OK, end of season reviews. Overall, this was a great year for HHN. Not everything was perfect and the crowds are crazier than ever, but the quality of the houses was high and the new features -- especially the Hogsmeade zone -- gave the event a much-needed spark. Hopefully they keep that progressive mindset and continue to introduce new elements next year.
The crowds really were a pain, though, and it kinda drove home the idea that a lot of the success with these houses depends on how smoothly your walkthrough goes. Amazing houses can be dampened by conga lines; weaker houses can get a huge boost from you moving at your leisure. My ratings kinda fluctuated up and down throughout the season for this reason, but I tried to keep sorta the core strengths in mind as I gave my final ranks.
Which are:
1. La Llorona: Every single thing about this one works exceptionally well, even if you happen to catch a bad run. The immersive design to the soundscapes to the overall tone/atmosphere. And then those times you do get a solid run, it's just hit after hit after hit. HOTY hands down for me, personally. (A)
2. The Weeknd: Somehow never got a bad walkthrough with this one. It was awesome each time. The performers in here were top-notch and I loved how distinct each section was. My favorite single-scare of the year is the headless Weeknd that jumps at you from the floor. Got me so bad the first time and creeped me out each time after. I also loved how they managed to give this a party atmosphere while still keeping the scares high. Just great. (A)
3. Universal Horror Hotel: If someone had told me at the start of the season that this would make my top three (or that my top three would be all originals!), I woulda called them nuts, but it just kept rising every time I hit it. I think it's because the first time I went through, I was expecting it to just overlay TWD's infrastructure, and I felt distracted when it wasn't. Subsequent walkthroughs really revealed how much consideration went into laying this one out, and I actually think it has some of the best scenic of the whole event. That section with the long hallways really feels like you're in a dingy hotel. I also really loved the story, especially the allusions to H.H. Holmes. Very pleasantly surprised by this one. (A)
4. Halloween: I know everyone is sick of Michael at this point, and I'm officially ready to move on now too, but this is the best Halloween house we've had in a long time, probably since the 2015 version. The cast in here was stellar, and every room had something iconic to experience, which was good because the operations in here really struggled at times–got some really rough logjams in here. But the clean runs are just supercharged and good reminder of why I love the IP houses. It's still so cool to see these things brought to life. (B)
5. UCM: Legends Collide: Amazing design in here, and yes that triple scare at the end is one of the best things in this year's event. But I don't know what it is about this house compared to the last couple iterations that just makes feel like it's missing something? And it's not the story -- having done both Hollywood and Orlando, you can experience this one without having to do Orlando (and vice versa). But still, there's an essence here that's missing, just not sure how to put my finger on it. Lots of points though for the design and some really great scares, like I mentioned. (B-)
6. Blumhouse: Freaky portion is B+/A material for me. I loved how they executed the "body swap" moment from the film -- a moment where you're scared one second and genuinely laughing the next. Plus, the shop room scene is an all-timer -- I got absolutely drenched in that room during on one of my walkthroughs. It must have been a malfunction of some kind because I was nearly dripping wet, but I didn't care at all, it was perfect. Then, of course, Black Phone tanks it with a C execution, but I kinda came around on the minimalist nature of it (though maybe I'm being generous). Splitting the difference with my final score. (B-)
7. Scarecrow: Easily my most controversial take, but this one did not do it for me no matter how many times I tried. It felt like last year's TCM to me, right down to the farmhouse aesthetic, the smells, and the scares. Points go to the bird-poop room and also the final room -- top five scare of the whole event came in that room during my second walkthrough. I nearly fell over! The rest, though, just felt so generic. "Monster scarecrow comes to get you." Okay? Not for me. (C+)
8. Terror Tram: I love any opportunity to be on the backlot, especially for this event, but the Hollywood Harry thing is so lame and generic. I'm so done with clowns. Thank God for the Jordan Peele section, which is really fun. They must have brought back a lot of the actors from 2019 because that cast was on-point each time. They should have found a way to just make the whole tram experience Peele-related because yeah -- really hoping this is the last we see of Hollywood Harry. (C)
9. Killer Klowns From Out Space: Look how they massacred my boy. (D+)