Halloween Haunt 2010

[KIMonster14]

I would be willing to bet Slaughterhouse will not be back, there will be a new live entertainment show, and at least 2 new or revamped mazes.

Today they were working on a maze in the Action Grill, most likely Slaughterhouse....

[KI FANATIC 37]

^ Yes, probably....

[rotag]

I would be willing to take the Slaughterhouse bet ... as one of the Butchers has indicated he will be returning to it this year

I would take that bet too. I've recently been in touch with Sam the Butcher and he told me that as of now he plans on being at the park in one way or another.

tell Sam that ill have a fresh shipment of Meals on Wheels comin in on sept. 24th.

[keiko_coaster]

haha slaughterhouse was a good time. i was a celebrity haha.

[XGatorHead 8904]

tell Sam that ill have a fresh shipment of Meals on Wheels comin in on sept. 24th.

He'll be glad to hear that. I'm pretty sure they only got one Meals on Wheels shipment last year, so Sam will enjoy having another.

haha slaughterhouse was a good time. i was a celebrity haha.

You sure were. Of course, going through a haunt that many times will do that!

[keiko_coaster]

haha slaughterhouse was a good time. i was a celebrity haha.

You sure were. Of course, going through a haunt that many times will do that!

haha i know. But this year i'll have to stick with Scarowinds. every weekend.

[muppetfan1999]

They said in the press conference for the WindSeeker ride that the'll be announcing all of the Halloween Haunt details next week.

[RingMaster]

This makes me wonder if the animals that were supposed to be in Slaughterhouse last year are back this year or if they just got fed to a pack of wolves or something of that nature.

If they aren't, in fact, coming back, I want to see the whole second half of the maze completely redone to further detail the inner workings of the actual shop itself; to me, it seemed as if the whole maze was riding on having live animals in there as a form of shock value and nothing else. When they were axed from the maze (no pun intended), it showed that the rest of the attraction was very bare bones and nowhere near as intriguing or detailed as some of the previous mazes (in a twisted sort of way, Cut-Throat Cove had more detail than Slaughterhouse). The talent in there was awesome, I'll give them that. But the surroundings and scenery just fell flat on its face and I was just not impressed with it at all. Especially when Urgent Scare last season upped its game and added onto the last third to make it the best maze I've ever seen/walked through, the butcher shop set-wise just plain sucked.

EDIT: Again, the talent in Slaughterhouse was really really good. I just hated the look and setting of it is all.

[Flat Freak]

Hello KIC! First post. I'm a long-time KI freak, and I've just found this forum, and I wish I had a long time ago. Great stuff here.

I have some questions about October in Kings Island and appreciate all responses. My daughter and I often go in the summer (11 times this year), but we've never been in October (we went to Nick or Treat when she was little and only did kiddie stuff and stayed a few hours). She's too old for the kid stuff, but not old enough for teen+ attractions like probably the haunted things.

1) How intense are the Haunt attractions? She is 10 years old and fearless when it comes to rides (DB, Beast, Drop Tower without blinking), but I don't think she'll do well in haunted house-like attractions (yet). Are there some "lamer" ones where she can experiment and ease into it?

2) Are all the rides open (the big ones, anyway) most of the time?

3) If you want to go to the park on a Haunt night, can you avoid the "scary" stuff and mostly just ride? Is it true that scary characters get in ride lines, scare you on rides, and the like? I'd like to be able to reassure her that this doesn't happen, so we can go to ride, ride, ride, and I can ease her into some of the tamer haunts.

4) I see the park hours are 7-1, 12-1, and 12-8 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday respectively. Am I right that the "scary" haunt stuff happens in the evening, and that going from 12-7 or so, we could avoid it? Is the full park open on Sunday, or is it just kiddie stuff?

5) What are the lines like for the rides?

I was going to ask the Dippin Dots guy all these questions, but he was on break.

--Flat Freak and his daughter, who both can't wait to ride WindSeeker.

[The Interpreter]

Once Haunt begins (which does not include Sundays), all parts of the park are fair game for the Scaractors.

There is also no re-entry once it begins.

