Fearfest 14th,15th & 16th

[standbyme]

Well, this weekend was my annual trek to Ohio for Fearfest…I haven’t missed a year yet. We arrived a little before the park opened…not too many people in line ahead of us…so we got in pretty quickly, that was cool. In the department of “You can’t please everybodyâ€Â…I was disappointed that the foot of the fountain was not decorated for Fearfest, that was always a good “group shot†photo-op. Speaking of decorations, as you can tell by my member # and post count I am a more of a “quality not quantity†kind of a guy. There MAY be more decorations this year…but nothing really blew me away this year. There were some good decorations, but some of those were not very noticeable and you could overlook them if you weren’t paying attention. Another complaint I had was that Fearfest seemed to suffer a little because of Winterfest. In the past it was as if PKI was transformed into a fall/Halloween atmosphere. Seeing signs hyping Winterfest all over kind of ruined the mood, especially the big one next to the tombstones near the pond in Rivertown. I will say the fog was a big improvement over last year on FRIDAY night over last year. (Saturday’s fog was not very much though.)

Once again, the crowds were not bad on Friday, so we were able to do every Fearfest attraction that we wanted…and thankfully we did all but the Circus Of Horrors and the movie attractions: Elvira, Jason’s Extreme Cuts & the Fun House Express. Saturday was AMAZINGLY crowded by the time Fearfest kicked in. Except for BAFD I have never seen the park this packed. Doing any of the Fearfest attractions this night was going to be a “nightmare†in itself! I have never been to Fearfest when it was this crowded. (I do not know if it was the fact that it was nice weather, or that it is just getting more popular.) A couple of the lines we noticed (And the lines were always “thick†not single file.) were:

Psycho Path: The line stretched all the way around the corner of Zephyr.

Maniac Manor: The line was WAY past the clock.

Headless Hollow: The line was out of the station, down to Tomb Raider and then doubled back past the train station! (I would have liked to do this again…but it was not worth THAT much of a wait.)

As for my rating of the attractions: I thought they were all pretty good…as usual. The fog inside the covered bridges on the Headless Hollow was great. Corn Stalkers was a nice addition. I have NEVER been surprised or shocked by any of the “scareactors†at any of the previous Fearfests…but this year I was finally “gotâ€Â. (And by a simple thing.) I was walking by one of the wagons in Corn Stalkers and really jumped when someone came out from underneath it.)

With the crowds being so bad, on Saturday night we only did the Circus Of Horrors (always good) and Jason’s Cuts. Near the end of the evening the people I was with noticed that Adventure Express had no line…so they ended up riding it 16 times…which is more than I wanted to do, so I just watched.

Jumping back to Saturday DAYTIME, I finally did Slingshot for the first time because people on here said it was good…my review, yeah, it was okay…but not something I would need to do very often. The guys running the ride were VERY nice. They were playing a game trying to guess what each riders taste in music was…they both failed with me…even though I had a shirt on that should have given it away.

We went back on Sunday until around 3:00...and once again, the weather was very nice…and it wasn’t crowded…so a nice ending for this years Fearfest trip.

[PKIbabe89]

Ya know? i'm still kind of upset they took away Curse Of the Crypt and replaced House Of Darkness .. it's nothing like it was before... maybe a couple things. I thought the decorating theme was incredible this year. The smoke really helped make it look Halloweenish The only thing that dissapointed me this year was not having the COTC, because I was so used to going to Maze Of madness, and then hey, look! COTC is right next door! The RL stine's light blue paint job just didn't do it for me. I miss the green old rickity house they used to have for House Of Darkness. However, it is a very good haunt...It's just not the same

[SML828]

Psycho Path: The line stretched all the way around the corner of Zephyr.

Actually that was the line for Maze Of Madness...many people got in line thinking it was for Psycho Path - heck, many people didn't know what they were getting in line for...

[PKIbabe89]

wow!

[standbyme]

Psycho Path: The line stretched all the way around the corner of Zephyr.

Actually that was the line for Maze Of Madness...many people got in line thinking it was for Psycho Path - heck, many people didn't know what they were getting in line for...

Yeah, I know what you mean...I did ask someone what the line was for and they told me it was Psycho Path...and I didn't bother tracing it to where it actually led. The best line I overheard that night was someone walking by asked a guy in the Massacre Manor line what the attraction he was standing in line for. His reply (in kind of a hick accent) was "I don't know...it's one of those haunted house things...I think".

[RingMaster]

Psycho Path: The line stretched all the way around the corner of Zephyr.

