justchristy
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Looks like we have confirmation of P&T? Also talks about the concept and story of the house, as well as shows a few people in costume. So if you don't like spoilers...
http://blogs.orlando...nted-house.html
Hmm...well I'll be honest, telling from the picture and descriptions, I'm not sure I'm as excited about this house as I am abt Silent Hill, BUT I'm definitely open to it, and I'm definitely glad they made it 3D...reminds me a lot of the In-Between last year when I try to imagine it, especially with the radioactive element. It's good to hear they collaborated heavily with the UNI team...P&T have creative minds. It sounds like, in the house (through videos), they try to sell a destroyed, radioactive Vegas as a totally normal thing (a la stepford wives gone nuclear, perhaps).
Seeing showgirls-gone-radioactive should be cool lol....
Alright so now MY question is...where does this leave us in terms of an overall theme? I was thinking maybe P&T would be the unofficial hosts (I won't use the dangerous "icon" word for fear of a debate that's 15 pages long...) but obviously, that's not the case. Seems like, from what the website looks like, they're part of just that one house...and maybe they'll be part of the marketing, sure, but the theme won't have to do with them. I know, I know, everyone is saying there won't be a theme....but can't a girl dream?
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The Mothman supposedly appears shortly before a disastrous event, such as the Silver Bridge collapse in West Virginia. However, to my recollection, that's actually the only disaster it's appeared at, and was accompanied by reports of UFO's, Men in Black, and I believe paranormal activity as well?
LMFAO I loveeeee that guy...he's so zany and he's completely convinced of what he's talking about. And the hair...just the hair.
I think I saw pics of some mothman sighting around 9/11...but I'm sure they were doctored, bc that's insane/weird/too much.
Anyway, back to speculating lol I like the creepy cathedral idea a lot...and the idea of gargoyles coming to life amidst other "mannequin" gargoyles...I always jump at those types of tricks, never fails.
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Just me, or did this remind anyone of the Mothman a little bit? ......now THAT'S an interesting thought. Haven't there been conspiracy theories about the mothman appearing during end-of-world/apocalyptic events? O_o connecting dots....connect connect connect....
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^I actually wouldn't mind this type of scenario for the house. It would actually be a good "loose" follow-up to last years "7" scarezone.
However, I wouldn't look to far into the whole water/rainstorm aspect. I would personally love a "storm" sequence (with lightning). I'm sure the house will mostly play up the "stone by day, winged demon by night" aspect. (maybe with glowing eyes like this...)
(yes.... this was totally an excuse to shamelessly plug the 90s cartoon... again)
LMAO yea I noticed
Just keep talkin' dirty to me...
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So.....Silent hill...Finale of the house?
*QUIVER* barbed wire scene....
Just did some light reading (read: googling), and made a few observations about gargoyles:
- They were originally made as rainwater collectors/gutters, right? Maybe the house has something to do with water, or rainstorms...reaching far on this one, I know. Also, doesn't water have something to do with paranormal energy/activity?
- They were believed to scare off evil creatures and spirits, but the church also used them for some time to scare people INTO coming to church. Maybe the cathedral/church idea isn't a bad one. They can go in a lot of different directions with it in terms of themes if that's the case.
- If the kind of gargoyles Universal is giving us resemble certain TYPES of animals, that could also mean different things in terms of which sin they represent. For example, a serpent-looking gargoyle represents "envy", a lion-gargoyle represents "pride", a monkey-gargoyle represents "sloth", a goat-gargoyle represents "lust"...etc. etc. If the gargoyles look like a mixture of a bunch of different animal body parts thrown together, they can be a warning that the devil is being underestimated O_O Bottom line...maybe this has something to do with the 7 deadly sins.
Just speculating and whatnot
- They were originally made as rainwater collectors/gutters, right? Maybe the house has something to do with water, or rainstorms...reaching far on this one, I know. Also, doesn't water have something to do with paranormal energy/activity?
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Gargoyles aren't limited to cathedrals.... they can be on castles or buildings...
most of us have seen the 90s Gargoyles animated series... which should be looked at if you're going to bring up Disney's Hunchback
90's gargoyles reference....my childhood...oh geez
**die**
Hunchback does not need to be Disney linked. The absolutely horrific adaption Disney did is in no way comparable to the source material.
