Halloween Horror Nights '19 General Discussion

[hhnlover]

I actually would bet on the facade being the firehouse.

yeab i originally thought of the firehouse being the facade, but there isn't any scenes in the station until the ending of the second act. and most hhn haunts are in chronological order, so it'll be weird if you entered the station, then you're suddenly in the library.

 

[chris.g]

You're talking to the same event that made the hedge maze for the Shining its facade yet started off at the Overlook hotel. Basically, they'll go with what would work better in terms of recognition instead of chronological thinking.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

Yeah, I'd imagine the Firehouse (with the Echo One outside) would be the main facade, as it is arguably the most iconic location in anything from the Ghostbusters franchise.

 

[hhnlover]

Yeah, I'd imagine the Firehouse (with the Echo One outside) would be the main facade, as it is arguably the most iconic location in anything from the Ghostbusters franchise.

You're talking to the same event that made the hedge maze for the Shining its facade yet started off at the Overlook hotel. Basically, they'll go with what would work better in terms of recognition instead of chronological thinking.

yeah fair enough

 

[Jaden]

Have the facade as the firehoue with smoke and a beaming light on top for the ghosts escape. Will probably enter the side like TrT house, then enter the streets and being attacked by ghosts. Then they could either take us to the library or Sedgewick Hotel.

EDIT: Twitter password prize will be a free ecto-cooler!

 

[viking_wizard_eyes]

Man, Ghostbusters is really starting to strike me as a lose-lose experience . . . I mean, from a pure design and scale standpoint, I'm sure it will be among this year's best. There are a lot of creative elements to work with and I'm sure the team will kill it. Even hhnlover's own treatment sounds really cool, I can only imagine the real deal.

But the trick is can they make it scary. Maybe "scariness" isn't as much of a factor these days, but I'm definitely still the kind of person who wants to feel those jitters when I go through a maze. I'm not sure that they can accomplish that here—outside of two or three things, the imagery in Ghostbusters just doesn't deliver that kind of experience. And if they can make it scary, doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of what makes Ghostbusters good in the first place? The Ghostbusters movie is one of the best live-action cartoons ever; it's a comedy first and foremost. Trying to twist its elements into something more sufficiently "horror" could yield some unintentionally cheesy/corny results.

IDK, feeling pretty skeptical about it, overall.

 

[Clive]

Ghostbusters will be plenty scary. There's a number of Poltergeist-level creeps & ghosts to emulate. There'll be showier moments, ala Stranger Things, but designed right, there's plenty of good stuff.

Again, I'm concerned with how the IP will translate on Hollywood's resources and facilities. Orlando has a much bigger spend in an expansive soundstage - one that allows for major verticality. Our Ghostbusters, as far as we know, will be in a tent. Yes, forced perspective, but we all know by now that the technique works best when you're working across a large canvas to make a big building look even bigger. Making a one-story structure (the limit allows by the tents) look skyscraper style is more likely to look cartoonish, ala the Beast castle in Florida's Magic Kingdom.

 

[rageofthegods]

Man, Ghostbusters is really starting to strike me as a lose-lose experience . . . I mean, from a pure design and scale standpoint, I'm sure it will be among this year's best. There are a lot of creative elements to work with and I'm sure the team will kill it. Even hhnlover's own treatment sounds really cool, I can only imagine the real deal.

But the trick is can they make it scary. Maybe "scariness" isn't as much of a factor these days, but I'm definitely still the kind of person who wants to feel those jitters when I go through a maze. I'm not sure that they can accomplish that here—outside of two or three things, the imagery in Ghostbusters just doesn't deliver that kind of experience. And if they can make it scary, doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of what makes Ghostbusters good in the first place? The Ghostbusters movie is one of the best live-action cartoons ever; it's a comedy first and foremost. Trying to twist its elements into something more sufficiently "horror" could yield some unintentionally cheesy/corny results.

IDK, feeling pretty skeptical about it, overall.

