Halloween Haunt 2014
- Thread starter wombat96
- Start date
Reminder: Only two days left for Halloween Haunt. There is no Halloween Haunt on November 2nd.
I was there Saturday, but I also had cut the line passes (won them - thanks Safe Auto) which helped out with 8 of the houses/mazes.
Didn't jump once. The lines were long (for people without cut the line), but they were letting enough people in at a time, so that probably helped.
Didn't jump once. The lines were long (for people without cut the line), but they were letting enough people in at a time, so that probably helped.
Went to the park for the first time in 10 years with most of the BGWFans crew last Saturday. I had a wonderful time with the minimal waits for everything. Practically all the coasters were walk ons-one train waits, even for front row on a lot of them thanks to the miserable weather. Volcano and Avalanche ended up having lines but the longest we waited was 15 mins tops.
Since this was my first time at Haunt, I was bound to compare the two to HOS. In my opinion, both events are about the same. KD does a few things better than BGW does and vice versa. I expected KD to go all out with the scares and such but was kinda disappointed.
What I really liked
- The maze facades are amazingly well done. Even if they're just facades. BGW doesn't put this much effort in their maze facades so they all end up looking meh. Zombie High especially had an amazing entrance with the zombie animatronic popping into the window.
- The special effects are used so well. Each maze utilizes different effects so going into each one is a real treat. Same goes for the scare zones.
- Many of the maze rooms had great, elaborate props that were really good to look at. Same with the scare zones. I loved all the moving animatronics and the actors had cool props to play with (clown on the trike, stiltwalkers, and the guy with the shopping cart come to mind). Doesn't happen as much at Busch. I also loved the roaming actors that wandered outside of the scare zones, even if they were few and far between.
- The park doesn't really hold back on the bloody props like BGW does.
- Makeup and costumes are leagues better than anything Busch has. No Smurf police officers or 80s cartoon pirates here.
Neutral view
- Blue Ridge Bloodbath was a really neat concept, but not executed as well. You can only do so many things from a moving vehicle and some of the actors did a great job but it wasn't scary.
- The actors were pretty much on par with BGW's actors. Nothing significantly better or worse.
- Fog in bad spots doesn't make for better atmosphere. I managed to slam my foot into one of the headstones in Necropolis thanks to a well placed fog machine and a heavy prop. BGW has the same problems.
What BGW does better
- The toy chainsaws. I understand why KD decided to not go for real chainsaws like BGW, but they aren't scary.
- Club Blood was kinda a disappointment due to all the dead room.
- Most of the mazes had great rooms, but a lot of them also felt kinda cheaply done. Usually just an elaborate prop/effect along a bland-looking wall. BGW does a better job with covering that stuff up or adding more props to each of their rooms. It really won't kill them to add wallpaper to some of the rooms so I'm not staring at boring drywall in every maze.
- The park only made an effort to theme up International Street and the scare zones. Once you step out of the scare zones, it's pretty much like normal KD. I expected the park to go all out like BGW does.
- The mirror and strobe rooms got old after the 5000th time walking through them. Its a great effect, but it loses its luster when EVERY maze has them. I also couldn't help but feel awful for the actors standing in the strobe rooms all night. That would've given me an awful headache. (BGW has the same issue with hangy things. Negative points to them for that).
Maze highlights
Doll Factory, No Vacancy, and Cornstalkers
Scare Zone Highlights
Clown scare zone was my fave followed by Ironworx.
Disappointments
Club Blood, Outbreak, Maze of Madness
Scare Zones
Prime-evil (thanks to the cold - I felt awful for the actors. Hope those huts had heat fans or something in them). Feary Tales, The Lair
I'll probably post a more in-depth review of the mazes and scare zones when I get the chance.
Since this was my first time at Haunt, I was bound to compare the two to HOS. In my opinion, both events are about the same. KD does a few things better than BGW does and vice versa. I expected KD to go all out with the scares and such but was kinda disappointed.
