queen mary dark harbor long beach haunted attractions immersive ringmaster captain jon cooke

Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor is Given a New Lease on Life in 2018

It used to be easy to overlook the Queen Mary when it came to haunt season. In the early 2000’s, the annual Shipwreck event would bring with it only a couple of mazes and the occasional dance party, until it was rejuvenated and rebranded as Dark Harbor in 2010, when Jeff Schiefelbein (Sinister Pointe) came aboard.

 

In the near-decade since, Dark Harbor has slowly been growing and improving, and with the surprise announcement earlier this year that Knott’s Scary Farm legend Jon Cooke would be heading up the operation, it’s no surprise that 2018 has come out with guns blazing, making a strong case for best major haunt of the year.

 

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MAZES

B340

B340 was an odd maze at its inception, at one point taking you through the literal brain of Samuel the Savage. This year sees B340 grounded much more in reality, and it’s a violent reality, at that. Guests will assume the role of detectives at the onset, seeing the grisly aftermath of a gunshot to the head before exploring more of Samuel’s sordid past. B340 is definitely the goriest of Dark Harbor’s offerings, which will undoubtedly please guests with strong stomachs.

 

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CIRCUS

It’s already been four years since Circus made its Dark Harbor debut, but this year, it’s as colorful and as interactive as ever. True to its name, it feels like a demented funhouse, complete with a hall of mirrors and a spinning tunnel. Inside, you’ll meet an ominous carnival barker; head to his right and you’ll be faced with a giant spider, having to actually crawl through its web. Choose the left-hand path, and you’ll need to wade through a massive ball pit, which also may or may not be home to a few oversized reptiles.

 

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DEADRISE

A staple of Dark Harbor since 2012, Deadrise may have seen the most drastic overhaul of the whole season. Where before was a snaking labyrinth through the ruins of a boat is now an exponentially more interactive experience, complete with branching paths. Cross the wrong ghoul, and they’ll close an entire wall, forcing guests to find another way around, or they may even choose one unlucky soul for their mini-boot camp, in which the hapless victim will need to climb up a rope ladder and slide back down to earth. Add to that some of the most enthusiastic and mischievous scareactors in recent memory, and Deadrise is easily a Top 5 maze this year.

 

queen mary dark harbor long beach haunted attractions immersive ringmaster captain jon cooke

queen mary dark harbor long beach haunted attractions immersive ringmaster captain jon cooke

 

FEAST

Feast may very well be the scariest of Dark Harbor’s mazes in 2018. As a thumping soundtrack creates a droning rhythm, mortals will make their way through the bowels of the ship, trying to avoid becoming the Chef’s next meal. The theming in Feast is as clever as it is macabre, forcing guests to crawl through giant meat grinders and ovens, before descending down into the engine room. Feast is a perfect example of one of the greatest strengths of Dark Harbor, its ability to maximize existing surroundings, making the mazes feel so much more authentic and lived-in.

 

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INTREPID

While the Iron Master may have taken a slight backseat to the Ringmaster and the Captain as an icon of Dark Harbor, his home maze, Intrepid, is still the most visually impressive of the lot. Guests enter the maze through a ghostly train, and when they disembark at Edinburgh Station, they’re greeted with a massive procession of mourners, leading into a gorgeous church facade, reminiscent of some of the best church scenes of the LA Haunted Hayride’s past. Weaving through stuffy brick-and-mortar buildings near the end of the maze once again creates a sense of immersion that is unrivaled by many others.

 

queen mary dark harbor long beach haunted attractions immersive ringmaster captain jon cooke

 

LULLABY

Lullaby takes a classic theme, the ghastly tale of Scary Mary, and multiplies it throughout an entire walkthrough experience. It’s easy to lose count of just how many Marys inhabit Lullaby, each one with a different take on how to terrify guests. One might simply stare into your eyes while clutching a teddy bear, while another might bang on a piano at just the right (or wrong) moment. The fact that there’s a Mary around every corner fosters a fantastic sense of dread, an inescapability augmented by the claustrophobic confines of the ship itself.

 

queen mary dark harbor long beach haunted attractions immersive ringmaster captain jon cooke

ELSEWHERE

SHOWS

Where Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights boasts only one single show, it’s hard to keep track of all of the live entertainment at Dark Harbor. Its main stages are huge and employ a constantly rotating cast of performers, so there is rarely ever downtime. From sword swallowers to classic magicians to voodoo-inspired fire dancers, there is always something to see on stage, and that constant energy is vital to keeping the atmosphere exciting.

 

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SLIDERS

The off-the-charts energy of the scareactors at Dark Harbor is one of its biggest selling points by far, and this extends doubly to its sliders. Led by a demented clown known simply as Evil, this team of sliders performs shows twice a night that sees them sliding underneath limbo poles and through each other’s legs, showcasing a mastery of their highly specific art form.

 

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CONCLUSIONS

It’s tough to say whether Dark Harbor’s marked improvement is solely due to the addition of Jon Cooke or if there were other factors at work, but ultimately, it doesn’t really matter. The point is that he’s clearly a crucial part of the team, and that 2018 is the best Halloween season ever for the Queen Mary. Interactive mazes, a bevy of food and drink, and some of the most creative, most entertaining scareactors around make for quite possibly the best haunt experience all year.

 

queen mary dark harbor long beach haunted attractions immersive ringmaster captain jon cooke

 

Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor runs on select nights through November 2. Information can be found at https://www.queenmary.com/calendar-of-events/dark-harbor/home/.

About The Author

Tyler Davidson
Tyler Davidson is a nationally published journalist, having contributed to publications like Alternative Press, Hustler Magazine and The Argonaut. His incessant love of haunted attractions began in 2008, and has taken him to haunts all over the country ever since. He also plays a cult leader on TV.

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