HHN 29 Review

[EthanH]

This past Sunday was my third time at HHN, with 2015 and 2018 being my other two times.  I'm a big fan of the lore of HHN and the backstories and know all about the past events so I was thrilled to go this year.

 

#10 - Stranger Things: While I liked season one of Stranger Things just fine, I really didn't care for season two and especially season three, so as you can imagine, I was apprehensive for this house.  I was right that this house was nowhere near as good as last year's Stranger Things house.  Weak on scares and more so just felt like they were recreating scenes from the show rather than putting you in the show.  I guess my general distain for this house also has to do with how insane the lines were when the best houses weren't anywhere as long.  I can understand Stranger Things winning house of the year last year, but I'll be fairly bitter if it wins this year.  The most positive thing I can say about this house was the set-piece with the school bus, I thought that was genuinely creative and cool.  Grade: C

 

#9 - Nightingales: Blood Pit: I did this house twice and I didn't think it was particularly memorable.  That being said, I really liked the bird costumes.  They were really creepy and probably the creepiest costumes of the event.  Grade: B-

 

#8 - Killer Klowns from Outer Space: I watched the movie for the first time the night before I went on Sunday, and the movie was pretty good.  The house itself is decent, light on scares but some creepy set pieces.  Grade: B-

 

#7 - Us: Similar to Stranger Things, I wasn't a big fan of Us, but I was pleasantly surprised by the house.  While I put it in eighth place, there were some excellent set pieces, mainly the other family's fancy loft.  I don't remember it being particularly scary.  Grade: B

 

#6 - Universal Monsters: Favorite parts of this house were Frankenstein and creature of the Black Lagoon, and that part towards the beginning where the Wolfman runs toward the crowd.  Probably the most average house of the night.  Grade: B+

 

#5 - Graveyard Games: I always like when they put extensive backstories in their original houses.  The Facebook screen for the queue was nice.  The house itself was extremely atmospheric and did not hold back with the scares.  The pitch-black room towards the end was genuinely frightening.  I can definitely see why this house is considered one of the best from the event.  Grade: A-

#4 - House of 1000 Corpses: I watched the movie for the first time a few days before the event.  I loved the movie and the house was pretty much exactly what I expected it would be.  I did the house three times, the second most of any house that night.  Good uses of humor.  Grade: A

 

#3 - Depths of Fear: The first house I did.  During my last two trips, I hit the very first Production Central house first (using express pass) and boy what a mistake that was.  Going straight to the back of the park was incredible.  I was able to walk on to Depths of Fear without using my express pass and then I was able to do the same thing for House of 1000 Corpses without express!  But as for Depths of Fear, I loved the submarine setting.  Some of the TV monitors (in the entrance and with the crew drowning) were a bit cheesy but maybe intentionally so.  Excellent use of colors in the house.  Grade: A


 

#2 - Ghostbusters: This house was heavenly.  Got to do it twice and it was excellent.  Funny and creative.  The smell of burning marshmallow was great.  The taller props toward the end of the house were beautiful, and I loved the shot of that scene of Sigorney Weaver on the roof above the colorful New York skyline.  If this wins House of the Year, I'd be thrilled.  Grade: A

 

#1 - Yeti: Terror of the Yukon: I got to do this house six times, the final four of those times being in a row.  The sixth and final time was excellent, towards the end of the event where there was nobody behind me and hardly anyone in front of me.  And maybe the fact that it was incredibly humid the night I went and such a cold house felt incredible, but Yeti is my favorite house of the night.  The use of interior/exteriors of the cabins.  The ice caves toward the end.  Atmospheric, and certainly scary.  Some of the yetis really scared me and had frightening designs.  May possibly beat 2015's Jacks Monsters & Mayhem for best house I've ever gone through.  Grade: A+

Well, that's it for my 2019 review.  This being my third time, I think I can now rank the events that I went to.  2019 was a good year.  Compared to 2018, I think that 2019 had higher highs but also lower lows.  I think if I had to rank them, I'd go:

 

2018 > 2019 > 2015