Made my second visit of the season to Haunt last night, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the event felt more like it was back to its usual self, compared to opening night. Staffing was great, and the scare actors were crushing it. Here are some additional observations since opening night.
MonsterCon
MonsterCon has grown on me. Now that the initial shock of comparing it to No Vacancy/Condemned has worn off, I've come to enjoy this house on its own terms. It is not the type of detail-rich, worldbuilding-focused house that No Vacancy, frankly, pioneered. But it is silly, cheesy, and fun — in a very self-aware way. This house definitely owns the "con" theme and all the gags that come with it, from the "convention workers" insisting "the monsters definitely aren't real" to the PA announcements outside the building that sound like the voice of, well, a dorky convention nerd.
I actually believe Haunt needs a house that is focused on tongue-in-cheek fun and that doesn't take itself too seriously. Zombie High once filled this role, with its wise-cracking principle and high school-themed visual gags, and Club Blood filled that role before it. I almost felt like Haunt's house themes all have felt too "serious" over the past few years, so this house adds some much-needed tonal variety and comic relief. To really enjoy this house, I think it's important to think of MonsterCon as a spiritual successor to Zombie High or Club Blood, not No Vacancy.
With some minor modifications (see below), I think MonsterCon could go from a "good" to "great" house.
Scare Zones
I wanted to quickly point out that the scare zones felt distinctly darker and, more importantly, foggier yesterday. I was concerned on opening night that they had cut back on the fog for safety reasons, but that must not have been the case. Several zones had so much fog that it was hard to see in front of you, something I've always loved about Haunt.
The minor upgrades to a few scare zones — namely the new temple statues in Site X, and the additional of the enormous portraits that serve as as curtains and props in Masquerade — are improvements. Not getting a new scare zone this year is still disappointing, but it's worth noting that the park still improved two existing ones.
Tonal Variety (Soundtracks)
The tone and atmosphere of Haunt used to be one of its strongest assets — different areas of the park were slow, creepy, eccentric, sad, mystical, etc. as cued by their soundtracks. But the tone now feels a bit one-dimensional. As I've said before, International Street and the area by Twisted Timbers share the same soundtrack, which can only be described as "action movie trailer music." It's intense, percussive music that's dramatic but unoriginal and gets old quickly. The plaza around the carousel used to play the band organ music backwards, which was a totally superfluous but lovely (and very creepy) little detail; it now plays the same Cleaver Brothers soundtrack as the rest of CAG. And Planet Snoopy is playing bizarre Halloween pop/rave music remixes (I heard Thriller mixed with Shake It Off yesterday), which completes removes you from the spooky mood. Here's what I'd suggest:
General Park Decoration
I think one of the biggest things we've lost over the years is any sense of decoration outside the scare zones (which still look great). There used to be little (and often humorous) touches everywhere, like the giant ghost suspended under the Eiffel Tower's arch, the electric chair prop, or just gravestones in random planters. These things might seem expendable, but not only do they provide something fun to look at during the day, but they tie the park together at night so it feels like a cohesive creepy place, not just the normal park interspersed with the occasional Haunt attraction.
I know these things take time and money, but consider this: KD built fairly elaborate new facades for both Blood on the Bayou and FEAR this year. Surely that effort could have been spent putting up some tombstones or staging some skeletons. And I'd argue that those details would've been far more impactful than the new facades, which are nice, but don't really impact the experience of either house they were added to.
Walk-Around Characters
Walk around characters are a huge part of what made Haunt feel all-encompassing at KD. Remember the guy with a shopping cart filled with limbs and with a car horn sound attached to it? Or the Venetian characters that hung around the Eiffel Tower? Or the "living statues" around the I-Street fountain? Even though they're not part of an advertised Haunt attraction, they nonetheless brought a sense of cohesion to the event and a feeling of foreboding, that you could run into a monster anywhere. And some characters, like the Overlord, were just fun to look out for.
Again, I know these things cost money and require staff, but I'd gladly pull a 1-2 actors from each attraction to have the occasional actor out randomly roaming the paths. You don't need a bunch, just enough to punctuate the park and always keep guests looking over their shoulder.
