HHN 27: Most Anticipated House

[Brian G.]

Which house are you most looking forward to this year?

 

[SeventyOne]

1) Dead Waters—Legacy and USA Today have me even more stoked for the original houses than I usually would be. I’m a sucker for “history” houses, New Orleans voodoo is familiar Halloween territory but surprisingly has never been given the full HHN treatment. And if the rumors about that façade prove true…
Best Case Scenario: This and my #2 pick duke it out for HOTY and likely even spots in my all-time top 10.
Worst Case Scenario: A politically correct “standards and practices” division neuters the house before opening or soon after.

2) The Fallen—See #1. Because this is 1A more than 2. Gave Dead Waters the slightest edge just because of subject matter and the tease of that opening facade, but high expectations for this one.
Best Case Scenario: HOTY or even GOAT contender. Inspires a new era of original houses.
Worst Case Scenario: Ends up being very good rather than great. With a lot of jumping, scares may be timing-dependent.

3) Scarecrow: The Reaping—Another promising original, somewhat traditional (scarecrows) while also novel (dustbowl farm setting unique to me as haunted house settings go). Slight edge to the other two because this is in a tent not a soundstage, but hopeful this one clicks.
Best Case Scenario: Sleeper pick for HOTY, and a new in-house IP to revisit like Nightingales or the Body Collectors.
Worst Case Scenario: Too repetitive, reliant on one type of monster.

4) The Shining—Creative has a stellar record when it comes to adopting 70s/80s classic horror movies. No doubt in my mind they will do it justice. Out of my top 3 mostly because I like but don’t love the movie—respect the talent behind it, of course, but found it a bit too artsy and of the 70s as a teen. Will probably revisit before HHN, may change my expectations.
Best Case Scenario: My other sleeper pick for HOTY.
Worst Case Scenario: Captures individual scenes perfectly but isn’t particularly scary.

5) Hive— I have two memories of being frightened as a child: TV ads for Salem’s Lot, and an episode of Starsky & Hutch implying the duo would fight a vampire.* And I love The Lost Boys. I realize this house is last minute, which is never a good sign, but I am the target demo for a late 70s/early 80s aesthetic vampire house.
Best Case Scenario: A game cast makes this last minute concept work.
Worst Case Scenario: A forgettable house that gets a pass given the circumstances.
* I’ve never actually seen a full episode of Starsky & Hutch to this day, tho everything I’ve heard implies it was a standard cop show with no supernatural elements, so the vampire in the commercial was probably some sort of Scooby Doo villain. Or maybe it was some show on after Starsky & Hutch. All I know is I refused to go in my grandmother’s basement for years after (I swear they could’ve used her basement for that set).

6) Horror of Blumhouse—I like the idea in theory—a collection of films perhaps too slight for stand-alone houses, much like the Usher’s house was. That said, wish it was more than three, and that two of them hadn’t been done with stand-alone houses before. Also, hated Insidious movies, loved Insidious house; liked idea of Purge movies and Purge SZ, hated the house. So who knows where I’ll land on this.
Best Case Scenario: A decent collection of scares that inspires more interesting/diverse amalgam houses in the future.
Worst Case Scenario: A blatant rehash of previously done rooms with no real narrative.

7) Jigsaw—Guessing we get a rehash of the “just alright for me” house we got in Jaws queue years ago. Hopefully with a few added twists and tweaks.
Best Case Scenario: Like 2009 (that long ago?!?), an average house with a couple memorable rooms.
Worst Case Scenario: Like 2009, an average house with only a couple memorable rooms.

8) Ash v. Evil Dead—Seen the movies, but only the pilot of the show (not paying for Starz). As I mentioned in another thread, Bruce Campbell’s charisma is the driving force of ED 2 and AoD—not sure you can capture that in a house. Or even find a convincing Bruce look-alike in Orlando. Beyond that, it may be medieval zombies, but still zombies, and those have been done to death (no pun intended).
Best Case Scenario: A fun romp we all forget by Grinchmas.
Worst Case Scenario: Repetitive monsters, bade Bruce impersonators, jokes that don’t land, last part looks like an obvious rehash of 2014 Evil Dead house.

9) AHS—No secret I hated last year’s AHS. Expecting more of the same, tho at least “Coven” (the only season I watched in its entirety) has some visually striking iconography … most of which likely will seem repetitive this year with Dead Waters. Also “Asylum” … which can’t help but pale in comparison to the four outstanding Psychoscarapy houses we’ve seen.
Best Case Scenario: Draws crowds away from superior original houses, glows away after this year.
Worst Case Scenario: “Seven Wonders” scene from Coven gets incorporated somehow.

