Halloween Haunt 2011

[Tanna]

Thank you all for the info. I'd done monster marathons before, and like them, but this was for paying customers; they wanted to look fahhhhbulous, dahling- well, as fahhbulous as a monster could look, given the circumstances.

Five minutes wouldn't allow time for me to slit your throat, much less pull your eye out on its stalk.

You've answered a lot more questions than what I asked, thanks.

[kjkjkj]

All the makeup artists seemed really happy while doing their job, and seemed to enjoy their work. You's also be surprised at what they can do in that short amount of time (5 minutes may be an estimate, it really just depends) I think if you are interested, you should give it a shot!

[RingMaster]

As a new member of KI Central, and a 4 year employee of KI's entertainment department and Halloween Haunt, I have my own few words to add in to the speculation.

A. As many others have said, Dinosaurs Alive has taken over the space where Trail of Terror once lived. However, KI is not scarce on woodland areas. They don't throw away anything, and if they want to keep Trail of Terror, they can EASILY move it to another area (there's actually been talk of this in the past due to the unlevel terrain and mud issues when rainy).

B. Massacre Manor is left up all year around, as are many of the other indoor mazes. If you stand around the exit and watch as the game attendants enter to retrieve prizes and restock, you can still see the setup and props inside. Nobody will know for sure if it is going to return, but in my opinion, it's a fan favorite, and I don't see it going anytime soon, especially since they just invested in a lot of new wardrobe pieces for it last year.

C. If I had to guess for one maze to be leaving, it would be CornStalkers. As an alumni of the maze a few years ago, I hate to see it go, but it's failing year after year to satisfy, and the location simply isn't helping anything. They haven't invested money into new props or costumes in a few years now, and Stephanie has simply seemed to lose patience with constantly having to replace everyone year after year (including the managers who don't even like it).

D. If I had to guess as to what the new attraction(s) will be, I'd say that KI isn't due or an all-new maze this year. Cedar Fair's general consistency is to give each park a new maze, then a tested maze, every other year. Wolf Pack was a large investment for the park last year, and KI is always watching for peoples opinions and ideas, so I think after the huge demand for a "toy/doll factory" last year, KI will be receiving Happy Jack's Toy Factory this year. Obviously they've already announced more than one new maze/scare zone, but other than Happy Jack's, I don't know what, or where, they're planning.

I've had the opportunity to work tech and set up the past couple years as well, so I was always fortunate enough to know what was going on, but I could not return this year, so I'm just as stoked as everyone else to see what they're doing!

A. I'm still hoping they put the ToT props in White Water Canyon's exit and move the Tombstone Terrortory props/costumes outside in Rivertown. At least here this would net them one of the two new mazes and the new fear zone, as Rivertown is the only area without an official name (Action Zone - Waste Land, Coney Mall - Coney Maul), and it would be a brand new experience from before.

B. I figured MM was still up as I saw its layout on the massive PDF map of the park for that 5k walk. I was always under the assumption they had it taken down to have more space to store regular items for merch/games. They need to invest a lot in rehabbing the maze, though; compared to what's been built in recent years, the Manor is sorely lacking in scenery throughout most of its halls.

C. I agree with you on cornHUSKERS cornSTALKERS failing to satisfy. It's simply because they don't have enough CORN to set up on both sides of the path, and when there's a slight wind, all of the fog disappears and you can see all the way down the path. I thought they did invest in new costumes recently, as the Amish theme and crow monsters are only about a year or two old. But if the maze doesn't come back this year, that makes another massive batch of props and costumes to put in Rivertown.

D. Allow to me to offer this one simple retort if it is true that we may be getting a Toy Factory maze.....AUGHALIHGILBSIHGAOPHADBJBLSBEOYUGSOUBEIJNBL. That was my overreaction to finally getting a Doll/Toy Factory house for our Haunt. The only question is where to put it? If CarnEVIL is gone, I can definitely see it going there, provided it means the old attraction gets a massive overhaul, and it's not just a bunch of toys strewn about the old attraction and slapping a new name on it. If the clowns stay where they are, then maybe the Peanuts Playhouse at the opposite end of Planet Snoopy will finally be home to a Haunt attraction.

