HHN XXV: THE FINAL REVIEW

Greetings internet dwellers.

HHN XXV has come to an end. Another year, and another event has ceased operation. After more than a month, the fog has stopped spewing, the Scareactor's have retreated into their Boo-hole's for the last time, and daylight has once again taken over Universal Orlando. 

​So let's talk about this year...

CH-CH-CHANGES

One of the reasons I like to go as much as possible over time, is to see how things progress. Houses change rhythm and flow all the time. Approaches to how they scare people, tactics, and their overall impressions, tend to evolve as the event goes on.

HHN XXV, saw a LOT of changes over the course of its run. And not just in the houses. Actor's in the streets constantly changed their roles, characters were added all over the place, costumes changed... I have never seen so many things change face like this before.

Whole characters were even omitted in certain houses. This was both fun, and weird at the same time. On one hand, it offered something different each time at the event. It became a cool game of spot what's different. Over in the Icons Scare Zone, new characters were constantly being added to the line-up. From The Crypt Keeper, to Eddie; every week, seemed to reveal something new over there.  

​While I can't fault the event for this, it is something to note. One can speculate all over the place as to why, but I won't do it here. 

Certain aspects of the event, never felt completely done. Right from the start, there were REALLY important elements missing. Example: the Freddy's in Freddy Vs. Jason, or the Jack masks in 25 Years of Monsters & Mayhem. 

Perhaps this go big for the 25th anniversary mentality, kind of hit the design team in the rear a little bit. After all, the event started a week earlier than originally scheduled, but things should be ready regardless.

That being said, this year really felt like a party. I liked the whole vibe given off this year. Bringing Jack back into the picture, didn't hurt either. Despite my feelings towards him as an Icon, it was the right call for this year.

That being said, let's move on to the houses...

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HOUSES

or me, this year saw a wide range when it came to the quality of the houses. You had a few that were awesome, a few that were OK, and a few really bad ones. Really, my top three houses of the year can be switched and moved. They were all really solid. A few just stood out for different reasons.

​The majority of the houses this year, were grand. Made larger than life, for the 25th anniversary. While sometimes the "go big or go home" mentality paid off, there were a few times where it didn't. At least they put in the effort.

I did notice a few of the houses that were really solid and intense the first few weeks, lost a little bit of steam towards the end. Body Collectors dropped off a bit in intensity as the event went on. Jack Presents, was a little hit or miss as the event went on also. A few characters seemed to vanish from that house halfway through the run of the event. 

Overall, when the houses were working they were working. When they weren't they weren't. A few disappointments are also a given, as it is just the law of averages. 

​So, without further stalling, my final house rankings for HHN XXV.

9. THE WALKING DEAD: THE LIVING AND THE DEAD

• FINAL RATING: 2/5

Destined to fail, or just bad? I've said it before, and I'll say it again- I don't care if The Walking Dead is at the event. I just care if the house is done well. And this? I am not sure what went wrong here. Awkward I think best describes the house. Things felt out of place, the Walkers seemed bored, and things never gelled. I must admit, on Halloween I got a pretty good scare in here. But it was just that one time. With The Walking Dead as a property, there is a lot of pressure on it these days. Die-hards hate it at the event. HHN needs to knock it out of the park when they do it. In a way, I kind of feel bad. If (let's not kid ourselves, when) it comes back, the minds need to up their game. It also belongs in a sound stage. Keep it out of these small venues. There was this vibe in the house, that things were meant to be bigger, but it was stuck in the Parade Building. Nevertheless, it just wasn't up to par this time.

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8. ASYLUM IN WONDERLAND 3d

• FINAL RATING: 3/5

This house was a thorn in my side the entire event. I wanted to like. I just really couldn't. The 3D wasn't really impressive, and there were virtually no scares in here. Over the course of the final week, I did Asylum a few times. It did pick up slightly. However, I just couldn't do it with the 3D all that much. I usually just took the glasses off, and did the house without them. It helped a bit. Even with the 3D glasses on, the costumes in here were quite unique and fun. The vibrant colors work much better in tandem with what's happening without the 3D. The final week, had a few really good scares in here. Funny story, I even walked into a wall while going through the house with the 3D glasses, on Halloween. Quite funny. In the end, Asylum limped into becoming an OK house. 

