Voorhees

But how could you resist this . . . sweet little trick-or-treater?

This was incredibly difficult, but here are my top 20 houses and top 5 scarezones, along with the worst ones. I've been attending since 2002 and it's funny how the older ones have more sentimental value. When I was prioritizing my lists, I asked myself, which houses and scarezones would I walk through right now and enjoy just as much as I did when I first experienced them. Top Ten Houses (1 = best) 1) The Skool (2005) - I have great memories of this house; usually walked through alone 2) Hellgate Prison (2004) - amazing intensity, great queue video, and it's time for a sequel 3) Scream House (2002) - my first HHN house and a true classic 4) Dead Silence: The Curse of Mary Shaw (2007) - cold, great music, and very memorable 5) Psychoscareapy: Maximum Madness (2006) - an excellent sequel that surpassed the original 6) Body Collectors (2005) - a true classic that sent chills down the spines of many guests 7) Psychoscareapy: Home for the Holidays (2007) - festive house with superior theming 8) Gothic (2012) - amazing sets, excellent scares, and another true classic has been created 9) Chucky: Friends ‘til the End (2009) - I love Child's Play and the house mastered the movies 10) Hades: Gates of Ruin (2010) - excellent costumes and high energy - I love my Minotaur Next Ten Houses (I had to include them) 11) All Nite Die-In (2003) - bumped down by Gothic; great tribute to horror movies - go Jason! 12) Scary Tales: Once Upon a Nightmare (2008) - surpassed its two predecessors; amazing sets 13) H.R. Bloodengutz Presents Holidays of Horror (2011) - best true dark comedy house to date 14) Deadtropolis (2004) - very intense and it paved the way for the comeback of the zombie 15) A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dreamwalkers (2007) - I'm not a fan of the movies, but amazing house 16) Terror Mines (2005) - new technology with the helmets - it actually worked (if you had the helmet) 17) Leave it to Cleaver (2009) - great dark comedy house and memorable interactions with scareactors 18) Nightingales: Blood Prey (2011) - excellent concept and it created a claustrophobic experience 19) The Hallow (2008) - who doesn't love going back to the roots of Halloween in a perfect house 20) Silver Screams (2009) - good choice of movies and a nice nod to classic and modern horror Bottom Ten Houses (1 = worst) 10) Disorientorium (2004) - a disorienting house that confuses my memory more than most 9) The Thing (2011) - were we simply watching a battle between the Thing and the scientists? 8) Blood Ruins (2005) - a complete reuse of the set from Ghost Town; pointless house 7) Creatures! (2008) - I know . . . let's make creature costumes that we can't use - rednecks work, no? 6) Reflections of Fear (2008) - so sad because it could have been so much better 5) Jack’s Funhouse in Clown-O-Vision (2007) - everything was wrong with this house 4) Funhouse of Fear (2003) - more like Funhouse of Stupid Dumbness 3) Dungeon of Terror: Retold (2006) - I hope the original wasn't this bad - it's not possible 2) Vampyr: Blood Bath (2007) - worst use of space and lacked focus 1) Fear Factor (2002) - uhhhhhh, what? Top Five Scarezones (1 = best) 1) The Skoolhouse (2008) - simply stunning; loved the set, the music, the atmosfear, and the scareactors 2) 7 (2011) - simply amazing; loved the idea and the transformations throughout the night 3) Fright Yard (2004) - very memorable; proves that IOA/USF crossover can work 4) Deadtropolis: Zombie Siege (2006) - intense and unforgettable; good tribute to the house 5) Treaks and Foons (2002) - who doesn't love clowns hiding in foam? *Honorable mention goes to the Dark Legions of 2012 - kudos for successful roaming hordes Bottom Five Scarezones (1 = worst) 5) Boo-Ville (2002/2003) - umm . . . carnival music and lighting - riiiiiight 4) Canyon of Dark Souls (2011) - I still don't get what was going on here 3) Containment (2009) - very poorly executed 2) Your Luck Has Run Out (2011) - I don't know which was worse: Lady Luck's masks or her screaming 1) Midway of the Bizarre (2007) - the most epic failure ever

Nope - it's not there. And, I've played each day, but have received nothing. Sad day.

Thanks for a great review - I am so glad you created your rating system. Curiouser and curiouser . . . Thanks for a great year, although I didn't see you much in your location. Whatever you choose to do next year, be sure to keep your passion for scaring, whether it be in person or through leadership.

I will truly miss the Baccanoids in the streets! You were consistently fierce, aggressive, and determined to scare the crap out of anyone and everyone in your path. I always made it a point to visit you guys in NY each night that I attended HHN this year. Your tactics in KidZone and in front of MIB were also epic and know that you will truly be missed! Thanks for making HHN22 so memorable for me! You make me proud to be a Baccanoid!

