brenthodge

Has so much potential to be great again. Please install better sound system so you can actually hear the custom soundtrack (that actually tracks the entire ride). Needs speakers thoughout. On board not needed as they really only can run one cycle at a time in the show building. Please install intelligent lighting in the spaghetti bowl to add to the “chaos”. Please at least clean the mirrors in the queue do the effect works and the secret isn’t spoiled. Please use the indoor que switchback so people can actually see (what little is left of) the show. This in one case where the original experience isn’t too far gone to bring it back and even enhance it. (Why along with MYSTIC this isn’t given a real holiday (and Haunt) overlay is beyond me. Even the addition of a projection screen or two -especially at the MCBR-and one that you go through as you make the final inversion- would provide a place for seasonal images to be changed out to increase re-ridability.

Great idea reassigning Delerium just so the “mini area” has 2 rides and a food option.

The curtain in the load area is not the red curtain in the concept art. That actually never made it into the finished attraction. The black panel to the right when you enter the load area is there to block sight lines into the actual ride. Feels like it was maybe an error that was caught during test/adjust and that was the solution. It’s not really needed now as nothing you could see from that spot would spoil the ride. If it wasn’t there you’d be able to see where the phantom with the curtain was from load.

Not all of that detail from the concept art made it into the final project. It was definitely a bit more bare bones than the concept art makes it look.

I personally don’t care for the mazes. I go for the overall, park-wide experience. That’s where I feel like events like this can, and should be different than other offerings out there. I can go to individual indoor haunted mazes other places. The ability parks like KI have to build extended “worlds” beyond those is what I enjoy. Again, I can only evaluate the product I experienced, and I understand weather constraints, but the event is marketed as an immersive event. That’s what I was reviewing. If a light rain impacts their ability to deliver on that, then it illustrates the need to develop better outdoor venues to deliver on that. I have season pass, so outside of gas it was no loss to my wallet, but if I had been paying (as I ran into a few friends who did) I would’ve been disappointed I paid full price when the diminished experience wasn’t disclosed at the gate or on the ap. No love loss, just wish I had a better opportunity to review the overall intended experience.

Well it kind of limped to a close tonight with no outdoor shows, no one in any scare zone and no fountain. Guess I have no real way of truly evaluating Haunt 2022 other than from my actual experience. So based on that-it sucked. I totally get that Rain screwed it all up, but people always say “don’t form you opinion without actually going” unfortunately tonight was the only night I could go, so it was what it was-a very lackluster event that is majorly affected by weather. Oh, and food ops were a mess all 3 places I went with the staff more involved with taking down fall decor (why is that their job and why are you pulling it down at 6:30?) than taking orders-weird! Ride lines were great though so there is that.

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

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.

Hence why it needs to be redone with terraced seating. Could do flat levels-a few with tables and chair at the top and others with bench seating closer to the bottom. Could also look at adding a few support poles to hold up a more permanent roof with heaters. It would make it more flexible for all season use and add a dynamic energy to that area at WinterFest. Even if they didn’t do that they could install infrared heaters to melt the aisles. They do that for parking deck ramps.

Totally agree with all points. Tinkers is “fun” but unless the show is ramped back up to its 2005 version it’s just as much a waste of the main theatre as CBCS was (almost more in that it doesn’t even use the fly space and isn’t as “big” with the production numbers.)

Jim Stump is usually Santa in all the shows of all the years I’ve seen.

Maybe with a much smaller area they can actually add and maintain some decor. No reason there couldn’t be a smaller bier garden where the unused bar behind emporium is with new seating, overhead lighting and flags. Actually that “mini land” could be quite cute. Might need to rework Viking Fury queue a bit to not dump out right into seating area as much, but it really doesn’t need the massive line it has. Even if they gave it a little plaza cut back into the mulch wasteland back there. Would be great if they could get one more flat worked in to the right of Festhaus. Even something that played off the Maypole idea like a Samba tower with sone cool trim elements. I think they would definitely need to have some solid German food in FestHaus (I’d kick out panda and do it there so it doesn’t get burried in with the other side- then keep the other side one line “bad American “ and the other rotate out different countries using the CARNIVALE food template. Give Festhouse and overall “International food hall” feel. At Christmas put a giant spinning pyramid where the stein topiary goes.

Transportation theme. It’s got air flight, fast cars, slow cars-could something be made of SRR to tie into that?

I was bad and we had this thing called COVID that had… fevers.

Great idea. I don’t think it could stay in PS. though as that area often gets the busiest. Even if they did it at 11 or 11:30 to “start” tricks and treats from the parade gate on IS -across the front- around to the tower and have the cast do a show stop there. Floats could be designed to be 2-3 additional treat stations and park around the tower for the remainder of the event.

I do agree it’s a lot of work to NOT use the most obvious theme that is already there.

I’d venture that JRA will turn out a better developed product. I feel R&R is a bit lower end in look and overall execution. JRA definitely is has the chops to knock it out of the park.

True - and in both parks it ties into a PARK story (Lion Country/Adventure Village) so I guess it does have some organic tie-in

Disappointed they are already planning on the fountain breaking and being turned into a planter LOL. The park REALLY needs the kinetic energy of water features - how hard is a tiered fountain to make work? This area is EXACTLY what I thought for a while would be the easiest way to make some logical sense out of the theming of the area. Wish there was something more compelling than airbrushed t shirts for the main retail location in this new area - could we not have something more interesting? If you really look att he concept art, there are really minimal changes here - mostly all cosmetic. Maybe a few infrastructure here and there related to the new rides, but basically this looks like a cleaning up of the area and installation of permanent carnival country area decor. Look forward to seeing the actual execution and in-person in that the misty, foggy atmosphere they keep showing certainly adds to the feel of the concept art, but as HAUNT has shown us - they don't do foggy areas any more LOL

Cool to see them all together-we definitely got the weakest of the three, but since this is more of a “retheme” of existing assets and a couple of adds, I’d expect that. Bodes well for the future. Main complaint is that of the three, ours has pretty much nothing to do with local culture or history. I guess it’s more tying into park history, but I love that the others feel very indigenous to the locations they are in.

Loved it.

It seems more “Latin American/South America” than Spanish.

Yes

Love the concept, but it further eroded what little was left (or could easily be reclaimed into) Oktoberfest. At this point I really wish they would just kill the Concrete Zone” area and make that Oktoberfest. Pop in 1-2 more flats to make it a bit more family friendly and really make Festhause a full “international food hall” with a strong German presence.

Ugh - that looks TERRIBLE - Just when you think they are making strides toward looking better, they pull that!