In 2010, Kings Island is offering up another season of terror during the Halloween Haunt (ticket info). Twelve themed haunts await the bravest of park guests, with an unpredictable mass of scare actors roaming the darkened paths in between.

Hopefully the scoop on each Haunt will help your group to decide which attractions might be more worth your while. The Halloween Haunt can yield big crowds. on Friday and Saturday nights, lines can be half an hour to an hour long, meaning guests have to pick which haunts they are willing to stand in line for. This year, I attended the haunt with three very different critics who were each looking for different qualities in the haunts. (Spoiler Alert! This article includes descriptions of mazes.)

Emily- Scared of clowns and easily startled, Emily is very critical of the quality of scenery and theme.

Karla- The frequency of her shrieking attracts ghouls to persist behind her through a maze. She has an appreciation for good makeup and costuming.

Todd- Back from reviewing the 2009 Halloween Haunt, Todd brings a comparison to previous years, and remains skeptical of most scare actors.

• Urgent Scare

Urgent Scare was our first haunt of the night, initiating us with bloody scrubs and the threat of quarantine. Scare actor Robert greeted us at the entry and somehow pulled off a very informative, scary and helpful demeanor. Inside, our group was taken through the chaos-strewn yard of Action Theater where the infected roamed to scare those waiting in line. The configuration of the maze was sufficiently confusing, and all the hanging sheets made for lots of unexpected scares.

At the end, however, we were put into another line… for photos. Last year, the photo session happened before you went in the maze. This year, many people in line were not receptive to the mandatory photo shoot at the end of the maze. With the scares behind them, patrons were eager to get on with their night.

Emily: I thought that it was much more inventive than when I saw it in 2008.

Karla:  The scariest noises were the banging of the bedpans, and one guy in particular who had a scary, slow walk down a dark hallway.

Todd: The guy with the extended walk down the hallway was really good. Give that guy a raise.

• Death Row

Outside, scare actor Kat dazzled us in a pair of prison robes and a few pre-maze scares thanks to what she claimed was the blood of her ex-husband. In our opinion, she was the best part of the maze. I am always disappointed with Death Row, but perhaps it just isn’t my kind of haunt. It seems the goal here is a ‘house of mirrors’ effect of disorienting the guests. This maze consists of chain link fence, strobe lights, mirrors and a blaring noise that can only be described as an emergency on the bridge of the S.S. Enterprise.

This combo is entertaining for only about the first minute. The scare actors did what they could, but were painfully outdone by overpowering light and siren effects. At one point, the siren stopped for a few seconds and you could actually hear people in the maze scream ‘thank you!’.  Before the end, you might not be scared, but you’ll truly wish you were an escapee.

Emily: sings (to the tune of ‘the song that never ends’): “It’s the haunted house that never ends…! It goes on and on, my friends!”

Karla: Very repetitious. The one girl that got me popped out into the hallyway. Too many mirrors and low on scare actors.

Todd: I liked the mirrors. Don’t go in there if you’re epileptic.

Emily again: I could barely notice the scare actors because of the siren. You couldn’t even hear them scream because the siren was so loud. I did like the mirrors because they were effectively confusing without being annoying.

• Trail of Terror

The entrance to Trail of Terror is to the right of the Firehawk photo station. If you don’t know where you are going, you could easily get confused and miss this haunt. Look for the neon skull, go around the back of the building, and I promise it will be there. Once you’ve found it, I think you are in for one of the best scares of the night.

Trail of Terror has a running theme which I missed last year, in which the residents of the woods are afflicted with a plague. There are alternating quiet spots along the trail, which effectively build suspense for the next scare or a crop of dangling body parts. You will hear chainsaws while waiting in line, so you can guess you’re in for a disturbing surprise somewhere deep in the woods.

Karla: Scary, scary, scary, scary. Best scare was the chainsaw guys who picked me to mob at the end.

Emily: Best scare was the doll girl. Very, very creepy.

Todd: Best haunt so far.

• Massacre Manor

This haunt is the traditional haunted house, with a themed kitchen, livingroom, bedrooms and more. Last year, we learned about Emily, the resident wild child who lives here. This year there was no introduction, but luckily we remembered the theme from last year. I would really like to see the front door person introduce this haunt a little better.

