HHN 35: Most Anticipated Haunted House?

[Brian G.]

Most Anticipated House. Discuss!

 

[MAC]

Because of my location, going to HHN is typically reserved for anniversary years now. That means the anniversary house is what I'm most interested in. With Jack being the OG icon and Oddfellow being a newer icon (though tied to the lore of Jack), this has the opportunity to be the house I spend the most time in. Especially tied in to the scarezones, they've done a good job of weaving this story (and the anniversary) across the park.

The other houses that intrigue me are Sinners and H.R. Bloodengutz. Everything else will be at least enjoyable for me, but those three hours are the ones I'm pumped for.

 

[Touchdown]

Extremely excited for:
Jack and Oddfellow
Sinners
HR Bloodegutz
Ozzy

Excited for:
ST5
Cybergoria
Invasion

Meh:
Hellraiser (gore and mutilation does not scare me)
Madlands
Evil Dead Burn

 

[jseal777]

I really like this lineup outside of ST5. Feels like they are hitting all the big points I like them to hit.

Its a 4 way tie for me between Hellraiser, Oddfellow, Ozzy, and Invasion.

Everything else below that has potential to be A tier.

Then there is Madlands.

Then a super wide gap

Then another one

Then ST5.


I also believe Cybergoria will be a sleeper hit this year if they are really intense with it.

 

[BoSoxFan1022]

Super excited:
Hellraiser, Bloodengutz, Ozzy

Excited: Invasion, ST5, Jack/Odd, Cybergoria,
Sinners

Dark Horse: Evil Dead

We’ll see: Madlands
Should be a great year!

 

[Killer Klown]

Solid lineup this year.
The IP slate isn’t quite as exciting as last year’s for me, but on paper I’d place it higher than the other 30’s years in terms of overall strength.
Originals are a bit of a mixed bag. Three of them sound very promising but there’s two that aren’t connecting with me at all.
There’s a pretty sizable gap between my top five and my bottom five, but my hype list and final ranking usually end up being completely different so I’m excited to see which one of my lower hyped houses exceeds expectations.

10. Madlands: Caged Cannibals - Had this kept the abandoned zoo setting and swapped out the cannibals for rabid, starving actual zoo animals this would be way higher. Instead, this feels like two completely different houses crammed into one with an awesome setting ruined by the post apocalyptic and cannibal “twist”. It doesn’t help that this is one of two post apocalyptic houses this year either.
9. Cybergoria - This house feels tonally confused to me. The key art and description make it sound dark and gritty but the stuff they’ve shown off for it so far gives off a completely different, almost comedic vibe instead. Something here just feels off to me for some reason. The Fast location isn’t really helping here either as I’m not sure it can pull off what I think the house is selling? Feels like something better suited for one of the new tents imo.
8. Ozzy Osborne: Prince of Darkness - I generally don’t vibe with music artist houses. This also comes off as borderline distasteful to me and probably should’ve waited a few more years to be done like they did with the Wyatt’s so that this feels more like an actual tribute and a bit like….cynical? Also don’t have much of a read on what exactly this house is supposed to be in terms of tone and overall atmosphere.
7. Evil Dead Burn - It’s great to finally have some WB IP back but….this one’s a pretty lackluster pick for me. I’m sure Uni’s hoping to bank off of the “Evil Dead” name like they did with Exorcist Believer, and I think this one could make for one of the better houses for the year like Believer did. In terms of preseason hype however, there’s really not much to go around here. I’d much rather this have been the original trilogy instead.
6. Stranger Things 5 - I’m still a fan of the show and i don’t have the same level of hatred for season five that others do. That said, I didn’t feel anything when it was announced like I did for 28 and 32 especially. I understand why it’s back, but I guess I’m also burnt out and ready to move on from this IP after this year.
5. Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos and Control - Now we’re talking! Always love an icon house and I think this one has a very strong chance to be one of the standouts this year. This one is at five largely for expectations/hype control to avoid potential disappointment.
4. Sinners - The actually exciting WB IP. Big fan of the film and I love vampire related material, so this one has a built in advantage. I’m a little worried about how well this will actually translate over to a house, but mad respect for making the attempt at all!
3. Invasion: Alien Abduction - This one just oozes with potential to be the next big HHN original franchise! I haven’t felt this way about an original since Wicked Growth. It’s a wonderfully simple, classic concept, and I love that they’re playing it straight. I’ve got a good feeling about this one!
2. H. R. BloodenGutz: A Halloween Fright-tacular! - Been waiting for this for quite a long time! Love everything we’ve heard about this so far and it’s awesome that the original actor for Bloodengutz is back too! Pretty stoked that some of the films are callbacks as well. I’m also thrilled that it’s in an old tent. Perfect location for it!
1. Hellraiser - Feels great to cross one off the “white whale” list! Here’s hoping this is the start of a beautiful new trend (Gremlins next please Mike I beg of you!) Doug Bradley coming back for the house just makes this feel even more special. I think we’re in for a real treat with this one!