I've said this before, but since the event has sadly come to an end, I'll say it again. You ladies were the most maniacal group I have ever seen in the ten years I've been attending HHN and deserve major props for it. In addition, you were the best CDT I've seen throughout my run of the event as well. You scared, startled, and creeped out guest of all ages this year. You will truly be missed. Thanks for making HHN22 so memorable! Just remember to be nice to little trick-or-treaters - those traditionals were just asking for candy. You're interaction with the Traditionals on Halloween night during the closing cast was truly epic and I will always remember these final moments!

The Traditionals - what should have been SOTY! Your interactions with the guest and with each other, the dedication to your specific roles, the lusting for candy, the tantrums when you didn't get the candy, and so many other things made both Traditional casts truly a pleasure to be around. While you weren't the scariest of the legions (that goes to the Warriors, in my opinion), you were the most entertaining. However, you did get many scares through your antics on a nightly basis. One of my favorite houses is the Skool in 2005 (don't judge, we're all entitled to our opinion) and my favorite scarezone is the Skoolhouse from 2008; now I can add the Traditionals to a great line of favorites. Know that you will all be missed! And here's to one final special shout-out to all of the foxes, especially my marzipan friend - Bill. Rosie, you, too, were phenomenal every night. And to Rosie's evil twin . . . look at it this way, at least you were nicer than Rosie. That counts for something, right?

I always spend the last few moments of HHN on Halloween night in my favorite place of the year. I was on my way over to Gothic at the end of the night, but I got distracted by a feud between the Traditionals and the Prisoners in front of MIB. While I truly enjoyed my final moments of the year with two of the best hordes, know that I was on my way! Congratulations on HOTY - you truly deserved it! Gothic will take a place as one of the best HHN houses of all time for its amazing theming, sets, sounds, scares, and scareactors. Gothic, you will be missed!

Yes - you got lucky here. I went nine nights this year and never saw the cast change. On two nights, we waited about an hour to see this happen with no luck. I wish that A&D could have implemented their original plan of the 75+ horde, but I guess safety won. Let's hope something like this can come to fruition next year! On a different note, thanks to our favorite robot for, once again, giving it all throughout the event. You'll be back - you'll see.

Rather than posting my pictures here, just check out my updated Flickr page. Thanks to everyone for a great HHN22 experience! Great people help make great memories!

I want to agree with many on these boards that HHN22 was truly the Year of the Scareactor! Many kudos go out to all of you in the streets and in the houses for making this year's event so memorable for everyone. Usually after the event is over, most people are talking about missing houses and scarezones, but his year everyone is talking about missing the casts. Over the past month, I have shared my thanks to you guys and girls that make our adventures through the park amazing experiences and unique each and every time we attend the event. Halloween night was no exception . . . Houses: nothing special stood out since I primarily stayed in the streets, but I would like to thank: -the Alice Cooper cast who truly made Kathy's night (as well as gave me a better appreciation for your house). -the Gothic cast for always being on key and amazing! Congratulations on HOTY - you truly deserve it! -the two Siegfrieds in Penn & Teller - I guess the mutation caused you to be cloned on Halloween Night: SSarmoti, then? -the super amazing walker in the hospital who says he won't continue next year. We'll see about that. Streets: everything special about the streets this year, but some highlights from Halloween night include: -e_z_e who absolutely loves his salt and pepper shakers at Mel's - here's to "drop kicking the s@#t out of those shakers!" Amazing! -the entire cast of the Traditionals who made the streets come alive whenever you were around. I have to say one of the most memorable moments of the night was in front of MIB at the close of the event when the Prisoners arrived. You guys had a great showdown! Shame on the prisoner, however, that made Rosie cry because you attacked her with your chainsaw. Kudos to the pumpkinhead and the prisoner who played the Whack-A-Mole game in front of Simpsons - it was a great way to end the night - here's the picture. The highlight of the event for me, however, was my favorite marzipan-eating fox friend - I hope you enjoyed the marzipan I gave you on Halloween night! Yumm. -the entire cast of the Prisoners who electrified the streets this year with their energy. Your final departure in front of MIB was fantastic - it was the loudest I've see you throughout the entire run of the event. But, you should have been nicer to the Traditionals - they're just sweet little kids, no? -the entire cast of the Warriors who scared the crap out of your guests each and every night. The highlight of Halloween was your trip through Finnigan's - I saw two of you sneak up to a table in the main dining area and scare a woman so badly that she flipped her fork off the table and it (along with whatever food was on it) at least five feet into the air - here's the picture. As a fellow Baccanoid (by association at least), you made me proud throughout the run of HHN22! -the Beasts for winning SOTY. One of my biggest scares throughout the event came on 10/12 when Cody provided a distraction, allowing another beast to scare me while I was taking a picture in front of Mel's. Thanks to Kathy, Justin, Adam, Ryan, Thomas, Ryan, Sam, Kim, Jason, Dr. Jimmy, and everyone else who made Halloween night simply amazing! I want to finally thank all of the scareactors that we ran into after the park closed in front of the Universal Store and along the exit pathways leading towards the parking lot. Halloween Night Nightmares is a wonderful fan community and the event is truly enhanced by meeting fellow fans of the event and the scareactors that interact with us on a nightly basis. Thanks for spending so much time talking with us and I hope to see you all again next year, if not sooner! -- Voorhees