Opening Ceremony
Not sure if this is a hot take, but I think the opening ceremony has gotten progressively worse ever year for the past ~5 years. It's become overproduced, like it's trying to really be its own "show." The charm of the original Overlord show was its simplicity — the monsters marched out to some badass music, the Overlord hyped up the monsters and the crowd, and then the monsters were released. Now, there's too much dialogue and choreography, which makes it cheesy (but in a way that's cringey more than it is campy). They’re trying too hard.
For the 50th, I'd love it if the park brought back the old show, complete with the return of the Overlord. The Overlord was such a fun character, and I feel the Evil Queen doesn't have the same coolness factor to her. Any human character just won't have the same presence as a giant, otherwordly character like the Overlord.
MonsterCon
As I said before, I think this maze is closer to being great than many think. I think it just has two primary issues: there aren't enough hiding spaces and sophisticated scaring opportunities for the actors, and the convention theme just feels cheap (even if that's intentional to fit the theme). It's the Chester & Hester's Dino-Rama dilemma: even if you put lots of effort into fitting a theme (I'm not sure KD did), if that theme is inherently cheap, no one will care about that effort; they'll just think it's cheap.
The first issue is easily solved by adding more props for the actors to hide behind, along with other sophisticated scare techniques (drop-down windows, maybe?). I believe the second issue could be solved by taking a cue from MonsterCon's current finale, which takes you into the "set" of the fictional film "Slaughter House". I think they should add a second "film set" earlier in the house, particularly in the segment about 1/3 of the way through the house where you just sort of wind through a maze of convention hall curtains. This would allow them to add another detail-rich scene, which really is (or at least used to be) KD's bread and butter, while getting rid of one of the cheapest-looking sections and still fitting the convention theme.
FEAR
FEAR was actually firing on all cylinders yesterday, and I found it to be the most fun house of the night. I even went through twice. Which is crazy, because I have given this house so much shit since it debuted as 21. Because it is absolutely a lazily built, unsophisticated house.
But last night was the first time I believed the house can work with the dystopian-ish overlay they gave it to try to provide some overarching narrative. With enough staff, the "one character" gimmick works — you feel surrounded by this character and can't tell who's who. And they've toned up the strobes and sound effects in certain areas, creating some sense of disorientation. And that got me thinking: FEAR needs to be a sensory overload house. There needs to be disorienting strobes, dizzying spinning projections, blinding lights, in one room after the next. And they need the dystopian droning sounds, buzzing sounds, beeping sounds, thunder sounds etc. that they have now cranked up to 11.
I think FEAR can work if it completely overwhelms you with sensory overload. It fits the narrative they're (sort of) trying to convey: that this creature is trying to envelop you in fear. All they need to do is install more lighting effects and turn up the dial on their speakers.
Masquerade
While Masquerade is hugely improved in its current location in the Arbor tunnel (compared to its original incarnation as glorified meet and greet under the Eiffel Tower), it's still somewhat underwhelming compared to the Arbor's previous residents: the visually stunning Pumpkin Eater V1, and the sensory-deprived The Lair. It lacks both the elaborate hanging lights that made Pumpkin Eater V1 such an inventive use of the Arbor's cavernous structure, as well as the intense darkness brought on by The Lair's total enclosure of the tunnel.
I think Masquerade should take a cue from the former IronWorx scare zone's playbook. The steampunk-themed IronWorx had an intoxicatingly high-energy, quirky vibe that was largely conveyed by its rhythmic and techno-type music (example). And while calling for "techno" music may sound like hypocrisy based on my earlier call for spooky music, when the right songs are selected, I think it can create a vibe that's both intense and unsettling. Here's an example. It creates the perfect backdrop for a high-energy, sinister ball, where the inhabitants are enjoying themselves but you know that something could go wrong.
Pair that with more dramatic lighting effects (pulsing light patterns throughout the tunnel would do the trick), and you have a recipe for a scare zone that's elevated from decent but forgettable to unique and entrancing.
That's all. If I had my wish for how KD would mark their 50th anniversary season with Haunt, these fairly minor changes would be where I'd suggest starting.
MonsterCon
MonsterCon has grown on me. Now that the initial shock of comparing it to No Vacancy/Condemned has worn off, I've come to enjoy this house on its own terms. It is not the type of detail-rich, worldbuilding-focused house that No Vacancy, frankly, pioneered. But it is silly, cheesy, and fun — in a very self-aware way. This house definitely owns the "con" theme and all the gags that come with it, from the "convention workers" insisting "the monsters definitely aren't real" to the PA announcements outside the building that sound like the voice of, well, a dorky convention nerd.