Some of the rides do not operate during Haunt. A list will be coming sooner to Haunt.

And generally the entire park is open during the day...

Lines vary...particularly for the Haunt attractions. The closer to Halloween, the longer the lines.

And welcome!

[ahank]

Welcome!

If I were in your situation, I would probably not take a ten year old to Haunt. It is scary. It is a lot of fun, but if your child is scared easily by things such as; people jumping at you, blood, gore, etc., then I would definitely not take her. I would probably not recommend it for kids 12 and under, actually.

[Jasper]

Welcome Flat Freak, to KICentral, kick off your shoes and stay a while!

As far attractions being crowded goes, most, if not all attractions, rides and haunt alike with have a line. Haunt seems to bring out everyone to the park. There are also ScareActors that run around the park just looking to scare the daylights out of anyone who may walk by so I would be on a lookout while walking around the park. One haunt in particular I would avoid with your daughter is Club Blood. It is very graphic and very violent, scenes which are not meant to be seen by somebody of that age.

[Flat Freak]

Thanks for all the great (and fast - wow) responses! The one that stands out the most is "it is scary." That's really all I needed to hear. At age ten, I'll let her wait a year or two, and we'll stick to the daylight hours on Saturday and Sunday. Maybe we'll go on Saturday and leave shortly after Haunt starts, getting a minor scare or two in first.

It's the first year she's been tall enough to ride everything, so she wants to go as often as possible. I think I have a future member of ACE on my hands, which is not a bad thing.

Jasper - I may contend for the title of "KIC's number one Drop Tower fan," but since I'm the noobie, I'll defer to you for now.

[HTCO]

^ Good choice. I see some parents at Haunt with little kids, and I always thing to myself "Why?". Halloween Haunt isn't somewhere for kids at all.

Yet I think it is amusing how at age 12 Haunt would be an unacceptable event to visit, and yet 4 years of maturity later, you can work it!

[ahank]

^ I agree. I remember being in line for Urgent Scare last year with two kids who couldn't have been older than 12, with no parent/guardian nearby. They ended up going into the maze with us.

Maybe I'm just totally missing something, but why doesn't Kings Island warn people more that Haunt is not a place for kids? Maybe they do and I just miss it, but I never see enough enforcement about age-appropriateness.

Or maybe there is plenty and guests just completely blow it off.

[keiko_coaster]

One time I went in Urgent Scare, two kids were holding lightsabers and crying the entire time... I always just look around and ask myself, what the hell were they thinking. Especially when you have the little kids in strollers, REALLY PEOPLE? Like i dont want to be rude, but your kids crying for a reason.....

[jdawg1998]

I'm turning 13 in January, and I guess I would consider myself mature and all, but do you think it would be OK for me to go? I really badly want to, but at the same time...I don't want to.

[The Interpreter]

Only you (and your parents) can make that decision.

For some, 13 would be fine.

For others, even 59 isn't!

[BavarianBeatle]

I took my kids for the rides on Friday Haunt nights when they were 8 and 9. There were some roaming scareactors, but they tended to focus their attention on the attractive teenage girls. (Kinda like I would have done at their age...) My youngest, who was 8 at the time, observed that "They're just regular park workers in Halloween costumes." It all depends on the kids though.

[Coney Islander]

I'm turning 13 in January, and I guess I would consider myself mature and all, but do you think it would be OK for me to go? I really badly want to, but at the same time...I don't want to.

If you're thinking of getting into Halloween events, Kings Island's Halloween Haunt is a good start. Out of the three Halloween events I've been to, USS Nightmare, Dent Schoolhouse and Halloween Haunt, Halloween Haunt (in my opinion) is definitely the least intense. But, keep in mind that both USS Nightmare and Dent Schoolhouse are award winning. Also, Intense attractions necessarily going to be good.

The day I went, the park was extremely busy; As a result, I've only walked through Massacre Manor and Trail of Terror.

Massacre Manor: Very well themed and great fun, but rather short. The many amusing theming fixtures make up for the not too scary atmosphere. (Make sure you don't miss any of the "Emily" portraits!)

