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Looks like a nice addition to Mickey's Not So Scary and Halloween Horror Nights. The themed carnival games look like fun.

^Or a freakin' beer at that bar in Candy Apple Grove.

Prepare yourself for more EVIL at Kings Dominion! EVIL really draws a crowd. I think the Zombie High bus driver needs some supplemental training. The exit of Blood on the Bayou doesn’t do the rest of the maze justice. It needs a gator or some fire. Delirium looks creepy in all the chemical fog. Larry says steampunk isn’t scary--but it is kind of stern. I think the steampunk thing has run its course, too--but they do have some cool props. The No Vacancy: Condemned facade still looks a lot like previous years’ No Vacancy mazes. Hmm--I seem to have lost Larry in the Necropolis. Excuse me, but can you see Larry from way up there? “You lookin’ for a Larry? Let me check. Hey, dude in my mouth! Is your name Larry?” Ulp! I don't think that's Larry! Blood Drums has a lot of drums, but not so much blood. But it does have both digital . . . . . . and real fire. OK, I officially no longer care about the drums. “Quit looking at the Fire Woman and watch me!” We finished off the night at Cornstalkers. Thanks to Fright Lane . . . . . . we avoided waiting in this. The giant spider told us to get out. The Evil Boogie Boogie Eyes are trying to hypnotize me! Better run! Thanks for reading.

Kings Dominion’s Eiffel Tower is sporting Evil Boogie Boogie Eyes, and you know what that means. Yep--it’s time for this year’s Haunt! Larry and I went to the park on Saturday, October 6. We hit the park before opening, so we got in plenty of rides on Twisted Timbers and I305 before the hordes arrived. We also bought Fright Lane, which was a smart move as Haunt was crazy busy that night. Kings Dominion goes a bit more “over the top” with mazes and scare zones than Busch Gardens (which has better shows). Some of their sets are surprisingly elaborate for a theme-park Haunt. Knott’s Scary Farm is a fairly strong influence. So, what about KD’s mazes this year? Here they are, from best to worst. Blood on the Bayou (near Windseeker)--Although this maze lacks an actual swamp, it makes up for it with excellent sets and plenty of voodoo priests, priestesses, zombies, and even a cannibal BBQ. This was an import from Knott’s Scary Farm, and the craftsmanship really shows; plus, the scare actors actually talk to the guests, rather than resort to nothing but loud noises and jump scares. Trick or Treat (near Drop Tower)--This “halfway house” for witches and lost souls is another excellent import from Knott’s. Creepy dolls and evil magic abound as you wander through this seemingly innocent farm house. Cornstalkers (International Street)--This is a better-than-average “corn maze.” What’s really cool is that the scare crows and other monsters blend in really well with the claustrophobic pathway. This maze has been here for a number of years, and I’ve always liked it. Zombie High School (near Windseeker)--For some teenagers, the end of high school seems like the end of the world, and this maze takes that literally. This is an old one, too, and it’s OK--watch out for dangling jock straps in the gym, along with brain-dead (and brain-eating) young punks. Lockdown (Flight of Fear queue; ride is open during the day)--Dozens of men died in a riot at the old Doswell State Pen, which has been abandoned for 50 years. Or are the inmates and guards still there? This is a standard "haunted house" type maze, but the spooky prison atmosphere is well done. No Vacancy: Condemned (new for 2018--Action Theater in Old Virginia)--This is a redress of the old No Vacancy maze. An entire wedding party disappeared at the old Darkside Manor hotel, and you’re a “paranormal investigator” working on the case. The power’s off, so you have to use a flashlight. It’s not a bad concept, but I liked the previous version of the maze (a creepy haunted hotel) better. The flashlight gimmick is effective in a few spots, but you can still see who and what is coming from quite a ways off. Blackout (Planet Snoopy, near Snoopy’s Space Buggies)--You stumble around in the total darkness while people dressed in black try to scare you. While not the most elaborate maze at Haunt, it is kind of fun, but you need to have a high tolerance for people bumping into you. We skipped Tollway Terror (car ride) because it wasn’t on Fright Lane and the line was very, very long. The best of the park’s scare zones was the Necropolis in Old Virginia, followed by the Yard (evil prison guards) by Flight of Fear. There were plenty of evil circus folk at Cleaver Brothers Carnival (Candy Apple Grove), and some bloodsuckers in the Lair (near Grizzly). For those of you into steampunk, there’s Ironworx on the path behind the Eiffel Tower. Let’s go in, shall we? Be sure to stand close together. Not that it’ll help, but you might feel a little safer. Hmm--it’s not too evil yet. OK--it just got a bit more evil. “Hi there, folks! Enjoy my skeletal buck-nakedness.” Here is the obligatory coaster photo in accordance with enthusiast law. You’re welcome. Cornstalkers from the top of the tower. That path does twist around a lot. Family-friendly spooking in Planet Snoopy. All sorts of adorable activities. “Yeah, I love kids--for breakfast!” Grandparents love Great Pumpkin Fest, too. Wash them kids good. The pumpkin heads are hungry, and they want clean food. Larry? Larry, could you stop texting for a . . . oh, never mind. Evil prison guards haunt the Yard. You’re gonna do some hard time--in Hell! Remember, kids: Smoking will kill you! Bail yourself out with Fright Lane. Who's ready for some . . . . . . wholesome famiy entertainment? Enjoy our adorable clowns--and their hilarious homicidal antics! Cute, soul-sucking surprises around every corner! Don't you love the circus? OK, random people. Do your impression of two teenage Japanese girls in front of Trick or Treat. More to come.

