- May 24, 2018
- 2,057
- 2,897
Can’t decided which one is #1! So I’ll say TLOU, StrTh 4, UM, Yeti, Dr. Oddfellow.
this year really was the hardest one for me to figure out for my anticipated list, and it will truly be hard to top next year because of that!
Dueling Dragons is, no question, my most hyped. I want to see those dragons. Darkest Deal has music, and HELL, sign me up! All the originals have their potential.
I'm excited for Monsters; the catacombs setting can make it one of the scariest houses of the year again. They have been 3/3 with Monsters so far too.
And I won't sleep on Chucky for its potential unique puppetry.
Okay, now that I've had a minute to sit with the names, descriptions, key art, and podcast info, here are my brutally honest thoughts:
- Dueling Dragons. I really, really hope they can deliver here, because they have to know fan expectations are unrealistically high. The image suggesting a complete rebuild of the original facade is a good sign, but they have to deliver on the dragons themselves. Whether that means enormous puppetry on the scale of Klownzilla/Mind Flayer, aggressive head-and-neck only puppets like American Werewolf in London, a combination of the two, or something else entirely, I don't know. The podcast description tells me that they're going to focus on the warlocks/other creatures for a majority of the maze, which leads me to believe they're saving their budget for a big "wow" moment or two. Hopefully people are receptive to that. This could either soar as the fan-anticipated favorite or flounder due to impossible expectations.
- Dr. Oddfellow's Twisted Origins. Sounds like they're going to try really hard to carve Oddfellow his own identity, divorced from Jack, as much as humanly possible. As I said in the other thread, telling us now that Jack's appearance will be limited to a silhouette kill is smart. "Dust bowl carnival" sounds like a great aesthetic, and I'm curious how much (or how little) inspiration it'll take from its closest obvious analogue, the excellent Mesmer at Knott's Scary Farm. The podcast info suggests more of a "snuff carnival" than something more supernatural, so I'm curious how the real and unreal will blend (or not). High on my list for the lore of it all, and I'm a sucker for an icon house. Here's hoping Oddfellow can hold his own without the clown the event can't seem to do without for long.
- Universal Monsters Unmasked. That title definitely feels... forced (probably not their first choice), and I have no idea why The Invisible Man is here, but it still feels like everyone is already sleeping on this one. Cast energy doesn't always carry over between houses in a franchise (looking at you, Havoc Derailed), but Legends Collide was next-level last year judging by the scope of its sets alone. A lot will come down to how much time we spend in the Catacombs - which, while no doubt claustrophobic, has the potential to get repetitive and overly familiar - versus the rest of Paris, particularly the Phantom's Lair, the Opera House, and maybe even a street or bell tower. Even with these unknowns, I'm a bigger fan of these monsters over the ones featured in Legends, so if this entry can capture even half the energy and scenic might of its immediate predecessor, we're in for a treat.
- Yeti: Campground Kills. I missed Slaughter Cinema and Yeti: Terror of the Yukon, so I'm a bit in the dark on how these houses feel and have no personal attachment to the franchise. The 1950s setting is promising, though, as is the speculation that this might be another semi-open layout in the vein of Dead Man's Pier, a recent favorite of mine. There are also suggestions that this will be more of a comedy house, though, which I'm struggling to wrap my head around. Yeti children sounds hilariously fun, to be sure, but it feels like there's something I'm not quite getting yet here. Time will tell, though, and I love a good creature maze with enormous sets, so this sits pretty high even with so much in the air.
- Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count. I'll admit this is not what I anticipated! I did not expect a straight adaptation of the show, which is more silly and campy than outright scary. Few of even its more violent and scary sequences would translate well to a maze environment, so I assumed they'd dip their toes into the imagery of the earlier films Universal controls along with some clear nods to the show. They may still do that, but on paper, what we've got here is significantly weirder, and I admire the decision to take a big swing. Could turn out to be a try-hard muddled mess or something as delightfully bizarre as Seed of Chucky - all dependent on execution. Universal gets what makes a good secret sauce in a comedy house, and I have a soft spot for the killer doll, so I'll take the over on this one.
