, it seems like they are throwing new ways to do things at a wall, and seeing what sticks. Since I've been doing stay and scream (which is a LONG time), we generally only do Finnegan's. No, not just because of the bar. We just prefer that spot. It's rare that we do any other offered stay and scream spots.

At first glance, expanding the Finnegan's stay and scream to encompass the Columbus Circle area of New York, and the pop-up bar in the extended Transformers queue, is a good thing. Anybody who has done the Finnegan's stay and scream, knows how awful Finnegan's can be at that time. It gives people options if they want to grab a bite to eat, partake in a beverage, and just gives people more space to move around in.

However, what doesn't work, is the new way to let people out of the stay and scream area. That, was a weird clusterfuck of a thing. Why not still utilize Delancey Street, as well as the other side? Cramming people into two rows on the other side of Delancey, just doesn't work. And on top of that, their initial plan of one side is Poltergeist, and the other side is Stranger Things, was pretty much abandoned after the first night. And it just pissed people off as one side would be let out first in the end anyway.

IT WAS A BUSY YEAR

Yep. It was a busy HHN. Last year, and even 2016, weren't as busy as 2015 was. This year, was just as busy as it was back in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Those years have a similar and common thread. A major anchoring IP. Stranger Things brought the crowds. There is no debating that at this point. And it's pretty safe to assume Stranger Things will return to HHN. HHN 28 saw multiple nights which were "sold out". I haven't seen as many nights sold out at the event, in quite some time.

WAY TOO MANY RIP AND EXPRESS PASSES SOLD

And with it being busy, that brings me to this point. You've probably heard the moaning in the past about overselling Express Passes. It was no different this year. However, there was a new trend; oversold RIP Tours. I've never seen so many RIP Tours roaming around before. One particular night, at the Academy of Villains show, the ENTIRE middle section of the theater, all rows, was reserved for RIP Tours. That is insane. It also slows down the regular line even more.

That brings me to a point I made last year. Despite what some bloggers want you to believe, Express doesn't get you in to a house immediately. The Express cuts your wait time in "half". So if you wait and hour in Express for a house posted at a 2 hour wait, that's what the pass is designed to do.

This brings me to my next point. Universal NEEDS to train staff better, to flow the ratio of regular guests and Express guests. There is no excuse to have the regular line wait 5 to 10 minutes, as Express is just flowed through. That is ridiculous. This is why wait times can get astronomical. They oversell Express, and RIP tours, and just let them flow in and forget about us poor people in the regular line. We paid to get into the event too. We shouldn't be treated like we don't matter.

FINAL HOUSE RANKINGS

Anyway, let's get to those totally not controversial house rankings. I do not believe this was an end all, be all year for houses. You had a lot of middle of the road houses this year. I still think that 2011, has the best collection of HHN houses.

I'm doing this slightly different this year, so we'll see how this goes.

10. SEEDS OF EXTINCTION

ATOMOSPHERE: 4/5
SCARE FACTOR: 1/5
FINAL RATING: 2.5/5
In the end, Seeds came out at the bottom. This house, while having an "interesting" design, just was not scary. I went through Seeds probably close to 15-20 times over the course of the event. I was startled once. The lighting in here didn't help the cause. Scareactor's were constantly off pace. I noticed a lot of audio would go off, indicating a scare, but there was usually no actor, or they would come slightly after the trigger. Those tiny, "seedling" plants, were barely visible in the poor lighting of the house as well. You would hear the audio, and struggle to find where they were coming from. Hell, I didn't even notice them until a few runs into the house. This is just a concept they had no idea what to do with. The story of the house, just didn't translate well either. And no, just because there are a bunch of HHN references in here, it has no bearing on my overall rating. Jack & Eddie's Sunglass Hut, may be a questionable post-murderous life for the duo, but it don't make it scary.

9. THE HORRORS OF BLUMHOUSE

ATMOSPHERE: 3/5
SCARE FACTOR: 3/5
FINAL RATING: 3/5
Yes, Blumhouse wasn't the most elaborate house ever created. However, I really enjoyed how they did Happy Death Day. And yes, The First Purge feels tacked on. However, The Horrors of Blumhouse made up for it with the scares. The Scareactor's in here were always very energetic. They were always intense and brought their A-game. I had some of the best scares of the entire event in this house. And wouldn't you know it? Most of them came from The First Purge section. I say it every year, but energy. The Horrors of Blumhouse had a lot of energy flowing in it. Unlike Seeds and to a lesser extent, Stranger Things. So yes, while Stranger Things and Seeds of Extinction were the more elaborately themed houses, the scares were better in Blumhouse.

8. STRANGER THINGS

ATMOSPHERE: 4/5
SCARE FACTOR: 2
FINAL RATING: 3/5
Stranger Things, is just not a scary show. And the house only highlights that notion. While the house does a good job of throwing you into the show, it does a poor job at trying to scare you. The Demogorgon's are too plentiful in here. It was a cheap way to try and scare guests, as that was really the only thing they had from the show, to well, scare you. In fact, the biggest scare I had in here was the Hopper Scareactor. There were a few tricks and gimmicks I enjoyed. The total darkness ending, was a bit odd, and slowed the line down a little. Lord help you if went into the house when your eyes hadn't adjusted to the light yet too.