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7. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON

• FINAL RATING: 3.5/5

Immensely disappointing. While the new wolf puppet skins looked impressive, the extra bulk severely hindered the mobility of the things. Either that, or the puppeteers had no idea how to maneuver them like they did in 2013. Overall, the house wasn't nearly as intense as it was back then either. I enjoyed the house this year, but it doesn't hold a candle to the original one. There were times going through, where I just wanted to scream because there were so many missed opportunities to scare people in here. The timing by the actor's was severely off almost every time. I liked the gesture of bringing the house back for the 25th anniversary, but as a whole, it just didn't work as well as the original house. 

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6. RUN: BLOOD, SWEAT AND FEARS

• FINAL RATING: 3.5/5

While I always found Run fun, it never really got me with the scares. I enjoyed the crazy concept of the thing, but it was just never that intense. We did get to do the house by ourselves a few times, which enhanced the experience slightly. I enjoy when houses are just simple, and Run, is that type of house. Minimal sets, and straightforward, Run was the "hey we have some time to kill" house this year. Kudos to the cast in the house. They always brought it and had fun. 

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5. THE PURGE

• FINAL RATING: 4/5

After opening weekend, The Purge seemed like the disaster some super-fans thought it would be. With the Scream debacle fresh in a lot of minds, and the quick turnaround, it seemed like this thing couldn't succeed. However, after the first weekend, the actor's in The Purge, turned the entire thing around. The house is a great example of what the actor's can bring to the event. The MADE this house. It wasn't the fancy sets, or elaborate effects. It was them. While The Purge did lose some consistency at the end of the event, it still surprised the hell out of me. Bravo in here.

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4. BODY COLLECTORS: RECOLLECTIONS

• FINAL RATING: 4.5/5

Body Collectors was a beautiful house. The facade alone is gripping. It sets the mood, and the tone for what you are about to witness. About mid-way through the event, Body Collectors lost some steam. The house was never as intense as it was after opening weekend. I don't know why, but timing seemed off, and the scares didn't come as frequently. Still, in the end, the house was fantastically done. It was nice to just look at. There were a lot of great individual moments in here. I just wish it would have kept that intensity.

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3. FREDDY VS. JASON

• FINAL RATING: 5/5

From the start of the event, Freddy Vs. Jason was the most consistent house for me. Once they got those Freddy's in there, the dang thing was on point every time. HHN learned from the mistakes they made in AVP last year, and improved on them in here. This was just a phenomenal house in every way. My final week of the event, some things felt a little off, and the two houses ahead on the list, just did things better. Still, Freddy Vs. Jason is now one of my all time favorites. 

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2. INSIDIOUS

• FINAL RATING: 5/5

While Freddy Vs. Jason was the most consistent house for me up until the last week, Insidious was almost there, but never really hit it. Until the final week. Oh, my, did they amp stuff up in here the final week. My run's through the house on Thursday and Halloween specifically, were absolutely terrifying. It was already one of my favorites of the year, but they just knocked it out of the park on the last week. Kudos too from a person who is not a fan of these films. The tone of them fit this house perfectly. Another great example of an IP done right.

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1. JACK PRESENTS: 25 YEARS OF MONSTERS & MAYHEM

• FINAL RATING: 5/5

Jack Presents, was a nearly perfect house. From the moment you see that facade, you know that you are in for a treat. I actually went back and forth on this and Insidious as my number one for the year. 25 Years, had a lot of consistency problems, and whole characters just vanished from the house. However, my last two runs of Monsters & Mayhem, put it over the top. Just a wonderful house, that fans and new people alike, can really enjoy. I took my mom to the event for the first time ever, on Halloween. This was one of her first houses of the night, and she loved it. That's actually a good testament to what they did in here. Just so much fun. 

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SCARE ZONES

The Scare Zones this year, were well done for the most part. One of the biggest problems facing the Zones, were crowds. Lots, and lots, of people. While the event as a whole, wasn't as crowded as it has been, I think a lot more people were just hanging out in the streets this year. 

Evil's Roots, was almost always crowded, and the Carnage Returns show didn't help much. Putting the stage there was a bad idea. 

Another problem facing the Scare Zones: selfies. Selfies with scareactor's should be banned in the future. Not only is it annoying (and rude) when someone just walks up to a character, ruining a photo you were already taking, it compromises scareactor safety. 

The selfie opens up issues with getting too close to the performers. Especially when it is spur of the moment. And there is usually touching involved. It violates their personal space, and is a gateway invitation to problems.  