- The Last of Us. Pretty glad they're doing the game instead of the television show. More environments, more characters, fewer headaches dealing with WB/HBO. My only fear is an over-reliance on humans and Stage 1 zombies and some repetition with the scares. Hopefully local vendors can pull off some impressive masks/prosthetic pieces for the clickers, too - mask and prosthetic quality is one area where Hollywood still consistently beats Orlando, and I'd hate for what are sure to be such lush environments underserved by disappointing looks for the characters.
- Stranger Things. Don't have much to say here, as I haven't seen any of Orlando's Stranger Things houses in-person. The Hollywood iterations were "pretty good" and "embarrassing," while the Orlando efforts seemed much more comprehensive and managed to capture more of the show's unique nostalgic energy, even if people seemed to give the second go the cold shoulder by the end of its event. It's been said ad nauseam, but Season 4 lends itself well to a maze, so looking forward to seeing what should be a pretty straightforward adaptation here. The brutality of the lines will probably diminish how we actually perceive the experience, but I'm betting the team will deliver.
- The Darkest Deal. A fiendishly good premise that feels like it could be undone by the event's aversion to religious imagery. Trying to introduce us to a character as ambiguous as "The Collector" - when you've already got an icon in your event that collects souls - feels redundant and potentially confusing. The Devil is a visual and narrative shortcut that everyone understands, but it is what it is. I'm assuming this will stick to more domestic settings or even get a little fantastical with the afterlife, should it become an environment, and it'll live or die on how well it can execute its story and communicate the threat of The Collector. I otherwise I see this overlapping a bit too much aesthetically with its closest neighbor, Oddfellow, along with Yeti, based on the key art.
- Dark Moon: Blood Offering. This one just feels... kind of generic? I need to know more before I can offer a more detailed opinion, but right now I'm getting big Blood Ruins vibes, which is not a great position to be in. Others have pointed out that this feels like a redo of Roanoke, and while I didn't experience that house, I can see the comparison. Maybe the setting and characters just feel too vague for me to be excited or scared.
- Exorcist: Believer. Definitely going to enter the event at the bottom of everyone's lists. I think it could easily surprise people and become a dark horse favorite... or become another Dracula Untold. Don't be surprised when the movie gets delayed and we're left with a very expensive piece of early promotion.
Can I just say that I think The Collector should be Oddfellow? Like I doubt it is, but it would be an awesome way to tie the house into the theme.Okay, now that I've had a minute to sit with the names, descriptions, key art, and podcast info, here are my brutally honest thoughts:
- Dueling Dragons. I really, really hope they can deliver here, because they have to know fan expectations are unrealistically high. The image suggesting a complete rebuild of the original facade is a good sign, but they have to deliver on the dragons themselves. Whether that means enormous puppetry on the scale of Klownzilla/Mind Flayer, aggressive head-and-neck only puppets like American Werewolf in London, a combination of the two, or something else entirely, I don't know. The podcast description tells me that they're going to focus on the warlocks/other creatures for a majority of the maze, which leads me to believe they're saving their budget for a big "wow" moment or two. Hopefully people are receptive to that. This could either soar as the fan-anticipated favorite or flounder due to impossible expectations.
- Dr. Oddfellow's Twisted Origins. Sounds like they're going to try really hard to carve Oddfellow his own identity, divorced from Jack, as much as humanly possible. As I said in the other thread, telling us now that Jack's appearance will be limited to a silhouette kill is smart. "Dust bowl carnival" sounds like a great aesthetic, and I'm curious how much (or how little) inspiration it'll take from its closest obvious analogue, the excellent Mesmer at Knott's Scary Farm. The podcast info suggests more of a "snuff carnival" than something more supernatural, so I'm curious how the real and unreal will blend (or not). High on my list for the lore of it all, and I'm a sucker for an icon house. Here's hoping Oddfellow can hold his own without the clown the event can't seem to do without for long.