7. TRICK 'R TREAT

ATMOSPHERE: 4/5
SCARE FACTOR: 3/5
FINAL RATING: 3.5/5
In the end, Trick 'r Treat was a fine house. It was something in the middle of things. Like I said earlier in the season, I hated the finale of the house. It felt weird, and abrupt. However, the rest of the house was fun, with some unique elements thrown into the mix. I like the Kreeg/Sam hallway. That was fun. The werewolf scene was a little disappointing. Sometimes the fog would be so thick in there, you couldn't see the wolf puppet clear enough. Still, Trick 'r Treat was a good house. Solid, most of the run. It was consistent.

6. DEAD EXPOSURE: PATIENT ZERO

ATMOSPHERE: 3
SCARE FACTOR: 4
FINAL RATING: 3.5/5
Dead Exposure was the most inconsistent house for me this year. Those of you may recall after the first week, Dead Exposure was at the bottom of the list. However, at some point, they figured out how to scare people in here, and use the lighting gimmick to its advantage. Over the course of the last few runs, things became inconsistent. Sometimes great, other times it was back to being the bad house I remember from opening weekend. In the end, I'll give Dead Exposure a little bit of a pass. When they figured out the lighting gimmick, the scares were really solid. I wish the house didn't look so cheap though. That was a bummer.

5. CARNIVAL GRAVEYARD: RUST IN PIECES

ATMOSPHERE: 4.5/5
SCARE FACTOR: 2.5/5
FINAL RATING: 3.5/5
Carnival Graveyard, was frustrating. It was frustrating for me the entire event. I like the design of the house. However, there just weren't enough actor's strewn about in here. You would go long periods of time, without seeing a single person. Thus, the scares in here were few and far between. I really enjoy the end of the house. When you get to the LUV Shak and beyond, was my favorite part. The old school carnival vibe in there, had one of the best scares for me. The false mirror, got me really good the first time. Carnival, also was the victim of a few effects that would come and go and come back again, throughout the event. Of course I'm referring to the metal barrels. They came back, but as plastic. I'm told the metal ones were too loud, and the noise was bleeding into Scary Tales. In the end, Carnival was fun, but I wish it was a lot scarier.

4. HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS

ATMOSPHERE: 3.5/5
SCARE FACTOR: 4/5
FINAL RATING: 4/5
Yes, Halloween 4 wasn't the most elaborately themed house this year. However, it more than made up for it with the scares. I had some of the best scares the entire event, in Halloween 4. That says a lot. This was dead last on my most anticipated list. I was just as surprised as anyone, at how much I enjoyed the house this year. They also did some unique things in here as well, to try and scare you. The house takes a few scenes to get going, but once it does, the house goes full throttle. Again, I am really surprised at how much I enjoyed this house.

3. SCARY TALES: DEADLY EVER AFTER

ATMOSPHERE: 5/5
SCARE FACTOR: 3.5/5
FINAL RATING: 4/5
Scary Tales was pure delight from start to finish. I had eluded to the facade of this house, way back in a My Talking Head episode. While I think what I was told was a little over-hyped, I still really enjoyed what they did. Scary Tales, was dripping with atmosphere; from the facade, to the mirror room at the end. While some elements were taken away completely (like the hand through the body), and some elements changed (The Scarecrow replacing The Tin Man), Scary Tales was one of the strongest entries in the series. Lots of energy in here, plenty of scares, and a great deal to look at. Awesome use of puppets in here as well.

2. SLAUGHTER SINEMA

ATMOSPHERE: 5/5
SCARE FACTOR: 3.5/5
FINAL RATING: 4/5
Slaughter Sinema is a gem. While some of the scares wore off as time went on, and some whole characters vanished (the suited performer in Schittie's Kids for example), Slaughter was always a fun time. Always a lot of energy throughout the house. The Devil Dogs portion, was probably the most disappointing for me. Although, that was still fun. While I don't think this was the complete homerun I wanted, I still had a great time with it.

1. POLTERGEIST

ATMOSPHERE: 5/5
SCARE FACTOR: 5/5
FINAL RATING: 5/5
There isn't much more to be said about Poltergeist. This thing met all my expectations, and then some. Way back in the My Talking Head episode I did on Poltergeist, I made mention of the effects work in the film, and if HHN would be able to pull some of that off. Well, from the giant demon head, to the closet monster, to the clown, they succeeded on so many levels. The first time through Poltergeist this year, I came out shaking. There were a TON of great scares in here, and they stayed consistent throughout the course of the event. I don't think Poltergeist is my all-time favorite IP done at HHN, but it's definitely in the top 3. We'll see as time goes on how this ages.

A FEW WORDS ON THE SCARE ZONES

I will briefly fun down the scare zones.

THE CHAINSAW DRILL TEAMS

The standard fare. The group in Springfield was the stronger of the two. Whenever we walked through San Francisco, it was kind of bland. The ones in Springfield were always on point though. We love to watch them from the smoking bridge all the time.

5. THE HARVEST

FINAL RATING: 1/5
While the Scareactor's tried their best every time, there's not a whole lot to say with this. Rushed, and not very well put together. The Harvest was a disaster.

4. TWISTED TRADITION

FINAL RATING: 4/5
Central Park is always a pretty zone. Twisted Tradition, was no different. Also no different, is how crowded this area gets. This year, was really bad. Sometimes the Scareactor's were way out of the zone, near the church, as they had more room to move around in. Still, Twisted was a solid zone.

3. REVENGE OF CHUCKY

FINAL RATING: 4/5
Chucky, was consistently a lot of fun. I like that they seemingly didn't hold back on the Chucky interaction too much. He was delightfully dickish. I love all the characters and interactions in here as well.

2. KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE

FINAL RATING: 4/5
I know it's novel to gush all over this zone, but allow me to be the hater for a moment. It's a solid zone, but there's nothing really special about it besides the klowns. No real props. Just some lighting and projections, and the space it's in sucks. Yet, Killer Klowns is a lot of fun, and the Klowns are the centerpiece anyway.

1. VAMP '85: NEW YEAR'S EVE

FINAL RATING: 4.5/5
Yes, Vamp wins the scare zone war for me this year. You all know, this was dead last on my anticipation list. However, Vamp impressed me. Sure, it's a typical New York scare zone. However, the Scareactor's in here, and dancers, are what put it over the top. Especially the dancers. Having to do all that dancing, multiple times a night for as long as they did? That's impressive.

A FEW PARTING WORDS

I would be amiss if I didn't mention the trivia app. This thing was all kinds of wonky. I tried to play. As of this writing, I ended up in 5th. I'm sure there were some...advantages going on with other players (*coughcheatingcough*). And besides that, the app would do weird things like, not match overall numbers. Still, it's a random trivia app.

So that about does it. I talked about AOV in a previous post. They put on a great show, despite having lost some of its intimacy. Who knows where that show goes from here, or what shows will appear next year.

This has been a long year, folks. I will attempt to do a My Talking Head Live next week, where I will talk a little bit more about the event. I also want to thank all those who follow me.

With that said, I will probably be taking a little break from all this. I won't be for long. After the event ends, I'm going to be doing a little down time from the Theme Park Blogging world. A lot of stuff went down the last two years. I got death threats last year, and this year had some unpleasantness. It won't be for long, so fret not internet dwellers.

With all that being said:

HHN 28
FINAL RATING: 4.5/5

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UPDATED HOUSE RANKINGS

10/20/2018

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Greetings internet dwellers!

Well, last week, I didn't do a blog about it. However, I updated my house rankings on Twitter and people were not happy. It's perfectly acceptable to have different tastes and opinions about the houses. However, what is not acceptable, is bullying. If you are a prick about it, you will be treated as such.

Anyway, here are my updated rankings. This will be my last updated rankings blog, before I do a final review at the end of the event. You can keep up with my ranking next week, on Twitter @HHNLegacy.

10. STRANGER THINGS

CURRENT RATING: 2.5/5
The ultimate sin of Stranger Things, is that it's dull. It's boring. Nothing happens. It's also painfully redundant with the Demogorgons.

9. SEEDS OF EXTINCTION

CURRENT RATING: 2.5/5
I get that people have "Original Content Bias". I truly do. However, if Seeds of Extinction is going to be the house you fall on the sword for, you are doing it wrong. Seeds, like Stranger Things, suffers from dullness. The scares aren't effective, the design is poor, the lighting is sub-par, and it's just not that well executed. The costumes look cheap too. It's everything I feared would happen to the house when it was announced.

8. THE HORRORS OF BLUMHOUSE

CURRENT RATING: 3/5
The Horrors of Blumhouse, isn't the most elaborate house in the world. However, the energy, flow, and the scares, work really well. I say this every year, but house design isn't everything. Scares are important, and Blumhouse just does it better than Seeds and Stranger Things. Get over it.

7. TRICK 'R TREAT

CURRENT RATING: 3.5/5
Trick 'r Treat doesn't all work, but it's a perfectly fine house. I still really hate the finale.

6. CARNIVAL GRAVEYARD: RUST IN PIECES

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
We had some really solid runs of Carnival this week. The barrels have returned, which is a good thing as I said last time, that was the biggest scare I had in the house my first run of it.

5. HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
We had some not so great runs of Halloween this week. So, I had to knock it down a peg. However, I really enjoy this house. It still has some great, effective scares. The energy is always flowing in here too, which is great. Again, scares. It has good scares.

4. DEAD EXPOSURE: PATIENT ZERO

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
Again, Dead Exposure climbs up a bit. Most definitely the most improved house for me. Had 4 solid runs of the house this week. Hopefully, it can maintain that energy going forward.

3. SCARY TALES: DEADLY EVER AFTER

CURRENT RATING: 4.5/5
Like Halloween, we had some not so great runs of Scary Tales the last few days. So, it had to go down a bit. Still, I really love this house.

2. SLAUGHTER SINEMA

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
Slaughter Sinema is back, baby! After the last few weeks, we finally had the same style of runs we had the first week.

1. POLTERGEIST

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
I've already said enough about this house I think. The giant demon head got me good the other night. Bravo.

A quick updated zones:

5. The Harvest- 1/5
4. Twisted Tradition- 4/5
3. Revenge of Chucky- 4/5
2. Killer Klowns From Outer Space- 4/5
1. Vamp '85: New Year's Eve- 4.5/5

So that does it for me. I return next Thursday. However, I may do an HHN Power Hour on Wednesday after I get off work. We will see.

Hasta La Bye-bye for now.

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HHN 28 ADDS AN EXTRA NIGHT TO THE EVENT

10/17/2018

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Greetings internet dwellers!

We all know by now, HHN 28 has been a busy event. Two nights last week were sold out for single night tickets, and I have a funny feeling more sold out nights are on the way. While the length of the event is already long (we should get used to that for next year), the Suits have decided to try and accommodate the year's popularity.

Halloween Horror Nights 28, has added Tuesday, October 30th to the calendar. So, save the date and have fun.

Hasta La Bye-bye for now.

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HHN 28 HOUSE RANKINGS UPDATE

10/7/2018

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Greetings internet dwellers!

It's truly hard to believe that HHN 28, is barreling towards the finish line at this juncture. All in all, it's been a solid year. Lots to like, a few things not to like, and some things that have changed a bit. To keep this update brief, let's just get to the updated house rankings.