Am I the only person who saw the news articles stating that more of the Mayan calendar was found, and that these calendars extend well past 12/21/12?
A Mayan theme would be so disappointing.
You have a point abt the source material...it is a creepy story in and of itself. And the ending as Hugo wrote it...obviously even creepier. But not really HHN material necessarily...it's a loose concept floating around in my head anyway.
I agree, a Mayan theme would be really disappointing. It's 2012, we get it...end of world, blah blah blah. Maybe it'll be referenced, but made into a theme? Ugh I hope not. Really, I'm just dying for A&D to release more info...patience was never a virtue of mine
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Facade Spec
Gargoyles - I've heard it's massive, so it's likely a cathedral.
A cathedral? That's sounds awesome actually...do we have any ideas abt what the main idea for this house could be? Gotten lost amid the P&T debates....
I hate referencing Disney on here, but gargoyles coming to life always reminds me of Hunchback of ND. Plus, the cathedral idea you just presented, @Legacy, connected those dots for me. But leaving the Disney part behind...I like the idea of a church gone evil....which also reminds me of Silent Hill, of course, but is there any other theme that could go with a dark church/cathedral? Apologies if this has been discussed already....been gone for a bit.
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Hmmmmm, that suuuuuuuuure sounds like a Dr Jimmy April 1st Special
Of course it does, silly
Always thought Rowling could totally pull that off though, if she were so inclined.
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I've always wondered why they use the word "maze"instead of house in Hollywood. It's not like there are multiple paths that lead to dead-ends or anything.
....that's a ridiculously intriguing idea though, the thought of multiple paths and dead-ends. Terrifying...and intriguing.
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Nope. That is part of Potter... therefore it can't be touched. And it will have LED screens for windows, so they'd have to create an all new video to play, which wouldn't really be that exciting. Plus the whole Potter expansion thing wont be opening until 2014 or somewhere around that time-frame.
While it is a nice thought... it won't happen...
I thought Rowling gave Universal permission to use her characters for HHN if they chose to....(which would be SICK).
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If its an IP, what has come out relatively recently that features a Victorian house? The woman in black? Dark shadows?
This sounds like a weird idea just typing it but...what about the Munsters? Aren't they rebooting that series?
Also, The Amityville Horror, The Orphanage, Insidious....idk if they're all in Victorian houses, but I remember the houses playing big roles.
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Do you guys think that due to a decreased house count, Uni would invest a little more in the scare zones? Not so much the numbers but the amount of stuff in a set. For me, a big problem of the scare zones was not the actors, but the ambience. I know we have had many safe scare zones in the past that relied on the actors more than the environment, but I felt like last year had a lot of great scenery in half of the scare zones, and then kind of lost it in others. For instance, they utilized the light effects very well on the buildings for Acid Assault, and the detail in "bat forest" was heavy. But then we had the Canyon scare zone which was just, well unflattering. I am wondering if they could move the man power and money from one house to multiple scare zones, if the money even works that way. Even without the extra setting, more fog is never a bad thing!
I think that's a great idea...and I don't think you're off in terms of how the "money works". I was under the impression that there would be 7, not 8, houses bc of the construction in the used-to-be-jaws area...so I'm not sure if that necessarily means they'll have more money in their budget. But let's say they do have extra $$...I'm not sure if their priority will be scare zones. Their next top priority might be merchandising or even the quality of the 7 houses. I love scarezones personally, so it would be great to see them reallocate those resources in that way...
I think you're on point with the scare zones from last year, and I think they can do a much better job with "distributing the wealth", as it were, throughout the scare zones. The Canyon SZ was disappointing for me both day and night when I walked through it...maybe I didn't time it correctly, but I just wasn't getting it. The Acid Assault SZ was, imo, an idea that could have been developed/executed a bit better. I know it's new technology, and trust me, when I first saw it, I thought it was cool...but it felt a little like a rushed idea they weren't 100% done developing yet. Anyway, I liked your suggestion
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oh you mean like the taglines they have already used 8 years ago for 2004's event?
"Twice The Size. Twice The Fear."
