I was making the point that security seemed to already be doing the best they could possibly be doing and perhaps the isssue is with the park’s clientele. Sorry if it rustled your jimmies.
Halloween Haunt 2019
- Thread starter mtorange
- Start date
Kd can't seem to get the show timing down tonight. Blood drums 730 show started at 745 and just walked up to the 810 heads roll to find it already under way at 8. I know technical out of their control might account for blood drums but there really is no excuse that I can think of to starting a show at least 15 minutes before the posted start time.
If you go the Bandstand, the showtimes on the left side of the stage are under the Blood Reign sign and the showtimes on the right side are under the Heads Will Roll sign.
I'm always shocked by how long the line is for Tollway Terror. I guess it's just because you can only load a few people for each car, but it isn't like it's an attraction that you absolutely must hit at Haunt. Hell, we usually just skip it when we go since it isn't really worth the wait in my opinion. Can't tell if it's just weirdly popular (not judging by this forum) or just slower operations. Either way, surprisingly long line, even on Fridays.
But hey, to each their own.
But hey, to each their own.
My guess is it’s the fixed capacity. The other mazes can all let more people through at once, including just a constant line of guests going through, but Tollway has the same, low capacity all the time. So the line seems much longer than the ones for the other mazes by comparison.
First and foremost I'd like to thank @RollyCoaster for the tickets to Haunt!
Originally I was planning on attending Haunt with friends, but a while back my brother and I had been talking about Halloween attractions and he had expressed interest in going to Haunt, as he had never been before, and his wife is not interested in scary things at all. So I ultimately offered him my ticket under the same premise I received it: if he would review the event, he could go. So the review is going to have my thoughts as well as his thoughts on what we experienced. Most of it's pretty similar in opinion. But I'll still separate the two. My thoughts will come first because I took notes of his thoughts and I want to go from my own memory rather than reading the notes and having it influence my own thoughts.
Everything will be written in the order we experienced it in.
Condemned
We opened this house, got in line at 5:50. My brother and I were the tail end of the group and he was given the flashlight. Unfortunately, even by Condemned standards our flashlight wasn't bright enough to see anything. My brother ended up trying to keep the very brisk pace through the house just trying to stay close to the person in front of us, because of how bad our flashlight was. It was useless to us. So I feel like that kind of brought down the experience. Ultimately though from what I could hear (because I couldn't see anything) the actors were doing a good job. And I got to see (or rather hear) my brother get a scare, which I thought he was faking, but afterwards he confirmed that not he did get startled enough to give a small scream. Also the girl separating the groups firmly told me to put my cell phone away.... As I was letting my phone go and beginning to zip up my bag?? So like, I get it phones need to put away, but also I was already in that process of putting it away.
Brother- He thought it was a good house, and found the use of a flashlight very interesting, but wishes it had been brighter. He really wanted to be able to see more of the sets. He also played himself when he got scared, he knocked on a wall and jokingly said "housekeeping", as a kinda double joke. (My brother was a housekeeper for 5 years) after a few seconds somebody jumped out and replied back to him. He let his guard down for those few seconds and got a good scare from it. And he's rather proud of them, since he's very hard to scare.
Blood on the Bayou
I've said it once and I'll say it again, this house is very pretty but it's not scary at all. I still am not a fan of how it goes from voodoo to slaughterhouse to a boat. It's a very mixed bag, and while visually impressive it's not scary. Almost all the actors we saw were in ghillie suits.
Brother - My brother loved the look of this house. He found this house to be the most visually impressive. He thought the scares were pretty good, particularly one of the ghillie suits was down on a lower platform, and it got the group in front of us.
Trick or Treat
This house is my favorite visually to walk through, even though it's not particularly scary. While my brother favors Bayou's sets I favor this one's. And the actors in this house were actually moving around. I had a witch come out and run across the room to get to me. Another witch ran behind us and shook the bell display. The group in front of us had a good wall scare. In the past this house has been quite the museum, pretty but does nothing. So I was quite impressed to see them have so much action. There were still a couple of actors who just kind of stood there. I don't know what it is about the witch with the bubbling coldron where every year they're either too into character acting or they just stand there. But this year was no different.
Brother - Conversely, My brother found this house not memorable at all. His only notes are "not scary" and "the line moved fast."
Cleaver Brothers
So after Trick or Treat we went back to Pumpkin Eater since it was just after 7. And the actors were nowhere to be found. So we headed through Cleaver to see if the actors were out there. The actors didn't show up until we were halfway through the area (7:15-7:20). But when they did, oh boy did you know they were there. They were flying through that scarezone. They chased so many people down. Despite the shape the props are in, and a lot of the statue figures really need to be replaced, this scarezone always performs really well.
Brother - He also noted the actors were out late, but they were high energy. He would have liked to experience this area again, as that was our only time through the area, but he was rather impressed by what he saw from the actors. He also mentioned that he would like to see this scarezone in a smaller location.
Lockdown
To be honest, I find this house incredibly boring. It often stacks, and I'm left bored walking through this house. This was a house where I noticed considerably less actors than others. I'm ready for Lockdown to be shutdown. :/
Brother - He think there's something to be desired from this house. His biggest input on it was that the siren going off should be louder. As it was more of a vague background noise. He feels that the houses should be slightly disorientating, and loud noise is one way to do that. He understands that the siren can only be so loud, but he wishes it was louder. He also mentioned that it just looks like the walking dead a lot.
The Yard
I honestly find the yard far more entertaining, and threatening than anything inside Lockdown. We stood for a while here watching people run and get chased by sliders.
Brother - my brother was super into the sliders. That's my only note I have for this scarezone.