10. SEEDS OF EXTINCTION

CURRENT RATING: 2/5
Seeds continually gets worse every time I go through it. The timing of the scares is always off as well. The plant-camouflage is both a good thing, and a bad thing. They give themselves away rather easily. A lot of the time, it's just some Ghillie Suit; poorly hidden, and not even trying. The lighting is really bad in here too. It's gotten worse. Seeds, is just a totally ineffective house.

9. THE HORRORS OF BLUMHOUSE

CURRENT RATING: 2.5/5
I will still stand by this house...a little bit. It's a bland concept for sure, but it's effective. The Happy Death Day stuff, is still my favorite part of the house. Yes, The First Purge feels tacked on, but the Scareactor's sell this house for me. It's not as bad as some want to make it out to be.

8. STRANGER THINGS

CURRENT RATING: 3/5
I went to HHN a lot last week. I was on vacation. I did Stranger Things every visit. It really has not improved. Yes, it puts you into the show. But again, all that does for me is highlight how much this show isn't a horror show. If just walking through the show is good enough for you, Stranger Things is a masterpiece. It's just not good enough for me.

7. CARNIVAL GRAVEYARD: RUST IN PIECES

CURRENT RATING: 3.5/5
Carnival continues its fall from grace for me. Like I said, I went to HHN a lot last week. I hit this house every visit. And every visit was the same. And that's a problem. Too much dead space in here with nothing going on. They've also abandoned one of the best parts of the house, the clanging metal barrels. I'm not sure why, or if it will be brought back. This was the biggest scare I had in the house, my first time through on opening night. I actually think the strongest part of the house, is from the LUV Shack on. The old-school dark ride feel, is the most effective part of the house.

6. DEAD EXPOSURE: PATIENT ZERO

CURRENT RATING: 3.5/5
Talk about most improved. Dead Exposure, still feels like a cheap house to me. I'm not a huge fan of the design. It's execution the first few weeks of the event, was atrocious. However, last week, they finally realized how to effectively do their scares in conjunction with the lighting effect. And it works. When that is on point, this house can be very terrifying. I consistently had good runs of this house last week. For now, it gets moved up on the list.

5. TRICK 'R TREAT

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
Trick 'r Treat continues to be a solid house. Great design, good scares, and a nice atmosphere. I'm just going to accept the finale is just bad and weak. However, the rest of the house, is a nice treat.

4. HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
Again, not going to win points on design. However, the scares in here are always on point. My last run of the house last week, they changed things up a bit. They had different and surprising scares, which I was not expecting and they got me. They got me good. Still surprised with this, but I really enjoy this house quite a bit.

3. SLAUGHTER SINEMA

CURRENT RATING: 4.5/5
We keep hitting this house at bad times, so the scares haven't been coming as much. It's still a solid house, with a fun atmosphere.

2. SCARY TALES: DEADLY EVER AFTER

CURRENT RATING: 4.5/5
The first part of the house, isn't as strong as it once was. The lion either doesn't do anything anymore, or the timing is off, the Tin Man has been replaced by the Scarecrow, and the hand through the body seems to have been abandoned. Still, Scary Tales is fun. I love the cast in here. The mermaids really got me a few times last week. They seemed a bit more aggressive.

1. POLTERGEIST

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
Still consistently the scariest. Still consistently the best at the event this year. The drop down clown, has also returned, but he wasn't moving. Poltergeist for the win this year. FOR THE WIN.

Let's talk briefly about the scare zones.

5. THE HARVEST

CURRENT RATING: 1/5
Oof. Just oof. I love the Scareactor's in here though.

4. TWISTED TRADITION

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
The Scareactor's seem to be getting a bit bolder in here, despite the constant flow of people walking through. I really think Universal should open the Central Park viewing area, for people to walk around if they want to. It would alleviate some of the traffic.

3. REVENGE OF CHUCKY

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
Still a lot of fun. I love the Scareactor's in here. Chucky is always fun. The added doctor is great.

2. KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
They are killer klowns. I hear they are from outer space. And they're a lot of fun.

1. VAMP '85: NEW YEAR'S EVE

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
Still super fun. Still a good time.

So that's it from me for this week. I return to the event this coming Thursday, and Friday.

Hasta La Bye-bye.

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HHN 28 HOUSE RANKINGS UPDATE, AOV

10/1/2018

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Greetings internet dwellers!

We are trucking right along with HHN 28. Hard to believe we are this deep into it already. Houses for me, are starting to stabilize a bit. However, I have found the bottom tier of the houses, are constantly battling for last place. Sometimes, one night is better than the others. One house in particular, has fallen really far from grace for me.

I don't want to spend too much time this week, so let's get right into the current rankings.

10. SEEDS OF EXTINCTION

CURRENT RATING: 2.5/5
The first week, I had a few really bad runs of Seeds. The second week, things got a little better. This week, things got really bad. With its inconsistency, lack of scares, disappointment, and just general poor execution, I'm officially putting this at the bottom. The only thing that Seeds can do now, is really up the scare factor in order for me to get behind it.

9. DEAD EXPOSURE: PATIENT ZERO

CURRENT RATING: 3/5
While I still don't find Dead Exposure particularly "good", the scares have gotten a bit better. The house still feels very cheap, which I really don't enjoy. However, because of the upped intensity of the last few runs, I'll give it a pass this week.

