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Terpy got corrected by Don! I never thought I'd see the day that would happen!

The station of Son of Beast is meant to reflect Outpost 5, the same outpost that Adventure Express is meant to "depart" to. See below: This is the side of the SoB station. Now listen to track number 3 below: http://kiextreme.com/kitunes.php

Because it makes for a great location for a Haunt attraction. Wolf Pack is one of our most popular mazes. The station is pretty well hidden from view during the non-haunt season.

No explosives have been used to bring down any parts of the ride. Thanks! Terp, who appreciates Don and always has.

I approve of that photo.

No explosives have been used to bring down any parts of the ride.

For my 1,000th post, I've decided to post my video I took of a behind the scenes tour of The Beast that Don Helbig surprised KICers with. Thanks Don! <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GjAbTZIflTk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Hopefully this works. It should also be 1080p instead of 360p, but thats what it wanted to upload as. Hopefully, I can get some other videos on the day and a trip report in this thread at somepoint as well. Thanks for watching! Edit: Darn, it didn't work! Here's the link to the actuall video: Edit #2: Oh wait, that's all I had to do .

I got to thinking about crowd sizes at Haunt. Granted, I haven't really seen the ride lines in the last five years since I've been working in the haunts, but hearing others' accounts of them reminded me of when I was a kid. When I was a kid, we only got to go once a year, and on those days, the lines were long. Beast had all the switchback queues open, Racer had all of it's queues open, as did Vortex, King Cobra, etc. I think our idea of "crowded" has gotten skewed over the years. Yes, those days were busy when I was a kid, but from what I understand those kinds of lines were common at the time, much more common than they are now. In recent years you could go to KI on a Sunday - Thursday and have fairly minimal waits. Perhaps this has spoiled us. We're no longer used to the long lines that were so pervasive in the '70s/'80s/early '90s. I know when to avoid going to Cedar Point, because I've heard stories of 2 to 3 hour waits for Millie, Dragster and other rides there on Saturdays during the summer. From what I understand it's quite common. I think we regular KI visitors have just become somewhat spoiled, and when we are faced with those huge crowds and long lines, we don't know how to process it and it forces some to complain. Maybe it will help if you just think of it this way... Huge crowds and long lines is just another way of bringing nostalgia back to the park! (Oh... am I a few years too late with that joke?...)

The former Son of Beast station is now the location of one of our most popular mazes at Halloween Haunt, Wolf Pack. There are no plans to use it for anything else in the foreseeable future. Same way the rest of the ride has come down.

With the scale shown in that photo, it would literally be the length of Coney multiplied by 3. Thats gotta be at least half a mile. You need more paths feeding back into Coney and Action Zone. Otherwise its impractical, and stupid.

Also, the furnace from Phantom Theater ("How about some HEAT?!?") is in Slaughter House, in our lovely boiler room located just after Sam's kitchen hangout.

Or, of course if you prefer, by UFO... Ok. I get it ... enough.

Ditto, Chainsaw... Hands down the best group of people I have ever worked with. I was a first year too but I will definitely be back next year to reunite with my Slaughterhouse family.. And Chainsaw, just so you know who this is... I'm thinking I'm going to have to change my forum name to S.B.J. CHAINSAAAAAAAAW!!!!

Your punishment: "You will therefore be taken to the Dune Sea and cast into the pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlacc." "In his belly, you will find a new definition of pain and suffering, as you are slowly digested over a thousand years."

Did you account for the land in the sky? I heard there's ghost riders who ride up there, when I was on the train.

"Remain seated throughout the entire ride. Please keep hands and legs inside the car at all times."

A new show? Hmmmm, sounds illuminating. Bring out my old photoshop.

And Sam is in the front half of the house... Mama told Sam that he's her favorite (although I have the sneaking suspicion she says that to all her kids) so he tends to be a little friendlier (except for when he does the Sam Slam while popping out) than some of his siblings, what with offering them dinner and sometimes a song to go along with it.

Did you account for the land in the sky? I heard there's ghost riders who ride up there, when I was on the train. Oh, yes! And that poor guy, Joe, who got cotton in his eye. Man that has to be annoying!

