Halloweekends 2012

I am seriously considering planning a trip to nyc to try this black out thing. Sounds like my kind of thing.

djDaemon said:
I don't think it's crossing a line. It sounds like it fills a niche for those who crave a "Hostel"-type experience. It's not something I'd personally be interested in doing, but I dig that something like that exists.

Oh there's definitely people out there that crave that kind of level of realism.....that's for sure. I just don't classify it as a true haunted house. I'd call it something like a shock house.But again, that's just my opinion.

Also, the new haunt looks well sized. Can't wait to get through it.

I'm interested in what kind of displays they come up with. Maybe some famous celebrities will have dead wax models. Seeing a dead Justin Bieber will be hilarious.

The Sandusky Register made mention of a "big new live show" for HalloWeekends using the Luminosity stage called Skeleton Crew. Canada's Wonderland debuted a new show with the same name last year, so that seems to be a likely candidate.

I tried to look at Blackout NYC with an open mind, but the concept just makes me uncomfortable, knowing the widely-varying degree of mental stability among people.

Some people can easily separate a simulation from reality, so the experience would serve as gritty entertainment with no ill effects. For others, the experience could be damaging. Since there'd be no way to separate these people without performing tests, then there needs to be a safe established level for everyone.

I'm probably opening a can of worms here, but what popped into my mind is video games and censorship. When I was younger and games were just entering the 3D realm like Goldeneye for N64, I thought the censorship outcries were silly, as there was a huge separation from reality.

Today, my perspective has changed, and I fully support censorship and pushing ratings with a required age to play. Things are starting to get more realistic, and I'm sure we'll get to a point where video game graphics are indistinguishable from reality.

What if these games allowed you to interact with the simulated world on a deeper level? You hold a controller that looks like a knife, and your movements perfectly translate to killing the human in the same ways known in real life. You can do anything in this game, and you see everything.

I think there's a point where you have to say, "Enough is enough. This is not acceptable or healthy behavior to learn." The reviews I've read about Blackout might be exaggerations and hype to gather interest. But if the review I read is accurate that it should not be treated as a haunted house, but an experiment of how much a person can mentally withstand, then it doesn't seem healthy to me.

You're going to end up with someone obsessed that wants to carry this stuff out in the real world, recreating these disturbing experiences with real humans. It's inevitable, and I think as simulations become increasingly realistic, there will be more of these people, craving that ultimate level.

Let's just say that I'm happy that CP's haunted houses are jumpy, fun, and nowhere near this level! :) Also, yes, Mean Streak's floor plan makes the building look much larger than it originally appeared.

Ffej said:
...I fully support censorship and pushing ratings with a required age to play.

Those are two very different things. We already have a rating system for both movies and video games. And the rating system works well (the same is not true for MPAA ratings, but I digress). It's ignorant parents who pay no attention to what their kids are doing that are the problem.

And I could not disagree more with the idea of censorship. Censorship is a dangerous game that only serves to harm society, in my opinion. If someone doesn't want to walk through a haunted house, fine, they don't have to. But they have no right to deny anyone else that ability.

I really hope that the outside of the building gets some theming. what do you guys think it will look like? i hope that it'll look like the old eden musee!

They are very different things, but I support them both.

I'm curious why you feel censoring material is dangerous and a harm to society?

I feel like the more people are exposed to disturbing stuff, the more desensitized they become, and the more they crave the next level. Eventually, the next level is reality.

What happens when Blackout is no longer shocking? Do we get to the point where you actually have to fend for your life and risk getting raped or killed (but you can say "safety" to stop it all)? As disturbing as that sounds, I'm certain there would be people signing up and signing their lives off if they could.

Anybody been to the park lately to see the progress of the new Haunted house being built in Mean Streak queue? Anybody have pictures?

Cp 6092 said:
Maybe some famous celebrities will have dead wax models. Seeing a dead Justin Bieber will be hilarious.

Wasn't something like this tried at another park and was considered too violent? I remember hearing that they "killed" Miley Cyrus and Steve McNair (Old Titans QB) along with other famous people.

Shawn, I posted two pictures on the last page.

They're really hard to see, but the only time I was able to take them was at night.

Wasn't something like this tried at another park and was considered too violent? I remember hearing that they "killed" Miley Cyrus and Steve McNair (Old Titans QB) along with other famous people.

It was actually KIngs Island.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2009-09-25-skeleton-dead-celebs_N.htm

Ffej said:
I'm curious why you feel censoring material is dangerous and a harm to society?

Because what's "censor-worthy" to one person might be completely acceptable to another. And you or anyone else should not have the authority to determine what I can or cannot handle.

Eventually, the next level is reality.

Yeah, people have been saying that for a long time, most frequently over the last ~20 years, particularly with regard to video game violence. Video games have gotten vastly more violent and realistic over that time period. And yet, homicide and violent crime rates have dropped pretty steadily over that same period, even as video games have seen incredible gains in popularity.

In short, that's an unsubstantiated "boogeyman" argument, and is in now way appropriate justification for censoring what you might feel is objectionable content.

In a free society, one person should not be able to determine what media others should have access to. If you don't think something is appropriate, don't use it. Forcing others to abide your personal set of values isn't fair.

djDaemon said:

Ffej said:
I'm curious why you feel censoring material is dangerous and a harm to society?

Because what's "censor-worthy" to one person might be completely acceptable to another. And you or anyone else should not have the authority to determine what I can or cannot handle.

So true. Check out "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" by Kirby Dick. Great film.

So, if a person feels watching videos of real human torture and brutal killings, child pornography, etc. is acceptable, then they are being harmed because others find it unacceptable and are banning it?

I understand your point that everyone has different levels of tolerance and censoring must not get out of hand, but I still think there is a line that has to be drawn for everyone; some things are not healthy for anyone to see. Just think what a disturbing place the Internet would be without any censoring...

We don't know if disturbing uncensored games have ill effects on people, as tbey're all censored presently. Game rating boards force creators to tone things down, threatening an adult-only, 21+ rating, which basically kills the game from any success. And I hope things stay that way. I'm going to doubt humanity if young adults are very graphically killing photo-realistic humans in the style of Rock Star's Man Hunt one day. Why should that be accepted as fun?

Ffej said:
So, if a person feels watching videos of real human torture and brutal killings, child pornography, etc. is acceptable, then they are being harmed because others find it unacceptable and are banning it?

Dude. That is a little different than your average Hollywood film. That is completely different.

I have to side with Chris. Jeff, the examples your siting are all illegal activities.

Ffej said:
...real human torture and brutal killings, child pornography...

As others have pointed out, these activities are illegal, and not even remotely comparable to haunted houses, films, books, etc..

Frog Hopper King said:
I really hope that the outside of the building gets some theming. what do you guys think it will look like? i hope that it'll look like the old eden musee!

I'm also hoping for some sort of mock up of the original Eden Musse. I've been able to find a couple pictures of the original building, and it would look pretty sweet to have on the front of the new house.

Are there any preserved accounts that detail the interior layout of the ride?