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HHN XXI Speculation II


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Here's my "concern" about Saws and Steam as a house (and I will say I feel that, with the clue and what Jaws looks like, it's all but officially announced), and this applies in general with any scarezone being converted into a house. While scarezones can help establish great characters and a great environment, they very rarely make a good story. The reason for that is that there is no "progression" or narrative in scarezones. At most, the "story" is more of a situation. Jurassic Park, the "story" of the island was that the dinosaurs had escaped, but that's a situation. Saws and Steam last year had great character designs, a great environment and a great "situation" (oceans have turned to steam and water must be extracted from people), but there is no real story there (at least, not in the sense some of the better houses have).

That's one of the reasons why it's easier to turn a house into a scarezone. The story is already told, which includes the situation, characters and location, and so all you have to do is let the characters roam free, while recreating the location. I feel it's more difficult to work backwards, unless you are going to start focusing on the situation.

So, in my mind, there are a couple of ways Horizon Extraction can be treated. One, it's a "torture" house with set pieces, startle scares and no definitive narrative (comparable to Saw and Run: Hostile Territory). The "story" would be that you simply touring a processing plant of sorts. Two, it's a "prequel," where Horizon Extraction used to be an oil company where, as the seas disappeared, the employees grew restless and panicked, leading to the discovery of the body's bounty.

It will probably be option one, though, which is a bit disappointing. I know the cast in the house will make it terrifying (in the veteran Chainsaws in close-quarters? We're screwed), but anticipating a set-pieced torture house without an over-arching story is dissappointing.

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I agree with Jeramy, mostly for the reason that I really would like there to be a story associated with the already interesting "situation".

Hopefully Uni will cook something up special for the house's backstory that the GP, as well as us vets, can really get immersed in.

However, I anticipate this house being more like the original Body Collectors (one of my faves). That house already had a great situation (and similar in a way to the Saws & Steam situation), but benefited by having a great over-arching backstory built into the event itself. The individual house didn't really need a backstory, it was already built-in to the backstory of the whole event that year.

I don't think the Saws & Steam house will have that same luxury of being including of an over-arching event storyline this year so we'll just have to wait and see what kind of backstory Uni can muster

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You know, maybe it was just me, but I didn't enjoy the saws and steam scarezone last year. Maybe I caught it in an off moment but all I got when I saw it was a victim strung up on a platform of some kind and some guy annoncing something that I couldn't hear over the screaming around me. That was it. No other scares, no nothing. So you can imagine my surprise when I heard they might be a house based on it this year. Like I said, I probably caught it at a bad time, but still....this fact is making it difficult for me to picture a house based off of it :/

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this doesnt pertain to sns but I was wondering if death were to be a major role if they may have guards to "protect" Death like they did with Fear like they did last year.. Maybe its me but I think that would be a good touch.. anybody elses oppinion on this?

Edited by hhnlovr23
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Uhmm, off topic a bit. But i heard people around here saying that theres 6 scarezones.

One around Terminator,

another around Shrek,

Mels Drive in/ Pumpkin alley,

New York,

The dark alley Where Donkey talks

and around the animal actors.

Does that mean San Fransisco (Disaster area) isnt getting a scarezone? D:

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Uhmm, off topic a bit. But i heard people around here saying that theres 6 scarezones.

One around Terminator,

another around Shrek,

Mels Drive in/ Pumpkin alley,

New York,

The dark alley Where Donkey talks

and around the animal actors.

Does that mean San Fransisco (Disaster area) isnt getting a scarezone? D:

You have your locations mixed up just a bit (I'll let someone with better knowledge of the scarezones correct you there), but you're right - as far as we know, there will be no scarezone in San Francisco/Disaster area this year.

Could this and the "Floyd and Nurmi" clues point to the show in Beetlejuice?

Mae

I'm not following your train of thought... the Floyd and Nurmi clue is for a house.

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Agreed on the scarezone to house comments. We've seen plenty of examples of a house becoming a zone (Skool -> Skoolhouse, Castle Vampyr -> Blood Masquerade, Scary Tales -> Fractured Tales) but I have yet to hear of a zone becoming a house. The closest example I can think of is the Treaks & Foons room in Hallow'd Past - and I felt that was more of a copout than anything.

Still, I'll give this a shot. The scenario is an intriguing one, but I think for this to work we'd definitely need an "origin story" as to how the original scarezone came about. Horizons Extraction Facility needs to be the Cyberdyne of the Saws'n'Steam reality. I have no doubts it won't be scary with so many chainsaws in the claustrophobic Jaws queue - but an effective prequel story setting up the original scare zone would put this house over the top.

On a side note - am I the only one confused as to why they chose Saws'n'Steam? Obviously they see some potential in it for it to graduate to house - but what about HAVOC? That would've been an easy house to street conversion. I figured Catacombs would've gotten a sequel first, probably in a soundstage, moving the plot from the museum gone wrong onward. Hell, Legendary Truth is ripe for a sequel, it's practically designed to be a franchise house... Oh well, I can't really make any judgements until I see the final lineup and experience everything A&D has come up with. They are the ones getting paid to come up with ideas, not me, so for now I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

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Agreed on the scarezone to house comments. We've seen plenty of examples of a house becoming a zone (Skool -> Skoolhouse, Castle Vampyr -> Blood Masquerade, Scary Tales -> Fractured Tales) but I have yet to hear of a zone becoming a house. The closest example I can think of is the Treaks & Foons room in Hallow'd Past - and I felt that was more of a copout than anything.

