BryanJay

Still 50/50 on if this is Crypt building or Blackout spot. There’s a new maze coming alongside this, and The Crypt has a longer queue considering this seems to have limited capacity (likely working on a reservation system). But it’s also unclear if they would want more space to allow for more capacity in the escape room, which the Crypt building would give them.

I think the phantom theater fans never learned the lesson from the attraction: The performers refused to let go of their past, staying in their theater for decades after the audience left, ultimately corrupting them into these phantom characters. Faces rotting, skin decaying, legs falling off I guess (?) They hang onto the thing they love, performing, but their acts don’t go as well as they did in their prime. The rabbit is now a demon, the mirror breaks, everything is scary. Ultimately, sometimes its best to let go of the past instead of clinging to the past. That being said, if a phantom theater reboot isn’t announced for this season I’m going to be hopping mad!

Legally Boo Blasters is on International Street (even though it’s in the same staffing section as Planet Snoopy). The other parks BBoBH have a different ride system and smaller show buildings compared to KI though.

Here’s my elaborate thoughts on any 2026 ride: 1. All of this will probably get disproven in like a week, but I think the new attraction won’t be in the Crypt building, and a Conjuring house with a live tour guide will be placed in the building this season. Haunt auditions mention a theatrically trained guide, and the available space within the building allows that better than the old blackout building (also explaining why they hosted the daytime Madame Fatales tours last season, and if they began to upcharge houses adding two new experiences to the lineup would help add value to the event). I think we also would’ve seen more demolition of the tomb raider parts of the building (the exterior, the outdoor queue, the fright lane pass sign, etc.) 2. I’m pretty confident that the new attraction would be a Boo Blasters retheme, since the current iteration is the longest amount a dark ride has been in the park, and it’s an even year to do the retheme. I’m split between if it would be Phantom Theater reboot or peanuts interactive dark ride. Phantom Theater has a cult following (just look at my posting history) and is the only legacy attraction that has a major merch presence in the main gift shop. This project would require minimum demolition of the building since the constant ride system and architecture could be mostly left in tact. The concept drawing shown in the surveys for a Peanuts ride looks to be a clone of the Sally dark rides track system, which has about half of the current omnimover’s ride capacity, and more room for variable ride loading times. I could see a Phantom Theater reboot that’s not a screen ride but includes mostly static figures would be more cost effective than a screen-based attraction (looking at how often all the screens in Mystic Timbers are functional). A rethemed ride also allows for no increase in the staffing needed for the park, and could reasonably be done within the off season. Site markers (or what people have reported as site markers anyway) were seen around the area as well. Both these dark rides appeal to families, which seems to be the goal of KI’s new editions. 3. The current plan of the six flags company known as Project Accelerate reportedly includes adding new attractions while closing old, expensive to maintain ones. I think based on rumors it’s inevitable that we lose one or more major attractions by next season, so I think any attraction, even if it’s done on the cheap, helps soften that operational blow. Also just gut feeling, but I think they’d put a coaster in The Vortex plot and I just can’t see that happening this year, especially since last year’s guest surveys use that space in at least one of their proposals and that’s not enough time to make a turn around on that project. They also just opened Snoopy’s Soapbox racers last season, so I don’t think they’d add a purely family coaster so soon after that.

They released information for haunt auditions today and I think this basically confirms it for me (it seems similar to what they do at the other six flags conjuring houses). Just based off of my assumptions, I think there’s a new traditional haunted house in the blackout building (probably pirate themed from the construction) and this experience goes in the Madame Fatale’s/Crypt building, which is why they had the daytime tours last season in order to test capacity in that space (which honestly would be sad for me if it meant the queue remnants of tomb raider were demolished for this but whatever)

This boiler prop was used in the original ride, but the prop from Encore was a recreation.

More Phantom Theater merch someday pls!

Thought I’d share on this thread: I had the opportunity to attend AP Previews to Epic Universe this Sunday and had one of the best days I’ve ever had at a theme park. While I won’t go in depth about my day, I wanted to connect both of my theme park hyperfixations. For everyone calling for the return of the Phantom Theater ride (Including myself as it’s basically the only thing I post about on here, then Monsters Unchained is probably the closest that any rides been to capturing what I love about that ride, alongside being one of the most technologically impressive dark rides I’ve ridden in my life. The park is 10/10, no notes expect that they need Icees with their drink plan and the other universal parks and theme parks as a whole need to be just as good.

It could be released later in the season, but I’m honestly disappointed there wasn’t a series 3 of the trading cards available today.

Honestly feels like something that would be an April Fool’s joke, not that it’s a bad thing. It honestly sounds really cool.

