I think also there's a feeling now that the event is here to stay, so in the grand scheme of things, repeats aren't the worst thing ever anymore. There was a bit of worry back then that the event might die out again and go away, so if we only had it again for say, 5-10 years, it'd suck if half of that time was devoted to Jason and Freddy.
Speaking of years, it'll be 17 for me, which is dang near almost 20. It's hard for me to fathom, but in general, I've attended this event a whole 2 times more than I have gone to KSF. In an odd way, it still doesn't quite feel that way and that KSF is so ingrained in me that HHN still feels like somewhat of a shiny new toy. I can't quite explain that, maybe it's the fact KSF has actually been around much much longer (even though the separation between my personal first-time visit to them is only 7 years) or maybe HHN somehow presents a more new-school approach to things.
There are attendees who will be going this year for their 3rd-5th year now that were just born or not even born yet the first time I went. Holy WOW. With that said, I do hope HHN honors its history one day and does an anniversary or throwback event. I know there's a weird gap and hiatus to consider, but they truly have paved their own course and fans have stuck around for almost two decades now. I'd love to see a weird clash up of originals like Asylum, Vampyre, Clowns, Pandora, La Llorona, Monstrous, etc..