Interesting to see so many people saying "meh, pirates" to The Forsaken. But columbus =/= Pirates.
The Rundown....
1. Nightingales: Blood Prey -- This house seems like it's setting itself up to be the first classic franchise of the new era. A completely new, rich environment and a twisted premise. Those masks look freaky as hell, and the concept art looks beautiful. Can't. Wait.
2. The Forsaken -- Another wonderfully original concept and in a location that gives it a great chance to succeed. It has the potential for some of the biggest and more impressive sets of the year, along with the chance of some interesting special effects. Remember the Frightanic scene in Hallow'd Past? They had a screen showing a rocking ocean, and sprayed water against the window to enhance the effect. I wouldn't be surprised if people left a little wet, either.
3. Nevermore: The Madness of Poe -- The released picture from this house is damn impressive. The theming looks as good as any of the soundstages, and the cramped environment of the tents always seems to garner some scares by itself. Going to be a very, very creepy house.
4. Winter's Night: The Haunting of Hawthorne Cemetery -- Not a fan of the name, but this one could boast some of the creepiest sets in the event. I wonder if they'll lower the temperature to go along with the "Winter" theme. I'd expect they would if they went out of their way to put it in the title.
5. The Thing -- A wildcard of a house for me. The first was a classic and one of the best houses of the last 5 or 6 years. Now it gets another shot, this time with the soundstage. This one will sport critical differences -- picture Assimilation like James Cameron's Aliens, and this 2011 version like Ridley Scott's Alien. I get the feeling we're not going to be thrust into an action film this time; if it sticks close to the movie, this will be a much more traditional haunted house. Puppets, as always, will be the determining factor. They made assimilation great, but killed Creatures. Effect heavy houses will always have question marks. But if everything works in an environment as great as a SS can provide...this could live up to or even exceed the original.
6. Saws n Steam: Into the Machine -- I loved the scarezone. I love the concept. I love the name. I love everything except the location. The Jaws queue is a black hole that sucks intriguing ideas in and never lets them achieve full fruition. Reflections of Fear. The Orfanage. And now Saws'n'Steam. I want to be excited, but I can't let my expectations get too out of hand. Let's hope this is the house that bucks the trend.
7. The In-Between -- Not sure what to say. Jack's Funhouse was, by all means, a large waste of my time. All I can say is, they better do a LOT better job camouflaging the actors this time. On the bright side, this will be a MUCH scarier environment than the Funhouse ever was. This could be the most fun maze, if it can learn from the mistakes of the past.
8. Holidays of Horror -- Humor houses are usually more miss than hit for me. I'm not hating on this one, but it just doesn't hold quite the same intrigue the others do.