Kings Dominion Halloween Haunt 2024

[S23X]

Well Haunt only made it to night two before seeing it's first fight. Don't know what happened but something happened in Cleaver Brothers tonight with security rushing to the seen and at least one person walking around with a bloody nose. As I was leaving security and police were standing by the exit lanes and had tablets out and appeared to be comparing either a picture or description to exiting guests presumably looking for a person or persons involved in the incident.

I was walking into the park after the fight occurred in Cleaver Brothers, security were actively escorting large groups of teens presumably without chaperones out into the parking lots. They also had staff blocking off all paths beyond International Street, with everything on I-street open business as usual (including Cornstalkers). After a little while, they reopened the rest of the park to whatever guests were still there. All of the mazes, except trick or treat was open, most rides were open and all scare zones were not operational.

Tonight was likely the last time I'll be able to get in blood on the bayou without any wait this season. Monsters were performing very well in all of the mazes I went through tonight!

In addition, first maze I went through after they reopened the paths into the rest of the park was Monstercon, and closer towards the end of the maze, multiple KD security guards rushed though the exit. They seemed focused on matching someone to a description/photo they have on a tablet. Other than that, the ushers and monsters in the maze were running business as usual.

Edit: Added info about the security encounter I had in Monstercon.

 

[horsesboy]

I was walking into the park after the fight occurred in Cleaver Brothers, security were actively escorting large groups of teens presumably without chaperones out into the parking lots. They also had staff blocking off all paths beyond International Street, with everything on I-street open business as usual (including Cornstalkers). After a little while, they reopened the rest of the park to whatever guests were still there. All of the mazes, except trick or treat was open, most rides were open and all scare zones were not operational.

Tonight was likely the last time I'll be able to get in blood on the bayou without any wait this season. Monsters were performing very well in all of the mazes I went through tonight!

In addition, first maze I went through after they reopened the paths into the rest of the park was Monstercon, and closer towards the end of the maze, multiple KD security guards rushed though the exit. They seemed focused on matching someone to a description/photo they have on a tablet. Other than that, the ushers and monsters in the maze were running business as usual.

Edit: Added info about the security encounter I had in Monstercon.

Should be added that the scare zones were shut down do to weather not related to the fight and security.

 

[Mike541x]

Also I been looking at vlogs from yesterday and was also watching old 2010ish haunt and couldn't help but think "what the hell happpened to using fog machines" theres like no fog in any of these vlogs

I remember my first time at Haunt was in 2010 and there was much fog that I could barely see a foot in front of me. They may have cut back for reaons @horsesboy has mentioned and a safety issue because I definitely remember people bumping into each other. That said it was really neat going up Intimidator's lift looking right and seeing the park covered in fog with a lot of the rides going over it.

 

[MrBradferd]

I remember my first time at Haunt was in 2010 and there was much fog that I could barely see a foot in front of me. They may have cut back for reaons @horsesboy has mentioned and a safety issue because I definitely remember people bumping into each other. That said it was really neat going up Intimidator's lift looking right and seeing the park covered in fog with a lot of the rides going over it.

YES!!! I rememeber going up drop zone and seeing just a blanket covering the entire park and it was fading out into the parking lot. It was insane

 

[wickluvshaunt<3]

Alright so my first 2024 trip to Haunt was last night. I arrived at 6:40 and stayed until around 10:00. From the time it started to the time it ended I was extremely underwhelmed, with one exception.

Scarezone actors were fine, nothing extra, just okay. Every zones been seen before so there was nothing exciting to be honest. In Site X there was only one actor even attempting to scare anyone, the rest were just having conversations with people. None of the zones were full of fog, a majority of actors have not found their character yet, and the lights were so bright that it was evident where every actor was. Haunt was much better when scarezones were more spread out and you felt like there was nowhere to get away from the actors.

