Event Dorney Park Halloween Haunt
- Thread starter MikePat
- Start date
Dorney's Haunt is such a great antidote to the deteriorating Virginia park Halloween events. Anyone who says I'm being overly negative about the likes of KD's F.E.A.R. or BGW's Monster Manor needs to sit down and explain to me in detail how this low-teir, 100% regional, only moderately popular Cedar Fair park with cheaper admission, no upcharge, and more houses is as good as it is—and even more specifically how they managed to design, fund, and build what is, in my opinion objectively, one of the best amusement park Halloween houses ever created. It's just simply another tier entirely. Kings Dominion is experimenting with some black and white movies projected on curtains while Dorney is projecting on translucent skrims to create ghosts in a purpose-built 3D space. Busch Gardens Williamsburg has a few knocking sounds in cabinetry while Dorney has built entire shifting bookcases.
Most regional parks are out here struggling to play Checkers while Dorney is, inexplicably, winning at Chess.
Most regional parks are out here struggling to play Checkers while Dorney is, inexplicably, winning at Chess.
Last edited:
I’ve always been impressed with Dorney’s Haunt and marveled how much better it is than Fright Fest at Great Adventure, yet FF is usually packed while Dorney is a ghost town (pun intended).
Soooo me and the husband chose right when deciding to do Dorney instead of Gadv in October?
What's even more wild is it is done 100% in house. They even have their own costuming department instead of contracting out to a third party like most parks do these days.
The costumes are amazing! I was actually wondering about those.
In addition to how great the houses are, the path atmospherics are fantastic. Lighting, music, and fog are used really well to enhance the scare zones and keep the entire park creepy. Their one live DJ (who was great and hilariously mixed in the SF old guy dancing music) was isolated from the scare zones, as well.
Apparently, they have rotating themes, too. Alice in Wonderland actors and decor were out last night, which I loved.
Dorney is just a charming park and it is obvious that they put a ton of effort into the event.
In addition to how great the houses are, the path atmospherics are fantastic. Lighting, music, and fog are used really well to enhance the scare zones and keep the entire park creepy. Their one live DJ (who was great and hilariously mixed in the SF old guy dancing music) was isolated from the scare zones, as well.
Apparently, they have rotating themes, too. Alice in Wonderland actors and decor were out last night, which I loved.
Dorney is just a charming park and it is obvious that they put a ton of effort into the event.
It's a very special park during Haunt and it sucks the mismanagement in the 1990s and the Cedar Fair-ification of the park to the modern day have eroded any of the Knoebels-esque charm the park originally had.
I live about 50 minutes from Dorney. Told my husband and daughter about this - we are going.
Just a quick warning before people invest any money. Dorney’s Haunt isn’t perfect.
Not all of the cast is storytelling. I was told to “get out” and snarled at. That said, a lot of them were working very hard and accomplishing some creative scares. I particularly loved the pre-show actors at both Blackout and Tourist Trap. And some of the cast in the scare zones were interacting with us. Overall, they are about what you would expect from a regional theme park.
Excluding Necropolis (which is like one of BGT’s contained scare zones), the houses ranged from good to amazing. Not all of them are on the level of Ghost in the Machine, but even their Blackout was effective. I also noticed that they have added effects to older houses, which actually improved them, rather than just proving a cheap rebrand. For example, scents were incorporated into Tourist Trap.
The crowd seems younger than in Virginia; there are a lot of tweens there. All of the chaperones seem to hang out in a lounge area, leaving large groups of screaming kids roaming around on their own. That said, we didn’t see any drunk people and there were very few strollers last night.
Weirdly, we were behind grade schoolers with their parents/grandparents and they were great and didn’t hold up the line at all. In fact, the younger kids seemed completely comfortable on the creepy paths and in the scary houses.
