History of the Haunt

[Guest TombraiderTy]

This is similar to my

Lion Country Safari Spotlight that I shared in March, so if you haven't already, be sure to check it out.

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Anyhow, a brief explanation of what this is... I find Kings Island history interesting and I love Halloween. Combine the two with Kings Island's Halloween Haunt now being in its twelfth year and, well, you get something like this. This is the product of a bit too much time and quite an interest in the event, but hopefully some people here find it interesting and informative

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All years, including 2011, are written in past tense. Pictures are taken from miscellaneous websites and Kings Island's official facebook, alongside select ones being from my own personal collection.

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Any questions or comments, feel free to post. Also, if you have any photos for an attraction(s) that's currently lacking any (cough 2000's FearFest cough), feel free to share.

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Alrighty, that's about it. Enjoy

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2000

The inaugural year for Paramount's Kings Island's FearFest. Debuted Friday, September 29 and ran for fourteen nights through October 31. According to PKI's executive vice president and general manager Tim V. Fisher, "This will be the largest and scariest haunted experience in the Midwest." Various "mazes" and attractions, all designed by Sudden Impact! Entertainment Company, were announced for the event. Several other minor attractions were also present, alongside a limited selection of the park's thrill rides. Full list, including quotes from UltimateRollerCoaster.com press report:

• Torture Tower (On Eiffel Tower) - Guests took an elevator to the 265-foot platform, where they would experience "wind howling through the bars of the tower" and encounter a "world filled with scenes of terror and torture including an electrocution." According to an online review of the event, the top of the tower also featured a mad scientist lab, a "wheel of death" and a performer who produced sparks with a cattle prod (similar to what is currently found in Massacre Manor)
  
• The Freezer (Beneath Eiffel Tower) - Reportedly the only true “maze” of the event, The Freezer was “FearFest’s coolest attraction” and was a stainless steel meat locker filled with mirrors and “crammed with corpses, crazed prisoners and ghouls.”
  
• Pirate Jack & the Legend of Halloween in 4-D (Paramount Theater Backstage) - Comic-book style, black-light maze. Centered around characters “Pirate Jack with his cronies Feer, Dowt and Worrry” and told the “tale of Halloween in horrific 4-D”. Featured “a combination of 3-D effects and the use of sets, special lighting and atmospheric illusion.” 3D glasses were available for an upcharge.
  
• The Sewer in 4-D (New York Nightmare, aka Festhaus) - Black-light maze with a spinning tunnel and “toxic waste and a host of bizarre creatures.” 3D glasses were available for an upcharge of $1.
  
• The Mummy's Revenge (Enchanted Theater) - A “claustrophobic journey through the catacombs of a ruin where the Mummy is [brought] back to life in search of revenge.” Included performers and themeing in the queue.
  
• Museum of Horrors (Phantom Theater) - A renovation of the family-friendly Phantom Theater into a gory and gruesome attraction. Additional props and performers were added through-out the attraction, as were moments of darkness and a change in operating procedures – only ½ of the cars were loaded to increase the distance between riders. While some scenes were intensified, others were simply covered with black scrim. The attraction's music was also switched-out to a different soundtrack.
  
• Club Studio Fifty-Gore (New York Nightmare) - Dance-club like environment with music and miscellaneous arcade games.
  
• Freak Show (Paramount Theater) - A short film, approximately six minutes. At least on certain nights, a fire juggler was featured prior to the movie.
  

Pirate Jack, often considered the "mascot" of FearFest 2000

Action Zone's thrill rides (King Cobra, Top Gun, Drop Zone, Face/Off and Son of Beast) were also open during the night.

The event featured a separate admission price of $19.99 ($17.99 when bought at the park alongside daily admission, $16.99 for season pass holders). Parking was $7.

Due to the separate admission price, Kings Island would need to divide the daytime guests from the FearFest guests on Saturday nights. In order to do this, wristbands were issued to FearFest participants. Once FearFest started for the night, guests were required to have a wristband in order to experience any of the rides or mazes. Also, in order to avoid a massive mess at the park entrance, daytime guests were directed out through the former season pass entrance while FearFest guests entered via the standard entrance.

