Look y'all, I'm a post-hiatus HHN veteran at this point, been going since '07. I've gone through all the motions you all have gone through. The hours upon hours of speculating and obsessing, hearing rumors of what's coming only for them to be false, things being replaced for something "worse," being super excited for one end of the line up, but hating the other.
And lemme tell you...
There's only thing that matters: the quality. Every maze at the park could be based on the Magic School Bus, but if the sets, the make-up, and the scares are great, that's all that will matter. Try not to get so wrapped up in what properties are coming, whether they're original or not, or if you even like the properties. Rest assured, you're still going to attend the event and you're still going to enjoy the event. If not, maybe this isn't for you.
Yes, we should critique and pick apart every maze because that's what we love to do -- but we shouldn't do that until we've SEEN the damn maze. I absolutely LOATHE Roanoke, but best believe I'm going to judge the maze only after I've gone in it. I don't think The Shining is a good property for HHN even though I love the movie, but again, best believe the only thing that will matter is if I go through it and have fun time. Even from a critical analysis point, sometimes we just like things just because. By all means, The Exorcist is an awful maze. Same damn room over and over again, with long stretches of black walls. But somehow, that was one of the scariest mazes I've ever been through. I'm trying to imagine if I watched a video of it before going and been spoiled and how much I would've hated it before going, when the only true thing that matters is...
The content, live and in person, once the park has opened.
Go ahead and complain all you want know, but you're wasting your energy and emotions. You're still going to go, and spend your money, and give all of your night and time to this event. There are other Haunts to choose from, HHNH doesn't have to be the best one ever forever. It was the top theme park Haunt for a few years, and KSF and HHNO were for a few years too. But eventually, something else will come along and be the new top dog, and we'll be excited for that. But you can always come back and visit your ex-lover HHNH. It's more popular than ever, and no "stupid" choices is going to ruin the momentum it has at this point of being effortlessly successful. Should they pick better IPs? Maybe. But they ain't listening to you right now. Right now, they don't care. They're too busy trying to make the best event possible and almost everything is pretty set in motion until opening weekend. They're only going to listen to you, en masse, after the event is over in the surveys. And maybe they'll listen to you during the event and change a few things.
But as of now, you're gonna get what they're going to feed you. End of story!