Still, I'll give this a shot. The scenario is an intriguing one, but I think for this to work we'd definitely need an "origin story" as to how the original scarezone came about. Horizons Extraction Facility needs to be the Cyberdyne of the Saws'n'Steam reality. I have no doubts it won't be scary with so many chainsaws in the claustrophobic Jaws queue - but an effective prequel story setting up the original scare zone would put this house over the top.

On a side note - am I the only one confused as to why they chose Saws'n'Steam? Obviously they see some potential in it for it to graduate to house - but what about HAVOC? That would've been an easy house to street conversion. I figured Catacombs would've gotten a sequel first, probably in a soundstage, moving the plot from the museum gone wrong onward. Hell, Legendary Truth is ripe for a sequel, it's practically designed to be a franchise house... Oh well, I can't really make any judgements until I see the final lineup and experience everything A&D has come up with. They are the ones getting paid to come up with ideas, not me, so for now I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

I still think there's potential for Catacombs and HAVOC to return in future years. Just for whatever reason, they decided not to include it this time around. Think of the Body Collectors - first house in 2005, second house 2008. I wouldn't completely rule out the return for the future.

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Agreed on the scarezone to house comments. We've seen plenty of examples of a house becoming a zone (Skool -> Skoolhouse, Castle Vampyr -> Blood Masquerade, Scary Tales -> Fractured Tales) but I have yet to hear of a zone becoming a house. The closest example I can think of is the Treaks & Foons room in Hallow'd Past - and I felt that was more of a copout than anything.

I was under the assumption that The Hallow was the house treatment of Harvest of the Souls from 2006. At least, to me, those two felt a wee bit similar in scenery and premise, so to speak.

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Why would you say that? Based on my knowledge, it is a house clue.

And you're knowledge probably trumps mine on this, lol. I just like to keep an open mind. I'm just excited to find out what the other houses will be. and the SZ's.

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I still think there's potential for Catacombs and HAVOC to return in future years. Just for whatever reason, they decided not to include it this time around. Think of the Body Collectors - first house in 2005, second house 2008. I wouldn't completely rule out the return for the future.

Very true. Given the very positive reaction to HAVOC and Catacombs, from both fans and the general public alike (Anecdotal Evidence in addition to HOTY: many of my friends who do not follow the event said these two houses were their favorites), we'll probably see them pop up again at some point. It may very well have been a matter of space constraints - for example, they could've decided Catacombs II should be done in a soundstage. Perhaps The Thing consumed the spot considered for Catacombs II. Thing wins, Catacomb is pushed to another year.

I was under the assumption that The Hallow was the house treatment of Harvest of the Souls from 2006. At least, to me, those two felt a wee bit similar in scenery and premise, so to speak.

Ehh, I don't know. Maybe. I always felt Harvest of Souls was the continuation of the 2004 cornfield zone. They all sort of revolve around an earthy, Halloween origins theme, but I always thought The Hallow was self-contained due to its focus on Lord Samhain and distancing itself of the characters established in the previous two zones (no pumpkin heads or hicks, if I'm not mistaken).

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If I had to guess for any reason why Sn'S would return before any other house would be because steam punk is expensive. The made all those costumes and they want their return on investment lol. Also, between Frankenstein with its steam punk props and scary tales four/orphanage/NoES boilers they have a lot of ready house props.

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Saws&Steam would be an interesting house, especially for the Jaws queue... But would they be able to have REAL chainsaws in that house? I'd be dissapointed if they did a Saws&Steam house and they didn't use the real deal. I feel like Disaster would be the place for such a house.

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I'm still pulling for a witch or magic oriented house in one of the Sprung tents. I loved the imagery in that one scarezone involving the pilgrams burning while the witches ran free. Forgive me for the name escapes my brain. I've noticed in general, other haunted houses in the industry, seem to be stepping back in terms of content. Instead of focusing their haunt on an original story, they are beginning to integrate old hat cliche monsters like werewolves, victorian vampires, etc. Classic monsters and the such. Nothing wrong with that, but my mind is always moving forward. You do a haunted house like legendary truths, I'm already thinking about how can I one up that? What am I trying to say? Well, perhaps Uni is taking a step back and explore the older ideas of shaminism, voodoo, psychics, fortune tellers, etc. It's been awhile since I last browsed over the thread so I apologize in advanced if there has been more code names introduced, but so far I feel that one of the tents will be magic related.

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Saw's & Steam was my favorite zone from last year. I could easily see the claustrophobic nature of the zone coming into play, especially over at Jaws. Stoked to see the final result.

Plus the street to zone switch has worked well in the past.

Edited by Karras
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Saws&Steam would be an interesting house, especially for the Jaws queue... But would they be able to have REAL chainsaws in that house? I'd be dissapointed if they did a Saws&Steam house and they didn't use the real deal. I feel like Disaster would be the place for such a house.

I think that they may be able to get a few chainsaws un there due to the space.. if it were SnS then they may use the big buzz saw props they carried around last year,and the big bug-eye goggles. I think SnS would fit perfectly in the Jaws queue. It could be a very good chance for it this year Edited by hhnlovr23
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