Cooger and Dark

Do you think the GP really knows that it is the biggest house in Uni's history? I know they announced it, but how much do people really pay attention/remember that sort of thing. Obviously, we obsessives know, but what about Joe Schmo? I have been curious how big of a capacity this house will have given the size of the house. I mean, with double the amount of rooms, one would assume the wait times would SEEM lower.

This might be up your alley (my buddy says it's a riot): A small outbreak can turn into a worldwide apocalypse... but only through a long string of screw-ups! Once actual zombies begin popping up in our world, a lone intelligence analyst realizes real-life events are beginning to mimic the events of a long-lost, Grade-Z, drive-in horror flick. As he races to save humanity with this knowledge, he quickly learns the only thing more dangerous than ravenous walking corpses is the ineptitude of the living! The gutsplitting (and then eating) comedy that pokes fun at the zombie horror phenomenon! Illustrated in graytones with red highlights (for blood and gore, of course), so it feels like the ever-popular The Walking Dead series. Okay, that aside. Do you guys think TWD will be a popular house this year or will AvP and Halloween overshadow the infestation?

Hahaha! Especially if you read Bearmageddon: http://bearmageddon.com/2011/08/01/page-1/

On AP party nights they block off the Parade and Tents until 6:30pm, correct? My inlaws are heading there opening weekend, they have Stay and Scream, and they want to know the best plan of attack that won't tire them out so I am trying to figure out where to send them first (I am thinking AvP and then have them head over to the Kidzone area since I know it will take them a while to walk there anyways).

Yeah, if the house turns out anything like that level, it'll be pretty cool. Here's to hoping the music is similar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydL4TrO-51A

Very nice! It reminds me of the Dollhouse stage in Alice: Madness Returns:

Am I looking at the pics wrong or is the facade for Dollhouse of the Damned really big?

Gotcha. I have friends doing Stay and Scream on one of the AP party nights and they were asking me what that meant for where they would be held.

Thank you. I wonder if this is any sort of indicator as to whether or not Kidzone will even be a holding area anymore?... There was rumors a while ago that Kidzone would be shut down for reimagining once the summer months were over and with the word of AP previews checking in by Battery Park I am wondering if that is coming soon. If so, maybe Battery Park will be the holding area this year.

I heard that AP nights were moving the check in to the Battery Park area of the park and wondered if this meant that would be where people doing stay and scream would have to go as well to check in? Also, where is the Battery Park area considered to be within the park?

Yeah, I expected Dracula Untold over this. Maybe there are some more impressive effects than we think?...

Well American Horror Story seems to be the most talked about but if you look at the numbers, it received less than 5mil on its season 3 finale. What it lacks in numbers it does make up for in word of mouth and awards (although I think everyone knows this house has little likelihood of happening). Sleepy Hollow seems to be the closest contender numbers wise but the season finale numbers were less than half that of TWD (6.9mil to 15.7mil). That being said, Sleepy Hollow is only one season old and TWD had about 6mil at its season one finale. I am not sure how good the word of mouth has been on this show, but it does seem a show worth considering. At the very least, pulling some ideas from the show for an original house would be pretty amazing (Mr. Sandman, please!).

Last year they did the full reveal on Thursday the 28th so this is exactly when I was expecting them to finally reveal all.

^ I really like the idea of using The Purge as the template. Last year's use of Evil Dead provided one of the best shows they have done in recent years and managed to be an actual horror themed show at a Halloween event (Gasp!).

To put it at a guess, some scary looking Wendigo creatures that probably show up earlier in the house than anyone was anticipating. Just speculation, though.

I just keep thinking of the diner scene in Freeway where the Kiefer Sutherland says: "Chicken soup, and a f*cking straw!"

Given how you hear every day about some new celebrity doing the Ice Bucket Challenge, I would expect it would either be represented by a line of dialogue or in the video recorded screens.

Losing Bill and Ted would be a mistake as the capacity/interest in it year to year are huge so keep it (I actually really enjoyed last year's show). RHPS should be changed and if they decide to make it another tribute show; Little Shop of Horrors, The Devil's Carnival, and Repo: The Genetic Opera all seem like good options. Add an icon show like JDW suggested. It could either be a magic/freak/burlesque show or something more like what Singapore did to announce the icon this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otPDq7QiuKM

Beyonce elevator incident. Sharknado 2.

