Now that HHN 32 season is over I’m finally ready to review and rank this year’s houses. I’ve seen so many reviews and rankings posted on social media as early as the first week of HHN. Personally I think HHN is one of those events that needs time to marinate before I can offer a fair critique, and that goes for everything – houses, scare zones and the food.

Speaking of HHN food I just posted my top HHN foods on the blog so if you haven’t read it yet, you can check it out here >> https://itsmogoes.com/2023/11/05/top-specialty-foods-at-halloween-horror-nights/

Every year at HHN a new icon is introduced and this year the mysterious Dr. Oddfellow was the headliner. He was responsible for creating every crazy creature that lurked the five scare zones this year. As per usual the house lineup included ten houses, five of which were Universal originals and the other five were well-known intellectual properties.

This season I purchased the Ultimate Frequent Fear Pass which allowed me to attend HHN whenever I wanted. For me and my schedule that was a great deal. Having the flexibility to attend when it was convenient for me was awesome. I made a point to go different days of the week, each week of the season. This is key because I’ve realized that the overall HHN experience can vary greatly depending on the month, week, day and even time of day you arrive.

From all these visits I’ve compiled a list ranking all ten houses from least favorite to best overall, along with a short review of each.

#10. The Last of Us

Even if I were a fan of the video game and streaming series, I don’t think I’d rank this house any higher. The house had its scary moments but there was way too much inconsistency. After six walkthroughs this season each one was a completely different experience, most of which left me asking, “Where the heck is everyone?“

In my opinion this house had the most empty “boo holes,” where scare actors hid before doing their jump scare. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a shift change happening when I was there. That would explain things, but it’s only an assumption.

The wait times were insane all season with the exception of a few specific times that I happened to be there. The night I used HHN Express the standby wait dropped to ten minutes somewhere around 11:45pm until close and I walked through two times. Twice in October around 7pm the standby wait was only 20 minutes for an hour or so.

There were a few jump scares that got me good, especially that big clicker – sheesh! The entire set design was A-1 and it really made you feel like you were a part of the scene. It may have been one of the most highly anticipated houses to most, but it was just okay for me.

#9. Chucky: Ultimate

Kill Count

I’m not as big a fan of Chucky as I was when the original movie Child’s Play first debuted in 1988 so I wasn’t very excited about this house when Universal announced it this Summer.

The Chucky house was super popular so you could imagine wait times during peak event hours. My first walkthrough was on opening weekend with no HHN Express pass. The queue, ugh…the queue was an awful experience – here’s why.

That night the posted wait time (25 min) wasn’t accurate and turned out to be more than double the time posted. Could this have been just an opening weekend kink? Perhaps so. Keep in mind this house was placed inside the Fast & Furious building, an attraction with one of the longest queues in the park. I was so exhausted by the end of the house that I purposely avoided Chucky the rest of the season unless the posted wait time was less than 20 minutes.

I walked through Chucky only four times this year, including once with an Express Pass. The night I used Express was early in the season on a Thursday so it was quite busy. Express is worth every penny on busy nights because I was able to do all ten houses in one night, some twice.

The biggest positive about Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count was the overall improvement with each walkthrough and the detailed set design. The jump scares got better and more unpredictable which made the experience more enjoyable. If it wasn’t for the dreadfully long standby queue most nights, the Chucky house might have placed a bit higher.

8. Dueling Dragons:

Choose Thy Fate

This original Universal house is based on the beloved Dueling Dragons rollercoaster, a multiple loop dueling coaster that once stood in Hogsmeade Village at Islands of Adventure. It was replaced by Hagrid’s Magic Creatures Motorbike Adventure in 2019.

It was hard to imagine how a dragon themed roller coaster would translate into a haunted house. Now that I’ve experienced Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate house eight times this season, I can confirm Universal pulled it off, but with a couple major issues.

While the concept of the house was executed well, it didn’t fit the horror genre one bit. I consider it fantasy. It was the only house out of place in my opinion and I honestly feel like it shouldn’t have been there.

The set design and overall esthetics were outstanding but the jump scares were lacking and inconsistent, similar to The Last of Us. I caught Dueling Dragons on a couple good nights and everything was on point, except when I reached the section near the end where you choose the path of either fire or ice. Both paths were pretty weak almost every walkthrough. Overall, Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate was a nice house, it just wasn’t a good fit for HHN.

#7 – Stranger Things 4

Stranger Things 4 was a very popular house this season. As a fan of the streaming series I was very excited about another Stranger Things house returning to HHN. If you didn’t know, Universal brought the first Stranger Things house to HHN in 2019. I remember it well and it was one of my all time favorites.

Season 4 covered many characters and plots and I assumed the house would cover most if not all the important scenes and situations. The set design and scene selection was great but it could have been better. I thought too many major scenes and important characters were missing including Papa, Eleven and number 001 in the rainbow room, the desert scene with Papa and Eleven, and the Russian prison with Hopper and the Demogorgon.

Just like with The Last of Us, standby wait times stayed high throughout the season. Most of the scenes were thrilling and intense with a good amount of jump scares. If you know the series well you’ll love everything about the house design and details.

I only walked through this house four times this season, once with an HHN Express Pass and the remaining three times via standby. The wait times stayed high all season and it was hard to catch it under a 30 minute wait. I enjoyed Stranger Things 4 but it wasn’t my favorite.

#6 – The Exorcist Believer

I would have been more excited about this house had it been based on the original 1973 movie. After watching the 1st trailer of the 2023 movie last Summer, my expectations for the house weren’t very high.