Scariest maze for me in a while was Krampus, and that was not a scary movie. Intense maze though, while still being plenty funny with the kitchen scene and whatnot. The Shining is one of the most intense movies I've seen meanwhile, and it was kinda middle-of-the-road as far as mazes go.

It's funny, there isn't anything innately "scary" about a jumpscare, right? Like, you can be scared if a possum jumped in through the window, but you're not gonna stay up at night because of it; and tons of people laugh after jump scares in movies, even with "serious" horror movies like The Conjuring and Halloween. The line really isn't that thick. I think plenty of people will be scared by something kinda cartoony looking jumping out at them from a corner they weren't looking at, and I'm sure that as they go through, it's going to be just as intense as if Jason or Freddy was gunning for them. Best scare I had last year was from a giant skull for God's sake, one of the top 10 hoakiest horror elements ever, but it didn't matter when it was screaming at me from the dark.

Ghostbusters will be plenty scary. There's a number of Poltergeist-level creeps & ghosts to emulate. There'll be showier moments, ala Stranger Things, but designed right, there's plenty of good stuff.

Again, I'm concerned with how the IP will translate on Hollywood's resources and facilities. Orlando has a much bigger spend in an expansive soundstage - one that allows for major verticality. Our Ghostbusters, as far as we know, will be in a tent. Yes, forced perspective, but we all know by now that the technique works best when you're working across a large canvas to make a big building look even bigger. Making a one-story structure (the limit allows by the tents) look skyscraper style is more likely to look cartoonish, ala the Beast castle in Florida's Magic Kingdom.

I think we have something like two stories to work with, remembering things like the Ash vs Evil Dead facade and the entrance to the mansion in Crimson Peak. I think that they have enough for one or two scenes, especially if it's the skyscraper top (I don't think they're gonna try to represent the whole skyscraper, seems like a bridge too far; probably, they're just gonna do a First Purge thing and just have a two story facade to represent the entrance.)

 

[chris.g]

Would be cool if Murdy is able to pull off the feeling of walking on a 70 story building and there's a scene where guests are walking on a "balcony" and Stay Puft is just a giant head down below (a repurposed Poltergiest skull) with a cardboard cutout of Manhattan being backlit ala Peter Pan's Adventure. Transition going back into the "building" through a window guarded by Gargoyles (being scare actors). Anyone else see what I'm getting at?

 

[Clive]

I think we have something like two stories to work with, remembering things like the Ash vs Evil Dead facade and the entrance to the mansion in Crimson Peak. I think that they have enough for one or two scenes, especially if it's the skyscraper top (I don't think they're gonna try to represent the whole skyscraper, seems like a bridge too far; probably, they're just gonna do a First Purge thing and just have a two story facade to represent the entrance.)

It's one story, plus or minus a few feet. Ash vs Evil Dead was a one story building made to look like two. Crimson Peak took place in a soundstage.

 

[rageofthegods]

It's one story, plus or minus a few feet. Ash vs Evil Dead was a one story building made to look like two. Crimson Peak took place in a soundstage.

My bad. Still, as long as there isn't much room to move and look at it, it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

 

[hhnlover]

This might sound whishful thinking, but since we're getting 2 mazes with giant monsters in them (3 if you count stranger things with the mind flayer)....do you guys think we'll ever see a cloverfield maze? that movie has always been on my wish list, and it'll be a good cult classic maze.

 

[viking_wizard_eyes]

Scariest maze for me in a while was Krampus, and that was not a scary movie. Intense maze though, while still being plenty funny with the kitchen scene and whatnot. The Shining is one of the most intense movies I've seen meanwhile, and it was kinda middle-of-the-road as far as mazes go.

It's funny, there isn't anything innately "scary" about a jumpscare, right? Like, you can be scared if a possum jumped in through the window, but you're not gonna stay up at night because of it; and tons of people laugh after jump scares in movies, even with "serious" horror movies like The Conjuring and Halloween. The line really isn't that thick. I think plenty of people will be scared by something kinda cartoony looking jumping out at them from a corner they weren't looking at, and I'm sure that as they go through, it's going to be just as intense as if Jason or Freddy was gunning for them. Best scare I had last year was from a giant skull for God's sake, one of the top 10 hoakiest horror elements ever, but it didn't matter when it was screaming at me from the dark.

