- Dec 3, 2020
- 961
- 3,081
First I've seen mention of Dracula "swinging," can anyone shed more light on that? Sounds like a cool effect, I haven't seen it in any POVs of the house though.
Halloween Horror Nights 31 (UOR) - Reviews, Photos, & Videos
- Thread starter Brian G.
- Start date
-
Signing up for a Premium Membership is a donation to help Inside Universal maintain costs and offers an ad-free experience on the forum. Learn more about it here.
Yeah it seems all the POVs cut that part out. I suspect it wasn't working during the media event. I saw it only twice during my week of HHN. If memory serves, you can see the giant hole in the wall where Dracula comes flying towards you at 17:39 in this video. From what I read online, it's meant to be all 3 of the monsters fighting in that location. First time I saw this work, Mummy and Wolfman weren't there, so it was just Dracula flying forwards you and it freaked me the f--- out lol. The 2nd time I saw it, Wolfman was there on the right side, kinda crouching in the corner and growling up at him as he swung forward, leading me to believe people who are saying if it's working and they have the staff, that all 3 are meant to be fighting in that scene.
- Jun 8, 2022
- 53
- 112
Sounds like completely different food from when I did it in 2019. The food then was pretty good. It had BBQ type meat and good sides. However, the confusion on needing a reservation and where to go is spot on from when I went. I was also told different things from multiple employees. Sounds like not much has changed in that department.
I've been going to Hollywood's event every single year since 2009, but this was - at last - my first year seeing Orlando's event after several false starts over the years, including one time when I was actually in Orlando in 2017, ready to go to HHN, and the people I was with on the trip backed out, as well as a planned trip for 2020 that got entirely derailed by the arrival of COVID. So to say I was excited to finally see it would be an understatement.
Arrived in Orlando last Wednesday (the 7th) around 2pm, got to our hotel (Cabana Bay), went to CityWalk and ate (Toothsome!), and then the plan was to just go into the event for a little bit to do a few things, come back and crash at the hotel because we were tired, and then just go hard on Thursday, as we had the Rush of Fear pass to alleviate any stress of not getting everything done in a single night.
Walking in on Wednesday, I was immediately taken back to what Hollywood used to feel like -- fog everywhere, scareactors around every corner, the whole park feeling like it was under the spell. I loved it. We first went to Diagon Alley to ride Escape from Gringotts since it was their first time going to the parks, period, then hit up Bugs as our first maze, which had said a 30-minute wait but ended up being closer to an hour. The maze was an absolute blast, but the wait had me worried; if it was like that on a Wednesday, I was dreading what it'd be like Friday or Saturday. But we got out of that, thrilled with it, and trucked over to Universal Monsters, which was awesome (and also a pretty lengthy wait despite claiming to be 20 minutes) and reenergized us to stay a bit longer, which we did by checking out Spirits of the Coven (20 minutes posted, 10 minutes actual wait) and riding Rip Ride before calling it.
Thursday was spent at IoA during the day, then that crazy monsoon hit while we were getting seated at Cowfish at CityWalk. Waited for it to die down a bit, and then got into the park right before 5 to do Scream Early, which we used to get in line for Halloween (about a 40 minute wait). Then blew through Dead Man's Pier and Fiesta straight after, then Blumhouse, then Bugs (again), then Descendants of Destruction and Men in Black (when the drizzle picked up a bit again and we just needed a break from being wet for hours) followed by a 45-ish minute wait for The Weeknd. Wrapped up the night with Gringotts, Rip Ride, and walking straight into Hellblock Horror despite a posted 15-minute wait time.
Friday we caught up on a few rides we got rained out of, like Velocicoaster, and then went back to the hotel for a bit... and then saw Revenge of the Mummy was open at last and booked it right back and got into it for a 45-minute wait, but god damn was I happy to experience it again after a few years and they LOVED it, agreeing it blows our Hollywood version out of the water. Did a few rerides of things and did Fiesta, Coven, and Monsters again, tried a specialty drink, and unwound.
Saturday and Sunday were more lowkey - went to the event again for a few hours both nights, but weren't too stressed; just did rerides and revisits of things if the wait times were low enough.
Overall, we did every single maze twice except for Halloween and Descendants. I love Halloween as an IP, and the maze was nice, but I wasn't wowed, and while Descendants had some great set design (I particularly loved the subway part) none of us really cared about doing it again. For me, personally, my favorite mazes were Universal Monsters and Dead Man's Pier. On a "scare" level, the first was far more effective, but what I truly appreciated about both was the set design, especially with the latter, which was just... gorgeous. I can't begin to describe how much I loved being able to see the lighthouse from different parts of the maze, or how you walk out to see the ship with the violinist only to feel the wind and the rain on your face. Just sublime in every single way, from the tiniest details in the set to the ambient music and beyond.
Bugs was just goofy, cheesy fun. Blumhouse nailed the Black Phone section, while the Freaky section felt lacking (which sucks, because I really dig the movie) but not to a degree where I hated going through it. Spirits nailed the set design, but it felt oddly low energy, and both times going through it there were long stretches in the final third without a single actor in sight. Fiesta was super fun, too, with more amazing set design, but again was a victim of low energy for whatever reason, particularly my second night through it. Hellblock was whatever, but both times we did it were walk-ons, so I can't complain too much, whereas I'd definitely have a lower opinion had I waited a substantial amount of time for it. And, lastly, The Weeknd's maze truly surprised me; I had zero expectations for it, and I'm not really a fan of his music, but the maze was just such a blast and a big ball of energy that I'm actually bummed we didn't get to do it a third time (though, at least, I'm curious what Hollywood's version will have to offer when I go this weekend now that I'm back home).
If I have any real complaints about the event, it's simply guest-related (and one employee-related thing). We were wearing masks the entire time, and we'd already prepared ourselves that, because we're in Florida, we'd probably be some of the very few to do so. We weren't really wrong, and that's fine. That said, the amount of people that went out of their way to make comments to us was just... shocking. Some guy straight up called me a "mask-wearing freak" to my face. An older couple harassed us in line for Fiesta our second night about it, telling us to take them off. In the locker room for Revenge of the Mummy, a woman made a snide, unprovoked "Why are you guys wearing masks? You look stupid" comment to us. A group of people thought it was funny to keep getting close to us in a line and fake coughing over and over (and laughing about it). And on and on... And at one point, shockingly, an older employee at one of the drink stands saw I was from California on my ID (I was getting a drink) and started in about politics, including a suggestion that I vote for DeSantis if he runs for president, all while I just kept my mouth shut waiting for him to just get me my drink and ultimately walking away from the one-sided conversation. All of it was off-putting and, in a way, demoralizing, just because we wanted to enjoy the event in peace and yet people had to be so triggered by a piece of cloth rather than mind their business. I obviously don't hold it against Universal (how is it their fault for guests running their mouths?) but it did put a little asterisk next to my/our enthusiasm for the event overall, if that makes sense.