I actually believe Haunt needs a house that is focused on tongue-in-cheek fun and that doesn't take itself too seriously. Zombie High once filled this role, with its wise-cracking principle and high school-themed visual gags, and Club Blood filled that role before it. I almost felt like Haunt's house themes all have felt too "serious" over the past few years, so this house adds some much-needed tonal variety and comic relief. To really enjoy this house, I think it's important to think of MonsterCon as a spiritual successor to Zombie High or Club Blood, not No Vacancy.
With some minor modifications (see below), I think MonsterCon could go from a "good" to "great" house.
Scare Zones
I wanted to quickly point out that the scare zones felt distinctly darker and, more importantly, foggier yesterday. I was concerned on opening night that they had cut back on the fog for safety reasons, but that must not have been the case. Several zones had so much fog that it was hard to see in front of you, something I've always loved about Haunt.
The minor upgrades to a few scare zones — namely the new temple statues in Site X, and the additional of the enormous portraits that serve as as curtains and props in Masquerade — are improvements. Not getting a new scare zone this year is still disappointing, but it's worth noting that the park still improved two existing ones.
How I would improve Haunt
Still, while a lot of things have been fixed since opening night, the event is probably the "least perfect" it's been in a long time — a cumulative effect of several small downgrades that I've observed over the years. Below is my wishlist for how I'd improve the event. In an ideal world, I'd hope one of KD's entertainment managers would read these suggestions and put them into the plan for Haunt 2025; I don't think any of them are too costly.Tonal Variety (Soundtracks)
The tone and atmosphere of Haunt used to be one of its strongest assets — different areas of the park were slow, creepy, eccentric, sad, mystical, etc. as cued by their soundtracks. But the tone now feels a bit one-dimensional. As I've said before, International Street and the area by Twisted Timbers share the same soundtrack, which can only be described as "action movie trailer music." It's intense, percussive music that's dramatic but unoriginal and gets old quickly. The plaza around the carousel used to play the band organ music backwards, which was a totally superfluous but lovely (and very creepy) little detail; it now plays the same Cleaver Brothers soundtrack as the rest of CAG. And Planet Snoopy is playing bizarre Halloween pop/rave music remixes (I heard Thriller mixed with Shake It Off yesterday), which completes removes you from the spooky mood. Here's what I'd suggest:
- International Street: Bring back the ethereal, mournful music that used to play in the area. It was hauntingly beautiful, making it feel like a truly strange occurrence was happening inside the park, and made you sort of reflect on your night. (Listen to "Amityville Horror Main Title" by Lalo Schifrin or "Ice Dance" by Danny Elfman as examples of what they used to play.)
- Carousel: Bring back the creepy carousel music. Really, KD should be taking advantage of any sound channel they have as a place to squeeze in extra details and tonal changes for almost no money or effort.
- Planet Snoopy: Anything creepy. Since Planet Snoopy is closed during Haunt, I thought the slow, creepy nursery rhymes they used to play really heightened the sense you were walking through an "abandoned" area, but anything is better than what they have now.
General Park Decoration
I think one of the biggest things we've lost over the years is any sense of decoration outside the scare zones (which still look great). There used to be little (and often humorous) touches everywhere, like the giant ghost suspended under the Eiffel Tower's arch, the electric chair prop, or just gravestones in random planters. These things might seem expendable, but not only do they provide something fun to look at during the day, but they tie the park together at night so it feels like a cohesive creepy place, not just the normal park interspersed with the occasional Haunt attraction.
I know these things take time and money, but consider this: KD built fairly elaborate new facades for both Blood on the Bayou and FEAR this year. Surely that effort could have been spent putting up some tombstones or staging some skeletons. And I'd argue that those details would've been far more impactful than the new facades, which are nice, but don't really impact the experience of either house they were added to.
Walk-Around Characters
Walk around characters are a huge part of what made Haunt feel all-encompassing at KD. Remember the guy with a shopping cart filled with limbs and with a car horn sound attached to it? Or the Venetian characters that hung around the Eiffel Tower? Or the "living statues" around the I-Street fountain? Even though they're not part of an advertised Haunt attraction, they nonetheless brought a sense of cohesion to the event and a feeling of foreboding, that you could run into a monster anywhere. And some characters, like the Overlord, were just fun to look out for.
