266 replies to this topic

[Freak]

I thought I would start this for Knott's since I've heard something very, VERY interesting over at TPA:

According to the site, the new Knott's general manager does not like what the current Haunt is doing...at all. As a result of this, he wants to dramatically change the event in more ways than one. This includes no longer using the Log Ride (Noooo) and the Calico Mine Ride for "safety reasons" and reducing the number houses to seven or something like that to up the quality. What do you all think of this?

I think this could be all for the better if the maze reduction results in higher quality stuff. I'm sad that they're most-likely not going to use the Log Ride, but it looks like dramatic change is afoot for Haunt's 40th.

[iLuvStabWounds]

^It's about time the make those changes! Knott's 13 maze gig takes a toll on the quality of their mazes at such a level that every maze is basically the same!! It would be nice to see the quality of the maze go up for once when they get rid of those excess mazes. And getting rid of the Calico Mine Ride and Log Ride overlay could also be a good thing too, since they do seem a little unecessary.

[Freak]

^Deep down, I will miss the Log Ride since it was part of what made Haunt so unique from everybody else. It will be sad to see the Log Ride "monsterless" after thirty-nine years, but I guess this will be for the better. If they repair LR to where it isn't to shabby to put any monsters on there, I would love for them to revive it sometime; for now, I'm very glad Knott's is taking steps to improve their quality.

Also, they're constructing a new warehouse next to GhostRider which, I've been told, will be used for next year's event. I assume that will be used to make up for the Calico Mine ride and the Log ride locations.

[Hauntfan]

None of this is set in stone yet, but honestly the timing of everything would make sense. New Management, a brand new warehouse being built it would just make sense. In other news I heard that Doll Factory and Lockdown are both confirmed that this was their last year at Knott's. Does anybody know if it's true?

[Freak]

None of this is set in stone yet, but honestly the timing of everything would make sense. New Management, a brand new warehouse being built it would just make sense.

Not to mention that 2012 will be Haunt's 40th anniversary. The timing of this would be absolutely perfect. This is the best time to make such changes in my opinion. If they're going to try to bring down the quantity to focus more on quality, it would be easier to market the event to the GP since they can emphasize their 40th anniversary.

In other news I heard that Doll Factory and Lockdown are both confirmed that this was their last year at Knott's. Does anybody know if it's true?

Correct. Lockdown and Doll Factory are leaving for sure. With the new management at Knott's, I don't think any haunted house is safe to return for next year. Someone I know does know one of the house designers (Dan Miller) and told me that six new haunted houses are being planned along with the tagline "Forty Years of Fear" for next year's Haunt.

[Hauntfan]

^Honestly, I'm all for change. All of those changes sound like they are in the best interest for the event anyways. 6 new mazes would be great as well. And again this event wouldn't be able to survive without changes. Has anybody confirmed if the new warehouses will be used for next year's haunt and if the mazes are really going to be scaled back in quantity? Because I would love to have 8 great mazes over about 2 great mazes, 6 good ones, 3 okay and 2 horrible.

[Hauntfan]

If they have 6 new mazes with 7 or 8 mazes that means only one or two repeats. Delirium and or Endgames I would imagine. Plus with less mazes it means more monsters per maze.

Edited by Hauntfan, 23 November 2011 - 11:43 PM.

[Freak]

^Honestly, I'm all for change. All of those changes sound like they are in the best interest for the event anyways. 6 new mazes would be great as well. And again this event wouldn't be able to survive without changes. Has anybody confirmed if the new warehouses will be used for next year's haunt and if the mazes are really going to be scaled back in quantity? Because I would love to have 8 great mazes over about 2 great mazes, 6 good ones, 3 okay and 2 horrible.

According to the same source, that new warehouse being built should be used for a new haunt venue. This would make sense considering the fact that the Log and Mine rides will most-likely be not used and the fact that the new GM does not appreciate any of the daytime rides being closed. If they can't use the Balloon race, Endgames venue, bumper cars arena, Log Ride, Mine Ride, or Stagecoach trail because of this, then where else would they put the other mazes?