Blackout
OOF Blackout was bad... So very bad. We did two runs of this house. The first run through, besides house damn bright the house is for a house that's supposed to be pitch black, wasn't the house's fault. We had a group of 4-5 teen boys running through, and I mean literally running through. One was trying to FaceTime in the house, and was told THREE TIMES to shut off his phone. Then after that, in the second half of the house a path was open, that should not have been open, and there was no actor there to direct anyone. So as we came round following the obnoxious guys in front we were all told to go the other way because the way they went was a dead end. So now we were the front of the group. Second run through was better, but with an already bad run through, the damage had been done. While better the complaint about it being too bright were still big. But I got to watch an older woman be scared through the whole house so that was fun.
Brother - My brother echo's my thoughts on how bright it was in the house. Though he also pointed out that while 100% necessary, he would like the green exit sign to be changed to a red exit sign, to help make it darker. He pointed out that Condemned was darker, and wasn't sure if it's just actually darker, or if it was because it was still daylight when we went through that was so dark for us, or some combination of the two. He thinks it's a house that's good in theory but not in practice, and said that I hyped up the house too much, and he was let down. (Except I was clear that this wasn't a good house. It's his own fault for cherry picking what parts he listened to me about. ?)
Cornstalkers
I want to believe in this house. This house has so much going for it, and every year the actors seem to under perform. I saw most of them standing in corners trying to blend in more often than I saw them scaring. I'm also ready to see this house retire though as well honestly.
Brother - He found this house pretty good. He liked the idea of it. The silo is darker than all of blackout, he said that if it wasn't for the fact that he happened to see me walk out, that he would not have picked up the pace at all as he thought I was still right in front of him. He got a good laugh at the fact that because of this, he purposefully ditched the larger family behind us. After we had finished we waited by the exit and after a few minutes they still had not exited.
Necropolis
I think it's an alright scare zone. Sliders are always fun. I don't have much to say about it.
Brother - He found it alright, thought the actors had good energy. Loved the sliders. And noted that the area was rather foggy.
Tollway Terror
Originally we had planned on skipping this, as I had warned my brother it'd be an hour and half wait minimum. But since we had finished all the houses by 8:20, we figured why not, since even with our wait it wouldn't be closing the park. The actors were moving a lot on this. We had a bunch of people come from behind our car to try and scare us. It's prolly the most movement I've seen on here.
Brother - He thought it's an interesting concept, but the line was too long. It was alright to experience it once, but he wouldn't go out of his way to ride it again. He felt the actors had good energy. But complained that he's too tall to drive the car.
Pumpkin Eater
I want to say good things about Pumpkin Eater, but I can't. :/ As mentioned before we entered just after 7 and all the lights were on and the music was going, but none of the actors were there. We came back after Tollway to try again, and there was... 3? Actors in it. One walked in front of us, another was just standing, looming, on the hay bales, and the third was over by some guests taking a selfie. When I heard that KD was getting Pumpkin Eater I was rather excited, I've seen walk through a of Pumpkin Eater at Knott's, but this just doesn't work as a scarezone for me. I would love to see it become a full house. Maybe replace Blackout with it. ?? Since it is a nursery rhyme, it'd go with being in planet snoopy. And on that note, bring back Feary Tales. (I'm aware KD doesn't need to match their houses to where they're location. But I think it'd be a nice touch.)
Brother - He thought it was neat, but there weren't many actors, and made a note about how small the location actually is.
Ironworx
I'm ehhh on Ironworx. When we went through there was maybe three actors at either end, and a grand total of no actors in the center of the area. They were all at the ends.
Brother - he felt it was the worst scarezone we went through, and was kind of dumb. Said it was the only scarezone where the actors weren't doing anything. Again echoing that they were all on either side and not in the middle of the area
Masquerade
Neither one of us are convinced this was a scarezone. No actors. No atmosphere, since the show ruins everything.
My brother ultimately favored Condemned and Bayou. And wasn't able to pick a favorite house. His least favorites were Lockdown and Blackout, saying they should both be removed. His favorite scarezone was Cleaver Bros and wishes he could have walked through again. Least favorite was Ironworx because the actors weren't moving, and masquerade isn't a scarezone.
And my favorites and least favorites are exact same except swap bayou for trick or treat.
My brother had a good time at the event, and said as much as he likes going to BGW, Haunt is the better Halloween event, though he still prefers BGW. but, if the opportunity presented itself, he'd go again to Haunt. Though he wouldn't go out of his way to go, since it's a 2 hour drive. (He also showed a lot of interest in Winterfest since he saw the in park ads for it.)
And that's it! I enjoy haunt every year, so I'm glad my brother got to experience it once.
Originally I was planning on attending Haunt with friends, but a while back my brother and I had been talking about Halloween attractions and he had expressed interest in going to Haunt, as he had never been before, and his wife is not interested in scary things at all. So I ultimately offered him my ticket under the same premise I received it: if he would review the event, he could go. So the review is going to have my thoughts as well as his thoughts on what we experienced. Most of it's pretty similar in opinion. But I'll still separate the two. My thoughts will come first because I took notes of his thoughts and I want to go from my own memory rather than reading the notes and having it influence my own thoughts.
Everything will be written in the order we experienced it in.
Condemned
We opened this house, got in line at 5:50. My brother and I were the tail end of the group and he was given the flashlight. Unfortunately, even by Condemned standards our flashlight wasn't bright enough to see anything. My brother ended up trying to keep the very brisk pace through the house just trying to stay close to the person in front of us, because of how bad our flashlight was. It was useless to us. So I feel like that kind of brought down the experience. Ultimately though from what I could hear (because I couldn't see anything) the actors were doing a good job. And I got to see (or rather hear) my brother get a scare, which I thought he was faking, but afterwards he confirmed that not he did get startled enough to give a small scream. Also the girl separating the groups firmly told me to put my cell phone away.... As I was letting my phone go and beginning to zip up my bag?? So like, I get it phones need to put away, but also I was already in that process of putting it away.
