- Feb 10, 2020
- 94
- 253
I went a few weeks ago, here's my two cents on the houses!
1. The Haunting of Hill House
This house REALLY did it for me. I do have a little bit of a bias because the series is quite literally my favorite TV series of all time, but everything was executed perfectly. The facade, the sets, the cast, it just all felt so perfectly melded together. They picked the perfect scenes to include (a big improvement from Stranger Things at 29, which had some really out of place scenes). I also got 3 runs of this house and each time I got every single scare. Easily the best IP house I've ever seen. (The black hallway messed me UP that first run.)
2. HHN Icons: Captured
This was my first time getting to see each of the Icons in person, and it was just so perfect. Got 5 runs of this one, and the casts started to recognize me so we'd have special interactions each time. This one wasn't necessarily super scary, but it was a really good time and lightened my mood every run. (LOVED getting to see the Usher on the throne once).
3. Wicked Growth: Realm of the Pumpkin
WOW. Definitely an all-timer. Not what I was expecting in the slightest. I expected Seeds of Extinction vibes, not full on classic Halloween. The scares in this house were so perfectly executed and the sets were MINDBLOWING for a sprung tent. I have no idea how A&D managed to do it but they did and the end result was just so perfect.
4. Beetlejuice
I am going to get a lot of crap for this, but this house was fantastic. I didn't get to go through it in 2020, so maybe that's why it's in this spot. Beetlejuice is one of my all time favorite films and getting to experience it was excellent. The cast and ops in this house were very high energy and interactive, I even got a fist bump through the vinyl by Beetlejuice once. Super fun and interactive house!!!
5. Case Files Unearthed: Legendary Truth
Another house that blew my expectations out of the water. The noir atmosphere throughout was just amazing and something I didn't think could be in an original, but it was. Boris Shuster was fantastic. Loved loved LOVED the Kitty Kat Club scene. And honestly, this one was also substantially scarier than I expected.
6. Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein LIVES!
God I missed this house. Walking into it again gave me so many chills and the new changes to the house were just amazing. I won't go into much detail, but a certain battle scene between two individuals made me very VERY happy. Also, the vinyl placement in this house threw me off a lot. The cast was very high energy and the Bride of Frankenstein actresses had insanely unmatched rage.
7. Puppet Theater: Captive Audience
This one was AWESOME. Another all timer in my books. The whole atmosphere was very suspenseful and dark and the references to the theater and theatrical traditions were an outstanding touch. Cast was ON POINT.
8. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
WOW!!! NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING AT ALL!!! I was expecting this house to be lackluster and repetitive, but it really wasn't. There was a certain scare in this one that was really unique. The finale was pretty intense and the beginning was very creepy. Also the sets were surprisingly very detailed and not generic.
9. Revenge of the Tooth Fairy
Still a very good house!!! It didn't do it for me as well as it did at HHN lite though. I had really poorly timed runthroughs of this one, so it feels unfair to judge.
10. Welcome to SCarey: Horror in the Heartland
This was the only house this year that I thought was mediocre. It was nice getting to see some scenes from old houses in person, and the Cindy cameo was awesome and made me happy, but it just felt so rushed and short. There were not noticeable transition like Icons had, and it just felt off. The cast and design team did a great job though!!!
What an amazing year!!! This is easily my favorite yes I've been to (which I guess isn't saying much since I've only been going since 28), it was awesome getting to walk through my favorite series, see some HHN characters I've wanted to see for a while, and experience some outstanding houses!!! I can't wait to see what next year has in store!
1. The Haunting of Hill House
This house REALLY did it for me. I do have a little bit of a bias because the series is quite literally my favorite TV series of all time, but everything was executed perfectly. The facade, the sets, the cast, it just all felt so perfectly melded together. They picked the perfect scenes to include (a big improvement from Stranger Things at 29, which had some really out of place scenes). I also got 3 runs of this house and each time I got every single scare. Easily the best IP house I've ever seen. (The black hallway messed me UP that first run.)
2. HHN Icons: Captured
This was my first time getting to see each of the Icons in person, and it was just so perfect. Got 5 runs of this one, and the casts started to recognize me so we'd have special interactions each time. This one wasn't necessarily super scary, but it was a really good time and lightened my mood every run. (LOVED getting to see the Usher on the throne once).
3. Wicked Growth: Realm of the Pumpkin
WOW. Definitely an all-timer. Not what I was expecting in the slightest. I expected Seeds of Extinction vibes, not full on classic Halloween. The scares in this house were so perfectly executed and the sets were MINDBLOWING for a sprung tent. I have no idea how A&D managed to do it but they did and the end result was just so perfect.
4. Beetlejuice
I am going to get a lot of crap for this, but this house was fantastic. I didn't get to go through it in 2020, so maybe that's why it's in this spot. Beetlejuice is one of my all time favorite films and getting to experience it was excellent. The cast and ops in this house were very high energy and interactive, I even got a fist bump through the vinyl by Beetlejuice once. Super fun and interactive house!!!
5. Case Files Unearthed: Legendary Truth
Another house that blew my expectations out of the water. The noir atmosphere throughout was just amazing and something I didn't think could be in an original, but it was. Boris Shuster was fantastic. Loved loved LOVED the Kitty Kat Club scene. And honestly, this one was also substantially scarier than I expected.
6. Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein LIVES!
God I missed this house. Walking into it again gave me so many chills and the new changes to the house were just amazing. I won't go into much detail, but a certain battle scene between two individuals made me very VERY happy. Also, the vinyl placement in this house threw me off a lot. The cast was very high energy and the Bride of Frankenstein actresses had insanely unmatched rage.
7. Puppet Theater: Captive Audience
This one was AWESOME. Another all timer in my books. The whole atmosphere was very suspenseful and dark and the references to the theater and theatrical traditions were an outstanding touch. Cast was ON POINT.
8. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
WOW!!! NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING AT ALL!!! I was expecting this house to be lackluster and repetitive, but it really wasn't. There was a certain scare in this one that was really unique. The finale was pretty intense and the beginning was very creepy. Also the sets were surprisingly very detailed and not generic.
9. Revenge of the Tooth Fairy
Still a very good house!!! It didn't do it for me as well as it did at HHN lite though. I had really poorly timed runthroughs of this one, so it feels unfair to judge.
10. Welcome to SCarey: Horror in the Heartland
This was the only house this year that I thought was mediocre. It was nice getting to see some scenes from old houses in person, and the Cindy cameo was awesome and made me happy, but it just felt so rushed and short. There were not noticeable transition like Icons had, and it just felt off. The cast and design team did a great job though!!!
What an amazing year!!! This is easily my favorite yes I've been to (which I guess isn't saying much since I've only been going since 28), it was awesome getting to walk through my favorite series, see some HHN characters I've wanted to see for a while, and experience some outstanding houses!!! I can't wait to see what next year has in store!