As for houses, here’s my rankings and notes …

*I did not go through Trick or Treat because I haven’t liked that house past couple years and didn’t feel it was worth my time*

5. Monstercon - I was extremely disappointed and upset that in the span of a year this was the end result of the new house. It litterally looked like you were just walking through a convention with the cheap metal railings and curtains separating booths. There was no artistic creativity to it at all aside from one part where you’re forced to walk through a hall full of white sheets that have old black and white horror films projected onto them. Actors were not very good and lacked energy. I was bored and upset that such a good house with a great history died behind this. They really took the easy way out by using a cheap temporary theme to their advantage. Overall score 2/10.

4. GrimmWoods- Characters used more of the silent intimidation technique which I don’t believe works very well in this maze. Same old thing, understaffed, yet still a beautiful set. Unfortunately it was still dull and I wouldn’t go through it again if given the opportunity. Overall score 4/10.

3. Blood on the Bayou- Darkest house by far which works to its advantage always but it’s still very detailed. Unfortunately we’ve seen this house unchanged for years and it’s extremely played out. There’s a new facade in the front but that doesn't help the fact that’s there was only 5-6 actors in the whole house. On top of the low staff, I’ve never seen a set of scare actors so unenthusiastic in my life. This house had me the most upset considering I’ve seen it in its prime. Overall score 5/10

2. CornStalkers- I enjoyed this house this year. The subtle new layout done last year still feels rather fresh. The actors were doing very well using props, hiding places, and other actors to their advantage. They seemed rather experienced. I really enjoy the set of the market area that was added last year, it adds an exciting twist that seems like it’s leading up to a climax. The chainsaw at the end was very weak. I’m a KD person all day over BGW, but the BGW chainsaws used during HS are 10 times better. Overall score 6/10

1. F.E.A.R.- I never thought the day would come that I’d say F.E.A.R. was my #1 house for the year, yet here I am putting it at the top of my list. The actors were amazing, extremely energetic carrying the maze. Very intimidating, lots of scares, purposefully threw us off track to go the wrong way. Although understaffed they made do with what they had. They were extremely quick and you never knew where they were going to be. The set design is very cheap looking but because the actors made the experience so surreal and dark, the vision really came together. My only critiques are lack of a fluent storyline and to get rid of that god awful storm room with absolutely no scare actors in it. Overall score 6/10.

So my overall 2024 Haunt experience was very disappointing to the point where I feel as if I wasted my time. I would’ve preferred to stay home and watch TV. There’s so many things KD needs to step up and do to create the feel that the old haunt used to. Overall score is a 5/10. Very disappointed… hope to see better next year.

 

[Theoneandonlyteddy]

I honestly don’t know how I feel about the sheer amount of scare actor slander I’ve been seeing, not just at KD but at most haunts. I worked as a scare actor last year at my local haunt and will be doing it again this year, and let me tell y’all, it is much harder than it appears. First off, guests are rude as hell. I know that’s a given, but I’ve had people touch me, spit in my face, damage the sets, and there were even two separate occasions where people kicked my prop around on the floor like it was a soccer ball, and I literally had to run to the back of the maze just to retrieve it. Not only that, but you’re standing for hours on end in an incredibly overstimulating environment, constantly having to figure out the best way to scare each guest, because every guest is different, and you don’t know what will work until you try it.

I’m not saying I hated being a scare actor, because honestly it was one of the highlights of my year. I will always remember the people who did have fun in our house, because when a guest is having fun, we’re having fun. But seeing people online afterwards saying that we weren’t trying at all is just incredibly hurtful and discouraging. Scare acting is just like any other job, not every night is going to be our best night, and that’s just us being human. All I’m asking for is for some of y’all to just be more mindful of how hard we working just for y’all to have a fun night. That’s all

 

[Zachary]

the sheer amount of scare actor slander I’ve been seeing

I feel like this isn't really an accurate characterization of what I've been seeing online. I've seen far, far more critique of the house design this year than of any casts.

 

[Theoneandonlyteddy]

I feel like this isn't really an accurate characterization of what I've been seeing online. I've seen far, far more critique of the house design this year than of any casts.

I mean that’s fair. Personally I’ve seen a mix of both, but maybe that’s just my bias from my experience idk

 

[wickluvshaunt<3]

I honestly don’t know how I feel about the sheer amount of scare actor slander I’ve been seeing

I hope that’s not what you received from my critique. There’s a big difference between someone trying and having difficulty and then just standing there. Maybe I wasn’t specific with my lack of effort.