Despite all that, I'm glad I went, and I thought Orlando handled the standby/Express flow a million times better than Hollywood's, which was just beyond frustrating last year... and from what I've heard is even worse this year. Other than the Bugs wait hitting a standstill that first night, lines kept moving across all five nights, and I don't think we had a single wait for any maze on any night after that that even breached 45 minutes, which is just wild to me when I'm so used to Hollywood grinding standby lines to a halt for longer than that to make way for Express people over and over again.
But anyway, I hope all of you who've gone had as much fun with the event as I did, even if my excitement is coming from the fact it was my first time, and for anyone who hasn't gone yet, but will soon, I hope that you, too, have a huge blast when you go!
Arrived in Orlando last Wednesday (the 7th) around 2pm, got to our hotel (Cabana Bay), went to CityWalk and ate (Toothsome!), and then the plan was to just go into the event for a little bit to do a few things, come back and crash at the hotel because we were tired, and then just go hard on Thursday, as we had the Rush of Fear pass to alleviate any stress of not getting everything done in a single night.
Walking in on Wednesday, I was immediately taken back to what Hollywood used to feel like -- fog everywhere, scareactors around every corner, the whole park feeling like it was under the spell. I loved it. We first went to Diagon Alley to ride Escape from Gringotts since it was their first time going to the parks, period, then hit up Bugs as our first maze, which had said a 30-minute wait but ended up being closer to an hour. The maze was an absolute blast, but the wait had me worried; if it was like that on a Wednesday, I was dreading what it'd be like Friday or Saturday. But we got out of that, thrilled with it, and trucked over to Universal Monsters, which was awesome (and also a pretty lengthy wait despite claiming to be 20 minutes) and reenergized us to stay a bit longer, which we did by checking out Spirits of the Coven (20 minutes posted, 10 minutes actual wait) and riding Rip Ride before calling it.
Thursday was spent at IoA during the day, then that crazy monsoon hit while we were getting seated at Cowfish at CityWalk. Waited for it to die down a bit, and then got into the park right before 5 to do Scream Early, which we used to get in line for Halloween (about a 40 minute wait). Then blew through Dead Man's Pier and Fiesta straight after, then Blumhouse, then Bugs (again), then Descendants of Destruction and Men in Black (when the drizzle picked up a bit again and we just needed a break from being wet for hours) followed by a 45-ish minute wait for The Weeknd. Wrapped up the night with Gringotts, Rip Ride, and walking straight into Hellblock Horror despite a posted 15-minute wait time.
Friday we caught up on a few rides we got rained out of, like Velocicoaster, and then went back to the hotel for a bit... and then saw Revenge of the Mummy was open at last and booked it right back and got into it for a 45-minute wait, but god damn was I happy to experience it again after a few years and they LOVED it, agreeing it blows our Hollywood version out of the water. Did a few rerides of things and did Fiesta, Coven, and Monsters again, tried a specialty drink, and unwound.
Saturday and Sunday were more lowkey - went to the event again for a few hours both nights, but weren't too stressed; just did rerides and revisits of things if the wait times were low enough.
Overall, we did every single maze twice except for Halloween and Descendants. I love Halloween as an IP, and the maze was nice, but I wasn't wowed, and while Descendants had some great set design (I particularly loved the subway part) none of us really cared about doing it again. For me, personally, my favorite mazes were Universal Monsters and Dead Man's Pier. On a "scare" level, the first was far more effective, but what I truly appreciated about both was the set design, especially with the latter, which was just... gorgeous. I can't begin to describe how much I loved being able to see the lighthouse from different parts of the maze, or how you walk out to see the ship with the violinist only to feel the wind and the rain on your face. Just sublime in every single way, from the tiniest details in the set to the ambient music and beyond.
Bugs was just goofy, cheesy fun. Blumhouse nailed the Black Phone section, while the Freaky section felt lacking (which sucks, because I really dig the movie) but not to a degree where I hated going through it. Spirits nailed the set design, but it felt oddly low energy, and both times going through it there were long stretches in the final third without a single actor in sight. Fiesta was super fun, too, with more amazing set design, but again was a victim of low energy for whatever reason, particularly my second night through it. Hellblock was whatever, but both times we did it were walk-ons, so I can't complain too much, whereas I'd definitely have a lower opinion had I waited a substantial amount of time for it. And, lastly, The Weeknd's maze truly surprised me; I had zero expectations for it, and I'm not really a fan of his music, but the maze was just such a blast and a big ball of energy that I'm actually bummed we didn't get to do it a third time (though, at least, I'm curious what Hollywood's version will have to offer when I go this weekend now that I'm back home).
If I have any real complaints about the event, it's simply guest-related (and one employee-related thing). We were wearing masks the entire time, and we'd already prepared ourselves that, because we're in Florida, we'd probably be some of the very few to do so. We weren't really wrong, and that's fine. That said, the amount of people that went out of their way to make comments to us was just... shocking. Some guy straight up called me a "mask-wearing freak" to my face. An older couple harassed us in line for Fiesta our second night about it, telling us to take them off. In the locker room for Revenge of the Mummy, a woman made a snide, unprovoked "Why are you guys wearing masks? You look stupid" comment to us. A group of people thought it was funny to keep getting close to us in a line and fake coughing over and over (and laughing about it). And on and on... And at one point, shockingly, an older employee at one of the drink stands saw I was from California on my ID (I was getting a drink) and started in about politics, including a suggestion that I vote for DeSantis if he runs for president, all while I just kept my mouth shut waiting for him to just get me my drink and ultimately walking away from the one-sided conversation. All of it was off-putting and, in a way, demoralizing, just because we wanted to enjoy the event in peace and yet people had to be so triggered by a piece of cloth rather than mind their business. I obviously don't hold it against Universal (how is it their fault for guests running their mouths?) but it did put a little asterisk next to my/our enthusiasm for the event overall, if that makes sense.
Despite all that, I'm glad I went, and I thought Orlando handled the standby/Express flow a million times better than Hollywood's, which was just beyond frustrating last year... and from what I've heard is even worse this year. Other than the Bugs wait hitting a standstill that first night, lines kept moving across all five nights, and I don't think we had a single wait for any maze on any night after that that even breached 45 minutes, which is just wild to me when I'm so used to Hollywood grinding standby lines to a halt for longer than that to make way for Express people over and over again.