"2X The Fear"
Not just taglines, that's not big enough. I'm talking maybe a house or at least a scare zone dedicated to doubles or something having to do with duality. Universal has made SUCH a big deal of numbers in the past few years...I don't think they'll just let it go so easily with just a tagline or mention. The 2004 reference is a good example, but the reality is that Universal may very well, at some point in the future, host another two-park HHN. But there will never be another HHN 22....and that's the point. It's a one-time chance to do something creative with the number 22...and I don't think Marketing OR A&D will want to overlook that.
it's really sad to hear everyone talking about HHN having no overlaying theme. Isn't that, aside from budget, makes them different and better then everyone else? I've been going to HHN since 2001, and I can't believe that A&D would just so drastically and abruptly change the formula to a winning recipe? IDK maybe I'm way off base but I can't believe that HHN will go without a theme. I can understand no icon; but to have no theme? A&D can't let that happen, and I don't believe they will.
I couldn't agree with you more. And, call me an idealist, but I believe the same of A&D - I can't see them letting HHN slide without a theme.
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The options you've provided only describe one house this year.
Do not expect a "theme" to this year. Everything I've heard is that it's IP/Penn & Teller-centric this year.
Well I can't provide options lol...I'm not A&D. I'm just curious.
While I know everything we've been hearing is Penn & Teller-based, I feel like, from a Marketing standpoint, the number 22 is too great of an opportunity for creativity/wordplay to just pass up...think about their uses for 21, 20, 16...someone at Universal, whether it's the execs or A&D, loves the idea of emphasizing the number each year. That's why the 22 is screaming at me. Ultimately, I think they could keep it Penn & Teller-based if that's their idea...and mix in 22.
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just wondering does anybody have a clue as to what house they think will be announced next?
I actually think the next announcement will be an original...Penn & Teller coming right after Alice Cooper is too much all at once. If I know Universal, I know they like to tease the crap out of us, and they'll spread out the big-name attractions. Penn & Teller would be better to go with the big reveal, which would also then include the scare zones. I also partially want the next announcement to be an original because I'm dying to see what A&D have been up to...maybe it'll be a 3D house/something akin to The In-Between from last year.
Does anyone have any ideas on what the overarching theme will be this year? Is it a Penn&Teller-themed HHN? Or are they sticking to just a house? I liked the media idea someone threw out there earlier.
Actually I just remembered something, which was lost in the back of my mind until now...maybe the theme will have something to do with the fact that it's 22 this year...doubles...double-vision...illusions....mirrors....maybe it will be Penn & Teller afterall. Or maybe the double/double-vision could translate into the 3D house, maybe making it the 7th house....I just opened Pandora's box in my mind, sorry :x
I also think about the twins (I know the "twins" idea is out because of the copycat issue with I-forgot-which-other-park, I'm just fantasizing here lol) from The Shining...and how sick of a house would THAT be. Hedge maze, blood waterfall elevators, bathtub scene, little kid riding around in a tricycle, REDRUM.......But I digress.
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No, Orlando is getting Welcome to My Nightmare, which will be similar to the maze we here in Hollywood had last year. Hollywood is getting Alice Cooper Goes to Hell 3D, which is based off the 7 deadly sins. Hope that clears things up for you
.The text in the email reads as follows:
"Enter the demented nightmare of Alice Cooper, where demons run rampant and lost souls wail in agony. Find your way through a psychotic vision of rock and horror as you bear witness to the consequences of the seven deadly sins."
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In the Universal email, they mention the 7 deadly sins....anyone think this was already in the works from last year? We did have that seven deadly sins scarezone...Maybe that was a dry run taken down a few notches. Maybe it's just coincidence, though I tend to not believe in those
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He owned/designed a successful haunt years ago in Arizona. It was called: Alice Cooper's Nightmare. It actually had the reputation among the haunt industry as being one of the most innovative in the country. Couple his love for haunted houses with his marketing appeal and this is why we will be walking through his attraction in Orlando this Fall.
I think the worry here in using Alice Cooper as a draw isn't his ability to making a creepy, great house. Actually, that's not my worry at all. His house may the best this year and I may eat the words I'm about to type. I HOPE that's the case, actually.
