I know this is spec for 34, but I can't pass up commenting on some of the other discussion here - especially regarding Insidious. This is absolute proof that the houses at HHN being great or not is very, very subjective. One would think - well, of course, it's subjective. However, if you consistently read these forums, that's not necessarily true.
To be fair, there are sometimes overwhelming majority opinions that show it's possibe to have a real, legit banger of a house, or a giant turd of a house (i.e. everyone, I think, LOVED Wicked Growth, but loathed the last Chucky house). That being said, most of the houses don't get such majority opinions of that level. As we know, people's rankings for houses could even change within the same season!
I mentioned somewhere here before that I thought Insidious was incredible. Again, PERSONAL opinion. I, too, am one of those who does not get scared. I'm too old, I've been to way too many haunts (including 19 years of HHN) for me to be "scared". I am always thrilled and impressed when some especially hyped scareactor can get me to jump (or utter a string of words I'm not allowed to post here). That being said, there was something about Insidious last year that got into my head. It is one of the only times I can remember actually feeling anxious before, during and after walking through. It was the perfect combination of a very aggressive cast, the extremely creepy music/sounds and the way they hid the actors for more unpredictability on when/where they'd actually pop out at you. My wife and friends also loved the house, but they really made fun of me for my visceral reaction to it. I can't even explain it to you. It just is. So, yeah, this house may be "overrated" to some, but for me, it was mind blowing. On the flip side, I thought Blood Moon was boring. I thought Exorcist was garbage. Would I purposely write a scathing review of those houses? No. Clearly many of you loved them, so good for you! Again, subjective.
For the cynical out there, or for those who think they are unscareable (I know, made up word): I recommend trying to embrace the event with an open mind and see the houses through the vision of its creators. Learn to let yourself be immersed, and you might be surprised what could happen. It's such grand fun, and it's why I still attend religiously year after year.
Lastly, I must say I did chuckle a bit at some of the "top 5" lists here.. especially when the lists are from people attending 7 years or less. No, that's not being an HHN snob. It is simply a completely different perspective. Actually, I have some pity on those so young that you've already missed some of the GOATS from years ago, i.e. Cabin in the Woods, Nightingales: Blood Prey, American Horror Story (all of them), Body Collectors, Halloween (2014), Jack Presents 25 Years, The In-Between, Gothic, the Wolfman and Winter's Night. These are all high on my all time greats list (I purposely didn't include more recents like Scarecrow, Wicked Growth, Tomb of the Ancients, etc because I'm trying to illustrate what a rich history there is here and how fortunate some of us are to have seen so much of it). It will be interesting to see how these GOAT lists evolve over the next decade of horror. What fun we will all have!