Brother- He thought it was a good house, and found the use of a flashlight very interesting, but wishes it had been brighter. He really wanted to be able to see more of the sets. He also played himself when he got scared, he knocked on a wall and jokingly said "housekeeping", as a kinda double joke. (My brother was a housekeeper for 5 years) after a few seconds somebody jumped out and replied back to him. He let his guard down for those few seconds and got a good scare from it. And he's rather proud of them, since he's very hard to scare.
Blood on the Bayou
I've said it once and I'll say it again, this house is very pretty but it's not scary at all. I still am not a fan of how it goes from voodoo to slaughterhouse to a boat. It's a very mixed bag, and while visually impressive it's not scary. Almost all the actors we saw were in ghillie suits.
Brother - My brother loved the look of this house. He found this house to be the most visually impressive. He thought the scares were pretty good, particularly one of the ghillie suits was down on a lower platform, and it got the group in front of us.
Trick or Treat
This house is my favorite visually to walk through, even though it's not particularly scary. While my brother favors Bayou's sets I favor this one's. And the actors in this house were actually moving around. I had a witch come out and run across the room to get to me. Another witch ran behind us and shook the bell display. The group in front of us had a good wall scare. In the past this house has been quite the museum, pretty but does nothing. So I was quite impressed to see them have so much action. There were still a couple of actors who just kind of stood there. I don't know what it is about the witch with the bubbling coldron where every year they're either too into character acting or they just stand there. But this year was no different.
Brother - Conversely, My brother found this house not memorable at all. His only notes are "not scary" and "the line moved fast."
Cleaver Brothers
So after Trick or Treat we went back to Pumpkin Eater since it was just after 7. And the actors were nowhere to be found. So we headed through Cleaver to see if the actors were out there. The actors didn't show up until we were halfway through the area (7:15-7:20). But when they did, oh boy did you know they were there. They were flying through that scarezone. They chased so many people down. Despite the shape the props are in, and a lot of the statue figures really need to be replaced, this scarezone always performs really well.
Brother - He also noted the actors were out late, but they were high energy. He would have liked to experience this area again, as that was our only time through the area, but he was rather impressed by what he saw from the actors. He also mentioned that he would like to see this scarezone in a smaller location.
Lockdown
To be honest, I find this house incredibly boring. It often stacks, and I'm left bored walking through this house. This was a house where I noticed considerably less actors than others. I'm ready for Lockdown to be shutdown. :/
Brother - He think there's something to be desired from this house. His biggest input on it was that the siren going off should be louder. As it was more of a vague background noise. He feels that the houses should be slightly disorientating, and loud noise is one way to do that. He understands that the siren can only be so loud, but he wishes it was louder. He also mentioned that it just looks like the walking dead a lot.
The Yard
I honestly find the yard far more entertaining, and threatening than anything inside Lockdown. We stood for a while here watching people run and get chased by sliders.
Brother - my brother was super into the sliders. That's my only note I have for this scarezone.
Blackout
OOF Blackout was bad... So very bad. We did two runs of this house. The first run through, besides house damn bright the house is for a house that's supposed to be pitch black, wasn't the house's fault. We had a group of 4-5 teen boys running through, and I mean literally running through. One was trying to FaceTime in the house, and was told THREE TIMES to shut off his phone. Then after that, in the second half of the house a path was open, that should not have been open, and there was no actor there to direct anyone. So as we came round following the obnoxious guys in front we were all told to go the other way because the way they went was a dead end. So now we were the front of the group. Second run through was better, but with an already bad run through, the damage had been done. While better the complaint about it being too bright were still big. But I got to watch an older woman be scared through the whole house so that was fun.
Brother - My brother echo's my thoughts on how bright it was in the house. Though he also pointed out that while 100% necessary, he would like the green exit sign to be changed to a red exit sign, to help make it darker. He pointed out that Condemned was darker, and wasn't sure if it's just actually darker, or if it was because it was still daylight when we went through that was so dark for us, or some combination of the two. He thinks it's a house that's good in theory but not in practice, and said that I hyped up the house too much, and he was let down. (Except I was clear that this wasn't a good house. It's his own fault for cherry picking what parts he listened to me about. ?)
Cornstalkers
I want to believe in this house. This house has so much going for it, and every year the actors seem to under perform. I saw most of them standing in corners trying to blend in more often than I saw them scaring. I'm also ready to see this house retire though as well honestly.
Brother - He found this house pretty good. He liked the idea of it. The silo is darker than all of blackout, he said that if it wasn't for the fact that he happened to see me walk out, that he would not have picked up the pace at all as he thought I was still right in front of him. He got a good laugh at the fact that because of this, he purposefully ditched the larger family behind us. After we had finished we waited by the exit and after a few minutes they still had not exited.
Necropolis
I think it's an alright scare zone. Sliders are always fun. I don't have much to say about it.
Brother - He found it alright, thought the actors had good energy. Loved the sliders. And noted that the area was rather foggy.
Tollway Terror
Originally we had planned on skipping this, as I had warned my brother it'd be an hour and half wait minimum. But since we had finished all the houses by 8:20, we figured why not, since even with our wait it wouldn't be closing the park. The actors were moving a lot on this. We had a bunch of people come from behind our car to try and scare us. It's prolly the most movement I've seen on here.
Brother - He thought it's an interesting concept, but the line was too long. It was alright to experience it once, but he wouldn't go out of his way to ride it again. He felt the actors had good energy. But complained that he's too tall to drive the car.
