HHN AT 25: RANKING OUR 15 years

Greetings internet dwellers! 

As our HHN 25th coverage continues, we enter the countdown phases. For our first countdown list, we are ranking our favorite years that we attended. This will also give us an opportunity to recount some of our experiences for you. We will be counting down from our least favorite year, to our current favorite. Like any kind of list, these are just OUR favorite. I'm sure your list will look different. Every year for us has some up and downs, but some ups and downs are worse, or better than others. Mind you, we missed the first 10 years of the event, so again, this is just the years we attended. 

Let us begin. 

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15. HHN X (2000): THE TRIP FROM HELL

• MOST MEMORABLE THING: BILL & TED, JACK THE CLOWN, CROWDS 

My first trip ever to HHN, and I vowed never to return. Granted, we had a lot of issues during this trip that go beyond HHN, but I digress. First off, the crowds were INSANE. We also at one point decided to try and ride Men In Black, and it broke down multiple times. We waited well over two hours for it, but that was still a shorter wait than the three-hour average of all the houses that night. One house that we actually did get to do (Universal Classic Monster Mania), abruptly escorted us out of the house for some reason. The house-lights turned on, and everyone was ushered out. We did eventually get to do Dark Torment, which was meh. The only real takeaways for me, were The Midway of Dr. Morose, and Bill & Ted. Dr. Morose was nuts! Bill & Ted was hilarious, and as we saw it at the end of the night, all you could do was laugh after the experience we just went through. Overall, I learned a lot of lessons in 2000. 

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14. HHN XI (2001): REAL HORROR VS. FAKE HORROR

• MOST MEMORABLE THING: MY FRIEND HAVING AN ALLERGIC REACTION TO BURLAP IN SUPERSTITIONS, MY FRIEND HAVING HER BELT CONFISCATED AT SECURITY, THE BEST SCARE I EVER HAD IN A HOUSE

Halloween Horror Nights XI, is a nebulous event for me. I am from New York, born and raised. My parents both worked in Lower Manhattan. My mother worked in the Twin Towers. My dad was across the street from the Twin Towers in 1993, when terrorists tried to take down the The World Trade Center the first time. We attended HHN not too long after the events of 9/11, obviously. I remember vague discussions about not even putting on the event that year. However, things must go on and even at the event, there was a different feeling in the air. Security was tight, and enter the metal detector's at the front gates. My friend had to surrender her belt, because it had small spikes on it. Another friend of mine, had to surrender his medication. This event kind of runs together for me sometimes. The haze of the 9/11, clouded the event. The same friend who had her belt confiscated actually had an allergic reaction from a few burlap sacks, hanging down from the ceiling in Superstitions. In that same house, I had the biggest startle of my entire run of HHN houses. It came from one of those drop-down walls. It was the first time I had experienced one of those, and I wasn't expecting it. I was caught so off guard, I fell backwards and there was a domino effect of everyone around me, who also fell backwards. It was very funny. I vaguely remember The Mummy Returns house as well. The little drop floor during the finale got us pretty good. We actually got all of the houses done that year except for one. All in all, HHN XI was a much better experience. 

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13. HHN XX (2010): FEAR IS BORING

• MOST MEMORABLE THING: ALL THE ICONS TOGETHER, THE BUILD-UP OF FEAR

While HHN XX was meant to be an anniversary year, and it felt like it, for me, the year fell a little flat. However, one of the things I did really like about it, were the majority of the houses. Catacombs: Black Death Rising, Havoc: The Dogs of War, and most of the other houses, were really impressive. I also really loved the scare zones this year. The addition of the Icons for photo-ops, was a nifty idea, and I really hope they bring it back for HHN XXV. Where the event really failed for me, is in Fear. I found the whole idea of Fear really compelling. It was interesting and really quite inventive. If Fear would have lived up to the hype, it could have really propelled the event into a new direction, moving into The Walking Dead years. However, he was mostly forgettable. His appearance, and subsequently the year, just kind of fall into obscurity for some. Still, it did have some good houses, which ranks it a bit higher on our list. 

