Had the chance to make five visits so far (three of them being on the shorter side), so I'll go ahead and throw in my review so far.
Overall, I think this year is proving to be a very solid event. Perfect? No. As memorable as 25? Definitely not, but to be fair that was an anniversary year, the exception to the norm which featured a charismatic icon who brought a fantastic vibe to the event (namely the streets). To me, this year feels like a very good meal at a very good chain restaurant. Not necessarily as special as a fancier or more unique meal out, but a delicious and filling course nonetheless......great now I'm hungry....
Before the event started, it seemed like everyone was looking forward to a solid lineup of houses from both the IP's and original houses. Thankfully, it seems that mostly came true. I don't know that this year has that same caliber of "standout" house that we got with Jack's 25 Years, the orginial Halloween, or the original AWiL. Instead, the overall average of the houses seems to be better. Just look at how many different "favorite" houses there are this year. One person's favorite is Krampus, while another person may love Halloween, and still others are calling Tomb of the Ancients one of the best of all time. In my opinion, that is a real strength of this year. Most of the houses are at worst decent or at best fantastic. I can't even say at this point that I genuinely dislike any of the houses (yes even Lunatic's Playground, unpopular opinion on my part).
Anyway, sorry for my ramblings and thanks for reading this far, just wanted to gauge if anyone else feels the same way. As far as my ranking of the houses, I've really had a hard time picking favorite this year, so instead I'm going to follow in Disney's footsteps and put the houses into tiers of how much I enjoy them. I'll keep things short and try to avoid any spoilers.
Tier A - aka Really love these, gotta do them as much as humanly possible
-Halloween 2 - This will probably end up reigning as my favorite house. It isn't quite as good as the house from 24, but it captures the essence of what made that house fun without being a complete rehash.
-Tomb of the Ancients - My first run through this house was probably the scariest house walk-through I've had in years. The claustrophobic setting (ceilings!) really sells the creepy atmosphere, and the scares are fast and in your face.
-The Exorcist - Definitely the "best visuals" house for me this year. While not the scariest by far, they did a great job translating a hard-to-translate property. Some nice surprises in this one that I couldn't have predicted.
Tier B - aka Thoroughly enjoyed these, will make sure to hit them each night, time permitting
-Ghost Town - Easily the most beautifully built house this year, but like others have already said it kind of lacks in the scariness department. Still very happy to have it around and see it get better and better.
-American Horror Story - I'd probably rank this house higher if I was into the show (only seen the pilot episodes of the seasons features, plus the Freakshow Halloween episode), but I enjoy it for what it is. Really long, great translation of scenes from the show, and great use of the varied characters seen in the show (I'm looking at you, Walking Dead).
-The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Another house that I want to like more than I do. They nailed the creepy atmosphere of the house, and the layout and design really makes it feel like you're being chased in circles. Something's just missing for me here though, can't quite put my finger on it yet.
Tier C - aka Like these for the most part, but they're not my favorite
-Krampus - I know, I know, this is an unpopular opinion, but please hear me out before you get your torches and pitchforks! It's not the house, it's me. Really. When I saw the movie I set my expectation waaaay to high for this maze, expecting it to be scarier, foggier, snowier, colder, and generally better than was realistic to expect. What we got is far from bad, as in really far from bad. But I can't shake the feeling that this house disappointed me, even if it's only my fault for having expectations that were unrealistic. I want to like this house, so much that I have vowed to do it as much as a I can and find what I'm missing. I promise you, Krampus, I'm gonna make this work out, just give me some time.
-Lunatic's Playground 3D - I don't think I have the same hate for this house that most of the community has, but I definitely see its flaw. It's many, many flaws. I'm not a fan of 3d houses to begin with (other than the In-Between), so this is honestly on par with those for me.
-The Walking Dead - Only putting it in my bottom tier because it's been here for way too friggin' long. I honestly enjoy it, the actors are working as hard as they can, and it even manages a few "wow, that's cool" moments. Just please, Universal, get rid of it and let AHS be the new recurring TV show house.
I haven't spent much time in the zones yet, save for Vamp 55 (which will definitely be my favorite of the year), so I don't really have much opinion on them yet.