Nemesis--Alton Towers

Hollywood Dream--Universal Japan

I'm Batman: The Ride!

Interesting approach to trust humans to not be s**theads and pull their phones our after leaving the station. Interesting to see if this is a test and it'll carry over to Steel Vengeance. I'm personally more in favor of free fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo for certain time frame than charge after that. We'll see, but from what I noticed, you'd have to be a contortionist to pull your phone out of that zipped pocket after the restraint was down and locked.

^Yep--they have zippered pouches under the seats now, although the "no cell phones" sign is still up at the queue entrance. Nice photos from the Eiffel Tower. I was at Haunt on Saturday night, and I'm planning to post a TR later this week.

Fixed that for you.

The park's old entry, while quaint, was pretty cramped. It needs some freshening up.

^One of my coworkers used to work for a company that provided security at sporting events, concerts, etc., on the weekends. He once worked security at Kings Dominion's Haunt and said he'd never make that mistake again.

Hmm--that's an interesting point. A coaster track in the middle of Hogsmeade/Hogwarts does look a bit odd. Why not use an image of what the ride vehicle is supposed to look like flying through the air, or along a path?

Kings Dominion has its own beer now, too. It's brewed by Center of the Universe in nearby Ashland (the IPA is petty good). This brewery has improved quite a bit in the last year or two.

I rode it, but blacked out and forgot. I think.

Looks like fun. Kings Dominion does a pretty good job with their Haunt, too (hoping to check it out this weekend).

What is it with the Japanese and building parks on the side of mountains? Our second park, Lina World, had a number of stairs and hills to climb. Again, this was another nice-looking park with some not-so-nice coasters. Super Coaster was the best of the bunch, and it wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience. Then there’s the infamous Jet Corster (or Coaster) Discovery. It’s like the Jet Coaster and Cyclone at Benyland had a baby--tiny, uncomfortable trains clunking a rumbling around a very bizarre layout full of painful transitional elements. Let’s go in. Is this Lina World? I’m looking for Lina World. Oh, dear lord. “Welcome--unless you’re a dog, a cooler, or a fast-food meal.” Are we sure this is Lina World? Another nice-looking park . . . . . . that just got a lot more interesting. Modesty water curtain. They also had a haunt, but I don’t think it was open. Here are the park’s two big coasters. “We’re so happy to be on Super Coaster!” “Er, we’re still happy to be on Super Coaster?” Do you prefer this coaster’s new name . . . . . . or old name? Whatever the name, these birds are an ominous portent of what’s to come. This coaster is clunky and painful. But it did fulfill one of Robb’s life goals. To capture on video a bunch of screaming Japanese teenage girls on a Jet Coaster. Yes, achievement unlocked. Speaking of fantasies. If your thing is Hello Kitty and Christmas lights, Lina World has you covered. This is the most adorable barbed wire ever. Why do the Sugarbunnies look so sad? Find the naughty one. "IT’S A HELLO KITTY WORLD AFTER ALL!” All fantasies must come to an end. The Hello Kitty Not a Credit Angel Coaster wasn’t running. Logical. We took a side path and found this nice little spot. Next stop, Tokyo Disney Resort!