 

[SeventyOne]

No scientific reasoning for it, but the best HHNs tend to be followed up immediately by the worst. HHN 15 was iconic—HHN 16 was mid at best. HHN 21 had arguably the best house line-up in history—HHN 22 is universally recognized as the worst of all time. HHN 25 was well-received, HHN 26 was a decided step down. So after a potential GOAT last year, if this year’s HHN proves to be the mixed bag it looks like on paper, it was to be expected. As long as my top four all hit, I’ll be happy.

10) Evil Dead Burn – haven’t seen the movie (like most of the country), and Evil Dead houses at HHN don’t have a great track record. This reeks of a forced synergy house so I expect creatives to do the bare minimum. Likely a one and done for me.

9) Stranger Things: Return to Hawkins – meh. Last season was so laughably bad it retroactively erased my love of the first season. Like season 5 of the show, I doubt we see anything new here. I’m sure 18 months ago this made total sense—one last attempt to bring in all the $$—but Universal bought a lemon with this one.

8) Cybergoria – futuristic (as opposed to steampunk) sci fi never seems to work at the event for me: Interstellar Terror, the Seabase Alpha rip-off, that horrible NY zone… If this ends up delivering on the dieselpunk Metropolis vibes in the logo it might move up in my rankings, but not counting on it.

7) Madlands – if you count TWD, we’ve seemingly had a post-apocalyptic house every year for close to two decades. Like zombies, it’s played out. That said, this is a unique idea for a zoo house, and will ultimately come down to cast. I could see a Havoc or Hive level cast embracing the weirdness here and elevating the house. My dark horse sleeper candidate this year.

6) Invasion—Alien Abduction – farmhouse sets sound promising, but if we end up inside the UFO, see my Cybergoria thoughts. Will probably hinge on the aliens’ design. Hopefully there’s some variety. If not, or if just farm sets, could be very one-note.

5) Hellraiser – the movies are crap, but they are loaded with memorable gory iconography and iconic character designs. I said the same thing about Terrifier last year, and it ended up being my HotY. As one of the last 70s/80s grails, I expect this will have a fair amount of effort and love put into it. Cautiously optimistic it works better as a house than a film.

4) Chaos & Control – I quite liked Oddfellow’s house, and this is the longest Jack has been gone, so I actually started to miss him. You know this will have all the new tricks and effects and Easter eggs packed into it. Expecting a great house, it just shares the stage with the three potential bangers I personally anticipate more.

3) Sinners – favorite movie last year, felt like a perfect IP match for the event. The costuming/make-up and music should do a lot of heavy lifting here, if the cast keeps up could be an all-timer.

2) Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness – the first album I bought at age 13 was Bark at the Moon. So yeah, been an Ozzy fan for four decades. Hard to imagine iconic music better suited to an HHN house, and I imagine the visuals will be amazing as well. I have every faith this will be a labor of love and a proper tribute. Really looking forward to this one.

1) H.R. Bloodengutz – the original was my HotY in my favorite HHN of all time. Still the greatest dark comedy house ever, arguably the greatest original house ever. My expectations were already sky high. Then adding a Halloween theme with dark comedy based on the holiday’s traditions and iconography? Even higher. I realize the “silly late night horror host” trope was already a ‘memberberry back in 2011—two pop culture generations ago(!)—so I’m not sure anyone under 35 will “get” this house, but I’m pulling for it to be a winner and make new fans on its own. Plus we should get a new video with the original HR! This house alone justifies my FFP.