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12. HHN XIV (2004): TWO PARKS (BUT NOT REALLY)

• MOST MEMORABLE THING: TWO PARKS, I MOVED TO ORLANDO, HURRICANES

HHN's 2X The Fear was a fun experiment, but also kind of a cluster at the same time. This would be the year I moved to Orlando. I actually moved to Orlando for college in July of 2004. HHN XIV, would also be remembered for another reason by most: Hurricanes. For some reason, Mutha Nature, decided to pick on Central Florida and its coast. The funny thing is, I lived in South Florida for a long time, and only got hit with a few small tropical storms. When I moved to O-Town, bam, hurricane central. For the event, this actually proved a problem early on. Scare zones were battered around a bit, especially Field of Screams, which Universal had been growing corn for. Even up to opening night, things were still being fixed from the aftermath of all the storms. I liked the idea of doing the two park thing, but the execution left much to be desired. Connecting both parks with scare zones, WAS a nifty idea, and worked out really well. I have a special fondness for Field of Screams. Some of the houses were really awesome too. Hellgate Prison was a great house, as was Castle Vampyr. However, two whole parks it was not. Realistically, it was just one park, spread out over the space of two. On really busy nights, they would open the back of Universal Studios Florida, and I think they may have done the same over at Islands of Adventure occasionally. This year really is just the memory of “two” parks. It was an interesting experiment, and in the end was kind of shaky, but fun, with some solid houses and scare zones.

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11. HHN XXII (2012): THE DEAD HAVE ARRIVED

• MOST MEMORABLE THING: HHN LEGACY BEGINS, FANBOYS, HORROR UNEARTHED

Ah, the first year for The Walking Dead. While I have no problem with The Walking Dead at the event, it's inaugural year at Halloween Horror Nights was horrible. The house ranks up there for me, as one of the worst houses HHN has ever done. Not good when you're trying to win die-hard HHN fanboys over. HHN XXII was the year I started HHN Legacy. I had been kicking around the idea of doing it for quite some time, but started the process at the end of HHN XXI. It took me a while to do, as I did it by myself. While it has gone through a lot of changes over the last four years, I'm still very proud of it. 2012, also saw the debut of Horror Unearthed. It's still I think, the most sheer fun I've ever had at the event. I met A LOT of people playing the game as well. I actually really enjoy the house line-up for HHN XXII. The streets, are still pretty controversial for this year. People either loved it, or hated it. I actually quite enjoyed the roaming hordes. It was a great year to people watch. This was also the year, HHN fanboys overtook Facebook pages, forums, and social media, to bicker, complain, and rage. They still do, but I digress. To be honest, I really dig this year mostly for Horror Unearthed. It was a lot of fun.

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10. HHN XXIII (2013): THE DEAD ARE EVERYWHERE

• MOST MEMORABLE THING: AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, LEGENDARY TRUTH, THE STREETS

The year An American Werewolf in London made. To be honest, HHN XXIII had a very strong collection of houses. However, An American Werewolf in London, just dwarfed the entire line-up this year. Nothing really came close to matching what that house did. At least they improved greatly on The Walking Dead house from the previous year. Horror Unearthed made a return, but this time it was re-branded into Legendary Truth. While this year saw a handful of major technical glitches which all but squandered the experience of Legendary Truth, it was still a fun game with twists and turns. If you hated the streets in 2012, well, you were probably in for a bit of a shock this year. The call to bring back the props, and set scare zones after the roaming hordes from the year before, was answered, but not in the way fans wanted it. The Walking Dead took over the event in a big way. It took over the streets. Yes, the entire park was transformed into various locales from The Walking Dead show. So why are the streets memorable? I honestly didn't mind the streets. They gave it a good effort. And the meltdown of HHN fanboys about the streets, and The Walking Dead, just makes me laugh. 

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9. hhn xvi (2006): back to basics

• MOST MEMORABLE THING: ROBOSAURUS, THE ICONS TOGETHER

If we're talking events where I just had pure fun, this is one of them. Bringing the then current Icons together for one event, was really fun. All the houses were pretty solid, minus one, and I really enjoyed the shows this year. I liked The Director's Cut, which utilized the 360 spheres. And freaking Robosaurus. I was so glad to have seen this at the event. The Arrival was pretty good as well, and even Bill & Ted was strong. In fact, this could be the last year for Bill & Ted, that I actually liked. The scare zones were pretty blah this year, but I thoroughly enjoyed everything else. 