A Tale of Two Jet Cor(a)sters: Benyland and Lina World Our good day at Fuji Q was followed by another good day at Benyland and Lina World. First, we started with a ride on the fastest of the Shinkansens. (At least I think it was this day--might be a bit mixed up.) This baby rolls at nearly 200 miles per hour! This brings up a very important question. How does a Wasabi KitKt taste at “ludicrous speed?” Answer: Pretty dang good. Our first stop was Benyland in Sendai. This was a nice little park; that is, the landscaping was pretty. The coasters were, well, interesting. The obligatory Jet Coaster was reasonably fun (the best of the lot). The old Corkscrew was every bit a rough and nasty as you’d expect. The weirdest of the bunch was the Cyclone, a strange mass of twisted steel without a lot of sex appeal. My favorite attraction there was a surprisingly good walk-through haunted house. There were plenty of working gags and even a maze within the house itself. Definitely worth the 300 yen up charge. So, I guess this is Beny, and he’s glad to see us? Adorable, minion, adorable, adorable, adorable. For those who are too short to reach the ticket window. Benyland was a pretty little park. Er, I really don't want to know what's going on here. That's between you two. “Yep, this is a ride-restricted area, but these bushes aren’t going to take care of themselves.” Oh boy! It’s another awesome Jet Coaster! Whee! We’re still alive! Hmm--might be a different story with the Corkscrew. Or with the Cyclone, . . . . . . a coaster that even scares ghosts! If you like Valleyfair’s Excalibur, you might like this clunky, twisted mess of steel. Crap! I think Cyclone snapped the necks of those two women in the middle car! Nathan seems to be enjoying it, though. It’ll all be over soon, gents. Hmm--how horrible is it? It’s 300 yen worth of “horrible.” “Ugh! Every time I get a head cold, it goes right to my chest.” Look like someone’s bean soup exploded. It was more elaborate than I expected--there was even a “mini-maze” inside. It’s Mothra! Run! Such a cute couple. I guess she's into really skinny guys. I imagine these could be used to plug a number of orifices. Bye bye, Beny. Nice little park you have here.

Funny that you mention this, but the pumpkin-spice-beer-and-food question did come up. Jack's response: "My people are being murdered!"

Time to check out Demented Dimensions and Jack's Nightmare Room--boogie, boogie, boogie! Smoke and get drenched in blood. Noted! Demented Dimensions shares space with Frostbite inside of DarKastle. Welcome to Sterling Manor's library, where everything is made of paper. This hints at something to come later. I'm sure that something frightening will be sitting in the chair this weekend. Oh, some bridezilla is going to be very unhappy. It's gonna be tough to get those stains out. Imagine how much creepier this would be . . . . . . with the show lights and sound on. Yep--even the flowers are creepy now. When acupuncture goes bad. Hmm--I wouldn't recommend following her. She'll probably go all "Ring" on you. Interior decoration fails, lesson 1. Remember the White Rabbit photo in the library? Time for a steampunk tea party. She's having a very bad day. She is too. Demented Dimensions was originally at Tampa's Howl-o-Scream last year. Williamsburg used some of the same elements and made some modifications. Welcome to Jack's Nightmare Room. OK, what's in here, again? Oh. Silly me! "Hello. I'm a gargoyle. I'm a decorative element that suggests terror and otherworldly dimensions. Sometimes, I'm just a fancy downspout. Thanks for stopping by." You can watch Jack's home movies here. But you probably shouldn't play with his creepy dolls. That's it for Howl-o-Scream! Thanks for reading. Oh, and "boo."

