🔍 Read the full analysis: Hollow House: How We Turned A First Draft Into An AI Horror-Comedy on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
Thorsten Meyer published a behind-the-scenes account of Hollow House, a 97-second AI-generated horror-comedy made across three versions overnight on October 27–28, 2026. The account says the final version worked after the team changed its workflow and tightened the pacing; it reports 2,220 Higgsfield credits used across the attempts, estimated at about $95 on the creator’s plan.
Thorsten Meyer has published a production breakdown of Hollow House, a 97-second AI-generated horror-comedy made in three versions during one overnight session. Meyer says the first cut looked polished but felt “terribly boring and amateurish,” leading the team to rebuild the short around faster pacing and a different generation workflow.
The short follows a real ghost joining the staff of an extreme haunted attraction, where employees treat the supernatural problem like a workplace issue. A guest says the safe word “cotton candy,” but the scare does not stop; the shift lead then asks whether the ghost signed the waiver. The characters, voices and sets were generated with AI, according to the production account.
Meyer describes three attempts. The first used 20 shots and ran 2 minutes 15 seconds; the second used 66 quick cuts and ran 2 minutes 21 seconds. The final 1:37 cut was assembled from three roughly 30-second segments generated with one model using references for the full cast. Meyer says only this third approach produced a version that worked.
The account says the project used 2,220 Higgsfield credits across all three versions, estimated by Meyer at roughly $95 at the plan price, plus about 2,100 ElevenLabs characters for music and sound effects. Before generating video, the team made eight character reference images with Nano Banana 2, then used them as visual references for frames and clips. These costs and workflow details are the creator’s own report, not an independently audited production record.
Production diary · October 27–28, 2026
Hollow House:
From First Draft to AI Horror-Comedy
A polished first cut missed the joke. Across three overnight versions, Thorsten Meyer’s team reworked the generation process and the rhythm to make a 97-second haunted-house workplace comedy click.
01 / Three attempts
Finding the cut that worked
According to Meyer’s account, faster pacing and a changed workflow turned the third version into the one that worked.
Version 01 · First pass
Polished, but flat
20 SHOTS · 2:15
Attractive images could not carry jokes that lacked comic rhythm. Meyer described the viewing experience as “terribly boring and amateurish.”
Version 02 · More cuts
Quicker edits
66 CUTS · 2:21
The team tried a faster editing pattern, but this longer version still did not solve the creative problem.
Version 03 · Final cut
One that landed
1:37 · THREE ~30-SECOND SEGMENTS
Generated with one model and cast references, then assembled into a more tightly paced short.
02 / The timing problem
Image quality wasn’t the punchline
Meyer compared the first cut’s average shot length with the rhythm of a short that inspired the project.
AVERAGE TIME PER CUT
The first version averaged 5.6 seconds per cut. Meyer counted about 74 cuts in the inspiration short—roughly one every 1.8 seconds.
THE COMEDY ENGINE
The premise: a real ghost joins an extreme haunted attraction. When a guest says “cotton candy,” the scare continues—and the shift lead asks whether the ghost signed the waiver.
03 / From references to retakes
People still directed the process
AI generated the characters, voices and sets, while human choices steered continuity, dialogue, pacing and revision.
Continuity
Reference the cast
Eight 2K, full-length character images were made with Nano Banana 2 through Higgsfield. The references aimed to reduce visual drift in hair and clothing across shots.
Generation
Start with frames
For version one, the team planned 20 shots, generated a starting image for each, then animated them with Veo 3.1 fast mode.
Quality control
Listen, compare, retake
Whisper helped compare generated dialogue against the script. Misread lines, a failed head turn, and a blocked lift prompted revisions and another attempt.
A shouted “HEY!” came out as “H-E-Y.” For a head-turn shot, the team changed the starting frame so the character was already turned, then added a bone-crack sound.
04 / What the account can tell us
A creator’s case study, with open questions
The figures and production details below come from Meyer’s own report and have not been independently audited.
- 2,220 Higgsfield credits across all three versions; Meyer estimates about $95 at his plan price.