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Advertisement in 2000 park map

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On Fridays and Saturdays, FearFest ran 8pm-12am. On select Thursdays and the weekdays leading up to Halloween, the hours were 8pm-11pm.

2001

FearFest underwent major changes in 2001. Sudden Impact! Entertainment Company did not assist in the design or creation of the attractions, leading to a brand new list of haunted houses and trails. Outside of standard thrill rides, the majority of the event was shifted from International Street / Hanna Barbera to "Coney Maul".

• Circus of Horrors 3D (Festhaus) - A black-light maze with a spinning tunnel and an extensive usage of clowns.
  

• House of Darkness (Rock Shop Building) - The standard haunted house maze.
  
• Curse of the Crypt (Back of Arcade) - A dark and claustrophobic haunted house themed to the classic Egyptian tails of mummies and pharaohs. The attraction's entrance was at the spot of the current Plate Break game.
  
• Maze of Madness (Red Barn) - Originally to be named "The Morgue", prior to sensitivity concerns. A chain-link fence and mirror maze with loud noises and nauseating effects. Guests entered the attraction at the end of the building facing Racer.
  
• Trail of Terror (North Woods) - A dark pathway that twisted through Kings Island's woods. Featured zombies and other characters. Apparently had a minor back-story involving missing campers. During the attraction, visitors were required to hold onto a yellow "safety-rope" that linked all guests together.
  
• Elvira's Superstition (Paramount Action FX Theater) - A simulator attraction that took guests through Elvira's "Scream Park"
  
• Sleepy Hollow (Pathway from Vortex to Beast) - A foggy pathway with various monsters
  

The list of thrill rides expanded with Xtreme Skyflyer, Days of Thunder, Adventure Express, Racer, Flight of Fear, Vortex and The Beast, alongside everything from 2001.

The event was still an additional cost - $24.99 at the gate ($18.99 for season pass holders), $19.99 in advance ($16.99 for season pass holders). It ran for a total of eight nights from 8pm-1am.

2002

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FearFest returned for its third year with two "new" attractions.

• WEBN Celebrity Slaughter (International Showplace) - A nightly show where "your not-so-favorite celebrities, and possibly your 'friends,' come to their demise at the bloody hands of a demented DJ," according to the 2001 FearFest website.
  
• Psycho Path (North Woods) - An upgrade to the former Trail of Terror
  

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Returning attractions were Circus of Horrors 3D, House of Darkness, Curse of the Crypt, Maze of Madness and Elvira's Superstition. Sleepy Hollow apparently did not return.

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The available thrill rides remained the same from the year before, only minus King Cobra and plus Tomb Raider: The Ride.

Tickets were available at the park for $21.99 at the Return Visit Booth. The event again ran for eight nights from 8pm-1am.

2003

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FearFest dropped its extra admission fee in 2003 and expanded with two "new" attractions.

• Route 666 (Antique Cars) - An abandoned highway in which guests were able to drive through miscellaneous sets and scenes
  

• Curse of the Crypt (Back of Arcade) - A renovation of the pre-existing attraction. The entrance was presumably switched from the Coney Mall midway to between the Arcade and Racer this year, reducing the crowds on the path
  

Returning attractions were Circus of Horrors 3D, House of Darkness, Maze of Madness, Psycho Path and Elvira's Superstition. WEBN Celebrity Slaughter did not return.

The majority of the thrill rides, alongside many family rides, were made available during the event. This trend has continued since with the children's area and select family attractions typically shutting-down at a designated time.

Now that the haunted attractions were included with park admission, select indoor haunted houses were able to open at 3pm. The outdoor attractions (alongside Circus of Horrors 3D) opened at 8pm. FearFest ran for five Saturday nights, closing at midnight.

Additional FearFest 2003 Photos

2004

The park added three new attractions.

• Friday the 13th (Paramount Theater) - A montage of some of the bloodiest and goriest moments from the Friday the 13th franchise
  

• Sleepy Hollow Horror (Temporary Tent) - Built in a temporary tent near the back of Eiffel Tower, Sleepy Hollow Horror took visitors to the 1700s and into a creepy farmhouse.
  

