That's good, that one needed to be replaced. However, a lot of the medical equipment props were moved to Outbreak. Could this mean that's not returning as well?
Halloween Haunt 2014
- Thread starter wombat96
- Start date
I wonder what we will see on the entertainment side of things this year? Last year's shows were pretty lackluster in comparison to the park's main season shows. They only had three shows last year plus the kids' shows, but I guess that's really all that's needed for Haunt.
Edge of Darkness in Kings Dominion Theatre last year was awful. It replaced Night Shift, which was a pretty good show. This show was horribly produced. It was themed to a sinister carnival, but was really just a mix of poorly sung classic rock songs and really random things. I was pretty tired when I saw it (and it was opening night...) but just the show itself didn't appeal to me like its predecessor did. I hope Edge of Darkness leaves, or is at least extremely redone.
Blood Drums on the Grove Stage was decent. It had lots of really cool percussion moves with an awesome set, but there wasn't much substance. The whole show was nothing but banging around on different things. Don't get me wrong, that's cool, but for a full-length show I'd love to see some other element bolster it. There was just a little too much testosterone in that show.
Uprising took place on the Grande Bandstand. It was basically a mini Killarney Kommotion, complete with scaffolding. The only difference is the horrible songs were actually sung instead of lip synced. This one was absolutely terrible and needs to go more than anything.
Overlord's Resurrection at the front of the park was really cool with all the scare actors gathering to start the event for the day. I just hope they can still do the show with the new entrance planter.
I know shows aren't KD's top priority with Haunt, but since they've been given a higher billing in the main season I'd like to see productions of similar quality for Haunt. Personally I'd love to see an Evil Clown Band.
Also, why don't they have kids' Halloween shows? We know they don't because the main season shows (Schroeder's Sing Along and Charlie Brown's All-Stars) go through Haunt. You'd think with such an elaborate daytime setup for the kids they'd have Halloween-themed shows, too. Especially since they should have the props and tracks left over from Charlie Brown's Pirate Adventure, which played at the Kidzville Stage only for Haunt 2012.
Finally, something that REALLY bugged me was that in 2013 the shows didn't start until 4:00 (sometimes 6). Since they have such a heavy focus on family Halloween activities during the day, you'd think they'd offer the shows as something for else for families to do. There was nothing particularly adult about them. Also, not being able to see shows during the day means people who want to see them have to take time out of the scares to see the shows at night. Hopefully this changes.
Like I said, shows aren't the main attraction at Haunt, but a slightly greater focus on them could really help bolster the event. RWS & Associates seems to know how to do KD's shows right, and they replaced every 2013 main season MoonMaxx show this year except Karaoke Superstars, so hopefully these trends continue to Haunt. It's sure make the event even better in my opinion.
Edge of Darkness in Kings Dominion Theatre last year was awful. It replaced Night Shift, which was a pretty good show. This show was horribly produced. It was themed to a sinister carnival, but was really just a mix of poorly sung classic rock songs and really random things. I was pretty tired when I saw it (and it was opening night...) but just the show itself didn't appeal to me like its predecessor did. I hope Edge of Darkness leaves, or is at least extremely redone.
Blood Drums on the Grove Stage was decent. It had lots of really cool percussion moves with an awesome set, but there wasn't much substance. The whole show was nothing but banging around on different things. Don't get me wrong, that's cool, but for a full-length show I'd love to see some other element bolster it. There was just a little too much testosterone in that show.
Uprising took place on the Grande Bandstand. It was basically a mini Killarney Kommotion, complete with scaffolding. The only difference is the horrible songs were actually sung instead of lip synced. This one was absolutely terrible and needs to go more than anything.
Overlord's Resurrection at the front of the park was really cool with all the scare actors gathering to start the event for the day. I just hope they can still do the show with the new entrance planter.
I know shows aren't KD's top priority with Haunt, but since they've been given a higher billing in the main season I'd like to see productions of similar quality for Haunt. Personally I'd love to see an Evil Clown Band.
Also, why don't they have kids' Halloween shows? We know they don't because the main season shows (Schroeder's Sing Along and Charlie Brown's All-Stars) go through Haunt. You'd think with such an elaborate daytime setup for the kids they'd have Halloween-themed shows, too. Especially since they should have the props and tracks left over from Charlie Brown's Pirate Adventure, which played at the Kidzville Stage only for Haunt 2012.
Finally, something that REALLY bugged me was that in 2013 the shows didn't start until 4:00 (sometimes 6). Since they have such a heavy focus on family Halloween activities during the day, you'd think they'd offer the shows as something for else for families to do. There was nothing particularly adult about them. Also, not being able to see shows during the day means people who want to see them have to take time out of the scares to see the shows at night. Hopefully this changes.
