Greetings internet dwellers! It is time once again to discuss the houses and Scare Zones of HHN XXV. I have now officially been through all nine houses. We still need some time in the Scare Zones, to just soak it all in and look around. HHN XXV is a very strong year. There is a lot of stuff to just look at. The majority of the houses are strong. There have been some tweaks both in the Scare Zones, and houses since our visit last week. A few new characters roaming around. They have added Freddy and Jason in Die-In finally. Psychoscareapy, has added a few different trick or treaters as well. Let's talk houses. The range this year, runs the gamut. We have two really awful houses, a few in the middle, and a few epic ones. There have been some improvements within some of the houses as well. CURRENT HOUSE RANKINGS9. THE WALKING DEAD: THE LIVING AND THE DEAD
8. THE PURGE
7. ASYLUM IN WONDERLAND 3D
6. RUN: BLOOD, SWEAT AND FEARS
5. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON
4. INSIDIOUS
3. BODY COLLECTORS: RECOLLECTIONS
2. FREDDY VS. JASON
1. JACK PRESENTS: 25 YEARS OF MONSTERS & MAYHEM
CURRENT SCARE ZONE RANKINGS5. SCARY TALES: SCREAMPUNK
4. ICONS: HHN
3. EVIL'S ROOTS
2. PSYCHOSCAREAPY: UNLEASHED
1. ALL NITE DIE-IN: DOUBLE FEATURE
ROAMING HORDESThese have been a really great idea. I especially love the clowns in Springfield. They fill in the gaps nicely. Always nice to run into the CDT from time to time as well. Well, that's it for this week. I will return next Thursday and Friday for more HHN goodness. Hopefully, I will get to see Bill & Ted, as well as watch The Carnage Returns. I've seen snippets of the show, but not in its entirety. Until next time HHN fans. Hasta la Bye-bye for now. Greetings internet dwellers! HHN XXV has begun, and opening weekend is in the books. A couple of quick observations before we get into the current house and Scare Zone rankings. Firstly, hey, it didn't rain! This is only the second opening night I have attended, where it did not rain. That is call for celebration enough. The weather was quite nice Friday and Saturday. Makes me nervous as we move forward... HHN XXV is huge. Epic. Big. Ambitious. Perhaps, a little too ambitious. It's nice that they are going all out for the 25th anniversary. However, with big and ambitious, comes issues. Things still need tweaking and fixing. Friday night, some things seemed very incomplete. The flow will come with time. However, even in the houses things seemed like they weren't ready. Saturday was slightly better. Still, something was missing. Don't get me wrong, I like the scope they are going for, but some things need work. It will come with time. Crowds. Holy shit this weekend was crowded. This poses a problem for the majority of the Scare Zones. Screampunk, Evil's Roots, and Die-In, are so congested. Evil's Roots suffers even more with the Carnage Returns show. Yes, they have routed the foot traffic. Still, it creates a massive bottleneck in that area. Die-In, Evil's Roots, and Screampunk, are in cramped enough spaces at it is. On really busy nights, this is going to be a major issue. It was busy Friday and Saturday, but wasn't peak night busy. When HHN hits a peak night, well, good luck my friends. Navigating around is going to be hard. It's very hard to just look around in those Zones. This also hurts the scare factor with the actor's. That being said. I dig the interactivity HHN is giving the Scareactor's this year. This is especially true in Psychoscareapy, Die-In and, Icons: HHN. With the Icon Zone, it is incredibly fun just to interact with all the Icons and other characters. Chainsaws. You get a chainsaw! And you get a chainsaw! It seemed like every freaking actor had a chainsaw. Even old characters who don't use a chainsaw, had a chainsaw. Lady Luck with a chainsaw is kind of weird, but cool. Even Cindy had a chainsaw. There were clowns with chainsaws, prisoners, crazy people... they were everywhere. Yes, chainsaws are the name of the game this year. HHN filled in some of the dead space nicely as well. Springfield, in front of Transformers, and MIB, have people roaming with chainsaws. It's a nice touch to help keep people immersed. Thank heaven they gave us some new tunes this year. I like the music they are using. The choices in Pschoscareapy: Unleased, are nice and even quite funny at times. So, yes, the first week is over. HHN XXV is an epic year, that still needs some tweaking going forward. However, it is a VERY strong year with what they are doing. I can't really fault them for trying. I can not wait to explore more next weekend! CURRENT HOUSE RANKINGSAh, yes. The houses. I still have yet to complete all the houses. The Purge, The Walking Dead and Asylum in Wonderland, will have to wait until next time. Scope. That is the one word I will use to describe the houses this year. They are big, bold, and beautiful. I hope that as time goes on, HHN doesn't scale back the intensity in some of these houses. Don't cave to complaints! From the bottom to the top. 6. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON
5. RUN: BLOOD, SWEAT AND FEARS
4. INSIDIOUS
3. BODY COLLECTORS: RECOLLECTIONS
2. FREDDY VS. JASON
1. JACK PRESENTS: 25 YEARS OF MONSTERS & MAYHEM
SCARE ZONESWith the Scare Zones, we were only able to chill in two. Because of the crowds, it was hard to just stop and find a spot to soak it all in. Still, we spent a lot of time in the Scare Zones on Friday and Saturday. 5. SCARY TALES: SCREAMPUNK