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• Dracula's Haunted Castle (Paramount Action FX Theater) - A simulator attraction that transported visitors on a thrill ride through a haunted castle
  

Returning attractions were Circus of Horrors 3D, House of Darkness, Maze of Madness, Psycho Path and Curse of the Crypt. Elvira's Superstition did not return, having been replaced by Dracula's Haunted Castle.

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FearFest 2004 Entrance Display

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Curse of the Crypt entrance

Like before, select indoor haunted houses opened at 3pm. Other attractions opened at 4pm, 7pm or 8pm, depending on location. FearFest ran for five Saturday nights, closing at midnight.

Midway through the event, a section of Psycho Path caught fire. The cause was unknown and the attraction was temporarily shut-down, but it later reopened.

Additional FearFest 2004 Photos

[Guest TombraiderTy]

2005

The park added five new "attractions", alongside returning a former one.

• The Curse of Sleepy Hollow (Rivertown) - An overlay for all of Rivertown, featuring the Headless Horseman
  

• CornSTALKERS (Pathway between Italian Job and Swan Lake) - A scare-zone populated by evil scarecrows that ruled the overgrown ruins of the Van Tassel Farm. Included an abundance of mannequin scarecrows and performers, creating a "what's real?" dilemma for park guests
  

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• Headless Hollow (KI & MV Railroad and White Water Canyon Exit) - A nighttime train ride that led into a walk through the dark forest. Featured the Headless Horseman and various other creatures. Midway through the trip, the train would supposedly "break down" and guests were required to make the trek back to civilization.
  

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• R.L. Stine Fear Street Nights (Rock Shop Building) - A haunted house with inspiration from horror writer R.L. Stine. Featured many similarities to the former House of Darkness.
  

• Elvira's Superstition (Paramount Action FX Theater) - Same attraction as 2001-2003. The queue included props and pieces from two defunct rides - Antique Cars and Phantom Theater.
  

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• Massacre Manor (Temporary Tent) - The former Sleepy Hollow Horror under a new name.
  

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• The Gauntlet (Pathway near Sling Shot) - A very minor scare-zone added several weeks into FearFest. Consisted of bloody sheets suspended from walls and a collection of cargo netting.
  

Returning attractions were Circus of Horrors 3D, Maze of Madness, Psycho Path and Friday the 13th. House of Darkness was replaced by R.L. Stine Fear Street Nights. Curse of the Crypt did not return.

FearFest ran for 9 nights in 2004.

Additional FearFest 2005 Photos - KIC

Additional FearFest 2005 Photos - KIE

[Guest TombraiderTy]

2006

Various new shows and scare-zones were added in 2006, but no new mazes or trails.

• The Worksite (Pathway near Sling Shot, later relocated to pathway between International Street and Coney Mall) - A construction themed scare-zone featuring standard worksite equipment - cones, scaffolding and more. Initially a very small, minor attraction in front of Sling Shot, later heavily expanded and relocated to nearby Italian Job: Stunt Track.
  

Original location of The Worksite

Later location of The Worksite

Later location of The Worksite

Later location of The Worksite

• Holiday Horror ("Circle" Outside Zephyr) - A Christmas-themed scare-zone with meet-and-greet opportunities and some twisted themeing. Included a drinking/smoking Santa Claus and a collection of demented elves. The scare-zone was decorated with recycled Winterfest props, including snowmen, wreaths and garland.
  

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• Scream Street (Paramount Story) - An attraction added later into the event. Scream Street was a simple foggy area with minimal themeing and chainsaw welding maniacs
  

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• FearFest Hauncert Series (Temporary Stage in Action Zone) - Various local bands performing on every Saturday night (performances by The Truth, Close to Home, Motion Sick and The Machine)
  

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• Heckle & Howl (Near Starbucks) - A comical and offensive show in which a witch or werewolf would mock and insult park guests. Utilized the house from Winterfest's Scrooge's House.
  