Here are my suggestions for next year:

-Give the monsters actual training. Get rid of most of the shaker cans at the event and teach them how to actually scare and stay in their hiding spots. Develop a combo of set scares and roaming monsters. Lowering the amount of mazes would allow them to do this and give Universal a run for their money.
-Keep Delirium and Fallout Shelter for at least one more year. They're both really good quality haunted houses from what Knott's has done, but improve the scares. Have "slide door" scares in the picture room with a roaming monster, have the monsters stay in their spots and scare in the curtain room, Have monsters jump out and hit a barrel in Fallout Shelter--You get the point. On a side note, I loved the laser effect done in Fallout Shelter; I thought that was VERY well done.
-Have eight haunted houses and have six new ones, keeping the two I just mentioned
-Keep a haunted house for NO MORE than three years
-Make the talent stay in character and give them certain roles. This sounds like this may happen under the new GM.
-Have only one 3D house
-Have an "anniversary haunted house" like what HHN Orlando did for their twentieth (Which I was privileged enough to check out...twice. )

That's about alI can think of.

[Hauntfan]

^Love all of your suggestions. The maze locations that seem most likely that could be used would be the 3 or 4 (not sure how many) warehouses by Ghostrider, Bobo's location, Fiesta Plaza (Not a ride but a show that doesn't operate), Main Entrance (Slaughterhouse), Mystery Lodge, Reflection Lake and Wilderness Dance Hall which I could see housing the 40th Anniversary Maze if they have one like they did for the 25th. I agree that Delirium and Fallout Shelter were the two mazes of extremely high quality. Fallout Shelter even felt like the thing and Delirium like Alice Cooper at times. Endgames for what it was was great and very high quality but the Tugboat was closed during the day which I think this manager doesn't like. Here are my suggestions for next years event.

Suggestions
-Have more special effects scares or hidden door type scares instead of just monsters around corners.
-Have an A cast and a B cast for each house so the houses don't feel empty.
-More variety of characters and not have the same characters in more than one house.

After everything is said and done next year looks like a huge step forward in terms of revamping the event. If we can (hopefully) look forward to 5-6 new mazes a year I'm all for it, it would really make Universal want to be all new as well to compete. Let's hope that all these changes are for the best. Oh and Freak, is there only one warehouse being built now or two, I'm still unsure? I would also like to hear the maze locations you'd think are most likely to return.

[Freak]

Oh and Freak, is there only one warehouse being built now or two, I'm still unsure? I would also like to hear the maze locations you'd think are most likely to return.

I'm pretty sure it's only one big warehouse being built that will be used for one haunted house. Here are the vunues I'm pretty sure will be used:

-Delirium warehouse
-New warehouse
-Plaza area
-Reflection lake
-Fiesta Plaza stage
-Xcellerator
-Doll Factory
-Mystery Lodge

The only issue I would be slightly iffy about is Reflection Lake being that it involves closing the Sierra Railway. I doubt this would be an issue considering that it would be the only ride closed for Haunt and that it really wouldn't be much of an issue for the GP.

[Hauntfan]

^Which area are you referring to as the Plaza area? And you don't think the Lockdown warehouse would be used? I'm still unsure myself.
Oh and while looking at Westcoaster
http://www.westcoast...D=111511&page=3
The last picture looks like they cleared an area for a possible second warehouse.

Edited by Hauntfan, 24 November 2011 - 01:20 AM.

[Freak]

^Which area are you referring to as the Plaza area? And you don't think the Lockdown warehouse would be used? I'm still unsure myself.
Oh and while looking at Westcoaster
http://www.westcoast...D=111511&page=3
The last picture looks like they cleared an area for a possible second warehouse.

For the plaza area, I was referring to where Slaughterhouse was.

Maybe they will use two warehouses. I guess whet they're going to do is have two mazes in the new warehouses and a third one where Lockdown was. I hope they're not going to put half of all of the hanted houses over in that area because it would just "space out" the park too much in terms of quantity. Not to mention the fact that the whole area would just be one big crowd suck.

[Hauntfan]

^I was thinking the same kind of thing, unless they have the entrance for the two existing warehouses by Mystery Lodge/Bird Cage and the 2 new ones enter by Ghostrider. That's the only way I can see them pull off 4 mazes in that small area. It would feel like the mazes are spaced out even though they would be really close to each other.

[Freak]

^I was thinking the same kind of thing, unless they have the entrance for the two existing warehouses by Mystery Lodge/Bird Cage and the 2 new ones enter by Ghostrider. That's the only way I can see them pull off 4 mazes in that small area. It would feel like the mazes are spaced out even though they would be really close to each other.

If they're going to use Mystery Lodge for an entrance, I want them to see the area it has always used. I don't want it to be just another entrance to a warehouse. That is such a spacious and wonderful location I don't want them to no longer use it.

[Hauntfan]

^I was more talking about the backstage gate by Birdcage. But a problem the Mystery Lodge area has always suffered is long stretches of nothingness. I've loved every maze in that location as well. And if they could keep it as well, I would love it.