The packs of adolescent girls, however,…
To be clear, I loved Dorney’s Haunt. I just don’t want to set expectations too high. They have some very sophisticated houses and highly effective atmospherics, but they still have much more in common with regional theme park haunts than Universal. They have at least one (maybe two) that are HHN quality, and across the board for me their houses were better done than t KD equivalents (sorry!), but overall the event isn’t as good as USF. Actually, taken as a whole, it might be equivalent to BGT, upon reflection (they have different strengths).
Not all of the cast is storytelling. I was told to “get out” and snarled at. That said, a lot of them were working very hard and accomplishing some creative scares. I particularly loved the pre-show actors at both Blackout and Tourist Trap. And some of the cast in the scare zones were interacting with us. Overall, they are about what you would expect from a regional theme park.
Excluding Necropolis (which is like one of BGT’s contained scare zones), the houses ranged from good to amazing. Not all of them are on the level of Ghost in the Machine, but even their Blackout was effective. I also noticed that they have added effects to older houses, which actually improved them, rather than just proving a cheap rebrand. For example, scents were incorporated into Tourist Trap.
The crowd seems younger than in Virginia; there are a lot of tweens there. All of the chaperones seem to hang out in a lounge area, leaving large groups of screaming kids roaming around on their own. That said, we didn’t see any drunk people and there were very few strollers last night.
Weirdly, we were behind grade schoolers with their parents/grandparents and they were great and didn’t hold up the line at all. In fact, the younger kids seemed completely comfortable on the creepy paths and in the scary houses.
The packs of adolescent girls, however,…
To be clear, I loved Dorney’s Haunt. I just don’t want to set expectations too high. They have some very sophisticated houses and highly effective atmospherics, but they still have much more in common with regional theme park haunts than Universal. They have at least one (maybe two) that are HHN quality, and across the board for me their houses were better done than t KD equivalents (sorry!), but overall the event isn’t as good as USF. Actually, taken as a whole, it might be equivalent to BGT, upon reflection (they have different strengths).
Y'all are the reason I am spontaneously making a trip this Friday and dipping on Great Adventure (unless everything WILL be open this weekend in Jersey, I might try it just for debate).
I won’t have time for both, unfortunately.
I won’t have time for both, unfortunately.
Ghost In The Machine was worth the trip to Dorney alone. Wow.
You guys are really going to make me drive my stupid ass 3.5 hours to Dorney Park for the third time this year for this one maze?
Yes
Where are you on Tourist Trap?
And Roadside Stop & Chop vs Cornstalkers?
Last edited:
Just finished Tourist Trap. All I have left is Blood On The Bayou and Blackout.
The uneven flooring, audio, visuals, and set design for Tourist Trap were excellent! Sort of feels like Dorneys take on No Vacancy which I was very happy to see! Some really good stuff tonight. Only miss for me so far is Trick or Treat. Everything else is really cool for its own reason.
I think I went through Roadside Stop and Chop through a staff change so I want to wait until later to form an opinion on it.
The uneven flooring, audio, visuals, and set design for Tourist Trap were excellent! Sort of feels like Dorneys take on No Vacancy which I was very happy to see! Some really good stuff tonight. Only miss for me so far is Trick or Treat. Everything else is really cool for its own reason.
I think I went through Roadside Stop and Chop through a staff change so I want to wait until later to form an opinion on it.
Went on Friday. Got a nice head start in the park a zen ride on Hydra around Sunset. I haven't been to Dorney Park's Haunt since 2021 so several things are "new to me" for this event, despite usually only getting a drip feed of new stuff year after year.
Iron Menace was a one train wait, followed by a walk-on for Ghost in the Machine about 20 mins before the 7PM posted opening time. Ghost in the Machine is fantastic - really well done, and so much better than the former house that preceded it.
Rode Steel Force, then lurked through the Necropolis (which is looking quite old). Despite my intention to attend Trick or Treat, the line appeared to be closed when I passed by it twice. Not much to say here, but I appreciate all the extra decor that is going on down in the lower section of the park.
Roadside Stop and Chop is also a welcome upgrade from what was here before. Actors got really into character with this one. I grabbed a pic of the layout while walking in. I don't really rate things, but this would be near the top of my list.