I am a Baccanoid player and I have completed the Machorian game several times since the site changed. I did not get this e-mail. Any ideas? While I have thoroughly enjoyed the Horror Unearthed experience this year, little hiccups like this are frustrating. I know that A&D has worked very hard to make this game for the fans and I am excited that it will continue next year. I hope they worked out any kinks with the card readers, but now they have to work on consistency with their e-mail communications and the dates they choose to play the in-park games since everyone cannot make it on Thursdays and Sundays. Just my thoughts. Finally, thanks to the entire A&D team for this amazing addition to HHN22!

I agree with many thoughts on here. While HHN22 was great, it does not compete with some other years. This year was truly the Year of the Scareactor, as several others have stated. The energy, enthusiasm, and passion of our scareactors truly drove this year to be memorable. I will mostly miss the street experience (primarily the Traditionals, the Warriors, and Prisoners, but all were amazing!), a few of the houses (Gothic, Penn & Teller, the first half of The Walking Dead, and the overall feeling of Silent Hill), and the scareactors who have all been top notch this year. To all of you in the houses and the streets, I tip my hat to you for an amazing year! I agree that the parade can continue next year, as long as they mix fixed scarezones with the roaming experience. I really hope they add the eighth house again as this was a major let-down this year. They can add as many shows as they want as I don't get attracted to them, yet the crowds do. I love crowd eaters - here's to Transformers next year! I don't expect the lines to be as long next year. What a relief that will be. Finally, to those of you who I met this year, thanks for making HHN22 even that much more memorable. Whether you were in costume or enjoying the event as a guest, like me, it is the people that made HHN22 so great! Halloween night was truly spectacular! Let the speculation for HHN23 begin . . .

Unfortunately, I have to head back to St. Pete after the event - work calls.

Now that I know the four bell ringers better, I am looking forward to my next visit through Gothic even more than I was before. Thanks.

Usually, cast changes are dreaded times to go through a house. However, we experiened a cast change in Alice Cooper on Friday night and happened to be under the bleachers during the switch. Both jocks provide great interactions with their HNN guests and to have both together was an unforgettable experience. I know that Kathy thoroughly enjoyed this! See, Kathy, our timing was perfect, even amidst the "what the hell are we doing" fiasco in KidZone. Timing is everything.

^You're welcome . . . and thank you! HHN is a staple for many of us - I even consider it a lifeblood. I'm a teacher in St. Petersburg and drive more than 200 miles every weekend to attend the event, mostly because of people like you! The theming, the sets, and the atmosphere all contribute to each and every year, but it is the scareactors that make everything come to life. Without YOU, the event would be nothing. How many times over the years has it been said on these forums that a house or scarezone is as strong as its casts. Most people that I talk to (outside of the HHN fan community) don't understand how I can return to the event so often. I respond with "You wouldn't understand unless you truly live the event." YOU scareactors make us live the event. On topic . . . I've been saying all year that Gothic should, hands-down, be HOTY and know that you have my vote! I've been attending since 2002 and this stands out as one of the best houses of all time. Although it's hard to compete with some of the classic favorite houses of years past, Gothic will most certainly join the ranks! As others have stated, Gothic is consistently flawless!

You are more than welcome, Kathy! It is always a pleasure to see you and Uncle Fred at the event and I'll do anything to help you enjoy your HHN time. Isn't that what make the HNN community such an amazing thing? I hope you can pull a full night on Halloween for one final run. I also can tell you that the rest of my party, especially my dad and Stephanie really enjoyed spending time with you. I believe Stephanie's words were: "She is one cool lady!" It was also great to spend time with Justin, and meet TsunamiFox and McLovin'. I really enjoy meeting HNN members at the event. Mark, thanks for taking time to talk to me by the lagoon. As I said to you on Friday night, thanks for creating, organizing, and maintaining this site. You have given us a great place to share our passion about HHN and meet new people who share that same passion! I'll see you all on Halloween night!

