The great Halloween event on the planet is back this year and with a vengeance to celebrate it’s 21st anniversary.  Universal Orlando has just launched the preview website for Halloween Horror Nights 21. The slogan in the preview is “Be Careful What You Wager, Because Nobody Beats the House.”  With a severed hand appearing to hold a pair of devilish cards.  The classical theme for this year’s Haunt seems very attractive and approriate for the 21st theme.

Little is known about the even itself, only a few mazes have begun construction but there is no doubt that months of planning is behind the annual event.  I personally am hoping for less “scary” and more “creepy” concepts very much like what we saw in 2008, in HHN 18 with scare zones such as Asylum in Wonderland and Path of the Wicked (Wizard of Oz).  The past years have seemed too cliche and less creative.  I really hope Universal strikes it big for their 21st.

Leave a comment with your Park Thoughts below.

On this eerie night, as the ghouls come out, and ghost come to life you might just get your pants scared off at your local amusement park’s Halloween event.  From all of us at Park Thoughts, Happy Halloween!

Image © Sean O’Shaughnessy

Once again it is time for poll results and these past few weeks we asked if for your thoughts: Launch or Lift?  After 4 weeks of accepting answers, the results are in and by just 3 votes, readers prefer Lift!  The slow (possibly fast) incline to the top of the hill and the suspense that build in those moments must provide the majority of readers with the quintessential roller coaster experience.

While Launches do provide the short thrill, I definitely believe that anticipation and suspense factor of the lift for both riders and spectators are a contributing factor to why a lift hill is preferred.

New Poll!

Halloween season is here.  And that means Halloween events are in full throttle.  For the next few weeks voting will be about the best of the best Halloween Events.

• Knott’s Berry Farm, the originator of the Halloween theme park event has been leading the industry with the most haunted houses, and biggest event of them all.  Each year for the past 30+, the park has transformed into Knott’s Scary Farm, the world’s largest Halloween Event.
• Universal Studios Orlando is holidng their 20th annual Halloween Horror Nights that bring the most frightening movies and stories to life with movie quality sets, costumes, and atmosphere.  Each year the event is ranked one of best and is often considered the most detailed of them all.
• Busch Garden’s Tampa, while new to the game has increased greatly in the past few years with their Howl-O-Scream event.  This year has been one of the most unique Halloween events with some of the most creative concepts for their events.
• Knoebel’s Hallo-Fun event offers a little bit of something for everyone.  Fridays and Saturdays in October, the park opens up in the dark for spooks and scares with family friendly activities as well as haunted houses, and coasters for the older thrill seeker crowd.
• Last but certainly not least is Kennywood’s Phantom Fright Nights.  This is perhaps the most unique event in the fact, that while done on a smaller scale the environments are innovative by utilizing some areas of the park you would not expect.

There are your options.  This special poll will be open through Halloween (Sunday, October 31st) so be sure to share your thoughts!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Photo by Sean O’Shaughnessy

It’s october and that means Halloween is in full swing across the nation.  This past weekend was the first weekend for California’s Great America’s Halloween Haunt event featuring 6 mazes, 4 scare zones, as well as Black Widow Cavern, a scary version of Loggers Run.  This CGA Update is from October 3rd, 2010.

The iconic entrance decked out in Halloween decor.

If my memory serves correct, the first year of Halloween Haunt (2008), the park did Haunt on Sundays, while last year they didn’t.  This year Sunday Haunts have returned and not surprisingly, the park was dead.  All mazes had a maximum wait of 5 people.  Scare zones often had more actors than guests walking through.

CarnEvil continues to be one of the strongest mazes.  Like all the mazes, there was definitely some spots where there should obviously be an actor, but considering the light crowds I don’t blame the park.  The biggest change in this maze was the addition of a booth tricking people into buying more of those nifty 3D glasses (which are worth the dollar bill.)

Werewolf Canyon is one of the more detailed mazes.  I enjoy it, but like Corn Stalkers, the 2nd half is very long with not quite as much going on as the other mazes.

I’m lovin the scare crows in between the Snoopy banners.  Definitely fits well with the rest of Snoopy Plaza.