But anyway, I hope all of you who've gone had as much fun with the event as I did, even if my excitement is coming from the fact it was my first time, and for anyone who hasn't gone yet, but will soon, I hope that you, too, have a huge blast when you go!
Last edited:
I attended Horror Nights Sept 7th, 8th and 9th. Three horror nights were much better than the none I thought I'd have this year.
I did the six house Unmasking tour at 10am on Thu the 8th with Dave as my guide. (And I found plenty of time to eat at Hard Rock within the hour break. I ate at a table and ordered right away and asked for the check at the same time. Also left a healthy tip for the quickness)
I echo highdefrex with the mask thing. Luckily I suffered no harassment, but I definitely felt like an anomaly. I was generally the only one in sight wearing one. I came home healthy, so I regret nothing.
I loved this year and would have been a bit depressed if I had missed it.
My house rankings are based on my limited experience, but I can't imagine it would shift all that much. Also, every scareactor I saw was doing an excellent job. My list is very subjective and I respect what everyone is doing.
10) Hellblock- It was pretty straight forward and I liked it, but I'm not sure that I'll remember it all that well.
9) Coven- More ambitious than Hellblock, but it fell a little flat for me. If other houses were weaker, I'd likely feel differently.
8) Blumhouse- Freaky was ok, but Black Phone was excellent. I liked the divided nature of the layout. My favorite Blumhouse offering so far.
7) Descendants of Destruction- From this point on, this list is just a slobber fest. I loved this house and am amazed by what can be done in a tent.
6) The Weeknd- Fantastic house to dance through, shiny upbeat fun.
5) Halloween- How do you not have Halloween at the 31st event?
4) Fiesta de Chupacabras- I loved the atmosphere and the puppets. Those kittycabras made me miss my cats.
3)Legend Collide- I am a sucker for the classic monsters and thought this house was immersive and fun.
2) Bugs- A camp classic brimming with creepy excellence. Dancing with larva guy in the bedroom was a highlight of my trip.
1) Dead Man's Pier- Everything I hoped it would be and more. One of the most impressive things Universal has ever done that I've seen.
I loved all the scarezones for the first time in a long time and find it tough to rank them, but would give the slight edge to Scarecrow because I had a lot of fun in that zone in particular. Graveyard is a close second.
I also loved a lot of the merch this year and am happy it was leaning away from the bloody words on the front era. I love the event, but I'm unlikely to wear a "Maximum Screamage" shirt in public. This year had a fantastic collection for the modest creep. I bought a ton.
I liked the lagoon show, but might never like it as much as 2019 and I didn't bother with the Nightmare Fuel show because it didn't look different enough from last year and last year kind of bored me and freaked me out being in close proximity to that many people. I'm an old man. I've seen flesh and fire before. Give me a plotline or more magic. *shrug*
This year was a high point for me and I'm crazy happy I was able to go.
I did the six house Unmasking tour at 10am on Thu the 8th with Dave as my guide. (And I found plenty of time to eat at Hard Rock within the hour break. I ate at a table and ordered right away and asked for the check at the same time. Also left a healthy tip for the quickness)
I echo highdefrex with the mask thing. Luckily I suffered no harassment, but I definitely felt like an anomaly. I was generally the only one in sight wearing one. I came home healthy, so I regret nothing.
I loved this year and would have been a bit depressed if I had missed it.
My house rankings are based on my limited experience, but I can't imagine it would shift all that much. Also, every scareactor I saw was doing an excellent job. My list is very subjective and I respect what everyone is doing.
10) Hellblock- It was pretty straight forward and I liked it, but I'm not sure that I'll remember it all that well.
9) Coven- More ambitious than Hellblock, but it fell a little flat for me. If other houses were weaker, I'd likely feel differently.
8) Blumhouse- Freaky was ok, but Black Phone was excellent. I liked the divided nature of the layout. My favorite Blumhouse offering so far.
7) Descendants of Destruction- From this point on, this list is just a slobber fest. I loved this house and am amazed by what can be done in a tent.
6) The Weeknd- Fantastic house to dance through, shiny upbeat fun.
5) Halloween- How do you not have Halloween at the 31st event?
4) Fiesta de Chupacabras- I loved the atmosphere and the puppets. Those kittycabras made me miss my cats.
3)Legend Collide- I am a sucker for the classic monsters and thought this house was immersive and fun.
2) Bugs- A camp classic brimming with creepy excellence. Dancing with larva guy in the bedroom was a highlight of my trip.
1) Dead Man's Pier- Everything I hoped it would be and more. One of the most impressive things Universal has ever done that I've seen.
I loved all the scarezones for the first time in a long time and find it tough to rank them, but would give the slight edge to Scarecrow because I had a lot of fun in that zone in particular. Graveyard is a close second.
I also loved a lot of the merch this year and am happy it was leaning away from the bloody words on the front era. I love the event, but I'm unlikely to wear a "Maximum Screamage" shirt in public. This year had a fantastic collection for the modest creep. I bought a ton.
I liked the lagoon show, but might never like it as much as 2019 and I didn't bother with the Nightmare Fuel show because it didn't look different enough from last year and last year kind of bored me and freaked me out being in close proximity to that many people. I'm an old man. I've seen flesh and fire before. Give me a plotline or more magic. *shrug*
This year was a high point for me and I'm crazy happy I was able to go.
Last edited:
- Jun 7, 2016
- 1,183
- 2,225
Finally had some time to think about my trip last week. The weak spot for me this year was food for sure. Everything else was great to incredible.
Here is how I view the *extra* stuff at the event
overall theme: it was great how cohesive everything felt with the overall halloween theme including all of the marketing, merch, even the scarecrow stalk returning reinforced this. 10/10
food: a few good things, a good bit of awful things. The two seasonal beers (i am bad at names) were the few bright spots along with the arrepas and pizza skull thing. plus the tribute store treats were tasty. 5/10
music: I really dug the park wide loop this year. Maybe it did not fit the mood of the event in some places, but creepy rockabilly definitely has its place in the classic halloween aesthetic. Wish there had been some Misfits songs tossed in but I do not know how parkwide music and rights works. 8/10
scarezones: first time scarezones have scared me. I will go into more detail but I hope they keep this sort of execution up for scarezones in the future 9/10
houses: seemed on par with last year, with the highs being a little higher and the lows being a little lower, but overall I think an improvement. 9/10
shows: I will go in more detail but really not much to complain about 9.5/10
House ranking
I am not really good at ranking things in order so here is a tier list
S Tier:
Dead Man's Pier: perfect house. maybe not as scary as you want, but I could not believe everything you walk through, under, around, over top of, whatever through this house. Some of the sets are breathtaking and i completely forget that I am in a soundstage and not actually in a haunted warf (pier whatever) and with the added context of the discover universal podcast episode that told the story of the violin player this house is truly haunting. This is battling Poltergeist for my favorite house ever (i have only been going since 28 so i guess that does not count for much but still)
Legends Collide: WOWWWWWWWWWWWW. This house was relentless every time I went through. I dont care about marketing or "theres not enough dracula" or whatever. this house Fu**s. scared the snot out of me and I do not get scared. I get a tear in my eye seeing the hallway mirror dracula just stalking and turning away-that made me feel like I was really being caught between these titans. I know the complaint is you never really see them fight, and its mostly mummy, but I do not care. the scares are there, the sets are impeccable, and the scareactors are really trying to get you- at least on my run throughs. My only complaint is I do not like the new design for dracula. Looks goofy if you get a good view of him, and the one from 29 was perfect so it is mind boggling that they would change it when they presumably still had a lot of the stuff for the costumes.
