I guess it’s about time that I write about Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) right? We’ve been enjoying the event so much that we are basically never home, which means I have had zero time to sit down and write out my thoughts. BUT I am making it a point to get this out there now.HHN in Orlando, has been going on since mid September, that’s almost a month now. It’s been a month since we had our staycation, which honestly seems like it was a year ago. I am going to give you my first impressions as well as my now impressions a month into the event.
First Impressions, let’s go.
This was my second year attending HHN and with each year I love it so much more. Last year was an experience in its own, finally being able to attend the event and figure out our footing in Florida. This year, now that we had one year under our belts, was so much easier to adjust to. Opening weekend was A BLAST. Hanging with friends and experiencing the event for the first time again is one of the best things.
We managed to get through all of the houses and some twice and got to experience all of the scare zones.
Here are my opening weekend house and scare zones rankings:
Houses:
- Poltergeist
- Stranger Things
- Dead Exposure
- Seeds of Extinction
- Slaughter Cinema
- Trick ‘r’ Treat
- Carnival Graveyard
- Halloween 4
- Scary Tales
- Blumhouse
Scare Zones:
- Killer Klowns
- Chucky
- Twisted Traditions
- Vamp 85
- The Harvest
Biggest surprises were the Poltergeist house and the Chucky scare zone.
I’ve seen Poltergeist so many times and when it got announced I was really curious as to how that was going to translate into a house. For one, it’s a PG movie and it’s not scary. It is also a very slow movie until all the crazy stuff begins about 3/4 through the movie. I was so excited for this house no matter the scare level just because of how much I love the movie, but Universal Creative did such an amazing job with the house and it’s legitimately scary which I didn’t think could happen.
The Chucky scare zone was also a welcomed surprise. I had zero interest in it since I am not a fan of Chucky, but the scare actors make that scare zone. If they weren’t there, it wouldn’t be good. I had so many awesome interactions with them that it made my night. If you get the chance, just hang out by the Monkey’s. You’ll thank me later.
Since opening weekend we’ve been about 10 more times (thank you frequent fear pass). Every night is a different experience due to crowd levels and just really how we are feeling. We try and do at least one house every time we go, except Fridays. Fridays have been deemed scare zone night.
The houses have moved around in my rankings after we got to experience multiple runs through them. Some got way better which I am always happy about. Then there are some that just stayed the same. Which is fine, they are all still fun to go through in my opinion.
All of the houses this year are amazing in their own way. I even like half of Blumhouse, which seems to be everyone’s number 10. The Happy Death Day section of Blumhouse is awesome. It may not have the scares that most are looking for, but walking through the movie scenes is just as cool.
Without further ado here are my current house rankings:
- Poltergeist
- Seeds of Extinction
- Stranger Things
- Slaughter Cinema
- Dead Exposure
- Trick ‘r’ Treat
- Halloween 4
- Carnival Graveyard
- Scary Tales
- Blumhouse
And let’s not forget about Academy of Villains! I LOVED their show last year and was really excited that they got the Fear Factor stage this year. I miss Bill & Ted but I am happy that Academy of Villains have a bigger part of HHN. Their show this year is more of a story than last year. It’s basically terminator meets dancing. Its good, but not as good as last year. I still think everyone should make sure they see it at least once. 
Let’s talk about food now I guess? Yeah, let’s do that.
I’ve tried quite a few of the special food options and everything has been great so far. The Burger from Benny’s Burgers is above average and I would prefer that over the Krusty Burger in Springfield. We’ve also tried the fudge covered waffle on a stick, A++. Definitely try this. We got the one with the sprinkles because, ew nuts, but my favorite treat that I’ve gotten multiple times… the Waffle Ice Cream Pocket Sundae. It’s two chocolate-chip waffles stuffed with which ever ice cream you choose. It’s then topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, sprinkles, chopped peanuts and a cherry. I forgo the caramel and nuts though because again, ew nuts. 
Isn’t it pretty? We don’t usually try the food items at HHN but thanks to Stranger Things making its debut, all of the treats involve waffles and I love waffles.
I can’t wait to enjoy the rest of the event and start looking into the rumors for next year. After all it’s never too early for HHN.
jessamack.com 