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Paranormal Inc. looks great; in fact, I'm pretty impressed with what Knott's Scary Farm overall. I haven't been since 2001; need to get back for one of these days, er, years.

Yep--it all depends on what you're looking for. 13 had some good stuff, but I was happy to see the change.

Yes, there's more from Howl-o-Scream 2015. This TERROR-tory is a bit odd. So, scientists and soldiers have captured a wendigo, and it gives them all a terrible rabies-like disease? I guess I can go along with that. They sell pottery at all military commissaries in Canada. I learned something new today. All the wendigo wants is a little understanding. And to crush your skull, slash up your face, and eat your brains. Windigos (Wendigoes?) attract giant mutant frogs. Did you know that? "I'm gonna scare the hell outta this barrel of diesel!" "Leave that diesel alone! What did it ever do to you?" Busch Gardens really needs to do something about the bat infestation on this bridge. "Hey, buddy! Be a pal and get me a churro! Could you bleed a little on it too? Thanks!" They're always so welcoming at Vampire Point. Dude, you're lookin' a bit sickly there. Maybe you've been drinking to much AB negative. The entrance to Cornered is just around the corner from . . . . . . merchandising! Where the real money from the event is made. I'll definitely give the red-wine tasting a try the next time I visit HOS. Or I could just get a brew or a cocktail at the Open Casket in front of the Festhaus. This is Night Beats. This is also the only show photo in this report. You're welcome. Interesting. There are two ways to enter Lumberhack. On Friday night, guests had to walk behind the Festhaus all the way around to the woods behind Verbolten. That's a bit of a hike. Cornered is the mass of walls and buildings; the Lumberhack queue is on the left. Even the little snack stand for Cornered is themed--nice touch. On Saturday night, the Lumberhack queue entrance was next to Bitten, which makes more sense. Note how they can flip the arrow on the sign. I guess the long way is for especially busy nights. Lumberhack's Quick Queue entrance and exit are here, next to Bitten. Speaking of Lumberhack, the maze begins with a campground full of terrified campers. "FORGET ABOUT LUMBERHACK! IT'S ALL ABOUT ME AND MY REVENGE!" Scurvy bungee pirate and one his pals in the Ports of Skull TERROR-tory. Pirate etiquette. The entrance to Dead Line--still a very good maze with an interesting premise. I like how they retheme this building for different events. For Christmas Town, it's bedecked with "candles." Beer, booze, boogieing, and brimstone on Demon Street. Scotland's Jack-o-Lanterns bid you "good night and pleasant dreams." "What're you grinnin' at? It's closin' time! You best be movin' along!" That's it from Howl-o-Scream. Thanks for reading.