 

[Legacy]

Alright, since I keep getting asked my anticipated houses, I'll play. Since I'm not likely going, this list is more my anticipated for reviews than houses themselves. I'm also ignoring IPs because I don't care.

Hive - What? Here's the thing; this house has a lot going against it. But it's a simple concept that will rely on its cast. A lot of all time favorites were like that (Catacombs, Havoc, Body Collectors). I'm curious if the cast pulls this one off.

Scarecrow - It's a big drop to this. Maybe I've just seen too much of it. The house has a legitimate "Roanoke" vibe to it, but with far fancier scenic. Hopefully the story/build doesn't overwhelm it. (This is really one of the passion houses, from what I've heard.)

The Fallen - Remember Hades? What about when the Body Collectors went to Shadybrook? Winter's Night? Those were massive scale houses that felt certain to be HOTY and GOAT houses only because of the design. But the structure of those houses kinda hampered direct engagement with guests. Flyers do that. It'll be a gorgeous house. We'll see if it's scary.

Dead Waters - I don't know how intimate this house will be. It has a lot of scale to it, and nifty tactile stuff in it, but in a similar nature to The Fallen, there's a chance for the scares to fall apart. It may knock it out of the park, but casting will be a major concern.

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

1. The Shining: It's one of Kubrick's best films and a personal favorite of mine, so my excitement is high. I do think there's a decent chance the house isn't overly scary, but unlike The Exorcist last year, this will have the sets to make up for any lack of scares.

2. Dead Waters: The scale of this house looks MASSIVE. Like The Shining, I wouldn't be surprised if the scares are a bit lacking, but this really seems like a house that will leave you chilled and shaking on the way out.

3. American Horror Story: The Roanoke sections alone put this up in my top 3 most anticipated. Even without that season, this still would have been fourth or so because Asylum and Coven do have good moments to be adapted. Length always helps too.

4. The Fallen: I'm not quite as anticipated for this as others are, especially if what Legacy said about about the house being reliant on flyers is true. The house could be incredibly dependent on timing, and a bad run could leave me feeling meh. That said, the sets should make up for any lack of scares (God, I keep saying this).

5. Hive: The scenery is not why this house is my fifth most anticipated. If the cast is great, this could be a terrifying house and make up for any bastardized-Conjuring sets. If not.... well, at least I can figure out what scenes we would have gotten from The Conjuring.

6. Scarecrow: The Reaping: Tbh the name alone bumped this down one position This will probably be a surprisingly enjoyable house and be rather underrated, but I don't see any reason to get excited for it yet.

7. Ash vs Evil Dead: I haven't seen the show, but I'll make sure to get around to it before the event. This is our only "comedy" house of the year, so hopefully it's fun.

8. Saw: The Games of Jigsaw: Eh, whatever. I haven't seen any Saw films in full (probably won't change before the event), and the 2009 house seemed to be more of a showcase from what everyone here says. Maybe that won't be the case here?

9. The Horrors of Blumhouse: NOPE. The Purge is probably the worst house I've been through in my 3 years attending the event, and it's bastardizing Ouija this time instead of Scream. I wasn't hot on the Insidious house either because that was too timing dependent and the actors weren't really scary outside of Lipstick Darth Maul. Hopefully the Chapter 4 scenes and Sinister make up for the over-reliance on previously used films, but I highly doubt it will.

 

[Brian G.]

1. Dead Waters - Love Bayou in 24. Love Voodoo. Love New Orleans. The sneak peeks look incredible. Pretty straight forward.

2. The Fallen - They were kind of vague on the descriptions but this is pretty much angels vs demons with heavy metal. SIGN ME THE HELL UP!

3. Scarecrow - Interesting take. Worried it may suffer from Ghost Town syndrome. Pretty to look at, scares lacking.

4. Saw - Guilty pleasure, admittedly. I liked the 09 version, but realized it had faults. Hopefully, they improved upon them for the 17 version.

5. AHS - Last year's house got stronger as it progressed, but it featured the strongest seasons. Asylum prob would work best, Coven I'm iffy on. I haven't seen Roanoke, so that's why it's middle of the pack right now.

6. Shining - I'm more curious about this house than any other to see how exactly they pull it off. Granted it has more scenes/rooms, but it could be similar to what happened with Exorcist; especially if they do the whole "We're in Jack's mind!"

7. Hive - I mean, we know what this is. We'll see what happens come game day, but it shows a bit of promise.

8. Ash vs. Evil Dead - Loved the movies, never seen the show. Feel the other houses are also very strong so this is bound to fall behind.

