Halloween Time at Amusement Parks

So its that the time of year again. Halloween time has arrived at the amusement parks. 

Disney has kicked their season off early, launching its Halloween Time promotion on the 16th of September. Aside from the parks being decorated with a boat load of pumpkins and the giant Jack-O-lantern Mickey in town square on Main Street, Disney in a sense goes all out for Halloween. They overhaul two of their E ticket attractions for this holiday season. Space Mountain becomes Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. The premise is a comet like ghost chases guest while you ride Space Mountain. Haunted Mansion also gets revamped into Haunted Mansion Holiday, where Jack Skellington takes over the house and redecorates it for Halloween/Christmas. Everyone's favorite Disney Characters are also in the spirit as through out the park they are dressed in their Halloween costumes. The villains are also more present through out the parks during the Halloween season. A Halloween firework show is also presented where Jack Skellington acts as the host. The downside to the firework show is its only available to the Mickey Trick or Treat Party guests. That event is after park hours on certain days from now until Halloween. So if you wanna see the show you gotta go to Mickey's Trick or Treat Party. Its basically the same Disneyland, except smaller crowds because its a closed event and you get free candy. (Well technically you pay for the candy since you pay to get in, but regardless you get candy)

Down the street at Knott's Berry Farm, Knott's throws its annual Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt. Mazes, Monsters, and the ever popular Hanging show, grace itself for the 2011 season. This year the new mazes are Delirium: In the deep recesses of the mind, on the clouded brink of insanity, lies the hellish wasteland of delirium; a place so gruesome that your imagination fails to comprehend the horrors. Illusion and paranoia are your only anchors to reality. Welcome to your worst nightmare! End Games Warriors of the Apocalypse: The world as we know it has ended. The survivors in this barren desert have scavenged to rebuild society. The rich and the powerful have turned all others into slaves for sport. Enter the post apocalyptic arena where gladiators are forced to battle to their deaths for entertainment. Are you game? And Invasion Beneath: Details are sketchy but eyewitnesses report that the Calico Mine Ride has been invaded by creatures of unknown origin through a large fissure in the earth’s core.  The creatures posses advanced weaponry and are extremely hostile.  The military has just infiltrated the mountain to try and rescue the survivors and combat the violent attacks. As for the old mazes, Big Top Bizzare, Lockdown, Sleepy Hallow Mountain, Fallout Shelter, Doll Factory, Virus Z, Cornstalkers, Terror London, Slaughterhouse and Dia De Los Muertos 3D return for the 2011 season. A new vampire scarezone is also being introduced this year called Necropolis at Camp Snoopy. Knott's Scary Farm launched itself on the 23rd of September. A little tradition I like do when I go is usually after the Haunt, Knott's has an all you can eat breakfast for $9.99, I always indulge myself after walking through all the mazes, it a tradition I will try to carry on this year as well.

Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween tradition is Horror Nights. Like Knott's Universal Studios is taken over by monsters and mazes. Only difference is this one is a lot better. It costs more to go in but I personally think its worth it compared to Knott's. The special effects are a lot better, since its universal, they sort of have movie effects at their disposal so because of this you get a much better experience then Knott's in terms of the stuff looking real. This year the Terror Tram is being invaded by Ghostface from the Scream Franchise. New mazes are The Thing assimilation, Alice Cooper's Welcome to my Nightmare, Wolfman: The Curse of  Talbot and Hostel Haunting Season. Mazes that have returned are Rob Zombies House of a 1000 corpses, and La Llorona. The new Scarezone is a Scream based one. Three rides are open for this event. The Simpsons ride, Revenge of the Mummy Coaster and Jurrassic Park, which during Horror nights is Jurrassic Park in the dark. If the effects on the ride actually worked it would be pretty cool with the whole dark premise but since they never seem to work it is just funny. When I rode it last year during the raptor and T-Rex part, it looked like the raptors were at a club and the T-Rex was too drunk to move. The effects weren't working so the T-Rex just hung over the drop and looked drunk, the raptors part had a bunch of strobe lights and techno music playing so it looked like a club...anyways aside from those mishaps the ride itself is still cool I guess. Universal also has a Hanging type show, except their show is hosted by Bill and Ted from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Last year they made fun of Twilight, so this year I expect a Harry Potter parody in there some where.

The final theme park Im gonna talk about is Six Flags Magic Mountain. I have personally never gone to this one, mainly because its really far and I usually am cleaned out in funds due to the previous 3 I mentioned, but I have always wanted to go. Thing is, Im not sure how good it is because from the advertising and website it does seem pretty corny. Six Flags Halloween bash is called Fright Fest. They have mazes, scare zones, and a lot of shows. Since I haven't been there before, I am assuming the Dr. Frights Carnevil show is like the Hanging or Bill and Ted's shows. One thing that really interested me is they have some rides Halloween themed. Colossus becomes Colossus Backwards, where its the same ride you just ride it backwards. They have a thing called Terror Tracks, all it is the following rides are operating with no track lights so you don't know where your going. Apocalypse, Tatsu, Riddler's Revenge, Viper and Goliath. X2 becomes X2: Area 19. The ride becomes alien themed. The one I really want to ride is Batman, for Halloween it becomes Foggy Nights. Scarecrow escapes Arkham and releases his fear toxin on the ride. I'm sure its just the same ride through fog but still, the idea intrigues me. I really am going to try and go to this one this year but its still safe to say I will do the other 3 before I do this one. Thing about Six Flags is it comes to the party late, their Halloween season starts October 7th, its a week after Haunt and Horror Nights and 2 weeks after Disney. So it kind of puts itself in last place by default. Its website doesn't help beef it up either all the pics on there look pretty cheesy. The one video that caught my attention got it for the wrong reasons, its their city under seige scare zone in the DC Universe, formally Gotham City the people in the video looked like Joker to me and the girl narrating looked like she was trying to be Harley Quinn. I am probably over thinking it but in my defense my dad thought the same thing and he doesn't like Batman like I do. I will put up that trailer so others can see it.

This Halloween Season looks promising for all parks. Disney is always the family friendlier one and the best in terms of being an all day event but Universal is my favorite to go to, in terms of the whole scary atmosphere. Knott's is a fun time too and the cheapest out of the 3. Six Flags is just there but hopefully this year I can go to it and actually give it a rating. Halloween is always a fun time of the year and at the theme parks its certainly no different.