Final review of the event:
Houses
- Insidious: This is one of the few houses that felt well planned out and designed. The scare actors gave their all and get in your face and even if you aren’t scared, they still try and felt energetic and enthusiastic. I know working a haunt event is draining and exhausting, but a lot of actors in the other houses were too far away or barely came out of their boo hole which was extremely disappointing and sad. 9/10.
- Slaughter Sinema 2: Not as good as the original, but one of the best houses here. The scares are in your face, and they get you from everywhere. The set design isn't as strong, but that's because they are B movies. Easily one of me and my brother's favorite of the event. 9/10.
- Major Sweets Candy Factory: Everything I wanted and more. It did the scarezone justice and was a faithful adaptation of it. The smells, the sets, the characters, and the story were highly enjoyable and extremely pleasant and fun. We really loved this one. 9/10.
- Goblin's Feast: Cute and mythical, but not as fun as Dueling Dragons. I love all the goblins and trolls, and the set design was spectacular. I had a lot of fun with this one. 8.5/10.
- Monstrous: Monsters of Latin America: a lot better than anticipated. It does look a little empty and kind of bad compared to the Hollywood version, and while it isn't as good, it still holds its weight and had some really good scares. I just wish it was darker and scarier. 8/10.
- Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire: a well-designed house, but the scares were not really there, and overall, it pales in comparison to 2019's Ghostbusters. 7/10.
- A Quiet Place: The house was more fun than I had expected, despite the fact that I don’t like the films. I wasn't a huge fan of the animatronics, but at the same time I prefer them more than the human characters cause they kind of just feel there, but there were some fun moments. It’s okay. I wish they would’ve chose another IP honestly. 7/10.
- Triplets of Terror: I think Triplets of Terror is a great idea. It reminded me of Rob Zombie’s Halloween. The arrangement of the actors feels weird, but if this was in a tent, I could see this being a real heavy hitter. 7/10.
- The Museum: Deadly Exhibits: Was empty when every time we went, so we got a lot of scares, but I do not feel like the story or sets are there. I had fun, but it needed more story and to be fleshed out a little more. 6/10.
- Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines: extremely underwhelming and confusing. The scares aren't really there, and the story is a little bit weird to follow. Extremely disappointing for me because Bride of Frankenstein Lives is my favorite Universal Monsters house. 4/10.
Scare Zones
- Torture Faire - It’s okay. This is the zone where I interacted with the actors the most.
- Swamp of the Undead - Really dark, but the actors are having fun and giving their all.
- Demon Queens - Great actors but this zone just feels there.
- Enter the Blumhouse - photo op zone.
- Duality of Fear: Eh.
Merchandise - I could have saved a lot of money if I had waited until the last week instead of purchasing a few items just for the sake. Other than the House shirt and Ghostbusters jacket, nothing really noteworthy. I like the lanyards and the Lil Boo and Ghostbusters cap. Didn’t really care for the tribute store this year.
Overall Thoughts: This year, I'm a little let down because the theme doesn't seem well-considered and Sinister & Surreal are only sort of there at the front. Since I've just been going since 2018, this year with HHN 31 (2022) may be my least favorite. I think there aren't any major players or the top 10 worthy, but the houses are fine. I haven't been particularly impressed by anything. After all is said and done, I believe that the only houses I will truly remember are Insidious, Sweets, and Slaughter Sinema. Many of the houses seemed brighter and less dark than before, which makes it much less frightening. Wait times were often way more inflated than they actually were. I wasn't fond of any of the scare zones or feel the energy in any of them. They all just feel there and Nightmare Fuel is still kind of the same. The food is decent, but very limited, and aside from the Spinal Column Pinchos, Fish and Chips, and Pizza fries, of course, nothing really caught my attention and of course it’s overpriced.
Overall score: 7/10.
HHN RANKINGS:
2019 (29)
2021 (30) - not the best zones, but those houses were bangers for me.
2023 (32)
2018 (28)
2022 (31)
2024 (33)