8. THE HORRORS OF BLUMHOUSE

CURRENT RATING: 3/5
While I will still stand by that Blumhouse isn't as bad as last year's house, it's just not that exceptional either. I really, really like the Happy Death Day stuff in here. And while The First Purge feels tacked on, I don't mind the scares in that section of the house. The cast really makes this house for me. There's just nothing to really elevate it up higher. It still has better scares than Seeds of Extinction, and Dead Exposure in my opinion.

7. STRANGER THINGS

CURRENT RATING: 3.5/5
I think I'm going to officially site this as the most disappointing house of the year. Yes, it has some great design, but not much else to go on. Too many Demogorgon's, make this thing feel repetitive. And it's just not very scary either, which is a shame.

6. TRICK 'R TREAT

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
While I still don't like the abrupt finale, the scares in here have been very consistent. The design is good, and it's just a fun house. While it's not going to win points for originality, it makes up for it in atmosphere. My runs the last few weeks, have just gotten better and better.

5. CARNIVAL GRAVEYARD: RUST IN PIECES

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
I struggled with this decision. I'm keeping Carnival at 5 for now, but it may get booted by Trick 'r Treat next week if that house continues to improve. We'll see. I still say this house has a lot of missed opportunities. However, when things are working, it's enjoyable.

4. HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS

CURRENT RATING: 4.5/5
While the house takes a few scenes to get going, when it goes it goes. The biggest surprise of the year for me still. I find myself wanting to do this house a lot these days. It's a lot of fun, and it really has some unique and good scares. Yes, it has a lot of Michael's, but it works for the house. Still super surprised by this house.

3. SLAUGHTER SINEMA

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
We've had a few inconsistent runs of Slaughter Sinema as of late. The last few times, I think we hit cast changes, so there was a lot of dead space. Still, I love the concept, I love the design, and I love how fun this house is. We'll see how things go next week. If I see a trend in downgrade, then I'll bump the rating down a notch. Still an overall fun house.

2. SCARY TALES: DEADLY EVER AFTER

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
Such a fun house. It's consistently scary, has a great atmosphere, and is a ton of fun. Certain scenes are starting to standout for me. I love the Hansel & Gretel scene. It's probably one of my favorites of the last few years. Scary Tales, is just a well rounded house, with a great design and consistent scares.

1. POLTERGEIST

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
There's not much else one can say about Poltergesit. It's hands down the scariest house at the event this year. It's the best house at the event this year. No competition.

I haven't spent as much time in the zones as of late, so I'm just going to quickly give their current standings.

5. THE HARVEST

CURRENT RATING: 1.5/5
The Scareactor's are trying.

4. TWISTED TRADITION

CURRENT RATING: 4.5/5
Still a purdy zone. Still kind of a cluster to walk around.

3. REVENGE OF CHUCKY

CURRENT RATING: 4.5/5
Still a lot of fun. I like the new doctor bit. Although, I think he needs a mic. You can barely hear him. Still, he's a lot of fun.

2. KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE

CURRENT RATING: 4.5/5
Still a lot of fun. Still hate the location.

1. VAMP '85: NEW YEAR'S EVE

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
Still a great zone. Lots of energy. Lots of fun.

ACADEMY OF VILLAINS: CYBERPUNK

RATING: 4.5/5
I was finally able to see the new show. I've said this from the beginning: Academy of Villains are a fantastic edition to HHN. I remember way back when, people poo-pooed the idea. I was on board from the start. Just seeing some of their stuff was enough for me to get behind them. Cyberpunk, takes what fans have come to admire about the group, and pluses it.

That being said, for me, I do kind of miss the more intimate, simple stuff from the last few years. Yes, even the Irma show. Cyberpunk is a big, and bold show. It's a great show. These guys and gals, are so good at what they do. They bring so much energy every time they perform. Cyberpunk is also a unique show. The more grand approach to the show, may hurt a little bit of the intimacy, but it's still a fantastic show to watch. Academy of Villains are a real treat to HHN. I'm so glad they got a dedicated space this year. They deserve it.

So with that, ends another week at HHN. I return to the event on Wednesday, with a little bit of a marathon (4 days in a row).

With that, Hasta La Bye-bye for now.

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HHN 28 WEEK 2 OVERVIEW - HOUSE RANKINGS UPDATE

9/23/2018

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Greetings internet dwellers!

HHN 28 is grooving right along. Week two has come to a close. Unlike last week, crowds were a bit more manageable the second week. The added Wednesday, which was done very late in the game, was nearly dead.

While the crowds naturally grew over the course of the weekend, they really weren't as bad as the opening two days. With less crowds, yours truly was able to complete all ten houses and then some. While I still have not seen Academy of Villains: Cyberpunk, it's one of the things on my priority list as we move into next week. I really wanted to take advantage of the smaller crowds and get a solid feel for all the houses.

So with that, let's get into the updated rankings for the houses.

Probably some very unpopular and surprising opinions incoming. I say this every year, but I don't judge houses solely on design. Or "Easter Eggs" for that matter. Things need to flow. And yes, here it comes, have ENERGY. It's a term I use every year. If there is no energy, a house is bound to fall flat. Put all the references to past HHN's in the house as often as you want. If the house doesn't flow, and yes, scare me, then it isn't doing its job.

And with that, the updated top 10 list.

10. DEAD EXPOSURE: PATIENT ZERO

CURRENT RATING: 2.5/5
I've seen feelings of Dead Exposure run the gamut of emotions. Some people really love it, some really hate it. My dad for example, who some of you may know as "Pops" from social media, actually really liked Dead Exposure. I've done it a few times now and while it's not an epic fail, it's not as effective as probably they were hoping it would be. Surprisingly, the entire house feels cheap. Which I wasn't expecting. It's very reminiscent of House of Horrors from 2012, and not Dead Exposure from 2008. While it does have some effective scares, I'm waiting for them to dial it up a notch. Until then, it's a pretty bland house for me. The blandest of HHN 28 by far.

