WHO'S READY TO SEE A MIDGET BLEED?

[RailRider]

^

Now that would be entertainment!!! Seriously though reminds me of the bitter haunt they did the year after Winterfest was cancled and they had the drunken pedophile Santa Clause. Not the best of choices.

[markr]

Always wanted to see Charlie Brown get back at Lucy for always pulling that football away.

[muppetfan1999]

This thread has become so dark!

[Hank]

I do apologize if I offended anyone with my Peanuts posting. I only meant to use it as an example of "putting the shoe on the other foot" to show yet another example of bad taste that most would not go for.

However, with the comments made by others after my post, maybe a silly Peanuts routine wouldn't be so bad - as long as there was only slap-stick type comedy. Sure as hell beats the gore that we're usually exposed to!

[muppetfan1999]

^I wasn't offended at all. In fact, I found the posts after that quite funny.

What I was mostly referring to was how we now have an unfortunate thread where everybody is fighting and is mad at Cedar Fair. Yes they've made a few bad decisions (i.e. The Crypt) But they've also made some good ones (i.e. Diamondback, Cleaning up the park). Nobody's perfect.

[markr]

Wasn't offended either, Hank. Your posts always bring a good laugh to me.

[LongLiveTheSmurfRide]

Obviously, I wasn't offended. Just trying to lighten the mood. Seemed like things were getting a little heated. I'm going to the Haunt and probably won't watch any lil' WWE while I'm there. Hopefully it will draw all the people who are line-cutters, line-smokers and general line-loud-mouths out of queues for the Haunts I want to check out.

I'll bring a folding chair just in case.

[windshawne]

^

And they were unskilled fighters competing for the sake of violence and entertainment and nothing more? Basically they won depending on how much blood they spilled? Sure seems like a great paralel to me. Sorry I fail to see the connection between skilled combat atheletes and "midgets" who climb in to a ring and make each other bleed with staple guns, chairs, and Im sure some barbed wire or something of the sort. I fail to see the connection. Violence for violences sake is not something I find entertaining.

I think your position with this site and the relationship you share with the park clouds your judgement and opinions on many things, this being one of them.

I'm not saying they weren't skilled fighters. I'm saying that the crowds they drew were there because of the violence, not because of the skill. Granted, there were a few who honestly had an interest in the combatant part of the sport, but the vast majority wanted blood.

Plus, (and this is not directed at you), have you seen some of the people who walk the streets wearing UFC and Tap Out gear? Many of them would be the same people who I'd assume would show up to a midget wrestling event...

As far as my relationship with the park goes, the only position I really have on this in relation to Haunt is that at least they're doing something different and thinking outside of the box. This could very well blow up in their faces... but I just run the fan site so that's none of my concern.

There is also a big difference in the fan quality index (Thank you Richard from Indian Hill) for a UFC event compared to your regional "cage fighting" event. Think of the difference in crowd compared between a Dayton Bombers game and a Columbus Blue Jackets. Same sport, but vastly different crowd. Since we are on sports analogies, I think we can all agree that Midget Wrestling will draw Oakland Raider Fans instead of Indianapolis Colt fans, if you know what I mean. Is this really the crowd KI wants to attract?

I'm with pcc-KI to me is an escape from the violence that we are exposed to daily, and now I can't even go there to get away from it. The morals are just completely down the toilet. I hope Cedar Fair is prepared for the fallout from this. Family park? I think not.

[PREMiERdrum]

Here's my problem with the whole thing, and I'll start it with an analogy.

Lexus has spent more than 20 years building, maintaining, and protecting their image. Even as their parent company suffered a host of engineering issues and embarassing recalls, Lexus maintained a very positive brand image. They have made their brand synonomous with luxury, quality, and success. Now, lets say Lexus is going to come out with a new model. They bought the rights to the first generation Geo Metro hatchback from GM and plan to put that car back into production, only this time with a Lexus badge on it. They advertise it's compact size, super-low sticker price, and "fun" 5-speed manual transmission. Would their message and brand of quality and refinement have the same meaning after this "new" product hit the lots?

Kings Island markets itself as a family destination. Commercials show little kids hugging on Snoopy while a folksy song plays in the background. They advertise their new Planet Snoopy, family friendly shows, and attractions that the whole family can enjoy. And then September rolls around...

The park can put up as many disclaimers as they want, as many warnings as they want, and say on every commercial that the Haunt is "not for kids." That goes so far against the image that the park presents the rest of the year. This is the approach that I hate. You can't have it both ways when it comes to brand image.

[HTCO]

It's all in the money people...

[The Interpreter]

Indeed it is...and one of the biggest money people is Mr. Raynor from Q in Texas. I'd love to have that money people see this show. I wonder what he would think. I wonder what Mrs. Richard Kinzel would think. Heck, I wonder what Walt Disney would think. Or Ruth Voss.

Would they be proud of Kings Island?

Or is the only thing that matters getting the money from the saps who attend?