4. EVIL'S ROOTS
3. ALL NITE DIE-IN: DOUBLE FEATURE
2. PSYCHOSCAREAPY: UNLEASHED
1. ICONS: HHN
So there you have it. Week one has come and gone. I already can't wait for next week. Hopefully, I will get a chance to do Asylum, Purge and The Walking Dead next time. Lots more content throughout the course of the event! Stay tuned! Hasta la Bye-bye for now. Greetings internet dwellers! A few final words before we officially kick off HHN XXV on Friday night. Firstly, if you follow the HHN Legacy Facebook page, the construction photos that I have been posting since August, will be erased to make room for actual event photos. ALL of the photos associated with HHN XXV, can be found of course, in the HHN XXV Photos and Video section here on the site. I would also like to extend a great thank you to HHN Crypt again. I had a blast at the media preview, and it was pleasure working with them. I hope to run into them at the event. Also, if anyone runs into me at the event, don't hesitate to say hi. I don't bite, contrary to popular belief. HHN XXV coverage from HHN Legacy, will be the same as it has always been. I TAKE MY TIME. I don't rush on the first night to do everything. If all goes according to plan, I will be at the event more nights than ever before (between 18-20 nights). That is a long time to breathe and play. Fear not, for you will be able to follow all of my HHN shenanigans, as always on Twitter @HHNLegacy. Like usual, I will keep a running tab on the houses. I will rank them at the end of every weekend. The same for the Scare Zones. If you would like to compare from what my initial anticipation for each house was, go HERE. Houses change and evolve all the time, so I like to see where they are each week. My schedule allows me to attend pretty much every Thursday and Friday. There may be one, or two, Wednesday's thrown in for good measure. HHN also released a nifty trivia app the other day. You will only be able to play the game on HHN event nights, between the hours of 4:00pm and 3:00am. You can find the app HERE. Not sure yet how often I will be playing the game. I got a taste of it on Wednesday, and there are already glitches with it. I am not sure I want that added headache this year. You will only be able to play on your mobile devices as well. This has been an extremely long pre-season. I am glad the event is finally here. It's time to have some fun! After all, it's all about fun. I think some places and people forget that sometimes. If you like my content, don't forget to follow me on the various social media pages. Anyway, go forth and play, people! It's here! Greetings internet dwellers! Let's talk the IP properties this year. There is a fantastic mix of things to wet everybody's whistle. We have TV shows, contemporary films, slasher films, and classic films. As we enter the final days before opening night, I wanted to give some insight, and recommendations for people looking to prep before HHN XXV. So let's discuss. THE WALKING DEADThe good thing about this year's house, is that it is only based on season 5. If you are a rabid fan of the show, then you probably have already seen it. If you are curious, getting your hands on the show may be difficult. AMC offers an app, where I believe you can check out the latest episodes of the show. If you have Amazon or iTunes, you can stream the entire season. If you do not want to watch the show, or can't, then that is fine too. The good thing about The Walking Dead property, is that it is basically the same premise, but different locations. If you have experienced the show, or house, in the past, then you should be OK. I myself do not watch the show. I find it kind of fun to experience The Walking Dead blind. It's just a another house with zombies. Story wise, you may be a little lost, but it's not entirely necessary to watch the show. Of course if you do, then your experience may be heightened because of it. Still, not entirely required. THE PURGEAs far as the first film goes, I am not a fan. I thought the premise was hugely wasted, and the film devolved into a boring home invasion flick. And it was horribly executed. The house at HHN this year, will be more in line with the first film, as a lot of it will be you trapped in a home with Purger's getting in. There will be elements from The Purge: Anarchy thrown in for good measure. A lot of Anarchy takes place on the outside. As much as I don't like it, your best course of action is to watch the first film. While Anarchy is the better of the two films, if you want to get a feeling for what the house will be like, again, the first film is your best bet. I suggest watching both ultimately though. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDONAn American Werewolf in London, is one of the best horror films ever made. If you like comedy mixed in with your horror, then you will be in heaven. The film balances the two very well. There are some truly terrifying scenes, and some really funny scenes thrown in for good measure. Some of the younger crowd, may never have seen the film. I highly recommend giving it a chance. The Academy Award winning make-up effects by Rick Baker, are worth a watch on their own. It is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Instant Video. There is a "sequel" to An American Werewolf in London. I highly recommend staying away from that. It is a horrible movie, and has very little to do with the first. Do not confuse an American Werewolf in Paris, with an American Werewolf in London. Some younger people may actually know the sequel better, as it came out in 1997. Some may also be familiar with Bush's song "Mouth". It was featured on the soundtrack to An American Werewolf in Paris. The song, is the best thing to come out of that film. INSIDIOUSI have yet to see the third film. However, since I got to get a sneak peek at the house during the HHN media preview, I can tell you it is not necessary to watch the last film. It may be prudent to watch the first two, if you want to do some prep before attending the event though. I personally, was not a huge fan of these films. I watched them myself when I first got word the franchise would be coming to HHN. Both Chapter 1 and 2, have their moments, but overall, I found them kind of bland. They are not "bad" films, just meh. If you don't have time to watch all three, or just time for one, stick with the first film. It sets the mood for what to expect in the house nicely. If you have Netflix, Indidious: Chapter 2, is currently streaming on the service, which may be the quicker option. FREDDY VS. JASONFreddy Vs. Jason is an incredibly fun watch. Sure, it has some things that are questionable (Jason afraid of water?), however it's still a fun gem to discover. England is chewing every bit of scenery he can in this flick. And rightfully so. This is still one of the best experiences I've ever had at a movie theater. It holds up fairly well, minus one or two things. I would give it a chance if you want to do some prep. If you want to dig deeper into both of these characters, you have a few options. For Friday the 13th, watch Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter. Another I always recommend, is Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. However, if you just have time for one, watch The Final Chapter. Even though I enjoyed the 2009 Friday remake, stay away from that one. With A Nightmare on Elm Street, you're in luck. Netflix is currently streaming the original A Nightmare on Elm Street. If you want to go deeper, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors is a good watch. And if you want to go even further, my favorite Nightmare film is Wes Craven's New Nightmare (also streaming of Netflix). If you are fan of Scream, New Nightmare is a wonderfully Meta precursor to Scream's self-aware playfulness. Also, stay away from the Nightmare on Elm Street remake. Netflix is also streaming Never Sleep Again, a 4 hour documentary about the entire Nightmare series. If you would like to check out our ranking's of the Friday the 13th films, go HERE. BONUS: RUN: BLOOD, SWEAT AND FEARSYes, Run. Based on the description, the house is going to pull elements from a wonderful 80's gem. Some younger attendees, may think of The Hunger Games on steroids when reading the description. However, I would actually recommend giving The Running Man a view as prep for the house. The film starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, and is actually based on a novel by Stephen King. It was written under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman. Schwarzenegger plays a wrongfully convicted prisoner, who is forced to compete on a TV game show called The Running Man. On the show, criminal's must fend off Stalkers, while navigating their way through a series of staged areas. If they survive, the prisoners are freed. The Running Man is one of Schwarzenegger's better 80's films, and despite it's totally 80's feel, actually has some relevant commentary regarding today's era of Reality TV shows. It is a very fun watch. Greetings internet dwellers! Well, I had the opportunity to attend the media event. I was lucky enough to be asked by HHN Crypt, if I could represent them for the night. I would like to extend a great thank you to them, as it was truly a fun night. I had no idea what to expect, as I have never attended before. I got to get a glimpse at some of the amazing props, costumes and scares, that will be coming to this year's event. It was a good night. I also got to get a preview of Insidious. No spoilers here, but I will say that it is bonkers. Bonkers in a good way. I can't wait until this thing is full of Scareactor's and the lighting and the effects, are all in sync. Anyway, HHN XXV is going to be epic. Lots of blood and mayhem are on the way! It's close! Below is a taste of what we were showed. Oh, and hey, HHN released their full commercial too. Greetings internet dwellers! As tonight's media event nears, HHN on twitter has been teasing a bunch of things all morning. There have been images, some interviews with Mike, and the video below. It appears, that commercial which was floating around the TV, wasn't it. I am guessing the full TV spot will be revealed at some point later on today, as the tease seems to suggest. The media event starts at 7:30 as well, so perhaps they will debut it there too. Speaking of the media event, I will be down there, representing HHN Crypt as a correspondent. I will be sending some info and images throughout the night, as well as some video later in the evening. Keep your eyes glued to HHN Crypt via their Twitter and Facebook. Hasta la Bye-bye for now. |
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