Volume 1, No. 19. October 19, 2001
High road to haunting
Paramount's Kings Dominion in Doswell,
Virginia, was not trying to break new ground when it set about building haunted
attractions for its Fear Fest this month. But, right in the middle of the location
chosen for the park's Halloween-themed shoulder season sat the Blue Ridge
Tollway, a Tin Lizzy ride. With the roadway coursing through woods and hills,
designers decided to make the antique cars one of Fear Fest's scary mazes.
Hence, Blue Ridge Bloodbath, a marriage of the traditional dark ride
with the new-flavored haunted maze, and perhaps the most singular Tin Lizzy
experience ever. "It really exceeded our expectations," said Joe Holtman, producer
at Paramount Parks Design and Entertainment. "We did not know how it would come
out when we were developing it, and we were wondering would it really work,"
he said. "It turned out that it does work."
The 350-foot-long (106-meter-long) Blue Ridge Tollway uses replica 1917
Model T Fords that the Fear Fest designers enhanced only with a skull covering
the hood ornament. They used hay bales, muslin and corn stalks to create blinders
throughout the course, obstructing riders' view of upcoming scenes and scares.
The addition of a spooky soundtrack with speakers placed around the course,
gloomy lighting, fog and eight actors gave Kings Dominion a classic haunted
maze, except that guests ride antique cars instead of walking.
Operational obstacles were easily overcome. The ride's terrain made placement
of blinders easier than Holtman anticipated. Another issue is the mode of transportation
itself, in which the frequently frightened guest must continuously accelerate
the car through the ride. Varying speeds of cars could interfere with the actors'
timing, too. The timing issue was solved by the dispatcher using a stopwatch
to space the cars out every 30 seconds. As for varying speeds among drivers,
Holtman said the guests self-police themselves. "We tell them in the station
to keep their foot on the pedal throughout the ride," he said. "They understand
that for them to get the scare potential, they have to follow the guidelines
we give them." Besides, some riders couldn't get enough speed out of the trundling
T's to escape some of the frights.
With Fear Fest's overall PG-13 rating, the Tin Lizzies got a rare workout from
teen-age guests rather than young children. "You did see the teens really enjoying
it, and that we really scared them," Holtman said. "They were enjoying Blue
Ridge Bloodbath as much as the mazes."