Legacy Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 So, with all the complaints about this year’s complaints about the use of IPs and the cries for “original content,” I wanted to see something. I had realized that my first year (2002), only 20% of the houses were original to that year and wasn’t an IP. Just how original IS Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando. Well… the answer may surprise you. With a list of all 109 houses (Double Runs counted as 1), I assigned each house a category of Original, Returning Idea, IP, or Rip-off. Original Houses is a fairly loose category, especially for the earlier years. The Dungeon of Terror, despite its heavy use of IPs, is categorized as an original house because the overall theme was original. It’s a loose term, and if there was any question in my head I went towards Original. Returning Houses are houses based on previous houses or characters seen at HHN. IPs are houses that are based on properties that have existed outside of HHN. If a house was a returning house, but was given an IP as a key factor… it was categorized as an IP. Also, the Fangora houses are considered IP because they are not Universal concepts. Also, “anthology houses” (such as Die-In) were categorized as IP houses since the premise is wrapped entirely around the IPs presented. Rip-Offs are the houses that are obviously ripped from either a recent movie or a well-known pop-culture. Priority was: IP, Returning, Original, Rip-off (Returning IPs were counted as IPs. Returning Originals were counted as Returning.) Original Concepts – 45 IPs – 38 Rip-offs – 10 Returning Ideas – 16 So… out of 21 Years of houses… only 41% were entirely original. 1991 Dungeon of Terror Original 1992 Dungeon of Terror Returning The People Under the Stairs IP 1993 The People Under the Stairs IP The Psycho Path Maze IP The Slaughterhouse Original 1994 Haunted Houses: The Bone Yard Original Dungeon of Terror Returning Hell's Kitchen Original The Psycho Path Maze IP 1995 Haunted Houses: The Crypt Keeper's Dungeon of Terror IP Universal's House of Horrors IP Terror Underground: Transit to Torment Original 1996 Haunted Houses: The Crypt Keeper's Studio Tour of Terror IP Toy Hell: Nightmare at the Scream Factory Original Universal's New House of Horrors IP 1997 Haunted Houses: Hotel Hell Original Tombs of Terror Original Universal's Museum of Horror IP 1998 Haunted Houses: Hell's High Original Museum of Horror (Chamber of Horrors / Unnatural History) IP S.S. Frightanic (Fear in First Class / Carnage Crew) Original 1999 Haunted Houses: Doomsday Original Insanity Original The Mummy IP Psycho: Through the Mind of Norman Bates IP Universal's Creature Features in 3-D IP 2000 Haunted Houses: Anxiety in 3-D Original Dark Torment Original The Fearhouse Original Total Chaos Original Universal Classic Monster Mania IP 2001 Haunted Houses: Run Original The Mummy Returns: The Curse Continues IP Pitch Black Rip-Off Scary Tales Original Superstitions Original 2002 Haunted Houses: Scream House Original Fear Factor IP Maximum Carnage IP Project Evilution IP Scary Tales II Returning 2003 Haunted Houses: All Nite Die-In IP Funhouse of Fear Original Jungle of Doom Original PsychoScareapy Original Scream House Revisited Returning Ship of Screams Rip-Off 2004 Haunted Houses: Castle Vampyr Original Disorientorium Original Deadtropolis Original Hellgate Prison Original Horror in Wax Rip-Off House of Wax Remake was following year Horror Nights Nightmares Returning Ghost Town Original 2005 Haunted Houses: Where Evil Hides Original Body Collectors Rip-Off Blood Ruins Original Cold Blind Terror Original Demon Cantina Rip-Off The Skool Original Terror Mines Original 2006 Haunted Houses: Scream House: Resurrection Returning All Nite Die-In: Take 2 IP Psychoscareapy: Maximum Madness Returning Dungeon of Terror: Retold Returning The People Under the Stairs: Under Construction IP Psycho Path: The Return of Norman Bates IP Run: Hostile Territory Returning 2007 Haunted Houses: Jack's Funhouse in Clown-O-Vision Returning A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dreamwalkers IP Friday the 13th: Camp Blood IP The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Flesh Wounds IP Dead Silence: The Curse of Mary Shaw IP PsychoScareapy: Home for the Holidays Rip-Off Black Xmas/Silent Night, Deadly Night The Thing: Assimilation IP Vampyr: Blood Bath Returning 2008 Haunted Houses: Reflections of Fear Original Body Collectors: Collections of the Past Returning Creatures! Original Dead Exposure Original Doomsday IP The Hallow Original Interstellar Terror Rip-Off Scary Tales: Once Upon a Nightmare Returning 2009 Haunted Houses: Silver Screams IP Saw IP Chucky: Friends 'til the End IP The Wolfman IP Dracula: Legacy in Blood IP Frankenstein: Creation of the Damned IP Leave it to Cleaver IP Fangora House The Spawning IP Fangora House 2010 Haunted Houses: Horror Nights: The Hallow'd Past Returning Catacombs: Black Death Rising Original Havoc: Dogs of War Original The Orfanage: Ashes to Ashes Original ZombieGeddon Original Hades: The Gates of Ruin Rip-Off Clash of the Titans PsychoScareapy: Echoes of Shadybrook Returning Legendary Truth: The Wyandot Estate Rip-Off Haunting of Hill House 2011 Haunted Houses: Nightingales: Blood Prey Original H.R. Bloodengutz Presents Holidays of Horror Original Saws N' Steam: Into the Machine Returning The Thing IP Winter's Night: The Haunting of Hawthorn Cemetery Original Nevermore: The Madness of Poe IP The Forsaken Rip-Off The In Between Original 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hush Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 It boils down to this, Universal could provide brand new houses every single year, with brand new scarezones, new shows, discount the tickets so they are dirt cheap, add nights, give away free booze and money and people would STILL find something to complain about. I have a very simple solution for the whiners, if you don't think your going to enjoy yourself, then save your money and stay home. That's just fewer people in line for the rest of us to have to contend with. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Removed several posts. I hate to see such a good thread go towards the wrong direction just because of back and forth bantering, so please cut it out. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karras Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Posted July 23, 2012 Author Share Posted July 23, 2012 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. Except for Cleaver and Spawning. Those are from the minds at Fangora. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karras Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Except for Cleaver and Spawning. Those are from the minds at Fangora. Fangora drew up the blue prints for those houses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Posted July 23, 2012 Author Share Posted July 23, 2012 Fangora drew up the blue prints for those houses? Concepts come first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justchristy Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 The idea for The Spawning maze came from the movie, C.H.U.D which did make an appearance in a Fangoria magazine. However, Fangoria did not actually come up with the idea, all they did was just become a sponsorship to promote the said maze. This same principle also applies to the Leave It To Cleaver maze as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grime Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 The only IPs I'm tired of are Freddy, Jason, Michael, Chuckie, etc. The big names that we've seen covered by every form of media for decades now. More recently produced IPs are fine in my books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelz Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 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? While I love the detail of the design within a house it's the cast that ultimately makes or breaks it for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boogeyman13 Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I tend to fall on the line of preferring originals (even if it's a rip-off), because it allows A&D more creative freedom. I 100% agree that execution is key, but with an IP, hands get tied on what they can get away with. A perfectly good example of that is Carnival of Carnage and what I've heard the original scare zones were to be. IP's can be just as scary as original concepts, but I honestly don't get scared in haunted houses. I'm 6'5" and over 300 pounds, and it's not very scary when the scareactor has to look up at me. Heck the fact that I tend to be grinning my entire way through a house is probably more unsettling to them! Additionally, a BA in film and a love for special effects has ingrained in me the inability to suspend disbelief. I intrinsically know that it's just a person in a mask, and I can't turn that off. So my main draw is to see the atmosphere and the story. And if I'm going for that, I'd much rather see and explore something new, rather than a "best of" type of house for a franchise I can watch in my living room. And unfortunately it seems like that's mostly what IP houses are limited to, at least in recent years. Body Collectors, while absolutely a rip-off, still presented a new twist and experience; and the same for a number of the other rip-off houses. And it sounds like even The Thing from 2007 did that as well. Existing franchise, new story. Even their sequel houses still strive to offer something different than what we saw before. That's really all I want. If they can give me that, than I could not care less if it's IP, rip-off, or original. Per the OP's poll above though, I would probably meld returning into the other categories. There's a difference between original and new, and from what I understand, even sequel houses weren't the same as what preceded them (i.e. new story in the same world). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 My point isn't about the quality of houses. Really, casting holds more sway over how a house is received than A&D. A good cast can save a weak concept and a bad cast can ruin a strong one. However, we continuously see the, "Universal is best at original ideas," or "Universal only does original stuff," arguments. The numbers show that that is not entirely true. Most of what Universal does ISN'T original. Almost half of what they have presented is directly tied to an IP (this year gets it even closer). Throwing in the Rip-offs, more than half of their stuff isn't original. So there really is no factual basis for the "No IP" argument. If I really wanted to take the time and dissect everything, I would go through the "Top 10" thread and see how many originals versus everything else is listed in people's top tens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boogeyman13 Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Well, I tend to disagree with the statement that a cast is the most important factor on the success of a house, as referenced by my post above. But as you mentioned, that's not really the point of this thread. I mean no disrespect here, and I think it's great that you took to time to do this, but I feel that this breakdown is a little disingenuous, paints the event in too broad of strokes, and eschews the numbers a bit. It doesn't take into account the flavor of the houses. Let's compare two IP houses for example. JP: Evilution is an IP house. But it's IP in pretty much name only. It featured original characters, an original concept and story, and original visuals. It was a very different animal than Saw, which was much more a by the numbers "best of" type of house, with few to no surprises if you've seen the films. Quality and reception aside, while Evilution is based on an IP, it has much more in common with an original house than it does the IP it's associated with. Let's take this one step further with the "rip-off" houses. The Forsaken may have been taken, conceptually, from The Fog, but how was it not an orginal house? Again, new story, new characters, new scares, and new visuals. Body Collectors is another example. Obviously based on The Gentlemen from B:TVS, but I can't just put in a DVD and watch Collections from the Past. I would tend to classify the house more as an original house, even though it had roots in an IP. And as I mentioned above, new and original are not the same thing. Screamhouse Revisitied, while not necessarily new, is still original, and should be listed as such. I can't speak for others here, but I'm personally fine with IP houses, so long as they give me something new. If it's just a "best of" house, then it doesn't give me anything I can't get from watching the DVD, so what's the point? And it's those types of IP houses that I'm not really for. But if you want to put me in the world of an IP and then give me an original story and characters, then I'll be all over it like zombies on brains. You can have original ideas and "stuff" while in the framework of an existing IP. Again, not knocking what you've done here, but to say that a house has to be one or the other as a blanket statement is, in my opinion, not giving a lot of houses their due credit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 Honestly, the cast of Forsaken proves the necessity of strong casting and performance. Considering one of the reasons they were awarded HotY was because of the improved performance... they provided both sides of a weak/strong cast in the same concept. 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? Evilution was a somewhat original house, but it was still set entirely in the world established by Michael Crichton. Universal didn't create InGen. Compared to something like Havoc (another sci-fi influenced house where genetic modifications), where Universal created Shadowcreek, Evilution loses a lot of its originality. Body Collectors and Forsaken ripped off a ready-made character and put them in a new location. Maximum Madness took a previous character and a ready-made location and put them together. Screamhouse Revisited (thank you for referencing this), was the exact same house lay-out up to the kitchen, where the layout changed but the house progression remained the same only with visual variations. You know what type of stories do these sorts of things? Fan-fiction. And very few people view fan-fic writers as incredibly original. 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justchristy Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 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 -C 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hush Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 The only IPs I'm tired of are Freddy, Jason, Michael, Chuckie, etc. The big names that we've seen covered by every form of media for decades now. More recently produced IPs are fine in my books. A to the men. If we don't see Freddy, Jason, Michael or Chuckie for some time to come, it won't hurt my feelings one single bit. Those IP's have definitely be used to their fullest. 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 I could definitely see this concept being utilized in the future at HHN. And I'm with you girl, THAT is some scary shit right there...LOL (How about a Tupac and Biggie house with holograms of them both? Has the potential to be the scariest house. Ever. LOL) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LV-426 Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I said it before but I say it again, people that hate IP houses Must Hate Jurassic Park the Ride, or hate MIB ride, or the Mummy, or Potter ride, or Spiderman, or The Simpsons... This whole park is build on IPs, that's the whole point, we are rather Lucky that we get original houses at all, they could just try to do Universal movies for houses every year, I think is funny how people say they love original Ideas when even the original ideas are not really