I'm personally a little antsy about the Alice Cooper house because I know that (unfortunately) most of the younger generations attending HHN won't necessarily be familiar with who Alice Cooper is. Now I'm not saying that every theme needs to be something NOW and CURRENT and known to be successful. That's not the case at all, as A&D has proven yearly through their original houses created from unknown or lesser known themes. Take the Poe house last year, for example, which, in my opinion, was one of the best houses of the year.
My issue is this: Alice Cooper comes from a different generation of music, and a different generation of music listeners. For example, it may be a teen's parents' generation of music...and that could be a potential turn off. And while one might argue that some of the most successful IP houses have come from cult 70's/80's classics (Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Halloween, etc.), I don't think the same would apply to music. Alice Cooper is a 70's/80's hard (or "horror") rock icon, and even if he makes a house that has absolutely NOTHING to do with his style of music, his name is still plastered all over the place in terms of that house, and therefore, his image and music will follow him. I think that's part of the appeal, in Marketing's mind. But I feel like this might be very telling of who's running Marketing and/or A&D...the music they like, the ages they are, and whether they can speak to a younger generation. Unfortunately, perhaps because of our media-driven society, you have to think beyond the quality of the house and into the message that his name and music bring to the audience...will it miss the mark? We won't know. Honestly, I hope this house is uber successful and my thoughts are for naught. I'm just trying to jump in the minds of the different generations who attend HHN. On the flip side of it, older generations will, I think, really enjoy it. Maybe it is part of marketing...maybe the people spending the money on HHN tickets wanted something like Alice Cooper. Who knows.
And to vent for a second, seriously, can we zoom out and just stop complaining/worrying about orlando becoming hollywood? @Wesker69 has a point. Orlando owes its roots to Hollywood, and there is no shame in that. The fact that Universal executives have given the A&D team in Orlando more artistic freedom in terms of house themes and designs over the years...that's neither here nor there, and it doesn't make Orlando any "better" or more "deserving". I haven't been to HHN Hollywood, but I'm sure everyone there gets just as terrified and entertained as people in Orlando. And I mean...isn't that the point?
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And you touch on one of the biggest aspects that is forgotten in the use of IPs: Marketing. IPs are used because they can be marketed. But we have seen so many complaints (and raves) about IPs this year (Penn and Teller/Alice Cooper vs. Silent Hill and Walking Dead) the numbers have to be looked at. Even by your own admission, you should be more intrigued by Penn and Teller than Walking Dead. But are you? What about the people who make the same argument as you?
Did I assign things in an incredibly broad manner? Yes. But that's because, when it comes to something being original, it shouldn't have to be associated with anything else. It's the difference between The Forsaken (rip-off which everyone immediately tied to The Fog) and The In-Between (Original). Which is the most original experience?
As for the Marketing argument, I think original ideas can be just as marketable as IPs; it all depends on the back story and how much detail the creators have put into those original ideas. Is the general public more familiar with IPs? Of course, which makes them so much more tempting to, say, the Marketing department at Universal. Penn & Teller, Alice Cooper, Walking Dead, Silent Hill...it will draw thousands of people in, whether or not the houses actually suck. Personally, I'm not sure how they will tie in Penn & Teller, but I'm not going to bash it before I see it. I can imagine the Silent Hill and Walking Dead...but I can't imagine Penn & Teller....
But in speaking to that, you’ve brought up a good point, especially with your fan fiction comparison: there's something to be said for the undeniable value in the unfamiliar.
For instance, let's take The In-Between. I agree, it was definitely a more original experience, if I were to compare it to The Forsaken or any other rip-off. It was also scarier, for me personally, because I didn’t know what the hell I was walking into or what to expect. And 3D/altered vision freaks me out and I’m not used to it…not even at the movies. And that’s precisely the point. As technology and science advance further, so do we as consumers, and so must Universal as an entertainment industry leader. Today, they are practically required to bring us closer and closer to experiencing, what feels like, “real” things in houses and rides. Chasing down the white rabbit, as it were.
When I walk into HHN every year, it never fails…I feel nervous and excited and scared (I get through HHN alive every year with the assistance of whatever blood-colored alcoholic beverage they throw at me…don’t judge me). As I go through the first few houses and get scared and scream like a little girl, I feel that addictive adrenaline/cortisol mix rush through me and I laugh and smile and know this is what I came for. But it doesn’t last forever. As the evening comes to an end, I always become numb…to the scareactors, to the sets, to the houses, to the scarezones. And I think the reason WHY this happens to me, is the same reason why we, the HHN junkies of the world, become somewhat obsessed with the argument that “original” ideas are better. It’s because familiarity SUCKS.
