HHN House Progression

[Blizzrock13]

In light of the HHN tournament of champions game currently going on, I was thinking about how HHN has progressed over the years in terms of details, scaretactics, etc. As I'm sure we can all agree, every year it takes more to impress us. If Universal didn't improve upon itself, we'd quickly grow bored because the houses/scarezones wouldn't have the same impact on us if we saw something of comparable quality year after year. I mean, even with the improvements, few of us get as scared now as we did during our first or second years.

So, with this in mind, I was wondering if you guys really think the old classic houses that stand out so prominently in our memories would really have such a following if they were seen for the first time this year. Would they compare to houses today that we appreciate but don't necessarily revere?

-Blizz

[LV-426]

I don't know, my first year was 06, but, with looking at the props and costumes this year, and looking at some pictures from past years, I think they kinda did more before, I mean, in terms of costumes and props, i have seen some pretty cool pics from years before, it makes me really sad I didn't go before

[Legacy]

It depends. Houses were a lot longer way back when, predominately because they didn't have to spread the money out across eight different venues. The original Screamhouse had 15-16 scenes, and took 10-15 minutes to walk through. Most of the houses I remember from pre-2005 feel longer than the ones now. That, right there, makes a huge impact. Some of the older facades, I believe, are more impressive than most of what we see now (I still love the old Ghost Town facade, and consider it right on par with LT this year). Most of the effects are the same though. They've had the vortex for over a decade. Same with the twitching body. The electric chair used in Psychoscarepy was bought for Hellgate in 2004. This year, I saw very few "new" effects, outside of the ones used in LT. Some were even missing (puking zombie and the drop floor).

One, big change, is how drop boo-doors are used and the technology supporting them (fail-safes were introduced this year), and the increased number of AATs/E-Prompts. Screamhouse had, maybe, 5 E-Prompts for a cast of 22 in the house. The mirror effect used in Hades was used in Screamhouse as well. Design-wise, I'm seeing more locations in houses that allow the scareactors to be much more creative with their scares, which is a huge plus, and we are definitely more protected. Depending on what you like though, the past years could be considered more elaborate/intimate. All I know is that, presently, I keep getting disappointed by how "short" houses feel to me.

[PWT]

Puking Zombie and Drop floor? Please share?

[armyofrobots]

I was hoping to see the puking zombie in 'Geddon this year. Oh well.

[Troiandan]

I love puking zombie! I think I saw it in Deadtropolis - was that the first time it was used?

I didn't like drop floor, I tripped when it dropped in the second Mummy house and I almost took out a forest.

I LOVED LOVED Ghost Town, one of my favorite houses ever, and I loved hanging and chatting with the cow-ghoul outside.

I hadn't thought about it before, but I think you're right, the houses in the late 90's - early 2000's did seem longer. I guess funds can only go so far.

[Legacy]

Puking Zombie and Drop floor? Please share?

Puking zombie was an animatronic zombie that would hack, heave and convulse while "vomiting" into a bucket. As Stephanie said, it was originally bought for Deadtropolis in 2004, and was a fun little effect. I was expecting it to be in Zombiegeddon, or actually Catacombs (as a sick plague victim), but it never showed.

The drop floor is similar to the drop floors you find in fun-houses. It's a long floor with a hinge in the middle with a pneumatic lift. Every few seconds it would "drop," delivering a sensation similar to the finale of Twister. It was used in Fear Factor in 2002, the original Psychoscarepy in 2003 and (if I remember correctly) Disorientorium in 2004.

I love puking zombie! I think I saw it in Deadtropolis - was that the first time it was used?

I didn't like drop floor, I tripped when it dropped in the second Mummy house and I almost took out a forest.

I LOVED LOVED Ghost Town, one of my favorite houses ever, and I loved hanging and chatting with the cow-ghoul outside.

I hadn't thought about it before, but I think you're right, the houses in the late 90's - early 2000's did seem longer. I guess funds can only go so far.

Ghost Town still stands as one of my favorites, and still has the best finale ever. My fiance was actually in that house.

[Troiandan]

As Stephanie said, it was originally bought for Deadtropolis in 2004, and was a fun little effect.

*cough* Troi *cough*

Edited November 4, 2010 by Troiandan

[Jumboshrmp]

*cough* Troi *cough*

Well you all decided to start using her avatar, so I can't blame him for making that mistake

[LV-426]

so, I guess houses were better years past, but fewer, that's what I'm feeling, well about the houses being longer, that sounds pretty cool, I did not attend past years but the houses do feel very short,

well, I guess is either longer but fewer houses or shorter but more houses, and yeah it does feel from what I hear that they used to do more elaborate sets, costumes, props, but I don't know is just what I've been hearing

[Cody]

I think the drop floor was also in Interstellar Terror in one of the last hallways to represent the ship breaking up (a small hallway/vent/whatever had the floorboards start kicking up and dropping back down in a wave coming toward you, and when it reached the end the floor would buck under your feet). Dead Silence had a similar effect with Mary Shaw shaking the theatre catwalk as if it was about to fall like in the movie.

[Tman875]

There was also the Puking zombie outside Demon Cantina at HHN:ToT.