While many people consider October to be the start of the Halloween season, for us here in Orlando it starts much earlier. The haunt events in the theme parks seem to begin earlier every year, and with Halloween Horror Nights dates now creeping further backwards into August, it just gives more time for everyone to experience the event. Or if you’re like me, it gives you the chance to experience it many, many, times. Your first experience in one of these haunted houses can be very different than your experience a month or even a week later, so I always like to see how my rankings and thoughts change throughout the season. With the full event of HHN 33 behind us, here is my final ranking and review.
It’s important to note that there are no bad houses, especially this year, every house has at least something to offer. I’ll be ranking on sets, scares, and then an overall ranking. All images taken by myself or found on the HHN Wiki.
10. Slaughter Sinema 2
Sets: ★★★
Scares: ★★
Overall: ★★½
I never experienced the original Slaughter Sinema, but I’ve always been intrigued by a house where every room was a different theme. Unfortunately, that also proves to be a detractor for me, because the pacing of this house is constantly interrupted by blank rooms in between each scene with posters for the upcoming scene. It’s a real shame because these rooms defeat any built-up tension and almost serves as a reset. The appeal of the best HHN houses for me is the relentless amount of scares, and not having a second to catch your breath, any lull in scares should only serve to build tension. Some of these poster rooms appear to have scares built into them where the posters can move for an actor to jump out, but I never saw it functioning.
However, the scenes themselves are very good for the most part. I love that the house feels very “grab bag” where any idea has a way to be integrated into the house. This must have been so much fun to create, because you can combine so many ideas into one house. My favorite scenes are the scene with the giant shark puppet, and the “Zyborgs” scene, even though the latter is lighter on scares. The first time I walked into the house, I got a direct hit with the “vomit” from the first scene and it was a perfect gross-out moment. There are some clever scenes and funny scares, but the constant loss of tension is too distracting for me to look past, and this house suffered from a lot of missing actors each time I went through.
9. Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines
Sets: ★★★½
Scares: ★★
Overall: ★★½
The Universal Monsters houses always seem to be a reliable theme for HHN, but this year I feel is a bit of a step down. The sets are great as always with this series, but the scares and story fall short of the high bar set by years past. I feel like they tried to go a little big with the story, and that gets lost in the constant noise and motion of the house. On paper, I’m sure the plot is very well-written and seems intriguing to walk through, but becomes hard to follow after the first scene. There is narration and sections with books showing text, but it’s hard to catch exactly what’s going on, and why the scenes change so rapidly from the castle to Egypt to a graveyard and back to the castle.
I will say, this house has most likely the best scare of the year. There is a scene where it looks like an endless hallway, achieved through mirrors, with fog and candles obscuring the view. Then, a werewolf comes out on a zipline and swings extremely close to you. Then, as soon as you turn around, a Van Helsing scare happens directly after, aiming a crossbow at the werewolf. This is an incredible one-two punch, and caught me completely by surprise. When the scares work, they really work, and I’ve gotten some great jumps, but more than any house this year, this seems to have the most spots with empty space. It could be a staffing issue with finding enough actors, or just the way the house is laid out. Overall, this is an intriguing entry into the Monsters HHN universe, but takes some big story swings that are hard to get across in a short walkthrough.
8. Goblin’s Feast
Sets: ★★★★
Scares: ★½
Overall: ★★½
When Goblin’s Feast was announced, I was very excited that HHN was continuing to explore the fantasy genre after last year’s Dueling Dragons house. The sets in this house are incredible, including a turning water wheel and village scene. These scenes are straight out of a fantasy movie or a Dungeons and Dragons game. The costumes are very detailed and it’s fun to see the different types of goblins interacting and how they act differently.
The scares are very minimal in this house, or maybe they just aren’t as scary because the theme is so separate from real life. It’s also a lot of the same type of scare with little variation, and there isn’t necessarily one scare that stands out. There’s a good double scare, but it’s not as in-your-face as some other ones. However, there are some very unique moments where projectors are used to put video of goblins on the inside of the tent ceiling to make the goblins seem huge. This house and Eternal Bloodlines are located in the new, larger tent setups and they both use the amount of space to their advantage. I really enjoy Goblin’s Feast, but it just doesn’t have the scares to place it to the top half of the list.
