With this year soon on its way, I'd figure to look back on the years I've done so far since my first in 2018. And my ranking is from the bottom up.
6. HHN 30
Best way to describe this year is a potentially solid year on paper that was ultimately hampered by the restrictions of that year, which unfortunately makes the potential highs a "What If?..." kind of year. Which is a bummer since a good chunk of houses could've been killer alongside Wicked Growth sans restrictions. Zones were alright, shows were split. (A weaker lagoon show, but HNF's debut was great.) Still a fun year, but it just doesn't hold up for me as it wasn't able to fire on all cylinders.
5. HHN 33
A year with some surprising highs such as Insidious and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, but some rather notable lows such as one of the weakest scare zone lineups we've had in a few years, and a pair of Icons who were notably half-baked. HNF: Nocturnal Circus was fine for me, but overall the year just didn't hit like the higher ranked ones for me.
4. HHN 28
My very first year, and quite a memorable one at that! Houses were solid with Poltergeist, Slaughter Sinema, Dead Exposure, the first (and best) year of Stranger Things, and I also enjoyed the heck out of Carnival Graveyard moreso than a lot of other folks. Zones were pretty fine, with KKfOS being a ton of fun. I would possibly have this year higher, but I was only here for one night.
3. HHN 29
Aw yeah, this year's always fun to look back on. Houses were varied and quite solid, with Graveyard Games (One of my all time favs) and Universal Monsters delivering one heck of a one-two punch. I enjoyed the zones, and both shows were very good as well, especially the debut of Halloween Marathon of Mayhem. Add in a nice synth and neon vibe for the park, and this was a wonderful year!
2. HHN 31
I honestly dug this year! Houses such as Dead Man's Pier, Chupacabra (which I honestly loved), Weeknd: AHN, UCM: Legends Collide were very fun to go through, and while HNF had a bit of a sophomore slump, I really enjoyed the short-lived Ghoulish lagoon show. The main highlight of the year however, the zones. Hands-down the best collection of zones so far. All nicely unified with a Halloween theme and they all kicked butt for me. Graveyard, Sweet Revenge, Scarecrow, Conjure the Dark, heck even the entry zone did its job nicely. Would've preferred a longer music loop for the park though, for we are the sinners, we are the saints...
1. HHN 32
Hands down the strongest overall house lineup so far out of the years I've attended. This year had a general Top 5 or so which would stand out strong in any other year, and it makes The Darkest Deal being one of my all-time favs even more impressive considering the competition it had.
The zones were very solid, all revolving around the Icon which made everything feel more cohesive.
HNF: Revenge Dream was a great climax to the show's storyline at the time.
And then we have the Icon, Dr. Oddfellow. The charismatic cult leader finally had his time in the spotlight, and the event had him fully incorporated into the event. He had a great house (which not every Icon can lay claim to), all the scare zones revolved around him in some fashion, his whistling could be heard amongst the music loop in the park, his symbol was everywhere, he had a legit presence throughout the park. This is how you do an Icon well, and he brought that je ne sais quoi that solidified this year as my favorite.
...so far. There's always a chance a future year can reach the same high or higher, but it will need to be firing on all cylinders for it to happen for me.