Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare Construction Progress

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

Here we go! 

 

[Phantom Theater]

IT IS POSTED
 

Can't wait to actually see some BTS in future episodes

[BryanJay]

Simultaneously underwhelmed personally because I knew about this stuff before and not much new footage was shown (I get very high expectations so I expected a full ride pov in my mind ig lol), but very excited that this is a continuing series! What’s interesting to note is that there’s at least 3 private videos in that series, so either it’s a monthly thing leading up to March, or it’s on some other schedule.

 

I also love the opening to the video so much. It’s very well done and honestly should be in like the commercial they’ll inevitably make for advertisements. 

[beastfan11]

Excited to see what’s next! Appreciate the updates. 

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

I am very happy to see this considering the very few updates we got for RiverRacers this past year.

[beastfan11]

26 minutes ago, BryanJay said:

I need the to get my prescription updated. 
 

1. Bottom row, third shot - Garbonzo exploding at the end of the ride per Bastrup’s pitch? 
 

What else?

[BryanJay]

Important to note that I still don’t think this is 100% what is in the ride vs early ideations: 

Bottom row,5th: Final scene where the Boiler Room was in the original. 
4th row, 2nd: Larry turntable (with also the same flower setup as boo blasters)

4th row, 3rd: Peppers Ghost (??) stage scene. The 5th scene also looks to be Maestro at the organ again, so I wonder if this is before they got the budget and maybe used more elements from Boo Blasters retrofitted to Phantom (which they still could do but I think it’s a complete rebuild unless they use any props as easter eggs) 

3rd row, 3-5: Houdelini, Hilda, and ?? Houdelini again??? 
 

 

Also after much reflection… I actually kind of feel bad at calling the documentary thing underwhelming I apologize. I think I expected more new footage of the animatronics, but this is also a good intro for someone who may not be extremely familiar with the phantom theater lore like me and probably everyone else who was refreshing for this all day. The next episode will be the best one yet.

[kingsislandfan1972]

Each new sneak peek of the animatronics are getting me more and more excited! 

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

1 hour ago, BryanJay said:

If this is the same scene board as in the SDR tour video, I posted my thoughts on each scene a little while back. I might try to go find that post and share it again since this is a better view than before.

[SonofBaconator]

Is this a mockup of the layout behind her?

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

IIRC that might have been a model of one of the Sesame Street dark rides at IAAPA. It does bear a striking resemblance to the original Phantom Theater facade from this angle.

[SonofBaconator]

5 minutes ago, Losantiville Mining Co. said:

IIRC that might have been a model of one of the Sesame Street dark rides at IAAPA. It does bear a striking resemblance to the original Phantom Theater facade from this angle.

I figured if it was the actual ride model, it would’ve appeared on this site by now, but it does look like the outer façade, especially with the entrance being on the corner

[KIghostguy]

Yes, it was a model of the Sesame Street dark ride at Port Aventura. By the way, that model was built by R&R Designs!

[kingsislandfan1972]

Me waiting for Kings Island to open so I can ride Phantom Theater Opening Nightmare be like: 

 

119 days to be exact...

[SonofBaconator]

Will we see holiday overlays?

[MaestroJr]

9 hours ago, SonofBaconator said:

Will we see holiday overlays?

I doubt it, most we got for boo blasters was Christmas hats on the ghost and Bells around the ride and queue 

[kingsislandfan1972]

1 hour ago, MaestroJr said:

I doubt it, most we got for boo blasters was Christmas hats on the ghost and Bells around the ride and queue 

In the early 2010s they did have scare  actors that popped out and scared guests on the ride during Haunt, however I heard guests complained about that so it was very brief.

[Orion-XL200]

My complaint was that they needed more scares

[BryanJay]

 

So like… they’re fitting them in holiday outfits already.. Winterfest overlay?

[kingsislandfan1972]

10 minutes ago, BryanJay said:

 

So like… they’re fitting them in holiday outfits already.. Winterfest overlay?

I'm wondering if this is already in the ride and they put him in the Santa suit just for this picture.

[SonofBaconator]

On 12/23/2025 at 10:18 PM, MaestroJr said:

I doubt it, most we got for boo blasters was Christmas hats on the ghost and Bells around the ride and queue 

I’d be fine with this^

[beastfan11]

What would a holiday overlay even include? New customers and props? And updated soundtrack? 
 

Seems doable to me… also, Merry Christmas KIC! 

[super7]

They cant even change the video or music in the shed of Mystic Timbers for the holidays…… which would be simple.   

[SonofBaconator]

8 hours ago, super7 said:

They cant even change the video or music in the shed of Mystic Timbers for the holidays…… which would be simple.   

I thought I heard somewhere that the original intent was to have it change for the holidays which would’ve made sense considering they kept the ride open for WF. 

To be honest, after 8 years of it existing, it’s shocking that they never had any holiday scenes rendered, or even new scenes in general.

[beastfan11]

Really, multiple holiday overlays could be beneficial to KI as a passholder park the same way Haunted Mansion Holiday draws big local crowds to Disneyland. Especially with the state of the chain and the canceling of seasonal events. Would be a great way to drive attendance with something “new.” Whether or not that attendance would affect revenue is another story. 

Would be cool to see! 

[Orion-XL200]

I feel like that pic is AI 

[SonofBaconator]

1 hour ago, Orion-XL200 said:

I feel like that pic is AI 

AI doesn’t do a good job of detailing things that a high quality camera can. You can see the individual strands of hair, the fuzz in the coat, etc. Also piano keys are consistent so I would argue the image is authentic.

 

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

I think the photo is authentic and was sent in from the Sally Dark Rides workshop. It would make the most sense with how the coat is wrinkled (that kind of velvety fabric often wrinkles very easily) and by how it looks like the organ pipes are currently awaiting cuts for the holes (you can see the marking template centered on its green dot on the center pipe). I wouldn't be surprised if SDR has a Santa Claus coat and hat among their collections made to fit their average figures. I hope if we do get a holiday overlay we can see that coat get ironed first  

This does have me wondering if we will see PT:ON operating during Haunt as well, considering Boo Blasters didn't these last few years. I thought it was open all day pre-2020, but I could be wrong. If it has really good ridership in the regular season (which I would think it will) then it might be an easy decision.

 

I wonder if any more work has been done on the roof or if it still has all of that white tape(?) all over it.

[SonofBaconator]

On 12/11/2025 at 7:17 PM, BryanJay said:

Simultaneously underwhelmed personally because I knew about this stuff before and not much new footage was shown (I get very high expectations so I expected a full ride pov in my mind ig lol), but very excited that this is a continuing series! What’s interesting to note is that there’s at least 3 private videos in that series, so either it’s a monthly thing leading up to March, or it’s on some other schedule.

 

I also love the opening to the video so much. It’s very well done and honestly should be in like the commercial they’ll inevitably make for advertisements. 

Is there a clearer version of this?

[CoasterJack]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned anything about the detailed ride blueprints in the mason permit portal. They're been out for about a week now, they show the ride scene layout, screen locations, etc. I don't want to spoil too much, but looks like not too many screens fortunately, and it confirms a certain someone in a certain area of the building... I'll leave it at that