Actually that was the line for Maze Of Madness...many people got in line thinking it was for Psycho Path - heck, many people didn't know what they were getting in line for...

There was no line for PsychoPath, which is almost an insult considering how bad line control is this year. Headless Hollow, for example, had an usher that let groups of 12+ people go through, with almost no waiting in between groups.

Hey, I know that this is only Kings Island's sixth year doing FearFest, but with all the other competition out there getting better and better (EX: USS Nightmare, California's Halloween Haunt, Florida's Halloween Horror Nights), it would make sense to IMPROVE on what needs to be fixed, not neglect old problems and create new ones. Plus, there have been real talent from both Haunt and HHN that have come to FearFest and given their true opinion about the event and what we need to do to really scare people.

That's not to say that there wasn't anything good that they did do this year;the new crew behind The Curse of Sleepy Hollow area needs to be commended for their efforts-at last you can see the scenery and how good it looks-and cornSTALKERS was a definite sucess in my opinion.

I still want to see some changes made to really help FearFest shine:

1) Hire some REAL Hollywood talent-I'm serious, your make-up artists are not Hollywood talent. The most they do is paste oatmeal to the actors' faces with almost little to no extra applicants. Also, hire some people that can really teach people how to scare or how to slide properly, I've seen better.

2) Hire MORE scareactors-For an event as large as FearFest truly is, only 100 scareactors is not enough. It doesn't make things better when there are only 9-10 creepers running around the ENTIRE park. Having too many talent is better than having little or no talent occupying a maze or scare zone. At least have 25-35 actors to a maze, and 10-20 creepers PER AREA.

3) Fire whoever decided to not put any creepers in Rivertown-Do I even need to explain this?

NOTE: Again, sorry for me complaining about this so much, I just think PKI really should look at what they're doing wrong and stop making up excuses for not trying (Winterfest is NOT an excuse). Especially when Canada's Wonderland is in their first year of FearFest and their's is three times larger than everyone else's and has more attention to detail.

[PKIbabe89]

They should have actors around every corner!!!!

[PsycoPath]

Hey Ringmaster,

You are the expert here why aren't you working Fear Fest this year. What's the matter couldn't hack it! But wait you worked Curse of the Crypt. Ohhhhhhh! The worst attraction at Fear Fest the past 2 years. That is why its gone, it sucked so bad they didn't dare bring it back!

[RingMaster]

Hey Ringmaster,

You are the expert here why aren't you working Fear Fest this year. What's the matter couldn't hack it! But wait you worked Curse of the Crypt. Ohhhhhhh! The worst attraction at Fear Fest the past 2 years. That is why its gone, it sucked so bad they didn't dare bring it back!

^ Because my parents thought that I wouldn't focus on my schoolwork while working at FearFest. I had to quit at the end of September because of school. Now, are you working at FearFest this year? If not, then don't insult.

You probably didn't realize this, but COTC was one of the more popular mazes and the longest running maze of FearFest (2000 and 2001 was Revenge of the Mummy). If the other members of the COTC crew read what you put, expect a rude awakening; every one of us worked our asses off every single night, and only nine of us (out of a starting 24) held COTC together the last weekend. Seems as if a majority of members here respect that 'cept you.

[PKI Punk]

Here's the thing, Cornstalkers was really awesome the very first night of fearfest. The fog was very dense and the actors were doing really good. Two weeks later, I saw maybe one cornstalker and it took about 5 minutes to walk from one end to the other. The first thing, they need more scareactors in these scare zones, secondly, get rid of those darn wagons right in the middle of the path. Over all I thought fearfest was definately better this year, but there is still major work to be done.

[PKIbabe89]

I liked how some of the scare crows came alive.

[PsycoPath]

Yeah, I work Fear Fest, 5 Years and counting. Like I said the past 2 years the COTC sucked. 2 years ago I worked doubles with the first part of the day being in COTC and hated it!

[KIemployeeforlife]

Hey Ringmaster,

You are the expert here why aren't you working Fear Fest this year. What's the matter couldn't hack it! But wait you worked Curse of the Crypt. Ohhhhhhh! The worst attraction at Fear Fest the past 2 years. That is why its gone, it sucked so bad they didn't dare bring it back!

^ Now, are you working at FearFest this year? If not, then don't insult.

You probably didn't realize this, but COTC was one of the more popular mazes and the longest running maze of FearFest (2000 and 2001 was Revenge of the Mummy). If the other members of the COTC crew read what you put, expect a rude awakening; every one of us worked our asses off every single night, and only nine of us (out of a starting 24) held COTC together the last weekend. Seems as if a majority of members here respect that 'cept you.