Fair! It’s all super subjective, especially when you’re in the moment. I guess, in addition to imagery, it also has a lot to do with tone for me. Krampus has its light moments of slapstick and self-aware satire, for sure, but there are also elements of violence and real dread and tension in there. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t detect an ounce of tension in Ghostbusters, and there isn’t much (if any) violence. Now, like you say, there are so many exceptions. Violence and tension aren’t prerequisites for a scary movie or a scare maze or anything. Poltergeist is a pretty “light” movie overall, but I found the house pretty harrowing and tense, so they could easily pull it off with Ghostbusters, too. My thing is: do I actually want that from Ghostbusters? A scary/harrowing/tense Ghostbusters maze just seems sort of out of step with what I (and I assume most people) like about it. The mood of it just doesn’t fit, and I think messing with the mood will ruin what’s good about it.

 

[horrornights789]

Ghostbusters will be plenty scary. There's a number of Poltergeist-level creeps & ghosts to emulate. There'll be showier moments, ala Stranger Things, but designed right, there's plenty of good stuff.

Again, I'm concerned with how the IP will translate on Hollywood's resources and facilities. Orlando has a much bigger spend in an expansive soundstage - one that allows for major verticality. Our Ghostbusters, as far as we know, will be in a tent. Yes, forced perspective, but we all know by now that the technique works best when you're working across a large canvas to make a big building look even bigger. Making a one-story structure (the limit allows by the tents) look skyscraper style is more likely to look cartoonish, ala the Beast castle in Florida's Magic Kingdom.

I’m expecting it to match Poltergeist in a lot of ways. Honestly I doubt they’ll lean into comedy though, last time they did that it was heavily censored and a dud(AvED)

 

[AlexanderMBush]

As far as the facades verticality, I'm thinking that they won't shy away from Verticality.

While it's been over 6 years since, La Llorona comes to mind real quick on vertical facades, and is kind-of why I'm expecting them to do something similar for the Firehouse.

(Photo: Theme Park Adventure [Such a gem of an old site])

 

[Clive]

As far as the facades verticality, I'm thinking that they won't shy away from Verticality.

While it's been over 6 years since, La Llorona comes to mind real quick on vertical facades, and is kind-of why I'm expecting them to do something similar for the Firehouse.


(Photo: Theme Park Adventure [Such a gem of an old site])

I'm not worried about verticality of the facade, per se, though the squashed execution of Poltergeist leaves some room for concern. Again - I'm not so keen on them attempting skyscraper-type locales inside a tent, including the full appearance of Stay Puft.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

I'm not worried about verticality of the facade, per se, though the squashed execution of Poltergeist leaves some room for concern. Again - I'm not so keen on them attempting skyscraper-type locales inside a tent, including the full appearance of Stay Puft.

Honestly, I do wish GB was in one of the Stages, as I do agree that it would've been a heck of a lot better than putting it in an actual tent.

I am concerned about the Tower scenes if I want to be more specific, not just Stay-Puft, but..more or less two particular good boys.

 

[HHNManics]

EDIT: Twitter password prize will be a free ecto-cooler!

It would probably just be easier to have someone out there like Janine or someone else (Instead out of the Ghostbusters figuring it would turn more into a photo op) handing out business cards (As that's typically the Password gift).

 

[Freak]

I’m actually more concerned about the light bleed in the tent than the proportions of the building. Even if the sets may look a little squashed, I think they can pull it off if the venue has low light. Light bleed has always been bad in the tent venues. Controlling that is going to be essential to pull this off, especially if they’re going to pull off the Stay Puft finale the way Chris describes it. I really hope they work harder to address that because it’s virtually impossible, with crowds the way they are, to enjoy the houses in their proper context: at night.

 

[Joey]