Like I said, shows aren't the main attraction at Haunt, but a slightly greater focus on them could really help bolster the event. RWS & Associates seems to know how to do KD's shows right, and they replaced every 2013 main season MoonMaxx show this year except Karaoke Superstars, so hopefully these trends continue to Haunt. It's sure make the event even better in my opinion.
Maze of Madness was, and still is, the most disorienting maze that Kings Dominion has ever done. It got me flustered several times trying to make my way through it. There was a good percentage of the public that almost got into a panic state trying to figure out how to pass through it.
This maze did not need a huge staff of scare-actors. Over half the time the maze characters had to point out the right direction to go in; as many groups found themselves in dead-ends and having to constantly back track to continue on. It is one of the few Haunt attractions where the maze itself provided over half the scares and the scare-actors the rest!
The Haunt shows were lackluster last year. Edge of Darkness was poorly produced. Money for this production was lacking and it showed. Plus, the sound system was horrible. The singers voices were muffled/garbled. The sound system for "On Broadway" was of a much higher quality than what was used in the Haunt show.
The show concepts come from Cedar Fair corporate. It is up to the entertainment company, hired by the park, to carry it out. Unfortunately, MoonMaxx dropped the ball on this one and I wonder if that is the reason KD choose not to renew their entertainment contract with them and went for RWS & Associates for 2014.
It should be interesting to see if RWS & Associates gives "Edge of Darkness" a complete makeover or if Kings Dominion drops that show and goes with something new. I am getting tired of the Haunt shows re-hashing the same rock music over and over and over. I wish they would get back into more of a traditional Halloween theme and music. Cedar Fair seems to run a show theme into the ground before changing it up and it does not have to be that way.
2013 was the last year for Uprising on the International Street Bandstand. That show ran for 3 years and it was retired at the end the 2013 Haunt. Expect a new show of some type for 2014.
I assume Blood Drums with be back for 2014. I am not sure how much longer that show will continue as this should be its 3rd or 4th season.
I would like to see something placed in the All Wheel Sports amphitheater for Haunt. My guess is that won't happen because of the time and expense of removing the ramp structures and other equipment for a Haunt show and then having to put it all back for 2015.
This maze did not need a huge staff of scare-actors. Over half the time the maze characters had to point out the right direction to go in; as many groups found themselves in dead-ends and having to constantly back track to continue on. It is one of the few Haunt attractions where the maze itself provided over half the scares and the scare-actors the rest!
The Haunt shows were lackluster last year. Edge of Darkness was poorly produced. Money for this production was lacking and it showed. Plus, the sound system was horrible. The singers voices were muffled/garbled. The sound system for "On Broadway" was of a much higher quality than what was used in the Haunt show.
The show concepts come from Cedar Fair corporate. It is up to the entertainment company, hired by the park, to carry it out. Unfortunately, MoonMaxx dropped the ball on this one and I wonder if that is the reason KD choose not to renew their entertainment contract with them and went for RWS & Associates for 2014.
It should be interesting to see if RWS & Associates gives "Edge of Darkness" a complete makeover or if Kings Dominion drops that show and goes with something new. I am getting tired of the Haunt shows re-hashing the same rock music over and over and over. I wish they would get back into more of a traditional Halloween theme and music. Cedar Fair seems to run a show theme into the ground before changing it up and it does not have to be that way.
2013 was the last year for Uprising on the International Street Bandstand. That show ran for 3 years and it was retired at the end the 2013 Haunt. Expect a new show of some type for 2014.
I assume Blood Drums with be back for 2014. I am not sure how much longer that show will continue as this should be its 3rd or 4th season.
I would like to see something placed in the All Wheel Sports amphitheater for Haunt. My guess is that won't happen because of the time and expense of removing the ramp structures and other equipment for a Haunt show and then having to put it all back for 2015.
Joe said:
You can never have too much testosterone!
Joe said:Personally I'd love to see an Evil Clown Band.
That's a great idea! Or at least a spooky Clown Band.
Joe said:
You'd think with "The Great Pumpkin" being such a part of The Peanuts legacy, they'd have done something like that.
Pretzel Kaiser said:
There's only one Gasparich, and only a limited amount of Dollar Tree decorations in the world, fortunately.
mwhinva said:
This maze sounds fantastic!
I was pondering this weekend what I like and don't like in mazes (because of the Slaughterhouse conversation). I realized that I really like anxiety mazes more than horror and gross-out mazes. Being disoriented or stalked freaks me out way more than blood and guts. I scream the most in mazes that employ startle scares, but I don't think they scare me the most.
Doll Factory was my favorite maze last year at KD. I think this also why I actually preferred CTC to Deadline.
Anyway, sorry to interrupt with my random, personal musings...
