What exactly are the skeleton key experiences?

First year platinum pass holder and have only been to Halloweekends once before years ago. I see CP's site advertise the Fright Lane with Skeleton Key VIP experiences. What exactly are they, am I missing out on a lot. How much would it cost me as a platinum pass holder?

Last season, the Skeleton Key got you into 5 or so "mini-haunts" in the buildings located along the Frontier Trail; you aren't really missing out on much, especially in regards to the main houses. It's really "icing on the cake" for Fright Lane purchasers, if you ask me. However, if you go to Kings Island's Haunt, the Skeleton Key is used to give you access into an extra room in several of the main houses, so the value there seems to be a bit more, if you do want to buy the front-line access. I'm not sure if there is a discount for Platinum passholders, but the regular price is $55 Fridays/$65 Saturdays/$35 Sundays. IMO, I don't think Fright Lane is worth it as long as you go on Fridays or Sundays, skipping Saturdays at all costs. If you do go on a Saturday (here's a hint: DON'T), then it's worth its weight in gold, since lines for haunts on Saturdays can exceed 2 hours apiece.

I already planned to go mainly on Fridays, Sundays as backup if there's rain. Have no intention of going on Saturday because the one time I was at Halloweekends, it was the last Saturday of the season. Waited 2 hours, 45 minutes for Maverick.

It was 2012 to be exact when I was at Halloweekends and it was a 4 four drought of my last Cedar Point trip so I wanted to ride some coasters. So I only experienced 2 haunted attractions. This year though, I'll make sure to experience everything and every show too. I probably won't get the Skeleton Key, just going there is going to get a greater share of haunted experiences than I ever gotten before in my life.

Yeah, I don't really think it's worth it to get Fright Lane just for those mini-haunts; it's really just an extra little added benefit alongside the main line-skipping benefit, for those who decide to take the plunge. Additionally, unlike Fast Lane, Fright Lane is valid for only one time through each house; it's a punch-card lanyard, and once you've gone through all the houses, you're done. Lines are very manageable on Fridays/Sundays anyways, so you'll have more than enough time without Fright Lane to do the houses. Have fun!

Thanks, and I can't wait to ride the rides in the cold again like I did a bit in May. Always an interesting experience in the cold. Plus on Fridays it will be pretty sweet staying there til midnight and most of the trip being at nighttime, I love CP more at night with all the lights.