Although I'm still hesitant to hype myself up (as a New York state resident living through this challenging time right now), this current iteration of the speculation map really gives me a positive feeling in a tough time. I wanted to just give my thoughts on the current house speculation:
A. Beetlejuice: To see this become less & less of a rumor and more & more a likelihood for this year makes me smile every time I see it talked about. While Ghostbusters mildly let me down last year, I gave it a lot of props for the library and city streets portions of the walkthrough. A big fallback for me were the puppets & large-scale aspects of the house (Stay Puft and the Terror Dogs, in particular). So with Beetlejuice will come the inevitable question: How will the Sandworms be presented? I feel like that could be a make or break component, with the added difficulty of that scene taking place in a much harder environment to capture. However, the "ready to scare" Maitlands' masks should be awesome to see in person, as will Beetlejuice himself.
B. The Bride: Billie Eilish having a house on her own didn't really strike me as an exciting thing (less because of her music - more because I've seen footage of the Alice house and even as a fan of his music, was underwhelmed). But utilizing her tracks or original score to guide us through this follow-up to Universal Monsters feels like a major win-win situation to me. I hope it really embraces the concept and leans heavily into territory that both younger and older event-goers can appreciate. The Bride was my favorite redesign of last year's monsters, I hope it's the same version here. Seeing more of Drac's brides, as well as gender-bender versions of other monsters could be a fun route too.
C. Bedtime Stories: I was happy to see Us hit the event last year, though a bit sad to see this speculated original shelved in the process. Without knowing what the name "Bedtime Stories" fully entails, all I recall is the "Tooth Fairy-esque" creature/entity teased last year. I'm very intrigued by the mystique of this character and title!
D. Terra Cruentus: Another exciting original, which lends itself to some grand-scale setpieces and hopefully my bois, the Body Collectors/Gentlemen! The fantasy & pseudo-medieval theming should be a unique contrast to every other house at the event. I wonder what kind of sacrifices the Terra Queen has in store for her return? And I still wonder if the rumored "undead earthquake" house applies to the events leading up to TQ's return, the unholy reunion of our world and hers? Probably not, but it seems like a decent way to work this earthquake concept in without giving it a house of it's own.
E. Dungeon of Terror: MIB tent getting Dungeon of Terror feels very promising. Ho1000C converted me into a believer in this location last year. The facade can be minimalist and still immersive, while tight spaces and scenes from the original house should translate perfectly in the space given. Hoping for some reference to the Rat Lady, but I'm not sure how.
F. Secret IP: Sprung Tent secrets! These tents haven't hosted IPs in the last couple of years, the last being TCM in 2016. Could that property make a return (I wouldn't call it a traditional slasher, but I could see how that label could rule it out)? Other past properties in these tents have been Psycho (through Psycho-Path), People Under the Stairs, The Thing, Alice, Penn & Teller, Halloween, The Purge, and Insidious. I don't know how I would feel about any of those properties making a return (The Thing or Psycho would be the most intriguing to me, and this comes from a big fan of PUtS). This will probably be something big enough that Hollywood is signed onto it as well, I feel The Thing or TCM would fit that bill more than Psycho. However, I think if the speculation about Peele working on an original for Hollywood is accurate, Monkeypaw might be pushing for DaCosta's Candyman to get a spot at the event. I worry about environments like the gallery in the trailer and Candyman's lair translating to a tent worse than a soundstage, but I think the lore of Candyman still offers plenty of opportunities to make it work in a tent. My personal pipedreams for the missing IP? Creepshow (with Hollywood getting a sequel house) or a Stuart Gordon tribute/compilation, RIP my dude. :'(
G. Pumpkin Original: I want to reiterate that I would love for this to be a direct sequel to Twisted Tradition's lore. The chapel setpiece was a standout in that scarezone and the characters were all pretty fun. I see it more likely to be a totally fresh concept based loosely on that former rumored icon. Either way, I definitely expect the masks and maybe a prop or 2 from Twisted Tradition to be reused in some capacity, and that alone is enough to make this one of my most anticipated originals. Those costumes were lovely.
H. The Haunting of Hill House: Mike Flanagan has been one of my personal favorite modern directors since my first viewing of Oculus years ago (fell in love with Absentia not long after, and Gerald's Game remains one of my favorite King adaptations). It's going to make a killer house, but quality of work aside, it's just personally refreshing to see a hardworking director with a consistently great eye for horror have his work brought to Halloween Horror Nights. I suppose larger exposure through Netflix is partially to thank for this, but the show stands to offer us some eerie characters and great moments if executed right. Mr. Smiley's going to be a real treat.
I. Legendary Truth: I hope this does enough to distinguish itself from both Graveyard Games and the previous Legendary Truth. I could see this being the anniversary house if the remaining original isn't. I could see this being an "anniversary house" kind of deal for all of the Carey, OH characters that HHN has ever seen.
J. Unknown Original: I truly hope that the first house in this new location is a wild & fun anniversary house. I'm not entirely sure what else to expect here. If it's the "earthquake" rumor, I just don't know if that would translate well to anything other than a soundstage. I worry, but I'm also just excited to be walking through a new location, no matter what's there. I'd personally be gutted if I don't get to see some appearance from the Caretaker, Director, Storyteller, and Usher. However, I know the event will evolve in whatever way those in charge and the public's interest see fit.