[XGatorHead 8904]

I am one of many who would be absolutely thrilled if we were to get a doll/toy factory. Happy Jack's is by far my favorite haunt at CP. If we were to get one, I would love to work there!

Of course, I should be finding out VERY soon where I'll be lurking this year. Just don't expect me to tell you until the park officially announces what haunts will be there. (The upcoming time of year is always hard... being placed and not talking about it!!!)

[DaveStroem]

We were at Worlds of Fun on Sunday for the Coasting for Kids where they announced their new trail "London Terror". They talked about it having a turn of the century store fronts and taking their tombstone trail and condensing it into one section of the new trail. They mentioned having all the favorites including Jack the Ripper, Mr Hyde in the city section and Werewolfs in the cemetery. The way he described it sounded like a sure winner to me.

While this means nothing for what is happening at KI, it is a glimpse of what else is going on at another Cedar Fair park.

[teenageninja]

And just who was the they who built the separate entrance? Also, please, tten, explain the season pass entrance to the dry park that was built, used briefly, then quietly virtually abandoned.

I am referring to Paramount who installed that separate entrance when Boomerang Bay opened. I understand your argument about the separate season pass entrance, but I am fairly sure that the waterpark will have it's own admission in the next couple of years.

[LongliveKingsCobra]

Why is that Season Pass entrence not used anymore?

[RingMaster]

We were at Worlds of Fun on Sunday for the Coasting for Kids where they announced their new trail "London Terror". They talked about it having a turn of the century store fronts and taking their tombstone trail and condensing it into one section of the new trail. They mentioned having all the favorites including Jack the Ripper, Mr Hyde in the city section and Werewolfs in the cemetery. The way he described it sounded like a sure winner to me.

While this means nothing for what is happening at KI, it is a glimpse of what else is going on at another Cedar Fair park.

So, essentially, a clone of Knott's very own Terror of London attraction at their Haunt:

I would love to see that implemented here at Kings Island, but given what they've done with a few of the mazes in the current lineup (Slaughterhouse and Club Blood specifically), I'd stand to believe an attraction of this caliber is way out of our park's reach when it comes to scope and attention to detail. Which is also why I'm nervous to see what the new mazes for this year will look like, as I'm afraid they'll either skimp on scenery and thematic elements or just coat every wall with blood and call it a maze.

[Tanna]

Knott's is California, where there's a lot of talent in the wings to build imaginative things. I'm not saying Buckeyes aren't imaginative, or hardworking, but there's a lot of scenery designers, make up artists, and costumers out west, a glut of them.

[XGatorHead 8904]

And just who was the they who built the separate entrance? Also, please, tten, explain the season pass entrance to the dry park that was built, used briefly, then quietly virtually abandoned.

I am referring to Paramount who installed that separate entrance when Boomerang Bay opened. I understand your argument about the separate season pass entrance, but I am fairly sure that the waterpark will have it's own admission in the next couple of years.

I would certainly hope that CF would not be idiotic enough to make BB a separate admission. It's been included for 23 seasons now. Can you imagine the damage that would do to season pass sales? Much like when they did away with the free parking... sales took a dive, then lo and behold parking was included again. The first few years of FearFest, separate admission was required even if you had a season pass. Why then was the decision made to include it with a season pass? And when CF made the decision a few years ago to not include Haunt with a season pass, that decision was reversed before it was actually put into effect. Season Pass holders feel a right of entitlement. 23 years of something being included is a huge hurdle to overcome. Even if they did offer a pass at a higher price that included BB, I feel many SP holders would balk at having to pay more for something that was once "free".

Why is that Season Pass entrence not used anymore?

It basically comes down to staffing. In the '80s all season pass holders entered through that gate. In the middle of the day, that gate would be dead. Why pay someone to sit there and do nothing, especially when the regular turnstiles were also not very busy at that time of day? Even in the busy time in the mornings, they must have determined that the regular turnstiles could handle the additional season pass traffic as well. By the time I started working Admissions in '95, the building that once sat there was long gone. The area had been covered by a roof, and there was still an iron gate with a padlock which could be opened if needed. In my last few years in Admissions, we actually did use that gate on several occasions, using handheld ticket scanners, when crowds were extremely heavy to alleviate the strain on the regular turnstiles. I imagine they still have the capability to use it if needed.