[zombieman]

Boy, I don't know how I missed this thread.

As I read the first post, I was saying "NO!" to myself but by the end I was asking "why not?" That event is growing very stale, and could use a quality boost. In my opinion, the two biggest changes what would improve quality would not even involve the houses themselves.
1) No more goofy oversized masks. They look more comical than scary, and are about 2 sizes too big for the actors. Invest in more prosthetic and makeup.
2) No more shaker cans. Learn how to scare. Knott's is one of the last holdouts in the country that completely relies on shakers.

If they could present just 6 mazes of the quality and length of Terror of London, I would be a very happy camper. I think we all would.

But here's the problem - while I don't disbelieve that the new GM is happy with the current Haunt, I don't think the people who have run the Haunt all these years feel the same way. I've been to TPR/Knott's panels for the past few years, and those guys give the impression that they have NO competition from other Haunts. They think they are the best - period. They don't even follow the other events. Most of their design team has never been to the Orlando event (I've spoken with them). They had no idea there was an upcharge house at Busch Gardens.

I fear that contracting the event to 6-7 mazes would result in simply cramming 14 mazes worth of props into 6-7 mazes and little else.

True change will take a drastic new direction:

• A new park-wide theme every year
  
• Potential Icon
  
• Bye-bye to masks
  
• Soundstage quality houses
  
• Limit house lifespan to one or two years (give people a reason to attend every single year)
  
• Actors that know how to scare (and not continually breaking character to chat all night)
  
• Higher ticket prices (Knott's is currently a Walmart priced haunt, and delivers low-quality)

Back in the 80's, Haunt would sell out almost every single event night. And I mean sell-out long before the event night (you had to buy your ticket from Ticketmaster back then). And those tickets cost upwards of $40 (no Burger King coupons) - lots of money for 25 years ago. Nowadays, there are even weekend nights that are dead.

The Haunt has not evolved with the times. While your local mall haunt delivers quality scares in a single high-quality maze, Knott's decided to present more of the same old same old, and keep houses on life support for 6 years. If this change comes, it couldn't be better timed. I'm all for it.

[00nightcrawler]

I agree with zombieman pretty much 100 percent. I'm glad if others enjoyed it, but for me Knotts 2011 was DULL. It was my 5th year going and never before had I been so let down. I was honestly ready to skip it altogether in 2012 for sinister pointe or haunted play which I tragically missed last year. But this might be just the thing needed for me to give it one last chance. The one downside to this is the loss of the log ride. While pyromaniax was godawful, I though sleepy hollow mountain was quite a bit of fun and was an experience that you just can't get at Universal.

[zombieman]

Well, first off, let me say great avatar Nightcrawler. Breaking Bad is the Best.Show.Ever. (and I mean E-V-E-R).

In 10 days, I will be going to the West Coast Bash at Knotts, where as part of the festivities, they will make their annual Haunt speech. Last year, we heard first about Delirium and Fallout Shelter at WCB. I'm really, really hoping that this year it will be announced that the Haunt as we know it will change in a big way. Whatever they announce, I will let everyone know here on the evening of Sunday the 19th.

Anyone else want to see a whole lot fewer (but HHN-quality) houses this year. Personally, I'd love to hear just that. If anyone can breathe life (death?) into this event, Matt Ouimet can...

Cross your fingers and toes, kiddies!

[Freak]

Well, first off, let me say great avatar Nightcrawler. Breaking Bad is the Best.Show.Ever. (and I mean E-V-E-R).

In 10 days, I will be going to the West Coast Bash at Knotts, where as part of the festivities, they will make their annual Haunt speech. Last year, we heard first about Delirium and Fallout Shelter at WCB. I'm really, really hoping that this year it will be announced that the Haunt as we know it will change in a big way. Whatever they announce, I will let everyone know here on the evening of Sunday the 19th.

Anyone else want to see a whole lot fewer (but HHN-quality) houses this year. Personally, I'd love to hear just that. If anyone can breathe life (death?) into this event, Matt Ouimet can...

Cross your fingers and toes, kiddies!

I'll be at WCB as well! I'm really hoping the announcement will be the same and not just Doll Factory's replacement. It's loking very likely since the 40th will be next year and those kind of rumors don't just pop up and float around.

[00nightcrawler]

I'm something of a television addict, and Breaking Bad is definitely the best television show I've ever seen. But back on topic, the dates for haunt have been posted and they look to be pretty much normal. I dont know if this bodes well for the rumors being true. Still, looking forward to the announcement.