Pumpkin Eater
I want to say good things about Pumpkin Eater, but I can't. :/ As mentioned before we entered just after 7 and all the lights were on and the music was going, but none of the actors were there. We came back after Tollway to try again, and there was... 3? Actors in it. One walked in front of us, another was just standing, looming, on the hay bales, and the third was over by some guests taking a selfie. When I heard that KD was getting Pumpkin Eater I was rather excited, I've seen walk through a of Pumpkin Eater at Knott's, but this just doesn't work as a scarezone for me. I would love to see it become a full house. Maybe replace Blackout with it. ?? Since it is a nursery rhyme, it'd go with being in planet snoopy. And on that note, bring back Feary Tales. (I'm aware KD doesn't need to match their houses to where they're location. But I think it'd be a nice touch.)
Brother - He thought it was neat, but there weren't many actors, and made a note about how small the location actually is.
Ironworx
I'm ehhh on Ironworx. When we went through there was maybe three actors at either end, and a grand total of no actors in the center of the area. They were all at the ends.
Brother - he felt it was the worst scarezone we went through, and was kind of dumb. Said it was the only scarezone where the actors weren't doing anything. Again echoing that they were all on either side and not in the middle of the area
Masquerade
Neither one of us are convinced this was a scarezone. No actors. No atmosphere, since the show ruins everything.
My brother ultimately favored Condemned and Bayou. And wasn't able to pick a favorite house. His least favorites were Lockdown and Blackout, saying they should both be removed. His favorite scarezone was Cleaver Bros and wishes he could have walked through again. Least favorite was Ironworx because the actors weren't moving, and masquerade isn't a scarezone.
And my favorites and least favorites are exact same except swap bayou for trick or treat.
My brother had a good time at the event, and said as much as he likes going to BGW, Haunt is the better Halloween event, though he still prefers BGW. but, if the opportunity presented itself, he'd go again to Haunt. Though he wouldn't go out of his way to go, since it's a 2 hour drive. (He also showed a lot of interest in Winterfest since he saw the in park ads for it.)
And that's it! I enjoy haunt every year, so I'm glad my brother got to experience it once.
@Applesauce Great review, I’m right there with you on a lot of the things you said - positive and negative.
The reason the actors weren’t in the scare zones at 7 is because they’re all at the opening show at the Grand Bandstand, which starts at 7. So they’re there for the ~10 minute show and then have to navigate the crowd down to their location. Really the 7pm opening time for the scare zones is kind of misleading.
The reason the actors weren’t in the scare zones at 7 is because they’re all at the opening show at the Grand Bandstand, which starts at 7. So they’re there for the ~10 minute show and then have to navigate the crowd down to their location. Really the 7pm opening time for the scare zones is kind of misleading.
Yeah they should definitely change that on their maps. You can't say it starts at a certain time and then you walk through the area at 5 after start time and there's nobody there. :') if Cleaver hadn't shown up half way through our walk through, we were both going to be upset, since we weren't trying to spend the whole night at the park since it's a decent drive to get there.
Alternatively, they could have like half the actors at the show, and half in the scarezones so there's at least somebody there at start time. There's really no reason not to do this
Alternatively, they could have like half the actors at the show, and half in the scarezones so there's at least somebody there at start time. There's really no reason not to do this
Here are some of my thoughts after visiting Haunt on opening night and last night.
MAZES - Best to worst
Condemned - They made this one a lot darker this year; last year the lights were dim but this year the house is basically pitch black except for the flashlights. This was a little frustrating at first because it was tedious trying to navigate the sets with almost no light, but both times I went through, I finally "got it" after a few rooms. The increased darkness ended up making the experience much more intense. I was tense throughout the house, partially because I wanted to avoid running into things, but since I was already on edge, the startles were amplified. The darkness, coupled with the rich detail of No Vacancy, also made the maze feel "real," almost like an actual haunted house, adding to the suspension of disbelief. Plus, the cast here was doing an amazing job of moving around and using levels to come at me from all sides. Overall, the atmosphere of this house plus a great cast made it the most tense house experience I've ever had. I felt legitimate catharsis when I was done.
Blood on the Bayou - Always a beautiful house, and it looked like the park has finally found the right balance with the lighting - bright enough to show off the detailed sets, but dark enough to keep the actors hidden. The cast had a good job of mixing atmospheric actors with jump scares well, and they did a good job all contributing to the storytelling - a crucial part of maintaining the immersion. Unfortunately, both times I went through the cast felt a bit sparse, especially in the middle.
Tollway Terror - Somehow Tollway Terror has gone from one of the biggest jokes in Haunt history to one of its most lovable elements. I loved the entire experience of Tollway this year. The fog, the colored lighting, the soundtrack of ghostly whispers and rustling wind, the decorations, and the darkness all come together to create a truly creepy, eerie atmosphere throughout the attraction. Most importantly, the cast was well spread out and energetic, really trying hard to engage with guests. Like BGW's old haunted train, Tollway will never be "scary" like a house, but it delivers that pure, spooky Halloween feel through and through.
Trick or Treat - Another beautiful house that gave two very different experiences across my two visits. On opening night, the house was more of a museum than I've ever seen it - practically devoid of actors, and those who were in the house resorted almost entirely to atmospheric acting. Last night, the cast was still small, but the actors were moving around more than I've ever seen in Trick or Treat and taking advantage of every tool the house gave them - the bell wall, the drop doors, the hiding spaces in the final room that always seem to be wasted. I wish the cast were larger, but props to who was there last night for creating the first Trick or Treat experience I've had that actually delivered on scares.
Cornstalkers - Pretty much the same as always with this one. Staff was spread inconsistently and thinly throughout the maze as always. I thought the "corn" monsters were waling around too much when they should be the KINGS of the stand-still-and-pop-out-suddenly type of scares. This maze needs more mannequins that resemble the monsters, and vice versa to amp of the tension and make it feel less understaffed. At this point, I won't be sad to see Cornstalkers go.
