Halloween Haunt Reviews for 2022

[RedSummit20]

22 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

To be fair, I feel like your implication is that the issues listed had something to do with incompetence or malfeasance (although I do not know if that’s your intention, but it reads that way.) That’s likely not the case.

Look at the holistic situation: you had the relatively small decor team trying to simultaneously take down 50th stuff, plus do the massive feats of setting up Haunt and Tricks and Treats. I can tell you that these people work long, hard hours to get the changeover done. They do a great job. 

Some things are out of the control of the park. For example, I remember someone having to rush two flame heads up to the park from the Reds smoke stacks (yes - that’s what those are) because there are only so many to go around. They barely got it installed in time for the opening ceremony. If they hadn’t, it would have been an understandable situation but the park may have looked unprepared if two of the totems didn’t work. 

Plus, there’s third party stuff. Ever wonder why the 50th cartouche is still on the tower during Haunt? Doesn’t that look out of place? The company hired to take it down couldn’t make it out in time for opening day of Haunt. Is that the park’s fault? Does that make the park unprepared?

What about the labor? No one wants to work. It’s hard enough to get and maintain Haunt actors, how is this year any different, if not far far worse?

On a side note, anyone who thinks that Haunt’s budget was slashed (no pun intended) from last year is out of their minds. Have you not seen the two new shows? Love them or hate them, they’ve spent more on shows this year than they have in a while. The cost of those is far more than any maze. 

Also, I’m going to go out on a limb and say I’m glad a lot of the fog is gone. How did we have it as long as we did with the crowds… and types of crowds that Haunt attracts. A lot of the set pieces and scenery for Haunt is really creative and cool. You can’t see it with the fog. I know I’m probably unique in that though, but that’s okay. 

Well said, its going to take a few years to get use to not as much fog. 

[Snowball]

2 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Look at the holistic situation: you had the relatively small decor team trying to simultaneously take down 50th stuff, plus do the massive feats of setting up Haunt and Tricks and Treats. I can tell you that these people work long, hard hours to get the changeover done. They do a great job. 

Plus, there’s third party stuff. Ever wonder why the 50th cartouche is still on the tower during Haunt? Doesn’t that look out of place? The company hired to take it down couldn’t make it out in time for opening day of Haunt. Is that the park’s fault? Does that make the park unprepared?

To put this into perspective, it’s a team of about 20 people, split up between scenic, decor, tech, and warehouse crews. It’s an impossibly small team to set up such a massive event with such a short turn around. 

The number of hours myself and other people on these teams have worked setting up haunt would make your head spin. There’s just stuff that simply cannot happen in such a short time span with such a small crew. Can’t forget about buyouts, either, the park isn’t really closed on weekends, it’s just closed to the public, making turnaround even shorter.

You make a good point about third party stuff, I can’t say much about it, but there’s a ton of third party work that happens and they all have their own issues that lead to delays as well, plus, they all have multiple projects that they’re working on at once, not just KI.

It doesn’t help when people complain about haunt decor being out at the end of the summer season, saying it shouldn’t be there until the park closes, and then proceed to complain when stuff isn’t out in time for opening weekend. 

And no, I’m not talking about one person on here, I hear it in person, see it on here constantly, and even see it on social media sometimes, though I do think this forum is the worst offender, but that’s a discussion for another time.

[BeeastFarmer]

1 hour ago, Snowball said:

To put this into perspective, it’s a team of about 20 people, split up between scenic, decor, tech, and warehouse crews. It’s an impossibly small team to set up such a massive event with such a short turn around. 

The number of hours myself and other people on these teams have worked setting up haunt would make your head spin. There’s just stuff that simply cannot happen in such a short time span with such a small crew. Can’t forget about buyouts, either, the park isn’t really closed on weekends, it’s just closed to the public, making turnaround even shorter.

You make a good point about third party stuff, I can’t say much about it, but there’s a ton of third party work that happens and they all have their own issues that lead to delays as well, plus, they all have multiple projects that they’re working on at once, not just KI.

It doesn’t help when people complain about haunt decor being out at the end of the summer season, saying it shouldn’t be there until the park closes, and then proceed to complain when stuff isn’t out in time for opening weekend. 

And no, I’m not talking about one person on here, I hear it in person, see it on here constantly, and even see it on social media sometimes, though I do think this forum is the worst offender, but that’s a discussion for another time.

I can only speak for myself.  The work is much appreciated, but the park needs to devote more resources to getting the event off the ground.  Add to the team.  Keep the team paid well.  And maybe, just maybe, push the Winterfest prep back just a little and have a big enough team to get it done starting right after Haunt.  The tree should not be up in the entry plaza, Royal Fountain needs to operate and the ET should open during the last Haunt weekend.