 

[Kichkinet85]

Double posted

 

[Kichkinet85]

As of now my list is:

H.R. Bloodengutz presents Halloween Fright-Tacular- Like that it’s not a full anniversary house, but with callbacks to HHN past. Halloween. With it now in a tent that’s even better.
Invasion: Alien Abduction- Not your typical aliens and going to be scary. Said to be diverse in aliens. Night home invasion.
Hellrasier- Finally seeing Pinhead at HHN. Mike said it’s a white whale IP that they always wanted to do. Based on the original trilogy.
Jack and Oddfellow: Chaos & Control- Love to see Jack and Oddfellow and it’s an Icon house but think it will be lighter/comedy with the artwork I’ve seen.
Sinners- Think it will be a darker house with good scares. Darkest Deal vibes. In a tent.
Evil Dead Burn- An intense movie and deadites are always fun to see. Finally seeing evil dead at HHN again.
Cybergoria- Futuristic/Scfi isn’t my cup of tea. Zyborgs was a cool room but not my favorite. I do like this one can be creature.
Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness- I’m not a huge fan of Ozzy but the house sounds interesting and I’m excited for it. But music houses just not for me.
MADLANDS: Caged Cannibals- Desendents vibes. Sounds like it will need more creatures. Really depends on the cannibal design.
Stranger Things 5- Had many times. First house in 28 was good but went downhill since.

 

[Tobias]

Here we go again! This'll be my 8th HHN and this year's lineup is definitely varied with some big IP's, a White Whale, a long-awaited sequel house, and some themes we haven't seen too often. I'm fine with all the houses, it just all comes down to execution. But in terms of anticipation, here's how they all shake out for me.

For those who know me, you know the drill. And for those who don't, I'm a firm believer that overhype is often self-inflicted. So the house I put at #1 is not my most anticipated, and some themes I'll put a little lower than normal to keep my excitement in check. It's worked for me the past 7 HHN's, and if it isn't broke, I sure as heck ain't trying to fix it!

10. Stranger Things 5 - Whether you like it or not, this IP has had a major impact on the event, so it's no surprise they'd be making one more house for it. Though they probably wish the last season didn't crap the bed after they were locked in. Nevertheless, this IP has been a case of diminishing returns. I really enjoyed the first house in 2018, not so much in 2019...and 2023 ended on the bottom of my house ranking. All I can do is keep my expectations low and hope for a fun house.

9. Evil Dead Burn - As I've said before, I can see this being a serviceable house, quite possibly an intense one, too. Thing is, there's very little anticipation for me since I didn't care for the film! So it's an easy placement down here.

8. Hellraiser - I'm in the boat that honestly loves this series, and knowing this is a "White Whale" for A&D and Doug Bradley reprising the role makes me all the more excited! So it's down here at 8 to temper my expectation. Because with a series that asks "What's your Pleasure?", overhype is not one of mine.~

7. Madlands: Caged Cannibals - This house has already given me an emotional whirlwind this spec season. I love the setting, I don't love the choice of cannibals instead of mutant/hybrid animals. However, the concept art of the costumes is making me feel a lot better about this house. If it wasn't for those, I'd be placing this way lower on my list. Fingers crossed this turns out well!

6. Sinners - Great film, great music, definitely intrigued to see how they pull this one off. Not too big on vampires so this one is a little lower than others, but I'm excited!

5. H.R. Bloodengutz presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular! - While I never got to experience the original house in 2011, I've seen a lot of praise for it. (As well as the queue video which is honestly great!) Back in the day, horror comedy houses didn't really land for a lot of folks. But this one did, so I know how much folks have been wanting a sequel. There's a ton of pressure to get this one right, but I feel they're going in the right direction especially with it being focused on Halloween, something which we all know A&D is pretty good at having fun with.

4. Cybergoria - I'm quite fond of Sci-Fi themes, though you don't see them too often at haunts. So this is honestly up my alley, especially with the cybernetic body horror that could very well happen in this house! Love they got a queue video for it, too!

3. Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness - Last year, A&D showed they can absolutely make a house which is both a loving tribute to someone while also being a really fun house where you don't need to know everything about who they're paying tribute to in order to enjoy it. Wyatt Sicks ended up being my favorite house last year which was a feat considering how stacked it was. To no surprise, I'm pretty excited to see what they do for our Prince of Darkness!