A Tier:
Chupacabre: I don't care about the "latin america" argument or the "cat" argument. This house is scary. It felt like you were winding down the claustrophobic alley ways of a small town while people around you were being torn from the streets and shredded to bits. Great house.
Bugs: I agree I wish this had more 50's house of the future stuff in it, but I love puppets and stuff in houses and this one had a great one that got my wife pretty good. Creepy house. Creepy noises. actors are doing the most.
Descendants: Did not care about this house before the event because it sounded pretty generic, but damn. This one had the scares. I truly hate the smell they use for that chef/butcher scene, but other than that I have no complaints and the final scenes hit really hard.
Halloween: I am sure people will complain as they compare this to the 24 house but I did not go that year, so at least to me this is a near perfect representation of the movie that most of us revere so much. The ghost michael made a point to follow me out of that hallway well past the point that I thought he was supposed to stop, so that got me pretty good. the michael that pins the boyfriend to the wall: maybe the actor was just being extra, but I expected him to do his trigger, walk up to the boyfriend hanging on the wall, stab him, look at me, and go back, because I knew that scene very well. Instead the actor came RUNNING around the corner right to me with the knife straight up in the air like I was supposed to be the next person pinned to the wall. Both of those scares on the same run plus the great closet room, and the hallway of michaels that comes out of nowhere (i understand people complaining about this one but its fun) and this house was fantastic.
B Tier:
Spirits: this was either at the top or near the top of my anticipation., but I will just mirror what everbody else says. A little disappointing.
Blumhouse: Same. Black Phone is one of my favorite movies to come out this year, and that section of the house is fantastic. but freaky kinda sucks. I am very excited to see if they continue using this location because it at least feels like you can put some very long houses back here. extra points for being the first time I was excited to walk to fast and furious, which my wife accidentally calls "the need for speed ride"
D Tier:
Weaknd. This house was a little more fun than I was expecting, but for the most part even with my limited knowledge of his "imagery" this still did all the stuff I thought it would. The sets and the way some of the scares were set up were great, and the actors seemed to be enjoying it, but the characters and designs themselves were mostly awful. The music especially to me was awful. I can tolerate some of his stuff, but the one song that makes me cringe anytime I hear it is save your tears and of course its popular enough to be played in the queue as well as be featured in the house because of course it is. The blinding lights part was a big let down because it seemed like a good set up for a good scare. Maybe there is one there and we just missed it all three times we went through. I dont know. The truck that flashes its lights at you is also a miss. Felt like it was supposed to "blind" you to set you up for a big scare around that corner, but again I never got it. This felt to me like a Thriller house that was ordered off of Wish.com. Although I did appreciate all the ways you get to see the wknd eat it in this house. Wish we got billie instead
Hellblock: not a good house at all, and it felt like there just were not enough "prisoners" and it did not make sense for them to still mostly be behind bars when I thought part of the premise was that they had broken out and were wreaking havoc on the prison. This house will always have good memories for me even though it was bad simply because this house ended up being the first house that I got a solo run through. scared the hell out of me and made this awful house seem extremely fun and scary for once.
Zones:
S Tier:
Graveyard: I don't have much to say except holy sh*t.
Scarecrow: same
A Tier:
Sweet revenge: needs to come back in some form ASAP
conjure: San Fran finally felt like a good zone and was easy to get through.
B Tier:
Horrors of halloween: great entrance to the park, was more open, and I could sit there and watch the pumpkin lord do their thing all night.
shows:
Nightmare Fuel: rehash of last year yeah, but better. I do not care about the story at all. This show has: Horny, fire, loud music, magic. I don't need much else.
Ghoulish: absolutely perfect up until the corporate mandated marketing IP gets their screentime instead of letting the pumpkin lord be the big finale.
Here is how I view the *extra* stuff at the event
overall theme: it was great how cohesive everything felt with the overall halloween theme including all of the marketing, merch, even the scarecrow stalk returning reinforced this. 10/10
food: a few good things, a good bit of awful things. The two seasonal beers (i am bad at names) were the few bright spots along with the arrepas and pizza skull thing. plus the tribute store treats were tasty. 5/10
music: I really dug the park wide loop this year. Maybe it did not fit the mood of the event in some places, but creepy rockabilly definitely has its place in the classic halloween aesthetic. Wish there had been some Misfits songs tossed in but I do not know how parkwide music and rights works. 8/10
scarezones: first time scarezones have scared me. I will go into more detail but I hope they keep this sort of execution up for scarezones in the future 9/10
houses: seemed on par with last year, with the highs being a little higher and the lows being a little lower, but overall I think an improvement. 9/10
shows: I will go in more detail but really not much to complain about 9.5/10
House ranking
I am not really good at ranking things in order so here is a tier list
S Tier:
Dead Man's Pier: perfect house. maybe not as scary as you want, but I could not believe everything you walk through, under, around, over top of, whatever through this house. Some of the sets are breathtaking and i completely forget that I am in a soundstage and not actually in a haunted warf (pier whatever) and with the added context of the discover universal podcast episode that told the story of the violin player this house is truly haunting. This is battling Poltergeist for my favorite house ever (i have only been going since 28 so i guess that does not count for much but still)
Legends Collide: WOWWWWWWWWWWWW. This house was relentless every time I went through. I dont care about marketing or "theres not enough dracula" or whatever. this house Fu**s. scared the snot out of me and I do not get scared. I get a tear in my eye seeing the hallway mirror dracula just stalking and turning away-that made me feel like I was really being caught between these titans. I know the complaint is you never really see them fight, and its mostly mummy, but I do not care. the scares are there, the sets are impeccable, and the scareactors are really trying to get you- at least on my run throughs. My only complaint is I do not like the new design for dracula. Looks goofy if you get a good view of him, and the one from 29 was perfect so it is mind boggling that they would change it when they presumably still had a lot of the stuff for the costumes.
