🔍 Read the full analysis: Our AI Horror-Comedy Began With A Boring Version One. Then Came Hollow House on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
Thorsten Meyer says his 97-second AI horror-comedy short, Hollow House, was made across three versions between the evening of October 27 and about 1:30 a.m. on October 28. The first cut looked polished but felt too slow; Meyer attributes the final version’s improvement to faster editing, a shared character-reference workflow and human creative decisions.
Thorsten Meyer says he made Hollow House, a 97-second AI-generated horror-comedy short, in three versions overnight, after rejecting an earlier cut as “terribly boring and amateurish.” His October 28 account describes how the final version shifted from 20 long shots to three fast-paced segments, and why he says editing rhythm—not image quality—was the main problem.
According to Meyer’s account on ThorstenMeyerAI.com, production began in the early evening of October 27 and continued until about 1:30 a.m. the next day. The finished film features a real ghost joining the staff of an extreme haunted attraction, where employees treat the supernatural newcomer as a workplace problem. Meyer says the characters, voices and sets were all AI-generated.
The first version consisted of 20 shots and ran 2 minutes 15 seconds. Meyer says it had visually consistent faces, costumes and lighting, but the shots averaged 5.6 seconds and the film lacked the quick timing he wanted for comedy. A second attempt used 66 fast cuts and ran 2 minutes 21 seconds. The final version, made as three roughly 30-second segments using one model with the full cast as references, ran 1 minute 37 seconds.
Meyer reports that the three versions used 2,220 Higgsfield credits, which he values at roughly $95 at his plan price, as well as about 2,100 ElevenLabs characters for music and sound effects. He says character reference sheets were made with Google’s Nano Banana 2 through Higgsfield before video generation began. The account also describes failed or altered shots, including a blocked attempt to depict a character being lifted and a head-turn effect the video model did not reproduce as intended.
Behind the cut · Creator-reported account · October 28, 2026
Our AI Horror-Comedy Began With A Boring Version One. Then Came Hollow House
A polished first cut still missed the joke. Across three overnight versions, Thorsten Meyer says faster editing, shared character references and human choices turned Hollow House into a 97-second short.
Production: October 27 evening → October 28, about 1:30 a.m.
“The pictures were never the problem. The rhythm was.”
Thorsten Meyer · on the production
Good images. Wrong tempo.
Meyer’s account traces the remake through runtime and cut count. The first cut looked consistent, but its long holds softened the comedy.
Polished, but slow
20 shots · 2:15 runtime
Consistent faces, costumes and lighting. At an average 5.6 seconds per shot, Meyer judged the rhythm too slow.
“Terribly boring and amateurish.”Faster, still longer
66 cuts · 2:21 runtime
A second attempt pushed the cutting pace. Meyer’s account gives limited detail on what changed beyond the cut count and runtime.
A step in the processThree quick segments
≈ 3 × 30 seconds · 1:37 runtime
The final short used one model with the full cast supplied as references, then received a human-directed final grade.
The rhythm found its markReferences first. Judgment throughout.
Meyer describes AI-generated characters, voices and sets, with human review shaping the script match, staging and edit.
Build the cast
Eight character reference sheets were made with Google’s Nano Banana 2 through Higgsfield. Meyer says each cost two credits at 2K resolution.
Make the scenes
Starting frames were animated with Veo 3.1 in fast mode. Whisper helped check generated dialogue against the script, catching a spelled-out “HEY!” and garbled syllables.
Shape the final cut
Some actions were changed after generation failed to match the plan. Meyer identifies the edit rhythm, cast references and final colour grade as decisive choices.
A creator’s ledger, not an audit.
The supplied figures describe one project as Meyer reported it. They have not been independently checked.
Meyer values the credits at about $95 at his plan price. He also reports using about 2,100 ElevenLabs characters for music and sound effects.
What the account leaves open
No independent generation logs, credit valuation, audience response or outside assessment of the final cut are provided. The second version and per-version costs are described only briefly.
When the scare crew gets a real ghost.