I only did five walkthroughs of The Exorcist: Believer house and I noticed lots of things good and bad. First, the positives. The set design esthetics, jump scares and sound effects were amazing. Let me not forget the smells – ughh, some were really awful, but fitting for the theme. Some of the imagery was just plain disturbing, but what else would you expect? It’s the Exorcist.

Now the negatives. The first scene was confusing because it looked like a Tibetan village. What did Tibet have to do with the Exorcist? Nothing. It took a while for me to realize that the scene was actually in Haiti, which referenced the movie’s opening scene location. Am I the only one who was confused about that? I don’t think the first scene of the house was executed well if I couldn’t even tell it was supposed to be in 🇭🇹 .

Another negative relates directly to the movie so allow me to go a little deep. I’m extremely critical of movies and I found so many holes and inconsistencies in Exorcist Believer. I didn’t like the movie at all. Even after watching the movie it didn’t change my mind about the house.

Despite phenomenal esthetics, the house didn’t make sense to me. The fact that no explanation was given as to where the two girls disappeared to for three days made it hard for me to understand why the movie progressed as it did. Also, too little attention was given to character development, particularly with Katherine and her family. More insight on their parent/daughter relationship would have explained more about the “make a choice” scene near the movie’s end.

I can’t say I loved the house, but I liked it more than I liked the movie. With all that said, Exorcist: Believer does not make my top five. The house had great potential but in my opinion the weak storyline overshadowed all the amazing esthetics.

#5 – Dr. Oddfellow’s Twisted Origins

If you’re not down with clawing creatures and creepy clowns, do not enter Dr. Oddfellow’s Twisted Origins. You’ll be lured inside by the fun, unsuspecting circus exterior but inside all Dr. Oddfellow wants is to feed off your soul for his own immortality.

I did six walkthroughs and each one was as thrilling as the first, if not more. The standby wait times were up and down but on days I was there the wait time remained low within the first two hours.

This house had amazing visuals and consistent jump scares throughout the entire season. My strategy for Dr. Oddfellow’s Twisted Oddities was to make it one of the first houses to do upon event entry and it worked every time.

#4 – Yeti

Yeti left a lasting impression on the masses because it was recently announced as HHN32 House of the Year. I did seven walkthroughs and each one had me on my toes with my fingers in my ears. I started wearing earplugs in houses to take the edge off the intense jump scares because of Yeti and it really helped!

Just when I thought I knew a jump scare was coming, it never happened. Then when I let my guard down – gotcha! Can we talk about that 8 foot tall bear? I’m still recovering from that by the way. There’s a scene where you walk across a dock on the lake. The jump scare was always to the left at the cabin but they started switching things up by adding a jump scare on the lake – it was crazy!

They eventually became so unpredictable that I was afraid to walk without bracing myself at every step. My only complaint with Yeti was the lack of jump scares near the very end. To end a good house on a weak note was disappointing but it only happened a couple of times. Yeti finished the season strong at my #4.

#3 – Universal Monsters: Unmasked

For some reason I had neutral expectations for Universal Monsters Unmasked but after seven walkthroughs this season each one impressed me. Upon entering the house the very first scene had me convinced that I didn’t give this house enough credit. I especially loved the rain drizzle and fog which made the scene set on a dark street in old world Paris even more authentic.

This house had the most distinct aromatic scents filling the air that really helped transport you to that exact place and time. The floral scent in the theatre section was the most memorable to me. The jump scares were wild and the screams from scare actors were jarring – bravo to the lady pushing the pram in the park scene!

I’ve enjoyed all the Universal Monsters themed houses from the last couple of years. As popular as this IP has become. my guess is we’ll see a Universal Monsters themed house at HHN every year from now on.

#2 – Blood Moon Dark Offerings

I find it hard to believe there wasn’t much hype for Bloodmoon Dark Offerings because I found it to be better than most of the popular IP houses. The storyline is basically about a colonial cult who terrorizes and forces victims into worshiping the bloodmoon.

I walked through this house more than any of the others because it maintained the lowest standby wait times most of the season and it was the easiest to get to being so close to the park entrance.

The majority of the standby queue was indoors so it was an easy choice on rainy HHN nights. The set was spectacular, particularly the ominous, red full moon looming above as you approach the house entrance. The walk down the center aisle of pews was the most terrifying part. There was a mix of scare actors and mannequins sitting in each row. Imagine walking past that not knowing one from the other – SHEESH!

This house was the sleeper hit of the season. Jump scares were wild and unpredictable. I heard more screams from park guests in this house than any other. Leading up to the last two weeks of HHN Bloodmoon Dark Offerings was my #1 pick but another house managed to hold a slight edge over it and knocked it down a spot.

#1 – The Darkest Deal

Many don’t realize the story behind The Darkest Deal house is similar to the events involving a real Blues musician named Robert Johnson. According to the legend, he sold his soul to the devil in exchange for talent, fortune and fame.

This house was dripping with creepiness and you could feel it as you approached the wooden juke joint facade. The eerie moans of the singer wailing indistinct bluesy notes resonated through the air.

The jump scares and set design were awesome. I couldn’t even look at that creepy demon in the first scene, and to think this guy made a deal with it for his soul? The storyline was terrifying and it translated perfectly from beginning to end. I consider this house one of the most improved and most consistent this year.

The jump scares started early and maintained intensity and unpredictability. The one thing that gave this house the slight advantage was the legend behind the storyline. For something like this to have supposedly happened to a real-life person added an extra layer of terror to this house.

I’m excited to see what HHN33 has in store – I’m sure we HHN fans will have lots of theories and opinions on which IPs will make the list next year – speculation can be a great conversation starter. Any thoughts about HHN32 or HHN33? Be sure to leave a comment!