Virtual POV to be released in 2 days from now. Sneak peek below, courtesy of Silver Dollar City.

TOO MANY OPINIONS. AHH!

It isn't just you. I think it makes the park look cheap. The park might be reusing the structure (a la The Bat station). How does this come off as cheap? You forget the context. Using it as a Haunt attraction is cheap; reusing it for a ride isn't. No, reusing it for a Haunt attraction is using the park's available resources. Why waste the money on demolishing a pre-existing structure, only to erect a new one that serves the same purpose?

Kinda funny on the last day I got two fun perks for Thuder Alley after I bought something.

It does ring a....wait for it....Bell.

I never understood why people complain about hearing rides at nearby amusement parks. Generally the theme park was there first (because they usually build in rural areas that later become developed.) So why would people buy a home near a theme park and get mad when you can hear it? I would understand if you lived there before it was built, but hardly that is the case. The same reason you can find instances of the residents of new subdivisions in at least 2 places in Indiana banding together and bringing forth lawsuits attempting to close race tracks that have been in operation for 50+ years. We now live in a world where people make uninformed choices and then expect everyone else to change, move or accommodate so that their ideal can be maintained, regardless of the cost (financial or otherwise) to everyone else. Just my cynical 2 cents!

I never understood why people complain about hearing rides at nearby amusement parks. Generally the theme park was there first (because they usually build in rural areas that later become developed.) So why would people buy a home near a theme park and get mad when you can hear it? I would understand if you lived there before it was built, but hardly that is the case.

So the Haunt is over... and I would like to send a BIG thank you to all the guests that came out and allowed me to scare the crap out of them. You all were great. Also, thanks to my fellow haunters for dedicating themselves and making the job the best I've ever had. But to keep it topical... How 'bout that Slaughterhouse, eh? I totally didn't work there.. I just thought they were probably the most awesome thing that's ever happened. I wouldn't say that if I worked there because I definitely didn't. That's crazy.. Me? Working there? Ha.. ha.. er..

Even the benches in the designated smoking area by Skyflyer? At Kings Island, everywhere is a smoking area. But they all aren't designated.

Oh I just wrote a paper on that for my Historical Literature class! My professor loved it! I got an A!

Anyone notice our newest member? CoasterBob62....... Very cool!! If its really him

Mark Hamill speaks: http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/10/31/mark-hamill-star-wars-episode-vii-disney/

^According to your signature (You know what would make Kings Island the greatest park in the world? A whole area themed to Doctor Who ) An area of Doctor Who would make it the best park in the world.

2012 Parks: Kings Dominion (4/10) Kings Island (5/16, 5/24, 7/10, 8/04, 8/13, 9/03, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28) Coney Island (in Cincy) (6/19, 7/03, 7/31) Busch Gardens Williamsburg (6/26) Cedar Point (9/09) 2012 Kings Island Ride Count: Vortex: 60 Diamondback: 11 The Beast: 1 Flight Deck: 11 Adventure Express: 9 WindSeeker: 10 Drop Tower: 2 Grand Carousel: 7 Delirium: 3 Shake, Rattle & Roll: 1 Firehawk: 1 Flight of Fear: 3 Invertigo: 3 Racer: 4 Scrambler: 1 KI & MV Railroad: 1 BLSC: 1 Sling Shot: 1 Zephyr: 1

There could be lots of oppertunities for the station. (I hope) Kings Island thinks through with these things, they are going to decide its future-use, then go from there. You can't jump to a conclusion. Original, feeling wise.

I noticed at the park Saturday that Thunder Alley's cars are all parked out by Firehawk and the maintenance area, not in their usual spot in the station or around the ride. This could be because they're removing the ride. Or preparing for maintenance. But at least to my knowledge this seems a little unusual.

I'd rather see them inside the Crypt building actually set up and working. For good!

...and because there were more employees than guests in the park, and most of the latter were season pass holders. You can bet if multi-thousands were enjoying that cold, drizzly day the park would not have closed early.

No, it's pretty terrible.

Noooo!! Wrong Beast ride to dismantle! Wrong Beast ride!!!