7. Major Sweets Candy Factory
Sets: ★★★★
Scares: ★★½
Overall: ★★★
Major Sweets is the continuation of the Sweet Revenge scare zone from 2022’s event, and shows the origin of the candy that turns kids into crazy killers. I really liked the Sweet Revenge scare zone, so I was excited to see any new addition to that story, and the factory setting works well for the theme. The scares aren’t anything special, but they’re effective, and there are some very clever makeup and prosthetics involving candy.
I think the set is incredibly detailed, with many scenes having moving pieces and props, and even flowing water. This house also features a few “guest activated triggers” which are my first time seeing them since I’ve been coming to the event. These involve buttons or movable props that guests can interact with to trigger lights, sounds or other scare tactics. The facade of the factory is also great, large outdoor facades are rare at the Orlando version of the event, so it’s nice to see one appear here.
6. Triplets of Terror
Sets: ★★★
Scares: ★★★½
Overall: ★★★
Triplets of Terror was probably my least anticipated house of the year just because I didn’t know what to expect, but this one really exceeded my expectations. I am always a fan of very realistic horror, and with this house capitalizing on the true crime genre boom that we’ve seen across media in recent years, it does that very effectively. The idea that we are walking through the same ritual murders through the decades is interesting, but gets a little lost in the execution.
The facade entrance is also very well done, a rainy evening with a police car in front of a run-down trailer sets the scene and shows the ambience of the house. The scares almost always involve the same three killers, which may sound like it would get stale, but it really doesn’t because the scares work. There aren’t too many clever tricks here, just cut and clear jump scares from murderers around every corner. And this house proves that sometimes that’s perfectly fine.
5. The Museum: Deadly Exhibits
Sets: ★★★
Scares: ★★★½
Overall: ★★★½
When this theme was announced, I knew immediately that I would like it. It just feels like a HHN house, if that makes sense. It’s the kind of concept that as soon as you hear it, you know what you’re going to get, and this house delivers. The brilliant thing about the idea of museum exhibits becoming cursed and coming to life is that it allows for a wide variety of scenes and settings, all tied together by a common theme. This in my opinion is a more effective version of what Slaughter Sinema 2 attempts to do with a new theme in each scene, but with Museum I feel like they really nailed the thematic cohesion that I was looking for.
The scares are also very well executed, and offer a wide variety of different tactics. Seeing different exhibits come to life is a blast, and allows many different styles to shine. It took me a few walkthroughs to get a really scary run, but the idea of this house is just so good it has to land in the top half of the list.
4. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Sets: ★★★★
Scares: ★★½
Overall: ★★★½
As a massive Ghostbusters fan, this house was probably my most anticipated of the year, and it doesn’t disappoint. I enjoyed the new Frozen Empire movie, and when the house was announced for this year’s event, I thought of some scenes in the movie and how well they fit with the HHN setup. While the house is a little light on scares, the production really shines, with some of the most impressive set pieces of the year. The frozen dining room and the classic firehouse freezing over are the standouts, as well as an Ecto-1 that blasts out of the wall.
If I had to give a critique, the final showdown scene feels a little empty, and this house as a whole seems to suffer from missing actors each time I walk through. However, the most detailed scene is the laboratory scene, with the Mini Puft marshmallow men scattered throughout the scene and wreaking havoc with the lab equipment. The ghost hallway in that scene also gives the chance to show off some moving figures, and incorporate video elements. The Garraka figures on stilts are extremely impressive, and the costumes overall in this house are well put together.
3. Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America
Sets: ★★★★½
Scares: ★★★★½
Overall: ★★★★½
This was the sleeper hit of the year for me, I knew the Hollywood version got great word of mouth, but this wasn’t really on my radar for this year’s event. However, the first time I walked through, I knew it was special. The sets are detailed and realistic, the costumes are impeccably detailed, and the scares are top level. There’s not really much I can say because this is just an all-around fantastic haunted house, and I can’t think of any negatives. It’s also very long which is always a plus, and each scene feels unique and spotlights a different monster. Overall I was incredibly impressed with this house, and I was excited each time I got ready to go inside.
Having the hindsight of the whole season, Monstruos is the one house that was consistent every single time I went through. I got scared by something new every time, and noticed more details in the incredibly realistic sets. The costumes were so unique, and the scare actors always gave their all. This was my “sleeper hit” of the year, and I will miss this house most of all.
2. A Quiet Place
Sets: ★★★★½
Scares: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★½
A Quiet Place was at the top of my most anticipated for this year just because I was so darn curious how the creative team were going to pull this off. And they did exactly what I had hoped, and more. While I was anticipating that the part where you actually have to be quiet would go on for a little longer (and I still wish it did), the fact that it exists at all is a blessing. The first pitch black hallway where you just know some aliens are waiting to pop out is the exact type of tension I look for from these houses, and while the all-black setting is simple, it’s also incredibly effective. I was a little worried about guests not playing along and purposely making noise, but that’s never been an issue.