I have heard this house will have stilts, leading me to believe that there will be at least one Wendigo. My story ideas run along two lines: we start with cannibal colonists who become more and more monstrous over time until they fully transform into a Wendigo (which lines up more with mythology) OR we start with cannibal colonists who get eaten/killed by a real Wendigo (which is a nice twist but might be too hard for the GP to understand). I have heard the Wendigo story both ways and in the research I have done, it seems that it did function as both a creature and a spirit in the Native American legend. They did believe that someone could be possessed by a Wendigo spirit and thus turn cannibal and at the same time they did believe it to be a creature roaming in the wild. There are various looks to the creature itself but all seem to agree that it is a giant and yet emaciated looking to the point that its bones are visible through its skin. The more animalistic look is debated tribe to tribe so while that may be present in the house, it may also just be a gaunt looking giant.

Houses: 1. Roanoke - The setting intrigues me and I expect something along the lines of Nightingale's which was awesome. 2. Dollhouse of the Damned - I have heard this might be the dark horse house of the year so my anticipation is up. 3. Alien vs. Predator - If done well, this could be amazing. 4. Halloween - The close quarters of a tent will make this feel just like the movie. 5. Giggles and Gore - Though it is supposed to be short, my friend is terrified of clowns so I cannot wait to see her go through this one. 6. Dracula Untold - This one edges out FDTD because I imagine it will be more period-centric and I have no idea what to expect so I will most likely get scared in here 7. From Dusk Til Dawn - I like the movie and what I have seen of the show, but the above houses just sound better or seem more likely to catch me off guard. 8. The Walking Dead - It's a megahouse based on what I have been told is a pretty cool season so this should be fun. Also, like Dracula I have not seen this season so they have the advantage of the unexpected when it comes to scaring me (which they did not have last year). Scarezones: 1. MASKerade: Unstitched - Sounds wonderfully and beautifully twisted which makes me think of the costume designs for 7. 2. The Purge: Anarchy - Big scarezones, motorcycles, and creepy masks. Nuff said. 3. Bayou of Blood - This could be a cool performance zone or a great scarezone. 4. Face Off: In the Flesh - Not a bad sounding zone, but the other stuff just sounds more interesting.

You make some good points. I am glad you remembered Dead Exposure, because the tents cannot be HOTY argument has always bugged me. Even though The Forsaken won in 2011, The Inbetween was always highly rated. I know American Werewolf in London won last year, but that was the first time in 5 years that an IP house won and, I have to guess, the GP did not really know the property so it probably took a lot of people by surprise. I agree, it is going to be a close competition this year.

I don't think we are discounting those houses, we are just operating under what information we know. I mean, if you look at the last five-ish years the winners are usually the originals or the lesser known IPs. I think the reason for that is, knowing the source material makes it less scary since you know what to expect. That does not mean the houses are not good, it just means there are other houses out there that the GP likes better. It makes sense since part of the appeal of horror is the unexpected.

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, I am working from memory and could not find the information anywhere. 2009: Dracula Legacy in Blood 2010: Havoc Dogs of War 2011: The Forsaken / The In-Between 2012: ? 2013: American Werewolf in London Edit: ForeverEvil1 beat me to it. I feel like we should have this listed for quick reference somewhere on this site. Mods?

I have heard from an insider that they think Dollhouse of the Damned might be the dark horse house this year which just makes me think of Havoc: Dogs of War, Catacombs, and The Inbetween. If the actors really take it up a notch, I think it could be something special. Somehow, I sort of think AvP has such high expectations that it might end up disappointing which is why I agree that Dracula: Untold could be the surprise hit of the IP houses. Giggles and Gore is probably not a contender like you said, but it may get high ratings just do to the clown factor. If it does spill into the streets, I think we could see HHN's shortest house end up with some surprisingly high ratings. Roanoke looks awesome but may suffer from a lack of knowledge by the GP. I mean, I cannot even tell you how many times I heard people saying 2011's WWII house was okay. The history houses, while my favorites, can get lost in translation.