Kings Island Haunt Friday

Maybe you need to go to this Haunted House, Gonch.

It sounds anything but run-of-the-mill.

A quote from the waiver:

"By voluntarily entering the House, I confirm and acknowledge that:

1) I have been advised and acknowledge that graphic scenes of simulated extreme horror, adult sexual content, tight spaces, darkness, fog, strobe light effects, exposure to water, physical contact, and crawling are an integral part of the experience of the House."

Maybe.

Like I said before, the entire concept of a haunted house requires you to suspend disbelief. I find that a little difficult. The belief that something will genuinely happen to you is how fear works.

It's a paradox. How am I supposed to be scared when I know I'm perfectly safe?

That why 99% of haunts out there resort to startling you. It's pretty much the only reaction you can get from people in that situation - except even that is expected in a Haunt scenario, so it's even less effective than something as simple as your kid hiding around the corner and jumping out at you...because that's truly unexpected.

Even with that House you linked to, you know you're not in real danger. What you end up with is people ****ing with you in ways that would really piss you off. An experience, for sure, but still not fear.

Call me hardened or cynical, but I just don't see how someone could truly put fear into you in a controlled entertainment situation.

Scarehouse is doing a more intense event in their basement this year too.
http://www.scarehouse.com/haunts/the-basement

They are also doing a lights out event that I want to check out. You get one flashlight for your group and that's it. Sounds fun.

One with really, really, old batteries? Now, that would be scary.
This discussion, if nothing else, has led me to examine my fear of all things haunt. Gonch makes a good point- why, or how can you be scared when you "know" you're perfectly safe. I startle easily, and if that's their main, however feeble objective, then as far as I'm concerned they do a good job. I suppose I've used the same logic on someone who is afraid to try their first coaster with me. Really, nothing can happen to you besides a good scare which you'll get over. But somehow when I think of walking into a dark or foggy area knowing something's about to get me I tense up and I don't wanna go.
What's amazing to me is how much the theme parks do to bring Halloween to life. We all know (after that spring time debut of the new ride) it's the biggest money maker all year, and I get that. But the amount of time, money, and creative thinking that goes into temporary tacked- on entertainment value is amazing to me. And it only gets bigger.
If you want an instant headache read the reports of Cedar Point's busiest weekend ever. If there was ever an argument for a massive parking garage at that park, there's one.
Like it or not, one thing's for sure. The theme parks know what side their bread is buttered on.

It's interesting. There are a lot of people who won't ride roller coasters because they're scared of them, even though they would be in no real danger riding a coaster.

Like watching Star Trek or Star Wars, there has to be a "willing suspension of disbelief" by the customer. I know that you can't turn a person into a beam of energy and transport them to a planet, and I know the actors in a haunted house are just actors in a haunted house -- but to enjoy the experience I need to accept the "logic" of the experience. If that makes sense.

The gore and gruesome stuff does little for me, but I *love* being startled....like a drop ride you can't predict, it's ALWAYS a good time... :~O

A good haunted attraction will creep you out with atmosphere for the length of the experience, while the startles help to release that tension in a satisfying way.

slithernoggin said:

Like watching Star Trek or Star Wars, there has to be a "willing suspension of disbelief" by the customer. I know that you can't turn a person into a beam of energy and transport them to a planet, and I know the actors in a haunted house are just actors in a haunted house -- but to enjoy the experience I need to accept the "logic" of the experience. If that makes sense.

There's one big difference though - passive vs active experience.

In the movie I have to believe the 'logic' of what is happening to other people - which is quite easy as I'm not there. I'm an onlooker. The situation is being conveyed to me in the third person...and in that world people are being turned into beams of energy. It's a story.

With the haunted house, I have to believe the 'logic' of my situation...and it's just not there. I know there's nothing to fear. No matter what, the clown isn't going to eat me. It's reality.

I personally do not get scared in the haunts, but the actors can startle me from time to time. That does not mean I dont enjoy doing them though, I enjoy walking through eerie sets, not knowing what is around each corner and when the next thing is going to pop up at me. I also enjoy watching the reactions of people around me. Halloween is my favorite time to visit the parks, because in addition to the haunts and the fog, its the best time of the year to score some night riding times on coasters (hip hip horray for early sunsets and ridiculous park hours.)