• Monster Bash (Paramount Theater) - A song and dance show featuring classic monsters and Halloween music
  

• The Asylum (Red Barn) - The former Maze of Madness under a new name with a minor rethemeing
  

• Cowboy Carnage (Rivertown Mining Company) - The former Massacre Manor under a new name and relocated further into Rivertown. Also underwent a slight rethemeing
  

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Cowboy Carnage during FearFest set-up

• Massacre Manor (Rock Shop Building) - The former R.L. Stine Fear Street Nights under a new name and without the affiliation to the horror writer
  

• Fear Feast (WINGS Diner) - An all-you-can-eat buffet with a scary theme
  

Midway through 2006's FearFest, when The Worksite was relocated, a new operating policy was instituted for CornSTALKERS and The Worksite. Instead of treating the attractions as scare-zones (where guests were free to walk through without needing to queue), the decision was made to convert them into miniature trails. This meant that both major pathways became one-way walking routes that required waiting in line to experience.

Returning attractions were Circus of Horrors 3D, Psycho Path, CornSTALKERS and Elvira's Superstition. The Curse of Sleepy Hollow overlay for Rivertown and Friday the 13th did not return.

Circus of Horrors 3D was moved from Festhaus to Enchanted Theater.

FearFest 2006 Entrance Display

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Phantom Theater characters, alongside ride vehicles from Phantom Theater and King Cobra, were displayed outside the park's entrance. Tombstones with defunct attractions and their years of operation were scattered around International Street.

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The park also featured "FearFest Souvenir Trailer" near Zephyr and "Coffin & Monster Photos" in Coney Mall.

Additional FearFest 2006 Photos - KIC

Additional Monster Bash Photos - KIC

Additional FearFest 2006 Photos - KIE

[Guest TombraiderTy]

2007

The event is renamed Halloween Haunt. Several changes and additions were made.

• Club Blood (Club Blood Building) - A haunted house themed to a nightclub run by vampires. The attraction featured various sexual themes and mature material.
  

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• Dead Awakening (International Showplace) - A graphic and adult-orientated music video style show that followed a young girl's evolving nightmare. The song list included pop music with such artists as Britney Spears.
  

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• Torture Chamber (Kings Island Theater) - A "freak show" of sorts featuring The Great Baldini. Stunts included hammering a nail into the nose and lifting weights with eyelids.
  

• The Cemetery (Tower Gardens) - An expansion upon the former Scream Street
  

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• Tombstone Terror-tory (KI & MV Railroad and White Water Canyon Exit) - The former Headless Hollow under a new name with a slight rethemeing
  

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• Death Row (Red Barn) - The former The Asylum under a new name
  

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2007 continued below

[Guest TombraiderTy]

Continued from above

Trail of Terror (North Woods) - The former Psycho Path under a new name

• Red Beard's Revenge (Rivertown Mining Company) - The former Cowboy Carnage under a new name and with a slight retheming
  

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Photo from 2008

• CarnEVIL (Enchanted Theater) - The former Circus of Horrors 3D under a new name.
  

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• The Wasteland (Action Zone) - A scare-zone located around Action Zone's water tower. Featured heavy fog and miscellaneous props, including several large aliens. Also included new banners on all the signs around the tower.
  

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Returning attractions were The Worksite, Massacre Manor, Elvira's Superstition and CornSTALKERS. Monster Bash was replaced by Torture Chamber. Heckle & Howl's "house" was repurposed as queue-line entertainment for Trail of Terror and, therefore, Heckle & Howl did not return. Fear Feast did not return, but WINGS Diner remained open during the event. Holiday Horror and FearFest Hauncert Series did not return.

The Worksite was expanded with more props than the previous year.

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Halloween Haunt 2007 Entrance Display

The park featured various displays around the park that utilized former ride props and parts. Former Son of Beast and Phantom Theater cars were used outside the park while Phantom Theater characters were placed throughout Coney Mall.

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The park held "Bare Bone Nights", a collection of evenings during the week that the park was open for Halloween Haunt. The number of available attractions was severely limited to only Club Blood, Massacre Manor, Death Row, CarnEVIL, and Red Beard's Revenge, alongside seven thrill rides - Drop Zone, Delirium, Flight of Fear, Firehawk, Italian Job, Vortex and Beast.