Lockdown - What happened here? I always thought of Lockdown as the little underdog maze that always pulled it off in the end, thanks to the tense, chaotic atmosphere it created. That atmosphere seemed to be totally missing this year. The alarm sounds felt quieter, the flashing lights were missing, the sense of chaos was... gone. Unfortunately, the cast here was consistently the weakest I saw at the event. Lockdown needs to be full of crazed inmates and authoritarian officers barking orders left and right, but the cast seemed too lethargic and composed, even early into the night. This is an example of how a great house can go bad if it isn't performed right, both by the cast and the atmospheric effects.
Blackout - What if they made a gimmick house, then didn't use the gimmick? Well, Blackout perfectly answers that question. The maze built around the premise of being pitch black is inexplicably bright. The floor, the ceiling, the walls, the sensory props, the cast itself are all plainly visible, which ruins the entire point of the house. The whole thing felt stupid. Worse yet, the cast was moving around and really trying; it's a shame they had literally nothing to work with. The light seemed to be coming from two sources: a bright green exit sign, and a spotlight illuminating the ladder climb game right outside the maze. The park could easily fix this maze if they swapped the exit sign for a dimmer red sign, and turned off the spotlight. Maybe they're hoping the extra light will facilitate crowd flow, but if that's the case, they could solve that problem with a slow, intermittent strobe throughout the maze - just frequent enough for guests to glimpse at the path ahead, but just slow for the actors to re-position themselves without being seen. As it is right now, though, Blackout is a joke.
SCARE ZONES - Best to worst
Necropolis - This scare zone already had a generous amount of props, but they added the old props from The Lair this year, so Necropolis is absolutely FULL of set pieces all over the scare zone. There seemed to be some new colored lighting added this year too, and the addition of more speakers in the area thanks to the Parched Pig renovation really helped amp up the creepiness of the area. Plus, the cast here was enormous and doing a great job of both conveying the story and eliciting jump scares, especially the sliders. In my opinion this zone had the best cast of Haunt, and the zone itself benefited nicely from its updates, too.
The Yard - The Yard had all the chaotic energy that Lockdown seemed to lack, and it was performing just as well as last year. The actors were really into their roles and did a great job of sliding, stalking, running, yelling, and doing all sorts of things to create a tense environment. They added a central speaker with recordings of a warden yelling at the inmates, which I though was a fun touch. If this zone had more movement coming from the lights, like spinning alarm lights or search lights like Wendigo Woods at HOS used to have, it would be perfect.
Pumpkin Eater - The atmospherics of this zone are beautiful and I think the park did an amazing job of taking advantage of the Arbor tunnel to create a really intimate, immersive experience. The orange fog that fills the tunnel, along with the hundreds of pumpkins hovering from the ceiling, created a really beautiful effect. I also loved the beams of light emanating from the cottage in the center, and the solemn, quiet, sad music quietly playing gave the zone a wonderfully mystic, somber tone. The cast was large for the space, but sadly, they didn't seem to do much. They mostly just walked around, which is a shame because they really didn't match the high production value of the zone. I think the zone itself is better than The Lair, but the cast had me missing the tension of The Lair that made it feel almost like a mini-maze in itself.
Cleaver Brothers Carnival - I've always loved Cleaver, and this year the zone felt more cohesive with many of the props that used to be in the central Candy Apple Grove planters moved onto the paths, and synchronized string lights suspended above the path added some kinetic energy overhead. The cast was large, and as always, was trying really hard - they were running, skipping, and bouncing around with energy. Sadly, the half of Cleaver closer to The Mac Bowl has been completely ruined by the placement of Blood Drums in some random CAG game booth. I have no idea why they decided to place the show here, but whenever it performed, it absolutely killed the creepy carnival atmosphere of half the zone. Really, really bad decision.
IronWorX - I'll always have a soft spot for the production value of this zone. The steampunk soundtrack, the colored lights, and moving props create a truly unique environment. Sadly, the cast here was sparse and not doing much, just walking around or hiding off to the sides.
Masquerade - This isn't even a scare zone. It's just the base of the Eiffel Tower with a few props scattered below it. I rarely saw any actors here, and when I did, they were just mingling with guests are posing for pictures. There isn't even a soundtrack for this "zone," it just uses whatever music is playing at the Bandstand. Masquerade is a joke.
Overall, I thought Haunt was performing solidly this year, although I was disappointed that some of my old favorites had surprisingly missed the mark. Atmospheric changes were a mix this year. I thought the park seemed more darkly lit than in the past, which is huge for creating a creepy environment, and they were using new colored lights smartly, especially in the scare zones. I was also delighted to hear the return of the backwards band organ music playing by the carousel yesterday, something that's been missing for the past few years. However, the placement of Blood Drums in the middle of Cleaver Brothers, the fact that Masquerade is just a weak party zone, and the horrible new techno music on International Street really detract from the atmosphere. All in all, I think Haunt is at a net zero compared to past years - the good and bad balance out. I still had a great time, but I hope next year the park pays more attention to taking care of Haunt's atmospherics.
MAZES - Best to worst
Condemned - They made this one a lot darker this year; last year the lights were dim but this year the house is basically pitch black except for the flashlights. This was a little frustrating at first because it was tedious trying to navigate the sets with almost no light, but both times I went through, I finally "got it" after a few rooms. The increased darkness ended up making the experience much more intense. I was tense throughout the house, partially because I wanted to avoid running into things, but since I was already on edge, the startles were amplified. The darkness, coupled with the rich detail of No Vacancy, also made the maze feel "real," almost like an actual haunted house, adding to the suspension of disbelief. Plus, the cast here was doing an amazing job of moving around and using levels to come at me from all sides. Overall, the atmosphere of this house plus a great cast made it the most tense house experience I've ever had. I felt legitimate catharsis when I was done.
