Day 17: Halloween Haunt | The Return...

The wife and I got back from Cincinnati sometime late on Monday, October 8. We tried to extend our mini-vacation as long as we could. Last year, we decided that we would go back the King’s Island for their Fear Fest. We had such a good time last year, we wanted to make a tradition of it.


I posted earlier a preview of what Fear Fest, though now known as Halloween Haunt, would have to offer. Without a question, this years’ event was much better than last years, and that’s saying a lot.

Once it got to be around 6pm, Les and I got some food and waiting in line for the Manor Massacre Haunted House. Just like we did last year. And we were pretty near the front of the line, which was a good thing. Manor was pretty good last year and it was one that Leslie wanted to go through again.

Massacre Manor, as good as it was last year, was much improved upon. Their were more people jumping out at you, the layout was a bit different, and it was just much scarier. You could tell that those dressed up were wanting to be there and they wanted to scare you. They were way into it, and it made for a much more fun and frightening walk-through.

We were probably the 4th or 5th group to get through, so we were able to get through the Manor and hop in line for different attraction while most people were still waiting to get through their first.

Our next destination was the Trail of Terror, another re-peat from last year but also our favorite. We were about the 5th or 6th group to go into this one, and it was just as good as last year. It wasn’t as scary, but it was as much fun nevertheless.

This year's trip to King's Island was a blast. Halloween Haunt was far better than last year's Fear Fest, and I'll definitly want to go again next year.

The Bad:
Long lines - Maybe it was the weekend that we went, but the lines for the Haunted attractions were much longer than last year. There were tons of people there, and not being able to do as many of the walk-throughs was a bit of a letdown.

The weather - We went earlier in the year last wear and were comfortable in jeans and a hoodie. This year we had on shorts and short sleeves and
we were still burning up. Not the park's fault, but a downer nevertheless.

Food prices - If you go to King's Island these days, you better be ready to spend a small fortune on food and drink. We ate light, but still spent some cash. The most ridiculous thing is paying $3.50 for a 20oz. bottle of Aquafina. Wow.

Broken down/Closed rides - Tomb Raider was closed. As was White Water canyon, the big log ride, and Adventure Express was shut down for awhile. This could be considered a good thing, in terms of safety, but it doesn't make you feel safe on other rides when you realize that so many are closed down.

The Good:
The Decorations - Halloween Haunt uped their decorating by about 2,000%. It was amaazing. Everywhere you looked you would see something Halloweenized. They even utilzed the figures in the gone, but not forgotten ride, The Phantom Theater. I always loved that ride, am big itno the park's history, and loved seeing those figures again. Big points to Halloween Haunt for their decorations.

The Fog Machines - This should fall into decorations, but it was so cool it deserves its own mention. They had fog machines going everywhere, and it really helped establish an eerie scene. It was so foggy at times, you couldn't see anything in front of you. You'd nearly walk into someone who was having the same difficulty seeing their way around. Once we left the park, the large mass of fog that filled the park could be seen and was a really cool view.

The Performers - Last year they had these scarecrow people who would talk to people, but they were just rude and annoying. This one stupid scarecrow (I couldn't tell if it were a he or she), was so annoying I really wanted to punch them in the face. This year, those damn things were no where to be seen. Upgrade! Instead, there were dozens and dozens of people in scary costumes that were walking around the park and sneaking up on unsuspecting visitors. It was a nice touch, and very well done.

Leslie and I had a blast last year, and wanted to make a traidtion out of it. We had high hopes for Halloween Haunt, and though the two trips were very different, they were both just awesome. Even though I rode rides I swore I never would ride, I survived and had a great time. There is still some time left to go to Halloween Haunt...and I strongly recommend you give it a shot.