It's finally time!!
Gonna go from 8 to 1 on this one; but a weird bit of context: none of the houses are those I am genuinely dreading. Hesitancy be present with a few; but I'm excited for one thing out of all of the 8 houses. Hope I can explain things in that.
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8.) Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - Someone had to be on the lower end, but I'll give it this: 2019 was a really fun time. Flaws and all; it was the Ghostbusters experience I wanted and the one I had a lot of fun with. Really excited to see what they do with the venue it's in--with how effect heavy H-Lot N is. If there's a scene I am hoping is great, it's definitely the introduction of Garaka's presence.
Also, hoping this house is understandingly cold.
7.) Dead Exposure- So discounting the element of AI art used in promotional, the thing that fascinated and interest me from the getgo is how Murdy seems to be tackling this one compared to Scarecrow. Whereas that one felt more of an art house; of something that is more of an examination of an era of time...Dead Exposure seems to be almost more personal from his research.
Think that's what interests me the most. To see why Murdy chose Dead Exposure on a research level to be the next one compared to Scarecrow. That, and the intensity of the house (something 4.) and this share).
6.) Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines - From what we've seen visually; from what is present at the facade, and that I liked what I saw of Bride in 2021; I am genuinely more up to see what Murdy does with a continuation of a story than a standalone one. Excited as hell to walk into SS12--to see it's size and scale compared to SS15.
And alongside that; that facade looks jaw dropping. Hoping this is a scenic dream.
5.) A Quiet Place - First time for UBE with the venue hopefully black boxxed! Actually more interested to see execution and quality-control in this house compared to the rest, due to the absolute scale of the Death Angels. Hoping we get Chucky-like animatronics.
Also, the ASL Representation is exciting as hell; and I hope it stays for the full run of the event.
4.) Insidious- This one requires understanding of past Insidious houses + my feelings of the franchise. The latter is simple: I have never seen the films past the introduction of Darth Maul from the first film. He triggered a fight/flight that I don't know why it happened.
Which is why it's exciting. Because knowing the reputation that the past Insidious houses have been for Hollywood; I am pumped to be genuinely terrified and scared while going through it. Debating on treating it as an original; as I feel no context might allow me to be much more unaware of what this franchise throws at me.
3.) Texas - So this house sounds like a new step of what Murdy did on Chucky. And not only that; but it's with the only IP that sent me running out of a house when I experienced it as a kid. Make no mistake, the main 3 on this list are my main 3 anticipated; and for Texas, it's a simple thing.
I want to see them go better than what I consider to be the most intense house I've ever experienced; with 2012's. I want to be genuinely terrified in this house; and I am excited to see the love and care that Murdy has with this franchise, given an original space to thrive.
2.) MonstruDOS - In the houses that I missed out on last year due to the move to Seattle; two houses stick to mind of fomo. Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count. And Monstruos 1 from Parisian. I am genuinely estatic to see El Cucuy for the first time; excited to see the El Cadejo Puppets, and I am hoping this is a visual spectacle like what I saw of the original and of past Latin American houses.
This also as of right now: has the best facade that I think we've ever seen in Parisian. It feels like a theme park facade with how well it interconnects with the adjacent cafe's next to it, and I hope that's an indictive sign of the quality of the house to come.
1.) The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy - I won't lie. I am biased.
Weeknd: AHN is still probably my all time IP house in what I loved from it. It to me, was a near perfect HHN house that only had one issue and that was on actor intensity.
DawnFM is one of his best works period and translates immediately to what HHN does best with. And the fact we are getting the new album in this Trio; makes me giddy if it means we get to hear remixes of songs like Hold Your Heart and Wake Me Up. And alongside that; I just love music houses. The creative passion of Murdy and the Hollywood team always shines in a way that I cannot not love.