HHN 2018: Horrors of Blumhouse: Chapter 2

[WESKER69]

And the weakest maze announcement goes to.....

 

 

Enter the “Horrors of Blumhouse” film festival, where horror movies come to life. Pack your bags and get ready for the spring break trip of your nightmares. A group of college kids have unwittingly unleashed an ancient curse, forcing them to play a never ending game of Truth or Dare—but this time the rules are a little different; the stakes are life or death!

 

Next, enter the familiar world of cyberspace with Unfriended. A chatroom session amongst high school friends has turned into an endless night of terror! Exactly one year ago, fellow student, Laura Barns, committed suicide as a result of cyberbullying. When an unknown user assumes control over Laura’s online account, the group of friends attempt to expose the infiltrator’s true identity—forcing them to face their darkest secrets and lies. Soon they realize, this is no ordinary hacker. Let’s hope you make it out of cyberspace alive…

[themazethinker]

i can think of some scenes that might be used in the blumhouse house.

truth or dare - gas station with burnt customer, small hallway with guy's arm with truth or dare being written on it, hammer to hand, pen through eye scare, servering tongue[water spray], mirror scare with demon.

unfriended - blender scene [water effect], hair dryer through mouth scene, room with laura's ghost.

[happy bunny rabbit]

I’m very intrigued as to how they’re going to pull Unfriended off. Hm.

[WESKER69]

Just now, happy bunny rabbit said:

I’m very intrigued as to how they’re going to pull Unfriended off. Hm.

Easy... you have the angry ghost of Laura physically manifested inside the maze for the scares. Similar to how "Truth or Dare" will actually feature the demon "Calux". Also, I wouldn't be surprised if they used computer screens as well in some way.

 

I do know that they did cast "face characters" for Truth or Dare (meaning... people that look as close as possible to the actual film characters without the use of a mask like Exorcist, Shining, AvED).

 

With only 2 films being used inside a normal tent location, I wonder if this means we'll actually see a legit interior of a movie theatre like we were supposed to have last year before major budget cuts happened.

[happy bunny rabbit]

1 hour ago, WESKER69 said:

Easy... you have the angry ghost of Laura physically manifested inside the maze for the scares. Similar to how "Truth or Dare" will actually feature the demon "Calux". Also, I wouldn't be surprised if they used computer screens as well in some way.

That would be disappointing. For such an oddball IP, that would be so boring and un-creative. A&D (or Hollywood's equivalent) could get so trippy with distractions and booholes.

[WESKER69]

How would that be boring & uncreative? You didn't exactly specify what would be disappointing.

[themazethinker]

this is my personal opinion on the house summed up in a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSY7XH_WW8U 

[WESKER69]

From Twitter via Murdy....

"Your journey begins on a dark and stormy night as we approach a rundown, old movie palace that is hosting a “Horrors of Blumhouse” film festival. Stepping inside the theatre, we enter a netherworld where horror movies have come to life... For our first presentation, we journey across the border to an abandoned, old mission in Mexico, a place with a long history of blood and horror... A group of college kids on spring break violate the sanctity of this once sacred place and unwittingly unleash an ancient curse, forcing them to play a never ending game of TRUTH OR DARE where the stakes are life and death!"

 

"Our second presentation, UNFRIENDED, takes place in the new frontier of cyberspace, where an innocuous chat room session amongst a group of high school friends turns into an endless night of terror... A supernatural entity has assumed control over a deceased fellow student’s online account and hacked its way into the chat session. Now this malevolent demon is taking its revenge online…and no one is safe from its wrath!"

 

"Our final feature starts a new chapter for The Horrors of Blumhouse and Halloween Horror Nights, by drawing its inspiration not from a film but from Blumhouse’s own infamous opening title sequence... Answering an innocent looking young girl’s cries for help, we are lured into a creepy old house that soon becomes a house of horrors! Inside this paranormal palace, we learn the terrifying true identity of the girl in the white dress…though we may not survive to tell the tale!"

 

- Demon/Laura from Unfriended will be present (as expected)

- Each "Unfriended" victim's rooms will be represented as a scene

- A lot of video elements for Unfriended, but physical scareactors for the scares

- New execution for the movie poster concept from last year

- Truth or Dare...in a lot of ways you'll experience scenes you didn't see in the movie...a sequence that was cut from the film...

- Unfriended... You don't really see the demon in the film but you will in the maze...

[Henry14]

This might sound like an overstatement but....

 

This is honestly the most idiotic and most head scratching decision that Universal has ever made, period. 

Such a waste of maze space and even Murdy knows that, that’s why he made an original ending. Definitely my least anticipated! I’m hoping this one will surprise me, but I realistically don’t think it will.