Media Day for Howl-o-Scream: 20 Years of Fears Busch Gardens planned their Howl-o-Scream media day for earlier in September, but an unexpected guest, named Hurricane Florence, persuaded them to change their plans. Fortunately, the hurricane didn't hit Williamsburg, but better safe than sorry; then again, howling winds, thunder, and lightning wouldn't have seemed out of place, either. So, the park treated the media (local TV and "bloggers") to a peek at this year's edition--the 20th anniversary of Howl-o-Scream! Hard to believe, but I've been around for every one of them. Perhaps I'll end up haunting the place myself someday. How is the park celebrating 20 years of fears? How about with three new mazes? The Vault: XX--Think of this as "Howl-o-Scream's Greatest Hits." Favorite children of the night have all come together to scare guests in what used to be the station for Drachen Fire near the Festhaus. Look for the Executioner from the Dark Tower (the first HOS maze), Scarlett from Unearthed, Mummies from the Curse of Pompeii, the Pirate Captain from Sea Dog Cemetery, and many more. I think this is the best of the new mazes. Demented Dimensions--"The energies of a dimensional vortex" have twisted and distorted the rooms of Sterling Manor (and the neighboring Victorian Street) into a new haunted realm where strange creatures dwell and reality simply doesn't matter. Get demented inside of the Ride Formerly Known as DarKastle. Dystopia--There's a "new order" in charge of our world (or at least the part of it under Escape from Pompeii). "Join--or be forgotten!" Returning mazes for this year are Frostbite (creepy ice monster inside the old DarKastle show building), Cornered (an evil corn maze behind DarKastle), Lumberhack (insane lumberjacks with chainsaws, axes, and one big buzz saw in the woods behind Verbolten), and Cirquo Sinistro (terror under the Big Top in Festa Italia). Daring guests can stroll (or run screaming) through two new Terror-tories (that is, "scare zones") this year: Garden of the Souls--In Italy's Funeral Gardens, guests can visit the graves of the deceased--or with the deceased themselves. Fools' Court--Chaos reigns in France when motley fools roam the streets. The joke will most likely be on you. Other scare zones include Jack the Ripper and his minions in England, scary Vikings in Fort New France, bloodsucking vampires in Germany, and evil clowns and circus freaks in Festa Italia. This year also marks the return of Jack, the event's oldest icon and trickster, after an eight-year absence. He hangs out in Vault XX and in No Escape: Jack's Nightmare Room (this is an up charge). Jack said that his old show at previous events was a "a bit too family friendly" for his taste, and he's hoping to really get back into scaring people this year. It's good to have Jack back. Guests can help Jack and the other fiends scare people at the Control Lab in Ireland. For a slight fee, you can push a button and scare the crap out of some random person on Festa Bridge or in the Vault, Demented Dimensions, Dystopia, and Frostbite. While you're at it, a Naughty Nurse (or perhaps Dr. Freakenstein) can serve you a nice Jello shot or cocktail in the Inoculation Station. There are two party zones, and three shows, too: Monster Stomp on Ripper Row in England, Fiends in Ireland, and Night Beats--Revamped in the Festhaus. Howl-o-Scream is part of your park admission (no separate ticket required); however, some activities inside (such as escape rooms) are an up charge. So, let's have a look at the Control Lab, Vault XX, Demented Demensions, and Jack's Nightmare Room, shall we? (Oh, very well, I'll go first.) First stop, the Control Lab in Ireland. There were no inoculations today. Dr. Freakenstein was very busy. "Tell me about it! I've been waiting to see him since 1842! Never gonna get my bleeding at this rate!" But the good doctor did provide us with cookies . . . . . . and witches! (She would like everyone to know that she isn't dead--yet.) Clowns. Why did it have to be clowns? Here's the Control Lab. Just push a button and watch the fun on the monitor as something scares the crap outta somebody! Of course, if ya play, ya gotta pay. Dr. Freakenstein doesn't work free. Time for a nice, relaxing tram ride to . . . HOLY CRAP, WHO IS THAT? This one is loud--very loud. Jack, buddy, how ya been? Jack gave us a personal tour of Vault XX. Here you'll find remembrances of Howl-o-Screams past. Sheesh! Again with the clowns! Looks like Dr. Carver's evil doll escaped his No Escape Room. Scarlett (from Unearthed) has been playing a little solitaire. Hmm--I think this could be the Dark Tower . . . . . . then again, it could be Sea Dog Cemetery. I asked this guy, but he was a bit of a stiff and wouldn't answer. One of the cages from the Catacombs. Hmm--can't place this one, but they look a little annoyed about something, The Lady of the Gardens--one of HOS's creepiest past icons. The Witch from Cursed is happy to be indoors this year. And we all made it! Whew. More to come

Agreed--Firehawk was just plain bad.

Every freakin' day! Great report, Zach.

OK, I just had to clean up some nonsense in this thread. Let's avoid any stupid bickering. Thank you.