(NOTE: I feel like it's safe to divulge Haunt "spoilers" now that the season's over, but just in case... Here be spoilers!) For me, it's coherency in theme. For instance, I just got done posting this in the "Son of Beast roller coaster to be removed" thread: And really, that's the biggest thing for me. Like, it's easier for me to overlook below average scares (quantity or quality) if either the set or its actors still play up the theme. In cases like Madame Fatale's, the set was so well done that pretty much all most scareactors had to do to freak me out was move or give a shriek, regardless of how close they were physically to me. I still can't get over how eerie and unsettling it was the first time through to descend into the wax workshop and into the tight hallway of bagged wax figures with the lights flickering all over the place. All it took for me to jump out of my skin was one of the bagged wax figures to quickly step forward and chase someone in front of me. And when you get to the end where the hallway is walled by black cheesecloth curtains, the effect of having even one person on the other side to shriek when they turn the lights beyond the curtains is simple but so effective. KI really did well with this one, so I'm very satisfied that, if something had to replace The Crypt, it was Cavern of Terror. In cases like Tombstone Terror-tory, the set is minimal, so it's up to the scareactors to carry the theme. That's why I generally liked TTT back in 2009-2010 but felt it really lacked something this year. The Wally theme mentioned in the quote held the whole thing together much better, and the actors on the trail encouraged the theme by saying things like "Wally's gonna get you!" Even if saying things like that seems cheesy, it adds something extra and brings the victims' imaginations along for the ride, which is key, at least for me. It sets you on edge, which only enhances the scares to come. This year had the surprise factor of the train "robbery," but it never went any further than that. If people were set on edge by a scary growl of "get off the train," the moment was lost by making them immediately stand in another line. And if the fear factor of the robbery somehow lasted through that line, the "theme" only robbed the scareactors on the trail of any purpose, which lowered the adrenaline. It would be different if the actors were strategically placed robbers (in similar costume to those from the train) attempting to recapture you, but they weren't; they were the same townspeople costumes from every other year. So, within the context of a train robbery, why are there grumpy townsfolk growling at me? Is that their way of helping me escape? Are they trying to help the robbers? I don't know. For a trail as long as Tombstone Terror-tory with the added attraction of using the train, this year felt like they dropped the ball. I don't like being that blunt about it, but that's how it felt. I'd rather see them return the Wally theme or move Wolf Pack there, with the train story changing to something like "There have been sightins of creatures in these parts. You might call 'em werewolves. They've been pillagin' our villages and killin' our families for years. But we made a deal with 'em. If we offer 'em humans every once in a while, they'll settle on down and leave us alone. And right about here--" the train stops-- "is where we usually leave their snacks. Awful sorry 'bout your luck." (Obviously, it'd be more elaborate than that, but you get the gist. ) The wooded setting and minimal props would more or less lend themselves to the theme, because the entire point would then be that you're stranded out in the middle of the woods, surrounded by bloodthirsty werewolves, and you're trying to get back to society. And then the scareactors, dressed as wolves like this year, don't have to work to carry the theme, because literally all they need to do is growl and scare like they do now to keep it going. Just my take on it! Slaughterhouse and Cut-Throat Cove are probably the best example of theme coherency. The sets are good, but the scareactors really make it great. Slaughterhouse is eerie enough by itself, but what throws that haunt over the top on average is the fact that the actors really get creative. They hide in the lockers, they make references to Momma, they tell you you look delicious, and then they try to recapture the runaway snacks with a chainsaw before it's done. Cut-Throat Cove is more cool than scary, but I think it does a lot for that house that the actors at least attempt accents for the whole thing. The location on the pond makes it all that much more believable, too. Urgent Scare was also pretty good at this in most years (excluding 2011--the removal of the outdoor section removed something special from it, though I can't put my finger on what.) I never got a chance to go through it this year, so I can't comment on the 2012 version. In contrast, Cornstalkers, which had been one of my favorite haunts back when it was by Invertigo/Drop Tower, is still suffering from its excessive length. The simple trick of blending into the corn is effective in small portions, but ever since it took over Tower Gardens, it's gotten a little monotonous. On top of that, the scareactors really haven't taken advantage of their costumes when I've been through since the move. Few will either 1.) bury themselves within the corn and emerge quickly or 2.) stand on the scarecrow stands, which seems like the whole point of the thing to me. The actors usually have just hidden behind the boxes and then popped out and growled, which isn't very effective when everyone's doing it. On top of that, the width of the Tower Gardens paths eliminates the claustrophobic nature of the trail, making having to walk uncomfortably by the scarecrow stands with a figure looming overhead obsolete--you can just regain your personal bubble on the other side of the path and march on. I can't decide I'd rather the move it to a smaller path or have it return to its original FearFest job as a scare zone. If it would become a scare zone again, I'd say replace Nightmare Alley with it. Overall, Haunt was still pretty great this year. This is just my two cents.