[RD Reynolds]

I think it's a bummer that as a father with a five-year old who LOVES KI, I am really questioning going back in October. Last year, they had the fantastic dead celeb display, this year I would imagine we'll see signs about midgets bleeding. If there is no signage, and folks are just supposed to know about it by other means, then I guess it would be ok. I guess I just don't understand the park sometimes. What is it they want to be?

RD

[The Interpreter]

Profitable in the short term regardless of long term effect on the park's image?

It sure seems that way.

I cannot imagine Dick Kinzel EVER allowing this at Cedar Point. Not today. Not next year. Not ever.

[Delirium13]

I wonder what Gary Wachs (Kings Island's first General Manager) would think...

[KIfan1980]

I know of several families that are:

- Unaware that KI is open during the days on Sat/Sun in October

- Unwilling to take their kids due to the Haunt decoration

Last time I went to the park, there was a ring and signage at the end of IS by the fountains. My kids asked about it.

[The Interpreter]

So, what does Kings Island want to be, one poster asked.

To Cedar Fair, the answer is simple. The kind of park that attracts people who would answer this question with ME, Please!:

WHO'S READY TO SEE A MIDGET BLEED?

It's really very simple. That's what Kings Island wants to be. The better question is why.

[LongliveKingsCobra]

WELL if yall aren't attending haunt...(Shamless Plug number 1 in 3...2...1) Next weeked (The 24,25,26) Is The Wizard of Oz at Acting Up at Mason High School, you should do that! And (shamless plug 2, in 3...2...1) Come to St. Ritas haunted house!

[Monroe]

Shamless plugs should always come with a web site for more info....... http://www.actingup.com/ and.... http://www.srsdeaf.o...use/hhouse.html

(Two things, first I don't like the idea of the midget's so I will not be seeing that part of haunt. Second, if the MMA was all about special types of fighting then why did they get a street fighter by the name of Kimbo to fight in there ring? He was and is about nothing other than beating the crap out of some one.)

[The Interpreter]

Monroe, you know how it is done.

Perhaps YOU should do the marketing for Cedar Fair's Kings Island.

I have a feeling we'd see things differently then!

[Monroe]

Yes especially this year due to certain relations and there employment status......oh how a father can worry too much.

[The Interpreter]

So, the park is proud of this:

...Come see how real it is when heads split open and real blood is shed in the course of a match. You won't be able to turn away. These hard-core grapplers play for keeps. Not for the feint of heart....

http://www.visitking...dex.cfm?item=94

And the video is referenced at the end of the page:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11cARnaylwI

Tis now official....don't be looking for Terp at the park during Haunt this year.

He will be elsewhere...

He's not ready to see a midget (or anyone else) bleed in a park.

Not now.

Not ever.

[muppetfan1999]

^At the end of that video I hear "You gotta watch it, you gotta watch it."

[Creed Bratton]

I just am not okay with this, I'll come for haunt but I will not be around the area of this activity. It's just a lawsuit waiting to happen I feel.

[jdawg1998]

Even if there weren't midgets, this would still be a terrible idea. I just had a thought.

Since when does blood and gore have to do with Halloween? I thought Halloween was a holiday where kids go Trick or Treating and have fun. Instead, everything now is this bloody massacre, terrible Halloween movies (except for the classics), and especially this stupid "show". I wish Halloween was only Trick or Treating. It would be so much better.

[Creed Bratton]

^^ like this!

If there was a like button I'd hit it a million times!

[RingMaster]

Even if there weren't midgets, this would still be a terrible idea. I just had a thought.

Since when does blood and gore have to do with Halloween? I thought Halloween was a holiday where kids go Trick or Treating and have fun. Instead, everything now is this bloody massacre, terrible Halloween movies (except for the classics), and especially this stupid "show". I wish Halloween was only Trick or Treating. It would be so much better.

Well, Halloween and haunted houses in particular are all about the art of "the scare", and how to best master that "art".

Blood and gore are supposed to be an afterthought when it comes to a haunted house; it's used more as shock value rather than it being the forefront of the maze (unless, of course, your maze is themed to a butcher shop). The main stars are the talent and and the maze's design.

Talent is a no-brainer; have a crappy cast and your maze will suffer greatly. Maze design is something different, however. It's not about how much blood and gore is splattered around the maze. It's about fear of the unknown, and excellent use of misdirection, distractions, and the immediate surroundings.

Why do you think Trail of Terror remains one of the most popular attractions at the Haunt? Is it because of the buckets of blood thrown onto every tree? No. It's because you're in THE MIDDLE OF THE WOODS AT NIGHT. The fact that there is now a lit path weaving its way through the forest does very little to help those quell their fear of whatever it is that's hiding behind the darkness. ToT is a perfect example of how to do a maze right, along with Urgent Scare.

US, while a very gore-soaked maze, utilizes the same techniques I mentioned earlier (misdirection, distraction, and immediate surroundings) to great effect. Curtains, medical equipment, seemingly-empty rooms, and that eerie music playing through the loudspeakers (along with the blood and gore) all work in harmony with each other to form a near-perfect Haunt attraction, one of the best ones they've ever done.

