Review by Rick West

Another year, and another round for Alien Annihilation at Knott's Halloween Haunt.

I think no matter what I say, this maze is going to get little love.  I don't know what it is about some mazes - but once they debut and have the stigma of being a bad maze, or more appropriately-labeled, a "rookie maze", it seems there is no turning back, as far as the fan perception goes.  And that's a shame, because that's a hell of a hole for talent to try and claw their way out of, no matter how hard they try or how good they are.

Was the talent in Alien Annihilation good this past Haunt?  Yes, and no.  Yes, there were several monsters in there that knew what they were doing and had an absolute blast interacting with guests non-stop.  Other talent just kind of... stood there... being... alien.. like.  Kinda.

I guess.

Maybe the new talent needed some more direction - or maybe we just happened to catch the monsters during momentary downtime each time we went through the maze.  Alien just never seemed scary to me.  Maybe Alien isn't supposed to be scary - but more interactive on the laser tag end of things.  If that's the case, then I will say that most of the talent in the maze did do a fairly decent job at keeping the guests moving, active and shooting their laser guns back and forth at them.  I did see more guns going through the maze this year than last year.  And the monsters really seemed to enjoy having laser shoot-outs with the Haunt guests.  So on that level, there's no denying that Alien Annihilation is a fun experience - especially if you get yourself a laser gun and totally get into the whole shoot 'em up aspect of this maze.

Excitement aside, this is Halloween Haunt we're talking about - not a stand-alone production that isn't... obligated to be frightening.  When you're a maze within the Scary Farm showcase, people are gong to want terror - monsters jumping out and scaring the hell out of people at every turn.  And that just simply isn't the case in Alien Annihilation.  Like Labyrinth, Alien is a fun experience and definitely unique given the laser tag element... but does it really belong?

Not sure about that one, and it could be debated all night long without resolve.  There are Haunt visitors that really like a wide variety of experiences when it comes to mazes.  Not all mazes have to be hard core like Slaughterhouse or really elaborate and spooky like Terror of London, if you ask them.  And then there are Haunt fans that will always immediately condemn mazes like Alien simply because it is not horrific or chilling.  I guess I am kind of in the middle, leaning a bit toward the dark and frightening side of things.  I prefer my mazes heavy and serious as opposed to brightly-lit and fun.  Just my personal preference; nothing more, nothing less.

The soundtrack in Alien Annihilation makes it seem like you're in a club rather than in the belly of the mother ship.  Don't expect ominous tones to accent the dense fog in this maze - it's loud and techno-esque.  Normally, I would crucify those behind the music selection in a case like this.  However... due to the fact that Alien is an excitement experience and is highly-interactive on a very high-energy level, the techno music is tolerable and even fits, although it pains me to admit it.  I suppose it's simply because I prefer my maze soundtracks to be "realistic" rather than the normal cop-out of heavy metal or in this case, techno.  If it were up to me, I would perhaps try odd, futuristic sounding tones with really heavy-duty spaceship "sounds" - engines being fired, doors opening and closing somewhere, hydraulic lifts, screams of humans being probed... you know.  That kind of alien stuff.

Like I said however, due to the fact that Alien Annihilation is an interactive shoot-out game, the techno works.  And it actually works well.  The bright black light sets almost make you feel as if you're walking through a video game of sorts, which I suppose is appealing to folks as well.  I just really want to see a dark alien-themed maze... kinda like the movie, you know?  Alien mazes have played a role at Haunt many times over the years.  But there has yet to be a truly dark and terrifying alien maze.  I doubt that Alien Annihilation will ever be altered to fit that bill - but hopefully at some point down the line, the Haunt designers will invest some effort in really scaring the crap out of people with a dark, really scary alien maze set within a spacecraft or even on a hostile alien planet.  Something different!  Something to make guests have Haunt poopy pants!  PLEASE?

Another problem I have with Alien Annihilation is that the laser tag guns are an up-charge item.  I fundamentally HATE anything at a theme park that is an additional charge other than food, drinks or sourvenirs.  I hate up-charges for rides.  I won't ride 'em.  I hate up-charges for things like laser tag guns for Haunt mazes.  I won't "rent" them, nor will I participate in any kind of shoot-out.  I won't.  Theme park Halloween events are expensive enough these days - to slap extra charges up and beyond maybe the ever-present $1.00 3-D glasses for certain mazes - it just smells of corporate greed to me and an attempt to bleed already cash-strapped guests even more from their wallets.  I suppose that is the business objective of parks such as Knott's when they host these events - but come on... a few bucks here and another couple of bucks there and suddenly, Halloween Haunt is a $100.00 event after food and souvenirs.  It's just really hard to swallow, in these really crap economic times.

The design of Alien is okay for me - it's not terribly elaborate, as you can see in our video flow-through.  But there are some nice props and pieces throughout the maze.  I do like when Knott's actually builds its own mechanical props and figures.  That is a huge cornerstone of old-school Halloween Haunt in my opinion - back in the day when Knott's built most of everything mechanical rather than buy it off the shelf from a haunters' catalog.  I do have a soft spot for "Big Pussy", however, the "mother alien" at the end of the maze; that thing has been through so much at Haunt that it might as well be a Knott's creation now, with all of the building and re-building that thing has seen.  Big Pussy's come a long way since its early days in The Swamp!  So it's always fun to see it survive to surface again in some way year after year.

Like I've said, the talent in Alien Annihilation was a mixed bag this past year.  Some of the guys and gals were really good and totally into it - others just didn't get it.  As we walk through the infested spacecraft, we want alien scares - not monsters leaning into a corner making friggin' cat noises or snorts as we pass by!  You're aliens, people!  Not the goddamned Cat from Outer Space!  Sigh...

Perhaps this is a rookie maze; it doesn't mean people have to act like rookies.  Get the eye black on and get in there and scare the hell out of people.  It's pretty cut and dry, folks.  There's nothing like an alien hopping out the darkness with their teenage pasty white cheeks visible through the eye holes of their mask.  For things like this, we expect the veteran (or at least the monsters not there for the first time) talent to take these guys under their wings (or whatever you aliens have) and mentor these folks.  Correct these issues.  Turn these rookies into kick-ass Haunt talent that will return next year either to Alien or elsewhere and ROCK IT.  This is expected of you.  Haunt is all about tradition.  YOU guys are the tradition.  Management isn't going to teach you how to bring it as you're blasted through Scare School.  It's up to the maze teams to work together, find everyone's groove and unleash it to the fullest potential.

Otherwise, my dear shooters and shooties...

- Game Over -

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