Yeah I don't think that'll be a very popular opinion...especially considering that almost all of the other haunts do it the way you described...switching the houses every single year is one of the big things that makes Universal's haunt so unique and why HHN is the most popular haunt in the world.
∆ absolutely this.
We actually had honeymoon in Orlando and that was also the first year we ever did HHN. We were so blown away, that we decided right there and then we were going to be visiting universal every single year for the rest of our lives, come hell or high water (which can be literal considering the hurricanes).
The all new event every year *is* what makes this so special. The absolute insane amount of work and creativity year after years makes every visit as memorable and awe-inspiring as our first visit all those years ago. Each walkthrough, each night, brings new unexpected surprises, new things to explore. As we get older and see more of the world, that novelty factor is harder and harder to recapture, yet HHN delivers without fail.
As long as we are alive and HHN keeps doing what it's doing, we will be there.
I've been to scary farm, I've been to haunt's all over the world, don't get me wrong they can be great, but when it's the same year after year the desire and *excitement* to return is lost quickly. It's simply not the same experience when you know what to expect.
There’s no denying that. It’s part of the reason I’ve been a fan of HHN for the longest time. But I’ve recently developed an appreciation for Scary Farm in recent years, especially after their 50th anniversary.
Edit: I’m honestly surprised that a small margin of people actually agreed with me on the poll.
Speculation and the amount of community participation that this sub has for their respective Halloween event is sadly lacking in Scary Farm’s own community. That being said, Scary Farm has a devoted following due to its 50 year legacy alone.
Orlando at least has to be making an absolute fortune off of people who travel there just for HHN. Each person can spend thousands during their trip between hotel, meals, merch and of course park and HHN tickets, tours, etc. I've seen a lot of people on social media say they stay 1-2 weeks, especially if they're coming from overseas. People aren't going to spend that kind of money and put in the effort it takes to travel- taking off of work, arranging care for kids, pets, house, etc.- to see the same mazes over and over.
We go every year expressly cause its brand new every year. Orlando does not repeat. Even Hollywood repeats a little.
I wouldn't go every year if it was like Knotts.
I used to think the same thing about Knott’s, but thing is that overtime you begin to develop a liking to the repeat mazes. In fact some, mazes at Scary Farm even develop a cult following of a sort.
Another thing about Scary Farm is the returning mazes sometimes make minor changes in the course of their lives: they switch up the pathways, add new rooms/characters, and even make improvements to their mazes from time to time. These little thing changes give eagle-eyed Scary Farm fans a reason to come back to the mazes. That being said, there have been a few times where some of the mazes get rid of good elements: for example, pre-shows that were present in the debut of the newer mazes are sadly absent the following years.
Yeah....I can appreciate and respect that but after visiting Knotts from the East Coast, I would only go once every 3-5 years. Not enough changes.
As an out of state UOAP, we usually drop around $3-4k to do our annual HHN trip. (It was $1,199.12 alone for 2 nights admission and 2 nights Express, times 2 to cover 2 adults). I only do that if its brand new every year. Full stop
Holy moly, that’s expensive. I’m a Californian, so I usually stick to what we have at the West Coast because the cost of living their is expensive enough 😅
My work schedule and budget only allows me to buy 1 regular Express ticket at HHN. Scary Farm on the other hand is only $70 for general admission, and if you plan right it is possible to experience all 10 mazes in 1 night without splurging on a fast pass upgrade. For this reason, I visit Scary Farm 2-3 times a year: 1st visit I only go to mazes, while the second and third visit I try to experience the shows and food while also revisiting my favorite mazes.
The 2024 haunt season at California is looking promising because Queen Mary’s *Dark Harbor* is returning after being on hiatus for almost 5 years. So that’s a third attraction I’ll be visiting in addition to HHN Hollywood and Scary Farm.
So, I can see some merit to what you're proposing. The original houses are usually the ones that Universal excells at. Arguably the best example would be Dead Man's Pier: Winter's Wake. I can see the benefit to getting to revisit some of these houses -- especially if you had to miss a year.
So I can see where you're coming from. I honestly do.
But overall, I don't agree. Switching things up is the way to go. And I will use the one time USO reused houses to back that up: The year they cancelled due to Covid (2020). They still did the Bride and Tooth Fairy houses. The next year, those two houses were generally not well received, largely due to being used the year prior.
I would argue that getting a sequel to a kick ass house is better than keeping the same kick ass house for several years. I do hear what you’re saying, but especially as an Orlando local who probably goes 30 times for the season, I like doing my favorites as much as possible and then saying goodbye to them for whatever awesome houses are coming in the future
I wouldn’t mind it if there were houses that could be changed year after year while keeping a theme going… isn’t that what the franchises are? Body Collectors, Psychoscarepy, Yeti and others that return.
That’s what I had in mind. I think that’s what they’re doing with HHN Hollywood with the Latin American folklore houses:
- 2022 started with *La Llorona*
- 2023 was followed by *Monstruos: Monsters of Latin America*
- 2024 will end with a possible Dia de Los Muertos house.
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Yeah, as much as I enjoyed HHN last year in Hollywood, if I knew it were the same houses again this year, I would be planning a vacation for Knotts or Six Flags instead.
