Werewolves and Midget Wrestlers to Highlight New Halloween Haunt Attractions in 2010

[BoddaH1994]

Parental Advisory: Halloween Haunt is intended for mature audiences only!

It is nearly time for the weather to turn a chilly cold, the leaves to begin falling from the trees and everyone's favorite summer getaway to turn into a haven for ghouls, monsters, warewolves, the undead and shorter than average (yet larger than life) brawlers.

During weekends in October the freaks come out at night at Kings Island as the incredibly popular Halloween Haunt makes its return in celebration of the Halloween season.

New for 2010! You hear something stalking you in the woods. Was it a whisper? Was it a growl? What could it be? All of a sudden you are confronted by the WOLF PACK! Hoards of werewolves are surrounding you from every angle! Can you make it out alive?!? Wolf Pack, a new werewolf-themed maze, is located in Action Zone near Flight Deck and will terrify visitors from 7pm to close on Fridays and Saturdays during Halloween Haunt.

It's fight time at Kings Island as the Half-Pint Brawlers make their way to Halloween Haunt with a spectacle that should not be sold short! Half-Pint Brawlers is a hard-core wrestling show featuring midgets who aren't afraid to give it all. This show is NOT for the faint of heart.

Half-Pint Brawlers will be located in the Festhaus.

Show times: 7:30, 9:00, 10:30, 12:00

Some returning attractions include Club Blood, Cut Throat Cove, Cemetery Drive and the incredibly popular live show Hot Blooded.

For a full list of attractions and to purchase tickets visit Halloween Haunt's official web site.

haunt.visitkingsisland.com

[The Interpreter]

Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Oh, how I miss the Big Bad Wolf....oh, wait...

(sorry, that was Busch league of me)

[Coney Islander]

Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VYJy05T70o

[pkiboy]

Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Oh, how I miss the Big Bad Wolf....oh, wait...

(sorry, that was Busch league of me)

I 2nd that and a few at a Lake some ware in Ohio that someone wanted closed so badddddd cuse he really didnt have a Point to close. ok ill hush up now .

[markr]

Midget wrestling? Now I've heard it all.

[The Interpreter]

Well, they shouldn't fall very hard!

(The bigger they are....)

[Outdoor Man]

midget wrestling would have to be like smashing a spider. You know its going to be gross- but you HAVE to look at it............

[Gordon Bombay]

Maybe they should sell dollar PBR's too....I hear that brings out a quality, well behaved crowd for the Cyclones.

[Pagoda Gift Shop]

I believe Half-Pint Brawlers is a show on the Spike channel, for those wondering where it came from.

[RingMaster]

....spelled werewolves wrong.

I was assuming that the site would resemble more like Scarowinds with the X in the title, seeing as how this is the tenth year our Haunt has been around; it would at least explain why it's taken so long to get the site up and running. But I guess an anniversary celebration isn't all that important to them (the park's 35th and The Beast's 30th were pushed aside to promote Firehawk and Diamondback).

[Delirium13]

Maybe they should sell dollar PBR's too....I hear that brings out a quality, well behaved crowd for the Cyclones.

My thoughts exactly... It should be interesting to see how this unfolds.

[TylerRider]

midget wrestling would have to be like smashing a spider. You know its going to be gross- but you HAVE to look at it............

Really?

[RailRider]

Yeah the midget wrestling seems like an interesting addition and I didn't think "midget" was the pc term anymore. Then again I don't think this show is going for that, nor is haunt. Sounds like some interesting new additions and another good year for haunt.

For the 10th year of Fear I was hoping for return of one of the original haunts, mainly Torture Tower. Yes I know it was a capacity nightmare but it had the best atmosphere of any haunt ever at the park. Ohwell.

[flightoffear1996]

I would love to see the park put on a really long haunt like 30-40 minutes but have it be an upcharge haunt.

[RailRider]

^

KI does a great job transforming the park in to an entire event, not a single haunt being the haunt. To have a signature haunt that would last 30-40 minutes would be quite expensive, when KI can offer numerous haunts for the same cost which drives more folks through the gates and the haunts. They do it well.

I think a single attraction haunt is best left as a stand alone. Something along the lines of The Haunted Hoochie at Dead Acres, Erebus, or even USS Nightmare. Those events and houses wouldn't fit well in a park setting and the cost and effort behind them is monumental, not saying KI's isn't but it is different.

[Snowman]

Well, they shouldn't fall very hard!

(The bigger they are....)

They also shouldn't fall very FAR!!!

'cause they're real short.

If we keep picking on these vertically challenged wrestlers they might jump up and punch us in the Kneecaps!

[The Interpreter]

...Half Pint Brawlers, a troupe of "psycho" little people wrestlers featured on Spike TV, will perform four shows nightly during the month-long celebration of Halloween.