[WESKER69]

You're right, it is an overstatement due to angry fanboy syndrome. Now that Murdy has shed some light on this maze, it sounds much better than expected & will be taking a more "original" approach. So, no, this is most certainly not a waste of maze space, it requires Murdy do his actual job- "be creative" due to two non-traditional IPs that Universal owns. 

 

The only reason for the original ending is due to only having 2 IPs instead of 3 like last year, since that 3rd IP got its own maze (which is the only "waste of maze space") and was the overall theme tying everything together in last year's maze.

[Hanniel]

2 hours ago, Henry14 said:

This might sound like an overstatement but....

 

This is honestly the most idiotic and most head scratching decision that Universal has ever made, period. 

Such a waste of maze space and even Murdy knows that, that’s why he made an original ending. Definitely my least anticipated! I’m hoping this one will surprise me, but I realistically don’t think it will.

 

It's not an overstatement at all, nor is it "angry fanboy syndrome".  Both films, of which the maze advertises, have been panned by critics and audiences.  It is only natural that people would be put off by it simply because they do not like the properties being displayed. 

 

But just like you, I too am hoping this maze will surprise me.  Considering how low most peoples expectations will be going in, that may actually be a blessing in disguise.  It all falls on John Murdy's shoulders IMO because he will take the hit for any perceived lack of creativity or scare.

[zombieman]

2 hours ago, Henry14 said:

This might sound like an overstatement but....

 

This is honestly the most idiotic and most head scratching decision that Universal has ever made, period. 

Such a waste of maze space and even Murdy knows that, that’s why he made an original ending. Definitely my least anticipated! I’m hoping this one will surprise me, but I realistically don’t think it will.

 

I felt the same way about Dracula Untold, but at least that supposedly was tied to a movie being released that year.  I have not seen either movie.  Neither got very good reviews, BUT they both grossed north of $60M on a $1M budget, so what do I know....  I'll treat them both as "originals" and see what happens.  If I cannot understand the plot, then it will once again be an IP made up of random "best scenes", connected by black hallways....  

 

It's gonna be hard for Murdy to miss the bar, because my bar is below sea level on this one.

[dereksdominance]

Reading the general public's confusion and outrage toward this maze cracks me up. I agree with them. I did notice some teens tagging their friends in excitement and I think it's easy to forget that both of these films were marketed toward teens. That could play a role in Universal's decision to choose these properties. Still, it's such a throwaway maze concept and even these new details sound generic as heck. 

[Alucarda]

14 hours ago, zombieman said:

 

at least that supposedly was tied to a movie being released that year.  

Supposedly? There's records of that movie being released that year unless I am being Mandela effected.

I'm interested in how this is gonna get pulled off. There's a few scenes in Unfriended that I am excited for, and if they continue with their trend of impressionistic scenes based on etc. etc. this could be something good.

Or maybe the woman in the maze announcement said it best, "Why are we doing this?"

 

[zombieman]

1 hour ago, Alucarda said:

Supposedly? There's records of that movie being released that year unless I am being Mandela effected.

I'm interested in how this is gonna get pulled off. There's a few scenes in Unfriended that I am excited for, and if they continue with their trend of impressionistic scenes based on etc. etc. this could be something good.

Or maybe the woman in the maze announcement said it best, "Why are we doing this?"

 

 

When I said supposedly, I was referring to what we knew at that time - that it was an upcoming movie (not a year old movie that did poorly).  As it turned out Dracula Untold did do poorly.  

[Alucarda]

Ah that makes more sense. Then again Unfriended and Truth or Dare did well (with the general public, critics rarely appreciate horror) and Blumhouse has the best name recognition in horror movies right now, for better or worse. 

[TheGatekeeper1234]

Any chance on this being the last time we see this type of maze? or will it come back for 2019?...kinda wishing they do Get out and split next.

[littlegreenghouls]

10 hours ago, TheGatekeeper1234 said:

Any chance on this being the last time we see this type of maze? or will it come back for 2019?...kinda wishing they do Get out and split next.

 I honestly think it would be in best interested if it did come back. 
 I mean I think they have some kind of agreement with Blumhouse  to do this as marketing for the movies which they produce or get released widely under their Universal brand. 
It's basically, they have some rights for helping it get out into the market. Blumhouse is currently the top dog in Horror releases. 
  Liongate is mainly dramas now, and New Line Cinema is WB.. 
 Fox is Disney now. Just imagine if Fox was going to be at Universal Comcast.

[TheGatekeeper1234]

6 hours ago, littlegreenghouls said:

 I honestly think it would be in best interested if it did come back. 
 I mean I think they have some kind of agreement with Blumhouse  to do this as marketing for the movies which they produce or get released widely under their Universal brand. 
It's basically, they have some rights for helping it get out into the market. Blumhouse is currently the top dog in Horror releases. 
  Liongate is mainly dramas now, and New Line Cinema is WB.. 
 Fox is Disney now. Just imagine if Fox was going to be at Universal Comcast.