Like last year, there were framed photos of Emily throughout the house, which got progressively more gruesome as we made our way through. The rooms were widely varied, well decorated and full of surprises.

Emily: Lots of different kinds of rooms, this one really was scary.

Karla: I liked all the different rooms. The guy hanging in the wardrobe was the best scare.

Todd: This haunt was a classic. Good scares, hiding places and themes in the rooms.

• Cut Throat Cove

Anything piratey sounds like a good time, and that is exactly what I got out of Cut Throat Cove. It was maybe a little too fun. The scare actors were like caricatures of pirates who were outrageously funny and only occasionally scary. One pirate chided us for our clumsiness as we navigated around a corner, and his high-pitched British accent and sent us into fits of laughter as he cackled behind us.

This one might not be scary, but it is a good time because it is very heavy on scare actor interaction. They are observant and teasing as all clever pirates should be, with a minimum on the simple, startling boo’s. You’ll be surrounded by pirate music, gold coins, and plenty of bloody hearties, yo ho!

Todd: Wish there was more scare actors. They were fun to hang out with, but not scary.

Karla: There wasn’t really a scary part. I tripped over someone and bumped my shin. That was scary.

Emily: Seemed like the same maze from a couple years ago. Not scary, but it was a good time.

• Slaughterhouse

Feeling hungry? Head on down the Stunt Crew Grill in Action Zone. Only this time, you’ll be dining at The Slaughterhouse. While burgers are off the menu for the Halloween Haunt, Ma and her kinfolk will still offer you one of their freshest cuts.

This maze had a lot of different kinds of areas to keep things interesting; dangling body parts, scenes of butchery, and an inflatable hallway. While there were plenty of tricks around the bend, the scare actors lent a lot to this maze, keeping the theme consistent, with lots of ‘gotcha’ scares.

Todd: I like the giant tunnel.

Emily: In addition to lots of hanging limbs, there was lots of interaction and participation from the actors. The best scare was a watery surprise.

Karla: There was a guy who just followed me and breathed on me, that’s always creepy. This maze was scary, especially when the fog machine blew in my face at the end.

• Cornstalkers

Imagine being stranded in a corn field at night. For reasons unknown, there are crates along a large path through the corn. As you make your way through the path, you quickly learn that behind every crate, a pilgrim or potato sack monster is going to yell at you. Scared yet? Neither were we.  Despite great costumes and the potential creepiness of this theme, it fell apart with mediocre scare actors and a bad location.

This one seemed sparse, with brief moments of walking through the corn alone. This would serve to build anticipation if not for the lights and sounds of the amusement rides towering over us. Located in the heart of Action Zone, it feels misplaced and too close to all the large rides to really pull off a ‘creepy’ feel. Desolate cornfields are found out in the middle of nowhere, not next to Drop Tower.

Emily: I thought it was lame because there weren’t any real scare actors. They were all just ‘jump out and yell at you’ guys. There wasn’t a lot of actors and no character to the ones that would jump out and yell at you.

Todd: Very potato-sacky. I didn’t like it. Needs more intense actors and a better location.

Karla: Yeah, that one kinda stunk. There was nothing scary about it. It was mostly walking through a mostly straight ‘maze’ made of pallets with random people jumping out. The costumes were good, but the overall effect was just kind of lame.

• Wolf Pack

Team Jacob, anyone? You’d have to be a die-hard fan to enjoy this obvious ploy stemming from the Twilight franchise. Located conspicuously across from Club Blood in the old Son of Beast station, Wolf Pack is a werewolf themed haunt that contains little more than shirtless dudes.

There were some impressive ten foot high werewolves standing around, but they are poorly lit and placed to the side where the effect becomes lost on guests meandering through the maze. Besides, a sweaty shirtless guy is likely to jump out in front of you, so the snarling werewolf is probably the least of your worries.

Emily: I really liked the atmosphere, the hallway of vines was the coolest part. It was an attempt to appeal to Twilight fans. Just a lot of shirtless guys that don’t look like Taylor Lautner.

Karla: Some of the guys in there didn’t have the body to support the whole shirtless thing. The fake werewolves were scary, not the actors.

Todd: I thought it was pretty lame. Werewolves are not scary. The best scare would be the big fake werewolves, which is pretty insulting to all the actors.