9. Blumhouse - Tired of Purge, not big on Sinister (granted haven't seen it), only saving grace is Insidious but.... meh. We may have a new location that suffers from location curse.

 

[JungleSkip]

1) The Fallen - Flyers? Gothic cathedral setting? Escaping the forces of hell? Metal AF? Yea, I'm in.

2) Dead Waters - Scenic looks incredible from what we've seen. I prefer the atmospheric houses, personally, so I hope this is something like Ghost Town from a few years ago

3) Scarecrow - Actual history + horror = fun. Slightly worried about it being in a tent and not a soundstage, but still think this has a ton of potential

4) The Shining - Creative has been knocking these classics out of the park the past few years, so I have high hopes they can pull off what is (IMO) they're toughest challenge yet.

5) Ash vs Evil Dead - I hope the fun/humor of this house is on point. If it's not, it could be a dud.

6) Hive - Cool way to salvage the Conjuring house. With the right cast I think this could end up being a sleeper hit

7) AHS - Loved last year's house, but this is down here since I don't care for the property. Expecting another solid offering

8) SAW - Big drop off from 7 to 8. SAW is an old, irrelevant property that I don't care for much at all. Could be fun, but I see a lot of reliance timing-dependent scenes

9) BluMEHouse - Sinister is a complete joke of a "franchise". The Purge at these events feels...off. Insidious is good, and this probably should have just been an Insidious house. Overall, this house was a huge reach, and should have been another original.

 

[Mr. EPCOT]

1) Ash vs. Evil Dead
2) Dead Waters
3) American Horror Story
4) The Fallen
5) Scarecrow: The Reaping
6) Hive
7) SAW: The Games of Jigsaw
8) The Shining
9) The Horrors of Blumhouse

 

[Returning-The-Reaction]

1. The Shining
2. The Reaping
   
3. Ash vs Evil Dead
4. (The) Dead Waters
5. The Fallen
6. The Hive
   
7. American Horror Story
8. Saw
9. Blumhouse

 

[Octobers Fade]

Dead waters
Scarecrow
Fallen
Hive

And then I really don't care for any of the others

 

[JMalez]

Dead Waters: looking forward to the tactility of this house and it's massive sets. not expecting it to be scary but regardless of jumpscares im sure it will still have a pretty creepy vibe.

The Fallen: pretty much tied with Dead Waters. Can't wait to see the sets and the flyers in this house. As someone who never got to experience Gothic, I am definitely looking forward to the cathedral setting.

Scarecrow: The Reaping: I've been hoping for a scarecrow ever since there were murmurings of Nathaniel Crow being a part of this years event. The only reason this is number three is because it's in a Sprung.

Hive: Looking forward to scareactor interaction and the 80's aesthetic. If was Legacy said about the audio is true, this could end up being my favorite of the year.

American Horror Story: Was my third favorite house last year (behind Halloween II and Ghost Town) but I think the seasons used last year translate better to a maze. Definitely excited though, especially if the cast resembles the TV stars as well as last years house did.

Ash vs Evil Dead: I love the show. I love the movies. Im hoping that this is one of their all time bloodiest houses. If the comedy isn't pulled off well, however, it could be a flop. If everything works well together, this could be a house to hit every night and maybe multiple times per night. (short lines and fun gags)

The Shining: The movie was a slowwwwwburnnn... and in a way, I'm expecting the house to be the same way. By no means is this a bad thing though as I think the suspense built in this house will be unparalleled. Not to mention we finally get to walk through the Overlook Hotel.

Blumhouse: What? its not last? The only reason i'm not particularly excited for this house is because I think the MIB tent is a weak location (only cause last years house was weak). I'm interested to see the transitions between more psychological movies into the chaos of the purge. Hopefully the purge here will surpass the effort of 2015

Saw: was excited for this house when it first was announced. But since it has become "meh". Most likely because of the other strong houses in the lineup. I love the Shrek queue, but I don't think this maze will be that exciting to walk through.


SCAREZONES
Invasion!
Trick r Treat
Festival of the Deadliest
The Purge
Altars of Horror

 

[Tobias]

1. The Fallen - I'll admit I'm a total sucker for this kind of theme, and if it has a good mix of flyers and "ground" scares, this can be a kick-ass house in so many ways.

2. Dead Waters - I love me a good voodoo house, and hopefully it has a good cast since it looks spectacular. Though I can see it being like Ghost Town where it's light on the scares. (Your milage may vary on weather that's a good or bad thing.)