Actually PsychoPath does work there this year. KI is trying, and as for the Usher they are doing what they are told to do. They are told how many to group and how fast. Last weekend was packed so they were trying to get as many through as possible to keep the lines down. I think Ki has out done themselves this year for FF. They are normally very well staffed. Yes sometimes the houses may be short performers but that happens everywhere. As for COTC I have worked that maze and you know i did hear complaints so it was not one of the most popular. It did have its problems (like all mazes do. It is not one of the longest running mazes because if it was it would still be open! Dont go off thinking that COTC is the best because there have been other mazes that have worked with only having 9 performers.

I am not here to cause fights i am just here to point out the truth and set people straight. So forgive me if the truth hurts but eh that happens

[hauntguy]

I don't mean to "toot my own horn"... but none of you guys are "experts". I own and run a haunted attraction company (Terror Media)... For years I have found ways PKI could improve Fearfest so that it is at the Halloween Horror Nights or Halloween Haunt standard! Of course, me being a non-employee of the park... I have kept silent about most of my suggestions because I know the park will not listen!

That is going to change! I will be turning in my application to the park soon for the '06 season. Of course, I will be going into the entertainment department... but only as a grip or a technician. Then as I will try (and try hard) to make my thoughts, ideas and suggestion heard and hopefully put into place for Fearfest '06.

I know I am going to get my a** chewed out from a few members about this... but here I go!

I have argued this point for a LONG time and have stated it over and over again. The reason why Fearfest is not really "scary" is because they DO NOT HIRE HAUNTERS!!! The people in charge of Fearfest have NO haunting experience except for what they have done with Fearfest. PKI needs to take the incentive and form a full time "team" of actual haunters to be in charge of Fearfest. That is from the overall design and construction of original haunts to the marketing and PR of the event.

Other parks are doing this because they now it works! Look at Universal, look at Knott's.... If PKI wants to compete with their new "Hollywood Entertainment" competition. They need to rethink the way to run some events. The concerts are fine and I am sure Winterfest will be awesome!

But Fearfest is doing the same thing every year when other parks are totally re-thinking Halloween and creating NEW and INNOVATIVE ways to scare people! PKI needs to "get the hint"...

So far, we know PKI is a great park... most likely the BEST in the Paramount Parks division. It have made itself known for offering family entertainment in an extremely clean park and have won numerous awards for having the best kids area anywhere!

What does PKI have to lose? Hey, at least it isn't a Six Flags park with their BILLION DOLLAR DEBT!!! But they do a better Halloween event than any Paramount Park! Look at FrightFest at Magic Mountain! 200x better than Fearfest!

I just don't see why Fearfest isn't doing better than it's competition. Hopefully PKI will take what we say and put some of this into affect for next year....

Now my fingers hurt and I am tired... so this is all for now! -Hauntguy

[RingMaster]

Yes, in no way, shape, or form, am I an expert. I just have friends who work at the Haunt in California and I have seen what they do. You do realize that our FearFest managers are really just usher managers on a normal day? A few of them are also singers from the different shows of this year (School of Rock, Tuned In, Turn it Up, Star Search), so they have no FearFest experience whatsoever.

I agree with hauntguy 100%; they need to hire people that know about haunting and haunted events. It's almost an insult how much debt Six Flags is in, yet they have enough money to create a very nice-looking Fright Fest.

I'm guessing their mindset is this-"Let's not worry about updating FearFest too much, the guests will be scared of anything. Besides, there are more families with younger children that come than teenagers or older adults." Hmm, maybe the reason why there aren't many older crowds at FearFest is because they'd much rather go someplace else to get scared (IE: USS Nightmare).

[Shman]

You do realize that the managers that you are talking about are the ones that are there to make sure things are running smoothly and to take care of your whiny complaints as a guest...and as a performer. These people are not the people who have the creative input or the people who are in charge of how things look or function at FearFest. The people you are talking about are there as "attraction managers" and that is what they do...they take care of the night to night things, the work with what they are given.

I always find it very funny the people who come on here and bash and complain about things they really don't know about. You may know somebody from somewhere....or you may have be involved in a haunted house somewhere...but you don't know how things operate and work in a theme park, specifically PKI...the only way you would know is if you have been there as a member of the staff. Of all the FearFest managers there this year there is 1 that is new to FearFest......everyone has had experience with FearFest before and most of the people who are doing the set-up and build of FearFest have been doing since the original conception.

