The Exorcist: Believer (HHN 32)

[Brian G.]

The Exorcist: Believer
Inspired by Universal Pictures’ terrifying new horror film from Blumhouse and Morgan Creek Entertainment (in theaters Friday, October 13), “The Exorcist: Believer” haunted house will unleash an entirely new level of terror to Halloween Horror Nights. In this new chapter, guests will be transported to a bustling street market in Haiti, where an innocent purchase of a strange folk doll with three eyes leads to the opening of a demonic portal, the awakening of sinister spirits and the subsequent disappearance of two 12-year-old girls in the U.S. The girls are found three days later with no memory of what happened to them. After the girls begin to exhibit unsettling behavior, it soon becomes clear that only an exorcism can save them – and everyone who comes in contact with them, including unwitting guests, is suddenly at risk of losing their souls.

 

[Chumpieboy]

Was skeptical but now I'll have to watch the trailer. Hopefully they can improve on the original house and have more than one repeated location. What they did with the previous house and repeating Reagan's room worked well but to do the same thing, even in a clever way, for the sequel will likely be lame.

 

[Kichkinet85]

I don’t know what to think about this. I don’t know most of my hyped list but I do know this is #10. I just can’t get excited for an IP that’s not even out yet and won’t be out before I go. Maybe if Dracula: Untold was better, I’ll be more excited here.

 

[Lucky Planet]

I'm really glad that this is based on the new movie. That's wonderful. I'm really happy.
Even if the movie sucks, I'm glad this is not a repeat of the original house.

I hope the sets are good. But it's weird that we didn't get MEGAN or 5 nights at Freddy's.
This house could have easily have had all 3.

It's weird that blumhouse didn't do a best of house.
5 nights at Freddy's would have been much much better than exorcist. I'm so used to have blumhouse best of houses that this is really weird
But. I'm excited. I'm happy that this is not a repeat of the original house

 

[SixBillium]

"...In this new chapter, guests will be transported to a bustling street market in Haiti, where an innocent purchase of a strange folk doll with three eyes leads to the opening of a demonic portal..."

This is what is keeping the excitement alive for me. Seems like at least the first few scenes should feel different enough (it would be hard to re-do the same scrim opening and keep the "bustling street market" feel IMO), so I'm hoping for a distinct beginning in Haiti, a good chunk of the story within suburbia, and ending in the other realm.

The original seemed to forget about the beginning and the end and focused too much on the middle, at least to me, so I have faith that more locations will also help with better pacing

 

[Casper Gutman]

Kinda wish this and Chucky had swapped venues.

 

[Crypt Keeper]

Kinda wish this and Chucky had swapped venues.

Tbh, F&F works in favor of Chucky. The tight space/close quarters help with Chucky (and maybe Tiffany) being so small. The Exorcist needs a larger space, especially if the house on the preview merch is featured somewhere in the house.

 

[Lucky Planet]

Kinda wish this and Chucky had swapped venues.

I wish this was a tent house in the back lol

 

[Casper Gutman]

I wish this was a tent house in the back lol

There have been some all-time greats in the tents, though. Supercharged is really the only venue that’s a pronounced negative.

 

[Brian G.]

There have been some all-time greats in the tents, though. Supercharged is really the only venue that’s a pronounced negative.

Yes, with the big sample size of *checks notes*

One.

Also, I believe the common consensus was while Freaky wasn’t well received, a lot of high praise was given to the Black Phone portion - with many saying they would’ve preferred if the whole house was just Black Phone instead of split.

 

[SixBillium]

And Shrek 4D wasn't great until Case Files: Unearthed IMO.

EDIT: I feel like a disgrace for forgetting Krampus. But outside of those 2 stellar haunts, Shrek was mid- or worse.

Great haunts can be in any location, and bad haunts can be in the biggest soundstages. As far as I'm concerned, nothing Chucky-related needs a lot of space, which is an advantage, and F&F seems perfect.

I obviously can't speak on fully on the Exorcist, but I can see this utilizing a lot more lighting and effect work that I don't think would work well in close-quarters (ex. could you imagine trying to spot the demon faces from the original haunt while walking through Freaky?)

 

[Wigglepebbles]

And Shrek 4D wasn't great until Case Files: Unearthed IMO.

Great haunts can be in any location, and bad haunts can be in the biggest soundstages. As far as I'm concerned, nothing Chucky-related needs a lot of space, which is an advantage, and F&F seems perfect.

I obviously can't speak on fully on the Exorcist, but I can see this utilizing a lot more lighting and effect work that I don't think would work well in close-quarters (ex. could you imagine trying to spot the demon faces from the original haunt while walking through Freaky?)

Looks at Killer Klowns and Krampus…

 

[Brian G.]

And Shrek 4D wasn't great until Case Files: Unearthed IMO.

Great haunts can be in any location, and bad haunts can be in the biggest soundstages. As far as I'm concerned, nothing Chucky-related needs a lot of space, which is an advantage, and F&F seems perfect.

