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buckler89 said:
Zimmy said:
I would rather have a few really well staffed and run mazes then a whole bunch of crappy or badly running houses.  Also I would prefer to see money spent on staff and staff training then on properties and set design.  Don't get me wrong these things are important but I have been a number of really well designed houses that just don't perform.

I mostly agree that having a few really well staffed mazes is great. My only concern is if KD is planning on hiring the same number of actors as they have in the past or if they're cutting a maze to cut down on the number of people they need to hire. The former, on paper at least, would allow them to have kind of a surplus of people to put into other mazes/scare zones to beef them up a bit. The latter would just result in potential under-staffing with one less maze on top of it.

I have no insight into what the park is doing hiring-wise. Just a thought. If they're planning to (much different question than if they're able to) hire the same number of actors as they usually do, I'm all for less mazes with more actors. Guess we'll just see how it goes.

Looking forward to the voodoo theme though. The Knott's set looks pretty legit. Interested to see what KD comes up with.

My understanding is that they plan to still hire the same amount of scare-actors as last year but take the ones that would be in Urgent Scare and put them in other mazes.
 
Has anyone heard about the entertainment lineup? I tend not to do the shows, but I'm interested in whether Unstrung is returning or at least being moved inside so it won't ruin the atmosphere in that part of the park.
 
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Looking at the Haunt website, Skeleton Crew and Overlord's Resurrection are the only two shows apparently returning (so far). Two new shows are "To Be Announced." Unstrung is gone (yay!), but so is The Bone Collectors, which is a shame because I enjoyed the slightly darker iteration of the Clown Band. Note that the Mob is not always advertised on the website.

The maze listing seems to confirm that the lineup has shrunk by one house, with both Doll Factory and Urgent Scare gone. Tollway Terror, alas, is still there. As has been suggested previously, Blackout is confirmed to have moved to the former Doll Factory building in Planet Snoopy, meaning the new Voodoo maze should use the former Blackout/Club Blood building.

Most surprising to me is that not only is there once again no new scare zone, one actually appears to be missing. PrimEvil is nowhere to be found. That scare zone has always been controversial due to its tribal theme and its relative emptiness due to its remote location by Scrambler, but I'll miss it nonetheless. It had some of the best hiding places in the park.
 
Surprised to see PrimEvil go since it fits really well in that part of the park. Usually I'm not really impressed by it, but still surprised it's out the door.

That being said, not getting a new scare zone to replace it would be disappointing. It allows for more actors across the park, but I'd really like a newly themed scare zone at the very least.

It's possible the site isn't completed yet. I remember a couple years ago, they published the site, but it clearly wasn't finished and they added some stuff later on. Could be possible here, I suppose.
 
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Nicole said:
Maybe they will be able to staff their remaining scare zones better, if they don't replace PrimEvil.

This

Staffing is a perennial issue that is often complained about.

I have said before, and I maintain, that I would much rather have a few exceptionally well staffed areas, houses, and whatnots then a whole bunch of non performing one.
 
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I'm all for more staffing across the park. Just would've liked to see one of the existing scare zones get a new theme. Oh well, at least we have a new maze and there will be more staffing in mazes and scare zones.
 
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Kings Dominion's uploaded a video announcing Blood on the Bayou today. Here is the video for those who are interested.

The Haunt website has also been updated with Blood on the Bayou now being listed with a description...

"There are rumors that the swamps once ran red with blood and it’s time to find out if the rumors are true. The locals refuse to speak about the horrors that once filled the bayou, whispers of curses and unnamed voodoo priests. However, refusing to talk about something does not make it go away. The evil that lies in wait hungers for new visitors. The voodoo queen dreams of times gone by, times when the blood of the innocent once flowed through the bayou."

Looks like they're also doing skeleton keys in the scare zones again. I have never bothered with the skeleton keys before since they've never really gotten great reviews (at least not on this forum), but I'll be interested to see if they make any changes this year.
 
Luseendesi beat me to it, but Kings Dominion uploaded a video announcing Blood on the Bayou today. Here is the video for those who are interested.

The Haunt website has also been updated with Blood on the Bayou now being listed with a description...

"There are rumors that the swamps once ran red with blood and it’s time to find out if the rumors are true. The locals refuse to speak about the horrors that once filled the bayou, whispers of curses and unnamed voodoo priests. However, refusing to talk about something does not make it go away. The evil that lies in wait hungers for new visitors. The voodoo queen dreams of times gone by, times when the blood of the innocent once flowed through the bayou."

Looks like they're also doing skeleton keys in the scare zones again. I have never bothered with the skeleton keys before since they've never really gotten great reviews (at least not on this forum), but I'll be interested to see if they make any changes this year.
 
^The vampire lady had to shake up the bottle a few times before giving it to me (I was the brave idiot one in my group). It had a very oily consistency that didn't look real.

Maybe even worse than that one was the beautiful Gypsy caravan. I really can't emphasize how beautiful this one was, but the actress made my group close our eyes. I think it's because she was cracking up and past the verge of breaking character. Anyway, it was a complete waste of such a nice set to not allow the guests to look at it. I was hoping for air blasts at the end, but nothing happened. Another one had us in there for almost five minutes only to tell us that the room wasn't finished. I know it fit along with the storyline, but the room really wasn't finished, and they shouldn't have wasted our time on that one.

I really hate getting my hands dirty, but my favorite was probably the one with the coffins and the man that resembled the Voodoo god of death. As much as I hated getting my hands dirty, I found the room and the actor to both be genuinely disturbing, in a very good way. Either way, the rooms can involve you very much, but they don't have much power to tell a story.
 
Zimmy said:
I will never get the taste of the fake blood out of my mouth.
* Zimmy wretches

OMG....worst thing ever. I was dry heaving thinking about the shot of "blood" 5 minutes afterwards. Thank God the bar was close by to get the taste out of my mouth.
 
Judging by the name and logo, I would bet that Grave Walkers will be the roaming band. No idea about the Coven, but assuming that will just be a new show. Wonder if the Mob will be back though.
 
According to a press release, the descriptions of the two new shows are as follows:

NEW SHOW: The Grave Walkers
Take a stroll with these twisted interactive street performers as they bring the best of the French Quarter to the Commonwealth. Listen for the blare of an approaching trumpet or the blast of a tuba as they take to the streets with a Halloween party like no other.

NEW SHOW: The Coven
In this roaming performance, a troupe of witches are wreaking havoc on the midways with their bizarre rituals. Beware because they are looking for their next victim as they prepare for the coming solstice.

As I understand it, The Grave Walkers will be an enormous parade of nearly two dozen musicians and dancers, combining the resources of last year's Bone Collectors brass band and Unstrung.

I believe The Coven is a simply witch-themed update to the Mob.

Also, and this is the best news of all, there is no show outside the Kings Dominion Theater this year!
 
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