Halloween Horror Nights 2020 Old Speculation Thread

[foodstampsFTW]

This threads off to a great start.

 

[chris.g]

To say Hereditary is irrelevant in the SoCal/ LA market is extremely ignorant. People still talk about it to this day and it's the only reason people went out to see MidSommar. People would flock if it went to HHN just to see how it would play out if it happened, especially the hipters/ cinephiles with A24 being located in LA.

That said - as much as I love it, aint happening anytime soon.

 

[hhnlover]

Hereditary is lierally the fourth result when you type in horror movies.

 

[rageofthegods]

On a less divisive note, if the relationship with Netflix truly is kaput, then would The Turning be something they look at for Hollywood as a sort of Bly Manor stand-in? I could see that being one of the Hollywood-only properties, since its a smaller first party IP, it'd probably be fairly straightforward to secure the rights.

Biggest unknown is the fact that Amblin is producing, and there's no Nicotero stand-in like there was with Creepshow, so no telling how they'd react to an offer from HHN. Still, it's gotta be less complex than negotiating with Amblin TV, Paramount TV, and Netflix.

 

[Freak]

Hereditary was a descent horror film but I feel like I’m the only one who just doesn’t care to see it as a house. Except for the end and maaaaaybe the “headbang” scene, there’s virtually no potential for it to be an interesting house. If you REALLY pushed creatively, you could, in theory, make it work, but at the end of the day, I don’t think it’s worth it. I’d rather have an original house that takes inspiration from the ending as Legacy suggested.

 

[Clive]

Are we seriously doing this? Yes, Hereditary is relevant as a film in the horror canon. No, it doesn't work as a haunt in the Horror Nights mold. Come on, people.

 

[rageofthegods]

Hereditary was a descent horror film but I feel like I’m the only one who just doesn’t care to see it as a house. Except for the end and maaaaaybe the “headbang” scene, there’s virtually no potential for it to be an interesting house. If you REALLY pushed creatively, you could, in theory, make it work, but at the end of the day, I don’t think it’s worth it. I’d rather have an original house that takes inspiration from the ending as Legacy suggested.

There's probably a lot of truth to that, since I think what made Hereditary interesting wasn't that it was something I hadn't seen before (that's more like Midsommar or The Lighthouse), but that it played around with a lot of familiar-looking things until I didn't know what was going on anymore.

Spoiler: Hereditary Spoilers!

Like,
Charlie's gonna be a psycho like in The Omen -> Oh poop, Charlie's dead and her vengeful spirit is trying to kill Peter -> lol nope she's innocent and it was crazy grandma.

Or,
Annie's gonna go crazy and murder her family like in The Shining -> oh, she's actually really damaged and sympathetic -> Actually wait she's crazy and imagining all of this -> is she being gaslit? -> possessed lmao.

That's not really something we haven't seen before, just a lot of crazy twists in the middle.

Personally, I still think the imagery alone could make for an interesting maze. Stuff like Annie in the corner, Peter with the ants on his face, the scrapbook with the eyes crossed out, lots and lots of severed heads... If we're talking scenes that can be cool set-pieces or distractions for scares, I think Hereditary has it in spades. Like, imagine looking into a dark ceiling corner, and seeing Annie, and then she jumps out of a cupboard behind you or something. That's something I could totally imagine at an HHN maze.

Which brings me to a question of what even makes a good HHN maze in the first place? Is it just famous jump scares and an iconic villain and financial success? Does it need more than that?

 

[chris.g]

You can make the argument the Saw movies dont work in the HHN mold being just torture porn...

I'd love to see Hereditary but 2020 isn't the year. I think it has more maze potential than The Exorcist and Murdy made that terrifying as hell. It has potential.

 

[Brian G.]

This isn’t speculation....

 

[chris.g]

Not sure if possible but does Pumpkinhead ever stand a chance of coming? I think that's the next "cult classic" Murdy can tackle after KKFOS

I definitely see Creepshow standing a chance at returning

 

[horrornights789]

I feel like if any A24 were to be used it’d be Midsommar or The VVitch. Witch works in the sense of Exorcist in that it’s pure dread with an antagonist you don’t see except for glimpses, but the director likely wouldn’t license it to HHN. Midsommar would definitely work in a mashup maze though and the antagonists function as a slasher cult; I wouldn’t cross it off for the foreseeable future but I also don’t think it’s coming.

The only IP I’m 100% certain on for 2020 is Jordan Peele’s Candyman. Aside from that I think anything is fair game.

I feel like the big one to speculate is which property is likely to return. If Orlando bumps up the house count by 1 again and we repeat the formula from 2019 that means we’ll get an old IP returning. In 2018 it was Halloween 4 but I don’t think we’ll return to that franchise until they get the rights for H20.

Edit - @Chris Galindo I think it could. It’s about the same level of Creepshow, Klowns, Suspiria, TrT, Black Christmas, and movies like that.

 

[rageofthegods]

Edit - @Chris Galindo I think it could. It’s about the same level of Creepshow, Klowns, Suspiria, TrT, Black Christmas, and movies like that.

Oh speaking of, Black Christmas feels like something that could pad out a lineup. Granted, the timing is very inopportune for 2020 and the buzz just isn't there yet for the new remake, but now that the rightsholders are working with Uni, that feels like something they could toss in.

