RingMaster

I don't see how threatening to never shop at and/or protest a sporting goods store chain because a lone store poked fun at an overrated quarterback (through which he did indeed spend more time beside the field rather than on it, and even then more blame should be put on Sanchez and Rex Ryan) is the same thing as threatening to never eat at and/or protest a restaurant because the C.O.O. openly opposes same-sex marriage/LGBT rights (through which the fight to make it legal has been through hell and back, and seen them victimized, assaulted and bullied to the point of suicide).

Or never actually rode in the first place because the center of conversation in this topic was on Thunder Alley.

To my knowledge, the stage for the theater is still standing; CarnEvil takes up the space of what was originally the seating area. Now if they got rid of the stage, they'd have a lot more room to expand the footprint of the Haunt attraction.

I'd ask him if he's ever made anyone an offer they couldn't refuse...

Despite the fact that Cedar Fair JUST got into the upcharged "extreme" haunt this past season with Knott's Trapped, I am actually surprised they haven't pulled this stunt yet, much like Universal's House of Horrors or Ripley's Haunted Adventure. I didn't get a chance to go to this year's Haunt, but I've heard wondrous things about Madame Fatale's, so they should at least keep everything from that haunt intact, and build upon that experience to make it a really lengthy walk-through (20 minutes at the very least). The only thing I'd really want to see them do with the building, however, is lower the ceiling a good 30-40 feet, at least to where that line is in this picture (just above the roof of the preshow building): I'd assume they'd would like to charge for it, as that would also net them the opportunity to be scarier and more graphic than if it they just let folks walk through all willy-nilly (the fact that Haunt is free with park admission notwithstanding). And they would also have no shortage of associates lining up around the block wanting to work at a haunted house for an entire operating season.

Don told us on closing day that they have a special tool that can simply grip the exposed portion of the footing, twist it, and yank it right out. So, they have dentists on site now?

To answer the question posted on the other site about the validity of the clown portion in the house, it's your standard PTA carnival seen at many a school fundraiser. Tying in with the overall story of the Schoolhouse, the carnival is billed as a ruse to keep kids' minds off the string of disappearances plaguing the school itself. Of course, given the wicked, warped nature of the schoolhouse itself, the carnival has less friendly and more sinister clowns behind the game booths.

I kinda want to see Vortex get a redesign similar to what was done to Steel Phantom when it became Phantom's Revenge. Of course, I'd much like to keep the inversions intact, but you get the idea of a different company coming in to redo a previous coaster.

Will the paint scheme remain intact? I'd kinda like to see you guys repaint it to resemble a ranger station overlooking the woods, to further aid Wolf Pack's theming.

So they did away with using real chainsaws this year? I know last year the Slaughterhouse finale had a real saw; kind of shocking to hear they potentially axed them (the real ones at least).

If you mean the clowns in the schoolhouse itself (before the bus finale), it's meant to resemble a PTA carnival seen at most schools. It's tied into the overall arc of the Schoolhouse storyline by way of the faculty trying to keeps kids' minds off the string of disappearances from the school. If you mean the clowns in Detention Hall, that's a whole different entity, separate from Dent's storyline. It's pretty much Death Row at it's prime but with clowns.

Meanwhile, a kingdom near Louisville remains under lock and key by a quite nasty Fair Board for the past several. We would have had bluegrass playing amidst its boardwalks, but alas, the only sound the board wants is that of bills flapping near their ears.

I'm actually quite surprised you, or anyone else here for that matter, didn't brought up the fact that SS was the one that ignited the rumor about a potential 2009 coaster back before the end of the 2007 season for the Island. I at least hope for next season the area the former Son of Beast switchbacks reside in are transformed into a pleasant seating area overlooking that massive valley. Maybe they'll temporarily do that for Days of Thunder as it's no long- ...hey, wait a sec. Someone refresh my memory. Is DOT officially closed or was that Labor Day rumor simply a rumor?

Sorry, had to.

All things considered, I am not surprised to see these rides closed down. Didn't we spend the first half of the 2011 operating season trying to fix the issue of the chairs coming dangerously close to each other after a cycle? That was something Mondial should have figured into the equation prior to the arrival of the first four Seekers by installing the dampening systems.

Of which the "preview" of CoT we got was two shots of some Unit 70 mannequins against a brick wall. That said, one can not base their opinion off a scant set of photos, as the end result could either be mind-blowing (Urgent Scare) or lackluster (Club Blood).

One of the comments from the uploader of the "Best View" video. I guess he and other "thrill seekers" don't realize the families are the biggest revenue for the Point and big expenditures, especially ROLLER COASTERS, are erected via that revenue.