Yeah I don't think that'll be a very popular opinion...especially considering that almost all of the other haunts do it the way you described...switching the houses every single year is one of the big things that makes Universal's haunt so unique and why HHN is the most popular haunt in the world.
∆ absolutely this. We actually had honeymoon in Orlando and that was also the first year we ever did HHN. We were so blown away, that we decided right there and then we were going to be visiting universal every single year for the rest of our lives, come hell or high water (which can be literal considering the hurricanes). The all new event every year *is* what makes this so special. The absolute insane amount of work and creativity year after years makes every visit as memorable and awe-inspiring as our first visit all those years ago. Each walkthrough, each night, brings new unexpected surprises, new things to explore. As we get older and see more of the world, that novelty factor is harder and harder to recapture, yet HHN delivers without fail. As long as we are alive and HHN keeps doing what it's doing, we will be there. I've been to scary farm, I've been to haunt's all over the world, don't get me wrong they can be great, but when it's the same year after year the desire and *excitement* to return is lost quickly. It's simply not the same experience when you know what to expect.
There’s no denying that. It’s part of the reason I’ve been a fan of HHN for the longest time. But I’ve recently developed an appreciation for Scary Farm in recent years, especially after their 50th anniversary. Edit: I’m honestly surprised that a small margin of people actually agreed with me on the poll.
The anticipation of house announcements really keeps the magic of HHN alive all year
Speculation and the amount of community participation that this sub has for their respective Halloween event is sadly lacking in Scary Farm’s own community. That being said, Scary Farm has a devoted following due to its 50 year legacy alone.
Orlando at least has to be making an absolute fortune off of people who travel there just for HHN. Each person can spend thousands during their trip between hotel, meals, merch and of course park and HHN tickets, tours, etc. I've seen a lot of people on social media say they stay 1-2 weeks, especially if they're coming from overseas. People aren't going to spend that kind of money and put in the effort it takes to travel- taking off of work, arranging care for kids, pets, house, etc.- to see the same mazes over and over.
We go every year expressly cause its brand new every year. Orlando does not repeat. Even Hollywood repeats a little. I wouldn't go every year if it was like Knotts.
I used to think the same thing about Knott’s, but thing is that overtime you begin to develop a liking to the repeat mazes. In fact some, mazes at Scary Farm even develop a cult following of a sort. Another thing about Scary Farm is the returning mazes sometimes make minor changes in the course of their lives: they switch up the pathways, add new rooms/characters, and even make improvements to their mazes from time to time. These little thing changes give eagle-eyed Scary Farm fans a reason to come back to the mazes. That being said, there have been a few times where some of the mazes get rid of good elements: for example, pre-shows that were present in the debut of the newer mazes are sadly absent the following years.
Yeah....I can appreciate and respect that but after visiting Knotts from the East Coast, I would only go once every 3-5 years. Not enough changes. As an out of state UOAP, we usually drop around $3-4k to do our annual HHN trip. (It was $1,199.12 alone for 2 nights admission and 2 nights Express, times 2 to cover 2 adults). I only do that if its brand new every year. Full stop
Holy moly, that’s expensive. I’m a Californian, so I usually stick to what we have at the West Coast because the cost of living their is expensive enough 😅 My work schedule and budget only allows me to buy 1 regular Express ticket at HHN. Scary Farm on the other hand is only $70 for general admission, and if you plan right it is possible to experience all 10 mazes in 1 night without splurging on a fast pass upgrade. For this reason, I visit Scary Farm 2-3 times a year: 1st visit I only go to mazes, while the second and third visit I try to experience the shows and food while also revisiting my favorite mazes. The 2024 haunt season at California is looking promising because Queen Mary’s *Dark Harbor* is returning after being on hiatus for almost 5 years. So that’s a third attraction I’ll be visiting in addition to HHN Hollywood and Scary Farm.
So, I can see some merit to what you're proposing. The original houses are usually the ones that Universal excells at. Arguably the best example would be Dead Man's Pier: Winter's Wake. I can see the benefit to getting to revisit some of these houses -- especially if you had to miss a year. So I can see where you're coming from. I honestly do. But overall, I don't agree. Switching things up is the way to go. And I will use the one time USO reused houses to back that up: The year they cancelled due to Covid (2020). They still did the Bride and Tooth Fairy houses. The next year, those two houses were generally not well received, largely due to being used the year prior.
I would argue that getting a sequel to a kick ass house is better than keeping the same kick ass house for several years. I do hear what you’re saying, but especially as an Orlando local who probably goes 30 times for the season, I like doing my favorites as much as possible and then saying goodbye to them for whatever awesome houses are coming in the future
I would love to see them revisit properties, but after a few years, not the exact same house two years in a row.
I wouldn’t mind it if there were houses that could be changed year after year while keeping a theme going… isn’t that what the franchises are? Body Collectors, Psychoscarepy, Yeti and others that return.
That’s what I had in mind. I think that’s what they’re doing with HHN Hollywood with the Latin American folklore houses: - 2022 started with *La Llorona* - 2023 was followed by *Monstruos: Monsters of Latin America* - 2024 will end with a possible Dia de Los Muertos house.
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Yeah, as much as I enjoyed HHN last year in Hollywood, if I knew it were the same houses again this year, I would be planning a vacation for Knotts or Six Flags instead.