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8. HHN XIII (2003): THE DIRECTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW

• MOST MEMORABLE THING: THE DIRECTOR, BOOZE, LEGENDARY HOUSES

The Director is my favorite Icon. I think it stems from my study of film. The marriage of HHN and movies, has always been one of my favorite aspects. Yes, that includes IP's. Universal's horror history, just lends itself to Halloween Horror Nights. I never understood why fans get so upset over the fact that HHN uses real horror properties for the event. If they are done well, HHN's creative team tends to work magic. Like any houses though, IP's are bound to have their ups and downs. It's just natural. This was the first year I was of drinking age! Hooray for me. The houses this year, were great too. All Nite-Die in, and Psychoscareapy made their first appearances here. I also loved how in the years that HHN was held at IOA, they experimented with a few things. Using the Triceratops Discovery trail for example, as a house. I quite enjoyed Jungle of Doom. Overall, a fantastic memorable year for me. This was also the first year, I attended the event more than one night. 

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7. HHN XXIV (2014): THE FUN OF IT ALL

• MOST MEMORABLE THING: MICHAEL MYERS, CROWDS, QUESTIONABLE DECISIONS

So, 2014's event. I had issues with it. For starters, the crowds were awful. HHN continuing to utilize The Walking Dead, proved to be a good one. The people came in droves for the property. And by George, it was HHN's largest and longest house ever. Yes, there were things decided upon by the higher-ups, that I did not enjoy much. Many logistical changes throughout the event, made things scattered; the Frequent Fear Pass decision, The Voodoo Queen, changing of exits and entrances, and The Compound just to name a few. However the houses were fantastic. Minus one (looking at you Dracula Untold). In my opinion, HHN XXIV had the best collection of houses since HHN XXI. The majority were all strong, or at the very least, fun. It was the first time in a while at HHN, I just had fun. Sheer unadulterated fun. I ignored the constant fanboy bickering, and while the decisions made I didn't agree with, they didn't effect my enjoyment of the event. It was just good times.

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6. HHN XIX (2009): REBOOTS

• MOST MEMORABLE THING: MOVIE LOVE

The last good “Icon” in my opinion. The Usher, while a rushed concept, actually turned out pretty well. Again, the matching of HHN, Universal, and movies, just fits so well. Some of these houses could have been huge disasters, with the team literally “rebooting” some of the Universal Classic Monster movies. I am a huge fan of the Classic Monsters, and I love when they use them. This year was no exception. I even enjoyed the hell out of The Wolfman. I also really dug the scare zones this year. This year just stands out to me. It was an extremely fun year. And it gave us Dracula: Legacy in Blood. 

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5. HHN XII (2002): CREEP FACTOR ALPHA

• MOST MEMORABLE THING: ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE, THE CARETAKER

While The Director is my favorite Icon, The Caretaker represents for me, the most creepy HHN has gone in their presentation, during the Icon years. There hasn't been an Icon (no, not even Jack), who defines creepy as much as The Caretaker for me. His ads, his house, his presence, was just never matched in my opinion. For me, he is also the most interesting of the Icons. His backstory is just great horror. In a way, he is the most “real” of the Icons in his story. His actions are very much realistic, and it really gets under my skin. This of course, is also the first year the event was at IOA. I actually really enjoy it at Islands of Adventure. Despite the lack of space to put houses, it has a much better flow to its layout. I hope it returns there some day. Solid collection of houses too, minus the infamous Fear Factor. 

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4. HHN XVII (2007): YOUR CHILDHOOD SCARES TO LIFE

• MOST MEMORABLE THING: FREDDY & JASON, THE CARNIVAL, JACK

When it was revealed that Jack The Clown would be coming back to host the event, that didn't phase me. When it was Jack The Clown hosting a macabre Carnival of Carnage, with Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface, as his bloody sideshows, that got me excited. As HHN grew, it was only a matter of time before these iconic horror villains would come to the event. In a way, 2007 was the first shot fired for HHN utilizing intellectual properties at the event in overabundance. In addition to Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface, there was also Dead Silence: The Curse of Mary Shaw, and The Thing: Assimilation. The controversy of the scare zones in 2007 doesn't affect me one bit. The rest of the event was so much fun, it didn't matter. Yeah, they tweaked the streets as the event went on, but it was just the icing on the cake to an already fun event. I adore the marketing for 2007 as well. Carnival of Carnage also had my favorite Universal archway design with the carnival theme. In fact, I feel it was the last great one. Lots to be excited about this year. Solid houses, a killer theme, and such a good time.