CornStalkers definitely suffered the most from the lack of actors.  This maze is naturally repetetive, and that’s emphasized with the lack of actors.

Toy Factory is by far the best maze of the night.  Tons of actors, and the creativity of the maze is outstanding.  Not to mention the incredibly catching song. “Here in the Toy Factory….”

I am not a fan of Slaughter House.  The obnoxious music, the ridiculously unnecessary gore, and the theme is all a bit bleak for my taste.

Club Blood.  For some reason, I liked it more in previous years.  I think this night the talent just wasn’t all the way there.

And now for some random scare-achter shots:

That’s it for this Halloween CGA Update.  Check back again for more!

Unlike other Disney Parks, Hong Kong Disneyland takes a unique approach on their Halloween events by striving for an older crowd who is willing to get scared.  This year is no different.  Under host, Maleficient, Main Street is haunted by masses of zombies wandering mindlessly.  In the center of the hub, is Maleficient in her dragon form; an ominous sight against the Sleeping Beauty Castle back drop.

As night falls, this year introduces Nightmare in the Sky, a pyrotechnic spectacular featuring world class projections, fire effects, fireworks, and even an apperance by Maleficent herself.  The 10 minutes spectacular occurs each night during Haunted Halloween running now through October 31st.

Returning classics also take over the park.  Glow in the Park parade will once again run down the parade route.  Main Street Haunted Hotel will opens its doors to guests, along with Demon Jungle, the paranormal forest.  Adventureland spirits come to life at Tribal Burrial Ground, and those brave enough can try their hand at Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, a haunting twist on the Disney park staple.  Also new for this year, is the Inferno Dance Party.

Hong Kong Disneyland continues to be one of the leading innovators for holidays at Disney Parks.  We have already seen some concepts applied into other Disney Parks such as Ghost Galaxy’s debut at Disneyland in California 2009.

Don’t forget that you can save at least 20% at Disneyland California Resort Hotels most dates now through December 16, 2010! (2 Nights minimum, must book by December 1, 2010)

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando is going all out.  For the past 19 years, one thing has been in control of all the screaming festivities each Halloween in Orlando, and this year, guests will get a chance to come face to face with it, Fear.  Fear uses his powers of chaos, mythos, death, vengance, and sacrifice.  This year Fear himself is coming to play games with his guests.  On 24 select nights, 8 all new haunted houses, new scare zones, and live shows will come alive and truly define FEAR.

Haunted Houses:

• Catacombs: Black Death Rising
• Hades: The Gates of Ruin
• Horror Nights: The Hallow’d Past
• Havoc: Dogs of War
• ZombieGeddon
• Legendary Truth: The Wyandot Estate
• Physco Scareapy: Echoes of Shadybrook
• The Orfanage: Ashes to Ashes

Scare Zones:

• The Couen
• Zombie Gras
• Saws n’ Streams
• Esqueleto Muerte
• Fear Revealed
• HHN: 20 Years of Fears

Shows:

• Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure
• Brian Brushwood: Menace and Malice

More at the HHNXX website.

Dorney Park has gone live with their Halloween Haunt website.  Check it out here.  This year’s Halloween Haunt includes 7 outdoor haunted houses, and four indoor haunted houses.  Included in the haunted house line up is Mansion House Hotel.  This once elegant hotel is now haunted and has a reservation under your name.  Spooky!  Dorney Park will also offer Fangs n’ Freaks, a vampire spooktacular!  Dorney Park will surely be giving you fright-mares this october during the Hallow-SCREAM season (call me butter, cause I’m on a roll!)

Indoor Haunted Houses:

• The Asylum
• MHH (Mansion House Hotel)
• Club Blood
• Phsyco Circus 3D

Outdoor Haunted Houses:

• Backwoods
• Terror Square
• Gauntlet
• Pirate Passage
• Headstone Hallow
• Death Trap
• CornStalkers

Shows:

• Fangs n’ Freaks

Dorney Park definitely seems to have a good line up this season.  If you are in the neighborhood, check it out!