After that initial scene, the house is made up of recreations of sets from the first two movies, including some giant Death Angel animatronics. These scenes are ripped straight from the movies, and there are so many animatronics and puppets. I’m just glad they took a risk on an IP like this, and clearly a lot of care and craft went into making this house. Special shoutout to the sound design team who figured out how to make scares out of silence without relying on the same technique every time. While Insidious is scarier, the creativity of this house reminds me why I love Halloween Horror Nights. The one detractor for me is the reliance on animatronic scares, which just cannot replicate the shock of a real actor.
1. Insidious: The Further
Sets: ★★★★★
Scares: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★
This was the opposite of Monstruos for me because in the opening week of the event, this house was all I saw talked about on social media. There were reports of people coming out crying, running out of the house in fear, and rumors that it was so scary that the creators didn’t even want to stand inside it after construction was complete. All of this hype led to a case of “antici-pointment” for me where after my first walkthrough I couldn’t help but think, “that’s it?” But in all fairness, my first two walkthroughs of the house were poorly timed, I could see all of the scares happening in front and behind me. After this initial visit, almost every time I’ve gone through the house it has been incredible.
The amount of scares in this house is unparalleled by any other HHN house I have experienced, it is quite literally non-stop. There is no time to catch your breath between scares, and the amount of scareactors is absurd. I’m sure some of this is thanks to clever design that allows the actors to be in multiple places at once, and from a design perspective the layout is ingenious. The sets are extremely immersive and realistic, the costume and sound design are all manufactured for peak terror, and the actors are giving 110% of their energy every single time. This is the scariest house of the year by pure numbers, and by the end of the season I had no choice but to rank it as my number one.
Here are some scattered thoughts about this year’s event:
- This year, more than the others I’ve seen, features a lot of puppets and animatronics. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t, and they work best when they are paired with an actor instead of replace one.
- There were more “holes” in the houses this year than before, and every house had points where an actor was clearly missing. This is something that I’ve seen get a lot of discussion, and it’s really a shame. Hopefully this will be corrected next year without Epic Universe and the Mega Movie Parade affecting their staffing.
- The first 3 or 4 houses are standouts, and after that everything is more or less interchangeable. While the event was happening, the houses were memorable, but now that the season has wrapped, I’m not sure these houses will stand the test of time and cement themselves in HHN history.
- Please bring back the HHN lagoon show next year, it was probably my favorite part of HHN 31. Cinesational is incredible, and an HHN version of it would do wonders for the entertainment offerings.
- There was a lot of merchandise this year, and while I only got a few pieces of Ghostbusters merch, I like that there are so many options. I’d like to see some more for the original houses, but in terms of IP houses, there was plenty to choose from. The tribute store was great as always.
- I didn’t end up seeing Nightmare Fuel, because I feel like it’s a little bit of been-there-done-that. I’d love to see some different shows next year, and hopefully more than one.
- Please bring back the lagoon show.
- I wish Transformers was still an option during the event, 4 rides is good but not quite enough.
- Food and drinks this year were consistently good. I hadn’t really gotten them in years past, but I really enjoyed them this year and will make it a point to try more in 2025.
- The Dead Coconut Club in Citywalk was so fun and I made multiple visits this season, definitely will check it out again next year.
- The scare zones, other than Demon Queens, were lackluster. The scare zones are what make the event, the ambience is what will stick with people, and I feel like that was missing this year. The entrance was arguably not even a zone, and the icons for this year, Sinister and Surreal, were such a good concept but didn’t have enough presence to make an impact. I really hope they bring back a big scare zone down the park’s main street, that goes such a long way in setting the tone, and it’s glaringly noticeable when it’s not there.
- Did I mention bringing back the lagoon show?
Overall, I thought HHN 33 had some very high highs, but somewhat lackluster outside of that. I still very much enjoyed the season, the houses were the highlight this year. HHN is still my favorite time of year and favorite event, and I will be there on opening day next year. I think the Universal creative team will look at all the feedback from this year and use it to make HHN 34 an all-time event that stands out. Despite my nitpicks, I had a blast every time I visited and am already missing walking through the fog. At least this year, we will have Dark Universe to hold us horror fans over until next spooky season.
Recent Discussion