MADLANDS: Caged Cannibals (HHN 35)

[StaticShock]

I think a zoo house is a really interesting concept that I haven't seen before, and that alone would rank this reasonably high on my anticipated list. Very similar to the solid concepts for a twisted Carnival Midway or an evil "Night of the Museum" house, I think the location gives a lot of liberty to make really fun, novel, interesting setpieces.

Unfortunately, I've been burned before. IMO Carnival Graveyard was mediocre at best, and Museum was actively bad. Mostly because they seemed to work around the theme, rather than with it. CG had far more Junkyard than it had Carnival, and Museum was a conceptual and visual mess all around. It seemed to want to avoid most of the obvious Museum Gallery motifs in favor of strange and contradicting niche concepts.

There seems to be a lot of passion from the creatives behind this one, which is nice to see - but I worry that this house will simply repeat history over again. Doing an "abandoned zoo" house, without any animals is ... a choice. I hope they've got interesting ideas to back it up.

I’m shocked you didn’t like Carnival Graveyard. It wasn’t received too poorly when it debuted in HHN 28, unlike Museum. That house was total garbage, along with Hellblock: Horror.

 

[DOOMBOT]

I’m shocked you didn’t like Carnival Graveyard. It wasn’t received too poorly when it debuted in HHN 28, unlike Museum. That house was total garbage, along with Hellblock: Horror.

Just wasn't for me. In a year I loved as much as 28, it was unfortunately middling in energy on my personal runs and didn't deliver on the premise in the ways I was looking for. The visual palette specifically didn't click with me at all either.

As it's own thing and with some different runs / cast energy levels, I could see people enjoying it fine though.

I thought Hellblock was only okay. Definitely rough, as it was always going to be, but far from the worst I've ever seen. I would love to see a proper redo of the "SCP Containment Breach" house concept, cause I actually think it's a very, very good one.

 

[MAC]

I'm starting to dig into all that's being offered fully at HHN35 (instead of being on the periphery and talking about ticket drama and guest flows).

This is one of those houses that I think leans into what the creative team over the years does really well. These 'in your face', super detailed, gore-heavy houses that removes the restraints and lets them to go the edge of their creativity. I think this is one of those houses that will be in everyone's top three houses when it's all said and done. I'm interested to see the first bits of key art and graphics as they are released to see if they've captured the right level of aesthetics.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

There seems to be a lot of passion from the creatives behind this one, which is nice to see - but I worry that this house will simply repeat history over again. Doing an "abandoned zoo" house, without any animals is ... a choice. I hope they've got interesting ideas to back it up.

Yeah, I think this is the biggest concern for me. I love the idea of a house taking place in a zoo, wandering through different themed areas (aquarium, reptile room, etc etc) - but with no animals.. it might be weird

 

[johnathanm]

This feels like Museum in that it’s simple in theory but instead they went for a high concept (ish) narrative that may impede the house’s ability to make sense OR be scary.. so I’m a bit concerned. But not yucking anyone’s yum either - I see the upside case.

 

[HHN Maddux]

I am really digging the designs here. (credit to EvilTakes Root for finding this!)

 

[TheCodeMan95]

It is cool to see that the costumes will be emulating the animals - definitely makes me feel better about it

 

[Tobias]

View attachment 30359View attachment 30360

I am really digging the designs here. (credit to EvilTakes Root for finding this!)

It is cool to see that the costumes will be emulating the animals - definitely makes me feel better about it

Being one who was initially disappointed on the choice of cannibals and not animals/human-animal hybrids, I did say this was going to ride on how the cannibals look. So I'm happy to say I'm breathing a sigh of relief since I like the look of the costumes, so I'm more on board with this!

 

[Lucky Planet]

t

View attachment 30359View attachment 30360

I am really digging the designs here. (credit to EvilTakes Root for finding this!)

hey look AMAZING

 

[Kichkinet85]

Felt a lot like Carnival Graveyard and Decedents. But without creatures. The caves were cool and some of the animal mask I liked but the house wasn’t for me.

 

[SeventyOne]

Actually has a few things going for it. House is a very satisfying length, unlike the other soundstages this year. The opening facade is impressive and it and the voiceover give you a quick but effective introduction to what this house is going to be.

But ...

Spoiler

Saw two petite girls doing bird noises and a smaller-size guy dressed in a home-made elephant costume and it just gave me grade school play vibes. Too silly to be intimidating.
Maybe--big maybe--this could've worked as a dark comedy house. But the silly props, like a truck with a drill rhino nose straight out a Superfriends episode, contrast too much with the hyper-realistic zoo sets (which are really well done and deserve a better house).

Ultimately a dud after a promising start.

 

[johnathanm]

Actually has a few things going for it. House is a very satisfying length, unlike the other soundstages this year. The opening facade is impressive and it and the voiceover give you a quick but effective introduction to what this house is going to be.

But ...

Spoiler

Saw two petite girls doing bird noises and a smaller-size guy dressed in a home-made elephant costume and it just gave me grade school play vibes. Too silly to be intimidating.
Maybe--big maybe--this could've worked as a dark comedy house. But the silly props, like a truck with a drill rhino nose straight out a Superfriends episode, contrast too much with the hyper-realistic zoo sets (which are really well done and deserve a better house).

Ultimately a dud after a promising start.

Very much agreed with your “deserved a better house” conclusion. After walking through it, I found myself longing for a Seeds of Extinction-esque sequel in this setting rather than what we got.

 

[MrRoamer]

When I first heard about this house, I thought it was literally the dumbest concept they could have come up with. Why did cannibals take over the zoo? Are they cannibals if they ate the zoo animals? Maybe they're mutant cannibal zoo animals?

Nope for some reason, its fans of the Garfield Spiderman 2 Rhino character that may or may not be cannibals. house is dumb

 

[Legacy]

I choose to believe this is Universal’s HHN adaptation of “Tender is the Flesh.”

 

[Kichkinet85]

This house is not my favorite. Even after running it again for a third time I still don’t see it as a top house. Not that it’s bad. No house this year is bad. Just everything is better.