Halloween Horror Nights 34 (UOR) - Reviews, Photos, & Videos

[Parkscope Joe]

My relationship to HHN has majorly shifted over the past few years. I'm not staying to 2am and marathoning houses, I'm taking more time and leaving early some days. Hell, this was the first year since 2014 I missed a house. But I know that this is a me thing, I've changed, and that event has largely remained the same quality since the late 2010s.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

My Full Final HHN 34 Review

Overall Thoughts
This year's tagline should be called HHN 34: The Redemption Year. I've been pretty disappointed in the event for the past 2 years as it started to feel corporate... forced synergy and bland. However, they certainly heard the feedback and returned with a stronger event. Even with the ridiculous crowds this year, the event manages to produce a fantastic product.

Houses

1. Terrifier - perfect blend of horror and comedy. This has to win HOTY, with the Art actors being absolutely fantastic. The set design is gross but wonderful. The overall reception to the house and character is likely to have him return sooner than later.
2. Hatchet & Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters - I love old western aesthetics. The actors are amazing and they continue to exceed expectations of what they can do inside the tents.
3. El Artista - absolutely gorgeous. The scale is fantastic and only appears to get bigger as you get through the house. My only gripe is that I wish they ran a few switchbacks of queue by the facade so we can see it a bit more.
4. Jason Universe - fantastic use of the space. The set design is ok, but the house is obviously elevated by its cast.
5. Galkn: Monsters of the North - An aesthetic the event hasn't done in the past, and it was done very well. There are a few actors here that really dive into their role. My only issue was that it was very bright in some spots that made it obvious you were in a tent.
6. WWE: The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks - I don't know a single thing about WWE, so this house was quite the surprise. It was fantastic, and the cast was tremendous. It was also a long house with diverse sets with some unique scares/elements.
7. Dolls Let's Play Dead - perfect mix of cheesy and horror.
8. Five Nights at Freddy's - I'm not a fan of the franchise, but it was well executed for the event. However, similar to Fallout, I think this should be an experience "saved" for a Fanfest event. The animatronics (when working) were great, but the lack of scares threw me off.
9. Grave of Flesh - I will review the house in 2 halves. The first half from the facade and through the catacombs are amazing and executed well. However the house falls apart in the 2nd half with random scenes that ruin the experience overall. I would have placed this in Galkn's space, as Galkn could have used the taller space for a proper facade.
10. Fallout - as a HHN house it's ok. It improved over time, but to me this should have been reserved for the Fanfest events.

Combined HHN 33 & 34 house rankings to show how much an improvement this year was.

Spoiler: HHN 33 & 34 Combined Rankings

1. Insidious: The Further
2. Terrifier
3. Hatchet & Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters
4. El Artista
5. Jason Universe
6. Galkn
7. Goblin's Feast
8. WWE: The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks
9. Ghostbusters Frozen Empire
10. Monstrous
11. Major Sweets Candy Factory
12. Dolls: Let's Play Dead
13. Universal Monsters Bloodlines
14. Slaughter Sinema 2
15. Five Night's at Freddy's
16. Grave of Flesh
17. A Quiet Place
18. Fallout
19. Triplets of Terror
20. The Museum: Deadly Exhibits

Scare Zones

1. Origins of Horror: I never would have imagined saying that the front scare zone would be my favorite. I understand the need for photo ops, so having actual sculpted props with the year's IPs was brilliant. I hope future zones follow this recipe (as well as tie to the overall theme/aesthetic).
2. Cat Lady of Crooked Lane: great decor and ambience. I don't care for cats, but the backstory and actors did a fantastic job. I'm also a sucker for the pumpkins.
3. Toxic Twenties: Fantastic use of the NY area, and it's an era HHN hasn't done properly until now (didn't enjoy Spirits of the Coven)
4. Masquerade: The actors were fantastic and made the zone work. There's a few actors here that somehow manage to dance for their entire set. It's fantastic.

Shows & Entertainment

1. Nightmare Fuel - Circus of Decay: The show, as always, is fantastic and thought it was better this year compared to last year. But it is starting to feel bland and I really hope we get a 2nd stage show next year that can provide a different type of experience.
2. Haunt-O-Phonic: I liked Ghoulish and does a fantastic job of using the new show system. My only issue with the show is that it felt out of place with this year's overall aesthetic/theme. Hoping the show here will tie to future event themes... and has more practical effects beyond water (fire, smaller pyro, etc.).
3. Mel's Drive-In Zombies: bring it back every year.
4. Club Horror: I wouldn't mind this coming back if it was given a proper Halloween-esque aesthetic that ties to the event in some capacity. Felt very out of place, but people love the concept. Give it Cat Lady's decor next year, and I'm fine with it. The only other change I'd make is the removal of the two dance platforms that clog up the space and playing more halloween-related music.