What I really liked
- The maze facades are amazingly well done. Even if they're just facades. BGW doesn't put this much effort in their maze facades so they all end up looking meh. Zombie High especially had an amazing entrance with the zombie animatronic popping into the window.
- The special effects are used so well. Each maze utilizes different effects so going into each one is a real treat. Same goes for the scare zones.
- Many of the maze rooms had great, elaborate props that were really good to look at. Same with the scare zones. I loved all the moving animatronics and the actors had cool props to play with (clown on the trike, stiltwalkers, and the guy with the shopping cart come to mind). Doesn't happen as much at Busch. I also loved the roaming actors that wandered outside of the scare zones, even if they were few and far between.
- The park doesn't really hold back on the bloody props like BGW does.
- Makeup and costumes are leagues better than anything Busch has. No Smurf police officers or 80s cartoon pirates here.
Neutral view
- Blue Ridge Bloodbath was a really neat concept, but not executed as well. You can only do so many things from a moving vehicle and some of the actors did a great job but it wasn't scary.
- The actors were pretty much on par with BGW's actors. Nothing significantly better or worse.
- Fog in bad spots doesn't make for better atmosphere. I managed to slam my foot into one of the headstones in Necropolis thanks to a well placed fog machine and a heavy prop. BGW has the same problems.
What BGW does better
- The toy chainsaws. I understand why KD decided to not go for real chainsaws like BGW, but they aren't scary.
- Club Blood was kinda a disappointment due to all the dead room.
- Most of the mazes had great rooms, but a lot of them also felt kinda cheaply done. Usually just an elaborate prop/effect along a bland-looking wall. BGW does a better job with covering that stuff up or adding more props to each of their rooms. It really won't kill them to add wallpaper to some of the rooms so I'm not staring at boring drywall in every maze.
- The park only made an effort to theme up International Street and the scare zones. Once you step out of the scare zones, it's pretty much like normal KD. I expected the park to go all out like BGW does.
- The mirror and strobe rooms got old after the 5000th time walking through them. Its a great effect, but it loses its luster when EVERY maze has them. I also couldn't help but feel awful for the actors standing in the strobe rooms all night. That would've given me an awful headache. (BGW has the same issue with hangy things. Negative points to them for that).
Maze highlights
Doll Factory, No Vacancy, and Cornstalkers
Scare Zone Highlights
Clown scare zone was my fave followed by Ironworx.
Disappointments
Club Blood, Outbreak, Maze of Madness
Scare Zones
Prime-evil (thanks to the cold - I felt awful for the actors. Hope those huts had heat fans or something in them). Feary Tales, The Lair
I'll probably post a more in-depth review of the mazes and scare zones when I get the chance.
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Congratulations to those who were in CornStalkers and The Lair! It was a fantastic season of Halloween Haunt! Great job to everyone who worked this event!
If you were wondering, each maze and scare zone is rated on a nightly basis by the full time workers at the park. Each night, the maze and scare-zones receive points on how the monsters scaring was. At the end of the season, the points are totaled and the maze and scare-zone can win Maze/ Zone of the year!
This season, it was given to CornStalkers and The Lair!
Congratulations to those who were in CornStalkers and The Lair! It was a fantastic season of Halloween Haunt! Great job to everyone who worked this event!
If you were wondering, each maze and scare zone is rated on a nightly basis by the full time workers at the park. Each night, the maze and scare-zones receive points on how the monsters scaring was. At the end of the season, the points are totaled and the maze and scare-zone can win Maze/ Zone of the year!
This season, it was given to CornStalkers and The Lair!
...or, if you don't want to be scared, don't go to a haunt.
Hasn't that idea been discussed multiple times in many HoS threads? I haven't kept track of the Haunt threads, since I never went until this past October, but I feel like this has been discussed at length many times.