Blood on the Bayou - Always a beautiful house, and it looked like the park has finally found the right balance with the lighting - bright enough to show off the detailed sets, but dark enough to keep the actors hidden. The cast had a good job of mixing atmospheric actors with jump scares well, and they did a good job all contributing to the storytelling - a crucial part of maintaining the immersion. Unfortunately, both times I went through the cast felt a bit sparse, especially in the middle.
Tollway Terror - Somehow Tollway Terror has gone from one of the biggest jokes in Haunt history to one of its most lovable elements. I loved the entire experience of Tollway this year. The fog, the colored lighting, the soundtrack of ghostly whispers and rustling wind, the decorations, and the darkness all come together to create a truly creepy, eerie atmosphere throughout the attraction. Most importantly, the cast was well spread out and energetic, really trying hard to engage with guests. Like BGW's old haunted train, Tollway will never be "scary" like a house, but it delivers that pure, spooky Halloween feel through and through.
Trick or Treat - Another beautiful house that gave two very different experiences across my two visits. On opening night, the house was more of a museum than I've ever seen it - practically devoid of actors, and those who were in the house resorted almost entirely to atmospheric acting. Last night, the cast was still small, but the actors were moving around more than I've ever seen in Trick or Treat and taking advantage of every tool the house gave them - the bell wall, the drop doors, the hiding spaces in the final room that always seem to be wasted. I wish the cast were larger, but props to who was there last night for creating the first Trick or Treat experience I've had that actually delivered on scares.
Cornstalkers - Pretty much the same as always with this one. Staff was spread inconsistently and thinly throughout the maze as always. I thought the "corn" monsters were waling around too much when they should be the KINGS of the stand-still-and-pop-out-suddenly type of scares. This maze needs more mannequins that resemble the monsters, and vice versa to amp of the tension and make it feel less understaffed. At this point, I won't be sad to see Cornstalkers go.
Lockdown - What happened here? I always thought of Lockdown as the little underdog maze that always pulled it off in the end, thanks to the tense, chaotic atmosphere it created. That atmosphere seemed to be totally missing this year. The alarm sounds felt quieter, the flashing lights were missing, the sense of chaos was... gone. Unfortunately, the cast here was consistently the weakest I saw at the event. Lockdown needs to be full of crazed inmates and authoritarian officers barking orders left and right, but the cast seemed too lethargic and composed, even early into the night. This is an example of how a great house can go bad if it isn't performed right, both by the cast and the atmospheric effects.
Blackout - What if they made a gimmick house, then didn't use the gimmick? Well, Blackout perfectly answers that question. The maze built around the premise of being pitch black is inexplicably bright. The floor, the ceiling, the walls, the sensory props, the cast itself are all plainly visible, which ruins the entire point of the house. The whole thing felt stupid. Worse yet, the cast was moving around and really trying; it's a shame they had literally nothing to work with. The light seemed to be coming from two sources: a bright green exit sign, and a spotlight illuminating the ladder climb game right outside the maze. The park could easily fix this maze if they swapped the exit sign for a dimmer red sign, and turned off the spotlight. Maybe they're hoping the extra light will facilitate crowd flow, but if that's the case, they could solve that problem with a slow, intermittent strobe throughout the maze - just frequent enough for guests to glimpse at the path ahead, but just slow for the actors to re-position themselves without being seen. As it is right now, though, Blackout is a joke.
SCARE ZONES - Best to worst
Necropolis - This scare zone already had a generous amount of props, but they added the old props from The Lair this year, so Necropolis is absolutely FULL of set pieces all over the scare zone. There seemed to be some new colored lighting added this year too, and the addition of more speakers in the area thanks to the Parched Pig renovation really helped amp up the creepiness of the area. Plus, the cast here was enormous and doing a great job of both conveying the story and eliciting jump scares, especially the sliders. In my opinion this zone had the best cast of Haunt, and the zone itself benefited nicely from its updates, too.
The Yard - The Yard had all the chaotic energy that Lockdown seemed to lack, and it was performing just as well as last year. The actors were really into their roles and did a great job of sliding, stalking, running, yelling, and doing all sorts of things to create a tense environment. They added a central speaker with recordings of a warden yelling at the inmates, which I though was a fun touch. If this zone had more movement coming from the lights, like spinning alarm lights or search lights like Wendigo Woods at HOS used to have, it would be perfect.
Pumpkin Eater - The atmospherics of this zone are beautiful and I think the park did an amazing job of taking advantage of the Arbor tunnel to create a really intimate, immersive experience. The orange fog that fills the tunnel, along with the hundreds of pumpkins hovering from the ceiling, created a really beautiful effect. I also loved the beams of light emanating from the cottage in the center, and the solemn, quiet, sad music quietly playing gave the zone a wonderfully mystic, somber tone. The cast was large for the space, but sadly, they didn't seem to do much. They mostly just walked around, which is a shame because they really didn't match the high production value of the zone. I think the zone itself is better than The Lair, but the cast had me missing the tension of The Lair that made it feel almost like a mini-maze in itself.
Cleaver Brothers Carnival - I've always loved Cleaver, and this year the zone felt more cohesive with many of the props that used to be in the central Candy Apple Grove planters moved onto the paths, and synchronized string lights suspended above the path added some kinetic energy overhead. The cast was large, and as always, was trying really hard - they were running, skipping, and bouncing around with energy. Sadly, the half of Cleaver closer to The Mac Bowl has been completely ruined by the placement of Blood Drums in some random CAG game booth. I have no idea why they decided to place the show here, but whenever it performed, it absolutely killed the creepy carnival atmosphere of half the zone. Really, really bad decision.