As far as the comparison to Universal and Knotts goes....you need to let it go. These parks are Year round operations that have millions of dollars the gets budgeted every year for their events....because they have that much money. It all comes down to money....these parks have a lot more of it to spend....that is also why there attractions and special event can be a big and amaizing as they are. These parks have money flowing through their gates year round....and they don't build major attractions every year. PKI has no money coming in for a portion of the year and they add something every year. Trust me.....if the park would give more money to FearFest then we would be able to get new equipment and new haunts. But the park simply does not give enough money out to it.....the people who do they set-up and build do the best with what they have....and every year they come up with new ideas....but it all costs $$$$

As far as Hauntguy is concerned I say this every year......don't think that you are going to get in and magically change things. Each year you say that you are going to get a job at the park and so far you haven't done it. and even if you do get a job with the park you are never going to be in a high enough position to make the decisions needed to change things.

[SML828]

**applause**

Go Shman! Someone who actually has a clue...

[hidden_agenda]

The managers selected for the FearFest attractions certainly have experience and are well qualified for the position. If there are previous employees as managers that means they are able to handle other performers, which the scareactors are considered. They perform every Friday and Saturday for the guests that come to the park. You aren't well aware of the standards the managers must meet in order to obtain the position. You said previously that you were one of the FearFest scarers, therefore, you were never a manager. How would you know anything about the managers at the park?

FearFest is a spectacular event that several people put their blood, sweat, and tears into. Plus, there are many new additions this year that make the experience even better than previous years. The attractions are well staffed and prepared for every Friday and Saturday evening in October. I personally give them kudos for all the hard work they are doing. As well as all the techs, managers, and ushers, terrific job thus far!

[RingMaster]

[scratches his head]

I could've sworn this was "constructive criticism" and not "brashing and complaining."

Both hidden_agenda and Shman are right on the managers being able to run things smoothly, take care of whiny guests (read: ME), and handle performers/scareactors. But handling scareactors and TEACHING them good scare tactics are two totally different things.

Perfect example: Massacre Manor has a lot of actors that perform realatively good scares on their own, but the whole "He's coming for your head," "The Headless Horseman is coming, leave now" bit gets really old when the entire maze does it. Only two or three people need to shout it out at guests. Meanwhile, the Maze of Madness has a somewhat small crew of performers, but what they lack in quantity, they make up for in quality. Group scares, the ability to follow guests around, and maniacal laughter are key reasons why the MOM crew is the best crew of FearFest.

So, really, it's all in the hands of the managers on how well the scareactors perform, as you guys said. BUT, does it make more sense to plan out group scares and special tactics to really get guests riled up, or just tell them to pop out and say some random "Get out of here before the Horseman gets you!" lines?

Now, as for competition, let's drop Universal and Knott's for a sec here and focus on local competition. Yes, I know that Kings Island does not operate year-round and they add new attractions every year. And I know for a fact that FearFest does not come cheap and is a hefty price to design, build, and operate such a large event. But looking at other events such as USS Nightmare, St. Rita's, and CP's HalloWeekends, and even home haunts in someone's backyard, they all use techniques and fabricate their own props at a fraction of the cost it takes to buy from a Haunt production company. You can go to the nearest Party City and get masks, costumes, and fog machines for reasonable prices. There are money-saving ways around designing and building haunted attractions that PKI can use without sacrificing quality Halloween scariness. Of course, they probably already do this anyway (dang mind-readers).

FearFest is, of course, a spectacular event that provides plenty of good scares (and laughs, if you're like me, hint hint), and the actual crew behind the design and construction of it should be commended for their efforts . But, it's just like hauntguy said earlier, you guys just gotta INNOVATE, man! Go for the gusto! Come up with some really interesting techniques and scare tactics for upcoming years! You got some real big potential to become the next Halloween Haunt, dudes! All you need to do is INNOVATE; challenge yourselves! Don't rehash the same old thing over again just to get another big paycheck, earn it and really impress the fans out there!

Oh yeah, and fire the creeper manager and get someone who can actually teach them how to slide and give them pointers for group scares. Of course, they probably already have someone else doing this anyway (again, dang mind readers).

[KIemployeeforlife]

Oh yeah, and fire the creeper manager and get someone who can actually teach them how to slide and give them pointers for group scares. Of course, they probably already have someone else doing this anyway (again, dang mind readers).

for your information I feel as though the creeper manager does an excellent job for the crew that they are given. And no, that manager does not train them on how to slide it is someone who is experienced in the "creeper field". There are just some performers who are not good at group scares but are good at other things, and sometimes for saftey reasons the creepers cannot slide and are told perform in a different way which might not make them as scary yet it still scares some people.