Because okay you have the glow stick of no scaring, and a guy comes up behind you and scares you. Now he can get in trouble for scaring the person with the no scare glow stick, because it wasn't visible from one side. While a glow stick is better than a sticker or a wrist band, it still has many problems.
Really, if you don't want to be scared, don't go to Haunt.
Because okay you have the glow stick of no scaring, and a guy comes up behind you and scares you. Now he can get in trouble for scaring the person with the no scare glow stick, because it wasn't visible from one side. While a glow stick is better than a sticker or a wrist band, it still has many problems.
Really, if you don't want to be scared, don't go to Haunt.
I think the financial advantages to the park are obvious. They can sell people a glow stick, so they will come to the park and buy things during an event, which might have deterred them in the past.
I just don't think it makes sense from the customer's perspective.
I just don't think it makes sense from the customer's perspective.
Man, this is SUCH a smart marketing ploy by themeparks. Maybe it is because I'm a slimy person who works in marketing but I love stuff like this...
Agree with everything that Nicole and Applesauce said though one additional element that I see this being used for: Children. While we all hate children in the park for scary events, parents who might not come normally because they can't find a babysitter may be able to come now if they buy one of these for their kids.
These people are still probably bad parents since this is a glowstick and not a magical force-field of sunshine and rainbows, but having this available might be the selling point for families who are on the cusp of going.
Agree with everything that Nicole and Applesauce said though one additional element that I see this being used for: Children. While we all hate children in the park for scary events, parents who might not come normally because they can't find a babysitter may be able to come now if they buy one of these for their kids.
These people are still probably bad parents since this is a glowstick and not a magical force-field of sunshine and rainbows, but having this available might be the selling point for families who are on the cusp of going.
I'm still bitter with my friends because we never made it to Haunt in 2014. Really annoying since I had been looking forward to it since summer and being active on this board made me even more excited for it. Every time I thought we had a plan to go, it fell apart. Really irritating, but I won't let that happen in 2015.
Anyway, I don't get the glow stick idea. For one, as has been said, if you don't want to be scared, why go to Haunt? What is the point? Just go during the day before Haunt starts. When it comes to parents and their kids, either get a babysitter or sacrifice a trip to Haunt. Sorry, but sacrificing a fun night is part of being a parent. Also, the glowstick may keep the actors from scaring the kid, but what about the rest of the group? I don't know about the rest of you, but I am super jumpy, so even when the actors are targeting other people in my group, I still get scared. My point is that a 7 year old kid walking through the maze or scare zone will still jump and get scared when the actors jump out at the rest of the group.
Furthermore,a bloody Alice in Wonderland, demented clowns and carnival folks, vampires, heads and arms hanging from the ceilings, and a cannibalistic meat shop are all cool for these parents' 7 year olds. But jumping out at them is too far? That's where the parents draw the line?
Anyway, I don't get the glow stick idea. For one, as has been said, if you don't want to be scared, why go to Haunt? What is the point? Just go during the day before Haunt starts. When it comes to parents and their kids, either get a babysitter or sacrifice a trip to Haunt. Sorry, but sacrificing a fun night is part of being a parent. Also, the glowstick may keep the actors from scaring the kid, but what about the rest of the group? I don't know about the rest of you, but I am super jumpy, so even when the actors are targeting other people in my group, I still get scared. My point is that a 7 year old kid walking through the maze or scare zone will still jump and get scared when the actors jump out at the rest of the group.
Furthermore,a bloody Alice in Wonderland, demented clowns and carnival folks, vampires, heads and arms hanging from the ceilings, and a cannibalistic meat shop are all cool for these parents' 7 year olds. But jumping out at them is too far? That's where the parents draw the line?
Oh I don't think anyone is saying that it is a brilliant decision to think a glowstick will protect you (adult or child), but I still see it as a smart move on the park's part.
