For funsies. Halloween is the moment of every year, and Halloween Horror Nights is the event I look forward to the most !
She kinda popped off this year? So many hits. The plexiglass did kind of suck though only because it was a dead giveaway of everywhere someone would pop out at you :/.
10th: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives
Honestly??? She was kind of boring. It was the first house of the night I went into and I guess the good thing was you could only go up from there! Classic Universal Monsters don't really appeal to me and it is clear (despite me not going last year due to covid cancelling her) they did put on this and one other house for regular visitors during the day, and they should have left her in 2020 because she wasn't impressive. Like I kind of just... remember nothing about it? Left 0 impression.
9th: Revenge of the Tooth Fairy
So the other 2020 entry returning, and the last house I went into because if I was going to miss one it would have been this one (she got awful reviews). I understand why it isn't a well received house?? The theming of the house is extremely cool and sets it up well, but then we get into the house and the jump scares are kinda boring because the monsters just aren't really scary in the slightest?? At least I remember something about her, hence why she gets 9th and not 10th, but 2020 HHN mini kinda flopped from what I can see.
- Gap -
8th: Welcome To Scarey: Horror In Heartland
So like, I was kind of really excited for this one when it was announced... but then I found out she was a compilation house from previous HHN houses, which SOUNDS cool, but in practice it kind of flops with no real flow. Scarey, Ohio is the reoccurring town in their original haunt ideas, so everything about it should have worked... she just didn't impress in the way she should have. There was a noticeable gap in how this house was better than the last two though.
7th: Puppet Theatre: Captive Audience
She had potential. She genuinely had potential. But the execution of her? It was kind of silly for a production company like Universal??? I wanted this house to be more than it was. Dolls in general have 0 fear factor for me, but they could have done more to make it creepier. The theming of the house was the standout and she kinda served in detail, but the scares could have been more.
6th: Case Files: Unearthed
This house was the biggest let down for me this year... I really thought it was going to be like that bitch of their original houses. Like mythology is just such a fun theme that could go in so many directions, and I honestly didn't hate the direction it went. It gave me extreme video game vibes, and it really reminded me of the TellTale game Wolf Among Us. It was camp in a good way, and it kind of reminded me of puppet theatre... but the difference in quality between 6th and 5+ is very noticeable IMO.
- Gap -
5th: BeetleJuice
This house was the best of the night in terms of nostalgia, the detail that went into it, this house was the most genuine and true to its source material and it genuinely felt like you were walking through the movie. For that category, she is the hands down winner, really outsold everyone else. However, this house had 0 scare factor to it. She really took the horror out of Halloween Horror Nights, and for that reason she just can't go any higher for me.
4th: Haunting of Hill House
Honestly... minus episode 5 bent neck lady, I think Haunting of Hill House sucked as a show. It was slow, boring, and repetitive. It isn't my kind of horror. However, I was extremely curious as to how they would incorporate this into a house... and I think the execution of it was extremely well done! It amplified the horror elements and the detailing was amazing (as the houses usually are here). I left this house with a great taste in my mouth!
3rd: Halloween Horror Night Icons
Honestly? This house surprised me the most. I was expecting her to be a very middle of the road entry, but she kinda stood out. This house did the compilation set up *extremely* well and it was everything Welcome To Scarey should have been. The change ups never felt off or weird, and it meshed together really nicely. This was one of the houses where the scares worked out for me in where I was in line and I got the experience of people popping out at me and the interactive components I look forward to!
2nd: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
This was the house I was most excited for (I love me some slashers) and she did not disappoint. I think they based the house off the original movie, and it really looked like you were walking through the house in the movie which was extremely cool for a fan boy like me! (I own the OG Texas Chainsaw in two different steelbooks). I WILL say the reason why this is #2 and NOT #1 is because I got put in the worst position possible in line where yes I was leading my group but the person in front of me was so OTTN5 edgic that every scareactor popped out at him and I got 0 interactivity throughout it :(.
1st: The Wicked Growth: Realm Of The Pumpkin
Honestly, I feel like each year where the movie based houses stand out for their ability to thrive off the source material and make you feel like you are walking through it... an original house always provides the best scares of the night and the overall best experience. I kind of pride myself on being able to pick out the original house that will be the standout of the original houses, and I did it with Wicked Growth this year (again). It was easily my favorite of the night, and it really worked out for me too because I was able to have a nice gap between me and the group in front of me so it felt like a more personalized genuine experience. 10/10 loved her and I recommend it!
She was good, I just don't know yet if it was good because I went through withdrawals of not being able to go last year or if it was just actually good!
