Kings Island has been operating since 1972 and has made its mark in the theme park industry for decades. 28 years after opening its doors to the public in 2000, Kings Island decided to do its first Halloween event named FearFest. Then in 2006, the event changed its name to its current one, Halloween Haunt.
This year, the event runs from September 22nd to October 28th on select nights. The event runs on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Fridays and from 7 p.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays.
Ticket prices range from $45 to $80 depending on the day you decide to go. The Fright Passes allow you to skip all of the haunted house lines once, plus one extra maze of your choice. The price for this ranges from $70 to $90 depending on the day you choose. It is an expensive cost, but it is worth it if you are available to get it so you can ensure you get to do all of the mazes.
On their website, it says that you can “…find spine-tingling things to do for Halloween, including haunted attractions, scare mazes, bone-chilling outdoor scare zones, outrageous live shows, and evil creatures everywhere looking to make your worst nightmares come true,”. Kings Island was ranked ”2022’s Best Theme Park Halloween Event” in the country by USA TODAY readers. They said, “Halloween Haunt is the most immersive and haunting Halloween attraction in Greater Cincinnati, with a combination of unimaginable scares, chills, and thrills that can’t be found anywhere else,”
I have tried to make it to King Island’s Halloween Haunt ever since I was in 4th grade in 2017. I was terrified the first time I went, but I still had a blast. The costumes, haunted houses, atmosphere, and night rides all made me love my time there and want to come back.
Alien Abyss is new this year, and it is a very immersive experience. It replaced the haunted house, C.H.A.O.S., with a very similar alien theme. “When civilians are invited to tour the research compound, something goes terribly wrong,”. You start in a room where a video plays, then the man on the video dies. You are then rushed into the next room followed by a spinning tunnel, then followed by dark hallways. The actors really brought their A-game this year in this haunt and tried their best to immerse the victims as they walked through.
Hotel St. Michelle was a new edition last year and stayed this year. It is set in the 1920s and has an eerie, demonic vibe around the place. “As you sneak into the abandoned hotel, named after the manager’s missing daughter, you eerily find the hotel is not abandoned but very alive in spirit,”. You are “checked in” to the hotel and led through a series of rooms you would find in a hotel. They did a good job of theming and keeping you on the edge of your feet the entire time.
Cornered is set in a corn maze where farmers and scarecrows are scattered throughout. There are great jumpscares where they are hiding in the corn and come out to scare you. The actors in the maze are very fun and entertaining. The wait time for this attraction was also very short, so it’s a good one to do when everything else is busy. There are really cool effects scattered throughout.
KILLmart has been there since the first time I went. It has always been my favorite due to the elaborate theming and sets. It’s a classic zombie scenario set in a supermarket. You are walked through the supermarket in a series of isles like a pet isle, toy isle, and camping isle. Zombies are scattered everywhere in the store. This haunt has great scares, a spooky atmosphere, and the perfect combination for a good haunted house.
Madame Fatal’s Cavern of Terror is a wax museum that you adventure through and experience the exhibits coming to life. I love the costumes in this haunt and the scenery. There were also great effects and actors that had amazing scares. You could tell every scene and scare location was thoroughly planned. They also did great diversion scares where they draw your focus to one thing just to scare you from another direction.
Slaughterhouse is the last haunted house Kings Island has to offer. It is a butcher shop where you explore the back and find that they are selling more than animal meat. You are led through a maze of wooden panels and blood-covered sheets. Actors in pig masks and bloody Leatherface masks scream and terrorize you as you walk through. This is one of the scarier attractions due to the gore and extreme themes.
Throughout the years, I have watched Kings Island’s scare zones improve more and more. They get more elaborate sets and better scares. They have 5 scare zones this year, Abandoned, Alien X, Coney Maul, Pumpkin Eater, and International Street of Fear. Abandoned was new this year, and it was my favorite out of the five. Abandoned was located outside of Mystic Timers. You walk through shed-like buildings and structures that have a farm-like feel to them. The actors did great, and there were chainsaws that they chased you with. They have recently tried adding secret little scarezones that they don’t list on the website or advertise. There are actors who slide at you over near the beast, and a garden area near the eiffel tower with actors in gilly suits.
They have three amazing shows this year for the fall season. These shows are Dr. Nightmare, Monster Rock, and NyteWalkers. The one show I saw this year was NyteWalkers. It was a show based on BMX, trampoline, and dancing tricks. There was no talking in the show but had a story. It was a couple who got seperated by zombies and ghouls and they battle them to try to get back to eachother. It was a really fun and entertaining show.
All of the rides were open which was amazing because you could experience all of them in the dark. This is such a unique thing to get to experience. My personal favorite thing to do is ride The Beast in the pitch black. It is such an amazing time that has always been one of the staples of my visits since my first time going.
Halloween Haunt at Kings Island is such a special and fun time. It is defianelty worth experiencing if you are a fan of the park. It is one of the closer events that is as big and elaborate as some of the other events further away from Kentucky. This is definitely something worth checking out sometime next season.