The only semi reasonable use of the glowstick that I can imagine is if for someone who is not a big fan of scares but think you can manage and then show up at the park and realize they can't. I've heard of families with older children (like 10+) who bring their kids to BG because they think their kids are ready but then it gets too intense and they have to leave early. Maybe with the glowstick purchase, the family can stay longer because the 11 year old can wear it as they walk around the park and will wait outside as the rest of the family goes through the houses.
I also had a friend who HATED being scared but would come with us to Howl o Scream because her boyfriend and the rest of us were going (and she was a pass member so it didn't cost here anything). Even though she wouldn't go into houses with us, she still got freaked out from walking around the park and we would always end up going weird routes because she would want to cut through every shop. If the glowstick was an option, I could guarantee she would have purchased it and it would have been a better experience for everyone.
But anyway....this has nothing to do with KD Haunt so I'll shut up
The only semi reasonable use of the glowstick that I can imagine is if for someone who is not a big fan of scares but think you can manage and then show up at the park and realize they can't. I've heard of families with older children (like 10+) who bring their kids to BG because they think their kids are ready but then it gets too intense and they have to leave early. Maybe with the glowstick purchase, the family can stay longer because the 11 year old can wear it as they walk around the park and will wait outside as the rest of the family goes through the houses.
I also had a friend who HATED being scared but would come with us to Howl o Scream because her boyfriend and the rest of us were going (and she was a pass member so it didn't cost here anything). Even though she wouldn't go into houses with us, she still got freaked out from walking around the park and we would always end up going weird routes because she would want to cut through every shop. If the glowstick was an option, I could guarantee she would have purchased it and it would have been a better experience for everyone.
But anyway....this has nothing to do with KD Haunt so I'll shut up
The glow sticks don't really work in the mazes because its hard for actors to see around corners for people carrying them. You bet people will be wearing the glow sticks inside the mazes and you bet they'll unintentionally get scared from the random screams and actors getting the groups in front of/behind them. Same goes for the scare zones really.
That will most likely lead up to the actors just not scaring the groups around the glow stick, which means if you want to get scared but got stuck behind someone carrying a glow stick, you'll most likely not get scared either, bringing down the experience for you.
This doesn't seem to work too well when its crowded and you can't see people carrying glow sticks behind walls of people.
Also probably wouldn't work too well with glow stuff being really popular in general. How are you gonna tell somebody with a glow stick apart from the thousands of other people who are carrying other glow stuff? In the mazes you could probably control that, but you can't really do that in the scare zones.
So yeah to basically repeat what everyone else is saying. If you don't want to get scared, don't go to a haunt event.
That will most likely lead up to the actors just not scaring the groups around the glow stick, which means if you want to get scared but got stuck behind someone carrying a glow stick, you'll most likely not get scared either, bringing down the experience for you.
This doesn't seem to work too well when its crowded and you can't see people carrying glow sticks behind walls of people.
Also probably wouldn't work too well with glow stuff being really popular in general. How are you gonna tell somebody with a glow stick apart from the thousands of other people who are carrying other glow stuff? In the mazes you could probably control that, but you can't really do that in the scare zones.
So yeah to basically repeat what everyone else is saying. If you don't want to get scared, don't go to a haunt event.
buckler89 said:
This comment actually raises an interesting point.
The glow stick could theoretically protect you from the jump scares that BGW prefers, but as we have discussed at length, KD relies much, much more on tension, background music/sounds, and visuals.
Putting a glow stick around your neck might keep the actors from approaching you, but you would still see them, hear the music, and experience the overall environment. In short, you probably would still be scared.
Ok, when I was little and was scared of these events, and my parents still brought me, I would have loved to have had these...... now that I am older, I thank God they never did this! I would not enjoy this whole glow stick thing at all. I understand how it might be a perk for the park, but if KD does this, HOS will be my event for the season, and if HOS does this, Haunt will be my event for the season. Nothing against those who don't enjoy the scares, but stay home if you don't want to be scared!