Additional Halloween Haunt 2007 Photos - KIC

Additional Dead Awakening Photos - KIC

Additional Torture Chamber Photos - KIC

Additional Halloween Haunt 2007 Photos - KIE

[Guest TombraiderTy]

2008

The park added very few new attractions in 2008.

• Urgent Scare (Action Theater) - A highly-detailed haunted house with a thorough backstory revolving around the fictitious Magnum Energy Drinks. The attraction took place within a hospital overrun by zombies and featured both indoor and outdoor parts, combining to amount to 3,666 square feet of attraction.
  

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• Ghouls Gone Wild (Festhaus) - A song and dance show that featured classic monsters and rock 'n' roll music.
  

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• Cemetery Drive (Tower Gardens) - A simple renaming of the former The Cemetery. Utilized the template of the former Torture Chamber attraction for its new logo. During Haunt preparations, the signage on this attraction still identified it as "The Cemetery", suggesting the rename was a late decision.
  

Returning attractions were Club Blood, Dead Awakening, Tombstone Terror-tory, Death Row, Trail of Terror, Red Beard's Revenge, CarnEVIL, The Worksite, Massacre Manor and CornSTALKERS. Elvira's Superstition was replaced by Urgent Scare. Torture Chamber did not return.

CornSTALKERS was relocated to Action Zone and placed between Congo Falls and Timberwolf.

Haunt 2008 Entrance Display

Phantom Theater characters, props and ride vehicles were placed on and around the International Street Bandstand. The former Parking Lot Tram was placed in front of the park's entrance and decorated with skeletons.

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Additional Dead Awakening Photos - KIC

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Additional Halloween Haunt 2008 Photos - KIC

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Additional Halloween Haunt 2008 Photos - KIE

-Additional Halloween Haunt 2008 Preparation Photos - KIC

2009

Halloween Haunt 2009 was the center of controversy when the park announced two details for the year's Haunt - first, that live animals would be featured in the new Slaughterhouse attraction. Second, a display of skeletons in the park would depict the deaths of various celebrities, including Steve McNair. Following public outcry, both features were pulled prior to the event's debut.

• Slaughterhouse (Stunt Crew Grill​) - A butcher shop staffed by maniacs who find pleasure in slaughtering humans.
  

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• Hot Blooded (International Showplace) - A new show that featured suggestive dance moves, mature songs and sexual costumes, alongside 80's rock music and a vampire theme. The show also featured various special effects including pyrotechnics, water effects and a zipline.
  

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• Cut-Throat Cove (Outer Hanks) - Utilizing sets and props from the former Red Beard's Revenge, Cut-Throat Cove was an outdoor "house" with the classic pirates theme. It also utilized Viking Fury's exit ramp as its queue line.
  

Returning attractions were Urgent Scare, Ghouls Gone Wild, Cemetery Drive, Club Blood, Tombstone Terror-tory, Death Row, Trail of Terror, CarnEVIL, Massacre Manor and CornSTALKERS. Dead Awakening was replaced by Hot Blooded. Red Beard's Revenge was transformed into Cut-Throat Cove. The Worksite did not return.

Urgent Scare now featured an "on-ride photo" at the beginning. CornSTALKERS was reversed so that visitors would enter near Invertigo.

[Guest TombraiderTy]

2010

Two new attractions were added to Halloween Haunt in 2010.

• Wolf Pack (Son of Beast Station) - A haunted house that toured guests through a forest and into a creepy cabin, avoiding the werewolves that stalked them. Included an on-ride photo at the start.
  

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• Half-Pint Brawlers (Festhaus) - Midget wrestling with an excessive amount of blood. Featured ring-side seating for an additional $10.
  

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Returning attractions were Slaughterhouse, Hot Blooded, Cut-Throat Cove, Urgent Scare, Cemetery Drive, Club Blood, Tombstone Terror-tory, Death Row, Trail of Terror, CarnEVIL, Massacre Manor and CornSTALKERS. Ghouls Gone Wild continued performances during the day, but ceased showings during the Haunt hours.