A Tier:
Chupacabre: I don't care about the "latin america" argument or the "cat" argument. This house is scary. It felt like you were winding down the claustrophobic alley ways of a small town while people around you were being torn from the streets and shredded to bits. Great house.
Bugs: I agree I wish this had more 50's house of the future stuff in it, but I love puppets and stuff in houses and this one had a great one that got my wife pretty good. Creepy house. Creepy noises. actors are doing the most.
Descendants: Did not care about this house before the event because it sounded pretty generic, but damn. This one had the scares. I truly hate the smell they use for that chef/butcher scene, but other than that I have no complaints and the final scenes hit really hard.
Halloween: I am sure people will complain as they compare this to the 24 house but I did not go that year, so at least to me this is a near perfect representation of the movie that most of us revere so much. The ghost michael made a point to follow me out of that hallway well past the point that I thought he was supposed to stop, so that got me pretty good. the michael that pins the boyfriend to the wall: maybe the actor was just being extra, but I expected him to do his trigger, walk up to the boyfriend hanging on the wall, stab him, look at me, and go back, because I knew that scene very well. Instead the actor came RUNNING around the corner right to me with the knife straight up in the air like I was supposed to be the next person pinned to the wall. Both of those scares on the same run plus the great closet room, and the hallway of michaels that comes out of nowhere (i understand people complaining about this one but its fun) and this house was fantastic.
B Tier:
Spirits: this was either at the top or near the top of my anticipation., but I will just mirror what everbody else says. A little disappointing.
Blumhouse: Same. Black Phone is one of my favorite movies to come out this year, and that section of the house is fantastic. but freaky kinda sucks. I am very excited to see if they continue using this location because it at least feels like you can put some very long houses back here. extra points for being the first time I was excited to walk to fast and furious, which my wife accidentally calls "the need for speed ride"
D Tier:
Weaknd. This house was a little more fun than I was expecting, but for the most part even with my limited knowledge of his "imagery" this still did all the stuff I thought it would. The sets and the way some of the scares were set up were great, and the actors seemed to be enjoying it, but the characters and designs themselves were mostly awful. The music especially to me was awful. I can tolerate some of his stuff, but the one song that makes me cringe anytime I hear it is save your tears and of course its popular enough to be played in the queue as well as be featured in the house because of course it is. The blinding lights part was a big let down because it seemed like a good set up for a good scare. Maybe there is one there and we just missed it all three times we went through. I dont know. The truck that flashes its lights at you is also a miss. Felt like it was supposed to "blind" you to set you up for a big scare around that corner, but again I never got it. This felt to me like a Thriller house that was ordered off of Wish.com. Although I did appreciate all the ways you get to see the wknd eat it in this house. Wish we got billie instead
Hellblock: not a good house at all, and it felt like there just were not enough "prisoners" and it did not make sense for them to still mostly be behind bars when I thought part of the premise was that they had broken out and were wreaking havoc on the prison. This house will always have good memories for me even though it was bad simply because this house ended up being the first house that I got a solo run through. scared the hell out of me and made this awful house seem extremely fun and scary for once.
Zones:
S Tier:
Graveyard: I don't have much to say except holy sh*t.
Scarecrow: same
A Tier:
Sweet revenge: needs to come back in some form ASAP
conjure: San Fran finally felt like a good zone and was easy to get through.
B Tier:
Horrors of halloween: great entrance to the park, was more open, and I could sit there and watch the pumpkin lord do their thing all night.
shows:
Nightmare Fuel: rehash of last year yeah, but better. I do not care about the story at all. This show has: Horny, fire, loud music, magic. I don't need much else.
Ghoulish: absolutely perfect up until the corporate mandated marketing IP gets their screentime instead of letting the pumpkin lord be the big finale.
- Feb 20, 2019
- 737
- 1,430
I don't normally do reviews, as I feel like I'm too easily pleased, but felt like giving my opinions this year. I usually get the frequent fear each year so I can experience the houses more than once but wasn't able to this year so just got express and did them all that way. So I won't rank the houses as I like to go through them more than once for rankings as houses change over time. So I will just give my opinions on them and not rank.
Unfortunely I missed the shows this year as I was too busy stuffing my face with some of the food this year as well as spending way too much time in the zones, with a smile on my face.
- Hellblock Horror – I went into this with the lowest of expectations since it seems like most thought it was the worst house this year. Honestly for the short turn around time, I was impressed. Scareactors were at the top of their game in this house, and as such, I got quite a few good scares. It was intense, and though scenic wasn't the best, it was better than expected. I liked this one even though it's somewhat low for me this year.
- Spirits of the Coven – Can't lie, I was a bit disappointed with this one. I wasn't super excited for this one but had high hopes. The scenic was fine, nothing special. But man the scares were lacking, mostly in the first half. Second half was better but still not great. Even though my timing this year for scares was amazing, this still didn't do much for me. Interesting idea, but didn't feel like the execution was all that great.
- Halloween – Obviously like most, I loved the original house. So I had some hesitation with this one. Honestly, probably unpopular opinion here, I thought it was just as good as the original. I was a little disappointed in some scenes not being in the house (Annie's death in the car) but they utilized the soundstage and gave us a full house within a house. Loved walking through that area infront of the house. Overall, loved it.
- Fiesta de Chupacabras – Loved it. Absolutely loved it. The mask were so awesome in this house and loved the Chupacabra animtronics/puppets. The scenic was excellent with an amazing facade and that gorgeous town square scene. One of my favorites this year.
- Dead Man's Pier: Winter's Wake – Just…wow. I mean I heard the hype for this house and thought it couldn't have a chance to meet the hype. It surpassed my expectations. My husband said this house was so beautiful, even if it didn't have Scareactors in it, it still would have been one he would walk through again. Also props to them having an actual actor play the violinist instead of a mannequin. Seriously one of the best houses not just of the year but ever.
- The Horrors of Blumhouse – Ok, this was a weird one. I really didn't care for the Freaky section at all. It was so boring and the scenic was just meh. I liked that movie but not this section of the house. But The Black Phone? Wow what a way to save a house for me. That was intense. Even with the lack of interesting scenic and a ton of black walls, this section was actually pretty awesome. Saved this house for me and got me good throughout the whole section.
- Bugs: Eaten Alive – This was a house that both met expectations and didn't at the same time. It was a lot of fun, just as I hoped it would be and the scenic was good. I just can't help but wish for more of the 50's house decor and less science lab scenes. I get that it was set in a sorta facility that you were touring so it made perfect sense, just can't help but feel like I wanted more 50's house scenes. Still a fun and great house overall.