9. THE HORRORS OF BLUMHOUSE

CURRENT RATING: 3/5
Sure, it's not going to win any awards for originality, however a lot of Blumhouse is effective. The Happy Death Day stuff, is done really well in here. It was by far, my favorite part of the house. It has some effective scares and the repetitive nature of the scenes worked for me. The First Purge stuff, really does feel tacked on, however I even thought some of that stuff was done well. I need to do Blumhouse a few more times before I can get a true handle on it, but it's miles better than last year's house in my opinion. The scares are just way more effective, and the Happy Death Day portion is more inventive than anything they did in the house last year.

8. STRANGER THINGS

CURRENT RATING: 3.5/5
I would personally categorize Stranger Things, as a missed opportunity. Sure, it places you into the show. However, because of that, it truly highlights how Stranger Things isn't really a horror show. And because Stranger Things isn't really a horror show, the creative team took the biggest horror element of the show (the Demogorgon), and just chucked them in the house at every opportunity. I mean, these things are everywhere. While every run of the house I've done so far has gotten a little better in terms of scares, the house needs to up the ante a bit to get me on board. Great design though, I'll give it that.

7. TRICK 'R TREAT

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
Trick 'r Treat has gotten better every run I've been through in the house. While I still don't like the abrupt finale, the house is quite effective. It's a pretty house to roam, and the scares are mostly effective. I like the use of the Sam's and everything flows nicely. Except for that finale. I just don't like the finale. A solid house nonetheless.

6. SEEDS OF EXTINCTION

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
Seeds of Extinction is growing on me. While I still don't think they nailed the potential of the premise, the scares have gotten a bit more effective. Things flowed better every time we went through and yes, there was a different energy. I find myself liking the house more and more. We'll see if it can maintain that energy going forward.

5. CARNIVAL GRAVEYARD: RUST IN PIECES

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
This is by far, the most frustrating house for me this year. There is so much potential to be an all-time great, but it usually falls a bit shy every time. I'm not sure if they aren't using enough cast in here, or what the deal is, but Carnival Graveyard has a lot of nothing going on, for long periods of time. There just aren't enough scares in here, or attempts at scares. If they can step up that game, maybe it will move up on the list. For now, it's a solid house, with the occasional good scare.

4. HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
The most surprising house for me this year. Again, it's not going to win any points for originality. However, it's effective in its scares, and approach. The design of this house in this space, is interesting to experience. It's definitely to most unique of the houses in the Shrek theater to date. Color me surprised, but Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is a solid house. Very solid. We'll see if it can maintain its effectiveness.

3. SCARY TALES: DEADLY EVER AFTER

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
Scary Tales had a few hiccups this week during our runs. Some line stoppages, cast changes, and non-working puppets. However, it's still a great house. I'm going to give it a pass this week. We'll see how it goes by next week. It's still a treat of house to go through, with some great scares, sets, and environments. The house is still my favorite Scary Tales house yet. We find ourselves going through this house a lot this year. We love this house a great deal.

2. SLAUGHTER SINEMA

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
While the last two runs of Slaughter Sinema seemed to come on a cast change, I'm going to give it a pass. It was consistent the first week, with two blips this past week. I've done Slaughter Sinema a handful of times now, and it's still one the best houses at the event this year. It's fun, weird, creepy, funny, and scary. There's some great stuff in here. I adore this house.

1. POLTERGEIST

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
Poltergeist is, and continues to be, the scariest house at the event. Not only does it place you in the film, but it does things on its own terms without losing the integrity of the film. Poltergeist has also been the most consistent house we've gone through so far this year. Scares are always on point, and the energy never lets up. It's a fantastic house. And it's quickly climbing the all-time charts for me.

Scare zone's this year a really effective. It's the best collection of scare zones we've had in some time. There is one, that is not very good. However, for the most part they all work.

5. THE HARVEST

CURRENT RATING: 1/5
Kudos to the Scareactor's really trying in here. However, the less said the better.

4. TWISTED TRADITION

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
Much more solid this past week. The crowds still hinder the zone, but it's such a great place to just stand a gawk at all the pretty things.

3. REVENGE OF CHUCKY

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
Still a lot of fun. The character interactions in here are everything. The toys are great, and Chucky is great. However, on busier nights, the crowd gathering to watch Chucky, can be a bit much. Still, it's a fun zone.

2. KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE

CURRENT RATING: 4.5/5
While the zone isn't going to get points for set design, it's very effective. I still feel it's a bit too cramped of a space to put a zone. However, the Scareactor's are great and the Klowns are a lot of fun.

1. VAMP '85: NEW YEAR'S EVE

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
Still the most effective zone this year. It's a lot of fun and the interactions with guests are a delight. The New Year's Eve ball, stopped working for a few days which was a shame. However, I think it's working again, so, yay!

The roaming hordes are what they are. The fill the gaps in San Francisco and Springfield. I would say the Springfield horde is the better of the two at this point.

So that's it for me this week. I return to the event Wednesday. Hopefully it's another slow night, as it's only bound to get busier from here on out. As always, you can follow me @HHNLegacy on Twitter for in-park updates and photos throughout the course of the event.

Hasta La Bye-bye for now.

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HHN 28 OPENING WEEKEND OVERVIEW - CURRENT HOUSE RANKINGS AND MORE

9/16/2018

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Greetings internet dwellers!