I'm torn on how I feel about Maze of Madness coming back. On one hand, it was a fantastic maze and will probably be bigger and better than when it was retired since KD has been going bigger over the last few years. On the other hand, I think I might prefer to have a brand new concept instead of recycling mazes. As someone mentioned before, Knott's has had a lot of great ideas over the last few years that have not made it to KD. I'd like to see KD tackle some of those concepts. The Jack The Ripper and Edgar Allen Poe themes really stick out to me.
If Maze of Madness is truly coming back, I have no doubt that it will be a great maze and I'll have a blast with it. I just hope we get a brand new maze as well. Personally, I'd like to see Outbreak be replaced. It just doesn't do it for me. Not a lot of actors, not a great amount of detail in the props, and just not a great atmosphere.
I also wanna chime in on Slaughterhouse. Personally, I love it. It is not my favorite maze (that goes to No Vacancy and Doll Factory), but I always have a blast in Slaughterhouse. I think it ultimately comes down to the actors. In my experience, they are the most energetic actors in the entire park. The wall banging, the yelling, getting in your face, the running around. Not that other actors don't do all this, but it just seems amped up in Slaughterhouse for some reason. The actors really nail it and make it one of my top 5.
If Maze of Madness is truly coming back, I have no doubt that it will be a great maze and I'll have a blast with it. I just hope we get a brand new maze as well. Personally, I'd like to see Outbreak be replaced. It just doesn't do it for me. Not a lot of actors, not a great amount of detail in the props, and just not a great atmosphere.
I also wanna chime in on Slaughterhouse. Personally, I love it. It is not my favorite maze (that goes to No Vacancy and Doll Factory), but I always have a blast in Slaughterhouse. I think it ultimately comes down to the actors. In my experience, they are the most energetic actors in the entire park. The wall banging, the yelling, getting in your face, the running around. Not that other actors don't do all this, but it just seems amped up in Slaughterhouse for some reason. The actors really nail it and make it one of my top 5.
Cedar Fair / Kings Dominion has brought the Halloween Haunt attractions up to a whole new level over the last 2-3 years.
No Vacancy is one of the most immersive and detailed mazes to come out of the Haunt creative team. I think it is a good mix of atmosphere, surprise, and gore. Not too much of anyone thing.
Zombie High goes more for a fun/cheesy take on Zombie's; a few surprises and very little gore.
Club Blood is more atmosphere and surprise, with a little gore thrown in.
Slaughter House is the gore-fest maze.
Doll Factory is more creepy atmosphere with a good dose of gore in some sections of the maze. I think this maze gets the prize for best ending.
Medieval Macabre maze was more atmosphere. Being a large maze, it did seem the props and sets were a little threadbare in some places; not too many hiding places for the scare-actors.
Outbreak is in a location that seems to be jinxed when it comes to Haunt Mazes. The park just seems to have some difficulty in putting a haunt concept in there and making that location work. Some people say it is the FOF queue building that is the issue. But, if KD can put a successful maze, such as No Vacancy, into a former motion simulator theater; why can't they do the same with the FOF queue building? I hope this is a puzzle that Kings Dominion can eventually solve.
I would prefer couple more mazes to have that anxiety filled, psychological atmosphere to creep/freak people out than just scene after scene of gore. That is why Maze of Madness worked so well. The disorientation flustered/freaked out many folks who went through it. Maybe something else similar will eventually make its way to the park. But, since Kings Dominion is on the 40th anniversary flashback mode, and Maze of Madness is making a comeback. I welcome it back.
Think the park should do the Edgar Allen Poe theme maze that Knott's is currently doing. Or, try something with exotic, fantasy creatures such as orcs, goblins, harpies. Use more of the traditional monsters like Frankestein, werewolves, witches/warlocks. The park has yet to try a construction site or wild west theme. There plenty of ideas/themes that the park has not tried yet. So, I think we will have new stuff still coming out in the years to come.
No Vacancy is one of the most immersive and detailed mazes to come out of the Haunt creative team. I think it is a good mix of atmosphere, surprise, and gore. Not too much of anyone thing.
Zombie High goes more for a fun/cheesy take on Zombie's; a few surprises and very little gore.
Club Blood is more atmosphere and surprise, with a little gore thrown in.
Slaughter House is the gore-fest maze.
Doll Factory is more creepy atmosphere with a good dose of gore in some sections of the maze. I think this maze gets the prize for best ending.
Medieval Macabre maze was more atmosphere. Being a large maze, it did seem the props and sets were a little threadbare in some places; not too many hiding places for the scare-actors.
Outbreak is in a location that seems to be jinxed when it comes to Haunt Mazes. The park just seems to have some difficulty in putting a haunt concept in there and making that location work. Some people say it is the FOF queue building that is the issue. But, if KD can put a successful maze, such as No Vacancy, into a former motion simulator theater; why can't they do the same with the FOF queue building? I hope this is a puzzle that Kings Dominion can eventually solve.