[brenthodge]

2 hours ago, BeeastFarmer said:

I can only speak for myself.  The work is much appreciated, but the park needs to devote more resources to getting the event off the ground.  Add to the team.  Keep the team paid well.  And maybe, just maybe, push the Winterfest prep back just a little and have a big enough team to get it done starting right after Haunt.  The tree should not be up in the entry plaza, Royal Fountain needs to operate and the ET should open during the last Haunt weekend.

That’s truly all I’m saying. If people take it as criticism of them or their team personally it isn’t. It’s more of a comment on the amount of funding and resources the park and corporate are giving to these type of events. It’s simply not enough, and my point is they are pushing these as the “new drivers” for attendance and pr cap spending, yet not properly funding them in a way that makes set up and transitions effective  

 

[Club Bld DJ]

On 9/24/2022 at 5:56 PM, brenthodge said:

In a competition that means nothing based on who won honestly. 

Yea they are the only ones in there own contest... no one else is even considered...the basically just make a story and pay the news folks to run it lol

 

On 9/24/2022 at 3:55 PM, disco2000 said:

Everyone has an opinion and the opinions range from voted best Halloween Event to this season was worse than the offering last year...to everywhere in between.  Certainly getting a fair amount of poor reviews on social media...

i suspect the ones saying best even ever are also the ones who work upper mgmt or whose palms have been greased . They clearly havent gone to any other event lol

 

On 9/26/2022 at 7:32 PM, BeeastFarmer said:

I can only speak for myself.  The work is much appreciated, but the park needs to devote more resources to getting the event off the ground.  Add to the team.  Keep the team paid well.  And maybe, just maybe, push the Winterfest prep back just a little and have a big enough team to get it done starting right after Haunt.  The tree should not be up in the entry plaza, Royal Fountain needs to operate and the ET should open during the last Haunt weekend.

I agree, There really is NO excuse. There are ALOT of people they could hire to make the park BAD ASS. Having done set ups myself and builds for MANY other Haunts from here to down south. There is no reason why 20 people should have to do all that ! It comes down to folks with power caring enough to do what is necessary. I have seen the park at its best...and well Mmmmill say no more...def sad.

[silver2005]

The big thing for me about Haunt this year is the awful music selection. To me, the use of music really sets the tone for Haunt and adds huge amounts to the overall atmosphere.  The death metal at rope drop and basically using standard music used in the summer made it feel less like Haunt and more like it feeling like a typical night at the park that just happened to have Haunt elements which didn't blend.  

[brenthodge]

Well-the tree is up so I guess it’s time for hallo-mas. There is NO REASON such a visible element for one event  is put up totally blocking a key element for another event. That tree should be the first thing they do AFTER haunt. There seem like way more “easily hidden” things that could be done and ready to go. It’s just terrible show. 

[robintodd]

I don't mind the tree going up.  I see it as advertisement for Winterfest.  The way weather is around here I say do it while you can.  Plus there is a LOT of stuff already up around the park if you know where to look (it's just hidden better).

[FUN&ONLY!]

I hope Winterfest is more thought out than Halloween Haunt this year. I was a little disappointed with all the broken lights last year, so I hope Kings Island can get those fixed for this year.

[Benjamin22]

They really had to turn off the fountain before Haunt even ended? Ruined the only good aspect of this years haunt. 

[standbyme]

1 hour ago, Benjamin22 said:

They really had to turn off the fountain before Haunt even ended? Ruined the only good aspect of this years haunt. 

I wouldn’t say the fountain was the ONLY good thing about Haunt this year, but it was certainly one of the highlights of this year’s Haunt…and that’s coming from someone who still misses the old fountain!

[JubJester]

I thought this year's Haunt was much better than the last time I went, which was in 2019. More scare actors by a good amount. Hopefully they go another step next year. 

[brenthodge]

13 hours ago, Benjamin22 said:

They really had to turn off the fountain before Haunt even ended? Ruined the only good aspect of this years haunt. 

Yep. Another example of bad show. Every paying guest should get the same core experience throughout the entire run of the event. 

[BB1]

Some good points here, some things change, others didn’t. I would seriously look at what people were saying last year and what people were saying this year and use that as a bench mark.

Some points fellow members discussed were used for Haunt this year whether or not that means people are reading this is up in the air but at least there was some form of progression while overall we saw some recession.

”if you don’t learn from the past you’re doomed to repeat it” or something like that