EDIT: I think H5 is the last Halloween that's not owned by the guys that own 2018. I've been hoping for a while that Miramax/Dimension relations get a reset (how many times have they been bought now?), but who knows if the new management is gonna be more amenable.

 

[Freak]

Oh speaking of, Black Christmas feels like something that could pad out a lineup. Granted, the timing is very inopportune for 2020 and the buzz just isn't there yet for the new remake, but now that the rightsholders are working with Uni, that feels like something they could toss in.

EDIT: I think H5 is the last Halloween that's not owned by the guys that own 2018. I've been hoping for a while that Miramax/Dimension relations get a reset (how many times have they been bought now?), but who knows if the new management is gonna be more amenable.

Black Christmas ain't happening. Anything Blumhouse cross it off. Also the Halloween 2018 isn't happening. Miramax situation still hasn't changed.

I really, really, REALLY hope ST won't be back next year. They're saying over in the Orlando spec. thread that it's not likely to return after the reception from their house so I hope it won't be back over here. They have to open the sound stage to something totally new before it gets torn down. It's a bummer that in the entire event's run, we've only had five sound stage houses and only three times have they been used for different IPs.

 

[Horror Lover]

I'd love to see more cult IP mazes.. I hope Killer Klowns and Creepshow got it through their heads that not every single horror IP needs to be a billion dollar ST/TWD/NOES/F13-level juggernaut to be considered for HHN.. We can still have fun with the more cult classic IP mazes.. I'd love to see Pumpkinhead or Fright Night or The Fog.. or hell, The Funhouse since it's a Universal film..

 

[viking_wizard_eyes]

I really, really, REALLY hope ST won't be back next year. They're saying over in the Orlando spec. thread that it's not likely to return after the reception from their house so I hope it won't be back over here.

I wonder how much we’ll be able to map our speculation alongside Orlando. It’s an anniversary year and there seems to be a lot of talk around Orlando doing some throwback stuff and bringing back some old favs. I feel like the lineups will diverge a fair amount in 2020, even more than usual. Not saying that ST is an example of that, necessarily—an IP of that magnitude that would have to go to both places. But maybe this is a year where we see Murdy do some kinda obscure IPs (People Under the Stairs???) while Orlando does spooky dentist office or screamtown or whatever.

That, or we’ll get our own throwbacks or unique originals.

 

[Freak]

I wonder how much we’ll be able to map our speculation alongside Orlando. It’s an anniversary year and there seems to be a lot of talk around Orlando doing some throwback stuff and bringing back some old favs. I feel like the lineups will diverge a fair amount in 2020, even more than usual. Not saying that ST is an example of that, necessarily—an IP of that magnitude that would have to go to both places. But maybe this is a year where we see Murdy do some kinda obscure IPs (People Under the Stairs???) while Orlando does spooky dentist office or screamtown or whatever.

That, or we’ll get our own throwbacks or unique originals.

Remember the originals scored very high this year. Pandora and Holidayz were in the top 3! I think we will likely see at least three originals next year and almost guaranteed no less than two. I don't think we're going to see Murdy resort to really obscure IPs or rehash other properties.

I also don't think they're going to go with multiple studios to license IPs like they did this year (Lionsgate, Sony, Netflix, and MGM). That's a huge strain on the budget. I think they will only go for one studio to license in the foreseeable future and that's why I think they're going to go with WB. Why spend a lot of money on licensing when you can come up with your own ideas? The GP seems to be on board with that from GSATs.

 

[Spookies n' Stuff]

On the topic of originals, I think All Hallows Evil is a fairly safe bet. I'm sure they intended to do a Spirits and Demons of the East maze next year if the zone was recieved well, but after the controversy I think it's not gonna happen. I have a feeling the issues this year might make them avoid tackling other cultures in any original content, so that may limit the kinds of things they might predictably do.

 

[Jaden]

Remember the originals scored very high this year. Pandora and Holidayz were in the top 3! I think we will likely see at least three originals next year and almost guaranteed no less than two. I don't think we're going to see Murdy resort to really obscure IPs or rehash other properties.

I also don't think they're going to go with multiple studios to license IPs like they did this year (Lionsgate, Sony, Netflix, and MGM). That's a huge strain on the budget. I think they will only go for one studio to license in the foreseeable future and that's why I think they're going to go with WB. Why spend a lot of money on licensing when you can come up with your own ideas? The GP seems to be on board with that from GSATs.

Honestly who knows in the future of HHN. Maybe will have more orginals than IPs in the future, seeing how well originals are doing, and I actually don't mind.

 

[Freak]

Honestly who knows in the future of HHN. Maybe will have more orginals than IPs in the future, seeing how well originals are doing, and I actually don't mind.

I whole-heartedly agree. While there are still several properties I would like to see tackled at HHN, there's not a lot left. Might as well pace themselves.

 

[Jaden]

I whole-heartedly agree. While there are still several properties I would like to see tackled at HHN, there's not a lot left. Might as well pace themselves.

Plus with originals, it at least gets to show off some of their creativity. I remember 2018, I was extremely jealous seeing Orlando being way more creative than Hollywood with their 80s theme. Now with Holidayz and Pandora, its nice to see some creativity in the event.