HHN 28 WEEK 2 OVERVIEW - HOUSE RANKINGS UPDATE

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. 
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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
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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.