2. Invasion: Alien Abduction - Two Sci-Fi themes in one year? I'm down for that! If they can pull off a serious/scary abduction, that could be intense in all the right ways. I also dig the designs they've shown of the Grey Men, so this one is overall pretty promising for me.

1. Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control - Dr. Oddfellow is one of my favorite Icons, so a house truly combining him with Jack and showcasing how they fought and ended up running this Infernal Carnival of Nightmares sounds like a very good time! Add in some big technical swings and this could be quite the crowd pleasure if it they pull it off, so it's an easy choice to put at #1 here!

...now for those who want to know what my -actual- number 1 is...

Spoiler

H.R. Bloodengutz. I'm always down for a good horror comedy house, and A&D clearly has a ton of fun when they're able to get classic and campy with Halloween themes. Add in some of the movies referencing HHN's past, and this could be an absolute winner!

 

[HHN Maddux]

I can't remember the last time it was this difficult for me to put together a hype list.

1. H.R. Bloodengutz Presents a Halloween Fright-tacular - Let me preface right now by saying my top 4 are all interchangeable for #1, that's how excited I am for these. Ultimately for now, I have to put Bloodengutz at the top as ever since learning about him in 2016, a Bloodengutz sequel has been one of my top 5 dream houses ever since, and I couldn't be happier that it's actually happening. Throw in the original actor returning, anniversary callbacks and a traditional Halloween theme? I'm all in.
   
   
2. Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control - Ah, Jack was my first Icon when I first experienced HHN in 2015, and yet Oddfellow I grew a more emotional connection with in 2023, it's hard to choose a side! Seeing these two finally collide in an epic battle in an everchanging landscape influenced by their wills sounds trippy and fun as hell, and I cannot wait. I do still wish the whole event them was Chaos VS Control, rather than them teaming up, but alas, at least we're getting it here!
   
   
3. Cybergoria - I'm a sucker for good sci-fi and apocalyptic horror, and this sounds like a gnarly, beautiful mix of the two. The concept very much feels like Cyberpunk meets Saws N' Steam, and I'm here for it. I'm also in love with the twist of the AI not being malicious, but genuinely just trying to fulfil its purpose after thousands if not millions of years of not understanding any way to discover immortality. The customers are getting what they asked for, just at what cost? Can't wait to see how far they take the gore and body horror in here. Also helps it's the same designer as Insidious, so ready for some good scares in here!
   
   
4. Madlands: Caged Cannibals - Abandoned zoo in a post-apocalypse? I'm in. It's cannibals and not mutated animals? Still excited, but not as much. It has a punk rock soundtrack and the cannibal designs are steampunk-esque recreations of the animal skins and looks? I'm back in. Combine that with Laura's comment from the UK panel of this being similar to Carnival Graveyard's design philosophy and the article talking about it also being very gory and tight-quarters? Double in!
   
   
5. Sinners - Just rewatched the movie this past Saturday, and it's genuinely a perfect film, no notes. Give me the beautiful soundtrack, lots of vampires, and "SAMMAY!".
   
   
6. Invasion: Alien Abduction - Finally an alien house that's being played straight! Don't get me wrong, I love my campy 50's aliens, but I've been waiting for them to be scary again, and I'm glad they're going the serious route with this. Also in the house images they released, just from those alone, there's an uneasy feeling I'm getting, and I love it. Only concern is the looks of the aliens from the concept art they released.
   
   
7. Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness - Admittedly I don't know too much about Ozzy's music, but this being a gothic house with his greatest hits playing has me very excited.
   
   
8. Evil Dead Burn - I have mixed opinions on Burn. There were some things I really liked, and some things I really didn't like. That being said, while the movie I think was just okay, I do believe it will make for a pretty damn good house.
   
   
9. Hellraiser - I love Pinhead, not a fan of the movies. Excited for the sets though!
   
   
10. Stranger Things 5 - Season 5. That's it.

 

[Spooky_Bitz]

10. Stranger Things 5- I did not enjoy this season at all and in general i don’t like this show. Also, i only enjoyed the first stranger things house sooo yeah. Not excited for this.

