There’s definitely an argument that both houses are not “true” to their design. The lack of SIF and inability for performers to move out at guests severely impacts the experiences. Which, again, is why I think the positive response from a lot of fans has been overly misplaced. It’s not fair to label any of these as “GOATs” when they’re not even the best versions of themselves.
The houses this year, experience-wise, have to be held to a different standard. They’re different experiences from a regular HHN house. While we can compare design to design, we know design does not a house make. The total experience is what matters.
For fans who *need* HHN, any house this year is a fix after a bout of expected withdrawal. They opened a sequel to a fan favorite, a house we were expected to get last year, and Beetlejuice. Any other year, those houses would top most anticipated lists. The spec around them make the houses premium cocaine, to continue the metaphor.
Fans who *simply* enjoy HHN, there’s a lot less need to hype what we got. They’re naturally going to look at things with a more critical eye. There’s also less *need* to hype and, potentially, more inclination to cynicism because of the spec.