3. The Hive *My Pick for Dark Horse House* - As we all know this was supposed to be the Conjuring, but I can appreciate they went for a original replacement and not using TWD for the umpteenith time. Now the reason why it's so high up on my list is, I'll admit I'm not the biggest fan of vampire houses, but with them going in the direction of straight-up vicious Nosferatu's...I actually love that idea! If it's pulled off, this could be a killer house.

Now with it being a backup house, and people were really wanting what was originally planned, there's a good amount going against the Hive. An' while I know they'll be able to incorperate some nice tricks, it's not gonna' be as much as the Fallen or Dead Waters which was thoroughly planned and thought out from the beginning. This is a house were it'll live or die by it's cast, so that's why this is my dark horse house. I really do hope the casts are aggressive a la' the original Havoc, Catacombs etc. so this'll be a pleasant surprise.

4. Ash vs Evil Dead - I love the movies, I love the tv series. This is great fit for a house and if it's pulled off, it can be a fantastic horror comedy house.

5. Scarecrow: The Reaping - This one's kinda' middle of the pack for me, I have a feeling it will be good since it sounds like another passion project from A&D. I'm also intruiged that they're casting the tall scareactors for this one, which could be pretty effective. Now why it's lower then the other originals is pretty simple, the haunted attraction I work at is in a cornfield. So the theme of scarecrows is personally not as novel for me like it is for others.

6. AHS - Last years house turned out pretty nice, so I feel this one's going to be solid as well. There's plenty to take from Asylum and Roanoke...less so Coven, but that's probably a good thing considering there's also Dead Waters to really run with the voodoo theme.

7. The Shining - While I like the film, this is definitely going to be one of the bigger challenges for A&D. The film is a psychological slow burn, so it's not one that comes to mind to make as a house where you do need something popping out at you every couple of feet. Also, if they have anyone portraying Jack wearing a mask, that might not look too good. I will say Orlando did a great job with the Exorcist and that was another challenge for sure, but there's still a chance this could end up wonky so it's best keeping expectations low to be surprised.

8. Saw: The Games of Jigsaw - Now I'm actually quite fine with this house, the only reasons it's so low on the list is personal preferance for the other IP's and originals, and knowing this type of house is incredibly reliant on timing.

9. Horrors of Blumhouse - I think it can be broken down like this.
Sinister - I really liked the first film, especially the soundtrack. However the second film is a hot piece of garbage, and it certainly did not have the same kind of soundtrack.
Insidious - I'm fine with this, and it'll probably be the strongest part of the house. Though I kinda' wished they just did another Insidious house instead.
The Purge - This already doesn't have a good track record as a house, and I don't think that's going to change.

When you compare all of that to the other houses, it just doesn't hold up.

 

[MrRoamer]

None of the houses have me super duper pumped like in years past. It may be because life has been a whirlwind and I have not been able to pay attention as much as I normally do so I don't have a full grasp I don't know. Please don't take my ho-humness as anything negative.

1) AHS - I know this is definitely not going to be popular, but I was not incredibly excited about it being around last year and thought it would be another Walking Dead. They knocked it out of the park and it was at the top of my list with Halloween last year. I don't doubt that they can make another great house out of it.

2) Ash vs Evil Dead - I have been waiting for a real comedy house to come back for a while. I'm really hoping this will be it and be incredibly fun and have depth due to the location. I had hoped Krampus would be that last year but it felt like it lost steam midway through the event. If this can bring half the fun of HR Bloodengutz I'll be psyched. This is my BOOMSTICK!

3) Dead Waters - This sounds pretty good and they did a great job with Forsaken. Hopefully a strong new original making a come back

4) Scarecrow - I love Pumpkinhead and the whole farmhouse concept. Hoping it will be good

5) The Fallen - Gothic and Winters Night were beautiful houses that introduced a lot of new gags that were great. Flyers can be good but generally take too much precision and timing to be worth it for a scare. Thinking it will be pretty and infused with a good story.

6) Saw - (Dark Horse) The first Saw was fun, but not really all that memorable. I could see this being a nice little gory time with a few spooks. For some reason I think there may be some unique things they pull with this house because of the location.

7) Shinning - We finally watched this movie a few months ago and I did enjoy it, but it is a really slow burn. I thought Exorcist last year was more in the stories people were telling than the actual house, and many of its parts fell flat for me. This does have a bit more action available to it so hopefully it will be good. If they have Groundskeeper Willie at the exit yelling about being quiet or you'll get sued that would be fantastic!

8) Blumhouse - I have an idea of what we're going to see in this house based on things that we've seen before, which were not houses that were in my top lists. If they can do some more with the plant from Purge last time there could be some fun moments

9) Hive - I normally expect more out of the original houses than anything, but I don't think I've liked a single vampire house at HHN. Couple that in with it having a troubled history and I just don't have high hopes at all.