Urgent Scare's on-ride photo was moved from the beginning of the house to the end. Club Blood received a new sign. The Beast was "hauntified" with the addition of fog and a "beast" monster.

Halloween Haunt 2010 Entrance Display (via KI facebook)

2011

The most recent year for Halloween Haunt and a decent-sized one in terms of expansion.

• Holiday Horror (Peanuts Playhouse) - A haunted house themed to miscellaneous holidays, including Christmas, Halloween and St. Patrick's Day. Included an "on-ride photo" at the start.
  

• Nightmare Alley (Planet Snoopy) - A new scare-zone populated by carnival freaks
  

• Mysteria (Red Barn) - A rename and rethemeing of the former Death Row. Featured new lighting effects and an extensive use of Morphsuits.
  

• Fright Lane - Not an actual attraction, but instead a new service available to park guests. For an extra fee, visitors were able to shorten their wait for every haunted house/trail.
  

Returning attractions were Club Blood, Wolf Pack, Slaughterhouse, Cut-Throat Cove, Massacre Manor, Urgent Scare, Tombstone Terror-tory, CarnEVIL, Hot Blooded and Half-Pint Brawlers. Trail of Terror did not return.

Boo Blasters on Boo Hill remained open during the event and received at least four actors hidden through-out the ride and exit. Cemetery Drive was expanded from Tower Gardens to all of International Street as part of a new scare-zone. Included in this was a minor new attraction, "Buried Alive", with an upcharge of $5. CornSTALKERS was relocated to Tower Gardens. Urgent Scare lost its outdoor segment and its on-ride photo. Club Blood received a new paint job.

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2012

A new haunted house and several new scare zones were added, as was a new dining experience and a new show.

• Madame Fatale's Cavern of Terror (The Crypt) - A wax museum style haunted house. Utilized various props from Phantom Theater and The Crypt. On-ride photo included at beginning.
  

• Madame Fatale's Dead Inn Feast (The Crypt) - A unique dining experience hosted before the start of Haunt and housed in the former antechamber / preshow rooms of The Crypt.
  

• Nightmare Alley (Pathway between International Street and Action Zone) - A generic scare zone with an extensive use of eyeballs.
  
• Freak Street (Planet Snoopy) - A new name for 2011's Nightmare Alley.
  
• Grimm Blvd. (Action Zone) - A steam punk fairy tale style scare zone
  
• Death Drums (Action Zone Water Tower) - A unique music show.
  

Returning attractions were Slaughterhouse, Club Blood, Wolf Pack, Cut-Throat Cove, Massacre Manor, Mysteria, Urgent Scare, CornSTALKERS, Tombstone Terror-tory, CarnEVIL, Holiday Horror, Cemetery Drive, and Hot Blooded. Half-Pint Brawlers did not return, enabling Graveyard Shift to be performed during Haunt hours. Cut-Throat Cove was reversed, placing the entrance near Sling Shot and allowing Viking Fury to remain open at night. The queue was reworked for Tombstone Terror-tory so that guests would enter through the White Water Canyon entrance.

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So yep. I may get around to editing and expanding this, but that's the basics right there

Hope you enjoyed; feel free to leave a question or comment.

[bkroz]

Incredible! I didn't know about the Bare Bones nights. Very cool. Thanks so much!

[LongliveKingsCobra]

Wow. You did quite well! I enjoyed this! I remember all of the houses and wish KI contiuned having a central Monster like Jack...

Really good!

[Captain Nemo]

Very well done!

Does anyone know the year they began having the fog throughout the park?

[IndyGuy4KI]

Very well done!

Does anyone know the year they began having the fog throughout the park?

Is this to inform yourself or do you know and want us to guess? I want to say 2005, but I do not actually remember!

[kingsrattler]

This Is amazing. It's always nice reading KI history. Thanks for putting it together.