 

[Mushroom]

I honestly don’t know how I feel about the sheer amount of scare actor slander I’ve been seeing, not just at KD but at most haunts. I worked as a scare actor last year at my local haunt and will be doing it again this year, and let me tell y’all, it is much harder than it appears. First off, guests are rude as hell. I know that’s a given, but I’ve had people touch me, spit in my face, damage the sets, and there were even two separate occasions where people kicked my prop around on the floor like it was a soccer ball, and I literally had to run to the back of the maze just to retrieve it. Not only that, but you’re standing for hours on end in an incredibly overstimulating environment, constantly having to figure out the best way to scare each guest, because every guest is different, and you don’t know what will work until you try it.

I’m not saying I hated being a scare actor, because honestly it was one of the highlights of my year. I will always remember the people who did have fun in our house, because when a guest is having fun, we’re having fun. But seeing people online afterwards saying that we weren’t trying at all is just incredibly hurtful and discouraging. Scare acting is just like any other job, not every night is going to be our best night, and that’s just us being human. All I’m asking for is for some of y’all to just be more mindful of how hard we working just for y’all to have a fun night. That’s all

Point well taken. For what it’s worth, I was a scare actor for several years, and it was my experience that there are a few duds who just don’t put much effort into their job. They’re rare, especially at KD, who does a great job of training and rewarding their scare actors. But they exist. Even with the right training and direction, there are occasionally folks who don’t try all that hard. Or they get tired quickly. I’m just saying this because I don’t think it’s a valid a notion that scare actors should be absolutely absolved of critiques because the job is hard.

That said, I haven’t seen any posts in this thread that seem overly critical of the scare actors. I absolutely agree with you that scare acting is hard and the actors often aren’t given enough credit for what’s thrown at them (sometimes literally!). But constructive criticism of a house or zone’s performance is fair game, IMO. It’s still a performing art, in a way, and critiques are a helpful way to gain feedback and improve that performance.

And, if a whole house or scare zone isn’t performing well, it may be more of an improvement opportunity for its talent coach than for any one individual scare actor. In that case, I think constructive criticism has even more potential upside.

 

[MrBradferd]

If you're one of the ones who actually try, like bang on stuff or jump at people or make noises weirdly or talk some. Just somethin other than wadling on the floor with a arm or saying help me or get out, then it's perfectly fine with me.

 

[outhikn]

Visiting again for the second weekend of Haunt, I loved seeing the continued improvements to this year's event:

In MonsterCon, though small, I noticed a fair number of theming-type elements added the past week; such as pictures on the wall, and a couple of additional props. So if they continue to work on improving this maze, should be interesting -for what is currently an "okay" maze- on what it perhaps evolves into towards the end of Haunt.

And for Masquerade, I noticed new banners at both entrances into the scare zone:




And the artwork panels within the zone itself:

 

[the_pantsmith]

Here for my first ever Haunt. Park is absolutely dead. I'm assuming it'll fill in a little before 7?

 

[RollyCoaster]

Sunday night is a really good night to go to Halloween Haunt usually. You should have a relatively stress free night. Expect it to pick up quite a bit around 5-6 but you won’t see it get any more busy than that tonight. Have a good time!

 

[netdvn]

I was there Sunday for the first time this year. Gonna try to hit the park at least one more time before the end of the season.

Pros
Surprisingly enough, Monstercon! I liked this maze a lot. Yeah the overlay is cheap and the sets could be done a lot better, but its a con in the end and that's what most cons look like pretty much. No Vacancy had better detail and better set design for sure, but you could tell it was getting up there in years. The actors were pretty solid here. There was a nice mix of actors and animatronics that I really hope the VA parks push toward. BGW had tons of animatronics in their mazes for a while but since COVID, I really haven't seen as many.

FEAR was also performing better this year. It could still use a bit more detail inside, but the actors were great overall.

The actors in general were pretty strong. You could tell they were taking advantage of the rainy weather and most were on their A-game for sure.