Lord Gonchar said:

With the haunted house, I have to believe the 'logic' of my situation...and it's just not there. I know there's nothing to fear. No matter what, the clown isn't going to eat me. It's reality.

I totally get this, and it's exactly how I feel about strip clubs. Once you understand that any perceived flirting is just a means of transferring money from your wallet to someone's garter belt, you can't go back to the illusion again.

A little gauche comparison maybe, but pretty apt.

Spoken like someone who has never left the club with a dancer. ;)

And hey, boobies are boobies. I'm just there to window shop.

In my mind -- which is, after all, a strange place -- I see a haunted house as a story, just one that I'm walking through instead of sitting and watching. But I do see your point about active v. passive experience.

As we get closer, technology-wise, to immersive 3D entertainment, will that line move?

Fine. Now you tell me strippers are in it for the money.

Lord Gonchar said:

And hey, boobies are boobies. I'm just there to window shop.

You've got the glasses for it.... ;~P

Gonch, I've been very busy lately, so yes, my responses have been pretty delayed.

Honestly, it's not your opinions that I'm having a problem with. It's the indirect/direct personal jabs (toward me and others) you're attaching with them that are getting old. You know...like if someone doesn't have your opinion or do what you do, then they're an average commoner who enjoys mediocre stuff or a crazed/cheap/lowly enthusiast. The youtube link in my last post was supposed to be the same type of play back at you for a change. The jabs appear to be bait for a reaction or debate, and sometimes they're very hard to resist.

Anyway, I'm not going to be able to make it down to KI this year for Haunt, so I enjoyed those pictures. At least I still get to see and experience 2013 through you guys. Considering the park has to get 100's of scare actors through the costume and make-up assembly line each day, I was actually impressed by the uniqueness of the first two. I'm always a sucker for fog shots of parks as well. Nice shots.

Jeph said:

It's the indirect/direct personal jabs (toward me and others) you're attaching with them that are getting old. You know...like if someone doesn't have your opinion or do what you do, then they're an average commoner who enjoys mediocre stuff or a crazed/cheap/lowly enthusiast. The youtube link in my last post was supposed to be the same type of play back at you for a change. The jabs appear to be bait for a reaction or debate, and sometimes they're very hard to resist.

A couple of things:

1. I've said it to you before, but I think you just don't 'get' me for lack of a better term. Admittedly, it's hard to connotate emotion or "tone of voice" through type, but I suspect many of my posts are much more lighthearted (or tongue-in-cheek) than you're reading them to be.

1a. I enjoy language in general and especially language that conveys emotion an elicits a reaction. The way you say something is as important as what you say. If you read my post and feel compelled to reply, then the way I see it, I made a good post. If you read my post and shrug and move on, I've contributed nothing.

2. I'm an asshole. But not in that I'm rude or a jerk, just that my posts are often matter-of-fact. That's tough for certain people. I'm ok with that. The ugly truth is that most people are mind-numbingly average, boring, pedestrian commoners who enjoy mediocre crap. I often don't mean average as 'bad but rather a measure of the baseline. Average is average. By simple definition most people are average...myself included. (but especially people who enjoy KI's Haunt)

3. I'm not actually sure I did that anywhere in this conversation. Disagreeing with you isn't that same as saying you're below me or lesser or something. I may have said this to you before too, but I think you're reading something into my posts that just isn't there a lot of the time. At the very least, it feels like you're reading me as much angrier and confrontational than I am.

4. Notice how the YouTube thing rolled right off of my back? It was mostly an afterthought to me. I already said I suck...many times. That it was my fault I didn't enjoy Haunt. I don't think I take amusement park discussion (and myself) nearly as seriously as you might be thinking I do. (which goes back to the 'tone" thing in #1)

5. I've said this before in reference to our conversations, but I think it's a simple case of our styles not mixing. My playful roughhousing is your angry fistfight. We're just in different places. And that's fine too.

Nice shots.

Thank you. I like to think my photos are a nice alternative to the gazillion same-as-all-the-others snapshots that the average, cheap-ass enthusiasts who are making their 30th visit to the park on a 90 dollar season pass and complaining about the price post on their plebian websites.

...

(see what I did there?)

Winky, mofo.

I love amusement park Halloween events and am not offended by Gonch's words.

Then I'm not trying hard enough.

I love Gonch and I'm offended by his words.

I love words and I'm offended by Gonch.

I'm offended by Gonch's love of words.