[teenageninja]

I would just like to note that Dracula's Haunted Castle in 2004 was by far the worst haunt attraction ever put in to the park. At one point it had a 2 hour line, people booed, people threatened associates. It was very very bad. Talk about incentive to not bring that back! Urgent Scare has done much better in Action Theatre "Side B".

[RailRider]

Torture Tower was great, as I have said before, but a logistical nighmare.

House of Darkness was always a favorite, especially for stretches of darkness.

I really enjoyed the transformation of Rivertown in to Sleepy Hollow and the various attractions there, especially in 2005.

Anyone remember the first year the deuce 1/2 and other military hardware sitting around by the tower? I always thought that gave the tower a very secret military base feel.

Great history timeline thanks for sharing.

[Delirium13]

Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to put that together!!!

[standbyme]

Ty, what can I say...as always very nice work. I can't imagine how much time this all took to put together.

Seeing all of this year by year reminds me of how much this event has changed...some for the good and some bad. I still have the fondest memories of the first couple of years. The campground still existed and we always rented a cabin. It was good times to take the tram back to the campground after Fearfest was over and sit by a fire with hot chocolate & roast marshmallows.

I do have photos of the first (cough) Fearfest...but they all pretty much have family & friends in the shots which I never like to post. (Back then I was still using a 35 MM camera...so I took photos sparingly.)

Thanks again for taking the time to put all of this together!

[Avatar]

Outstanding, awesome, stunning, impressive, magnificent, astonishing, overwhelming and stupefy are just a few words that come to mind to describe your effort and history detail of this KI Halloween events. Thank you for taking the time to share with us TY!!!

To everyone else, if you can relate to any of the words above in relation to TombraiderTY efforts or to describe your enjoyment of his report. Then please take a moment to click "Like This" on one of his posts above.

[LongLiveTheSmurfRide]

Wasn't there a year where Cornstalkers had a fire incident one night?

This was back when it was in the path between The Beast and Eiffel Tower. I seem to remember being there and it was closed off with some emergency vehicles and there was a rumor going around that something had caught fire. Am I making that up?

[standbyme]

^It had to of happened at least once because I was there when they had a fire...it didn't seem to be anything major though.

[standbyme]

To everyone else, if you can relate to any of the words above in relation to TombraiderTY efforts or to describe your enjoyment of his report. Then please take a moment to click "Like This" on one of his posts above.

I couldn't agree more. This topic has been viewed over 300 times and only about 10 people have bothered to leave a reply.

I am sure that hours of work went into this post and I don't think it is too much to ask to show a little appreciation.

(Ok, lecture over, class dismissed!)

[PKIVortex]

An interesesting note to Torture Tower, we had to have a ride op on top of the tower where the haunt was, guarding the stairs, which the gate was unlocked incase of an emergency. The cool part about that, the ride op had to go thru makeup, and was used as part of the haunt.

[faeriewench]

Great...a image of me.

Other than that, pretty cool.

[XGatorHead 8904]

Thank you so much for putting this together Ty! Given my long association with the park both as a guest and employee, I'm a sucker for park history. I'm lucky enough to have been around this event from the beginning, only missing out on two years of it ('05 & '06).

Those early years of FearFest were fun. There was a very small crew of us (me and 2 others) that were responsible for going through the mazes before they opened to the public to clean up any loose articles that might be in them and to vaccuum them out. I'll always remember going through The Sewer and Pirate Jack's during the day of Opening Day to pick up loose nails/screws that the construction crews had left behind, and marvelling that we were actually doing a haunted event. I had always loved haunted houses and to actually combine that in a place I loved was sheer joy for me.

We very quickly learned the best way to route people out the old season pass gate. And then there was one night, I believe it was the 2nd or 3rd Saturday that first year, I had taken the night off to go to my friend's bachelor party. At about 3:30am, I got a message on my pager from some coworkers (no, I will not confirm my exact location where I was when I got it... we'll just leave it at "bachelor party" ) that they were still there counting money, and that they had had numerous people from the admin office out selling tickets from aprons it was that busy. The next day we got word that NO ONE from that point on was allowed to be off during a FearFest night (so I subsequently missed my friends' wedding a few weeks later).

