Topher's Log

UPDATED HOUSE RANKINGS

10/20/2018

Greetings internet dwellers!

Well, last week, I didn't do a blog about it. However, I updated my house rankings on Twitter and people were not happy. It's perfectly acceptable to have different tastes and opinions about the houses. However, what is not acceptable, is bullying. If you are a prick about it, you will be treated as such.

Anyway, here are my updated rankings. This will be my last updated rankings blog, before I do a final review at the end of the event. You can keep up with my ranking next week, on Twitter @HHNLegacy.

10. STRANGER THINGS

CURRENT RATING: 2.5/5
The ultimate sin of Stranger Things, is that it's dull. It's boring. Nothing happens. It's also painfully redundant with the Demogorgons.

9. SEEDS OF EXTINCTION

CURRENT RATING: 2.5/5
I get that people have "Original Content Bias". I truly do. However, if Seeds of Extinction is going to be the house you fall on the sword for, you are doing it wrong. Seeds, like Stranger Things, suffers from dullness. The scares aren't effective, the design is poor, the lighting is sub-par, and it's just not that well executed. The costumes look cheap too. It's everything I feared would happen to the house when it was announced.

8. THE HORRORS OF BLUMHOUSE

CURRENT RATING: 3/5
The Horrors of Blumhouse, isn't the most elaborate house in the world. However, the energy, flow, and the scares, work really well. I say this every year, but house design isn't everything. Scares are important, and Blumhouse just does it better than Seeds and Stranger Things. Get over it.

7. TRICK 'R TREAT

CURRENT RATING: 3.5/5
Trick 'r Treat doesn't all work, but it's a perfectly fine house. I still really hate the finale.

6. CARNIVAL GRAVEYARD: RUST IN PIECES

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
We had some really solid runs of Carnival this week. The barrels have returned, which is a good thing as I said last time, that was the biggest scare I had in the house my first run of it.

5. HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
We had some not so great runs of Halloween this week. So, I had to knock it down a peg. However, I really enjoy this house. It still has some great, effective scares. The energy is always flowing in here too, which is great. Again, scares. It has good scares.

4. DEAD EXPOSURE: PATIENT ZERO

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
Again, Dead Exposure climbs up a bit. Most definitely the most improved house for me. Had 4 solid runs of the house this week. Hopefully, it can maintain that energy going forward.

3. SCARY TALES: DEADLY EVER AFTER

CURRENT RATING: 4.5/5
Like Halloween, we had some not so great runs of Scary Tales the last few days. So, it had to go down a bit. Still, I really love this house.

2. SLAUGHTER SINEMA

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
Slaughter Sinema is back, baby! After the last few weeks, we finally had the same style of runs we had the first week.

1. POLTERGEIST

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
I've already said enough about this house I think. The giant demon head got me good the other night. Bravo.

A quick updated zones:

5. The Harvest- 1/5
4. Twisted Tradition- 4/5
3. Revenge of Chucky- 4/5
2. Killer Klowns From Outer Space- 4/5
1. Vamp '85: New Year's Eve- 4.5/5

So that does it for me. I return next Thursday. However, I may do an HHN Power Hour on Wednesday after I get off work. We will see.

Hasta La Bye-bye for now.

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HHN 28 ADDS AN EXTRA NIGHT TO THE EVENT

10/17/2018

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Greetings internet dwellers!

We all know by now, HHN 28 has been a busy event. Two nights last week were sold out for single night tickets, and I have a funny feeling more sold out nights are on the way. While the length of the event is already long (we should get used to that for next year), the Suits have decided to try and accommodate the year's popularity.

Halloween Horror Nights 28, has added Tuesday, October 30th to the calendar. So, save the date and have fun.

Hasta La Bye-bye for now.

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HHN 28 HOUSE RANKINGS UPDATE

10/7/2018

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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.

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HHN 28 HOUSE RANKINGS UPDATE, AOV

10/1/2018

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Greetings internet dwellers!

We are trucking right along with HHN 28. Hard to believe we are this deep into it already. Houses for me, are starting to stabilize a bit. However, I have found the bottom tier of the houses, are constantly battling for last place. Sometimes, one night is better than the others. One house in particular, has fallen really far from grace for me.

I don't want to spend too much time this week, so let's get right into the current rankings.

10. SEEDS OF EXTINCTION

CURRENT RATING: 2.5/5
The first week, I had a few really bad runs of Seeds. The second week, things got a little better. This week, things got really bad. With its inconsistency, lack of scares, disappointment, and just general poor execution, I'm officially putting this at the bottom. The only thing that Seeds can do now, is really up the scare factor in order for me to get behind it.

9. DEAD EXPOSURE: PATIENT ZERO

CURRENT RATING: 3/5
While I still don't find Dead Exposure particularly "good", the scares have gotten a bit better. The house still feels very cheap, which I really don't enjoy. However, because of the upped intensity of the last few runs, I'll give it a pass this week.

8. THE HORRORS OF BLUMHOUSE

CURRENT RATING: 3/5
While I will still stand by that Blumhouse isn't as bad as last year's house, it's just not that exceptional either. I really, really like the Happy Death Day stuff in here. And while The First Purge feels tacked on, I don't mind the scares in that section of the house. The cast really makes this house for me. There's just nothing to really elevate it up higher. It still has better scares than Seeds of Extinction, and Dead Exposure in my opinion.

7. STRANGER THINGS

CURRENT RATING: 3.5/5
I think I'm going to officially site this as the most disappointing house of the year. Yes, it has some great design, but not much else to go on. Too many Demogorgon's, make this thing feel repetitive. And it's just not very scary either, which is a shame.