Other Topics

• Tribute Store had a great aesthetic, but they really need a bigger space elsewhere. It's a heck of a revenue driver for the event, so I'm surprised they didn't find a larger space for it.
• Food & Beverage - this year felt like they went back to basics with easier food to prepare and well-staffed booths. The Walking Taco/Ramen is probably my favorite item at the festival ever. The Twisted Tater Chips are not great (was never a fan of the classic ones), and charging $9 for it is absurd. The bottled drinks this year (PB&J Mixtape, etc.) were surprisingly amazing and my choice over the cocktails this year.

Looking Forward - separating this from the rest of the HHN 34 review as this is a forward-looking comment. HHN needs a capacity boost next year. I know I've mentioned this ad nauseum the last few years... but this year nearly broke the event. If it weren't for the soundstage hub/walkways, that corner of New York would have been an utter nightmare this year. The event needs an additional entertainment space and house. It was quite evident this year that the event is popular enough to justify more stuff to do.

Random Observations

• Pizza Fries are no longer popular, and I blame their location. If I were UOR, I'd move the Simpsons house queue (Hatchet) over by DreamWorks so you can at least generate some foot traffic there.
• Never had an issue with parking this year
• Seeing no significant discounts until the last week of the event is pretty amazing to see, especially after seeing heavy discounts as early as late September last year.
• Diagon Alley is packed
• Revenge of the Mummy was posting longer waits than 7/10 houses this year
• Watching HNF is still a mess with how they load the stadium (and how hot it can get inside when there's no wind)
• Friday's being the (somewhat) best night to attend in the week.
• Wait-Time accuracy-> tracked all my waits... and they typically were exaggerated by 20-40 minutes. Part of the issue is that they avoided lowering waits below 30 minutes to prevent DAS overrunning the houses (since they can just hop in line if the wait is 25 or less). WWE often was reported as a 25-35 min wait, but often times if it was posted 25 it was never more than 15-18 minutes. What was even weirder was that El Artista would consistently display a 55-min wait, and throughout the night will actually drop to no more than a 20-min actual wait-time. In understand there's a need to "curb" DAS abuse... but there's got to be a fairer way for all parties involved as many people I spoke to balked at the posted waits.

Attending since 2013,overall year rankings:

1. HHN 25
2. HHN 29
3. HHN 34
4. HHN 26
5. HHN 24
6. HHN 28
7. HHN 31
8. HHN 27
9. HHN 31
10. HHN 30
11. HHN 23
12. HHN 33

 

[TheCodeMan95]

Attending since 2013,overall year rankings:

1. HHN 25
2. HHN 29
3. HHN 34
4. HHN 26
5. HHN 24
6. HHN 28
7. HHN 31
8. HHN 27
9. HHN 31
10. HHN 30
11. HHN 23
12. HHN 33

I've been attending since 2016, and I've resigned myself to never seeing anything as good as HHN29 lol

 

[zombiekimmie]

Just got back on Monday from my 2nd HHN trip this year. The post-HHN blues are real! But at least it’s Halloween and a Friday. I was so happy with this year getting back to the event I love with a dramatic shift in overall atmosphere and vibe for the better. My first year was HHN 28 and I’ve been attending every year since (including HHN Lite, when I drove 16 hours from NJ by myself just to see 2 houses lol). I now realize that 28 & 29 were 2 of the best years ever and a high bar to set for my expectations. But this year was the closest experience I’ve had to those 2 stellar years. Actually got a little teary-eyed when I was leaving, when during the past few years I’ve felt ready to say goodbye at the end of my trip. I did attend Premium Scream and opening night and don’t think I will be repeating PS if they offer that next year. Same complaints as everyone else, just didn’t feel worth the $. This 2nd trip was from 10/22-27 and I was fortunate enough to have the FFP w/Express for it. Anyway, here are my rankings:

Scare Zones/Street Experiences

1) Masquerade - very close between this and Cat Lady but I just loved the music, lighting, and general atmosphere of this zone. Loved getting a snack or a drink and just sitting and watching the scare actors. Excellent cast and fun little stage shows. I do wish the little show around the chandelier ended with the scare actors becoming more aggressive and transitioning from civilized ballgoers to bloodthirsty vampires but still my favorite overall.

2) Cat Lady - had a lot of fun in here. Pumpkins in the trees again, yay! Loved the scenic elements, watching the Cat Lady on her porch, and walking through the little mini-house at the end. More Central Park SZs like this, please!

