WEEK 2 THOUGHTS & HOUSE RANKING UPDATE

Greetings internet dwellers!

Well, week two has come to an end. With it, also the end to my first vacation of the season. I spent a lot of days out at HHN 29 the first 2 weeks. I plan on spending a lot more out there, as the weeks continue. Like I said after opening weekend, HHN 29 is a strong year. 

While talking to some other people, the consensus seems to be the same. Although I'm hearing some flack about the scare zones. While I don't share the same sentiment about the zones, I do agree that the zones, at least some of them, need a bit of tweaking.

Zombieland: Double Tap is by far the weakest zone. However, I still get enjoyment out of walking around in there. They rolled out a prop from the Zombieland: Double Tap film, which was parked in the middle of the zone. It is essentially the Presidential limo, modified to fight zombies. It is quite a big, and impressive prop.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rob Zombie: Hellbilly Deluxe is still the best zone this year. Although, people tend to hang out in there. A lot. So the crowd level can be a bit overwhelming. Still, it's the best zone this year and a lot of fun. 

I spent some more time inside Vanity Ball. I know it's become a cool thing to attack people who don't really like the scare zone. Which is a horrible thing to do. I enjoy the zone. It's fun and lively, and the Scareactors are all great. However, it's essentially a place for people to hangout. The Scareactors don't really try to scare you. It's a party zone. Horror Nights has done these types of things in the past. People are either going to like it or hate it. I do really enjoy the make-up and costuming in here. 

Vikings: Undead added some more props and things, and the I quite like the atmosphere in here. Anarch-Cade, is still really fun. All in all, I dig the zones this year. There's a lot of enjoyment in each one. Even Zombieland: Double Tap. 

The houses though, is where it's at this year. Like I said last week, every house is good to great. It's been a long time since I've personally had trouble ranking the houses. Essentially, my top four are tied. Especially my one and two. This year, truly rivals 2011 for houses. There's not a horrible one in the bunch. And the really good ones, are REALLY good. 

Ranking these every week, is going to come down to run throughs of each house. So let's update the rankings for this week. 

10. NIGHTINGALES: BLOOD PIT

CURRENT RATING: 3/5
Essentially, Blood Pit suffers from a timing issue. I really like the atmosphere in here, but the timing on the scares is still off. I did have a pretty strong run on Saturday night, so I'm hoping things pick-up a bit next week. 

9. DEPTHS OF FEAR

CURRENT RATING: 3/5
Depths of Fear got better this week. Unfortunately for it, so did something else. My run on Saturday, was quite intense. The Scareactors in here, picked it up double time. I know the costumes have gotten some flack, and of course the dog, but Depths is still a lot of fun.

8. STRANGER THINGS

CURRENT RATING: 3.5/5
Stranger Things climbs a bit. I really enjoy the house. The sets are impressive, and walking through the tunnel is the best part of the house. So many good scares in there. It just needs to bring up the intensity just a bit. But good, solid house overall.

7. YETI: TERROR OF THE YUKON

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
Yeti, is a solid house. The setting is nice, the atmosphere is nice, and the vibe is nice. It does lack a bit in the scare department, but when it does the scares right, it does them really right.

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6. GHOSTBUSTERS

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
Ghostbusters essentially survives on the experience. It does falter a bit in the scare department and a lot of runs, tend to have missing things. However, there's no denying how impressive this thing is on a technical level. Wish it had a bit more scares, but a fun house. A solid house.

5. US

CURRENT RATING: 4.5/5
Yes, I have some gripes with the set design in here. However, Us succeeds on sheer creep-factor. The Scareactors are so, so good. Everything from their mannerisms, to their timing, work on so many levels. The music and sound effects, only elevate the scare level. It's an effective and creepy house. 

4. KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE

CURRENT RATING: 4.5/5
I love the vibe in here so much. The atmosphere, is fun, the scares are nice, and so far, it's really consistent. I had the opportunity to do this all by myself Saturday. The Klowns were on it. Very creepy, and a ton of fun. 

3. GRAVEYARD GAMES

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
Graveyard Games is the surprise hit for me this year. The setting is creepy, the effects work in here is on point, and the scares are plentiful. The Sid character had some fun with me at my expense the other night. It was quite nice to see him get his comeuppance as I went through the house.

2. HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
Essentially, Corpses is tied for first right now. Like I said, consistent run throughs of the houses are going to be key going forward. Corpses does everything right. It has the scares, it has the environment, it has the fun factor, it's got Rob Zombie... Everything comes together for an effective, whirlwind of a house. 

1. UNIVERSAL MONSTERS

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
Universal Monsters is just so well done. I love the scares, I love the settings, I love how everything is done in here. The only room I don't really like, is The Creature From The Black Lagoon room. However, everything else is done so well, it doesn't really matter. Universal Monsters is just a great house. 

I did get to check out Academy of Villains: Altered States. It's another great show from the group. I love the story elements they incorporated this year. I also really enjoy how they brought back the shadow play. The Halloween Marathon of Mayhem show, is a must see. It's a fantastic use of the fountains. 

So that's it for me. I will return to the event this Wednesday. I'm really, really liking this year. Like, a lot. 

Hasta La Bye-bye for now.