• Club Blood

Often thought of as the sexiest of the haunts, Club Blood can rest assured that it has not lost any of this title to the neighboring Wolf Pack. Clearly, Edward fans are the winners at Kings Island, with a vampire themed haunt that will keep you guessing as you boogie through.

Even if you aren’t a fan of the club theme, this one has enough variation to keep you interested and anticipating what lies ahead. From cage dancers to a bar scene, the sets seemed thoughtfully crafted for the deserving scare actors. The vampires got quite personal, with lots of alluringly creepy things to say near your ear. We danced our way down the hallway with a few very enthusiastic blood suckers, having a scary and entertaining experience all at the same time.

Emily: That guy wanted to dance with me. Just awesome.

Karla: That was was fun. Maybe not too scary, but very very fun. It was set up like a club with dancers and a bar. There was a solid theme and they worked it.

Todd: The vampires beat out the wolves because there was a lot of interaction, a lot more talking involved, less of people just jumping out and scaring you. Also, there’s nothing scarier than touring the club bathroom.

• Cemetery Drive

Touring through a cemetery is a creepy experience, and so goes the theme of Cemetery Drive. This year, the costumed scare actors had a ghostly feel instead of last year’s zombie experience. Dressed in period clothing, southern belles and doomed soldiers approached us slowly through the fog.

Sudden screams made us jump here and there, but the best part of this maze was those who completed the quiet, creepy theme. Perching atop tombstones, quiet ‘marble’ statues watched us pass by with little more than a moan, if they made any noise at all. 

Todd: I like the costumes, especially the colonial dress.

Karla: I really like the fake tombstone people. The makeup was good, I love how they were perfectly still until the suddenly moved.

Emily: Tombstones and fog machines. I did like the costumes. It was a nice, calm walk through the graveyard. It was interesting enough to be good, but not necessarily scary.

• CarnEvil

Those with a legitimate clown phobia should avoid this one completely. For the rest of us, this is the most immersive experience in the park. With the addition of 3D blacklight glasses at the door, guests are catapulted into Big Daddy’s run down circus of pipe music and bubbling color. The actor who plays Big Daddy fits the role perfectly, introducing each group to the haunt while setting the stage with heaps of threats and warnings.

CarnEvil does a great job of showing Death Row what a disorienting maze should be. Each room is completely surprising and different. There are scare actors where you wouldn’t expect them, and the 3D  effect turns the props into personal scare experiences. Expect hallways that aren’t all they seem, with a great finale at the end that will leave your head spinning.

Emily: It was non-stop entertainment. You didn’t even need a lot of actors in there. The solidarity of experiencing the effects just kept you going ‘woah’. It was the best, I love Big Daddy. It’s all about the introduction. I think every maze should have that kind of pep rally to warm you up for the maze.

Karla: Awesome, awesome, awesome. Loved the tunnel, loved all the 3D effects, it was very, very entertaining.

Todd: The trailer with the gypsy woman inside was a great scare.

• Tombstone TerrorTory

The most endearing quality of this maze is the short train ride and steady theme. Appropriately located in Rivertown, this haunt uses location like we all wish Corn Stalkers would. On the Kings Island Miami Valley Railroad, we follow the story of William Sparks, a paranoid cowboy who murders his entire hometown after striking it rich. Eerily, the train comes to a stop. Even more eerily, there is another line to wait in here.

Once actually in the haunt, guests traverse the White Water Canyon boardwalk, which has been very loosely transformed into a western town. I use the term ‘loosely’ quite loosely. You will be walking through piles of wooden pallets set up on their sides. Depending on the light and amount of fog at a particular moment, and you either run headlong into a hunk of wood, or completely predict the next scare actor.

Karla: Only good scare for me was a guy army crawling out through a hole in the fence. That was flippin scary. Mostly just annoying ‘okay, there’s a crate, someone’s going to come out and scream in my ear’.

Emily: Lots of actors, but I didn’t like the fact that you had to get in line to get on the train, then wait in line again.

Todd: I think it’s full of people who died by running into crates. Serious spots where you can’t see and actually run into something sharp.

The Halloween Haunt can yield big crowds on Friday and Saturday nights, meaning guests have to pick which haunts they are willing to stand in line for.  On busy nights, lines can be half an hour to an hour long, so choose wisely.

Do you have a favorite haunt? Did you see something in a haunt that we must have missed? Please leave a comment below to add to this review.