3) Origins of Horror - Always had fun walking through here as I entered the park. Did a great job setting the tone and liked seeing the HHN lighting truss in different colors than red. Amazing costumes for the stilt walkers and gargoyles and had some fun interactions here.

4) Toxic Twenties - Fine but not very memorable for me. Had to make a point of walking through here since there’s really not much reason to go that way with the new soundstage hub. Not my favorite NY zone.

5) Mel’s Zombies - Fun addition that surprisingly did not seem to increase congestion in front of Mel’s. Would love for something similar to return next year.

6) Club Horror - Good alternative to a traditional SZ in San Fran, but like others have said, would prefer a more spooky vibe with Halloween-type music. I loved the Rob Zombie zone here so something similar with more dancers would be perfect.

Shows

1) Ghoulish - So happy that the lagoon show is back. It just elevates the overall energy and mood of the event to hear and see it as you’re walking around the park. Saw it twice and enjoyed it but not as good as prior lagoon shows.

2) Nightmare Fuel - Saw the first show on Premium Scream night and liked it but I’m not a huge fan of packing into a crowded theater and making that time commitment for a show when I’d rather be doing houses and zones.

Houses

Very tough this year as my favorites changed frequently over the 6 nights I attended and there was no obvious top house for me as in prior years. But I’ve had a little time to reflect and think these are my final rankings.

1) WWE - Pretty surprising for me since I’m not a wrestling fan but I did watch the Bray Wyatt documentary beforehand and could feel the amount of love and dedication that went into this house. A very touching tribute and the scare actors were always aggressive in here. I love a house that feels gritty and kinda splatterpunk like House of 1000 Corpses and this reminded me of that.

2) Terrifier - Another huge surprise for me but so much fun. I only watched the 1st movie and wasn’t really interested in seeing the others after that. Sadistic gore makes me too nauseous and uncomfortable to watch in a film. But I’m totally fine walking through a house full of it haha! Scare actors undeniably made this house and I had a blast waving back and dancing along through the Clown Cafe. Very long too, which was great since some of the houses felt shorter this year. Christmas scenes were my favorite and always enjoy a split path at the end of a house.

3) Hatchet & Chains - It was tough for me to put this above Artista but some great runs through this nudged it just a bit. Scenic and sound design were amazing with some fun and unique scares. Felt like I saw something different every time I walked through this one. Scare actors were very aggressive and always came after me. Had a great time during every run.

4) El Artista - This was #1 for me in the beginning but felt like it had some staffing issues toward the end of my trip. Absolutely gorgeous and jaw-dropping but not a lot of scares so it fell some for me. That damn stilt walker in the beginning got me every single time, though! Like how tf did I not remember that he would be coming for me as I was watching Sergio pacing back and forth??

5) Grave of Flesh - Confusing storyline but I liked the weirdness of it and it creeped me out to be walking underneath my grave with the water dripping. Got some really good scares in here that bumped it up. Felt a little like a rave at the end and didn’t really understand what was going on but a really fun house overall.

6) Galkn - This house felt short to me and I thought the ending should’ve gone on a bit longer after entering the belly of the beast. I had higher hopes for this one but still enjoyed it a lot. Beast puppet at the end was amazing.

7) Dolls - Felt like this house also suffered from some staffing issues at the end which bumped this down. I do love creepy dolls but I was hoping to see more of a Dollhouse of the Damned-type house since I never got a chance to see that one. Still had a lot of fun here but skipped it on my last night since I felt like I’d seen it enough. The doll with the multiple heads was super weird and freaky and made me laugh every time.

8) Fallout - This house moved up from last place for me since they added some more scares, which made it a little more fun. I did watch the show so that made it more enjoyable to go through and sets were cool. Never really got a good look at the Ghoul, since it felt like he was always coming from behind me. And I was hoping the Gulper would be a bigger animatronic and have more of a scene.

9) Jason - Was really hoping for this one to be scarier, but it just never hit for me. I think Insidious was so scary because there were different characters coming after you and the final hallways were much more intense for me. For some reason, Jason just doesn’t scare me and it felt very repetitive. Bummed because I’m a big slasher fan and really wanted to love this one more.

10) FNAF - Went through this twice but have no connection to this property. Animatronics were amazing of course and it was a cool walkthrough but definitely did not need to wait for it every night. I don’t mind IPs like this at the event though since Stranger Things is what finally got me to attend after thinking about it for several years. And even though it felt like more kids than usual at the event this year, I never saw any who were annoying or behaving badly. I don’t care who comes to HHN as long as you don’t ruin my house runs (and stay off my lawn lol!).

Amazing year and sad to see it end, but I am ready for 35 spec!!