Kings Dominion Halloween Haunt 2023

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I went on Saturday and with the overcast skies and occasional mist (but no real rain for the most part), the environment was extra dark and fun. At one point I almost walked into a tombstone due to the smoke machine and the darkness (and spotlights) completely obscuring it from my view. lol. We actually only did one maze, Grimm Woods, and it was great. I hadn't been into that for 2 years as we didn't go to Haunt last year. All the changes from 2 years ago were great. My one big complaint is not about kids, who for me were no issue at all, but rather all the young adults ignoring the no smoking rules. It wasn't uncommon for me to behind someone smoking or vaping. I think they feel hidden in the darkness and fog. I don't blame the employees for not confronting these people but maybe there needs to be a lot more security stopping people from wantonly smoking/vaping in the park. The lines for rides are all non-existent except for Twisted Timbers. Even Flight of Fear was a walk-on when we rode it. So that was great.
 
Crunchewy said:
My one big complaint is not about kids, who for me were no issue at all, but rather all the young adults ignoring the no smoking rules. It wasn't uncommon for me to behind someone smoking or vaping. I think they feel hidden in the darkness and fog. I don't blame the employees for not confronting these people but maybe there needs to be a lot more security stopping people from wantonly smoking/vaping in the park.
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Then give people a place to smoke. During Haunt you can't re-enter the park after 6:00pm and the only place to smoke is outside the main gate. Anyone else see the problem there?
 
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willrobs3 said:
Then give people a place to smoke. During Haunt you can't re-enter the park after 6:00pm and the only place to smoke is outside the main gate. Anyone else see the problem there?
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I agree with that. They should provide a cordoned off space outside the park that you can go into to smoke and then come back into the park. Needs to be set up such that you can't actually leave (go to your car) and then come back in. Not sure how they do this, but I'm sure it would at least help with the issue if not entirely solve it.
 
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Crunchewy said:
I agree with that. They should provide a cordoned off space outside the park that you can go into to smoke and then come back into the park. Needs to be set up such that you can't actually leave (go to your car) and then come back in. Not sure how they do this, but I'm sure it would at least help with the issue if not entirely solve it.
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If Soak City is closed off and secured correctly, I could see the main locker room plaza used for this purpose assuming it's not also being used as a backstage area for Cleaver Bros
 
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I was actually thinking about this when I was at Haunt recently - suggestions are for the Haunt season only as smokers don't have an issue re-entering the park during normal operations. The space that's the furthest away from everything while still being inside the park and minimizing discomfort to other park guests, would be by the amphitheater. But of course that would involve having security patrol the area more which is not near all of the Haunt chaos going on and would likely cause some logistical issues.

Taking into consideration comfort of other guests, not causing additional stress to security, and confining smokers to an area where they cannot access the outside (i.e. people handing them things from outside the park), two other spots could be where the smoking area used to be by the bathrooms in Old Virginia or the entrance/plaza area to Soak City, like @Jonesta6 mentioned.
 
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Can someone explain the hype of Grimmwoods to me? I’ve walked out disappointed every time I walk through it. The random long dark bridge, the dog animatronic slowly moving out from the woods, the actors just staring at me and looking like they hate their job. There are zero scares in this house, and the half mile walk around nothing doesn’t help. People praise this house for its “atmosphere” while all I can think about is how if I were out Busch gardens right now, I would have gotten a much better experience.
 
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Personally, I think of GrimmWoods as less of a true haunted house — where the goal is to be scared — and more of a “haunted experience,” where the goal is to immerse myself in a spooky setting. Between the acting, scenery, and audio and visual effects, it feels like a walkthrough story. I love the distant sounds of crackling branches and howling wolves, the pulsing lights through the woods, the houses and vignettes you almost organically stumble upon along the way, the actors who tell you their part in the story.

In the most affectionate way possible (and I truly mean this as a complement because GrimmWoods is my favorite “house” at either VA theme park Halloween event), I think of GrimmWoods as almost a macabre version of Colonial Williamsburg — more about bringing a story and place to life through actors and scenery, than about scares. The setting and story here is just a sinister one, tailor made for Halloween. (Don’t take this analogy too seriously; I’m just using it to try and illustrate my point.)

