What makes a Haunt work for you?

[Tanna]

Going through people's reviews of different Haunts, it's obvious that there are a few 'must sees' and more than a few 'mehs'.

What makes a Haunt worthwhile for you? What makes a Haunt snooze worthy? What would you include in a Haunt if you were given reign?

One of the big things for me is the actors. I like big energy, even when they are sitting down. I like a coherent theme.

How about you?

[coasterfanatic83]

Constant fear of unknown, creative ways to make me jump, and intensity.

[TombRaiderFTW]

(NOTE: I feel like it's safe to divulge Haunt "spoilers" now that the season's over, but just in case... Here be spoilers!)

For me, it's coherency in theme. For instance, I just got done posting this in the "Son of Beast roller coaster to be removed" thread:

I realize we're talking about the difference between the words of the PR manager and of a ride op, but I somewhat wish the lady was right. My new pipe dream: Wolf Pack moves to Tombstone Terror-tory's location. I think at this point that a "haunted woods with sightings of werewolves" theme would make more sense than the "well, we're on a train, and sometimes there are robbers, and--oh no, would you look at that--there are some robbers right now, speak of the devil, so now you have to inexplicably get off the train and take a walk now" thing the trail had going on this year. TTT was more coherent (and thus a lot more engaging) in past years, when, as the train story went, there was a Wally who came across some cursed gold, lost his mind, and killed an entire village. The characters on the trail then actually had a purpose, as they essentially were the ghosts of the villagers brought back by the curse to get their revenge--unlike this year, when they were, uh... something?

And really, that's the biggest thing for me. Like, it's easier for me to overlook below average scares (quantity or quality) if either the set or its actors still play up the theme.

In cases like Madame Fatale's, the set was so well done that pretty much all most scareactors had to do to freak me out was move or give a shriek, regardless of how close they were physically to me. I still can't get over how eerie and unsettling it was the first time through to descend into the wax workshop and into the tight hallway of bagged wax figures with the lights flickering all over the place. All it took for me to jump out of my skin was one of the bagged wax figures to quickly step forward and chase someone in front of me. And when you get to the end where the hallway is walled by black cheesecloth curtains, the effect of having even one person on the other side to shriek when they turn the lights beyond the curtains is simple but so effective. KI really did well with this one, so I'm very satisfied that, if something had to replace The Crypt, it was Cavern of Terror.

In cases like Tombstone Terror-tory, the set is minimal, so it's up to the scareactors to carry the theme. That's why I generally liked TTT back in 2009-2010 but felt it really lacked something this year. The Wally theme mentioned in the quote held the whole thing together much better, and the actors on the trail encouraged the theme by saying things like "Wally's gonna get you!" Even if saying things like that seems cheesy, it adds something extra and brings the victims' imaginations along for the ride, which is key, at least for me. It sets you on edge, which only enhances the scares to come. This year had the surprise factor of the train "robbery," but it never went any further than that. If people were set on edge by a scary growl of "get off the train," the moment was lost by making them immediately stand in another line. And if the fear factor of the robbery somehow lasted through that line, the "theme" only robbed the scareactors on the trail of any purpose, which lowered the adrenaline. It would be different if the actors were strategically placed robbers (in similar costume to those from the train) attempting to recapture you, but they weren't; they were the same townspeople costumes from every other year. So, within the context of a train robbery, why are there grumpy townsfolk growling at me? Is that their way of helping me escape? Are they trying to help the robbers? I don't know.

For a trail as long as Tombstone Terror-tory with the added attraction of using the train, this year felt like they dropped the ball. I don't like being that blunt about it, but that's how it felt. I'd rather see them return the Wally theme or move Wolf Pack there, with the train story changing to something like "There have been sightins of creatures in these parts. You might call 'em werewolves. They've been pillagin' our villages and killin' our families for years. But we made a deal with 'em. If we offer 'em humans every once in a while, they'll settle on down and leave us alone. And right about here--" the train stops-- "is where we usually leave their snacks. Awful sorry 'bout your luck." (Obviously, it'd be more elaborate than that, but you get the gist. ) The wooded setting and minimal props would more or less lend themselves to the theme, because the entire point would then be that you're stranded out in the middle of the woods, surrounded by bloodthirsty werewolves, and you're trying to get back to society. And then the scareactors, dressed as wolves like this year, don't have to work to carry the theme, because literally all they need to do is growl and scare like they do now to keep it going. Just my take on it!

Slaughterhouse and Cut-Throat Cove are probably the best example of theme coherency. The sets are good, but the scareactors really make it great. Slaughterhouse is eerie enough by itself, but what throws that haunt over the top on average is the fact that the actors really get creative. They hide in the lockers, they make references to Momma, they tell you you look delicious, and then they try to recapture the runaway snacks with a chainsaw before it's done. Cut-Throat Cove is more cool than scary, but I think it does a lot for that house that the actors at least attempt accents for the whole thing. The location on the pond makes it all that much more believable, too. Urgent Scare was also pretty good at this in most years (excluding 2011--the removal of the outdoor section removed something special from it, though I can't put my finger on what.) I never got a chance to go through it this year, so I can't comment on the 2012 version.

In contrast, Cornstalkers, which had been one of my favorite haunts back when it was by Invertigo/Drop Tower, is still suffering from its excessive length. The simple trick of blending into the corn is effective in small portions, but ever since it took over Tower Gardens, it's gotten a little monotonous. On top of that, the scareactors really haven't taken advantage of their costumes when I've been through since the move. Few will either 1.) bury themselves within the corn and emerge quickly or 2.) stand on the scarecrow stands, which seems like the whole point of the thing to me. The actors usually have just hidden behind the boxes and then popped out and growled, which isn't very effective when everyone's doing it. On top of that, the width of the Tower Gardens paths eliminates the claustrophobic nature of the trail, making having to walk uncomfortably by the scarecrow stands with a figure looming overhead obsolete--you can just regain your personal bubble on the other side of the path and march on. I can't decide I'd rather the move it to a smaller path or have it return to its original FearFest job as a scare zone. If it would become a scare zone again, I'd say replace Nightmare Alley with it.

Overall, Haunt was still pretty great this year. This is just my two cents.

[Tanna]

I didn't know there was supposed to be a storyline to Tombstone. I just thought they were like Jamestown, only not so much lost as very ill. I do know one of the villagers owns an 85th anniversary Raggedy Ann doll. In all of my magazines if tintypes of the Old West, (yes, they do exist), I've never seen a photo of where the whole town lines up all their crates in a zigzag pattern down the center of the main drag.

When they have mazes set up of the same boxes all down the line, and a wide gap where I can easily skirt the villain, it does take some of the spook out of it. I'm not saying the actors in Cornstalkers and Tombstone lack imagination, I'm saying they are doing their best with what they have.

Whoever it was hiding under a shelf in the wax museum got my group, the unexpected is great, but it does take imagination, and scenery.

It's best if if the monsters aren't all in symmetrical order in line with the boxes they are hiding behind. I like it when they all have different personalities and means of scaring. The Slaughterhouse pigboys are a great example. They were like, in a fantasy Venture Bros. world of their own, wearing pig heads the same way anyone else would wear Mickey Mouse ears.

I feel sorry for box maze scaractors, they aren't given the choice of different scenery to hide behind.