At an extreme haunted attraction, a guest says the safe word “cotton candy”—but the scare does not stop. Staff must decide whether the frightening new performer belongs on the crew.
Choose the cut for the joke. The images may be polished; timing still determines whether a comic beat lands.
Give the cast shared references. Character sheets helped carry looks across frames and clips, according to Meyer.
Rewrite around model limits. A blocked lift and an unintended head-turn effect led to altered or failed shots.
Keep the source in view. These workflow details and conclusions come from Meyer’s own production account.
Editing Set the Film’s Pace
Meyer’s account presents Hollow House as an example of how AI-generated footage can leave major filmmaking decisions in human hands. He says the images in the first version were attractive, but that the longer takes, limited camera movement and lack of a score weakened the comedy. His comparison of the initial 20-shot cut with the faster final edit makes pacing and selection the central lesson he draws from the project.
The production account also gives readers a specific view of the workflow and its reported cost: character references came before video clips, generated dialogue was checked against the script, and some planned actions had to be rewritten or staged differently. These details matter to creators evaluating AI video tools, but the figures are Meyer’s account of one project, not an independent assessment of production costs or model performance.
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From Character Sheets to Final Cut
Meyer says he first created one reference image for each of the film’s eight characters. The images were intended to keep appearances such as hair, clothing and costume consistent across later frames and clips. Each image cost two credits at 2K resolution, and he says the eight sheets were completed in under two minutes.
For the first cut, Meyer generated still starting frames and animated them with Veo 3.1 in fast mode. He says the tool generated speech and sound alongside the visuals. He also used Whisper, OpenAI’s speech-recognition model, to check generated dialogue against the script; that review caught a line in which “HEY!” was spoken letter by letter and another line with garbled extra syllables.
Meyer says the story’s structure was inspired by an AI horror-comedy short shared on X, while describing Hollow House’s script, characters and jokes as his own. The premise uses the safe word associated with extreme haunted attractions: a guest says “cotton candy,” but the scare does not stop. The staff then have to work out whether the frightening new performer is actually part of the crew.
““terribly boring and amateurish.””
— Thorsten Meyer, describing the first version
Independent Checks Are Not Provided
The production details, costs, workflow and assessment of the finished film come from Meyer’s own account. The supplied material does not include independent confirmation of the generation logs, credit valuation or time spent, and it does not provide audience response or an outside assessment of the final cut.
Meyer says the project took three attempts, but the account gives limited detail about the second version beyond its 66 cuts and 2:21 runtime. It also does not fully explain the technical setup for the final model or provide a complete breakdown of the costs by version. The published account links to the short and describes behind-the-scenes images, but those materials are not independently examined here.
The Short and Production Notes
Meyer’s October 28 post presents the finished short alongside character sheets, starting frames, failed attempts and a contact sheet of the final cut. Readers can compare the released 1:37 film with the process he describes, while keeping in mind that the account is a creator’s report rather than an independent production audit. No further release, follow-up project or additional production milestone is specified in the supplied material.
Key Questions
What is Hollow House?
Hollow House is a 97-second horror-comedy short about a ghost joining an extreme haunted attraction’s scare crew. Meyer says its characters, voices and sets were AI-generated.
Why did Meyer remake the first version?
Meyer says the first cut looked good but felt boring and amateurish. It ran 2:15, with 20 shots averaging 5.6 seconds, which he judged too slow for the comedy’s timing.
How many versions were made?
Meyer describes three versions: a 20-shot, 2:15 cut; a 66-cut, 2:21 cut; and the final 1:37 short assembled from three roughly 30-second segments.
How much did the project cost?
Meyer reports using 2,220 Higgsfield credits, valued at roughly $95 at his plan price, plus about 2,100 ElevenLabs characters for music and sound effects. These are figures from his account, not an independently verified cost estimate.
What remains unverified?
The supplied reporting relies on Meyer’s description of the workflow and expenses. It does not include independent checks of the credit use, cost, generation history or audience response.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
