But this [The Weeknd House] is such a wild card
That's exactly what makes it so intriguing and refreshing to me as a long time HHN goer
I believe they could really have something unique with a Weeknd house and it's my most anticipated
Of course, there are examples where things didn't work, particularly in the music artist sphere
But this one just lends itself to what Horror Nights is good at.
Watch some of his music videos back again and tell me they don't lend themselves to the "flashy light, loud noise, big set" vibe HHN has lol
As far as scary, there is great opportunity for it to be rather disorienting, particularly the light tunnel from the Superbowl show, should they choose to re-create that
Bottom Line, TLDR, HHN needs some wild cards to keep it fresh, and in a IP heavy environment where the holders can be very specific on creative liberites,
I will take the refreshing wild cards where I can
How do you please his [Abel's] fans but do a good horror house?
This is an interesting question that I think is best answered by pointing to things like Stranger Things, Walking Dead, and American Horror Story
One thing the HHN team is really good at is immersing you in the vibe and aesthetic of the world they're recreating, they are the best in the business at that
So just being immersed in the "world" will already gain some browny points
The team also relies a bit on intertextuality (i.e. HEY IT'S THE THING I SEEN BEFORE IN TEH SHOW) to further immerse and connect with the audience
After all that, then there is the fun bit of choosing where things jump out at you and they have that down to a science (almost sometimes to a fault)