DOSWELL, VA — Theme park Kings Dominion offers plenty of terrifying thrills throughout the year with death-defying roller coasters and rides, but with the season devoted to ghosts and goblins, it ratchets up the level of scares.
For the park’s latest iteration of “Halloween Haunt,” now in its 18th season, guests can spend an evening surviving eight macabre mazes and five scare zones while occasionally getting a reprieve with a few live musical shows.
Visitors to Kings Dominion should prepare for long lines, plenty of miles walked and a steady stream of more than 400 scare actors in full makeup doing their jobs as they stalk around almost every nook and cranny of the park looking for victims.
Let’s first take a brief look at the best of the jump-scare riddled and sometimes grotesque mazes that should take roughly 10 minutes each to survive.
Condemned — In this new attraction, visitors roam through Darkside Manor and experience the remains of a 1950s wedding that went horribly wrong. The key feature for this maze, making it one of the more distinct in the area, requires each guest carry a small flashlight as they work through the bloodied rooms. It allows them to highlight some crazed brides, a living corpse rising from a bed and hidden ghouls.
Blood on the Bayou — Returning for 2018, this highly detailed jaunt through a creature-infested Louisiana swamp and 19th century plantation mansion reeks of Voodoo. It even contains a possessed body floating above a table and a butcher area loaded with unappetizing “human” remains. The grotesque juxtaposes perfectly with the period decor and the ghouls’ costuming to make the haunted maze one of the best adorned in the park.
Zombie High — One of the cooler preshow displays greets guests as they stroll by a full-sized disabled and bloodied bus before walking the halls of a school overrun by the undead. Temporary visitors pass through rooms devoted to the school nurse, shop class and a grisly gymnasium prom while navigating through hanging bras, jock straps, rubber hoses and backpacks.
Cornstakers — By far the longest maze of the night and set outdoors, backlit by the moonlight, rows of real, decaying cornstalks are strategically laid out in this claustrophobic maze. Guests will need to avoid gunnysack-wearing demons embedded into the corn and look out for a literally jump scare in order to survive.
Tollway of Terror — The most terrifying part of taking a leisurely drive in a rail-guided antique car on Blueridge Parkway is not the steady stream of creatures and chainsaw-wielding freaks hiding among the fall foliage. Nope, it’s trying to get on the ride. The lines are so painfully long that visitors should wait until the latest possible moment, when the park beings to clear out, to have any chance of enjoying the attraction.
As far as the scare zones, set throughout some of the open areas of the park, I recommend at the minimum walking through the following:
The Lair — A covered walkway with a hanging entrance loaded with strobe-light effects hides a collection of old school vampires demanding the attention of any visitors.
Cleaver Brothers Carnival — Along the main midway at Kings Dominion, a collection of homicidal clowns infest the area ready to engage guests. Pay close attention to some special displays placed among the route, showing some of their encased and departed brethren.
Ironworks — Take a stroll down Center Street and encounter a collection of grisly steampunks. Look out for the roughly 9-foot-tall leader who has a habit of swooping down to terrify unsuspecting guests.
As always, I’ll offer a quick description of my favorite frightening humanoid in the park. For the second year in a row, the honor goes to attendant letting folks into the Zombie High maze.
Roughly every five minutes, she screams at the top of her lungs above the creepy music, to explain the rules of entering the maze. I asked a fellow employee about her exploits and, while laughing, he said she does this every night for the Haunt and never loses her voice. She’s both amazing and terrifying with her vocal prowess.
Now, for those efficiently getting through the mazes, make sure to hang out by the bandstand for a selection of live shows during the evening, such as Blood Drums that features some talented percussionists in an event that rhythmically plays out like the Blue Man Group’s worst nightmare.
Also, scardey-cats trying to avoid getting startled can also purchase an illumined, scare immunity, “no boo” lanyard (sold separately for $11.40). However, that seems like a waste of money; what’s the point of going to a “Halloween Haunt” without being terrified?
IF YOU DARE GO
Where: Kings Dominion, 16000 Theme Park Way, Doswell, VA 23047
Fear factor (out of 5): 4.0 for those 12 years and older.
Price range: “Halloween Haunt” starting at $39.99. For those thrill-seekers in a hurry for scares, purchase a “Fright Lane” pass (starting at $38 extra) to skip the long lines. The pass allows for a one-time, front-of-the-line access to seven of the mazes; Tollway of Terror is not included. Parking is additional and starts at $20.
Hours: Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. to midnight; Sunday, 7 p.m.. to 10 p.m. (open through Oct. 28.).
Website: www.kingsdominion.com/haunt
• Joseph Szadkowski can be reached at jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com.
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