Red Moon Massacre.  Most folks either love it or hate it.  It's the same for the Mine Train as well - but we'll get into that in due time.  Once the great two must-see attractions at Knott's Halloween Haunt, the Log Ride and Mine Train have become huge let-downs in recent years, primarily due to budget.

We preach the same thing year in and year out - you cannot bring up the level of detail in the mazes such as 13 Axe Murder Manor and Feary Tales and not plop down a lot more cash when it comes to the two rides.  If the mazes at Haunt are going to be taken to the next level, the rides must follow.  And due to the size of the rides and the subsequent size of the props necessary to make a "wow" impact on guests visually, you know that cost is going to be substantial.  So far - we say so far because we have faith that Cedar Fair will make it happen - eventually, someone in upper management will see the light and flow the funding to take the two rides to the next level.

Otherwise, you get the effect that the two attractions have had over the past few years now - a mediocre response from guests and sometimes even worse than that from long-time hard core fans.

Now, that said, Red Moon Massacre (Timber Mountain Log Ride) has come out way ahead of the Mine Train in the past several years due to the werewolf theme moving in to the mountain after we all said goodbye to Curse of the Werewolf in the Haunted Shack.

For Theme Park Adventure, there have always been problems when it comes to Red Moon.  Many of them are inherent - because of the ride itself.  You can only position talent in certain spots each year due to the layout of the flume and construction of the scenes, the monsters in the mountain can only do so much because unlike mazes or streets, you are their victim for all of two seconds before your log sweeps you on by.  It's gotta be a tough gig for the talent assigned to Red Moon; one that we admit, we would never want.

The props used within Red Moon Massacre are decent enough - many of them though, go unnoticed as guests ride through the darkness; if people don't see most of the props, they may as well not be there in the first place.  That's why TPA is such a strong advocate for props that are massive for the rides; several of these large-scale props do exist in Red Moon and we love them; big werewolves, the "red moon" itself and our own fave - the massive skeletal structure that the logs flow into (and presumably, out of - yuck) at the end of the ride.

For whatever reason, Red Moon has just never done much for us.  It's not anything in particular - it just always comes off as a very "blah" Haunt attraction.  Many folks on the TPA team remember back in the day as kids waiting in the long, long line each year to take a ride through Timber Mountain.  Now, it's almost a take-it-or-leave-it attraction for us when we cover Halloween Haunt.  We'd much rather spend our time in mazes or on streets watching monsters terrorize guests.

That's just the way it be, folks.  However, we do give huge props to those who bust their butts each and every night in the mountain.  Our hats are honestly off to you all - it cannot and we know, is not easy at all to work Log Ride.  If you can strike fear in the hearts of guests zipping past in a ride vehicle, then chances are, you could rock their socks on the street or in a maze.

Now - there are cases where the talent starts working the mountain, realize that it is not the greatest Scary Farm job in the world and they lose their drive.  You do see certain monsters from time to time just standing there waving at the logs as they go by.  That is no good; if you need a break, take a break.  If you're resting for a second, duck out of sight.  But don't stand there and wave at the logs!  Jeeeeez!

Pictures are just about impossible when it comes to covering Red Moon.  You don't want to ride through the mountain popping your flash; you will blind the monsters and chances are, your images will come out unfocused and nasty anyway.  The moisture in the air inside the ride will give you major flashback particles, so you're just about sunk in the photo department.

SO... the next best thing is to take some pictures of any talent that maybe roaming the line and any Red Moon-themed decorations in the queue or in the area itself.  That's what we've done this year - which still falls short of the pictures we'd like to take inside the ride.  Some are better than none though, right?

The soundtrack played throughout Red Moon Massacre is forgettable, but in all fairness, in this case the soundtrack plays such a small role, it's not a major point - which is rare - so it goes in one ear and out the other when we ride.  Hopefully, not too much goes into the production of this particular soundtrack.  If it does, it's dust in the wind.

Whether or not Red Moon is returning next year remains to be seen at the moment.  If it does, we anticipate it to be as solid in 2006 as it was this year.  It will have its following, and it will be popular simply because the two rides at Haunt (none of the other rides count - if you're at Haunt, there are no other rides to go on, folks).  On the other hand, it will remain "blah" for others, us included.

If Red Moon Massacre does not return in 2006, whatever replaces it will need to come on strong for two reasons.  The most obvious is that Haunt is taking its mazes to the next level; we expect the rides to follow.  No more excuses.  The second reason that the Log Ride would need to be extra-strong if it has a new theme next year would be because the Mine Train debuted a very decent new look this year with Cavern of Lost Souls - a big improvement over the past couple of years (but that's another review for another time).

A big TPA thanks to those hard-working folks behind Red Moon Massacre.  We appreciate the effort, this year's access and the overall showing that the werewolves made at Scary Farm 2005!  Bark at the moon, brothers and sisters!