- Universal Monsters Unmasked. That title definitely feels... forced (probably not their first choice), and I have no idea why The Invisible Man is here, but it still feels like everyone is already sleeping on this one. Cast energy doesn't always carry over between houses in a franchise (looking at you, Havoc Derailed), but Legends Collide was next-level last year judging by the scope of its sets alone. A lot will come down to how much time we spend in the Catacombs - which, while no doubt claustrophobic, has the potential to get repetitive and overly familiar - versus the rest of Paris, particularly the Phantom's Lair, the Opera House, and maybe even a street or bell tower. Even with these unknowns, I'm a bigger fan of these monsters over the ones featured in Legends, so if this entry can capture even half the energy and scenic might of its immediate predecessor, we're in for a treat.
- Yeti: Campground Kills. I missed Slaughter Cinema and Yeti: Terror of the Yukon, so I'm a bit in the dark on how these houses feel and have no personal attachment to the franchise. The 1950s setting is promising, though, as is the speculation that this might be another semi-open layout in the vein of Dead Man's Pier, a recent favorite of mine. There are also suggestions that this will be more of a comedy house, though, which I'm struggling to wrap my head around. Yeti children sounds hilariously fun, to be sure, but it feels like there's something I'm not quite getting yet here. Time will tell, though, and I love a good creature maze with enormous sets, so this sits pretty high even with so much in the air.
- Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count. I'll admit this is not what I anticipated! I did not expect a straight adaptation of the show, which is more silly and campy than outright scary. Few of even its more violent and scary sequences would translate well to a maze environment, so I assumed they'd dip their toes into the imagery of the earlier films Universal controls along with some clear nods to the show. They may still do that, but on paper, what we've got here is significantly weirder, and I admire the decision to take a big swing. Could turn out to be a try-hard muddled mess or something as delightfully bizarre as Seed of Chucky - all dependent on execution. Universal gets what makes a good secret sauce in a comedy house, and I have a soft spot for the killer doll, so I'll take the over on this one.
- The Last of Us. Pretty glad they're doing the game instead of the television show. More environments, more characters, fewer headaches dealing with WB/HBO. My only fear is an over-reliance on humans and Stage 1 zombies and some repetition with the scares. Hopefully local vendors can pull off some impressive masks/prosthetic pieces for the clickers, too - mask and prosthetic quality is one area where Hollywood still consistently beats Orlando, and I'd hate for what are sure to be such lush environments underserved by disappointing looks for the characters.
- Stranger Things. Don't have much to say here, as I haven't seen any of Orlando's Stranger Things houses in-person. The Hollywood iterations were "pretty good" and "embarrassing," while the Orlando efforts seemed much more comprehensive and managed to capture more of the show's unique nostalgic energy, even if people seemed to give the second go the cold shoulder by the end of its event. It's been said ad nauseam, but Season 4 lends itself well to a maze, so looking forward to seeing what should be a pretty straightforward adaptation here. The brutality of the lines will probably diminish how we actually perceive the experience, but I'm betting the team will deliver.
- The Darkest Deal. A fiendishly good premise that feels like it could be undone by the event's aversion to religious imagery. Trying to introduce us to a character as ambiguous as "The Collector" - when you've already got an icon in your event that collects souls - feels redundant and potentially confusing. The Devil is a visual and narrative shortcut that everyone understands, but it is what it is. I'm assuming this will stick to more domestic settings or even get a little fantastical with the afterlife, should it become an environment, and it'll live or die on how well it can execute its story and communicate the threat of The Collector. I otherwise I see this overlapping a bit too much aesthetically with its closest neighbor, Oddfellow, along with Yeti, based on the key art.
- Dark Moon: Blood Offering. This one just feels... kind of generic? I need to know more before I can offer a more detailed opinion, but right now I'm getting big Blood Ruins vibes, which is not a great position to be in. Others have pointed out that this feels like a redo of Roanoke, and while I didn't experience that house, I can see the comparison. Maybe the setting and characters just feel too vague for me to be excited or scared.
- Exorcist: Believer. Definitely going to enter the event at the bottom of everyone's lists. I think it could easily surprise people and become a dark horse favorite... or become another Dracula Untold. Don't be surprised when the movie gets delayed and we're left with a very expensive piece of early promotion.