Signing up for a Premium Membership is a donation to help Inside Universal maintain costs and offers an ad-free experience on the forum. Learn more about it here.
The exit for the sprung tents merges into a walkway barely able to accommodate 2 guests next to each other until you get to the MIB courtyard. Obviously, TLOU entering the same walkway doesn't help, but this is a large company with the resources to do something about it.
There is a point in the exit path where it does a tiny jig to the left but otherwise continues in that direction (N/S/E/W whatever it is). It butts up against the queue for Darkest Deal IIRC where the queue makes a 90 degree turn. There's a TM in the exit queue with a glow wand guiding guests through that little jig.
That TM position needs to be moved to the exit merge point and maybe handle it like the Express merge? Stop one exit, let some folks from the other go and switch etc. Otherwise it's an unsafe mess that I'm surprised hasn't boiled over.
There is a point in the exit path where it does a tiny jig to the left but otherwise continues in that direction (N/S/E/W whatever it is). It butts up against the queue for Darkest Deal IIRC where the queue makes a 90 degree turn. There's a TM in the exit queue with a glow wand guiding guests through that little jig.
That TM position needs to be moved to the exit merge point and maybe handle it like the Express merge? Stop one exit, let some folks from the other go and switch etc. Otherwise it's an unsafe mess that I'm surprised hasn't boiled over.
Loved the music and setting. I've always enjoyed "make a deal with the devil" stories and the concept of the crossroads demon from Supernatural. Really well executed, aggressive cast, great sets. Only issue story-wise for me was to maybe establish in the first scene that the musician wants to be famous/is contemplating making a deal/summoning the devil etc. instead of the first scene we actually got which mushes these concepts together in a way that the guests can't fully experience. Again, design intention is lessened by operations and logistics.
I noticed last night some narration at the façade where Pinestraw explains his name and his desire, and that he'll send money back to his mother. I think it added good context.
When this house was first teased, I was very intrigued. This isn't a theme you see often at haunts, even though it's inspired by a notable legend. And the general idea of selling one's soul for something can be found quite a bit in various mediums.
The end result is a wonderful blend of serious storytelling where one doesn't require previous knowledge to follow, rich atmosphere that provides a whole lot of dread and paranoia, and plenty of hard-hitting scares which keep you on edge to the very end. And there's also the music, as it actually plays a part in the storytelling of the house, more on that later!
As for the scares, this house gave me some several big scares from multiple actors, notably....
First off there's the ghillie suit creatures in the ravine, they could get me very consistently, especially with the air blasts accompanying their scares. (Seriously cool masks on them, too!)
Second, there's the scene with Pinestraw's mother. For the first couple times I only saw her, I didn't realize there's a goat creature scare with a friggin' diabolical placement with her. The first time it revealed itself to me caused me to scream the loudest "J.F.C." I've ever screamed.
Finally, in the underworld segment there's this ghoul who normally has their head poking out so you can see them. We locked eyes for a good second or two before they flew out of their spot and got as close as friggin' possible to me, which sent me stumbling down to the fetal position in no time flat.
My very last run through of the entire event last Saturday was also a "solo" run through, and the cast went all out to the very end, so that was great to see. And this house also provided a wonderful group karma moment, as one run through there was a group of annoying teens behind me, as before we entered the house they were loudly proclaiming this house was gonna' suck because it only had a 35-minute wait. (Not even gonna' question that silly logic.) So it was very satisfying to hear their sheer panic inside the house as the cast absolutely DESTROYED them. I've seen moments of karma before, but they tempted fate and instantly lost!
Finally, I'll share some insights on the house which I learned from the UTH tour.
Going back to the storytelling, there's extra layers to it which you might have missed.
- The Music. Designer Charles Grey helped out with the original tunes played in the house, and if you listen carefully, you can notice something. At the beginning of the house, the music is a little rough but calm, like Pinestraw's current talent and state. But as you go through the house, the music gets more polished, as Pinestraw grows more talented, however the music also turns more frantic, as he's realizing the Collector is following him everywhere.
- Another moment of detail is Barrel House Blues, where at the start it's looking pretty run down. But later in the house when Pinestraw is at the top, it's looking rather pristine as the musician is getting the life he thought he wanted.
- In the graveyard of the past musician's, look at the dates. They all died the same age, playing off the "27 Club" of musicians who died at that age. One of the real musician's who's part of that club? Robert Johnson himself, who's legend this house is inspired by!
- In terms of neat names for the scareactors, this house does have a particular one.
"Russian Doll", named for the little grim reaper who pops out of the much bigger grim reaper statue in the graveyard!
Overall, this house is a high-concept creative knockout. From the haunting music echoing out of the facade to lure you in, to the hellish finale, this might have been a bad trade for Pinestraw Spruce, but for HHN-fans, it was a deal worth making. Personally, it was not only my favorite house this year, but it's also right up there with Graveyard Games as one of my all-time favs. And I noticed both share a unique similarity for me, as those are so far the only two houses which were my true #1 anticipated house that ended up being my actual #1 house in their respective year.