Steel Yard: Forge Your Fear is what I walked through next. Again, good acting and they were doing more than grunts. Also appreciate seeing the sliders. I thoroughly enjoyed this area and it seamlessly integrates with the steel mill theme.
Dystopia was next, also new to me. I quite love the concept, and the graffiti everywhere is great. Actors here weren't doing much at all, sadly. The MVP of the haunt event is, yet again, this guy. Talon was next, which is still solid after all these years, but it does need a paint job.
Last two houses were Blood on the Bayou and Tourist Trap. I skipped Blackout because I was not impressed by that last time, and it had a long line when I walked by to ride Talon. BotB was great - I particularly enjoyed the use of puppets at the end there, which feels like something out of HHN. Tourist Trap is one that I do not understand well, and despite having a line, I saw the fewest amount of actors inside. It's also a weird theme, because there seems like more that could be done with the concept. I think they're trying to evoke HH Holmes, but it just doesn't work for me.
I didn't watch much of the Skeleton Crew show, but there was a sizable crowd. The show near the Carousel had fewer onlookers but was decently high-energy with a large cast and live band - something I was not expecting. (Hint hint: Hersheypark, people like shows on midways).
All-in-all, pretty successful evening. I'll leave you with Alfeardo:
Iron Menace was a one train wait, followed by a walk-on for Ghost in the Machine about 20 mins before the 7PM posted opening time. Ghost in the Machine is fantastic - really well done, and so much better than the former house that preceded it.
Rode Steel Force, then lurked through the Necropolis (which is looking quite old). Despite my intention to attend Trick or Treat, the line appeared to be closed when I passed by it twice. Not much to say here, but I appreciate all the extra decor that is going on down in the lower section of the park.
Roadside Stop and Chop is also a welcome upgrade from what was here before. Actors got really into character with this one. I grabbed a pic of the layout while walking in. I don't really rate things, but this would be near the top of my list.
Steel Yard: Forge Your Fear is what I walked through next. Again, good acting and they were doing more than grunts. Also appreciate seeing the sliders. I thoroughly enjoyed this area and it seamlessly integrates with the steel mill theme.
Dystopia was next, also new to me. I quite love the concept, and the graffiti everywhere is great. Actors here weren't doing much at all, sadly. The MVP of the haunt event is, yet again, this guy. Talon was next, which is still solid after all these years, but it does need a paint job.
Last two houses were Blood on the Bayou and Tourist Trap. I skipped Blackout because I was not impressed by that last time, and it had a long line when I walked by to ride Talon. BotB was great - I particularly enjoyed the use of puppets at the end there, which feels like something out of HHN. Tourist Trap is one that I do not understand well, and despite having a line, I saw the fewest amount of actors inside. It's also a weird theme, because there seems like more that could be done with the concept. I think they're trying to evoke HH Holmes, but it just doesn't work for me.
I didn't watch much of the Skeleton Crew show, but there was a sizable crowd. The show near the Carousel had fewer onlookers but was decently high-energy with a large cast and live band - something I was not expecting. (Hint hint: Hersheypark, people like shows on midways).
All-in-all, pretty successful evening. I'll leave you with Alfeardo:
Well, this just showed up on Apollo's pad:
It looks like the dive pool that Cedar Point used for their dive show as part of their Summer Nights live boardwalk entertainment. I was quite excited, assuming maybe a diving show is coming, perhaps with some night fire dives. Unfortunatly on the website, it appears to be listed as Sink the Jerk. From the website: "Step right up ... and shut him up! This carnival-style game features a loud-mouthed performer that we all want to see sunk." This seems like a large setup for a dunk tank, and the viewing area is a bit small, as the ride pad is surrounded by trees and a gift shop. The picture on the website for the show was taken at Canada's Wonderland. I can find three videos from Canada's Wonderland from 3, 6, and 8 years ago, and none of them show a fall or jump.
On the good news side, there is a photo spot around the corner for Alfeardo.
