MADLANDS is a perfect example of a house I wanted to love more than I did. The overall atmosphere and set design were awesome, which is something Universal consistently knows how to deliver. There was plenty to look at, and the animals were… interesting, to say the least!

Where it lost me was the storytelling. I could see what the creative team was going for with the caged-cannibal concept, but seeing the concept and experiencing a story that actually comes together are two different things. I wanted a little more connection between the scenes so the madness would mean something beyond the visuals.

I have to give INVASION credit before we even walk through the front door: hands down, it had my favorite facade of HHN 35. That farmhouse setting sold the idea of an alien encounter immediately. It was the kind of entrance that makes you stop, look around, and get excited for what is waiting inside.

We moved from the barn into the family's home, including the bedroom, and eventually toward the backyard as the Grays popped up along the way. It was fun watching the invasion unfold room by room. And just when you think you've escaped, the house has one last surprise waiting outside. Still, as much as I loved the setting, I came away feeling that the overall experience fell a little short of that incredible first impression.

Stranger Things returning to Halloween Horror Nights was never going to be a hard sell for me, but I did wonder how much the experience would surprise me after previous houses based on the series. Thankfully, I walked out having had a really good time.

This is where the difference between a Scare Factor and an Overall Experience score matters. I gave the scares a 6, but my enjoyment a 9. I loved being back in that world, recognizing the characters and watching Universal bring the atmosphere of the series into a physical space. Bigger creature moments and encounters with familiar threats helped keep it entertaining, even when I wasn't exactly jumping around every corner.

Sometimes I don't need a house to scare the living daylights out of me. Sometimes I just want an entertaining, over-the-top Halloween experience. That's where H.R. Bloodengutz delivered. Between the twisted humor, seasonal mayhem, and the return of a character tied to HHN's history, this house had a personality all its own.

And can we talk about the facade? Alongside INVASION, this was one of the most elaborate entrances I saw. The Carey State Penitentiary setting made a great first impression before the house let loose with its own brand of ridiculous horror. I scored Scare Factor just 5/10, the lowest of my ten houses, but Set Design, Atmosphere, and Overall Experience each earned a 9. That pretty much tells you everything about why I liked it.

Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness was one of those houses where I found myself enjoying the spectacle just as much as the horror. It wasn't the scariest experience of the night, but I don't think that was the only point. This was a chance to step into a dark, theatrical world inspired by Ozzy and his music, and Universal leaned into it.

The combination of sound, imagery, and elaborate environments made this a house I genuinely wanted to take in rather than rush through. That enormous Ozzy moment near the finale was a highlight for me. I scored four of the five categories a 9, with only the Scare Factor coming in lower at a 6. This is exactly why I don't want to rank haunted houses on jump scares alone.

If you're going into an Evil Dead house, you know things are going to get nasty. I was ready for that, and Evil Dead Burn absolutely delivered the dark, gruesome energy I wanted. It had that feeling of everything going wrong very quickly—and then somehow getting worse.

I had spent time with the source material beforehand, which made the walkthrough even better. Recognizing the atmosphere, the familiar imagery, and the spirit of the franchise helped me appreciate what Universal was recreating. Story & Theme was an easy 10/10 for me. Add the strong sets and atmosphere, both 9/10, and you have one of the most complete horror experiences of the night. Did it have the very highest Scare Factor? No. But the overall package worked extremely well.

Anyone who knows how much I enjoy Jack the Clown will understand why this house was high on my list before I even stepped inside. Pairing Jack with Dr. Oddfellow for HHN's 35th anniversary felt like the perfect opportunity to celebrate two unforgettable characters—and the house made the most of that idea.

The visual effects were outstanding. The vortex-style projection sequence was a moment I won't forget, and the oversized heads added a surreal, almost ridiculous sense of scale. I did have a moment of confusion involving a mutilated version of Jack, but that didn't spoil the fun. My Overall Experience score was a full 10/10. This was a house I wanted to see again, partly because there was so much happening and partly because I was having such a good time.

Cybergoria was one of the original houses I was most curious about, and it ended up being my favorite original concept of HHN 35. It was loud—really loud!—and that industrial, futuristic intensity was part of what made the whole experience work. This wasn't another haunted mansion or familiar slasher scenario. It felt like walking into a nightmare where technology had gone very, very wrong.

I loved the cybernetic body-horror imagery, the relentless atmosphere, and the creative freedom of the concept. Universal made the mechanical world feel unsettling without needing to lean on traditional ghosts or monsters. I gave it a perfect 10/10 for Overall Experience, and its other categories were impressively consistent. It ties Jack & Oddfellow at 9.0 numerically, but when I think about which house stayed with me more, Cybergoria gets the edge.

Sinners was one of the houses that really impressed me with how completely it captured a recognizable world. The Club Juke environment, the building tension, and the vampire chaos gave it a strong identity. I didn't feel like I was just walking past a collection of movie references. I felt like I was inside the setting as things were going terribly wrong.

Atmosphere and Story & Theme both earned perfect 10s from me, and I don't hand those out lightly. The house knew what it wanted to be, and its design supported that every step of the way. The scares were strong, too, with an 8/10 Scare Factor. It was one of the most polished adaptations of my night, and if someone told me this was their number-one house, I would understand completely.

Here we are: my number-one haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights 35. Hellraiser had a lot to live up to because I was genuinely excited to see Universal tackle this world. The films have a very particular kind of horror—unsettling, elaborate, and almost otherworldly—and I wanted the house to capture more than just a few recognizable characters. It did.

The lighting inspired by the puzzle box, the feeling of moving deeper into the Labyrinth, and the appearances of Pinhead and the other Cenobites all created an atmosphere I loved. These characters don't have to sprint toward you to be terrifying. Sometimes their presence does the work. There was one small thing I wanted more from: I expected the Engineer to feel a little bigger. But that's a minor complaint next to how much the rest of the house impressed me. Atmosphere, Story & Theme, and Overall Experience each earned a perfect 10/10.