- Descendants of Destruction – I will admit I was somewhat skeptical about this house as well as interested in it if that makes any sense. I was worried the scenic would get repetive and maybe it would fizzle out because of it. Instead this ended up being amazing. One of my favorites this year by far. Scenic was stunning, especially the subway trains. Loved how claustrophobic yet somewhat open those first couple of scenes are. Loved the ending too. Just a perfectly paced, fun and intense house. Shockingly beautiful as well. Loved this so much.
- The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare – I had high anticipation for this house do to being a fan of his music. I was hoping the house would at least be good. Instead it became one of my favorite houses of all time. Just wow this house was fun. Great scares, music, scenic, disorienting in the best way possible. I couldn't have imagined this house would be this good, but man did it exceed my expectations. One of my favorite houses ever. Fantastic. Here's hoping for maybe a Dawn FM sequel house.
- Universal Monsters: Legends Collide – My expectations were high for this do to my love of the previous two houses. And it met my expectations perfectly. Big, pretty scenic. Double and triple scares (got a scene where all three jumped out at once and gave me the biggest scare ever at this event), and I just love seeing the monsters.
Unfortunely I missed the shows this year as I was too busy stuffing my face with some of the food this year as well as spending way too much time in the zones, with a smile on my face.
Last edited:
- Apr 21, 2013
- 1,276
- 1,516
Not gonna lie - with the exception of Halloween, Monsters and Dead Man’s, super disappointing year of houses so far (missed Blumhouse, Chupacabra and Weeknd - which I plan to do next time). I’ll post more after subsequent visits.
All that said - I do like that there’s no more plexi and have more physical props to push through in the houses. And the scare zones are some of the best in years as a whole.
All that said - I do like that there’s no more plexi and have more physical props to push through in the houses. And the scare zones are some of the best in years as a whole.
- Feb 15, 2012
- 17,126
- 47,027
My Touring Plans review is up
touringplans.com
An overall fine year that's definitely boosted by a cohesive theme, the best scare zones in years, a strong show lineup, and a handful of strong houses. The year reminds me of a better 26 in many ways - year after an anniversary, adapting a fan-favorite character to an "icon", and my favorite scare zone is in Hollywood (
). For the years I've been it's better than 24, 26, and last year.
Halloween Horror Nights 31 Review | TouringPlans.com Blog
Halloween Horror Nights is back for its 31st year, and Universal is leaning into that classic Halloween flavor. We exper
touringplans.com
An overall fine year that's definitely boosted by a cohesive theme, the best scare zones in years, a strong show lineup, and a handful of strong houses. The year reminds me of a better 26 in many ways - year after an anniversary, adapting a fan-favorite character to an "icon", and my favorite scare zone is in Hollywood (
). For the years I've been it's better than 24, 26, and last year.
Some photos from the past 3 nights of HHN. Rain most of the first two nights but let up last night
Pumpkin Lord by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr
HHN 31 by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr
HHN 31 by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr
Pumpkin Lord by Mike Sperduto, on FlickrHHN 31 by Mike Sperduto, on FlickrHHN 31 by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr
- Aug 7, 2018
- 712
- 1,391
Thank you for not just the review, but also pointing out Red Coconut and giving a solid Stay and Scream strategy for those not on the forum.My Touring Plans review is up
Halloween Horror Nights 31 Review | TouringPlans.com Blog
Halloween Horror Nights is back for its 31st year, and Universal is leaning into that classic Halloween flavor. We exper
An overall fine year that's definitely boosted by a cohesive theme, the best scare zones in years, a strong show lineup, and a handful of strong houses. The year reminds me of a better 26 in many ways - year after an anniversary, adapting a fan-favorite character to an "icon", and my favorite scare zone is in Hollywood (
Few more pics from this past weekend
_DSC0380 by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr
_DSC0410 by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr
_DSC0012-Edit-2-Edit-2 by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr
_DSC0380 by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr_DSC0410 by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr_DSC0012-Edit-2-Edit-2 by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr
I've been going to HHN since 2007. I'll keep this brief.
It's been a helluva calendar year. I had a spinal fusion and laminectomy two months ago after three-months of being stuck on bedrest and unable to walk. I really thought HHN this year was going to be very easy to get excited for, but be absolutely miserable trying to hobble around the event with a healing spine and atrophied legs (sitting in a ECV or wheelchair hurts worse and wasn't an option). We planned on taking things very, very slow with lots of breaks in the scarezones. I was really looking forward to soaking up the vibes and energy of the event, but figured the pain and fatigue would put a damper on doing the actual houses.
We took things very slow, with lots of breaks (thanks Express!) and it was a complete 180° from our usual "go-go-go!"/non-stop attack of the event. And I gotta say, painfully walking through each of the houses and all, I still thought this year was one of the most solid line-ups I've ever seen and I can't remember a year that I've enjoyed more. I'm glad I "toughed it out" and didn't end up cancelling the trip. None of the luster was lost and the houses this year are all* phenomenal.
*not you Hellblock
It's been a helluva calendar year. I had a spinal fusion and laminectomy two months ago after three-months of being stuck on bedrest and unable to walk. I really thought HHN this year was going to be very easy to get excited for, but be absolutely miserable trying to hobble around the event with a healing spine and atrophied legs (sitting in a ECV or wheelchair hurts worse and wasn't an option). We planned on taking things very, very slow with lots of breaks in the scarezones. I was really looking forward to soaking up the vibes and energy of the event, but figured the pain and fatigue would put a damper on doing the actual houses.
We took things very slow, with lots of breaks (thanks Express!) and it was a complete 180° from our usual "go-go-go!"/non-stop attack of the event. And I gotta say, painfully walking through each of the houses and all, I still thought this year was one of the most solid line-ups I've ever seen and I can't remember a year that I've enjoyed more. I'm glad I "toughed it out" and didn't end up cancelling the trip. None of the luster was lost and the houses this year are all* phenomenal.
*not you Hellblock
Just got back from my annual HHN trip from Michigan (been attending the event since 2010). Stayed at Royal Pacific for the first time and while I wasn't wowed by the room the pool area, express passes and proximity to the parks made it more than worth it. Days were a combination of the parks, Volcano Bay and pool time. Went to HHN Thursday, Saturday and Sunday evenings using the Rush of Fear pass (outstanding value for the price). Was supposed to go Friday as well but ended up experiencing a medical issue and instead spent the evening in the ER of Dr. Phillips Hospital. I'm fine but it was scary--ended up being super dehydrated and passed out in Antejitos in CityWalk. A huge thanks to the Antejitos staff and Universal's EMT's for their assistance and quick response.