- About 2,100 ElevenLabs characters used for music and sound effects.
- The source does not break down credits by version or list every tool setting for every shot.
- No audience data, festival plans, distribution deal or outside review of the short is reported.
Why the First Cut Fell Flat
Meyer’s account points to a specific challenge in AI filmmaking: producing attractive images did not automatically create a film with effective comic timing. The first version averaged 5.6 seconds per cut, while Meyer counted about 74 cuts in the short that inspired the project, or roughly one every 1.8 seconds. He says the slower pacing left the jokes without enough rhythm.
The process also shows how much human direction remained in this AI-made short. The creator says people chose to abandon the first cut, revise the workflow, check dialogue against the script and apply the final colour grade. AI generated the elements on screen, but decisions about pacing, shot selection and revision shaped the finished result. The report offers a creator’s case study, not proof that the same workflow or costs will apply to other productions.
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From Character Sheets to Final Cut
The project began with reference images rather than video. Meyer says each of the eight characters received a full-length image, made at 2K resolution with Google’s Nano Banana 2 through Higgsfield. The references were intended to limit visual drift, such as a character’s hair or clothing changing between shots. Meyer describes the sheets as a substitute for some functions of casting and costume continuity.
For version one, the team planned 20 shots, generated a starting image for each, then animated them with Google’s Veo 3.1 fast mode. Meyer says the model produced dialogue and sound alongside the image. Reviewing the clips exposed problems beyond pacing: a shouted “HEY!” was spoken as “H-E-Y,” a planned 180-degree head turn failed, and a scene depicting a guest being lifted was blocked on the first attempt. A revised description using “floating” passed, but the lift remained limited.
The production account says Whisper was used to compare generated dialogue with the script, catching misread or garbled lines that needed retakes. For the head-turn effect, the team changed the starting image so the character’s head was already turned and added a bone-crack sound. Meyer also says an attempted backwards bridge pose came out as a forward crawl. The short’s premise, script, characters and jokes are described as the team’s own, while its structure was inspired by an AI horror-comedy short shared on X.
““Terribly boring and amateurish.””
— Thorsten Meyer, describing his first viewing of version one
What the Production Account Leaves Open
The available details come from Meyer’s own account; the source material does not provide an independent review of the generated clips, cost estimate or production timeline. It also does not specify the exact division of credits among the three versions, or give a full breakdown of the tools and settings used for every shot.
The article describes the final version as the one that worked, but offers no audience data, festival or distribution plans, or outside assessment of the short. It is also unclear how much of the reported workflow would transfer to other models or productions. The account is a record of one project rather than a controlled comparison of AI video systems.
Where the Short Goes From Here
Meyer’s October 28 account includes the short and production images, including character references, starting frames, failed attempts and a contact sheet of the final cut. The source material does not announce a release schedule beyond that publication or identify a planned sequel, wider distribution deal or follow-up test.
For now, the next public milestone is whether Meyer shares further production details or new work using the same process. Readers can view Hollow House and compare the finished 97-second film with the creator’s account of how its three versions changed.
Key Questions
What is Hollow House?
Hollow House is a 97-second horror-comedy short about a ghost working at an extreme haunted attraction. Meyer says its characters, voices and sets were AI-generated.
How many versions were made?
Meyer reports three versions: a 20-shot, 2:15 cut; a 66-cut, 2:21 version; and the final 1:37 short assembled from three roughly 30-second segments.
How much did the AI generation cost?
Meyer reports using 2,220 Higgsfield credits across the three versions, which he estimates at about $95 at his plan price. The account also mentions roughly 2,100 ElevenLabs characters for music and sound effects.
What changed between the first and final versions?
The creator says the main problem was pacing, not image quality. The first version averaged 5.6 seconds per cut; the final workflow used fewer, longer generated segments that were cut into a faster-moving short.
Were the story and characters generated by AI?
Meyer says every character, voice and set in the film was AI-generated, while describing the script, characters and jokes as the team’s own. He says the structure was inspired by a short shared on X.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