Slaughterhouse, on the other hand....

...yes, you can't escape the fact that a haunted house themed to a butcher shop will have blood and gore in it; it's essentially a law that there HAS to be gore in it. But the problem with KI's is that there's nothing to complement it to make it work. Everything's mismatched and convoluted and there is no sense of continuity within the maze to tell a cohesive story (other than the fact that it's a butcher shop manufacturing human meat).

Why not have a scene with workers auctioning off humans to the highest bidder, and showing people in cages, making guests feel as if they're next to be auctioned (like Knott's Berry Farm)?

What about separate rooms devoted to the different aspects of preparing and selling the meat, such as skinning, packaging, and shipping rooms (like Knott's Bery Farm)?

Or a giant meat grinder creating huge strands of ground beef (like Knott's Berry Farm)?

And even having a gift shop selling off the unwanted human remains, like individual bones or whole skeletons arranged into freakishly creative knick-knacks, or jars of your special barbecue sauce that will make that human meat you just purchased that much tastier (like Knott's Berry Farm)?

I know there were live animals slated to be in the maze, and I congratulate them for trying to do something innovative with an attraction by doing that. However, like I said earlier, everything else needs to compliment that particular innovation, instead of everything taking a back seat to showcase that one thing and have the whole maze be a flop should that one innovation not be as great as expected or removed completely.

So yeah, it's all about the art of the scare, and mastering that art. Some have got it down to an exact science or do it real well (Knott's Berry Farm, Uni Orlando, and the big-time pro haunts in the country), and some are either still learning it or are ignoring it/abusing it (Kings Island and some rookie haunts that believe blood and gore are what drive people to a haunted house).

'K, I'll shut up now.

[Guest rcfreak339]

There is no problem with blood, guts or frightening things...at all during Halloween.

But heres my two sense,

Everyone who visits amusement parks go to escape reality of the outside world for a couple of hours and just have a good time. During Halloween most parks celebrate the holiday by having frightening haunts and decorations. But what most parks consider is that there is a line you just do not cross and there is a line where it just becomes so real that frightening things you meant to entertain with really do become frightening and just down right disgusting.

When you come out of those mazes you should be able to say "Wow! That was so awesome!!" But for this I can't see how anyone can be leaving with that expression and not "Wow...WTF was that?!"

Simply put, it's too graphic and something Kings Island should not be involved with. I truly hope they know what they are getting their selves into...because I sure don't.

[74Gibson]

^At the end of that video I hear "You gotta watch it, you gotta watch it."

Just for the record, it's "and I don't want ya and I don't need ya" It's a Manson song, Beautiful People if I recall correct.

So many jokes... here's a couple:

Beauty must be in the eye of the bleeder

A new Haunt slogan (almost as good as using "the fun and only" for a whole chain of parks): Halloween Haunt- I don't want ya and I don't need ya!

"The beautiful people, the beautiful people, left KI - gotta sing it with the song for full comedic value

I got to thinking, I wouldn't mind this nearly as much at Cedar Point because, to me, it's much more of a thrill park that caters to older guests (recent "family" installations and PR aside). KI is where I take my 2 year old for a family day at the park. Can you imagine something like this at a zoo or kids museum. Come on KI, you went to far.

[The Interpreter]

How ironic...you see, I am one of the people who thinks the park is viewed (especially by group business, quite a bit of which, by the way, is composed of church groups) as the sum total of what it is all year long. By telling families and its usual business for the year, in effect, during Haunt, "I don't want ya and I don't need ya," by telling well behaved courteous non-inebriated guests what this Haunt does, the next marketing people at KI may well find out that "The beautiful people, the beautiful people, left KI." Ironically, the people repulsed by this sordid wrestling event (and the drunken, fighting sots it is likely to attract) are the very ones who typically spend the most money in parks.

I can only imagine if, for instance, a Mr. R. McDonald, the CEO of a large Cincinnati based soap company got on a plane, flew to Sandusky, and told one Mr. R. Kinzel (or better yet, flew to Texas and told one Mr. G. Raynor) "We will no longer be going to KI for our corporate day at Kings Island due to the image the park now has, and we have spoken to GE, Toyota, Honda and several others and all of us feel the same way. In addition, we will not be giving our company business to your other parks, including Cedar Point. And oh, by the way, my church feels the same way."

I wonder what would happen next. Would Mr. R. Kinzel look at Mr. R. McDonald, the CEO of a large Cincinnati based soap company and say "But sir, there are no limits at Halloween Haunt at Kings Island. Are you ready to see a midget bleed?" Or would he immediately make drastic changes to Haunt at Kings Island while immediately firing and replacing each and every person who approved this ridiculous idea of the FUN and ONLY at Kings Island?

[windshawne]

Now that would be tragic. I can't see the clientele of the soap company approving of something like this. Yesterday was filled with the nicest people I have dealt with all season.