Organizers say not to sell these brawlers short — despite their stature, they will bring fans to their feet in excitement for their brutal, bloody matches, filled with fisticuffs, death defying leaps, and bloodying chair shots....

http://www.daytondai...unt-906762.html

[Coney_man]

it should be a hit in the park...terpy, what is the forecast for the haunt? raining midgets that intentionally hurt themselves for our viewing pleasure? bloody vampires that come out once in a dark night? or werewolves ripping off our limbs with glee? we shall see come october 1st!

[flightoffear1996]

I understand that but sometimes waiting 60 minutes or more for a haunt that is only 5-6 minutes long is crazy. I am sure alot of people would be wiilling to pay $10 or $12 for a really long haunt and not hae to stand in the long lines for the shorter haunts.

[Dr.Feelbad]

I think Kings Island and the people that make Halloween Haunt what it is are awesome!! Everyone should listen to Rotting Flesh Radio also for Haunt industry news and interviews.

[x7x-Hawk-x7x]

My family went Friday 10/1. We were initially unsure if our 7 yr old son would not be able to handle the Haunt after reading several warnings that KI Haunt is not for kids. We have season passes, so we weren't going to be out much if we decided to turn around and leave. The truth about Friday being a great night to go was very true. We never waited more than 10-30 minutes to get into any haunt. The longest was for Carn-Evil, and that was worth the wait. We got told that some cats attacked a skunk, and after they were sprayed they ran through Carn-Evil. It smelled pretty bad in there, but actually added to the fun.

When we arrived, there were scaractors roaming through the lines scaring people while we waited in line to get into the park. That was alot of fun, and built up my hopes for an evening of many scares. Sadly, once inside the park, the scares were very far and few between. I was extremely disappointed with the lack of scaractors roaming the park. IMHO, there is a huge missed opportunity to keep people constantly on edge of having someone pop up and scare them. The fog machines in the park did an amazing job of keeping everything in the right mood, just a shame it was wasted. Another huge disappointment was scaractors that seemed to be on break, walking to wherever they go, just literally walking by people. I'm sorry, but KI should insist that if you're an employee and you are in the public's view, you need to do the job you were hired for.

We were able to go through: Urgent Scare, Trail of Terror, Death Row, Massacre Manor, Cut Throat Cove, Cemetery Drive and Carn-evil. Our son enjoyed himself quite abit, but when your 7 yr old keeps asking when are going to the really scary haunted house, maybe some improvements can be made.

One suggestion is better control of the groups when the go through the haunts, on Trail of Terror for example, we got bunched up groups ahead of us to the point we were in line on the trail 30+ people long. That caused everyone after the first few people to know when and where to expect someone to jump out at you from.

Overall, we had a very good time, and we definitely plan to come back with our friends. I'm looking forward to riding the coaster at night!

I'd give the event 7 out of 10 stars

[alluna]

Another huge disappointment was scaractors that seemed to be on break, walking to wherever they go, just literally walking by people. I'm sorry, but KI should insist that if you're an employee and you are in the public's view, you need to do the job you were hired for.

I couldn't agree more. While there were those putting forth an effort, we saw more than a few scare actors stride on by. Some had a creepy walk, others were clearly on their way to somewhere else.

[Diamondbackfreak]

does anyone know if any people pop out at halloween hunt and chase u with chain saw or just n the haunted houses

[Colonel_SoB_fan]

There are scaractors roaming the park that can and do chase you, personal experience. I do not believe that they can have chainsaws tho, those are just in the haunts.

[Tanna]

Another huge disappointment was scaractors that seemed to be on break, walking to wherever they go, just literally walking by people. I'm sorry, but KI should insist that if you're an employee and you are in the public's view, you need to do the job you were hired for.

I couldn't agree more. While there were those putting forth an effort, we saw more than a few scare actors stride on by. Some had a creepy walk, others were clearly on their way to somewhere else.

Just got back from KI. We were approached by one scaracter, a pleasant guy, and took his picture. The others seemed as if they were on their way to lunch. After a few dismal mazes, I gave up. It wasn't frightening, it wasn't much fun.

The prison maze was a Juvenile Delinquent Center for Surly Young Girls. Been going three years, First year was an absolute blast, last year was a little weak, but the workers tried, this year was just walking through a foggy park.

[The Interpreter]

Perhaps there should be a special walkthrough just for unitholders. Before they can attend, they are each given a prospectus, which two of them will read and the rest will pretend they have. Inside, it is said, they will be taunted by Apollo, scared by a unitary CEO and Chairman muttering in gloom "I'm more of an operations guy, not a finance guy," be taunted by first no distribution then a miserly quarter...not per quarter but per annum, come breathtakingly close to bankruptcy, only to be saved by the likes of JPMorgan Chase but dogged by debt covenants, be continually worried about the weather and how it will affect EBITDA, have one of the CEO and Chairman's sons show up as the most qualified person in the entire world to perform part of the most critical roles in one part of the house, walk by a TGIFriday scene where it is said if you listen closely, you can hear the future of the company being discussed by insiders with proposed acquirers--all without a word of public disclosure other than to eavesdroppers who happen to be on hand, and they will, it is said, watch the virtual founder and Chairman/CEO pursue others in a litigation frenzy for losses caused arguably, at least in part, by himself and another of his sons...all mixed in with a little SEC, Goldman Sachs, Great Recession, Detroit economy, and strong regional park competition with a bunch of festive flags, now hidden--probably forever-AB signs, and a small independent or two, for good measure.