original, vampires, ghosts, evil clowns, Zombies, monsters, even the most original house is based on something, I really think it depends on each house individually, there are good original houses and good IP, and there are really bad original houses and bad IP houses, I don't see how it is fair to say one is better than the other when there are so many factors that go in, like how the actors in the house are, what props were used, what music, what scare tactics I give an example, Nightingales: Blood Prey was an amazing original house, as far as story and sets, but the lack of places for scares and the actors made it a very disappointing house for me a couple of times, sometimes the house felt empty, the actors were there, but there were parts of the house that didn't have anyone in, boo holes I mean, they were not enough boo holes, the costumes were pretty amazing, but the way it was set up it lacked on the scares sometimes, there was nothing the actors could do about that, but for me to say ""All Original houses are bad because Nightingales was bad"" is not really fair, which is what I see about the IP houses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hush Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I said it before but I say it again, people that hate IP houses Must Hate Jurassic Park the Ride, or hate MIB ride, or the Mummy, or Potter ride, or Spiderman, or The Simpsons... This whole park is build on IPs, that's the whole point, we are rather Lucky that we get original houses at all, they could just try to do Universal movies for houses every year, I think is funny how people say they love original Ideas when even the original ideas are not really original, vampires, ghosts, evil clowns, Zombies, monsters, even the most original house is based on something, I really think it depends on each house individually, there are good original houses and good IP, and there are really bad original houses and bad IP houses, I don't see how it is fair to say one is better than the other when there are so many factors that go in, like how the actors in the house are, what props were used, what music, what scare tactics I give an example, Nightingales: Blood Prey was an amazing original house, as far as story and sets, but the lack of places for scares and the actors made it a very disappointing house for me a couple of times, sometimes the house felt empty, the actors were there, but there were parts of the house that didn't have anyone in, boo holes I mean, they were not enough boo holes, the costumes were pretty amazing, but the way it was set up it lacked on the scares sometimes, there was nothing the actors could do about that, but for me to say ""All Original houses are bad because Nightingales was bad"" is not really fair, which is what I see about the IP houses I don't know if it's so much that people truly hate IP houses, it's just that the concept and/or characters get overutilized in a major way. You can always take an IP, flip it on it's side and turn it into a completely different idea. Let's face it almost every concept we see has origins someplace else and is not original at all. Zombies, ghosts, vampires, psychotic clowns, crazy ass murderers, etc, all of those ideas have been used for decades and decades to scare us in movies, haunted houses, etc. It just all depends HOW you use them. Personally, if we don't see Jack for several more years, that's fine by me. He was a great icon/character...but he's had his time. Likewise with Chuckie, Freddy and Jason. That being said, it doesn't mean I would enjoy seeing them taken out of their usual element and put in a different one! I've seen some IP houses that were out of this world, and some not so much. Same goes for original concepts. It all boils down to having an open mind when you walk into a house/scarezone and take it for what it is, creativity meant to transport you to a different environment. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LV-426 Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 (edited) I don't know if it's so much that people truly hate IP houses, it's just that the concept and/or characters get overutilized in a major way. You can always take an IP, flip it on it's side and turn it into a completely different idea. Let's face it almost every concept we see has origins someplace else and is not original at all. Zombies, ghosts, vampires, psychotic clowns, crazy ass murderers, etc, all of those ideas have been used for decades and decades to scare us in movies, haunted houses, etc. It just all depends HOW you use them. Personally, if we don't see Jack for several more years, that's fine by me. He was a great icon/character...but he's had his time. Likewise with Chuckie, Freddy and Jason. That being said, it doesn't mean I would enjoy seeing them taken out of their usual element and put in a different one! I've seen some IP houses that were out of this world, and some not so much. Same goes for original concepts. It all boils down to having an open mind when you walk into a house/scarezone and take it for what it is, creativity meant to transport you to a different environment. while that is true, and you are right, 2007 was the first time Jason and Co. were made into houses, (At least that I know of) and then we never saw them again, Saw, Wolfman, same thing, once, and then gone, so