IronWorX - I'll always have a soft spot for the production value of this zone. The steampunk soundtrack, the colored lights, and moving props create a truly unique environment. Sadly, the cast here was sparse and not doing much, just walking around or hiding off to the sides.
Masquerade - This isn't even a scare zone. It's just the base of the Eiffel Tower with a few props scattered below it. I rarely saw any actors here, and when I did, they were just mingling with guests are posing for pictures. There isn't even a soundtrack for this "zone," it just uses whatever music is playing at the Bandstand. Masquerade is a joke.
Overall, I thought Haunt was performing solidly this year, although I was disappointed that some of my old favorites had surprisingly missed the mark. Atmospheric changes were a mix this year. I thought the park seemed more darkly lit than in the past, which is huge for creating a creepy environment, and they were using new colored lights smartly, especially in the scare zones. I was also delighted to hear the return of the backwards band organ music playing by the carousel yesterday, something that's been missing for the past few years. However, the placement of Blood Drums in the middle of Cleaver Brothers, the fact that Masquerade is just a weak party zone, and the horrible new techno music on International Street really detract from the atmosphere. All in all, I think Haunt is at a net zero compared to past years - the good and bad balance out. I still had a great time, but I hope next year the park pays more attention to taking care of Haunt's atmospherics.
Almost forgot. The absolute worst maze of the night was Zombie High. The set was completely missing and there was virtually no cast at all, except for one actor dressed as a security guard who was yelling at me for trespassing. Really disappointing performance.
Thank you for bringing this up as on Friday the exit to Zombie High was open and visible from the BOB queue, and much to my surprise, it appeared the house is still intact. It boggles my mind somewhat how they did not try to do anything with this space, an upcharge of some sort, or even some sort of walk-through with automated scares and a few actors to a slightly different theme would’ve been neat. It really makes me wonder if this was a last minute decision as it would be strange to just leave a house standing and not use it during quite possibly one of the busiest Haunt seasons from an attendance perspective. I know the house was known for becoming extremely hot in that building, but I also wonder if the park wanted to shy away from a school theme as the event has suffered from negative PR with houses like Urgent Scare and Miner’s Revenge.
In all seriousness, staffing at Haunt was pretty rough this year even without Zombie High. I had heard the initial plan was to revamp Zombie High similar to how No Vacancy was refurbished last year. Maybe the park saw their staffing numbers and decided they had no choice but to cut a house, and so they axed their oldest indoor one?
As with a few other members, I was supplied tickets to Haunt in exchange for a review, so here we go.
We opted to go on a Sunday to have the best shot at getting to experience everything. That proved to be a wise decision, as we had no trouble hitting all the houses, some more than once, all the scare zones, and shows during our visit.
SHOWS
I'm not really a "shows" person, but in the interest of this being as complete a review as possible, I caught some or all of Blood Reign, Heads Will Roll and Blood Drums.
Blood Reign is only about 10 minutes, and kicks off Haunt each night. I found it relatively entertaining, and it featured one of the better theatrical "beheadings" I can recall seeing. Blood Reign leads directly into Heads Will Roll.
Heads Will Roll is a song and dance show. I stayed for the first two numbers and then headed out because I wanted to get on with my evening. I was neither impressed nor disappointed bu the show. It was probably exactly what you're envisioning, and not my personal cup of tea.
Blood Drums is a percussion act. The musicians use drums, barrels and a variety of other items to bank on. It was entertaining, and I enjoyed it for the most part, however the show takes place inside a game booth in Candy Apple Grove, which seems like a really odd choice. The show and the Cleaver Brothers scare zone compete with one another, and it's just a really awkward spot for something like this show to be staged there. I liked the act (in the interest of full disclosure, one of the drummers is the son of a work acquaintance), but though the location was just plain terrible.
SCARE ZONES
Cleaver Brothers is a long time favorite. There are lots of decorations, lots of fog, and, most importantly, lots of actors. The actors in this section are, for my money, some of the best in the park. They're typically made up well, they're high energy, they know how to use their props and their surroundings, and are very, very good at knowing who to target to elicit a scream. The props filling the area are definitely starting to show their age a but, and require some attention if this scare zone is going to be around much longer. Still, this is a stand-out scare zone to me, perfectly suited to the midway-esque feel of Candy Apple Grove.
Necropolis is my other top-tier choice for a scare zone. Like Cleaver Brothers, it's a big, long area with plenty of props. Unlike Cleaver Broters, which is relatively well lit, so you can see the costumed actors well, Necropolis is dark and brooding, and nearly completely filled with fog and a few sparse colored lights for atmosphere. Here too, there are plenty of actors who know their jobs well. One major difference is that you HAVE to walk through Necropolis if you're going through that section of the park, whereas you can choose to simply walk on the other side of the midway if you want to bypass Cleaver Brothers. I enjoy the "can't escape" feeling of this zone.
For my money, IronWorX is a second tier scare zone. It's another area you must walk through if you want to go that way, but it's just not as high energy as Cleaver Brothers, or as creepy as Necropolis. It also doesn't seem to be quite as well populated with actors, who mostlyjust walk around trying to look creepy, with mixed results.
The Yard functions as an extension of the Lockdown maze. In previous years, they have worked brilliantly together. This year, The Yard was as good as ever. Chaotic, high energy, disorienting and full of activity. Unfortunately, Lockdown failed to hold up its end of the partnership for me this year. More on that in a bit.
One of this years new additions is Pumpkin Eater. This is a small but beautiful scare zone. Any scare zone in the arbor is going to be fairly limited in size, but it's such a unique environment, the park would be doing itself a disservice if they didn't take advantage of it. That being said, I didn't find it particularly scary. The atmosphere is neat, and the set design is really great, but because the area is so small, you're limited to a small cast, and a story and costumes that just didn't do it for me. With Pumpkin Eater, Trick or Treat and Blood on the Bayou, The park has now put in 3 attractions that are visually fantastic, but seem to lack the actual scares one expects from such an event.