The unitholders can also vote on which of the Board members best fits the job description for a featured attraction at a park in Mason during this fest...a role called Puppet. They will find that a 2/3 vote is required in order to win, but that the votes end up not even being counted, as the vote will be canceled for undisclosed reasons (but suspect it was canceled because the votes were not to the liking of the CEO and Chairman and the now what appears to be Puppet board, each having gotten a uniform number of votes). An older woman will keep shrieking "What does Q want?," but few will understand and fewer will have any idea at this time. The outside of this haunting attraction can be made up to look like the State Theater in Sandusky....and once all the unitholders are well on the way there for the Grand Premier from locations round the world, the good Mr. K can have his beleaguered PR woman cancel the entire affair at the last moment...and the unitholders can proceed to have their own, unofficial BooFest!

[Tanna]

Perhaps there should be a special walkthrough just for unitholders. (snipped for space)

Since you gave a detailed answer, I feel better to give more detail.

I've had season passes from 1982 to 1997. I only stopped buying the pass when I moved further away than fifteen miles. I went about twice a week, after six. It was a second home.

I wasn't happy with the Paramount gig, but that's life. They still had rides, and many of my friends and relatives worked for the park.

At the end of the season, when many kids went back to college, my mother and I would work rides on the weekends. I loved it.

I do love Kings Island, I'm not a gripe.

Before Friday Night's Haunt, my husband and I had discussed getting season passes. After Friday night, we're not sure we want that.

Fights broke out in the Diamondback line, physical shoving. A few more fights occurred on the midway, but at least we could walk away from that.

The lines for mazes were long for the short time you go through.

The first maze we went through, was the prison maze, because the line was shorter. I soon found out why. Naught but strobe and smoke and dour young ladies. It got irritating to the point where I just asked, "Where's the exit?" the same as I would as any attendant in the park for directions.

All I got was sullen glares. Fine. Thanks. Part of me just wanted to shove against the cheap Masonite and push my way to the outside. It made me not want to go to the other mazes, if that's the attitude that prevails.

In 2008, the fog in the Massacre Mansion went for broke, and no one could see anything at all. I was first in line, waving in front of me, and telling the people behind me that I could not see. A scaracter broke character, got out of his chair, came into my vision, and with a flashlight, told me to follow him out. It was a great gesture, and appreciated. (He was in the Toxic Zone, a blue trashman, earlier. He must've been double timing.)

I did go through two more 2010 mazes, and sadly, they all seemed set up the same way. Lots of blood, lots of spare body parts, but no real scare. People are scared by more things than gallons of red and latex. Why are all the mazes looking alike? Cornstalkers is unique, but it's one little alley. All that land that KI owns, and they represent a cornfield with one little alley of boxes on asphalt?

I realize that being scared and scaring people is like playing ping pong. If I scream, the monsters work harder to scare, people around me get scared and it's a big party. I got the feeling Friday night that I was the only one working the scare zones, and I was the customer.

As I said, there were NO Scaracters on the midway. After the initial meet and greet, they all disappeared. The poor kid dressed in a sheet was standing alone, walking a little aimlessly, but he was a nice kid. We saw some Clockwork Orange sliders running amok and actually working, but that was all.

The ride operators are always fun, no complaint about any rides at all. I rode them all.

The downfall of this event in a mere three years is saddening. Are they trying to get rid of it?

Also, Should it be a different paying event and not on the Season Pass? Perhaps then it wouldn't be so crowded, and the customers would be aware of what they are paying for. Good Scares. It wasn't a good crowd on Friday, and I wondered if they had to pay separate admission, would they appreciate the work more?

Had other Haunted Trails, like "Land of Illusion" in Middletown swiped the talent? In 2008, there were some real workers, and 2009, even though there were less monsters, they worked hard.

Do they need Special Effects artists? designers? Creativity in any form at all?

[RingMaster]

Well, there was some potential in the form of Wolf Pack this year. Too bad the maze got shunned to promote the Half-Pint Brawlers. And they technically didn't even create the maze themselves, as the sets and most of the props are from Knott's Berry Farm. And the monsters were more in line with what Twilight deems werewolves should look like save for two.

[Dbfan]

I went on Friday and saw the wrestlers. They put on a good show. It was barely bloody at all, funny at sometimes, and very well acted. A kid near us threw an ice cube that almost reached the stage, and within five seconds there was security talking to him. KI did a really good job, and Festhaus looks great.