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3. HHN XXI (2011): LADY LUCK WAS A THING?

• MOST MEMORABLE THING: THE HOUSES, THE HOUSES, THE HOUSES

Yes, Lady Luck may have been lackluster, but who cares. I've made my opinion most clear in the past how I feel about Icons. The houses this year, were unrivaled. No collection before or really since (HHN XXIV came close), to being so awesomely perfect. Even the weakest house, The Thing, was still superbly done. Just listen to these names: H.R. Bloodengutz: Holidays of Horror, The Forsaken, Nightingales: Blood Prey, The In-Between, Nevermore: The Madness of Poe, Saws N' Steam: Into The Machine, Winter's Night: The Haunting of Hawthorn Cemetery... I mean, my, God, just such a wonderful collection of houses. I even enjoyed the scare zones. They were pretty experimental, but still really fun for the most part. 7 was a blast, the crumbling buildings of Acid Assault were mesmerizing, and I thoroughly enjoyed Grown Evil. Still, what really stands out to me about HHN XXI are the houses. The event also really pushed me to start building that idea I had been working on for a few years: HHN Legacy. 

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2. HHN XVIII (2008): BLOODY MARY, BLOODY MARY...

• MOST MEMORABLE THING: BLOODY MARY, THEMES, BACKSTORIES

Elaborate themes and backstories are no stranger to HHN. While the die-hard fans of the event love them, I don't need them to enjoy Halloween Horror Nights. However, 2008 was the plateau of HHN's creative story line side. Everything about the event, was all connected to each other. Mary Agana's back story, was so wonderfully realized and incorporated, it just elevated the event to something else. Bloody Mary was connected to each and everything happening at the event; from the scare zones to the houses, she was somehow worked into the plot. They tried that again in 2011, just not with so much fanfare. The event was just wonderfully cohesive. Everything in 2008, just clicks. Even if there were some houses that fell flat. This year also seemed to up the ante when it came to the scare zones. This was also the first “real” year for Legendary Truth: The Collective. I didn't really participate in 2008, but I followed it close enough. And Bloody Mary's design was fantastic. Very creepy, and she fit her story well. Maybe too well in fact, as parents complained that her image on billboards was too scary for their children. To that I say, bravo HHN, bravo. 

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1. HHN XV (2005): WELCOME TO TERRA CRUENTAS

• MOST MEMORABLE THING: THE WORLD, THE STORY, THE EXECUTION, GETTING LOST IN TERROR MINES

In 2008, HHN perfected all that elaborate backstory stuff into one event. However, 2005, they created an entire new world for the event. Sure, the Storyteller may have been shoehorned into the marketing. However, her presence still made sense in the long run (minus the house she was in). I absolutely love HHN's world building in 2005. They went to great pains, to transport you to the strange world of Terra Cruentas. Even the maps reflected this, with each part of the world represented on it. They have not done something this elaborate for the event since. Seriously. Look at 2008. While all that backstory stuff was there, it was mostly found on the website, or someone with a keen eye. 2005 was in your face. You were in this world. The majority of the houses were solid as well, with each tying into this overarching story of Terra Cruentas. The scare zones also tied into everything that was going on. Sacrifices, rituals, artifacts, and more; all lead up to a story climax involving the Terra Queen. The creative minds at HHN, took you into this world, and did it wonderfully. I sincerely hope we get something this elaborate again one day. Perhaps a sister world next door at the Studios? I did have a funny incident this year, where I got lost in Terror Mines. It was so dark, our group couldn't see anything. We ended up walking into a Scare Actor's boo-hole. Funny thing was, they guy never broke character trying to get us to turn around and find the main path. So much awesome happened this year. Honestly, I can't express how much I love HHN XV.

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So there you have it. This took quite a long time. Here's to the next fifteen years. We'll be back soon with our 25 favorite houses of the past fifteen years.


Hasta La Bye-Bye for now. 

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