6. TRICK 'R TREAT

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
While I still don't like the abrupt finale, the scares in here have been very consistent. The design is good, and it's just a fun house. While it's not going to win points for originality, it makes up for it in atmosphere. My runs the last few weeks, have just gotten better and better.

5. CARNIVAL GRAVEYARD: RUST IN PIECES

CURRENT RATING: 4/5
I struggled with this decision. I'm keeping Carnival at 5 for now, but it may get booted by Trick 'r Treat next week if that house continues to improve. We'll see. I still say this house has a lot of missed opportunities. However, when things are working, it's enjoyable.

4. HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS

CURRENT RATING: 4.5/5
While the house takes a few scenes to get going, when it goes it goes. The biggest surprise of the year for me still. I find myself wanting to do this house a lot these days. It's a lot of fun, and it really has some unique and good scares. Yes, it has a lot of Michael's, but it works for the house. Still super surprised by this house.

3. SLAUGHTER SINEMA

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
We've had a few inconsistent runs of Slaughter Sinema as of late. The last few times, I think we hit cast changes, so there was a lot of dead space. Still, I love the concept, I love the design, and I love how fun this house is. We'll see how things go next week. If I see a trend in downgrade, then I'll bump the rating down a notch. Still an overall fun house.

2. SCARY TALES: DEADLY EVER AFTER

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
Such a fun house. It's consistently scary, has a great atmosphere, and is a ton of fun. Certain scenes are starting to standout for me. I love the Hansel & Gretel scene. It's probably one of my favorites of the last few years. Scary Tales, is just a well rounded house, with a great design and consistent scares.

1. POLTERGEIST

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
There's not much else one can say about Poltergesit. It's hands down the scariest house at the event this year. It's the best house at the event this year. No competition.

I haven't spent as much time in the zones as of late, so I'm just going to quickly give their current standings.

5. THE HARVEST

CURRENT RATING: 1.5/5
The Scareactor's are trying.

4. TWISTED TRADITION

CURRENT RATING: 4.5/5
Still a purdy zone. Still kind of a cluster to walk around.

3. REVENGE OF CHUCKY

CURRENT RATING: 4.5/5
Still a lot of fun. I like the new doctor bit. Although, I think he needs a mic. You can barely hear him. Still, he's a lot of fun.

2. KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE

CURRENT RATING: 4.5/5
Still a lot of fun. Still hate the location.

1. VAMP '85: NEW YEAR'S EVE

CURRENT RATING: 5/5
Still a great zone. Lots of energy. Lots of fun.

ACADEMY OF VILLAINS: CYBERPUNK

RATING: 4.5/5
I was finally able to see the new show. I've said this from the beginning: Academy of Villains are a fantastic edition to HHN. I remember way back when, people poo-pooed the idea. I was on board from the start. Just seeing some of their stuff was enough for me to get behind them. Cyberpunk, takes what fans have come to admire about the group, and pluses it.

That being said, for me, I do kind of miss the more intimate, simple stuff from the last few years. Yes, even the Irma show. Cyberpunk is a big, and bold show. It's a great show. These guys and gals, are so good at what they do. They bring so much energy every time they perform. Cyberpunk is also a unique show. The more grand approach to the show, may hurt a little bit of the intimacy, but it's still a fantastic show to watch. Academy of Villains are a real treat to HHN. I'm so glad they got a dedicated space this year. They deserve it.

So with that, ends another week at HHN. I return to the event on Wednesday, with a little bit of a marathon (4 days in a row).

With that, Hasta La Bye-bye for now.

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UPDATED HOUSE RANKINGS

10. STRANGER THINGS

9. SEEDS OF EXTINCTION

8. THE HORRORS OF BLUMHOUSE

7. TRICK 'R TREAT

6. CARNIVAL GRAVEYARD: RUST IN PIECES

5. HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS

4. DEAD EXPOSURE: PATIENT ZERO​

3. SCARY TALES: DEADLY EVER AFTER

2. SLAUGHTER SINEMA

1. POLTERGEIST

HHN 28 ADDS AN EXTRA NIGHT TO THE EVENT

HHN 28 HOUSE RANKINGS UPDATE

10. SEEDS OF EXTINCTION

9. THE HORRORS OF BLUMHOUSE

8. STRANGER THINGS

7. CARNIVAL GRAVEYARD: RUST IN PIECES

6. DEAD EXPOSURE: PATIENT ZERO

5. TRICK 'R TREAT

4. HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS

3. SLAUGHTER SINEMA

2. SCARY TALES: DEADLY EVER AFTER

1. POLTERGEIST

5. THE HARVEST

4. TWISTED TRADITION

3. REVENGE OF CHUCKY

2. KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE

1. VAMP '85: NEW YEAR'S EVE

HHN 28 HOUSE RANKINGS UPDATE, AOV

​10. SEEDS OF EXTINCTION

9. DEAD EXPOSURE: PATIENT ZERO

8. THE HORRORS OF BLUMHOUSE

7. STRANGER THINGS

6. TRICK 'R TREAT

5. CARNIVAL GRAVEYARD: RUST IN PIECES

4. HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS

3. SLAUGHTER SINEMA

2. SCARY TALES: DEADLY EVER AFTER

1. POLTERGEIST

5. THE HARVEST

4. TWISTED TRADITION

3. REVENGE OF CHUCKY

2. KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE

1. VAMP '85: NEW YEAR'S EVE

​ACADEMY OF VILLAINS: CYBERPUNK

TOPHER PICCOLO

Archives

4. DEAD EXPOSURE: PATIENT ZERO

10. SEEDS OF EXTINCTION

ACADEMY OF VILLAINS: CYBERPUNK