Biologically speaking, our minds love familiarity. On a completely subconscious level, we connect the dots, recognize patterns, and mold our reactions to the reality around us as quickly as possible…and that’s part of our biological makeup. It’s part of the “survival of the fittest” idea. And it’s precisely these biological facts that work against the A&D team. We live in a generation of been-there-done-that. We absorb so much at once on a daily basis that, if you don’t immediately suck us in with something completely new and addictive and weird and insane, we see right through it. It’s an insatiable hunger for the newest, the best, the most mind-blowing, freakiest, creepiest, goriest, scariest stuff you can throw at us. (It’s also my theory that this is why so many people try and steer clear of the Bill & Ted show every year: while it’s a great break from the constant barrage of chainsaws and scares and whatnot, it almost never delivers an original joke…every joke they tell has already been told. 500 times. In memes. Online. In person. Over and over and over. But still, we sit through it because it feels good to laugh. And the beat goes on.) So, at the end of the day, it’s A&D’s job to figure out what we haven’t seen yet, what we honestly truly fear, and how to put those things together to create an unexpected, unfamiliar experience. And that is probably the most difficult task of all…creating the unfamiliar, just to have it become familiar by the end of the season.
So, while it's easy for us to sit here and type away about how much better original houses are, on average, the truth is...as long as creativity and art and technology continue to grow, so will the originality in this event. I don't worry about it too much because, let's face it, if Coachella managed to make a 2Pac hologram...wtf should we expect in the future of HHN? Idk about anyone else, but THAT scares me...in a great way
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Whether it's IP houses, returning houses or original concepts the quality between them is indistinguishable. It's all from the minds of Art & Design.
I completely agree with Karras. It's not about whether the houses are "original" or not...it's not even about the idea necessarily. Great ideas can be executed horribly, and so-so ideas can be executed insanely well. It's all about the execution and interpretation...and that's A&D's job. I think everyone needs to focus a little less on the OH-MY-GOD-IT'S-IP-AND-NOT-ORIGINAL-WTF aspect, and just put a little faith in A&D. They know what they're doing, and they know how to scare us...my faith is in them, not the category the houses may be placed in.
That being said, I think your analysis is an interesting one...it takes the entire argument of original vs. non original houses and puts it in a new light. There is value in that. But we also need to remember that the "value" of a house, or the "scare factor" if I may, is a subjective thing. And there's proof of that all throughout the forum. Ultimately, we all find different things to be scary, and while we may have similar experiences in the same house, we will all come out with differing opinions of it. Some houses throughout the years have been deemed the scariest by far...others have been shunned forever as failures. But take those "scariest" houses, and I'll show you someone who thought they were cake; take the "failures", and I'll show you someone who still has nightmares about them. I'll stop rambling bc I tend to do that, but my question is...
Does it really matter whether the houses are original, or sort-of-original, or IP, or whatever else? What truly makes a good house to begin with: the idea, or the execution? Or both?
Good points though...liking this thread
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Do you think they will post something revealing a new house despite the hole theather shooting incident?
Definitely, but if the reveal had/has anything to do with a house themed with, say, a slasher/mass murderer of some kind, they might switch out what they were originally intending to reveal and save it for a later date, out of respect for the families. But it won't deter the announcement, I don't think.
HHN 22 Speculation
in Halloween Horror Nights 22
Posted
The 12th man is suppose to signify supporters/the audience...but if you're going to corrupt the concept, then the metaphorical 12th man would turn into...your worst enemy. So...enemies rooting for your failure, or discouraging your success? I feel like this has something to do with this whole "war/games" idea in that maybe...maybe we're hunting each other/being hunted? Like we could pick teams (or groups of scareactors) and participate...I know that sounds weird...and maybe I'm too much of a fan of The Hunger Games series...but I feel like this year could involve a lot of audience participation on our part...like we become the object of these teams' desires? They're all fighting over...us...over our human mortality and frailty? And what if WE become prisoners too? What if that's the idea behind that scarezone?
Ok I'm done lol sorry if I'm totally off base