Now onto the event. I absolutely loved the classic Halloween theme of the event-it felt very refreshing and somewhat of a throwback to HHN's past. The abundance of original content was so great to see and I thought that the IP's that were featured this year worked and were not the lazy, soulless IP adaptions we have seen far too many of over the years. Not going to review individual scare zones but I thought all of them were fantastic and, shockingly, actually provided some decent scares instead of just being photo ops (looking at you Graveyard: Deadly Unrest).
Managed to get through each house at least once and there was definitely not a weak link in the lineup-even those toward the bottom of my list were still solid and would have probably ranked much higher in years past. Personal ranking:
10. Halloween: this was already my least-anticipated since it's so "been there, done that". The quoted 70 minute wait that ended up being 110 also kind of sucked the life out of me and made me not at all excited. It was a faithful adaptation of the movie and the Michael actors were actually quite aggressive on my run. Managed to get some good scares in the mirror maze finale. This was 1 of 2 houses that had abysmal queue management in terms of balancing standby vs. express.
9. Universal Monsters: Legends Collide: the setting was fantastic (we were long overdue for an Egypt-themed house) but my run was very light on actors, so scares were limited. I am all for a continued presence of the classic monsters at the event (2019's house is one of my favorites of all time) but this one just kind of missed the mark for me.
8. Fiesta de Chupacabra: great sets and atmosphere but lacking in scares. Had bad timing on my run and all of the Chupacabra puppets were sleeping. when I walked by.
7. Bugs: Eaten Alive: great idea to play on such a primal fear and loved the 1950's aesthetic where it was present but it kind of fizzled out after the first 1/3 of the house. This played as a dark comedy house to me, but I could see this being legitimately terrifying for someone afraid of bugs. Didn't mind the abundance of human victim actors but would have liked them to have kept the 1950's look instead of just generic scientists. This was the other house with horrible queue management and a grossly understated wait time. I suspect the super dark portion of the house toward the beginning played a part in the backups as the conga line moved much faster after that part.
6. Spirits of the Coven: heard a lot of bad reviews of this house but I enjoyed it. Had a quieter, low key atmosphere as opposed to the chaotic nature of most houses and the speakeasy setting was very cool. I don't find witches inherently scary but still managed to get a couple of decent scares.
5. Hellblock Horror: solid house considering it was thrown together last minute. The prison of monsters concept was cool but didn't go far enough in terms of variety of creatures. Not featuring more creatures from HHN past seemed like a huge missed opportunity and easy way to reuse lots of masks/costumes. Got my biggest scare of the event in this house- a fog machine went off and blinded me momentarily and then, boom, a scareactor was right in my face.
4. Horrors of Blumhouse: In all my years of attending the event I have never experienced something as unnerving as the Black Phone section of this house. I think this was mostly due to the house location, but it had a gritty, old school feel to it as opposed to the glitzy sets of most modern houses. The Grabber actors were very aggressive, and I caught virtually every scare. Easily the biggest surprise for me this year as this house was near the bottom of my anticipated list.
3. Descendents of Destruction: the cast was on fire during my run and I got some good scares, the biggest of which was in the subway car. One of the most intense houses I have ever experienced and managed to make an otherwise very tired post-apocalyptic theme feel fresh.
2. Dead Man's Pier: Winter's Wake: I will echo all the praise this house has received for its atmosphere- it was truly next level. The melancholic nature of the house was creepy but the scares themselves were average. Easily my all-time favorite as far as aesthetics.
1. The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare: this worked for me on all levels. The queue line was actually fun to wait in (who would have thought that was possible) and the cast was on fire during both of my runs. Had a chaotic funhouse vibe and managed to get some good scares, especially in the last room. If IP properties are to continue to have a presence at the event, then I would love to see this IP-ish approach to continue where there is a lot more creative liberty that can be taken instead of being forced to do a paint-by-numbers recreation of a movie.
Dabbled in the food and drink offerings a bit-- loved the pecan pie cider and lacto cooler, the fried PB&J was a hit and the popcorn flavored custard thing was a big miss.
Overall, one of my favorite years in quite some time. Felt like a return to form in some respects, mainly in the scarezones and less focus on IP properties. May have to bite the bullet and start including HHN Express into the mix. It was never needed in the past when attending mid-September and for multiple nights, but the crowds have gotten borderline unmanageable (Sunday night was pure chaos).
Now onto the event. I absolutely loved the classic Halloween theme of the event-it felt very refreshing and somewhat of a throwback to HHN's past. The abundance of original content was so great to see and I thought that the IP's that were featured this year worked and were not the lazy, soulless IP adaptions we have seen far too many of over the years. Not going to review individual scare zones but I thought all of them were fantastic and, shockingly, actually provided some decent scares instead of just being photo ops (looking at you Graveyard: Deadly Unrest).
Managed to get through each house at least once and there was definitely not a weak link in the lineup-even those toward the bottom of my list were still solid and would have probably ranked much higher in years past. Personal ranking:
10. Halloween: this was already my least-anticipated since it's so "been there, done that". The quoted 70 minute wait that ended up being 110 also kind of sucked the life out of me and made me not at all excited. It was a faithful adaptation of the movie and the Michael actors were actually quite aggressive on my run. Managed to get some good scares in the mirror maze finale. This was 1 of 2 houses that had abysmal queue management in terms of balancing standby vs. express.
9. Universal Monsters: Legends Collide: the setting was fantastic (we were long overdue for an Egypt-themed house) but my run was very light on actors, so scares were limited. I am all for a continued presence of the classic monsters at the event (2019's house is one of my favorites of all time) but this one just kind of missed the mark for me.
8. Fiesta de Chupacabra: great sets and atmosphere but lacking in scares. Had bad timing on my run and all of the Chupacabra puppets were sleeping. when I walked by.
7. Bugs: Eaten Alive: great idea to play on such a primal fear and loved the 1950's aesthetic where it was present but it kind of fizzled out after the first 1/3 of the house. This played as a dark comedy house to me, but I could see this being legitimately terrifying for someone afraid of bugs. Didn't mind the abundance of human victim actors but would have liked them to have kept the 1950's look instead of just generic scientists. This was the other house with horrible queue management and a grossly understated wait time. I suspect the super dark portion of the house toward the beginning played a part in the backups as the conga line moved much faster after that part.
6. Spirits of the Coven: heard a lot of bad reviews of this house but I enjoyed it. Had a quieter, low key atmosphere as opposed to the chaotic nature of most houses and the speakeasy setting was very cool. I don't find witches inherently scary but still managed to get a couple of decent scares.
5. Hellblock Horror: solid house considering it was thrown together last minute. The prison of monsters concept was cool but didn't go far enough in terms of variety of creatures. Not featuring more creatures from HHN past seemed like a huge missed opportunity and easy way to reuse lots of masks/costumes. Got my biggest scare of the event in this house- a fog machine went off and blinded me momentarily and then, boom, a scareactor was right in my face.