[Kman6]

Has anyone thought about how the Fast Lane concept for the haunts would go over? If it were at a reasonable price and considering the wait time in some of the lines I would consider it. It seems like

even on Fridays that my group never makes it to all the haunts. Just a thought I had...any thoughts?

[Murda]

a toy factory would be amazing!!!

[bkroz]

^^^

What if you could buy a Season Pass for a certain price, a Waterpark Pass for a certain price, and a Gold Pass that combined the two? That's what Busch Gardens Williamsburg does with their Water Country, U.S.A. park, and what Cedar Point does with Soak City... (Even though we think of the Platinum Pass in wide terms, consider that in the Sandusky area, it's marketed as "a pass to Cedar Point, Soak City, free parking, and early ride times." After all, there is no "gold pass" to Cedar Point. You either get a regular season pass that does not include parking, ERT, or Soak City, or the Platinum Pass which includes it all). That also opens up a new ticket pricing scheme, like Cedar Point does... One day for one park, one day for both parks, two days at both parks, etc., even if the waterpark is only a 10 or 15 dollar add-on. That seems appropriate just on the basis of crowd control, really.

I don't think it's unreasonable to separate Boomerang Bay provided it gets new slides in the coming years (whatever happened to Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom's Phase II? 4/5 of it never materialized, so perhaps that budget can come back elsewhere...). As it is, I avoid the waterpark like the plague only because waiting 20 - 30 minutes for a 12 second slide doesn't seem worth it to me. If the park were separately admitted, available ONLY to Gold Passholders and above, and got some new slides, the waits may decrease and it might actually be a worthwhile way to spend a summer afternoon. Again, the only way to publicly justify that would be to REALLY improve the park with a whole expansion to the east, new slides, and more reclining room.

[kingsrattler]

I would have to say, charging extra for Boomerang Bay would really help out The Beach Waterpark's business.

[jdawg1998]

Why are we posting about waterparks? As I can see, the topic title is "Halloween Haunt 2011".

[RingMaster]

But according to another thread, we need to talk about Son of Beast at some point as well.

[Cpt Crunch]

KingsIslandPR Twitter:

CarnEvil, Massacre Manor, Slaughter House & Urgent Scare are among the attractions returning for Halloween Haunt 2011.

Is this a sign that the announcement will be soon?!

[The Interpreter]

Who wants to see a real midget bleed? Oui?

[THE_BEAST12]

From what ive heard trail of terror is gone this year and so is death row....

[RingMaster]

From what ive heard trail of terror is gone this year and so is death row....

Trail of Terror has all but been confirmed by the park themselves to be gone due to Dinosaurs Alive! being in its place, so to speak. That doesn't necessarily mean they can't or won't put it in another location, or throw all of its props into another maze, though (or, even better, replace Tombstone with Trail).

As for Death Row, that maze has long been rumored to be on the chopping block for years now, so it's not surprising to hear that idea rear its ugly head again. Though, honestly speaking, with what they did to it last year (replacing the veteran inmates who knew how to scare people with Club Blood women who don't), it definitely does need to be put to rest. There's no way they can bounce back up to the top after that mess.

[Tanna]

To be honest, Ringmaster, last year I went with my niece and her boyfriend, and my experience in Death Row somewhat soured my desire to go to other haunts for the rest of the night. We rode some rides, then I finally convinced her to go to a haunt.

It was such a frustrating experience, my niece and bf left early, and I didn't feel like going to other haunts. Who wants to glared at?

And this is a person who annually goes through Cornhuskers CornStalkers because in my heart, I feel like, "God love 'em, they're trying."

[RingMaster]

^ I know exactly how you feel. A combination of Wolf Pack's sub-par and Twilight-infused talent, Death Row's lack of talent, and the new placement of Urgent Scare's photo booth left an extremely bad taste in my mouth. With all the money they pump into advertising and getting bits like Half-Pint Brawlers to come to the event, it's really sad to see the heart of Haunt - namely, the houses and the talent within them - become neglected and abandoned.