They were floating? I bet that was eerie.

I realize we're talking about the difference between the words of the PR manager and of a ride op, but I somewhat wish the lady was right. My new pipe dream: Wolf Pack moves to Tombstone Terror-tory's location. I think at this point that a "haunted woods with sightings of werewolves" theme would make more sense than the "well, we're on a train, and sometimes there are robbers, and--oh no, would you look at that--there are some robbers right now, speak of the devil, so now you have to inexplicably get off the train and take a walk now" thing the trail had going on this year. TTT was more coherent (and thus a lot more engaging) in past years, when, as the train story went, there was a Wally who came across some cursed gold, lost his mind, and killed an entire village. The characters on the trail then actually had a purpose, as they essentially were the ghosts of the villagers brought back by the curse to get their revenge--unlike this year, when they were, uh... something?

I'm betting on April 27, as much as I hope it's earlier. I graduate college on that day, and I'm trying to think of some way to balance maximizing my day at KI with my excitement to graduate. (At the moment, I'm trying to convince my family that, upon receiving my diploma, I should be allowed to do a quadruple back flip onto a motorcycle and speed off into the distance to KI, but they don't seem to like that idea yet. I'm hoping they'll warm up to it eventually.)

Flight of Fear with the lights on with flattestcupid2

I stopped looking at the Kings Island FB page long ago. Got a few IQ points back that day.

Don't come so that I have the park to myself.

Yikes! And have the people that are going to both events wait around for 3 hours, outside the park? Not such a good idea. That's three hours they could be in the park spending money. Those kids are ALWAYS my target. Where I hide, no one suspects that there's someone hiding there. When I see a group like that come through and they're taunting the other person that's in the room with me, 99% of the time I make that group jump out of their skins. Is that not what they did when Paramount did FearFest and it required an upcharge? It seems to me I remember hearing something about getting a wristband or such and you could only do the rides and mazes with that wristband saying you paid to do FearFest. During FearFest, people who paid for the event were given a wristband. The park was not cleared out; if you didn't have a wristband, you could stay in the park, but you were not permitted to ride or go through the mazes. They had an extra person at the entrance of each ride checking for wristbands (and keep in mind, additional person to staff = additional wages to pay).

Age does not constitute maturity. Some adults act worse than the eleven year olds you mentioned (ranging from smoking on rides to picking fights)

Well, you can have the park open 10-4, ERT at 9, then shut down for three hours and re-open at 7 for Haunt. Also, I think that children under a set age should not be allowed to go into Halloween Haunt at all. When I was there two Saturdays ago, at about 8 o' clock, I was still seeing some strollers. They were leaving the park, but still it's Halloween Haunt. Also, while in Slaughterhouse, there was a group of boys, none of them older than eleven, walking behind my group. They were being really obnoxious, cussing at all of the actors who jumped out at them. In MFCoT, there were some adults behind leading around a girl who looked no older than seven.I don't know about her, but I was very frightened by the maze. Guests should try to listen to management when they say: (from the Haunt webpage) EDIT: What is MFCoV?

Just because the park is packed to capacity doesn't mean revenue is maximized. I'm sure there's a "sweet spot". If you pack the park full enough to ruin the guest experience, you're going to have diminishing returns. Satisfied guests open their wallets, and people expecting to be satisfied buy single-day tickets.