Opening Night at Howl-o-Scream 2015 Windy, rainy conditions provided appropriately spooky opening-night atmosphere for Howl-o-Scream 2015 at Busch Gardens Williamsburg on Friday, September 25. You know that fall has finally arrived in Virginia when the park kicks off this event. So, what’s new this year? If you were looking forward to 13: Your Number’s Up or The Root of All Evil mazes this year, you may be disappointed. But the park has replaced them with three new mazes; one is a true stand out, and the others are pretty good, but could get better as the season moves on. Here are my thoughts on the mazes. Unearthed--Scarlett’s Revenge (new; Europe in the Air building, Ireland): This is the best maze the park has done in years. Some very nice sets back up an interesting premise. An ancient house is found during a dig at the park. Of course, there is a terrible curse, and a demonic witch (Scarlett) out for revenge against those who tormented her and killed her husband; her plan requires lots of body parts and tarot cards. The maze’s premise makes sense in Williamsburg, as new construction projects are sometimes held up when excavations uncover the foundation of some 17th- or 18th-century house. Scarlett is also the “icon” for this year’s event (as I presume she is at Tampa), and she’s available for photos--and her minions are around to sell “Scarlett’s Potion,” the main ingredient of which seems to be vodka. That being said, Unearthed, like the mazes that came before it in this building, is weakest toward the end, when they use the narrow, stone-lined corridor of the Europe in the Air queue. They space out giant tarot cards there, which serve as hidey holes for scareactors. In Friday, there were only two monsters in the corridor; however, when I went through with friends again on Saturday night, they used all the cards to scare guests. But the corridor still looks a bit bare. Dead Line (Escape from Pompeii, Italy): Watch out for dangerous psychopaths when you ride the Pompeii Subway System. This returning maze has great sets, including a particularly disgusting public toilet, and lots of good scares. Catacombs (Palace Royale Theatre, France): I’ve always been rather fond of this tour of the Necropolis of the Undead under Paris. Sure, all the monsters look alike, but the maze has great atmosphere, and I think the park reconfigured the layout a bit for this year. Lumberhack (new; located in the woods behind Verbolten in Germany): This forest of “zombie” lumberjacks with axes and chain saws has some potential. The woods are pretty creepy after dark, and there are plenty of places for the monsters to hide. On Friday, the footbridge section toward the end was pretty weak. But when I went through it again on Saturday night, there was a lot more scaring going on along that bridge (like I said, there’s potential here). Cornered (new; backstage area in Germany): Seems like some local corn farmers, the McCobb family (Get it? “Macabre”?), have been up to no good. They also seem a bit homicidal and a touch inbred. This is a standard “haunt” premise, but this mostly outdoor maze is amusing--the “corn-mirror-maze” section is pretty effective after dark. Bitten (near the Black Forest picnic area to the left of the Festhaus, Germany): This is the oldest HOS maze and a bit long in the tooth (pun intended). That being said, it’s fun, and at least the vampires don’t “sparkle.” Cut Throat Cove (Festa Italia): Arr! Get stalked by scurvy pirates! I was chatting with someone who summed this maze up perfectly by saying it’s their evil-clown maze, only with pirates. Reasonably fun, with some strong moments, but there is a long stretch where not much happens. (Again, this one might improve as the season grinds on.) Last year’s “TERROR-Tories” (aka, “scare zones”) are back. You can still cower from slashers, bobbies, and harlots on Ripper Row (England); get down with your bad self and chain-saw-wielding demons on Demon Street (France); suffer harassment from diseased soldiers and officers in Wendigo Woods (New France); get sucked dry by the undead in Vampire Point (Germany); and be accosted by scalawags at Ports of Skull. As for the shows, Monster Stomp on Ripper Row (England) is probably your best bet. Fiends (Ireland) and Night Beats (Festhaus) are back, too. And they’re still serving up a tasty buffet at the Vampire Point Hotel’s Blood Banquet. Here’s a look at HOS. Revenge? What did I ever do to her? Sheesh, some people are so vindictive. Oh, I see. She must've been selling herbal supplements without a proper permit out of her home. I like how the tarot cards refer to other mazes or TERROR-tories at HOS. Even a past icon, Jack, is featured. Of course, there's not a card for deranged corn farmers or lumberjacks, so maybe my theory is nonsense. Hmm--not a lot of space. Is this Scarlett's summer cottage? Noted! Here's what you'll be getting yourself into. HOS starts at 6:00 pm, but I got there a little early. It was weird hearing upbeat 1960s British pop music amid all the gore of Ripper Row. "I wanna hold your h-a-n-n-n-n-n-d!" "There's a kind of hush/All over the world tonight . . ." I've always liked the Jack-o-Lanterns they hang over Scotland. Now if they only had the Scotch-tasting booth from Food & Wine here, it would be perfect. Nice hat. You're rockin' that look. Oh, lord, we've all met this guy on the Internet, haven't we? So, what does Scarlett have to offer at her house? Herbal Viagra, perhaps? When Scarlett's minions aren't posing for pictures or tempting you with tasty beverages, they're trying to slice off your limbs and hang them on the walls. Regular queue is on the left, Quick Queue on the right. HOS creative meeting: "Let's see . . . hmm . . . how about American Underground Research Archaeology? Yes! Cool acronym achieved!" 'YOU KILLED MY EDGAR! I WILL HAVE MY VENGEANCE! TAKE A PICTURE WITH ME!" Here's a selfie I took after touring Scarlett's house. I guess the experience changed me a bit. Gulp! The Black Widow! Looks like Alice Cooper was right--we're all just "humanary stew" (whatever the hell that means). A wee tribute to the recently departed Wes Craven on the path between Ireland and France. Here's your chance to dance till you drop--or get burned alive--on Demon Street. "I remember when they used to put me at the entrance to the parking lot. Being in here sure beats breathing in exhaust fumes all day." "I'm a demon with a chain saw. Any questions?" Here's the entrance to the Catacombs--an old maze, but a good one (at least to me). "Wanna be a permanent Catacombs resident? Ask me about our recruitment program!" More to come from HOS.

Food & Wine is always the best time of the year to visit Epcot. Good to see the fondue back where it belongs.

Odin Express--Kurashiki Tivoli Park (now defunct)

I remember visiting the park while all that was going on--definitely a huge improvement for Fantasyland, too.

Six Flags Great Adventure

^The new Star Wars section is going between Frontierland and Fantasyland, taking up the space occupied by the Big Thunder BBQ and some backstage areas, which are reportedly going to be moved. It's not surprising that the train would be shutdown, at least for a while, as there's going to be a lot of heavy work around the tracks.

Maybe the VR shows you what the ride would be if RMC redid it! Hmm--they could show you VR of a good coaster while you're stuck riding a crappy one.

Or render you incapable of defending yourself during the ride.

As I've said before, I'm just amazed that this park is still open. When TPR visited the place back in 2012, it was pretty much a ghost town.

Kings Dominion

^I agree that it would depend on the ride, and that VR on powered coasters would make more sense than on a major ride. My one experience with VR at Disney Quest, and this was years ago, was unpleasant, at best (actually had to leave the building and sit outside in the fresh air for a while, thanks to nausea). I'm willing to give it another shot, but I'd much rather have a better physical environment for ride as opposed to a VR helmet.

Wow! That shuts down every attraction in Frontierland except for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Closing the train makes sense, as they'll be doing a lot of heavy work along the tracks. It'll be interesting to have the Disneyland Railroad rumbling past the Star Wars stuff.

Oh yes, you can. sorry to hear that Thundercoaster was running so badly. It was a lot of fun when I visited the park with TPR, but that was years ago.

That may have something to do with Twisted Colossus combined with jet lag. My feet agree with your feet. Magic Mountain has a number of things to recommend it: Twisted Colossus, YOLOcoaster, Goliath, Batman, Drop of Doom, Superman. Ninja is fun, and I think Viper is OK, too.

^Always a good choice. New Texas Giant, Lightning Run, the Intamin Mega Lites, El Toro, and Balder are also great airtime machines.

Eejanaika--Fuji Q

It's a great night to visit the Magic Kingdom. Short lines for rides, candy, great parade, stuff blowing up . . . what's not to like?

And . . . Young Star Coaster--Chimelong Paradise

Don't feel bad. I like magic mountain too. No one reading this TR needs to feel bad. Thank you.

I know what you mean--that was what I did during the SFMM day, too, apart from a ride on the Orient Express and Ninja.

Thanks for the look at Scandia. Might get to Ontario as part of a longer California trip someday. Or, probably not. I grew up in California and never visited Scandia back then, as my family was fixated on Disney, Knott's, and sometimes Universal.