9. Sinners- I am cautiously optimistic for this one. I thought the movie was good but i wasn’t super wild about it.

8. Madlands- I am looking forward to this house. A little tired of the post apocalypse theming but the concept sounds interesting.

7. Ozzy Osbourne- I’m not a big fan of his music(i mostly listen to deathcore and metalcore) but i think that this house will be something special and could be like the Wyatt Sicks of the year.

6. Jack & Oddfellow- I am looking forward to this house a lot. I feel like it’ll be similar to Icons Captured but with a more cohesive story.

5. Evil Dead Burn- I love this franchise and i enjoyed this movie a lot. I think this house will be one of the scarier houses of the year.

4. Cybergoria- Super excited for this one as it gives me Saws N Steam meets Terminator vibes. I hope this one turns out scary and trippy in a way.

3. Invasion- I have never done a serious alien invasion style house before and i really like the vibe of this one. I hope they lean into the scary and visceral with this house.

2. Hellraiser- This is one of my personal wishlist licensed houses so i am ecstatic. And i love how it’s the original trilogy.

1. H.R Bloodengutz- The 2011 iteration is my number one wayback house and it blows my mind i finally get to experience this. As a Slaughter Sinema and Slaughter Sinema 2 fanatic, i will always openly accept these compilation horror comedy houses.

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

10. Stranger Things 5 - All Stranger Things houses have been 6 or 7/10s for me, though I don't think any have actually been the worst of their years. The last season was so action focused on top of being a mess quality wise, so it's really hard to muster up excitement almost a year later.

9. Evil Dead Burn - Having not seen the film yet, I can't really judge what may or may not translate well to this house. The only reason it's not dead last is because I know what to expect from Stranger Things while this has some element of the unknown to it.

8. Madlands: Caged Cannibals - To me, the concept screams a classic HHN "good idea but meh execution," especially since 24B has had several of those in the past couple years (Grave of Flesh, Triplets of Terror). I'm mostly concerned that the set design is going to be too wide and leave the actors away from the guest path. An intense cast could make the difference.

7. Cybergoria - Being in the Supercharged queue isn't a death sentence by any means, but I'm curious how they pull off a futuristic theme with the location's limitations. If the house goes for a dilapidated suburban vibe, then it can be a fun, tight house.

6. Invasion: Alien Abduction - It's a really fun concept, and being a Sprung house bodes well for its intensity. My only concern is the costumes could be too bulky and/or repetitive, which was a big problem I had with Hatchet & Chains last year.

5. Ozzy Osbourne - This is for sure one of the more exciting IPs the event has had lately. It's a huge passion project for A&D, and I'm really excited to see what the sets look like.

4. H.R. Bloodengutz - The original house was just before my time attending the event, but it sounds like all the best elements of Slaughter Sinema blended together with a cohesive theme.

3. Hellraiser - FINALLY.

2. Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control - From storytelling and lore perspectives alone, surely this must be a home run. There hasn't been a truly singular Jack house in my time attending the event since 2014, and if it's great, hopefully this leads to the return of more icon houses in the coming years.

1. Sinners - Ever since I saw the movie on opening night last April, I wanted it to be an HHN house. There are so many scenes I can't wait to see recreated, and the soundtrack is going to make this such a fun walkthrough no matter what.

 

[Brian G.]

Anyone who doesn’t have Hellraiser in Top 5 will be met with automatic bans. Thank you for your understanding.

 

[MAC]

Anyone who doesn’t have Hellraiser in Top 5 will be met with automatic bans. Thank you for your understanding.

I only mentioned my top 4, but #5 is Hellraiser!

(Did I do it right?)

 

[Kichkinet85]

Anyone who doesn’t have Hellraiser in Top 5 will be met with automatic bans. Thank you for your understanding.

HR is #3 for me so I’m safe!!

 

[Spooky_Bitz]

Anyone who doesn’t have Hellraiser in Top 5 will be met with automatic bans. Thank you for your understanding.

Number two for me!

 

[Tobias]

Anyone who doesn’t have Hellraiser in Top 5 will be met with automatic bans. Thank you for your understanding.

I think you understand my reasoning for having it down at #8 to avoid overhype, it is my most anticipated IP after all.~