4. Horrors of Blumhouse: In all my years of attending the event I have never experienced something as unnerving as the Black Phone section of this house. I think this was mostly due to the house location, but it had a gritty, old school feel to it as opposed to the glitzy sets of most modern houses. The Grabber actors were very aggressive, and I caught virtually every scare. Easily the biggest surprise for me this year as this house was near the bottom of my anticipated list.
3. Descendents of Destruction: the cast was on fire during my run and I got some good scares, the biggest of which was in the subway car. One of the most intense houses I have ever experienced and managed to make an otherwise very tired post-apocalyptic theme feel fresh.
2. Dead Man's Pier: Winter's Wake: I will echo all the praise this house has received for its atmosphere- it was truly next level. The melancholic nature of the house was creepy but the scares themselves were average. Easily my all-time favorite as far as aesthetics.
1. The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare: this worked for me on all levels. The queue line was actually fun to wait in (who would have thought that was possible) and the cast was on fire during both of my runs. Had a chaotic funhouse vibe and managed to get some good scares, especially in the last room. If IP properties are to continue to have a presence at the event, then I would love to see this IP-ish approach to continue where there is a lot more creative liberty that can be taken instead of being forced to do a paint-by-numbers recreation of a movie.
Dabbled in the food and drink offerings a bit-- loved the pecan pie cider and lacto cooler, the fried PB&J was a hit and the popcorn flavored custard thing was a big miss.
Overall, one of my favorite years in quite some time. Felt like a return to form in some respects, mainly in the scarezones and less focus on IP properties. May have to bite the bullet and start including HHN Express into the mix. It was never needed in the past when attending mid-September and for multiple nights, but the crowds have gotten borderline unmanageable (Sunday night was pure chaos).
some pics -- i think they work better as B&W
_DSC0089 by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr
_DSC0023-Edit by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr
_DSC0373-Edit by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr
Rain really put a damper on our weekend but was still able to come away with some decent shots
HHN 31 by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr
HHN 31 by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr
HHN 31 by Mike Sperduto, on FlickrHHN 31 by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr
HHN 31
I don’t think I’ve ever had such a delta in personal preference vs general sentiment. I really like this year so far but have a whole different ranking than most…
1. Hellblock - I dont know, it just worked for me. I say it’d be better received without knowledge of Evil Dead but even the GP seems to kinda disregard it given its constant low waits. But I thought the cast brought a lot of energy and there were some sets like the electric chair and Yeti cage that made up for some of the more generic prison theming.
2. Bugs - light on scares sure, but I loved some of the inventiveness here, specifically the opening room and the dark hallway…I love when HHN does something different and I’ve never seen them use air puffs to simulate bugs. Granted, my favorite house ever is probably Slaughter Sinema so I’m a sucker for the cheese.
3. The Weeknd - love his music, loved that it played throughout the house. It worked better than I thought it would. Not too scary, but a lot of fun. I hope they do more of these types of houses in the future (me eating crow).
4. Descendants of Destruction - great old school pairing of aggressive scares with “how did they do that” sets. Seriously, everything involving a subway car in here is amazing.
After that the rest kind of blur together. The top three will stand out when thinking about this year…everything else kinda skews on the side of meh.
5. Blumhouse - especially Black Phone. Love the low budget gritty feel and actually am a HUGE fan of the outdoor transition.
6. Chupacabra - this theme doesn’t do much for me but the sets were incredible.
7. Coven - not scary, but it’s different. I like the attempt at a slow burn A24-style house. Not too scary, but the high concept makes up for it IMO.
8. Dead Man’s Pier - I want to like this one more because the Internet tells me to, but it just doesn’t do it for me. I appreciate the sets a lot, it’s just not what I’m looking for in a haunted house, and offers a less compelling story than Coven.
9. Monsters - it was fine. Never been a big ancient Egypt fan.
10. Halloween - probably the worst Halloween house we’ve had (maybe a little better than H4). I think properties like this and Texas Chainsaw lose some punch when they get too much room to work with.
Also had Express for one night (this weekend) and it was honestly flawless. Didn’t wait longer than maybe 15 minutes for anything…so hopefully the issues described earlier in this thread are fully worked out!
I’d say this is smack dab in the middle of years I’ve gone. In recent years, better than 26, 25, and 30 for me, but probably below 29, 28, and 27.
1. Hellblock - I dont know, it just worked for me. I say it’d be better received without knowledge of Evil Dead but even the GP seems to kinda disregard it given its constant low waits. But I thought the cast brought a lot of energy and there were some sets like the electric chair and Yeti cage that made up for some of the more generic prison theming.
2. Bugs - light on scares sure, but I loved some of the inventiveness here, specifically the opening room and the dark hallway…I love when HHN does something different and I’ve never seen them use air puffs to simulate bugs. Granted, my favorite house ever is probably Slaughter Sinema so I’m a sucker for the cheese.
3. The Weeknd - love his music, loved that it played throughout the house. It worked better than I thought it would. Not too scary, but a lot of fun. I hope they do more of these types of houses in the future (me eating crow).
4. Descendants of Destruction - great old school pairing of aggressive scares with “how did they do that” sets. Seriously, everything involving a subway car in here is amazing.
After that the rest kind of blur together. The top three will stand out when thinking about this year…everything else kinda skews on the side of meh.
5. Blumhouse - especially Black Phone. Love the low budget gritty feel and actually am a HUGE fan of the outdoor transition.
6. Chupacabra - this theme doesn’t do much for me but the sets were incredible.
7. Coven - not scary, but it’s different. I like the attempt at a slow burn A24-style house. Not too scary, but the high concept makes up for it IMO.
8. Dead Man’s Pier - I want to like this one more because the Internet tells me to, but it just doesn’t do it for me. I appreciate the sets a lot, it’s just not what I’m looking for in a haunted house, and offers a less compelling story than Coven.
9. Monsters - it was fine. Never been a big ancient Egypt fan.
10. Halloween - probably the worst Halloween house we’ve had (maybe a little better than H4). I think properties like this and Texas Chainsaw lose some punch when they get too much room to work with.
Also had Express for one night (this weekend) and it was honestly flawless. Didn’t wait longer than maybe 15 minutes for anything…so hopefully the issues described earlier in this thread are fully worked out!
I’d say this is smack dab in the middle of years I’ve gone. In recent years, better than 26, 25, and 30 for me, but probably below 29, 28, and 27.
Last edited:
Book with our Travel Partners
Latest posts
-
-
Halloween Horror Nights 33 (UOR) - Speculation & Rumors- Latest: Kichkinet85
-
-
