King's Island Ride: Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle

The ride structure where Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle now stands at King's Island in Mason, Ohio has changed many times over the years. Back when I was a kid in the mid-eighties, it was a boat ride similar to Pirates of the Caribbean, only with a Smurf theme. That's right, there was once a Smurf water ride, and as I remember, it was pretty awesome.

Then, the ride became, "The Phantom Theater". This was an excellent ride that was a sort of high-quality tribute to Disney's Haunted Mansion, complete with some of the exact same illusions, ride-segments, and special effects. Now, the structure is home to Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle, which is very different from any of the previous dark rides. (A dark ride is simply an indoor ride, it doesn't mean, "haunted house".)

For starters, this ride is far simpler than any of the previous rides. There are some three-dimensional figures and models of your favorite characters from Scooby Doo, but there are also many flat cut-outs. In fact, I'd say that the majority of the ride consists of these cut-outs. It's ever so slightly disappointing compared to the high quality of the past two dark rides. It definitely takes some getting used to if you remember the Phantom Theater.

Also, everything glows in the dark and the ride is now an interactive game with targets and laser guns. As you proceed through the ride, you shoot at the targets. When you hit a target, you earn points. You can see your points on small scoreboards that are on your ride vehicle directly in front of you. So the emphasis is less on the dark ride aspect and more on the game and interactive features.

Rides I would compare this to would be the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Only you don't get to spin your ride vehicle and you can't email your score. There are similarities to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida as well. It's also just as safe as that ride for very young kids.

What still works about Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle? Well, it's a real kid-pleaser. The game aspect is fun for them and before a certain age, kids don't really care if they're seeing 3D Scooby Doo or a standing cut-out of Scooby Doo. If it glows in the dark and you can earn points for it, they're happy. It's air-conditioned, which is always a bonus at a theme park, for kids and adults. It's also a long ride with a fairly fast moving line. So it gives you a chance to get off your feet for a little bit, or at the very least stand still for a while. (As I get older, I'm amazed at how often I have to take breaks now when visiting any theme park, and I'm only 26.)

There's certainly no reason to avoid this ride and I would, in fact, recommend it to any park visitors of any age. Just know that it's a very different ride from anything that has been there before. If you're prepared for the differences, you should be able to have a really good time with this fun and lengthy dark ride.