HHN 28 HOUSE RANKINGS UPDATE

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.