This years other alleged addition is Masquerade. I say alleged, because I definitely saw the Masquerade actors in Blood Reign, but despite several trips through the area throughout the night, I saw absolutely nothing going on here except 2 or 3 actors posing for photos. Sparse decorations, zero scares. Very disappointing.
MAZES
The first maze we hit was Condemned. I ended up being last in line for our group, and the closet flashlight was 4 people in front of me. Without a nearby light, this maze is DARK, and does a phenomenal job of putting you on edge. The experience was partly ruined by people in line breaking out their phones for use as flashlights, but the maze staff quickly put an end to that. I think the park has effectively breathed a few more years of life into this maze, and at the same time, found a way to deal with a once beautifully detailed maze starting to show its age. The staffing level was perfectly adequate, and I left feeling like it was a great start to the night.
Next, we hit Tollway Terror. We all thoroughly enjoyed our ride. After several years of touting this ride as a Haunt "maze", devoid of actors, and confusingly themed, the park decided last year (I think) to step up their game. This trip though, we were greeted by a number of actors doing their best to scare riders in what I am sure is a challenging environment. Atmospherics were good, with nice lighting, plenty of fog, and a great soundscape. The decorations are still a little, um, off. Hillbillys? OK, sure. Werewolves? Ok, why not, it's the woods. Witches? Ok, I guess. Wizards? Ok, I'm lost now... Still with the addition of a few actors and a little effort, this ride has gone from the standout worst attraction of the event, to a solid performer. The lines tend towards the insane, but the ride itself has pretty miserable rider throughput, so it's only natural that you might wait 45 minutes for a ride even when the lines for other houses are at 10 minutes.
From there, we hit up Lockdown. As we made our way through The Yard, we were excited for what is often one of our favorite mazes. Unfortunately, on both of our trips through, we were met with disappointment. Usually, this maze does a great job of ratcheting up the anxiety. It's usually loud and disorienting, with plenty of scares and plenty of actors yelling, banging on things, and basically acting like prisoners who have overrun the guards. On this particular night, the atmosphere was just not hitting it. It wasn't particularly loud or disorienting, the staff seemed kind of lethargic, and overall it was a BIG disappointment. Hopefully it was just an off night for a perinatal favorite.
After Lockdown, we swung by Blackout. I've never particularly been a fan of this maze. I think it's a gimmick, and when the gimmick isn't working, well, what's the point? For those who haven't experienced it, it's supposed to be a nearly pitch back maze that you essentially have to feel your way through. When we visited, the maze was very well lit. Not even really dim. It's like someone forgot to turn off the house lights. I could very clearly see where I was going (even after the strobe a the entrance, designed to disrupt your night vision). I could see the very few actors, who weren't doing much. I could see the path, all the walls, the fishing line and foam noodles and all the other things that are supposed to startle or disorient you in the dark. This was just a giant failure even by the standards of it being probably my least favorite maze.
Next, we hit Trick or Treat. As I mentioned above, this is an absolutely beautifully themed house, that just missed the mark for scares. I always love walking through this house. It's extremely well done, and there is a lot of attention to detail, lighting, and the general atmosphere is great. I always feel like the actors in this house are more shooting for mood, than outright scares. They do a good job of setting the mood I guess, but would it kill someone to jump out of somewhere? There were a couple of notable exceptions in this house, but to me, it just doesn't live up to its promise. It could be an absolutely top notch maze with a little work on the part of the actors.
On to Blood on the Bayou. Much like Trick or Treat, This maze is a book with beautiful cover art, and a dull story. It didn't help that there were no groups on my trip through. It wasn't because the groups were stacking on the way through, the person manning the door was just holding it open for a constant stream of guests. The interior is richly decorated, even if the story it tells is a little disjointed. The staff here seemed to be trying a little harder than next door at Trick or Treat (except for one guy who seemed to be going for laughs instead of scares, but hey, whatever), but were definitely hampered by the constant stream of people. Again, a real looker of a maze, that could use some work from those inside of it.
Lastly, we hit Cornstalkers. Another disclosure moment, my oldest child's best friend works in this maze, but was not working during our visit. This maze has been feast or famine in my experience. Some trips through are great, others aren't. That trip was more famine than feast. The maze was far too bright, which made hiding, even in a well camouflaged costume, next to impossible. Staffing levels seemed satisfactory, bu there seemed to be a lot of people standing around moaning, and far fewer actors engaging with guests in some way. Again, I hope it was an off night. Since Busch Gardens has done away with their corn maze, Cornstalkers needs to carry the torch for corn mazes, but was falling flat on our trip through.
OVERALL
Overall, it was a solidly enjoyable night for us. I've resisted comparing Haunt to Howl O Scream in this review, because that's not what it's about, but I do need to make a bit of a comparison here. The last few years of HOS have been, uneven, at best, trending more towards disappointing. After a trip to Haunt, this is thrown into stark relief. Busch Gardens has a beautiful park, that seems almost tailor made for a Halloween event. On the other hand, Kings Dominion has wide swaths of pavement and concrete, and the park isn't nearly as visually appealing, however this year, and for the last several years, KD has been head and shoulders above Busch Gardens in the atmosphere they create in the park. Yes, there seem to be more rowdy and rude guests here, and yes, the facilities and food are inferior, but they definitely know how to set the mood for Halloween. I give the park a lot of (well deserved, in my opinion) crap during the summer season about any number of things, but come October, I can say with all honesty, after dark, there's no park I'd rater be at. We always, always, ALWAYS have a great time at Haunt, and this trip was no different.