Halloween Haunt 2016

[Ghost of Pretzel Kaiser]

I kind of hope this is not the case unless it got a major upgrade in the prop department. Once it had a few people at the end of the ride, the scares were actually pretty effective because the rider was only expecting more simple props at this point. It was honestly scarier than anything Blueridge Bloodbath had.

 

[phurst]

I agree the props are laughable. They need to do SOMETHING, or stop advertising it as a maze.

 

[buckler89]

Kings Dominion posted a behind-the-scenes video of Trick or Treat on their Facebook page. Based on some of the shots in the video, this maze is going to have a great amount of detail. To me, it looks like they're putting as much detail into Trick or Treat as they did in No Vacancy, which is fantastic to see. Very excited for the new maze.

https://www.facebook.com/kingsdominionva/videos/10153730634896875/

 

[CastleOSullivan]

I believe No Vacancy was almost completely out-sourced as far as the props, with only a few exceptions. This is the perfect house to prove what they Kings Dominion is capable of. After two mostly "flat paint" mazes back to back, I am glad to hear the guy acknowledging in the video that he is aware of the park being guilty of using a lot of flat paint.

"The first step in getting better is to admit that you have a problem." Lol. Flat paint.

 

[Mushroom]

In case there was any question, No Boo is back for 2016. However, this year the lanyards won't be allowed in mazes, which I'm INCREDIBLY thankful for.

Sticking around for the evening festivities? Prepare your child with a "No Boo" Light up necklace! The No Boo significantly lowers the risk of being scared by one of the monsters inside of a scare zone.

"No Boo" is NOT allowed in any mazes.

That said, I'm still burned that No Boo is being exclusively advertised on the Great Pumpkin Fest page.

 

[Ghost of Pretzel Kaiser]

I appreciate the rule, but I'm skeptical that this will be enforced properly or communicated well enough. This isn't based on any hard evidence, I just have little good will for KD at the moment given their recent decisions.

 

[Nicole]

Remember that there have been a few important leadership changes since last Haunt.

 

[Ghost of Pretzel Kaiser]

I wasn't referencing Haunt, I'm referencing KD as a whole. While I realize that management has changed and it might take a bit to change, I still have a lot of doubts about the park recently.

That being said, after the Trick or Treat preview, my interested has increased more.

 

[buckler89]

That is fantastic news about the No Boo crap. I still think they're stupid, but I can handle this as a solid compromise. Hopefully when a person buys them, it'll be made clear that they cannot be used in the mazes.

I think I like the way Haunt is trending so far. My only two real complaints at this point are Unstrung being outside of the theater again and Fangs being a thing. If they're just serving drinks, fine, but it sounds like more of a party scene like they had last year, which is off putting.

I'll throw in the existence of Tollway Terror as a complaint, but that's just a gimme at this point. At least there will be actors this time, but a piece of crap wrapped in gold is still a piece of crap. Guess we'll see.

Anyone have any updated pictures since the last blog post?

 

[Wooemwoemeht]

Thank God that they No Boo is no longer allowed in the mazes. I never really understood why parents would take very young children through the mazes then yell at the "monsters" for scaring them (first hand experience). On the other hand, not sure why adults would bring a significant other that is terrified at haunted houses then threaten said monsters. Anyway I'll be there opening night and won't have to strategically get in maze lines by making sure NO BOO lanyards are near me.

 

[Mushroom]

Looks like Skeleton Crew has moved from Safari Village to Candy Apple Grove this year. The show will be located next to Drop Tower, possibly near the Soak City entrance. This probably means the unadvertised DJ dance-party that usually occurs in this area won't return for 2016.

Source

 

[buckler89]

Looks like Skeleton Crew has moved from Safari Village to Candy Apple Grove this year. The show will be located next to Drop Tower, possibly near the Soak City entrance. This probably means the unadvertised DJ dance-party that usually occurs in this area won't return for 2016.

Source

I think Fangs under the Experiences section is the dance party thing this year.

https://www.kingsdominion.com/haunt/ride/Fangs/cat/Experiences

 

[Mushroom]

You're right, but last year there were two "dance party" experiences (three if you count Unstrung ). In addition to the Annex bar (now Fangs), there was a DJ with loud speakers and colored lights near Drop Tower on certain nights.

Maybe they moved the DJ to Tollway Terror, which frankly I wouldn't complain about.

 

[Wooemwoemeht]

Maybe they moved the DJ to Tollway Terror, which frankly I wouldn't complain about.

Kings Dominion should just abandon the tollway terror ride "experience" and make it a walk through the woods maze like Lumberjack at BG. You already have a designated pathway but you would have to probably put a walking path up due to the metal bar in the middle.

 

[jeffh]

I was at KD today, here is the new facade for Blackout -

 

[Ghost of Pretzel Kaiser]

"new"?

 

[Nicole]

I guess recycling is good for the environment?

We were a bit puzzled by this being up today, actually.

 

[jeffh]

"new"?

Well yes, "recycled" would be the more accurate term.

 

[buckler89]

Well that's just stupid

 

[Eric]

Kings Dominion will be having a $20 ticket deal if you wear a costume on the 30th.