Episode 44 09/10/08

Doug_Barnes · Episode 44 09/10/08

This Week Nick Hutson (musicaltalk.co.uk) and Shannon join Doug Barnes in the SPDR (sorry, no Brent this week). We focus mainly on the 2008 Halloween Season, but also discuss hard times at Hard Rock Park and the closing of Astroland in Coney Island. Enjoy this Special Edition FANcast.
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e_tapley0687

This episode has to be one of my favorites!

Astroland, I haven't been but I've recently really wanted to because to of my favorite flat rides are there (Break Dance & Top Spin). From videos and reviews I've seen, these two at Astroland are operated the best out of any I've ever seen. Here's two good videos of Top Spin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_IErjgZp-0

(best video & I really like the flips at 2:21) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaEJ8BfDFJ8

It really sucks that there selling them. I don't think they'll be operated the same way they were at Astroland. Hate to see this park close down.

Hard Rock Park, again a big let down. For a thrill seeker and ride themeing junky like me, it doesn't attract me at all. The environment is really nice but the rides don't have much themeing. For example, this ride Jungle Racing in China is the same as Eagles Life in the Fast Lane at HRP, but the themeing is way better and I would actually want to ride it knowing how tame the layout is. Here's the link to some pics of Jungle Racing:

http://rcdb.com/ig2982.htm

I agree it was over priced too for what they have to offer. I absolutely love music, but I'm still not attracted to the park, because there's nothing there I can relate to lol. I listen to different genres but not the older rock music. I do hope for them to do better in the future.

I love haunted houses, attractions, everything haunted! lol HHN in Orlando is soooo good! There always a story to the whole event, then there's little sub stories for every house, scarezone, and show. The past few years I've been keeping up with the HHN website that usually starts around August? And from there it unfolds to let you in on the years attractions and how the story fits into it. It's something that I would suggest everyone to try at least one year. The only bad thing I would have to say about HHN is the lines. There's sooo many ppl and at times it can be overwhelming, so go early in the season. This year is Bloody Mary and the story on the website this year was great!
Knott's is the first theme park I heard of to have a Halloween event. The first time I found out about it was in the Disney Adventures Magazine. Then I saw it on one of the Discovery Channel specials. I've always wanted to visit Knott's during Halloween.
This year I'm going to try King's Island for the first time. Read some reviews and it seems like it wont be too bad.
Hostel is a sick movie, but I still watch it all the time lol. It would be great to have a haunted attraction like Hostel.
Silent Hill in the UK sounds very disturbing... I really was disturbed when Nick was reading the review lol. I probably wouldn't ever do that one.
As far as I know, Dollywood nor Holiday World have a Halloween event, but Dollywood has a fantastic Christmas event! lol
This year I'm going to "One of the Nations Scariest Haunted Attractions" in Georgia. It's called Netherworld and it's actually two seperate haunted houses within Netherworld. It's about 4 hours away so hopefully it's really that good... it was on the Travel Channel! lol

Ok so I've typed enough lol. Great show and thanks again for all the hard work yall do, it's greatly appreciated.

dougscoastergirl

Asylum Hill is extremely disturbing and the pictures are even more so......for all of my intrigue about haunted houses and psychological terror (not for me personally!! LOL, but others enjoying it) this one takes the cake. I can't even begin to tell you how pissed off I would be if someone attempted to rape me, simulated or not, in a haunted house atmosphere and I was not aware that it was a possibility, which is what happened to one of the women on the tour. To me there needed to be a disclosure that this type of activity occurs at this particular "establishment". That's a bit above and beyond my scope of horror interest and entertainment. To me, that's a line that just should not be crossed--there's no excuse and no socially acceptable reason for it......In my opinion. To each his/her own, though. That being said, I do think the concept behind the house is interesting, I know I used the word "cool" but I definitely meant more, ahhhh, intriguing, than anything else, the torture part doesn't bother me Embarassed

(LOL), but the raping, that's too much.

A Hostel House, that would be kind of cool, from a stand and watch perspective, not to participate actively!!

I always find Halloween fascinating because there are so many people who are obsessed with the macabre and dark art (not magic, people) that it challenges you to look inside yourself and see what makes you tick.

I am looking forward to going to Knotts Scary Farm, but I am nervous, and I am feeling as though I just spent $50 to spend the night buried in Doug's back and shoulders......

Wylder

Great show,
I was really wanted to try Hard Rock Park this fall, but since they have shut down one of their three larger coasters, it won't be worth the 10 hour drive. Sad

I will try to keep this short, but I have been going to HHN since HHN2 (I missed the first year when they called it Fright Fest). I have only missed about 3 or 4 times since.
When it first started it was great, they had a lot of really cool effects.

-One house had a room that they closed you in and one of the walls started to close in on you .
-One year, in the big sound stage, they had a house where they put you in a small room, turned off the lights, started blasting you with air and pig noises , then the room started to lift. It let you off on a second story, where you walked through half of the house and then slid down a big rubber slide into a ball pit. Amazing

The event began to get bigger and they put in more houses. They still put some themeing in them, but it became more about people standing behind plywood walls, slamming windows and doors at you.

All the while Busch Gardens was getting thier feet wet in the Halloween business. I didn't attend the first few years there, but I heard they were a little underwelming. As the years went on, they started making more elaborate houses, using detailed themes and misdirection to provide scares (Setting up an operating table with someone getting an operation on right side of the hall to get your attention, and then scaring the %$#& out of you by someone on the left).

I believe Universal was paying attention, because they began creating unique haunted houses agian like Run - the haunted game show where you had to run for your life.

That said, they both do a wonderful job now. I heard it said on your show that this is a family event. I really haven't seen that myself. Most people in the parks are older and Universal makes a killing on alcohol. I have seen some (foolish) people with younger kids in the park, some of them leaving and hour into the event with thier kids crying in fear.

Sharron, USF used to have a Psycho house and a Bates Motel. the Bates Motel housed one of my favorite houses of all time. It was all removed to make room for their kids area behind E.T..

To address the the different levels of events, I went to Cedar Points Halloweekends last year. It was a little fun, but if HHN is a Broadway musical, Halloweekends was a 8th grade graduation play.

To sum up, If you can get to Universal or Busch Gardens aroung Halloween, do it, you won't regret it. Lastly, Tapley is right, the lines get massive. Get there 45 min early, hit the houses first, they get the biggest lines.