Posting in old thread to post an updated Action Zone refresh idea amid the closure of Skyflyer. I basically chose a haunted forest/general horror theme like many people have shared ideas about (mostly because of my current hyperfixation on the dark universe land at epic universe). 1. Specter- A launched spinning coaster (basically like the Time Traveller from SDC because that’s very fun). In general, it could just be any intense coaster, I’m not picky. Would replace Invertigo & Timberwolf area. 2. Phantom Theater- Very unrealistic (and if they ever brought this IP back it would be at Boo Blasters), but I gotta include it in horror themed idea. Would replace Congo Falls & Drop Tower area. 3 & 4. Same coasters as before, no notes. 5. Swing and Steam- A creepy steampunk Screamin’ Swing (with fog effects in the center). Replaces Xtreme Skyflyer 6. Chicken Shack but scary 7. Kings Island Legacy store- Basically a gift shop selling vintage merch that has artifacts next to them (think like the PT encore lobby or search the similar store they had at Universal Studios Orlando Citywalk). Basically would be a way to save the SOB station. 8. Faustian Bargains- Coaster Connections but scary. Also Delirium can stay and just be its own thing

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/rides-experiences/xtreme-skyflyer Sorry if it’s been shared already, but it seems that it’s been removed from the website, which I’m taking as a pretty bad sign for it staying open. My thoughts on its potential removal are that it’s probably the best attraction to close if they needed to choose one.

Two personal opinions that are probably kinda controversial: 1) I don’t care for the Grand Carnivale event and wouldn’t mind if it didn’t return. (Mostly because I’m very picky and won’t try the food and don’t care for parades) 2) The greatly prefer the new 2022-Present International Street music: I think it really fits the park’s vibe.

I’m still on my Haunt hyperfixation (which is very normal behavior to be having in January) so I made a layout for the Phantom Theater house idea (and also two other house ideas I had which I wanted to share, but didn’t think they deserved a whole new topic)

With all the news of the post-end-of-season closures, I’m reallly hoping that KI doesn’t get hit with any before the next 2025 season (unless it’s like Congo Falls but even then I’d still be upset I didn’t ride it for the last time.) At least if The Bat or something closes at the end of next season, we still have the chance to ride it with the rumors in mind.

Perhaps I didn’t look at how much this type of ride actually costs.. or what manufacturers the parks typically work with, but idea still stands of a Phantom Theater thrill ride in Tomb Raider’s spot.

Link to Concept Video Posting this on this thread because the minute I heard “Family Thrill Attraction” my delusional mind immediately went to a Phantom Theater reboot. I made a mock-up video for a PT based Intamin Dynamic Motion Stage that could be the rumored replacement for the Tomb Raider/Crypt building. I chose this ride system based on the success of the Danse Macabre ride at Efteling (Which I also used for the video since I didn’t feel like attempting to animate something). I imagine the queue of the ride basically being the scenes of the dark ride: The first hallways can be the Portrait hallway/generic theater lobby, the previous first preshow room can be a prop room line section, and guests could first enter a preshow featuring Maestro on the organ explaining the history of the theater. The main ride area would be formatted like the pepper’s ghost theater scene, with the underneath of the turntable that dips into the floor being themed to the Boiler Room.

I unfortunately have a habit of only responding to what vaguely reminds me of this, but I will be happy if “Family Thrill attraction” could be referring to a dark ride/themed indoor Crypt replacement or a Phantom Theater reboot, especially considering the terminology “coaster” isn’t used. If this is a small flat ride on the line of Sol Spin, or that Peanuts shooter ride from the surveys, I will be disappointed.

It was a broken link to video but it should be fixed now.

I made a video for a Phantom Theater Haunt house! (It doesn’t match the description I wrote earlier, but it gives off good vibes I think) Link to video (Fixed)

Here’s my random thoughts after attending Haunt this season (Small Spoilers if you care for that sort of thing) 1) I’m obsessed with the revamped Cornered maze. It’s currently my favorite iteration of the maze, and the setwork is some of my favorites out of the houses. The Lawnmower scene is probably my favorite out of any of the Haunt mazes. 2) Hooked is a very good addition for this year. I love the Screamin’ Demon reference, and the use of swords make the scareacting really intense. 3) While neither are new this year, the scareactors in the Alien Abyss and Slaughterhouse did exceptionally well the night I went. I love the alien that squirts water at you in that house (not sure if that’s new for this season or I just never noticed it) and walking through Slaughterhouse I felt the most fear I felt in any maze ever. 4) I caved in and bought one of the lanterns, and honestly really enjoyed them. The Phantom Theater points outside Boo Blasters and in the Museum of Mystery were personal favorites obviously, along with the iconic Son of Beast station. Overall, loved the event. Hope in the coming years, it can get even better! Enjoy my random photos of stuff I liked!

I personally won’t be able to go to haunt for a few weeks, but if anyone’s up there and would like to share if they got any new Phantom Theater references out (Like what the lantern activation does or props returning to Madame Fatale’s), I wouldn’t complain!

Posting this here since it feels more relevant, but the recent prop put out on display is confirmed to be one of the interactive lantern points. Definitely doesn’t rule out this being a clue for something, but is definitely an explanation for why it’s out this year.

My personal opinion on the new decoration is that it’s nothing more than that: A decoration that’s basically used as a random troll for fans or a publicity stunt. SOB is one of those attractions KI likes to reference often (Adventure Port and random crates around the parks as an example) and I feel like this is just another one of those. With the addition of stuff like the Phantom Theater car infront of Boo Blasters, I think someone who works in the Haunt Decoration team just like having these on display to guest. Absolutely hope I’m wrong and this is a clue to something though, I’d love to see basically any kind of wooden coaster that just uses the name.

Absolutely love whoever’s decision it was to put references to past attractions in their old ride areas (Such as the Phantom Theater car that was placed outside Boo Blasters)