So this means any chances of the predator coming back to event are slim now?

[themazethinker]

1 hour ago, TheGatekeeper1234 said:

So this means any chances of the predator coming back to event are slim now?

pretty much. unless predator's rights are sold to some other company then we won't see it for a long time.

[themazethinker]

fun fact - this is the first time the f world is used in a house. it's in the unfriended projected into. "alright..let's stop f###ing around hands up, who's doing this?" 

 

[HorrorUnearthed]

When I saw this announced and then seeing the experience through many videos, I'm a little more impressed with The Girl scenes than Unfriended and Truth Or Dare, I think that should be a separate maze in it's own right from Blumhouse because they work a story for it instead of sandwiching it between these two movies but I feel like Universal needed to do em to get em out of the way, I don't hate the movies, they both have interesting concepts, where they can execute em is where they kind of lose interest, I honestly was wondering how they were going to pull em off, I knew that Unfriended was going to be like This Is The End in a way where has Truth Or Dare was going to be Murdy and A&D's take on what the movie should have been rather go by the movie and use certain things from it to relevant to the film. I wonder if this means that since these two have been done, if next year is going to have HDD2U and possibly since the new Purge film is going to be the last film, Universal are going to probably have both films in one maze or another interesting that could take The Purges' place could be maybe The Gallows? and having The Purge return once again but based of the USA tv series mixed with the last Purge film, that's just my assumption for what could happen in the future.

[zombieman]

So with HHN happening on neither coast, and with Unfriended streaming on HBO MAX, I decided to watch one of the movies this atrocity was based upon.

 

Gee whiz, I don't see how they were able to make any sort of a house based on this film.  The film was not nearly as bad as I was expecting, and in my opinion plays much better in 2020 than it must have in 2018.  For those who are not aware, the ENTIRE movie takes place through a video chat session.  That alone is quite unique, as every character also acts as their own cameraman.  In fact, the entire POV of the movie is that of the main character's video screen.  Her character is visible through her own self-facing camera.  What you end up with is a feature film that looks like it was created during Covid-19 - not 18 months before it.

 

30 Rock recently did a 30 minute reunion episode in the same format.  It's worth seeing if you can still stream it.  It's a well done quarantine-age advertisement for Peacock TV.  I'm surprised we aren't seeing more of this.  I'm kind of wondering if it has to do with union contracts...

 

Anyhow, how to make a haunted house based on this....

 

There was ZERO story to tell in the house, because the storyline in the movie revolves heavily around cyber-bullying with a graphic scene that simply cannot be put in a house.  What a difficult film to translate to a house.  What they did was create each death scene in their own room, reconstructing the set from the small amount that visible on the screen.  And let me tell you, the aggregate of all those death scenes in the film was less than 30 seconds.  There's no exteriors to be seen in the house.  Only individual unrelated rooms. 

 

For anyone who had not seen the movie, there was no ability to explain what was going on.  To me it was just a bunch of unrelated scenes.  It certainly didn't make me want to go out and see it.  Having now seen it, watching video walkthrus only serve to confuse me more as to why they chose this film to be a house.  

 

This house was a true Murdy-job in that it was filled with black hallways.  In the case of the Unfriended portion, in retrospect the black hallways didn't detract because there was nothing one could fill them with.  From what they had to work with, the Unfriended portion of the house really suffered.

 

I also saw Truth or Dare about 6 months ago.  It was not a great film, and didn't need to be made into a house, but was far better suited to be one than was Unfriended.  Having not seen it beforehand, when I went through the house the only thing I was familiar with was the huge grin on characters' faces.  But those grins were so much like that of the visitor's mask in the first Purge movie, all I could think about was Purge.  So the Truth or Dare portion of the house made no sense.  The countless black hallways in Truth or Dare was the usual Murdy nonsense, and detracted greatly.

 

By far the best portion of the house was the last section where Murdy got to be creative.  The Girl seemed to be an original mini-house and was very well done.

[HHNManics]

On 7/25/2020 at 8:52 PM, zombieman said:

By far the best portion of the house was the last section where Murdy got to be creative.  The Girl seemed to be an original mini-house and was very well done.

I don't think it was particularly well done with it being 2 rooms and a hallway and a bunch of black walls.

 

They had the Poster Scrim Effect and that poster wasn't even recreated in Person like posters before were. Then black walls. Then a room with some furniture and a Scrim and a actress in the Girl mask which looked horrible. Then a black hallway. And then a long hallway with doors and an awful projection of the Girl and the Demon. And then more black walls until you then exit the maze.