Since you related it to BGW, I’ll make the comparison to HOS’s closest counterpart to GrimmWoods, Witch of the Woods. There may be more of an attempt there for “traditional” jump scares, but to me, that’s less interesting. More conventional. More expected. I left Witch of the Woods asking myself, “What was supposed to be happening there?” Rather than feel immersed in the house’s enticing setting, I just felt like I was walking past teens and 20-somethings in makeup growling or occasionally lunging at me (which I was) — which is what the experience is in pretty much every BGW house.

GrimmWoods, in my opinion, stands apart from everything else by an almost singleminded focus on immersing you in its world and its story. There’s nothing else like it, and that’s why I love it.
 
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cricket said:
Can someone explain the hype of Grimmwoods to me? I’ve walked out disappointed every time I walk through it. The random long dark bridge, the dog animatronic slowly moving out from the woods, the actors just staring at me and looking like they hate their job. There are zero scares in this house, and the half mile walk around nothing doesn’t help. People praise this house for its “atmosphere” while all I can think about is how if I were out Busch gardens right now, I would have gotten a much better experience.
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The only thing comparable at BGW is Witch of the Woods, which isn't very good, and you walk as much or more just only a little bit is actually the attraction.
I've had some disappointing passes through Grimm's but last Sunday late was fantastic. May have even been a bit lower on actors, but then got a surprise or double teamed. Similar for Condemned. My experience about 6:30 Friday was poor, crowded and half staffed, while 11::40 Sunday was incredible.

Excavator's was open Friday, not Jungle Market or Outpost, which was open Sunday. Interesting experience Sunday, lights off past FoF and only I305 station lights, super dark and Jungle X actually felt right. By my second ride they were on as well as Racer's spotlights. Also been getting good fog on Twisted this year.
 
I understand that and I can understand why someone would like it, however I don’t feel the house does the best job at immersing me. I feel much more immersed in something like lost mines at bgw, the rumblings of the rocks above you, the cold air and air cannons coming at you, and just the world building. I feel like in Grimmwoods, just as one of the three story’s start it has already ended. I just feel as if there is so much room for improvement that KD is ignoring.
 
Grimm has really fixed a lot of those empty areas now in my opinion. There's still empty path in and out of the main house area (which is good, it provides separation from the park and an opportunity to allow guests to take in their surroundings—an actual forest). Once you get to actors and sets though, I feel like it's adequately dense at this point.
 
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I know it's a Friday, but it's the Friday before Halloween with IDEAL weather. Where the hell are the crowds? I've never seen anything like this on any day with good weather in the second half of October. I know the event is an upcharge now and lower crowds are a given, but this looks concerning to me...
 
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Zachary said:
I know it's a Friday, but it's the Friday before Halloween with IDEAL weather. Where the hell are the crowds? I've never seen anything like this on any day with good weather in the second half of October. I know the event is an upcharge now and lower crowds are a given, but this looks concerning to me...
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On the other hand last Saturday was an unbelievable mad house with wait lines for houses approaching 2 hours so I am not sure what to make of tonight's light crowds.
 
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horsesboy said:
On the other hand last Saturday was an unbelievable mad house with wait lines for houses approaching 2 hours so I am not sure what to make of tonight's light crowds.
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Just seems to be like that on Fridays, which is why I always liked going that night.

However tomorrow being the Saturday night before Halloween and with great weather, oh what a madhouse it will be, definitely staying away!
 
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Zachary said:
I know it's a Friday, but it's the Friday before Halloween with IDEAL weather. Where the hell are the crowds? I've never seen anything like this on any day with good weather in the second half of October. I know the event is an upcharge now and lower crowds are a given, but this looks concerning to me...
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Was at Busch today. Also was prettyyyy quiet. Longest I waited for a house was 10 minutes. Everything… everything else walked right in. Rides were also pretty quiet. Ride lines were under 10 except bolt and DarKoaster until about 9pm. Then under 15.

I genuinely think Five Nights At Freddy’s and other local haunts took a ton of appeal away from our Theme Parks today. Was awesome for me!

Edit: Longshot, but maybe the Maine shooting also steered away some people tonight? A lot going on this week.
 
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