Trail of Terror: Much longer and scarier than the former. No animatronics, but with such great scare actors, high tech thrills are not needed... nor preferred. The closest you can get to an old fashioned Haunted Trail. (Also, have you seen the movie "The Mist"? Trail of Terror's fog is THAT thick in some areas. Scare actors emerge from the mist... They look like ghosts!)

[Justin_M17]

If you're thinking of getting into Halloween events, Kings Island's Halloween Haunt is a good start. Out of the three Halloween events I've been to, USS Nightmare, Dent Schoolhouse and Halloween Haunt, Halloween Haunt (in my opinion) is definitely the least intense. But, keep in mind that both USS Nightmare and Dent Schoolhouse are award winning. Also, Intense attractions necessarily going to be good.

I must have just went to USS nightmare on a bad night, because I was thoroughly unimpressed with it. Other than the "First mate" who stopped us in the first room and gave us the back story of the ship, and the little girl (I forget her name) who was supposed to be the captain's daughter, none of the actors did a decent job. They seemed almost apathetic and it didn't really make for a good experience, in my honest opinion.

However, I will be going back through the USS nightmare this Sunday as they're open for Riverfest/WEBN fireworks. From what I understand the attraction has been extended quite a bit. Hopefully I'll have a better time this time around

http://www.ussnightmare.com/

The 2010 experience brings new twists and turns to the tour of the historic dredge with 30 minutes of bone-chilling fright as visitors meander through eerie rooms and corridors never before open to the public[/Quote]

[Coney Islander]

Out of the two, USS Nightmare and The Dent Schoolhouse, I much prefer Dent. Here's a review I gave in an earlier topic...

1.) The Dent Schoolhouse= This is the best themed attraction I have ever had the pleasure to experience. Unlike most Haunted Attractions, the entire place pertains to the haunted school theming. These are some of the best animatronics I've ever seen, the background music always fits perfectly, and the lighting is hollywood level. I won't spoil the ride, but if you haven't been through I suggest you try it. (I believe they have a lights on night.)

When I went to USS Nightmare last season I wasn't overly impressed, either. Sure, it was fun, but since I've ridden Dent I've never looked at any other scare- based haunted house the same way.

Rather than Halloween's Haunt "shock" scare tactic, much of the fear in Dent comes from this attraction's extreme authenticity and truly creepy atmosphere. Everything in there matches the elementary school theme. There are no dead spots, and as of last season, the attraction's single anti-climatic "Prom Night" scene is improved to the point in which it is one of the more intense scenes. (Last season, the actor in that room did an especially great job in making the scene great!) Every actor I've run into does a wonderful job. As a final plus, Dent has the very best chase out ending of any walk- through I've ever experienced. Stand by the exit... Every group I've ever seen runs out the door, many people sprinting, even.

[sheikra_rocks]

I am staying at the Great Wolf Lodge tonight, ther ewas some kind of shin dig going on at Kings Island.

Maybe rehearsals for Haunt.

EDIT: There was no "guests" in the park.

Does anyone know if there is Platinum and Gold Preview?

[The Interpreter]

In typical Cedar Fair fashion, there is no preview or dry run.

[muppetfan1999]

^I'm not to sure that's such a good idea.

[sheikra_rocks]

Explain why that is not a good idea muppetfan.

[muppetfan1999]

Because (in my opinion) if they realize the Half-Pint Brawlers is a terrible idea, it might be too late.

[The Interpreter]

Other parts of Halloween Haunt in the past have been planned, and then only happened once or not at all...

Animals, anyone?

[CoastersRZ]

Or the failed attempt to have Haunt on Thursday nights last year (or on Sunday nights). Remember, when the schedule for this year was originally announced, they intended to have Haunt on some Thursdays and Sundays this season. Look what quietly disappeared.

[The Interpreter]

And this even though the park PR people were insistent that the Bare Bones nights in years past were raging successes. I attended one of them, and would have had difficulty seeing two dozen guests at the same time at any time during the evening. To call it a raging success was to greatly stretch the meaning of the term success, at least financially.