Well, my opening weekend has ended. As of this write-up, there's still a Sunday left to go. Alas, I must return to work. However, I will return to the event on Wednesday, so there's that. We'll talk about a few things here.

BEST HHN EVER?

You may have seen the Hype Train rolling on social media over the weekend. There are a lot of people proclaiming this to be one of, if not the best HHN's of all time. Is it though? I'm not quite so sure yet. However, HHN 28 is strong. Very strong. There's a lot to love about the event.

In a way, HHN 28 has gone back to basics, but still continued the trend of moving forward. The houses seemed to focus more on scares this year, but still had the set construction eye-candy that people love. There also seems to be more of a balance (minus one or two things we'll get to in a minute). Overall, HHN 28 is off to the strongest start I've seen in a while.

DEM CROWDS DOE

Opening night for HHN 28 was packed. How packed? It was the busiest opening night I've seen in my 19 years of attending the event. Rumor has it, they were close to 10% over projections for the night. That is A LOT of people. The pull of Stranger Things was heavy. It was very reminiscent of the first 3 years of The Walking Dead at the event. The wait time for the Stranger Things house, was already at, near, or exceed 2 hours BEFORE the park was officially open. And the line never really dropped below 90 minutes throughout the course of the nights.

I had flashbacks to the The Walking Dead era. With this success, you can bet Stranger Things will be around for a while. This also means I may not get to do the house a whole lot. As someone who doesn't have Express, I have to pick and choose houses, or hope that times are inflated. Which the majority of the houses we did the first two nights, times were greatly inflated. Carnival Graveyard had some sort of problem, which delayed us for a while. Besides that though, most of the houses we got through quicker than the posted wait.

Regardless, it was busy. Very busy. It also seems that buy one, get one free campaign, may have worked a little too well. We'll have to see as we move on.

Speaking of moving on...

CURRENT HOUSE RANKINGS

Let's talk houses. Like I alluded to earlier, HHN 28 is a strong event. However, so far, I'm not quite sure the house collection is quite as strong. Without me using express, I was able to get 6 out of the 10 houses done Friday and Saturday. Next week, I'm going to have to bite the bullet and just jump in line for Stranger Things...

Anyway, here's where things stand so far in my book. Starting from the bottom, as always.

6. SEEDS OF EXTINCTION

CURRENT RATING: 2/5
This is going to require a few more visits. Lots of people raving about this house, but for me, this thing was awful. Sure, some of the actor's blend in well with their surroundings. However, I found everything about Seeds to be bland, repetitive, remarkably uneventful and just not scary. You would think that with the camouflage, there would be a lot of scares, but there wasn't. Surprisingly. I liked some of the design, but it just didn't all come together for me. It's still early, so we'll see if this picks up as we go along. For now, it's seeded at the bottom. See what I did there? Seeds? Ha, I kill me.

5. TRICK 'R TREAT

CURRENT RATING: 3.5/5
Trick 'r Treat is a solid house. The design of the house in the Parade Building, is a little bit of a treat. I'm not quite sure we've had something quite like Trick 'r Treat in that space. I believe we hit Trick 'r Treat during a cast change, and the finale was a little abrupt and weird. However, it's a solid house with solid scares and design. If you love the movie, you'll love the house. One of the Sam's got me good in here.

4. CARNIVAL GRAVEYARD: RUST IN PIECES

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
Carnival is another solid house. I like the design, but it was lacking the scares. Carnival Graveyard, has a little bit of an old school haunted house feel. It does indeed have an "open" feel to it, which is nice. I'm waiting for the scares though. Again, not sure if there was a cast change or not, but it seemed to lack people. So, for now, we'll give it the benefit of the doubt. It almost overcame my doubt. Almost.

3. SLAUGHTER SINEMA

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
Slaughter Sinema, is pure delight. It's funny, scary, and owns its cheesiness with pride. It's hard to rank these next three houses. Slaughter Sinema was my most anticipated house. While I loved what they did here, I think the next two houses surprised me more. Still, this house is amazing.

2. SCARY TALES: DEADLY EVER AFTER

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
This house is amazing. From the sets, to the scares, to the Scareactor's, everything works so perfectly here. Like I had said in a few My Talking Head episodes, I was hearing about the facade to Scary Tales for a long, long time. It's a great way to setup the experience. There are a lot of great scares in here too. Everything just works in here for me. It's a fantastic house, and may be my favorite Scary Tales house so far.

1. POLTERGEIST

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
My favorite house of all time is An American Werewolf in London (the first one). It also edges out the original Halloween house, for my favorite IP house. Poltergeist, is giving both of those IP's a run for their money. This thing is so perfectly done. From the scares, to the design, to the puppetry, to the flow, to the length, Poltergeist is a total blast. I was a little blown away to be honest. They did things in here, that I didn't think they could do. But they did. And it made me happy. And the scares are on point. The feel of this house is amazing. It shattered my expectations for the house, and that's hard to do.

CURRENT SCARE ZONE RANKINGS

With the houses having astronomical wait times, there's not a whole lot left to do but drink, and stick around the zones.

5. THE HARVEST

CURRENT RATING: 1/5
Yeah, this thing is just not good. Kudos to the Scareactor's trying to make things work. However, short of Jebus coming in to save the day, I doubt there's much anyone can do here. The ghilliesuit thing doesn't quite work. It's just a mess.

