Made a brief stop at Haunt on the way home from DC on Sunday. I was only at the park for about an hour, so here are some brief thoughts on what I experienced.
GrimmWoods - This house is firing on all cylinders. Not only does the scenic get more immersive every year, but every single member of the impressively large cast was actively conveying their character and the story. Still not really "scary," but one of Haunt's all-time best IMO.
F.E.A.R. - Ouch. Easily the worst haunted house at either Virginia park in 2023. That said, I think almost all of the changes from 21 are strictly an improvement. The dystopian theme attempts to connect 21's totally disjointed scenes with some sort of overarching narrative, and I actually think the single-character concept sort of works; it at least adds some intrigue and uniqueness to the house. Unfortunately, that's not enough to save the cheapness and bottom-tier set design largely remaining from 21. Among the new additions, the mirror maze needs disorienting lighting to make it effective, and the "fear of heights" is a joke (and somehow made me miss 13 at HOS). I wish KD would've just dusted off Lockdown and reopened that instead investing another penny into this lost cause.
Pumpkin Eater - Beautiful scare zone with incredible density of props and set pieces. Huge cast with actors really working both for scares and to sell their characters. I can't get enough of this one. 10/10.
Masquerade - HUGE improvement on this one over its old location under the Eiffel Tower. The almost maze-like layout inside the arbor makes this scare zone actually conducive to scares now, the cast is again large and active, and I dig the new soundtrack. It's also great to see the arbor tunnel being used for a scare zone again. That said, I think this one is screaming for some cool lighting effects. They're going for a dark, dim aesthetic right now, but I think soaking the inside of the tunnel in dizzying, pulsing, colored lights would add some amazing dramatic flare and take this scare zone to the next level.
Cleaver Brothers Carnival - Really the heart of Haunt at this point. You can tell it's KD's baby. While I still prefer this scare zone as a traditional "long path that you have to walk all the way through" zone, I can get behind the new plaza-style design they've been fine-tuning over the past few years. It seems like they're going for an almost OG Terror-tory "immersive carnival experience" now. Of note, it seems like there are new costumes this year; almost all of the costumes looked like they're going for a vintage, early 20th century circus vibe now. Great attention to detail.
Uprising - Smaller cast here, and I still miss the dramatic flare that IronWorx had, but the brilliant colored lighting that bathes this zone, along with the naturally confined space of the Central Walkway, make this zone a quiet winner. I appreciated the cast's attempt to sell the zombie apocalypse storyline.
Site X - Hugely improved in its new location, Site X also seems to be fit the original HOS definition of a "Terror-tory." It winds its way through tight paths in the woods by Tumbili, with tons of props, flashing lights, and actors selling the story. You could really linger here and immerse yourself in what's going on.
OVERALL PARK ATOMSPHERE - Compared to past years, I've noticed that there seemed to be much less of an emphasis on bars, DJs, parties, and shows. With very few exceptions this year, the park has a very cohesive dark, sinister Halloween feel through and through. It still feels ever so slightly less "alive" with Halloween than it did in the pre-COVID days when there were more mazes, more scare zones, and more roaming actors, but considering the fact that KD's Haunt labor costs (wages) have literally doubled in the past few years, I'll give it a pass. Still, the park is dark, and maintains that awesome Halloween tone all the way through. Even International Street feels awesome with its illuminated fountains, buildings dancing in red lights, and epic music score.
Unlike a certain shell of its former self in Williamsburg, I'd say Haunt feels about as strong overall as it's ever been. With the sole exception of F.E.A.R., you can tell KD takes a ton of pride in the quality of this event. I'm not eager to experience the reported chaos of the new separate ticketing system, but I'm eager to be back and experience the rest of the mazes. It's a good year for Haunt!
