BoddaH1994 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Here is my rundown of Haunt 2012. What is a “must see” and what’s a “skip.” These are in order from the weakest to the strongest: Mysteria – This maze is more confusing than scary. I’m not going to dignify it with a large critique, but I’ll just say that it can be skipped. Tombstone Territory – You have to wait in line to ride the train… then you have to wait in line to walk through White Water Canyon’s exit. This maze is unoriginal and uninspiring. It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t such a pain in the butt to do (waiting in too lines) but this one is a skip. CornStalkers – For some reason they put this in the Tower Gardens and nixed The Cemetery. It keeps coming back in different locations every year and every year is even lazier than the previous. I walked through CornStalkers after a rain storm and it smelled really bad too. It’s not exactly Mysteria bad, but it’s pretty bad. Cut Throat Cove – This maze was ok-at-best when it debuted and hasn’t really changed since its inception. I’m not going to go as far as saying you should skip it, but I’m going to advise against waiting and hour for it. Graveyard Shift – Rebooting a show that won an IAAPA award 10 years ago seemed like a good idea on paper, but I think the show is really stale. The performers – as always – are astounding and the lighting for the show gives it a big production feel, but the song lineup is extremely stale and the set is boring. It’s not a bad show, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the other shows we’ve seen from Haunt. Urgent Scare – This maze has been missing something since its first year. Don’t get me wrong – the “hospital” is VERY well-done, but every year they put a lot less effort into it. The first year, they had a whole scene in the outside queue – which went away after that year, and this year the last outside section was gone. They tried to imply that “Magnum Energy Drink” was responsible for the virus, but didn’t really follow through with the storyline… and then entirely nixed it after the first year. I’d say this one is worth going through. It’s not going to change your life, but it is fun. Massacre Manor – I’ve always liked this maze because it’s your typical haunted house. Again – it’s not groundbreaking, but it’s definitely a fun maze to walk through. That’s why it makes it on the “must do” list for me. Slaughter House – A butcher-themed maze can easy be really bad, but this one seems to work. It’s actually relatively long too. Some of the meat scenes are gross, but that’s the point, right? I’m particularly fond of the part when you get “pooped out” in the end. They don’t say it, but you know what they imply with the tight hallway. J CarnEvil – There’s something about this maze that I just totally love. A clown maze is another one that could be horribly stale, but I don’t think this one is. It has a lot of neat 3D-ish effects and some interesting twists. It’s a must-do! Holiday Horror- I know many of you might disagree with this maze, but I find it both creative and fun. It’s a must-do for Haunt and hasn’t dropped off in the least since its inception last year. My favorite part is the 4th of July scene with the house on fire. That’s just funny. Wolf Pack – How the hell did this make it so high up on the list? It launched a few years ago as a token werewolf maze, but was completely rebooted this year. They have a ton of sections that really make you feel like your treading through the woods. If you haven’t done it this year then you simply must! Club Blood – Club Blood is awesome all around. It’s unique, it’s creative, it’s witty, and it’s edgy. It’s been around for a half-decade but still holds its place as a staple for Halloween Haunt. Hot Blooded – I don’t care what anybody says – this show is amazing. I’ll let Kirk handle giving you a biography of all of the performers, but in my opinion it has one of the strongest casts that Kings Island has ever had. Every time I see this show (which is often) I find something else I like about it. This year it has been drawing standing room only crowds, which I think is awesome and well-deserved. The Showplace, though…. Boy does it need a new sound system. Last night, they had two people running sound, which helped, but it still doesn’t do justice to the performers. This is a must see, and has been for years. Blood Drums – Talk about a show that goes over well. How can you go wrong with people beating on stuff and fire? From what I understand, Cedar Fair has done this show at several parks for Haunt, and I imagine it works well at all of them. I’m not going to go as far as saying that it’s a better show than Hot Blooded, but it gets a slight bump because it’s new this year. Check it out! Madam Fatal’s Cavern of Terror – The problem that I’ve always had with the Haunt mazes was a lack of effort. This one is a true exception. You can tell a lot of time and money has been put into this one. It’s extremely long, creative, and of a quality that we haven’t seen until now. They really set the bar high, in my opinion. Let’s just hope that future additions live up to this must-see attraction. I know that a lot of people have griped about the $47 price tag associated wiith the meal that you can eat in the maze, but everyone I’ve talked to who has done it has said that the whole experience was worth it. I want to throw out the fact that if you really want to do all of the mazes, Fright Lane is a must. It allows you to skip the lines at all of the mazes once and can be purchased online or inside the park. If you’re going to buy it, get it early to get your money’s worth! Also, just as a PSA – season passes for ’13 are on sale for $79, and you won’t find a lower price than that. It’s a great deal and you’ll totally regret it if you forget to renew your pass and have to buy it for $100 an hour before the park opens for the season next year like I always do. To