Scare zones were well done this year. I had a blast with every single one!

Short lines everywhere was a huge plus. There was always a maze that had a backup though. BGW has that problem too. I wonder what's going on with the event where one maze always has a stupid long line compared to the rest.

Cons
You could see areas where staffing needed a bit more balance (Trick or Treat had tons of actors but Bayou and Grimm definitely needed help). I would've loved to see more actors in the mazes.

I noticed a lack of decor at the entrance this year. I'm not sure why the park entrance budget was slashed, but I really hope this isn't a sign of things to come.

Cornstalkers and Carn-evil should be replaced. Cornstalkers is feeling a bit stale nowadays. Carn-evil had tons of actors and yeah, the scare zone is fun, but I think its time for something else to go there. I know people complain about BGW not putting effort into their mazes, but at least they try to keep things fresh and change up most of the mazes and scare zones every few years. Haunt just loves keeping their old mazes and scare zones for years and years. Sometimes things get moved around but its always the same scare zones year after year. I'd love to see more concepts from Knotts come out here. I kinda feel the same about Winterfest too. The park definitely needs to start changing things up.

Overall a solid event. I loved the lack of lines everywhere. The rain scared a bunch of people off and it was great apart from the super long line at Grimms Woods halfway through the night.

 

[Furyous Baco 325]

Ok sitting in the parking lot about to go in, heard a lot of bangs?? Hopefully not a gun!

That was most likely the opening ceremony/show.

 

[MasonNewton917]

Last night was outstanding. While I was with someone who didn’t want to partake in the mazes and houses, I did knock out a few scare zones(big fan of Cleaver Brothers) and I did cross Grimmwoods off of my list, which was a solid walkthrough.

In terms of rides, lots of short lines and some were downright walk on. Ops were great on everything which helped control the queues very well.

I plan to return to the park one or two more times to get the rest of the mazes and scare zones that I missed, so hopefully I’ll have more to vouch for then.

 

[Mike541x]

I went last night which I usually never do since Saturdays are packed, which of course it was. But a bunch of coworkers wanted to go and they invited me so I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I will be returning next Sunday with some friends with Fast Lane this time. The only house we did was MonsterCon, which I thought was okay at best. I kind of liked Condemned more. The scare zones were really good, especially Pumpkin Eater and Site X especially. One thing I will say, it feels like there isn't as much decorations around the park as it has been in previous years. I miss the pumpkins that were outside in the plaza and I noticed the pathway between Dominator and Planet Snoopy was empty. Other than that, I thought it was good event this year. Hopefully I'll get to do more houses next weekend.

 

[Theoneandonlyteddy]

I finally went to Haunt last night. Coming to the event, I had my expectations low, as I had read many reviews beforehand all saying that this year wasn’t that great. But after seeing this year for myself, I honestly have to say that I think that this event was actually much more enjoyable than a lot of people made it out to be. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but the actors were killing it, and even though it was crowded, most of the guests were surprisingly pretty chill.

We loved MonsterCon so much, we ended up doing it twice. Sure, it was a cheaper house, but the theme was still executed pretty well. It was very campy and over-the-top, and it reminded me of Slaughter Sinema at HHN.

FEAR was unchanged from last year, but the intensity of the actors made it really enjoyable.

Trick or Treat was completely empty in the first half, but the second half had a good amount of actors.

Cornstalkers was our favorite, as it is always. Yes, it is an older house, but it’s also one of the more intense ones at the event, and in my opinion it still holds up.

We ended up skipping GrimmWoods and Blood on the Bayou solely due to how bad the lines were. The lines for the other houses moved pretty quickly though, so kudos to that.

Scare zones were also good this year, don’t really have much else to say on that, didn’t really notice any big changes.

Overall, I had a really fun time. If anything apart of my day was a “flop,” it was definitely not Haunt…it was Oktoberfest. Probably some of the worst food I think I’ve ever had in my life lol

 

[Mattatee]

I think the biggest surprise for me this year was the big top band and black widow burlesque. I thought that was much better than last years version. I would also say Friday night had a lot more fog than last Saturday.