while it is true that they are overexposed, I am really thankful, truly thankful to Universal and the people that work at HHN for bringing them to us, we were face to face with the big 3, I will never forget that, one of the best memories I have, not only of the event but in my life, that's why 2007 is my favorite year house wise, I know people love original ideas and hate IP houses, I will never understand why, but for me IP houses have made an everlasting memory, specially because you can watch the movie and remember the house, you can't do that with original houses Edited July 28, 2012 by black mask 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hush Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 while that is true, and you are right, 2007 was the first time Jason and Co. were made into houses, (At least that I know of) and then we never saw them again, Saw, Wolfman, same thing, once, and then gone, so while it is true that they are overexposed, I am really thankful, truly thankful to Universal and the people that work at HHN for bringing them to us, we were face to face with the big 3, I will never forget that, one of the best memories I have, not only of the event but in my life, that's why 2007 is my favorite year house wise, I know people love original ideas and hate IP houses, I will never understand why, but for me IP houses have made an everlasting memory, specially because you can watch the movie and remember the house, you can't do that with original houses For me, Jason, Freddy, Saw, etc, are overused in general when it comes to Halloween/horror related events. I think because each of them have such huge franchises in general, for me at least, seeing that an event like HHN is just oversaturation. Again, that's just me. I can very easily understand how you can enjoy the IP houses so very much, it's great to be put into the middle of a scene that replicates one of your favorite movies. Which is probably why I'm looking forward to The Walking Dead so much this year. It's my favorite show and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it feels to be engulfed into that environment! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boogeyman13 Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Yeah, see, for me, it's being put into the middle of a movie scene that I find the most unappealing. If the story has been told right, then I should have felt that when I watched the movie. When I walk through a house, I want to see and experience something new. A house shouldn't need a tie-in to make it memorable, imo. If it does, then the creative force behind the house, I feel, has failed. And I'm not coming down on all IP houses as bad, or saying that people who like them are wrong. Just do something unique with them. If you're going to do Walking Dead, give me original characters and settings. Put it in a different city, for example. And as on the fence as I am about the Alice Cooper house, I commend the fact that it's using the IP as inspiration, but then doing its own thing. I hope that Silent Hill follows suit. Honestly, I think that's the best way to utilize IP's in a setting like this. It gives you the ability to capitalize on marketing (as was mentioned earlier) and bring in some familiar iconography, while also giving attendees something new. And it doesn't tie A&D's hands in what they can create. It's also something that the parks already do with their normal attractions. Jurassic Park, MiB, The Simpsons, Spider-Man, and the others all throw you into their respective worlds, but then give you a new adventure. You're not just living an episode of The Simpsons you saw on Fox last week, or riding along with J and K while they fight Edgar. Jurassic Park, while loosely following the same story beats, puts you in a setting that wasn't in the film and then branches from there. If IP's are going to be used in HHN, then that's what I want. It's a way to be original within the confines of an established universe. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hush Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Yeah, see, for me, it's being put into the middle of a movie scene that I find the most unappealing. If the story has been told right, then I should have felt that when I watched the movie. When I walk through a house, I want to see and experience something new. A house shouldn't need a tie-in to make it memorable, imo. If it does, then the creative force behind the house, I feel, has failed. And I'm not coming down on all IP houses as bad, or saying that people who like them are wrong. Just do something unique with them. If you're going to do Walking Dead, give me original characters and settings. Put it in a different city, for example. And as on the fence as I am about the Alice Cooper house, I commend the fact that it's using the IP as inspiration, but then doing its own thing. I hope that Silent Hill follows suit. Honestly, I think that's the best way to utilize IP's in a setting like this. It gives you the ability to capitalize on marketing (as was mentioned earlier) and bring in some familiar iconography, while also giving attendees something new. And it doesn't tie A&D's hands in what they can create. It's also something that the parks already do with their normal attractions. Jurassic Park, MiB, The