 

[Brian G.]

9) Hive - I normally expect more out of the original houses than anything, but I don't think I've liked a single vampire house at HHN. Couple that in with it having a troubled history and I just don't have high hopes at all.

Wait, not even Legacy of Blood in 19 or Vampyr in 14?

 

[MrRoamer]

Wait, not even Legacy of Blood in 19 or Vampyr in 14?

I don't know what is wrong with me!!!! I think it is partially that I don't like vampires much and also what else was around that year that makes them not super memorable.

Legacy of Blood had Leave it to Cleaver, Silver Screams, Chucky, and I thought Frankenstein and Spawning got pretty good towards the end.
I know everyone loved Vampyr, and ok the bed scene was pretty good and definitely memorable, but Hellgate Prison and Ghost Town stood out.

 

[Brian G.]

I don't know what is wrong with me!!!! I think it is partially that I don't like vampires much and also what else was around that year that makes them not super memorable.

Legacy of Blood had Leave it to Cleaver, Silver Screams, Chucky, and I thought Frankenstein and Spawning got pretty good towards the end.
I know everyone loved Vampyr, and ok the bed scene was pretty good and definitely memorable, but Hellgate Prison and Ghost Town stood out.

Flamin hot take.

 

[MrRoamer]

Flamin hot take.

Yeah don't know why I didn't care for them, could always be as simple as bad run throughs. I know I didn't go as often back then as I do now so its definitely possible.

 

[graspthesun]

1. The Shining - I've been dying to see this in real life for years. I went to a wedding a few years ago and got the opportunity to stay at the Stanley Hotel. The eye for detail that HHN has is going to make this really special, almost like a Kubrick masterpiece in and of itself. I really hope we get the elevator full of blood and at least one empty ballroom scene with just Jack and the bartender.

2. Ash vs. Evil Dead - This is my favorite show on TV right now. I love Ash and I've always been a fan of Evil Dead as far back as I can remember. I don't think it's going to have the iconic imagery that the Evil Dead house from a few years ago did, but I'm still very excited. I'm expecting this to be the bloodiest house at the event and it has to be.

3. Saw - This makes up for me missing the event in 2009 and, as a best of house, will really get to shine with some awesome traps.

4. Dead Waters - I live in New Orleans. I'm excited to see the imagery that they bring into this house. That being said, my expectations are high for this one and will be the most easily dashed if it's not very good.

5. The Hive - 80s movie vibe? Totally bitchin'. Vampires? Meh. I think the two will even out and it'll be good to great.

6. American Horror Story - Asylum will be great. I hope we get to see The Name Game scene, even if it's just to get us to lower our guard against the next scene. Coven was hands down the worst season of the show and I can't think of great scenes to show from it. Roanoke will be just fine, but they're going to cut out the soul of that season in order to build the scenes.

7. Horrors of Blumhouse - Meh. We've seen Insidious. Purge could've been done again after the 4th film to fill in the blanks between the prequel and the first film. It could've added to the universe. I just don't remember anything iconic enough in and of itself to feature in the house. I would've loved to see a house built around the "home movies" from Sinister, but we're not getting that either. A lot of potential wasted all around.

8. The Fallen - The concept isn't grabbing me. I'm setting low expectations and I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised. The from above scares will lead to some good screams from me, but I'm worried it'll turn into Dracula: Untold with the castle imagery.

9. Scarecrow: The Reaping - I just have a gut feeling that this will flop like Roanoke: Cannibal Colony. I think the concept is weak and I am not confident in the execution. Again, I hope for the best.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

1. SAW - The traps
2. Dead Waters - I like dem bayous
3. American Horror Story - Last year's house was amazing
4. The Shining - HEDGE MAZE
5. Horrors of Blumhouse - Insidious & im one of the few that likes the intensity of the scream Purge maze
6. Ash vs. Evil Dead - Chainsaws
7. Scarecrow - set pieces should be amazing
8. Hive - vampire babes?
9. The Fallen - What

 

[Parkscope Joe]

1. Dead Waters
2. Scarecrow
3. The Shining
4. The Fallen (just enough whispered hype around it)
5. Hive
6. Ash vs Evil Dead
7. AHS
8. Blumhouse
9. SAW

 

[Returning-The-Reaction]

With 55 votes cast, the consensus ranking so far:

1. Dead Waters
2. The Shining
3. The Fallen
4 tie. Scarecrow: The Reaping
4 tie. Horrors of Blumhouse
6 tie. Hive
6 tie. American Horror Story
6 tie. Ash vs Evil Dead
9. Saw