LOL! Ok, this gave me a real belly laugh! HAHAHAH! I got the visual, too, which has me in tears laughing. Thanks for this.. made my whole day! Cannot wait to see this movie! I've read a lot of Joe Hill, and I really love his stuff - probably because he writes a lot like his daddy (who is my obsession). I have not seen Freaky, but if that's the spec that it will be paired with Black Phone, I guess I should get on it. Is it worth it? Sometimes Blumhouse can really make a mess of things. As my Dad used ot say - "They could F*** up a one car funeral".
I have to comment on talk about whether it will be a "weak" year or not, etc.. I agree with several others here that it is disingenuous to proclaim such a thing when the event hasn't even started yet. While your favorite IP may not be coming, or you aren't thrilled about some of the rumored IPs that ARE coming - it doesn't mean the whole event will be "weak". Honestly, from what I've seen over the last 17 years I've attended, the real jaw-droppers are the originals anyway. I'm not saying the IPs are garbage or anything, but as a true horror/Halloween fan, I love the creativity and the unknown anticipation of an original. While the IP houses can be amazing in their own right because you're literally walking through the movie or tv show, I think the real scares come from the originals simply because you don't know what you're walking into. If you love a movie/show, you know everything about it and what to expect, right? I think fondly of some of my faves over the years - AWIL, AHS, Halloween, Cabin in the Woods, Insidious and yes, even Ghostbusters (sorry, I was an actual 80's kid). It was awesome to be immersed in those. However, my biggest scares have mostly happened in originals. i can still remember going through Scarecrow and with perfect timing, I was jumped at by a double team that scared me bad enough to take my breath for a few seconds - also, all my limbs went rigid, and I was frozen in place. That NEVER happens because I've been doing this so long, I usually don't get scared. Startled? Yes. Scared, not often.
We all have IPs we'd love to see, and it can be frustrating when they are passed over. I've said for years I want to see Phantasm at HHN, but I've pretty much given up hope. It's also a minor annoyance if there is an IP you don't care for, and worse if it's something you hate. TWD ended up being something I loathed - and it was HHN's fault. I watched the show for the first couple of seasons, but when HHN did the year with "all the streets are TWD", I was done. Over it and pissed. Then, they kept bringing it back! Yes, I know.. crowds = money. I get it. My solution was just to ignore and avoid that propery as much as possible. I suspect that will be my response to The Weeknd because I'm not a fan AT ALL. Happy for those of you who love it, but I"ll pass. That being said, I would never conclude this will be a "weak event" just because there is something coming I don't like.
Wait for it to start. Go have fun! If nothing else, we have an event back without plexiglass, and possibly with the actors getting in your face again like they did before 2020. That alone gets me excited!