We have lots of news and notes to hit you with this week, so buckle up, there’s lots to cover.
After a three-year absence, Monster Stomp returns to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. The show, titled Rippers Row, features rhythmic music (as opposed to non-rhythmic music, I guess), high-end special effects and the darkest tone Monster Stomp has ever utilized since its debut in 2002.
If you’re not familiar with the show: educate yourself! Here’s a bit from the 2009 rendition:
Monster Stomp is one of three Howl-O-Scream shows at the Williamsburg theme park; it joins Night Beats and Fiends to round out the show lineup. Based on the press release we received, it appears that all of these shows run during regular operating hours during October; this might not be a bad way to knock out the shows before the event even begins!
Meanwhile, in Singapore…
As you can see from the pictures here, Universal Studios Singapore has already set up many of its Horror Nights sets a whole month before the event is set to kick off (Oct. 3). The poster, Low Hao Jie, seems to think it’s an advertising tactic to spread awareness about the month-long event. That sounds about right to me.
If you’re looking for something a little less scary, there are plenty of options. Legoland long has offered a kid-friendly Halloween event called Brick-or-Treat (ha ha, get it?) The event is filled with candy, costume contests, dance parties and LEGO-themed paraphernalia as far as the eye can see. Brick-or-Treat starts Oct. 4 and runs every Saturday in October, as well as Friday the 17th and 24th.
Kings Island announced its Halloween Haunt lineup this week and while many of the mazes are retreads of previous Haunt mazes (CarnEvil, Club Blood, CornStalkers come to mind), there are a few on this list that are very intriguing. KillMart is new for 2014 and, according to the park, is its largest-ever maze at 5,000 square feet. The maze will allow you to live out every child’s greatest fear: Dying inside of a department store.
Other interesting mazes include Board to Death, which will somehow make the prospect of playing Monopoly something other than the most terrifying proposition of all time. Slaughter House Reloaded is in a brand new building (and as such is a brand new maze) -- the theme isn’t exactly fresh, but the kills will be! Amright? Tip your waitresses.
While we’re at it, here is a convenient list for you to find the maze lineups for your local Cedar Fair-owned theme park. Don’t worry, we’ll get to Six Flags in the coming weeks.
Carowinds Haunt XV
The highlight here appears to be Defex, a factory filled with defected toys out to take their revenge on you. Toys are horrifying and I don’t like them at all. The event begins Sept. 13.
Kings Dominion Haunt
Nothing exactly pops out in this lineup, but Zombie High ought to be a bit interesting. The Inn at Darkside Manor also seems like an interesting twist on the “show up to a demented house” trope. Just how Psycho-esque will it be? Time will tell. The event begins Sept. 26.
Dorney Park does not have a maze lineup on their website, but you can buy tickets now as the event starts on Sept. 12.
Canada’s Wonderland Haunt
The true north’s largest theme park features 10 mazes, including the requisite Cornstalkers and Club Blood reruns. More interestingly, the park will have a Jack the Ripper themed maze in addition to some kind of haunted attraction inside of Wonderland mountain. The event begins Oct. 3.
Worlds of Fun Haunt
More like Worlds of Fear! Someone trademark that. They’re doing Cornstalkers at this event, too, meaning someone in corporate is SUPER pumped about that pun. They’ve been running this maze out for five years now. The highlight of this lineup is Miss Lizzie’s Chamber of Horror, a wax museum themed maze. The event begins Sept. 13.
Valleyfair Haunt
Eight mazes and no Cornstalker -- they’re getting a call from corporate about this. The event, which begins on Sept. 20, features every trope in the book: From a zombie high school to a slaughterhouse. There’s nothing wrong with that, as far as I’m concerned.
California’s Great America Haunt
Evil clowns, scarecrows and dolls highlight the northern Californian event. New for 2014 are Roadkill Roadhouse and the Wax Museum Chamber of Horror. The event begins Sept. 26.
Whew, that was a lot of information. Take a deep breath, process all of that and let’s focus on giving 110 percent for next week’s column. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose. Or whatever.
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Here's a link to what he's talking about: https://www.valleyfair.com/halloween-haunt/scare-zones
That should be amazing, man.
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I want to dress up like a dinosaur and scare people.