[Cpt Crunch]

The only real good mazes are ones that have you walk around sharp corners. You expect a person to be there, but there won't be. That makes you relaxed, but by the time you get around the next corner, someone pops out and scares the living heck out of you. That's why Cornstalkers is so boring - you just know when and where things are going to happen.

Same with a lot of the other mazes, except for a few quality ones...CarnEVIL is a completley different kind of maze (but it is great!), and Slaughterhouse is gorey and disgusting (good thing). Others are just boring and don't have a good theme. Eventually, people jumping out and screaming "BOO!" is just not scary anymore.

[google13]

if you havent seen kingsislands insider blog on there website they recently posted that they are hiring for Halloween Haunt now and under it says there are 12 mazes and so this must mean that trail of terror and death row have to of been replace with something. any suggestions of some great ideas of what it should be replaced with?

[RingMaster]

Yeah, given the fact that last year saw 12 attractions, this does mean two houses are being replaced. But this still doesn't necessarily mean that two brand-new, built from scratch houses will debut, or it will be more of what we saw when the event transformed into the Haunt (as in, every attraction was renamed and had more blood thrown on it).

As it stands, though, here's my thoughts on what I think could be new this year:

Maze 1 - Doll Factory. The one maze people have been clamoring for for years now. Rumors are strong that it will finally come to Kings Island, but no one is for certain that it will. The question is where to put it. I had assumed that it would replace CarnEvil as that was rumored to be gone, but the recent tweet from the park negates this. I really want to see a house being put in Peanuts Playhouse, and a Doll Factory maze would fit perfectly in the area, so to speak.

Maze 2 - Undecided. The infamous Trail of Terror is without a home now. That's a massive amount of props, costumes, and cast of talent to look into. Obviously the cast can or will be moved into a new house. But, for me, it's up in the air as to what the particular theme will be. A slight retheme is possible for TOT if they decide to put it in another neck of the woods, with a Camp Kiluae/Gonnagetcha as the main contender for me (perhaps even replacing either CornStalkers or Tombstone Terrortory). Either that, or all of its props will be scattered throughout the park and other attractions, and a new maze is erected someplace else. Death Row's possible removal also begs the question of whether or not something will go in its place, or if X-Base will be the only area of the park without a Haunt maze. As it stands, no noticeable construction has been reported about areas not ordinarily housing mazes being prepped for that occasion (such as Action Theater, Stunt Crew Grill, and SBNO's station), so we're left with prior maze locations.

Fear Zone - Planet Snoopy. Although their use of the term is very vague. Originally, it was used to describe outdoor attractions that didn't require one to wait in line (CornStalkers and worksite up until mid-2006), but they were quickly made to include queue lines. Thus, the term was no longer needed. Recently, however, people have coined the phrase to describe the themed areas that the roamers/creepers reside in (Coney, Action Zone, & Rivertown), yet they aren't included in the attraction lineup list. If the term is being used for the big areas, then PS is the most likely candidate, as it's the last patch of land not currently overrun by monsters. Using this area as a zone is also needed if Peanuts Playhouse is to hold an attraction this year. Unfortunately, this could also mean they're roping all roamers and creepers to one single area, specifically a long stretch of road that isn't used all too often by a majority of guests (think Halloweekends' Fright Zone). The path from Dodgems to the Floral Clock comes to mind.

The one other thing that has me perplexed is that a few other Cedar Fair Haunts are getting a fairly large overhaul. Kings Dominion is rumored to get three new scare zones, a few new shows, and two new attractions of their own (although one is proposed to be a redesign of their CornStalkers maze). Carowinds is also rumored to be receiving a major overhaul, with several attractions getting axed from the lineup. I would say the same could be said for us as well, but the KI blog says we still have 12 attractions, so the idea of our event getting downsized is out of the question. Though to be honest, I'd prefer five to six really good haunts as opposed to ten to twelve mediocre ones.

[google13]

Yeah, given the fact that last year saw 12 attractions, this does mean two houses are being replaced. But this still doesn't necessarily mean that two brand-new, built from scratch houses will debut, or it will be more of what we saw when the event transformed into the Haunt (as in, every attraction was renamed and had more blood thrown on it).

As it stands, though, here's my thoughts on what I think could be new this year:

Maze 1 - Doll Factory. The one maze people have been clamoring for for years now. Rumors are strong that it will finally come to Kings Island, but no one is for certain that it will. The question is where to put it. I had assumed that it would replace CarnEvil as that was rumored to be gone, but the recent tweet from the park negates this. I really want to see a house being put in Peanuts Playhouse, and a Doll Factory maze would fit perfectly in the area, so to speak.

Maze 2 - Undecided. The infamous Trail of Terror is without a home now. That's a massive amount of props, costumes, and cast of talent to look into. Obviously the cast can or will be moved into a new house. But, for me, it's up in the air as to what the particular theme will be. A slight retheme is possible for TOT if they decide to put it in another neck of the woods, with a Camp Kiluae/Gonnagetcha as the main contender for me (perhaps even replacing either CornStalkers or Tombstone Terrortory). Either that, or all of its props will be scattered throughout the park and other attractions, and a new maze is erected someplace else. Death Row's possible removal also begs the question of whether or not something will go in its place, or if X-Base will be the only area of the park without a Haunt maze. As it stands, no noticeable construction has been reported about areas not ordinarily housing mazes being prepped for that occasion (such as Action Theater, Stunt Crew Grill, and SBNO's station), so we're left with prior maze locations.

Fear Zone - Planet Snoopy. Although their use of the term is very vague. Originally, it was used to describe outdoor attractions that didn't require one to wait in line (CornStalkers and worksite up until mid-2006), but they were quickly made to include queue lines. Thus, the term was no longer needed. Recently, however, people have coined the phrase to describe the themed areas that the roamers/creepers reside in (Coney, Action Zone, & Rivertown), yet they aren't included in the attraction lineup list. If the term is being used for the big areas, then PS is the most likely candidate, as it's the last patch of land not currently overrun by monsters. Using this area as a zone is also needed if Peanuts Playhouse is to hold an attraction this year. Unfortunately, this could also mean they're roping all roamers and creepers to one single area, specifically a long stretch of road that isn't used all too often by a majority of guests (think Halloweekends' Fright Zone). The path from Dodgems to the Floral Clock comes to mind.

The one other thing that has me perplexed is that a few other Cedar Fair Haunts are getting a fairly large overhaul. Kings Dominion is rumored to get three new scare zones, a few new shows, and two new attractions of their own (although one is proposed to be a redesign of their CornStalkers maze). Carowinds is also rumored to be receiving a major overhaul, with several attractions getting axed from the lineup. I would say the same could be said for us as well, but the KI blog says we still have 12 attractions, so the idea of our event getting downsized is out of the question. Though to be honest, I'd prefer five to six really good haunts as opposed to ten to twelve mediocre ones.

but when rethinking what i posted the sight says they have 12 attractions, not that they have 12 mazes so they could have 10 mazes and there normal 2 shows which would be a big downfall to ki for me and i would also be the downfall of my excitment for Halloween Haunt this year.

[RingMaster]

but when rethinking what i posted the sight says they have 12 attractions, not that they have 12 mazes so they could have 10 mazes and there normal 2 shows which would be a big downfall to ki for me and i would also be the downfall of my excitment for Halloween Haunt this year.

They've never roped the shows in with the houses to increase their Haunt count. Which is kinda stupid, because if they add in the two shows and three zones with the roaming monsters, that's 19 total attractions right there. That's even more bragging rights they could pull by saying they're the largest haunted event on the eastern side of the US.

[upstop]

They could use the Rivertown Arcade for a maze or a tent between the Crypt and Beast (behind the fence.)

How about this idea. Reverse the direction of Tombstone Terrortory back to the train area, board the train back to Boomarang Bay for another attraction, and a train ride back to the picnic grove for another attraction that exits between the log ride and rollercoaster in Planet Snoopy. (I know.... far reaching but would definitely be worth the wait!)

[CoasterGeek101]

Yeah, maybe Boomerang Bay could be a scare zone with an outdoor maze? Probably not, but a thought..........

[google13]

when i went to Kings Island when it was know as fearfest it was in my mind didnt they use the back of the arcade in coney mall as a haunt, you know where you enter the x base and theres the two gates on both sides