I went on Friday night with some newbies who thoroughly enjoyed the event, mostly in part to the amazing scareactors. I also brought my dad and uncle, and met up with Justin, Kathy, and some other friends in the park. (A party of five quickly turned into a party of twelve - happy birthday, Justin!) It was a great night with great memories. Thank you! As I was more interested in watching you all scare my new attendees, I personally didn't get many scares, but I still have a few thank yous in order . . . Rat Lady Escorts - you are great. One of them sat down with us at Mel's while we were eating and simply stared at us without blinking. After about two minutes of nothing but staring (and not blinking), he turned salt and pepper shakers upside down and walked away, leaving us laughing. He returned a few minutes later and knocked them over (since we righted them). We then thought it would be funny to stack four of them on top of each other. He saw the salt and pepper tower from the street and began walking towards us when he op signaled the end of shift call. He seemed quite upset that we were getting the last laugh. He glared at us the whole way off set. Well . . . we returned to Mel's to meet up with our entire group later that night and guess who was there . . . and he was back with a vengence! Thank you for making our night! Traditionals - always a pleasure. - Fox-girl: thanks for taking Justin's candy, putting it in your mouth (fully wrapped, of course) and later spitting it all out in your apron. Then, to offer it to your witch friend was classic. You then saw the chocolate-chip cookie that I was carrying and started jumping up and down since you hadn't been offered a cookie yet. I told you that I would give it to you if you scared to crap out of my newbie friend who was standing next to the Alice Cooper entrance. Let's just say that you deserved the cookie - great job creeping around the signage and the bushes to give her a great, memorable scare from behind! - Fox-boy: thanks, as always, for the interactions. Oh, and thanks for making my newbie feel welcome at HHN! You certaintly gave her the creepiest and most uncomfortable feeling of the night by viciously attacking her over and over again. I can always count on you - I'll see you on Halloween night! The Walking Dead - I missed my robot AGAIN! I even called for you both times through the house. I am DETERMINED to see you on Halloween niight! Gothic - always the best house of the night. - I want to thank our amazing bell ringers on Friday night for not just providing amazing scares, but also for your concern. I'm not sure which cast we had at the time, but since all four of you are here, I know two of you were involved. The group in front of us thought it was funny to grab the ropes and swing them, toss them, and throw them every which way. The ropes ended up backfiring into my dad's face and smashed into his glasses. Luckily they didn't break (since Universal chooses smart materials for their props), but it did hurt his nose since he doesn't have a great bridge. The two bell ringers noticed this play out before I did and were already in front of him asking him if he was okay. Thank you! Why tell the story? To further support the on-going discussion in the Discussion thread that supports how much the scareactors love scaring, but that safety and concern is still the foremost priority at the event. To everyone else . . . my newbie friend is a screamer - thanks for making this a very memorable night for us. She screamed constantly and we laughed every time. I already wrote too much, but know that there are many more great moments of the night. See you all on 10/31 for one final run!!

It's the least I could do for one of the best scares of the event! Thank you for making our night! I'll be back on Friday night with some other newbies and please feel free to scare them as much as you can! I'll take more pictures for you!

^I'll agree with this. I know that there have been significantly more scareactors cast in the streets this year and it shows. I have been to the event seven times so far and I have never seen the streets empty. There are times where there may be a five minute lapse while the hordes are switching or it may be raining, but other than that, the streets are loaded. I'm glad they added the two additional sets of scareactors and I love the rotation of the five roaming hordes - it adds a fresh atmosfear to the streets. It's also really fun to catch the different hordes in different locations to see where their scare tactics are the best.

Well, this is the Beast who provided the distraction. If is was you, thanks for providing a distraction for a scare that I will always remember. If it wasn't you, please pass on my thanks to two amazing Beasts!

I, too, complained originally about the absence of Pyramidhead's famous blade. Thanks to everyone for pointing it out, but I do agree that it is way too high and out of sight for most people. I mean, look how long it took us to find it! I'm glad it's there, but I'm disappointed. I do like seeing Alyssa on the stairs, but it should be timed with another effect. We've been saying all along that the first nurse room needs fixing (one scareactor for the entire stretch from the first dooway until Pyramidhead's room. I was hoping Universal would rework this room within the limitations they have. I guess we're stuck with what's there. At least the nurses at the end are right on point! Mr. Black brings up a good question . . . why isn't there a scareactor in Robbie's suit? Is this another rehash of the "Creatures!" fiasco? I certainly hope this isn't the case since the costume looks fairly simple.

After going through this house about ten times so far, I will say again that it will be hard to replace it as my HOTY! Everything about it is perfect!