HOTY? I disagree. It's a very interesting concept and I enjoyed the hell out of it, but it felt so short. There weren't any impressive set pieces which I guess comes down to personal taste. I was expecting the finale to be longer and The Collector to have more of a grand set piece as did PL in Wicked Growth. But man, that facade and its ambiance are phenomenal. The stark contrast between Darkest Deal and Oddfellow is crazy cool to me.
There were some pretty good scares in it as well! Startled me more than I thought it would lol. Really dug The Collector too. I thoroughly enjoyed this house and I 100% believe that too many people are sleeping on it. Imo, HOTY should go to Oddfellow.
HOTY? I disagree. It's a very interesting concept and I enjoyed the hell out of it, but it felt so short. There weren't any impressive set pieces which I guess comes down to personal taste. I was expecting the finale to be longer and The Collector to have more of a grand set piece as did PL in Wicked Growth. But man, that facade and its ambiance are phenomenal. The stark contrast between Darkest Deal and Oddfellow is crazy cool to me.
There were some pretty good scares in it as well! Startled me more than I thought it would lol. Really dug The Collector too. I thoroughly enjoyed this house and I 100% believe that too many people are sleeping on it. Imo, HOTY should go to Oddfellow.
The bayou porch and the alley were pretty cool, but the house didn't feel grand to me, not in the way that Puppet Theatre and Descendants did. The alley was probably my second favorite scene because the guy who jumped out of the wall startled me every time. My favorite scene was the finale. Even with these criticisms I still enjoyed this house very much! It was packed full of scares and cool character designs.
Collector and Goatman deserve icon status. It also smelled really good in there lol.
When this house was first teased, I was very intrigued. This isn't a theme you see often at haunts, even though it's inspired by a notable legend. And the general idea of selling one's soul for something can be found quite a bit in various mediums.
The end result is a wonderful blend of serious storytelling where one doesn't require previous knowledge to follow, rich atmosphere that provides a whole lot of dread and paranoia, and plenty of hard-hitting scares which keep you on edge to the very end. And there's also the music, as it actually plays a part in the storytelling of the house, more on that later!
As for the scares, this house gave me some several big scares from multiple actors, notably....
First off there's the ghillie suit creatures in the ravine, they could get me very consistently, especially with the air blasts accompanying their scares. (Seriously cool masks on them, too!)
Second, there's the scene with Pinestraw's mother. For the first couple times I only saw her, I didn't realize there's a goat creature scare with a friggin' diabolical placement with her. The first time it revealed itself to me caused me to scream the loudest "J.F.C." I've ever screamed.
Finally, in the underworld segment there's this ghoul who normally has their head poking out so you can see them. We locked eyes for a good second or two before they flew out of their spot and got as close as friggin' possible to me, which sent me stumbling down to the fetal position in no time flat.
My very last run through of the entire event last Saturday was also a "solo" run through, and the cast went all out to the very end, so that was great to see. And this house also provided a wonderful group karma moment, as one run through there was a group of annoying teens behind me, as before we entered the house they were loudly proclaiming this house was gonna' suck because it only had a 35-minute wait. (Not even gonna' question that silly logic.) So it was very satisfying to hear their sheer panic inside the house as the cast absolutely DESTROYED them. I've seen moments of karma before, but they tempted fate and instantly lost!
Finally, I'll share some insights on the house which I learned from the UTH tour.
Going back to the storytelling, there's extra layers to it which you might have missed.
- The Music. Designer Charles Grey helped out with the original tunes played in the house, and if you listen carefully, you can notice something. At the beginning of the house, the music is a little rough but calm, like Pinestraw's current talent and state. But as you go through the house, the music gets more polished, as Pinestraw grows more talented, however the music also turns more frantic, as he's realizing the Collector is following him everywhere.
- Another moment of detail is Barrel House Blues, where at the start it's looking pretty run down. But later in the house when Pinestraw is at the top, it's looking rather pristine as the musician is getting the life he thought he wanted.
- In the graveyard of the past musician's, look at the dates. They all died the same age, playing off the "27 Club" of musicians who died at that age. One of the real musician's who's part of that club? Robert Johnson himself, who's legend this house is inspired by!
- In terms of neat names for the scareactors, this house does have a particular one.
"Russian Doll", named for the little grim reaper who pops out of the much bigger grim reaper statue in the graveyard!
Overall, this house is a high-concept creative knockout. From the haunting music echoing out of the facade to lure you in, to the hellish finale, this might have been a bad trade for Pinestraw Spruce, but for HHN-fans, it was a deal worth making. Personally, it was not only my favorite house this year, but it's also right up there with Graveyard Games as one of my all-time favs. And I noticed both share a unique similarity for me, as those are so far the only two houses which were my true #1 anticipated house that ended up being my actual #1 house in their respective year.
The UTH tour for this was great. So many cool details.
As you've said here, the house is absolutely fantastic. I'm so glad that this concept worked so well, and I hope that gives them the green light and confidence to do more high-concept stuff like this.
There's one thing that I'm wondering if anyone can shed some light on.
Before you get to Pinestraw's Mom, there's an empty rocking chair with a hat. Shortly after, there's another rocking chair, this time with a mannequin in it wearing the same hat. Any idea who that's meant to symbolize, and why they might be rematerializing?