Simpsons, Spider-Man, and the others all throw you into their respective worlds, but then give you a new adventure. You're not just living an episode of The Simpsons you saw on Fox last week, or riding along with J and K while they fight Edgar. Jurassic Park, while loosely following the same story beats, puts you in a setting that wasn't in the film and then branches from there. If IP's are going to be used in HHN, then that's what I want. It's a way to be original within the confines of an established universe. For me, with something like The Walking Dead, living part of an episode out is going to be an amazing experience, simply because I absolutely love the show. Putting me in the characters shoes makes me empathize with their situation even moreso. For that particular show, that's just my perspective. Then again, I'd probably be happy with about anything TWD oriented for this year...I'm not hard to please at all. However, when it comes to other IP's I completely agree with you and then some. For example, Silent Hill...the first movie bored me to tears, this second one looks like it has potential. This would be the perfect opportunity to create a house around the established characters and elements that make up the concept, but take us out of the original environment into something new. Like you stated the IP is still used as an inspiration, but the conceptual aspect can be open to interpretation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LV-426 Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Yeah, see, for me, it's being put into the middle of a movie scene that I find the most unappealing. If the story has been told right, then I should have felt that when I watched the movie. When I walk through a house, I want to see and experience something new. A house shouldn't need a tie-in to make it memorable, imo. If it does, then the creative force behind the house, I feel, has failed. And I'm not coming down on all IP houses as bad, or saying that people who like them are wrong. Just do something unique with them. If you're going to do Walking Dead, give me original characters and settings. Put it in a different city, for example. And as on the fence as I am about the Alice Cooper house, I commend the fact that it's using the IP as inspiration, but then doing its own thing. I hope that Silent Hill follows suit. Honestly, I think that's the best way to utilize IP's in a setting like this. It gives you the ability to capitalize on marketing (as was mentioned earlier) and bring in some familiar iconography, while also giving attendees something new. And it doesn't tie A&D's hands in what they can create. It's also something that the parks already do with their normal attractions. Jurassic Park, MiB, The Simpsons, Spider-Man, and the others all throw you into their respective worlds, but then give you a new adventure. You're not just living an episode of The Simpsons you saw on Fox last week, or riding along with J and K while they fight Edgar. Jurassic Park, while loosely following the same story beats, puts you in a setting that wasn't in the film and then branches from there. If IP's are going to be used in HHN, then that's what I want. It's a way to be original within the confines of an established universe. didn't they do that in 2007? the Jason house did not follow any movie particularly Freddy did not follow the plot of any single movie either, the Thing had its own story and everything in the house was different from the movie, so I guess in that sense, the houses in 2007 Were original, I guess I never realized that about the 2007 houses, While they did borrow things from the movies, they were not following the movies as much as we think, specially the thing, that was completely original story from the movie, the only house that followed the movie was Dead Silence, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boogeyman13 Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 didn't they do that in 2007? the Jason house did not follow any movie particularly Freddy did not follow the plot of any single movie either, the Thing had its own story and everything in the house was different from the movie, so I guess in that sense, the houses in 2007 Were original, I guess I never realized that about the 2007 houses, While they did borrow things from the movies, they were not following the movies as much as we think, specially the thing, that was completely original story from the movie, the only house that followed the movie was Dead Silence, Well, yes and no? You are absolutely right about the Thing house. They took the story and did their own sequel. The NLC houses though, from what I understand and have seen, were really nothing more than a collection of "best of" scenes from the franchises in general. Not really following a film's story, nor really any story at all, but just showcasing the more well known kills from each series. I do have to give them some credit though on those, though. I liked that they did try to bring in some of the mythos to add some new contextual elements, even if the kills were nothing new (at least in the Elm Street house, not sure about the others). But I could be wrong, as I wasn't there that year. Can someone confirm/deny? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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