I would prefer couple more mazes to have that anxiety filled, psychological atmosphere to creep/freak people out than just scene after scene of gore. That is why Maze of Madness worked so well. The disorientation flustered/freaked out many folks who went through it. Maybe something else similar will eventually make its way to the park. But, since Kings Dominion is on the 40th anniversary flashback mode, and Maze of Madness is making a comeback. I welcome it back.
Think the park should do the Edgar Allen Poe theme maze that Knott's is currently doing. Or, try something with exotic, fantasy creatures such as orcs, goblins, harpies. Use more of the traditional monsters like Frankestein, werewolves, witches/warlocks. The park has yet to try a construction site or wild west theme. There plenty of ideas/themes that the park has not tried yet. So, I think we will have new stuff still coming out in the years to come.
I'm also a big fan of SlaughterHouse - definitely in my top half of mazes.
As for bringing back Maze of Madness - I'm sure it'll be better than ever. 1) It will be more than likely be in Dodgem now, rather that a pop up tent, so that'll give them much more room to work with. 2) This whole season (and next) is about bringing the past back to the park - so it's only fitting to do so at Haunt too.
Now we have to wait and see what will be replacing Miner's Revenge. Fingers crossed they don't bring back Blackbeard's Revenge back there, haha. Any thoughts?
As for bringing back Maze of Madness - I'm sure it'll be better than ever. 1) It will be more than likely be in Dodgem now, rather that a pop up tent, so that'll give them much more room to work with. 2) This whole season (and next) is about bringing the past back to the park - so it's only fitting to do so at Haunt too.
Now we have to wait and see what will be replacing Miner's Revenge. Fingers crossed they don't bring back Blackbeard's Revenge back there, haha. Any thoughts?
Hokie305 said:
Maze of Madness did drift around a couple times. It started out in what is now the Dino store structure in Old VA. A couple years later, Blood Shed took that spot and MOM was then relocated to International Street in a tent structure (where Corn Stalkers is now located). The tent was badly damaged in a major snow storm one winter and Maze of Madness was retired. The Corn Stalkers open maze then took that spot. So Maze of Madness has not been around for about 3-4 years now.
Before Kings Dominion started using the Dodgem Bump Car building, they had a large tent set up along side Victoria's Pizza. The back of the tent faced the path leading to Water Works and the front entrance faced the midway. For some reason I keep thinking Maze of Madness started in that location before moving to Old VA. If, not then it was a "ancestor" maze to MOM. I also, remember that tent location was used for an Egyptian themed maze with mummy's (FearFest era?). But, that was before Cedar Fair took over.
Hokie305 said:
I am very interested in what they will do here. I agree with what someone said earlier about finding it hard to believe they would just scrap all the props they used for Miners since they were brand new. Personally, I think a lot of the props from Miners could easily be used for a Wild West theme, which as mwhinve pointed out, KD has not attempted. I think that would be a pretty cool concept. If it wasn't for Zombie High, I'd say go for Zombie Cowboys (say that out loud and tell me it doesn't make you smile a bit
), but it wouldn't be tough to pull off a story for cowboys here.If they want to go the route of using the history of the area, they could use a Civil War theme. Richmond was the capital of the Confederate States of America and Doswell was a major railroad junction during the time of the war. They could easily pull off the story of a unit of Union soldiers getting ready for an attack on the Confederates when something went horribly wrong and they were never seen again (dun dun duuuuuuunnn). I dunno. Just spit balling to find something kind of unique.
If a undead miners upset people around here, you can be sure they'll get upset over Zombie Confederate soldiers. Wild West could be good. There's also the Bunnyman, a local legend associated with a tunnel.
It's to my understanding that Miner's Revenge will be returning under a different name.
I'm going to assume it will have updates and maybe a slight change in the story to prevent any issues like last year.
I'm going to assume it will have updates and maybe a slight change in the story to prevent any issues like last year.
Changing the name to something involving 'caverns' or 'caves' will release all liability toward the idea of a mining accident. No more hardhats with lights and wa-la...No more miners.
^or maybe we all need to stop caving in (pun intended) to the constant, ridiculous demands for 'sensitivity' about such things. It's HALLOWEEN, when we're supposed to exorcise our existential fears of physical vulnerability and death by recreating/mocking them! Everyone dies, everyone decays, there are people murdered by human monsters all the time. Do we stop play acting those sorts of things at Halloween because it's "insensitive" to people who have experienced death or disaster first-hand? No.
If it offends someone, they should stay away from it, or criticize it intelligently, not try to make it go away.
If it offends someone, they should stay away from it, or criticize it intelligently, not try to make it go away.