I'll also always remember being on the cleaning crew the following years too, especially walking through Trail of Terror in the daylight it's first year and running into the "spiderwebs" hanging from the trees. I saw that it was fishing line, but didn't tell the other person about it. She walked through and started freaking out, thinking she was actually walking through spiderwebs. And then there was the time where I was vaccuuming Curse of the Crypt in the Coney games building. I knew nothing at the time about pressure pads (pads that, when stepped on, start something in motion). I was walking through trying to find an outlet for the vaccuum, and all of a sudden a mummy popped out at me. I jumped and quickly learned that those little bumps on the floor were there for a reason.

From Day 1 of FearFest I was yearning to work in one of the houses. I always loved scaring people... just ask Mrs. Gator about the year the first Scream movie came out and how I got her when she was home alone, and the older neighborhood kids my neighbor and I used to gang up on during Halloween. But for those first 5 years I was "stuck" at the front gate because of the position I then held at the park. But then my whole world changed October 28th, 2004, and in 2008 after a little debate with myself I decided to make a return to the park for Haunt. I was lucky enough to be The Bouncer at Club Blood that year, and I had sooo much fun. In 2009 I made the switch to Slaughter House, where you can find Sam the Butcher now.

I can say without a doubt that working Haunt is the most fun job I've ever had. Yes, it's physically exhausting, can take a toll on your voice and I wake up with my body aching the next day, but it is so worth all of that.

[Bennett]

Awesome pics! Thanks for posting all this. Very cool, informative, as I was not aware of most of this.

[standbyme]

Gator thanks for sharing your memories!

[CoasterGeek101]

GREAT job summing up the history of haunt! Thanks for doing that! It was fun to read. I have a few pics for 2011, should I PM them to you?

[MDMC01]

TombRaiderTy, this is impressive; thanks for putting this together. I always enjoy a little Kings Island history and especially enjoyed reading about the 2000 attractions as I haven't been able to find much information from FearFest's first year. Again, thank you.

[beastfan11]

Very nice, sir. Thank you so much for sharing. You really brought back some great memories from the first few years I experienced Fearfest. Ahhh. Good times!

[rotag]

a thread that i musta overlooked before...

i started to visit haunt in 2007 & it was nice to have worked in urgent scare back in 2009 (met alot of cool people that way ). wanted to return but i found someplace else to make others tremble in fear. nice lesson in history of the haunt.

[TromaKing]

This is an awesome thread. Thank you very much for posting it.

I have been with Haunt since 2006. I have so many great memories. I can still remember my very first interview for the Haunt. They were going to place me in the saw in the final room off Massacre Manor. Lucky for me I was moved and became the cage boy for 3 year. This is where I was for the bare bones nights. Those were horrible for anyone over 18 after 10PM I believe it was. There were nights where Massacre Manor had I believe 5 actors in the full house. Luckily the park would be dead by that time but I would find myself running through the house getting the few groups multiple times. My personal record for 1 groups was scaring in 7 different locations.

In 2009 when Slaughter House opened I decided it was time for something new. I became the car room guy. Oh for those of you asking why there is a car in the middle of the house, well it is actually pretty simple, the room is supposed to be an alley and the car is for making deliveries. Oh also he is not Christine, he is pleasantly know as Cledus to the Slaughter House family. Each year in Slaughter has been memorable for different reason. 2009 the animal thing. If you ever worked on a farm you know the loving smell that piggies and goat give off when in a barn like atmosphere. I can remember the day after the pics got leaked out and channel 5 ran with the story like it was yesterday. No I was not the one that leaked the pics. I do remember sitting in Paramount Theater for what seemed like hours with the supervisor at the time going off about how disappointed he was with us. 2010 I have to say has been my favorite year with Haunt. In 2010 Mama was unleashed on the public. Slaughter House started taking the family theme to a whole new level. There where so many great scares. 2011 everyone knew the works from Slaughter mostly because we truely were the most rambunctious loud family or house which ever you prefer at all of Haunt. This was the only year where almost everyone that was there night one was there on the last night and every night in between.

I have loved every moment of Haunt and plan to have many more memories created.