Endlessly shocked by the utter lack of discussion here for what is one of the best zones that the event has ever done.
Cat Lady is a niche reference to Slaughter 2, and is a really high-concept idea for something like an HHN zone to attempt. This could've ended very unfortunately for Cat Lady, but thankfully, the design team delivered with a Central Park zone that works perfectly with the limitations of its' location. It uses the tight A to B pathing to tell a simple but fun and spooky narrative. It brings back the Central Park pumpkins, and generally brings the Halloween-y energy that I believe the event also needs. As such, it also fits great alongside the music and lighting of Ghoulish, which takes over the audio and general area pretty frequently.
The zone begins with another set of eerie iron gates; the HHN34 signature. I love the way the littered and grimy toys, clothes, and Halloween decor build up from the front to the back of the zone, and the way the kids slowly transform as you inch closer to the best part of the zone: A massive house set, with the Cat Lady herself on a porch stage, and with multiple intricate show scenes built across the different windows and rooms. If that wasn't cool enough, this zone throws in a mini-house area to the side for good measure.
I love the little details like the little framed photos of cats around the Cat Lady's house (that I'm convinced have to be the design teams' own pets), the huge cat toys set out for actors and guests to play with, the extra-large hairball plopped in front of one of the setpieces. I love that the Cat Lady has so much to say, and that multiple distinct show moments can play out here. It means that there's always something new to hear and see whenever you go through. I love the inclusion of the Pet Cemetary, the stained glass Cat artwork tied into El Artista and Origins, the little toy car that has a horn you can squeak. It all amounts to a zone that feels fully realized and really well-loved by the people who put it together.
The performances are fun here, if not especially scary. In a way though, Central Park zones have a fairly tough time being scary even when they really try to. I am totally okay with forgoing scares in favor of atmosphere and narrative, especially when the latter two are just so great here.
Any number of individual aspects of this zone would make it one for the books, but all together this is clearly a highlight of this event and an all-timer zone for HHN as a whole. The current HHN team has really figured out how to work with the strengths of these locations, and it shows in incredible work like this. This zone sets a very high bar for anything that comes to this spot in the future. One of my all-time favorite zones in my time with the event.