Sadly l Iossing Meteor does not look like it will enlarge the viewing area for Skeleton Crew, the stage is setup exactly like was last year.
And despite the maze upcharge, no new mazes for this year.
It looks like the dive pool that Cedar Point used for their dive show as part of their Summer Nights live boardwalk entertainment. I was quite excited, assuming maybe a diving show is coming, perhaps with some night fire dives. Unfortunatly on the website, it appears to be listed as Sink the Jerk. From the website: "Step right up ... and shut him up! This carnival-style game features a loud-mouthed performer that we all want to see sunk." This seems like a large setup for a dunk tank, and the viewing area is a bit small, as the ride pad is surrounded by trees and a gift shop. The picture on the website for the show was taken at Canada's Wonderland. I can find three videos from Canada's Wonderland from 3, 6, and 8 years ago, and none of them show a fall or jump.
On the good news side, there is a photo spot around the corner for Alfeardo.
Sadly l Iossing Meteor does not look like it will enlarge the viewing area for Skeleton Crew, the stage is setup exactly like was last year.
And despite the maze upcharge, no new mazes for this year.
Good to see something new, but it's a stretch to call this a "new show" the way it is on the web site:
Missed opportunity. Dorney's event was a nice package a few years ago, but cutting some of the entertainment and adding upcharges for the same old houses (some of which are close to a decade old) takes the air out of the event.
Between the reasonable attraction pricing, especially for a Saturday ($10), and a general urge to see what Haunt events are like, I decided to visit Dorney today.
Absolutely phenomenal. Everything felt next level - Dystopia was one of the best scare zones I've ever walked through. A ton of action (perhaps in response to the lesser amount of activity last year) with some insane slide-up jump scares. The shows were fun, and even the Jerk was entertaining; perhaps overly so, since nobody was paying money to sink him.
Ghost In The Machine blew me away. It's in a league of its own. I knew it would be great, but it was great to the point that I started mentally planning a follow-up Haunt trip the second I walked out of it. Attractions Pass price be damned, I'll undoubtedly be wearing another wristband whenever that visit happens.
I also have to say, the park did a great job with signage indicating the maze upcharge. There were plenty of dedicated purchasing locations and I didn't see/hear anybody raising a stink about the change in policy.
Absolutely phenomenal. Everything felt next level - Dystopia was one of the best scare zones I've ever walked through. A ton of action (perhaps in response to the lesser amount of activity last year) with some insane slide-up jump scares. The shows were fun, and even the Jerk was entertaining; perhaps overly so, since nobody was paying money to sink him.
Ghost In The Machine blew me away. It's in a league of its own. I knew it would be great, but it was great to the point that I started mentally planning a follow-up Haunt trip the second I walked out of it. Attractions Pass price be damned, I'll undoubtedly be wearing another wristband whenever that visit happens.
I also have to say, the park did a great job with signage indicating the maze upcharge. There were plenty of dedicated purchasing locations and I didn't see/hear anybody raising a stink about the change in policy.
Yes! Another convert!
It is an ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE regional park house—right at the apex of regional park haunt design next to the best of Hershey's houses—except, unlike Hershey's houses, Ghost in the Machine PERFORMS and, in my experience, consistently too!
The level of sophistication in the design of Ghost in the Machine is equivalent to some of the best events out there—HHN and BGT, for instance. The fantastic use of mirrors, the triggered lighting and audio, THE FACT THAT THIS REGIONAL PARK HAS A SCARE ACTOR ON A WIRE—the wholly original theme and storytelling—it's all stuff that is lifted directly from the likes of HHN—and not something I've seen rivaled at another regional park haunt that I've found thus far.
The rest of Dorney's event is good, but Ghost in the Machine is a single house absolutely worth traveling for—it should be the bar that every other regional park haunt is sending their designers to see in person to try to duplicate. It's stunning and it shows we should be demanding SO MUCH MORE from parks with much larger, more successful, more profitable Halloween events than Dorney's.
Last edited: