🔍 Read the full analysis: Can You Make An AI Horror-Comedy In One Night? We Tried With Hollow House on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
Hollow House, a 97-second AI-generated horror-comedy, was created in one night across three versions, according to its creator, Thorsten Meyer. His account says the final version worked after he shifted from 20 long shots to three short segments using a single model with references for the full cast.
Thorsten Meyer says he made Hollow House, a 97-second AI-generated horror-comedy, in one night by producing and revising three versions before settling on a faster-cut final film. In a behind-the-scenes account published October 28, Meyer says the process used 2,220 Higgsfield credits—about $95 at his plan price—and that the decisive changes came from human editing and creative choices, not simply generating better-looking images.
The short follows a real ghost who joins the scare crew at an extreme haunted attraction, where staff treat the supernatural newcomer as a workplace issue. A guest says the attraction’s safe word, “cotton candy,” but the scares continue. The shift lead asks whether the new worker signed a waiver, while another employee tries an exorcism. Meyer says the characters, voices and sets are AI-generated.
Meyer’s first cut contained 20 shots and ran 2 minutes 15 seconds. He describes the images as visually successful but the film as boring and amateurish. By his count, it averaged 5.6 seconds per cut, compared with about 1.8 seconds in the short that inspired the project. The final 97-second version instead used three roughly 30-second segments generated with one model that had references for the whole cast.
The production account describes character reference images made with Google’s Nano Banana 2 through the Higgsfield platform, followed by video generation using Veo 3.1. Meyer says all three versions consumed 2,220 Higgsfield credits, which he valued at about $95 under his subscription plan. He also reports using roughly 2,100 ElevenLabs characters for music and sound effects. Those costs are the creator’s account of his own workflow, not an independently audited production budget.
Editing Made the Difference
The account offers a practical example of where an AI-assisted short can succeed or fall short: Meyer says the images looked good before the pacing and comic structure worked. His first version’s 5.6-second average shot length left jokes without the quick turns he wanted; the reworked version used much faster cuts and a different generation approach.
That distinction matters to creators weighing the time and expense of AI video tools. Meyer’s experience suggests that generating consistent images is only one part of production. Decisions about shot length, performance, sound and what to discard still shape the result. The stated $95 credit cost also excludes any broader accounting of labor, subscriptions or other production expenses beyond those he identifies.
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Three Cuts, One Night
Meyer says the production ran from early evening on October 27 until about 1:30 a.m. the following morning. The first attempt used 20 individually planned shots, with character reference sheets used to maintain continuity. Meyer says the reference images were made before any video clips and helped keep details such as hair, clothing and appearance consistent across generated scenes.
In the first version, Veo generated speech and sound along with each clip. Meyer describes several problems: a shouted “HEY!” was spoken as the letters “H-E-Y,” a requested head turn became a full-body turn, and some planned physical actions did not come out as intended. He says he checked generated dialogue against the script using Whisper, a speech-recognition model, and retook a line that contained extra, garbled syllables.
Meyer says the premise’s structure was inspired by an AI horror-comedy short shared on X, while the script, characters and jokes for Hollow House were his own. The source account does not provide a separate production log or independent review of the finished film; its descriptions of the process and outcomes come from the creator.
““The first version looked great, and when I watched it I called it what it was: terribly boring and amateurish.””
— Thorsten Meyer, the film’s creator
What the Account Does Not Verify
The production details, credit tally, estimated cost and comparison with the inspiration short are Meyer’s reported figures. The account does not include independent confirmation of the tool usage, the pricing calculation or the editing measurements. It also does not provide audience figures, reception data or an assessment of whether viewers found the final cut effective.
Meyer says the final version used three segments from one model with the full cast as references, but the account does not fully detail how those segments were assembled or how much manual editing was involved after generation. The exact model settings and a complete accounting of time and expenses are also not given.
The Finished Short Is Available
Meyer’s account links to the finished Hollow House short, which runs 1:37, and includes behind-the-scenes material such as character sheets, starting frames, failed attempts and a contact sheet of the final cut. The account describes the making of this film rather than announcing a sequel or a new production. No further release plans or next project are specified.
Key Questions
What is Hollow House?
Hollow House is a 97-second horror-comedy short about a real ghost working at an extreme haunted attraction. Meyer says its characters, voices and sets were AI-generated.
How long did it take to make?
Meyer says work began in the early evening on October 27, 2026, and continued until about 1:30 a.m. the next morning. The final short runs 1 minute 37 seconds.
How many versions were made?
Meyer reports making three versions. The first used 20 shots and ran 2:15; the final cut used three roughly 30-second segments and runs 1:37. His account also mentions a second version made with 66 fast cuts.
How much did the AI generation cost?
Meyer says the three versions used 2,220 Higgsfield credits, which he estimates at about $95 at his plan price. He also reports using roughly 2,100 ElevenLabs characters for music and sound effects. These are figures supplied by the creator, not an independently verified full-budget estimate.
What did Meyer say was hardest?
Meyer identified pacing and comic timing as the main problem with the first version, despite its visuals. He also describes generated dialogue and actions that needed correction or did not work as planned.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