There's a better chance of using the woods White Water Canyon's queue line inhabits. The only thing would be bypassing the train tracks, either having to go above or below them to reach the new area (or elevating the track like Disneyland which would be quite the hefty investment in and of itself).

That reaches into discrimination territory, a spot you do not want to be in unless you want to end up in a lawsuit. There are those who have started preschool who can handle a haunted house better than those who have finished college. If anything, the parents are the ones more at fault for either dropping their kids off by themselves or dragging them kicking and screaming into a haunted house. It's one thing for a parent to allow you to console a crying youngling if they had too much; it's another when the parent decides to yell at you because you're in the vicinity of their bawling child and they begin freaking out all over again. The latter is infuriating to a monster, and in those moments I completely forgo the child and go straight for the parent.

2010's Wolf Pack was a great concept that was bogged down by throwing Twilight references into what was supposed to be a scary environment; shirtless dalmatians a haunted house does NOT make. Last year saw the rise of scarier, more aggressive werewolves, which, coupled with the brilliant scenic design, rocketed Wolf Pack up to my most favorite house of Haunt. Tombstone is just one attraction I do not understand why they bother keeping around. It's essentially reminiscent of the classic Trail of Terror what with being in the woods, but not once does Tombstone manage to convey the sense of fear and uneasiness the former attraction had in spades. Zig-zagging around crates and boxes the entire trek doesn't aid the particularly barren theme the attraction is trying to tell. The extremely lengthy wait times for the train only further cements Tombstone as my least favorite Haunt house. I've always loved riding Adventure Express at night with all the scenic lights turned on, and riding during Haunt makes it that much more enjoyable. Occasionally, fog seeps into the area, giving the setting an even creepier vibe.

They added two scare zones into the mix alongside the two from last year. One is supposedly in front of Kings Island Theater (Nightmare Alley), the other in Action Zone (Grimm Blvd). They may be going for a hybrid of Halloween Horror Nights (small heavily themed scare zones) and Knott's Scary Farm (monsters in entire areas of the park like Coney Mall).

1. Given the fact that you've done haunted houses before, there isn't a whole lot different with working at Haunt, unless they put you in a fear zone. At some point during your rehearsals, you and your crew will walk through other mazes as a test audience, and the same will occur with you when people from other mazes will walk through yours as a test audience. Expect to be more aggressive in your scares than other mazes. Slaughterhouse is known for having the most aggressive and wild crew team of individuals at the event, with people running through the attraction rather than casually walking. If you're stationed in the middle of the haunt, keep that in mind as you have a choice of either aiding in keeping those people running through, or stopping them in their tracks and making their walk-through a living hell. 2. Slaughterhouse is the goriest maze Haunt has to offer, and is set up in Stunt Crew Grill in Action Zone. A lot of bloody props and scenic elements. The theme is exactly what you'd expect - a trek through a butcher shop that specializes in human meat. Most of the maze is either bathed in red light or shot up with strobe lights. Take the advice from #1 on what it's like to work in and apply it to a normal visit.

Didn't they try this when Urgent Scare first opened in '08? All I remember was a quick glimpse of an ad for an energy drink on the marquee where the entrance sat and apparently that was what caused the viral outbreak.

Just by the description alone, it sounds as if they're going for an old-school tourist trap or boardwalk attraction of days past: A uniquely-themed facade overlooking the midway enticing passersby to enter. Same concept can be used for the Crypt's entrance.

As cliched and cheesy as it sounds, that's actually the best method of scaring people (minus simply going RAWR). The quick in-and-out is key when dealing with a haunted house, because you want to not only scare them, but scare them QUICKLY. It's also done so as to keep your audience's suspension of disbelief in check; ergo, they'll be more afraid of something they only get a glimpse of rather than an extended period of time. If there's a situation when a monster is in view of guests and stalking, it's more used as a distraction so another monster can pop in and out and catch the audience off guard. The other key aspect of haunted houses when it comes to scaring is scaring FORWARD. You need to keep guests continuously going forward so as not to cause multiple groups to crash into each other in a section. Therefore, most scares are directed at the middle or back of the group. This is why you hear so many people offer advice in the guise of being at the front of the group if they are scared. Of course, people are inclined to not be front and center when walking through a haunted house, and believe the middle to be the safest. That brings me to the final point in this mini discussion that's more out of place in the current conversation than a vampire at Olive Garden, which is that none of what I just said is laid in stone. Why? Because people are SCARED when they come through a haunted house. It's our JOB to weed out and find those in the group that are the most scared, even if that means splitting up the entire group to get to the one person, or even if it's the ENTIRE group that's scared. Happy Haunting...