I spent 2 nights at HHN this weekend and did an "unmasking the horror tour," as well, and I have to say that this year's event was incredible. The only other year that I have gone was HHN 22, which wasn't hard to beat, but I do hit up between 7-10 professional haunts a year, including at least 3 or 4 of the top rated attractions in the country, so I'd like to think that I am a haunted house enthusiast. Still, these are just my thoughts, so please don't jump all over me just because I may disagree with you. I'm just saying what I saw and felt.
I can't think of a single bad house this year... even the weakest houses this year were better than the majority of the houses I visited in HHN 22. Here are my rankings, however, from my least favorite to favorite. I am hard to scare or startle, so I fell more in love with the atmosphere for each house, just so you are aware.
SPOILERS AHEAD
8. From Dusk to Dawn - I tried the show, and wasn't really a fan (for full disclosure), but I found this house to be a bit repetitive for me. The sets were awesome, and the eye candy was...well...amazing, but I could only walk past so many sheets with vampires behind them before I got the gist. I did love how I felt like I was traveling through a story, with a very clear beginning, middle, and end, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
7. Dracula - Right off, let me say that the sets were beautiful. From the burning smells to the gothic walls and architecture, I could have easily seen a movie being filmed in parts of the house. There were moving statues, which always creeps me out and when the arrows were fired, that particular scare got me to jump about 10 feet from the ground. The biggest issue I had was out of Universal's control. I was confused. I didn't know who was a vampire, who was a Hun, or why they were attacking me. This seemed like I was walking through an adventure epic, not a horror movie. Not a problem really, I just didn't feel as if the scares worked as well as they did with the more developed storylines.
6. Giggles and Gore - I know this is a favorite of a lot and I got the giggles in this maze, but as for the "gore," it was there for the first half, but then it seemed to turn into a long series of dark and twisted hallways. I get the fact that the evil clowns have been stuffed by that stage, but I guess I am more used to the "gore" found in Midwestern haunts... With that being said, what an energetic cast and creepy atmosphere. I loved the girl clown stuffing the body parts into the body. The interactive elements were amazing and I was truly terrified after I tried to push one of the buttons. Great surprise for a great house.
5. Dollhouse of the Damned - Two words: Giant Babies.... No, wait... Evil Bears... No, I have it... Poopy smell. This house aimed for the creepy, and it succeeded, with everyone around me. I work around kids, so perhaps dolls and babies have lost their creepiness for me, but this house certainly was a masterpiece when it came to toying with your emotions. I loved the tiny references to past houses and the ballerinas and finale were top notch. In the end, though, I missed some of the scares I've heard others talk about. Perhaps both times I went through were during cast change? Still, this was a creepy and plain "messed up" house.
4. Walking Dead - I am a very recent fan of the show, so the scenes from season 4 are very fresh in my mind, but I felt as if I was dropped into that show. The façade was impressive, the sets were spot on, and there were some clever scares in there. I loved the Aiello references in the Big Spot, but I missed even seeing the helicopter the first time through. One of the scariest scenes I have been in in ANY haunt was the forest scene from halfway through. I felt so claustrophobic and paranoid... I had no idea how many walkers were in that room or how big it was. Well done Universal!
3. Roanoke - I am a history buff, so this does hold a very dear place in my heart. What I love about Universal's HHN, and what they do better than anyone else, is the (A) Storytelling and (B)Movie Quality environments. This one blew me out of the water with both. Even if I hadn't read the description of the house, I would have been able to follow exactly what was happening from the first cannibal to the surprise ending. As for the set, I honestly forgot that I was inside several times. The wooden fort (made all of real wood), the tobacco barn, and the sheer craziness of things to see in that finale were EPIC! The only minor gripe I can have is that if you are going to have the creatures found in the finale, they need to have antlers (according to traditional descriptions). The prop one did... the actors did not either night I was there. Perhaps I didn't see the antlers, but I think that would help explain what they were to the average Joe. Still, this house is one that I will probably always have in my top 10 houses anywhere.
2. AVP - Wow! Wow! Wow! The Puppets, the Predators, and the jungle sets were like one of my nightmares had been brought to life. I jumped so many times in that maze, that my sister still makes fun of me for it. The finale was claustrophobic and the egg scene was sheer disgustingness. Like everyone, I wish that there was a Queen Alien, but I'll settle for the ones we had. They had a lot of personality and were very realistic. If I had another tiny complaint, it would be that I wish the chest buster would be a bit more noticeable. However, the one that they had distracted me enough to get the living crap scared out of me from behind, so great job universal!!!! Even though this was an IP, they made it into an original house, where instead of walking through the movies, you got placed into an awesome combination of the industrial feel of alien and the jungles of predator.
1. Halloween - I have NEVER felt as uncomfortable in a maze before as I have in this house. It was a never-ending chase from the beginning until the surprise end. I felt as is Michael was behind every corner, ready to get me, which it seemed he was. It was so good that when I went to redo the house later, I actually almost chickened out going back into that place again. The scare actors were so effective that they were able to hit me from the same locations again, and I still freaked out. I really don't want to say anything else, in case you haven't been in yet, but this the hands down winner for house of the year, and will be in my top 5 houses I've ever been in anywhere in the country.
Scare Zones:
The Purge and the Bayou were by far the best. Masquerade was creepy and beautiful. Unfortunately, I was most looking forward to Face Off. I knew it would be a photo op, and I was guilty of that myself, but I felt as if the costumes and make-up for the ground scare actors were not up to par with their stage bound cousins. I wasn't expecting the cool face-off make-ups, but a bit more. Maybe I'm just too picky.
The Bill and Ted show was hilarious. I can't compare it to past years, but I almost died laughing and there were some very good looking characters out there and well choreographed numbers.
In short, this year's event was fantastic. I highly recommend it to anyone. Perhaps the highest praise I have is that I am already plotting how I can get back there next year. Make sure you buy express! It will make your life so much better!