purchase park tickets, meal tickets, Fast Lane, Fright Lane, and everything Haunt visit Kings Island's official Haunt web site: http://www.visitkingsisland.com/haunt2012 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Thanks! I dont really like the haunt, but I like to know whats in the houses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanofFirehawk Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Thank you for that review. Could you rank each of them on a scare factor of like 1-5 just to give me an idea of what an 2 eleven year old a 13 and one more could handle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCrypt Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Very nice, Ryan. I will have to dispute what you say about Holiday Horror, though. Holiday Horror lacks, to me, real creativity. There are no scares, minimal theme, poor location, and it really shouldn't be ranked much higher than Mysteria. Sorry, that's just my opinion. Everyone is entitled to theirs, and this is mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted September 30, 2012 Author Share Posted September 30, 2012 Graveyard shift would be fine for anyone. The thirteen year old would be fine in all of them except Hot Blooded and Club Blood since they're both kind of sexually oriented. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Great Topic! Wished I'd thought of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterGeek101 Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 You did not give Madame Fatale's enough praise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadioRiders Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 No fear zone review? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted October 1, 2012 Author Share Posted October 1, 2012 No fear zone review? I thought about it, but you don't have to wait in line for the Fear Zones and you inherently have to walk through them anyway. This wasn't intended as a "review" per se, but more of a recommended priority list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimpy2000 Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 I think next year, they should just up all the mazes to the quality of CoT instead of a new maze. This is my first year, but from what I've heard, each year each maze gets a little worse, and some mazes are not near their original quality. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jandyb79 Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 CornStalkers – For some reason they put this in the Tower Gardens and nixed The Cemetery. I really can't believe they replaced The Cemetery with CornStalkers. I've never been much of a fan of the Cemetery, even though I thought it had good potential. However, it has always been hard for me to take CornStalkers seriously. It's just a ridiculous concept in my opinion. I'll finally get a chance to visit the Haunt this season the weekend of the 12th, so I hope to see some of you there! ~Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterfreak22108 Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 I just have a quick question. I didn"t know where to mind it I did the search thing and nothing. Is there ERT on haunt Fridays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 I just have a quick question. I didn"t know where to mind it I did the search thing and nothing. Is there ERT on haunt Fridays. No, there is no ERT on Haunt Fridays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK4TF Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 At least rank the fear zones and their characters. You can get to knows those characters you cant get to know SAM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCrypt Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 I don't know where you're getting your information, but many here already know "SAM", and he said himself that he'll say hi if you call his name. I don't know how personal you want to get, but unless you want to know what size shoe he wears, I think him taking the time to break character to say hello is sufficient. Listing he characters and the fear zones are extraneous, because if you read the thread, you would see this No fear zone review? I thought about it, but you don't have to wait in line for the Fear Zones and you inherently have to walk through them anyway. This wasn't intended as a "review" per se, but more of a recommended priority list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 At least rank the fear zones and their characters. You can get to knows those characters you cant get to know SAM Why do I hear Ms. Simon singin'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XGatorHead 8904 Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 CornStalkers – For some reason they put this in the Tower Gardens and nixed The Cemetery. I really can't believe they replaced The Cemetery with CornStalkers. I've never been much of a fan of the Cemetery, even though I thought it had good potential. However, it has always been hard for me to take CornStalkers seriously. It's just a ridiculous concept in my opinion. They pretty much expanded the concept of Cemetary to encompass all of International Street as a scare zone. I've always liked the living statues. If you ever get the chance to visit Cedar Point for Halloweekends, CornStalkers there is a must do. Very well executed, and more confined feeling than KI's due to the fact that their's is located in the trough of Thunder Canyon. I don't know where you're getting your information, but many here already know "SAM", and he said himself that he'll say hi if you call his name. I don't know how personal you want to get, but unless you want to know what size shoe he wears, I think him taking the time to break character to say hello is sufficient. Sam doesn't break character, or at least he doesn't anymore. But he will still say hello. Oh... and yeah, size 12. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.