[Gordon Bombay]

^I love it when people complain about how the park is run and criticize the managers of the park yet they dont know anything about running a park, the employess do a darn fine job.

[KIemployeeforlife]

amen combatstupendous89

[hidden_agenda]

RingMaster I am going to have to direct you to Guest relations... The only way to change things you are unhappy or unsatisfied with is to report them to Guest relations. We care about your comments, make you sure you visit next time you are near the Front Gate.

[Shman]

Wow....yet again another post with mis-information

  But handling scareactors and TEACHING them good scare tactics are two totally different things.

Yet again....another thing that most of the attraction managers do NOT do. The manager's are not in charge of teaching them the scare tactics nor are they in charge of the plot lines or what each scareactor does. They are incharge of making sure that the performers do what they were told to do. The only exception of this that I know of is the Maze Of Madness where the attraction manager did place the scareactors in their positions and told them the basics of what to do inside that attraction, but that is mainly because the director that they had for the attraction spent very little time there and the attraction manager basically took over.

As for the "creepers" again....there is someone who is very knowlegable and talented that comes in and teaches the newbies everything that they need to know and how to properly slide. This person has been doing this stuff for years and knows what he is doing.

As for the "local competition" Again...we are talking about money....USS Nightmare and other local haunted houses are only open for one month of the year....they have one budget....they dont have to spend millions of dollars on things that don't pertain to the haunted house....they get to spend all of the money they make in admissions and donations and such on one thing...their haunted house. Now let's look at a major theme park like PKI.....you have all the money that the park is making that has to be spread out around dozens of departments in order for the park to be able to operate smoothly for the entire year, let alone adding a mulit-million dollar attraction every year and paying for liscencing fees for naming it after a movie. Yeah....I guess you could go to Party City or Wal-Mart and buy a $20 fogger, a $5 mask and a $10 strobe light..but you get what you pay for. And PKI is a professional business that entertains millions of visitors....that $20 fogger that can only hold a pint of fog fluid and has to turn itself off every 5 minutes to cool down sure couldn't produce the amount of fog need to cover coney maul.

The only way to change things you are unhappy or unsatisfied with is to report them to Guest relations. We care about your comments, make you sure you visit next time you are near the Front Gate.

Good one Hidden_adgenda

LOL

[PKIbabe89]

Deep breathe, People

[PsycoPath]

Oh yeah, and fire the creeper manager and get someone who can actually teach them how to slide and give them pointers for group scares.

I got an idea for you Ringmaster. Next time you are at the park go find the Creeper with the long red hair and the beard. Tell him that he sucks and needs to be fired. See what he has to say about that.

[hauntguy]

Ringmaster,

Please understand that the attraction managers are only their to make sure everything runs smoothly and that the actors and the guest are taken care of. They DO NOT teach actors how to scare nor place them in there places.

As for the money issue the Shman seems to lean on! PKI needs to charge a seperate ticket for Fearfest (like the good ole' days). The money made on these tickets would be used on the next years Fearfest. I would suggest $15 for a Fearfest ticket. Not too much to hurt your pocket and enough to bring in some $$$.

Yes, one day Fearfest might actually be the next Halloween Haunt or Horror Nights... But goals like this take time, and I think PKI has had plenty of time!

That's my -.02 cents worth... more later! -Hauntguy

PS: I talked to John Hawkins (good friend of mine) who owns the company that built Massacre Manor, Cornstalkers, and Headless Hollow.... we were chatting about the haunt and he mentioned that "any home haunter could improve Fearfest"... of course, he said that jokingly... but still! Right from the haunters mouth!

[Return_of_Yogi]

hehe bundy.

[BoddaH1994]

As for the money issue the Shman seems to lean on! PKI needs to charge a seperate ticket for Fearfest (like the good ole' days). The money made on these tickets would be used on the next years Fearfest. I would suggest $15 for a Fearfest ticket. Not too much to hurt your pocket and enough to bring in some $$$.

I love it... They charge for Winterfest and you guys are ****ed, they don't charge for Fearfest and you guys get ****ed. They'll just never ever win.

[Captain Nemo]

As for the money issue the Shman seems to lean on! PKI needs to charge a seperate ticket for Fearfest (like the good ole' days). The money made on these tickets would be used on the next years Fearfest. I would suggest $15 for a Fearfest ticket. Not too much to hurt your pocket and enough to bring in some $$$.

I love it... They charge for Winterfest and you guys are ****ed, they don't charge for Fearfest and you guys get ****ed. They'll just never ever win.

Thank you BoddaH1994. Your 100% right.