4. TWISTED TRADITION

CURRENT RATING: 3.5/5
As per usual, the crowd ruins this zone. I was hoping that with the stage not there this year, the bottleneck in that area, would be taken care of. However, that is not the case. It's a beautiful zone though. The church, and the victims running around, tie into the 80's thing nicely. It's just too packed in here to really do anything. The glowing pumpkin dudes are a nice touch too.

3. REVENGE OF CHUCKY

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
Revenge of Chucky is a lot of fun. It feeds all off your nostalgia. The interactive Chucky puppet is really funny. Yeah, he doesn't quite sound like Chucky, but he's a lot of fun. It's half Insult Emporium, half Icons: HHN show scenes. The surrounding "minions" and toys, are great. I still can't believe there's a guy walking around wearing a diaper.

2. KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
Killer Klowns is a great zone. Atmospheric, interactive, creepy... it's almost the total package. Almost. South Street does not work for a zone. It's too cramped. It's even more cramped than San Francisco, and is in danger of becoming the new Central Park. Especially with people hanging around in here. Still, Killer Klowns rises above the problems. The Klowns are great and are really interactive with guests. Great zone, minus the space.

1. VAMP '85: NEW YEAR'S EVE

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
I use the word energy to describe things every year. Energy is important. When there is no energy, things fall flat. Vamp '85 has that energy and then some. The zone is a lot of fun. The shows, the interactivity with guests, the costumes, the story...it just all flows. Yeah, you have the usual obsessed types camping out in Vamp, but I've had to ignore that the first two nights. The zone is just too much fun to let that ruin it.

PARTING WORDS

I would be amiss if I didn't mention the HHN Blogs meetup on Saturday. Thanks to those who came out. It was nice meeting you all. Thanks to HHN Crypt for the photos, and Horror Night Nightmares for organizing the thing.

I return to the event on Wednesday. As per usual, I continue to keep a running commentary as the event wears on. HHN 28 is in full swing. Hopefully the crowds don't screw up things too much.

Hasta La Bye-bye for now.

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FINAL HHN 28 HYPE LIST, TROPICS, SOME THOUGHTS

9/5/2018

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Greetings internet dwellers!

As we approach t-minus one week until the start of HHN 28, I have done my final "Hype list" for the event. You can view the video below. There were a few other things I wanted to discuss briefly as well. First and foremost...

The "Hype List"

Every year, we like to rank our most anticipated things for the event- houses, scare zones and shows. Of course, this year only has one show, so that makes it easy. This year, I went full video with this as I had the time to do so. You can view the My Talking Head episode below, to hear my full thoughts on why I am excited for, and not excited for, certain things.

A Running Commentary

Throughout the course of HHN 28, I will update, pretty much every weekend, where I feel things are standing. The houses and scare zones will fluctuate, probably for the first two weeks. Because I go so much, I like to keep a running list every week for where things stand. A final ranking of everything, will come at the end of the event.

Keep Your Eyes To The Tropics

This time last year, we were preparing for Hurricane Irma. September 10th is the peak date for Hurricane season. This year, has been very, very quiet in the Atlantic. A little too quiet if you ask me. The Atlantic is starting to heat up a bit, with waves training of the African coast. While it is a running gag to constantly be bombarded by rain on opening weekend of the event, we don't want no hurricanes.

Hopefully, things stay away from Florida, but you never know with these things, They like to have the most inopportune timing. There's a few out there now, which may require some close monitoring, so just be vigilant.

Scare Zone Construction

Barring any hurricanes of course, I have continued the updates via Twitter. You can follow me @HHNLegacy there for instant updates, while down there. This Friday, will probably be my last time out at the parks before the event starts next week. I have to work, and I don't have another day off until then.

I don't anticipate too much to be added, as Rock The Universe is this weekend and some of the more gruesome stuff, may have to wait. Plus, it's a pretty busy event for Universal, so people are busy...doing stuff.

Merch

Those who follow me and have done so for a long while, know I don't like to pimp myself out. However, I'll make an exception this one time. I started a merch store via Spreadshirt a while back. I have some things for sale there. If you would like to purchase something, by all means do so. You can do so, HERE.

There Will Be An Opening Weekend Meetup

I am not one for meetups, but again, I'll make an exception this year. By all means if you see me in the park normally, don't hesitate to say hey. The HHN Blogs meetup, will take place on Saturday, September 15th at 8:00pm. It will be on the waterfront in front of Transformers: The Ride. It will consist of myself, HHN Vault, HHN Rumors, HHN Crypt and Horror Night Nightmares. There is also a nifty shirt for the occasion, if you so choose.

That about covers things for now. Of course during the event, I will continue to post all of the things via the blog, and Social Media.

Hasta La Bye-bye for now.

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QUICK HHN CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

8/28/2018

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Greetings internet dwellers!

Got down to the Studios this early afternoon, to take a gander at the progress in the streets. By the time this goes up, it will be moot...but I digress. I will be back down at Universal Friday to see the progress. We got some stuff now up in Revenge of Chucky, mostly just the main stage. Yes, Chucky will be "interactive". How interactive is anyone's guess.

Vamp '85, has started to put stuff out. The Macy's windows were recently filled with store mannequins, sporting some 80's fashion. The area which will contain the New Year's Eve ball drop, is also starting to take shape.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space, has started to show signs of props. We got a big sign on a wacky pole, and some hanging, wrapped bags (the cotton candy cocoons).

In addition, we also have the traditional HHN food and beverage tents. They have started to sprout around the park. Publix, has also put out their HHN displays. The tickets this year are neat: VHS tapes.

Anyway, that's it for now. As always, you can follow me @HHNLegacy on Twitter, for real time updates when I'm in the park.

Adios for now.