Was Son of Beast loosely based off of Rosemary's Baby?

[SonofBaconator]

Demonic child, the old school baby carriage, a Paramount movie. How did I not make the connection?

[SnakePlissken]

Better question is why didn't they name it Hurler. Since it beat you around so much it made you wanna do that anyways.

[Joshua]

The ad campaign, which featured a sinister shot of a baby carriage, took a visual cue from Paramount's "Rosemary's Baby" promotion:

Spoiler

 

Other films have used similar imagery to promote their films. Here's a teaser trailer for "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child":

Spoiler

 

And another for "It's Alive":

Spoiler

 

However, the ride itself seems loosely based on classic B-movie horror sequels, which often featured titles that implied the titular terror is either a spouse or direct descendant of the previous monster ("Dracula's Daughter", "The Bride of Frankenstein", etc.), but most of were "Sons" ("Son of Dracula", "Son of Frankenstein", "Son of Kong", "Son of Godzilla", "Son of Blob", "Son of Flubber").

Coincidentally, Son of Beast shared another commonality with those "Son of" movies, it too paled in comparison to the original.   

[Gordon Bombay]

22 minutes ago, Joshua said:

Coincidentally, Son of Beast shared another commonality with those "Son of" movies, it too paled in comparison to the original.   

So what you're saying is... that ride was the best themed attraction Paramount ever made? 

[Joshua]

35 minutes ago, Gordon Bombay said:

So what you're saying is... that ride was the best themed attraction Paramount ever made? 

Jokes aside, I was a fan of Top Gun's theming. That, sadly, might have been the best thing Paramount Parks ever did at Kings Island.*

*Although, I never experienced The Crypt when it was Tomb Raider since I was barely coming to the park during my high school years and just never got around to riding it. 

Edit: As a big fan of movies, there was so much wasted potential. I tend to look back fondly on the park's selection of film music, props and posters rather than Paramount's selection of rides which, apart from a couple of notable exceptions, amounted to little more than slapping a movie title on an attraction and calling it a day (i.e. "Drop Zone", "Face/Off").  (Although, it makes me wanna hurl that KI never got the aforementioned "Wayne's World" coaster. )

[BB1]

1 hour ago, Gordon Bombay said:

So what you're saying is... that ride was the best themed attraction Paramount ever made? 

That award probably goes to Top Gun or the whole of Crocodile Dundee's Boomerang Bay, just saying lol. 

[purdude86]

1 hour ago, Joshua said:

Jokes aside, I was a fan of Top Gun's theming. That, sadly, might have been the best thing Paramount Parks ever did at Kings Island.*

*Although, I never experienced The Crypt when it was Tomb Raider since I was barely coming to the park during my high school years and just never got around to riding it. 

Edit: As a big fan of movies, there was so much wasted potential. I tend to look back fondly on the park's selection of film music, props and posters rather than Paramount's selection of rides which, apart from a couple of notable exceptions, amounted to little more than slapping a movie title on an attraction and calling it a day (i.e. "Drop Zone", "Face/Off").  (Although, it makes me wanna hurl that KI never got the aforementioned "Wayne's World" coaster. )

They definitely had lots of potential for theming opportunities but most were just names slapped on generic rides. The extended queue for Top Gun was nice but Tomb Raider was definitely their best. When it first opened the theming was top notch and really immersed you into the ride and story. I was blown away by the theming and details the first time I went on it.

[SnakePlissken]

All this talk of Paramount theming and everybody is forgetting The Outer Limits Flight of Fear.

[Pedro Cerrano]

18 minutes ago, SnakePlissken said:

All this talk of Paramount theming and everybody is forgetting The Outer Limits Flight of Fear.

Days of Thunder

[KI Guy]

8 hours ago, Joshua said:

As a big fan of movies, there was so much wasted potential. I tend to look back fondly on the park's selection of film music, props and posters rather than Paramount's selection of rides which, apart from a couple of notable exceptions, amounted to little more than slapping a movie title on an attraction and calling it a day (i.e. "Drop Zone", "Face/Off").  (Although, it makes me wanna hurl that KI never got the aforementioned "Wayne's World" coaster. )

In theory you are correct. The theming outside of Tomb Raider: The Ride (and (almost Outer Limits: Flight of Fear) never approached Disney or Universal level.

I think what every KI operator outside of Paramount has known is that the Disney model was not fitting for a regional seasonal amusement park. Sometimes Paramount even seemed to understand that. That's why they would spend so much money on a big thriller like Son of Beast vs something like Splash Mountain. Given the choice between thrills and immersive theming their customer largely leans toward immersive theming.

I have a couple ideas why.

1. Our theming will never top Disney/Universal with their sky high budget.

2. Theming can be a lot like a movie. Even a great movie gets old to people after a few times. Thrill rides keep their appeal longer. Disney and Universal are less concerned about people tiring of their rides because most of their customers are not returning to the park often enough to get tired of the rides.

3. This one is entirely a theory. I think there may be more people who are into high thrill rides than highly themed rides. Disney and Universal are incredibly popular but they also draw people from all over the country and the world. There is only a market for so many players in the Disney/Universal segment parks. This is definitely in part because not even considering how much a trip to Disney/Universal can cost. For some it's like the idea of getting a Ferrari. Fun, but not even on the radar.

[Joshua]

I don't recall mentioning Disney or Universal in my earlier post and while I can't vouch for anyone else, I know I personally don't expect Rise of the Resistance-levels of high end immersion at Kings Island. Having said that, apart from the notable exceptions above, I do think KI's current era of theming on Banshee, Mystic Timbers and Orion is not only better than some of Paramount's but also more than enough to immerse myself into some sort of film-like experience. 

For example, the abandoned truck, creepy music, loudspeaker warnings and overall tarnished old mill theme of Mystic Timbers make me feel like I'm stepping into some Stephen King-ish, 1980s midwestern horror just like Top Gun felt like you were about to take flight off a naval carrier to quickly shoot down some MiGs and buzz the tower. 

I think these examples (as well as maybe a few prior to the Paramount years, I'm sure) show that immersive themes can be done on a regional park's budget. The final stretch of Mystic especially makes great use of technology that should, in theory, be very maintainable and allows for a certain level of flexibility and variety in experiences while also leaving room for potential updates should KI decide to add in different endings. 

Obviously, I do think Paramount offered some great themed experiences, but I also think there was a whole lot of mediocrity and a considerable amount of missed opportunities, particularly in the years leading up to their eventual sale to Cedar Fair. Granted, I do wonder what PKI's legacy might have been had 1) Viacom not purchased the studio or at least held more value in the parks 2) they maintained the park better and placed their rides in better spots, and 3) instead of building the problematic Son of Beast, they went with another ride experience akin to FoF or Top Gun, smaller scale but themed well.

[KI Guy]

My overarching point was that if Cedar Fair and (sometimes Paramount) chose to theme less than possible because they were trying to cater to their particular demographic while keeping to a budget.

I agree Paramount definitely had some misses, some of which were not with the theming, but the physical rides themselves. Cedar Fair has been more conservative overall, going with more proven ride concepts. The payoff on this is evident by the fact that there have been no major failures rides-wise (SOB, TR:TR).

I would also say Cedar Fair's theming has been more conservative as well. Think of the theming in an Outer Limits FOF vs a Mystic Timbers or an IJST vs Banshee. I think the lighter, less expensive theming more dependent on a story, rather than physical theming is a pretty smart move and plays to the demographic well.

[markr]

Rosemary's Baby still one of the scariest if not the scariest movie I have ever seen.