Kings Dominion’s Halloween Haunt Has Fun and Laughs, But Few Real Scares

By SHANITA MITCHELL

“Does she work here?” This was the confused inquiry directed to me from an employee at Kings Dominion working the Oct. 14 Halloween Haunt series. Admittedly, I was acting a little odd, but in my defense, the atmosphere was infectious. Listening to what seemed to be the soundtrack to Tim Burton’s entire filmography, while walking through an amusement park blanketed by white fog was a lot of fun. But by far, the most amusing part of the night was watching all of the other timid patrons run and scream madly through the park while being chased by all the enthusiastic employees. Dress as a zombie and terrify patrons all night – best job ever.

The park was well attended that Friday night. With a college I.D., admissions started at around $25 from 7 p.m. to midnight. Anyone who goes to Kings Dominion on a regular basis knows that this pricing is not bad at all. For your money, not only does one get to partake in the usual rollercoasters and rides, but you have the added benefit of all the Halloween attractions, too.

Personally, there was nothing in the park that scared or shocked, me but it was entertaining to let them try. I walked through most of the mazes and scare zones, yet none of them stood out as particularly horrifying.

The maze, Club Blood, was my personal favorite because of the heavy metal music selection that amplified the hype. Throughout them all, the decorating and costume effort were decently effective, but considering our generation has a new scary movie coming out every week in theatres, you have to go to the extreme to even elicit a slow blink, let alone a scream.

Our generation’s threshold for terror is certainly higher than it used to be. The majority of the screams came more from jolting sounds and anticipation than frightening images.

All this aside, if you have a friend who is deathly afraid of flashing lights, buckets of blood oozing everywhere, and creatures with faces awkwardly extended into creepy smiles, take them there. They will be your fun and entertainment the whole night.

Drag them past the huge skull in the front, the red glowing tower, and all the foggy tunnels and laugh with glee as they scream and clutch your arm for dear life.
That’s really what friends are for in the end: to exploit your fear shamelessly and smile.