5. SCARY TALES: SCREAMPUNK

• FINAL RATING: 2/5

Screampunk seems like a good idea on paper. While I really dig some of the costumes in here, the Zone had virtually nothing to work with. Some characters were more engaging than others. Nothing in here ever really worked.

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4. ALL NITE DIE-IN: DOUBLE FEATURE

• FINAL RATING: 4/5

Double feature was a lot of fun. The two casts were always great to visit. While the props weren't all that grand, the atmosphere in here always worked. The only problem with Double Feature, were the crowds. It's just too crowded in this area. I don't think we will ever see a Scare Zone in here again. Perhaps some roaming hordes, but I don't foresee anything quite this elaborate again.

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3. ICONS: HHN

• FINAL RATING: 4/5

Sure, Icons: HHN was nothing more than an elaborate photo op. Still, it was really fun. It's always good to go down memory lane sometimes. The characters roaming around below the Icon vignettes, were always on point, and ready to scare unsuspecting victims. The actual Icon vignettes were fun, and we always tried to catch one at least once. Overall, a really nice experience. 

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2. EVIL'S ROOTS

• FINAL RATING: 5/5

While Evil's Roots had a crowd problem, that doesn't take away from how pretty this Zone was. Every performer made the best of the crowded conditions as they adapted to them. Opening weekend, they seemed a little hesitant because of the crowds. They changed that in a hurry. So nicely done, and one of HHN's most beautiful Scare Zone's ever.

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1. PSYCHOSCAREAPY: UNLEASHED

• FINAL RATING: 5/5

Fun. That sums up Psychoscareapy: Unleashed. Sure, it wasn't the prettiest Scare Zone. However, every Scareactor in here was incredible. They were interactive, weren't afraid to do some crazy things, and of course scare you. They were not afraid to come up to you, and just be crazy. They gave you a memorable experience. I love the performers in here. They were just so much fun. Really, really, good job by everyone in here.

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ROAMING HORDES

The roaming hordes were a very good idea. While they were just generic chainsaw scares, they filled in some of the gaps nicely. 

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SHOWS

BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT HALLOWEEN ADVENTURE

• FINAL RATING: 2/5

I said it before and I'll say it again- awful. This is one of the worst Bill & Ted shows ever done by HHN. The writing here was just horrible. Sure, one or two jokes hit, but overall, it just didn't work. Anyway, moving on...

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THE CARNAGE RETURNS

• FINAL RATING: 4/5

The Carnage Returns was a fun show. It had humor, wit, a bit of magic, dancing... It had a little of everything. The show was also a nice throwback to the original. A fun time. 

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LEGENDARY TRUTH 2015

While I can't say anything really specific, I will say that the experience was really well done. The finale of this thing was INSANE. I still can't shake that final part of the investigation. 

I will say this, the way in which the experience was organized, was a total cluster. And in many ways, was a slap in the face to those players who have been playing for a long time. It could leave a sour taste in a lot of people's mouths. 

Making this experience so limited, and last minute, was a mistake. The entire thing took us two-hours to complete. And yes, while they warn you it could take a long time, that's a tough pill to swallow for some as well. 

I had a good experience, but those who did not get to do it, after returns times went faster than a Justin Beiber concert, well...

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PARTING THOUGHTS

HHN XXV, was a very big year. It felt big, and larger than life. While a few houses were not up to par, the majority of them were really fun, or way above par. While every year, there are things that could be improved, this year felt spread out. 

There was a lot to do, and the strength of the Scare Zones helped a great deal. I think we may be in for a few changes next year with certain things. With the loss of one, and maybe more venue's pending, it could get very interesting. Overall, HHN XXV was a very solid year. A good time was had by all.

I really hope you enjoyed me sharing my experience this year with you guys. It's been a fun year. I was worried after my recent surgeries, I wouldn't be able to keep up. While I am exhausted, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I wanted to keep this review a little shorter than normal. Since I ran a running commentary throughout the event, you can get a good idea what I thought of this year. 

A huge thank you to all the people I hung out with this year, and to all those new folks I met, hello! Another huge thanks to HHNCrypt.com, for allowing me to get a sneak peek at all the HHN XXV goodies early. 

​And that closes the books on HHN XXV. 

​With that...

HHN XXV FINAL RATING: 4/5