I obviously can't speak on fully on the Exorcist, but I can see this utilizing a lot more lighting and effect work that I don't think would work well in close-quarters (ex. could you imagine trying to spot the demon faces from the original haunt while walking through Freaky?)

Well, I’d say Shrek has been 50/50 but to your overall point - you’re right.

Back in the day - the tents were seen as a negative despite their track record because they weren’t “soundstages”

 

[Casper Gutman]

Well, I’d say Shrek has been 50/50 but to your overall point - you’re right.

Back in the day - the tents were seen as a negative despite their track record because they weren’t “soundstages”

The tents haven’t really been seen as a negative for the majority of their existence - they’ve been viewed pretty positively since 2011 or so if not since 2008. Good mazes can happen anywhere, but certain locations can facilitate or impede maze quality (which, again, is not to say this can’t be overcome). I think of F&F in much the same light as the disaster queue - yes, the venue housed a couple hits (including the all-timer, Cleaver) but the track record was poor.

I actually think Shrek had a pretty impressive track record - Saw and perhaps Halloween 4 were the only really underwhelming entries, and that was largely due to the source material. Which brings us back to Exorcist.

 

[Lucky Planet]

There have been some all-time greats in the tents, though. Supercharged is really the only venue that’s a pronounced negative.

That's true but I hope exorcist delivers, I hope it's worth the soundstage. They better build a lot of different sets.
I'm hopeful.

Yes, with the big sample size of *checks notes*

One.

Also, I believe the common consensus was while Freaky wasn’t well received, a lot of high praise was given to the Black Phone portion - with many saying they would’ve preferred if the whole house was just Black Phone instead of split.

That's very true. Very true

 

[Kichkinet85]

The tents haven’t really been seen as a negative for the majority of their existence - they’ve been viewed pretty positively since 2011 or so if not since 2008. Good mazes can happen anywhere, but certain locations can facilitate or impede maze quality (which, again, is not to say this can’t be overcome). I think of F&F in much the same light as the disaster queue - yes, the venue housed a couple hits (including the all-timer, Cleaver) but the track record was poor.

The tent r some of the best houses I have done. Even if they’re not my #1, I still remember them as great houses. They also have some of the best facades.

 

[Wigglepebbles]

I don’t think venues matter so much for a good house, most of the time the only thing that depends on the venue is size of scenes and façades. Hopefully they make a better one for Chucky than the projection last year.

 

[Grabnar]

The tent r some of the best houses I have done. Even if they’re not my #1, I still remember them as great houses. They also have some of the best facades.

Facades are the one thing I think the tents lack on tbh. The only other real negative with them is light bleed. I enjoy the claustrophobic atmosphere. I even liked the mouth brooder house lol.

On the topic of The Exorcist colon Believer, I have such low expectations for this house that anything would be a step up. I honestly think that this house cannot disappoint me. I rank this under some of the scare zones and food offerings in terms of excitement.

 

[Wigglepebbles]

Facades are the one thing I think the tents lack on tbh. The only other real negative with them is light bleed. I enjoy the claustrophobic atmosphere. I even liked the mouth brooder house lol.

On the topic of The Exorcist colon Believer, I have such low expectations for this house that anything would be a step up. I honestly think that this house cannot disappoint me. I rank this under some of the scare zones and food offerings in terms of excitement.

Not really? Until 2019 they started doing these tunnel entrances which sometimes can be wack; but Insidious, House of 1000 Corpses, Nightingales, TCM, Halloween, Slaughter Sinema, Puppet Theater have been some of the best facades ever made.
Sometimes soundstages skip the facade entirely like Ghostbusters or Stranger Things…

 

[Brian G.]

The tents haven’t really been seen as a negative for the majority of their existence - they’ve been viewed pretty positively since 2011 or so if not since 2008. Good mazes can happen anywhere, but certain locations can facilitate or impede maze quality (which, again, is not to say this can’t be overcome). I think of F&F in much the same light as the disaster queue - yes, the venue housed a couple hits (including the all-timer, Cleaver) but the track record was poor.

I actually think Shrek had a pretty impressive track record - Saw and perhaps Halloween 4 were the only really underwhelming entries, and that was largely due to the source material. Which brings us back to Exorcist.

The tent r some of the best houses I have done. Even if they’re not my #1, I still remember them as great houses. They also have some of the best facades.

Allow me to clarify -

Not the reception of the tent houses themselves, but the idea of a house in THAT location. There was a period when the tent houses were not seen in the light they are now because there was a general belief that tent houses were "lesser" than soundstages for whatever reason. It was debated on IOAC, it was debated here. It was very much a thing.

Either way, F&F still has only one house in its history. Just because the Disaster queue was more or less in the same location doesn't mean anything since layouts are different.

I'm not saying Exorcist is going to be a hit or that it needs to be higher on hype lists, but let's be fair here - it's hard to use the location's ONE example with the movie's ONE trailer as any sort of valid argument or point.