Again, I know these things cost money and require staff, but I'd gladly pull a 1-2 actors from each attraction to have the occasional actor out randomly roaming the paths. You don't need a bunch, just enough to punctuate the park and always keep guests looking over their shoulder.
Opening Ceremony
Not sure if this is a hot take, but I think the opening ceremony has gotten progressively worse ever year for the past ~5 years. It's become overproduced, like it's trying to really be its own "show." The charm of the original Overlord show was its simplicity — the monsters marched out to some badass music, the Overlord hyped up the monsters and the crowd, and then the monsters were released. Now, there's too much dialogue and choreography, which makes it cheesy (but in a way that's cringey more than it is campy). They’re trying too hard.
For the 50th, I'd love it if the park brought back the old show, complete with the return of the Overlord. The Overlord was such a fun character, and I feel the Evil Queen doesn't have the same coolness factor to her. Any human character just won't have the same presence as a giant, otherwordly character like the Overlord.
MonsterCon
As I said before, I think this maze is closer to being great than many think. I think it just has two primary issues: there aren't enough hiding spaces and sophisticated scaring opportunities for the actors, and the convention theme just feels cheap (even if that's intentional to fit the theme). It's the Chester & Hester's Dino-Rama dilemma: even if you put lots of effort into fitting a theme (I'm not sure KD did), if that theme is inherently cheap, no one will care about that effort; they'll just think it's cheap.
The first issue is easily solved by adding more props for the actors to hide behind, along with other sophisticated scare techniques (drop-down windows, maybe?). I believe the second issue could be solved by taking a cue from MonsterCon's current finale, which takes you into the "set" of the fictional film "Slaughter House". I think they should add a second "film set" earlier in the house, particularly in the segment about 1/3 of the way through the house where you just sort of wind through a maze of convention hall curtains. This would allow them to add another detail-rich scene, which really is (or at least used to be) KD's bread and butter, while getting rid of one of the cheapest-looking sections and still fitting the convention theme.
FEAR
FEAR was actually firing on all cylinders yesterday, and I found it to be the most fun house of the night. I even went through twice. Which is crazy, because I have given this house so much shit since it debuted as 21. Because it is absolutely a lazily built, unsophisticated house.
But last night was the first time I believed the house can work with the dystopian-ish overlay they gave it to try to provide some overarching narrative. With enough staff, the "one character" gimmick works — you feel surrounded by this character and can't tell who's who. And they've toned up the strobes and sound effects in certain areas, creating some sense of disorientation. And that got me thinking: FEAR needs to be a sensory overload house. There needs to be disorienting strobes, dizzying spinning projections, blinding lights, in one room after the next. And they need the dystopian droning sounds, buzzing sounds, beeping sounds, thunder sounds etc. that they have now cranked up to 11.
I think FEAR can work if it completely overwhelms you with sensory overload. It fits the narrative they're (sort of) trying to convey: that this creature is trying to envelop you in fear. All they need to do is install more lighting effects and turn up the dial on their speakers.
Masquerade
While Masquerade is hugely improved in its current location in the Arbor tunnel (compared to its original incarnation as glorified meet and greet under the Eiffel Tower), it's still somewhat underwhelming compared to the Arbor's previous residents: the visually stunning Pumpkin Eater V1, and the sensory-deprived The Lair. It lacks both the elaborate hanging lights that made Pumpkin Eater V1 such an inventive use of the Arbor's cavernous structure, as well as the intense darkness brought on by The Lair's total enclosure of the tunnel.
I think Masquerade should take a cue from the former IronWorx scare zone's playbook. The steampunk-themed IronWorx had an intoxicatingly high-energy, quirky vibe that was largely conveyed by its rhythmic and techno-type music (example). And while calling for "techno" music may sound like hypocrisy based on my earlier call for spooky music, when the right songs are selected, I think it can create a vibe that's both intense and unsettling. Here's an example. It creates the perfect backdrop for a high-energy, sinister ball, where the inhabitants are enjoying themselves but you know that something could go wrong.
Pair that with more dramatic lighting effects (pulsing light patterns throughout the tunnel would do the trick), and you have a recipe for a scare zone that's elevated from decent but forgettable to unique and entrancing.
That's all. If I had my wish for how KD would mark their 50th anniversary season with Haunt, these fairly minor changes would be where I'd suggest starting.
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