MASON, OH — Kings Island will debut its new family dark ride, Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare, as it opens its 55th season on Saturday.
The new interactive ride will pay homage to the park's past with a narrative set in a hallowed theater. Visitors will join head usher No Legs Larry's team in enchanted opera boxes, using spellbound flashlights to capture "ghost notes" unleashed by a lightning strike from Maestro's organ.
The ride features backstage areas, haunted hallways, dressing rooms and a fiery boiler room. Guests will encounter animatronic performers such as Houdelini, The Great Garbonzo, Hilda Bovine and Lionel Burymore, along with Maestro's feline friend, Arpeggio.
Interactive scenes will incorporate wind, sound and other sensory effects, with hidden Easter eggs throughout the experience.
The ride will conclude with a grand on-stage musical finale involving all cast members.
This new attraction is a nod to the original Phantom Theater, which operated at Kings Island from 1992 to 2002.
The Six Flags Entertainment Corp. amusement park near Cincinnati has more than 65 rides, slides and attractions. Kings Island single-day tickets range from $45-$90, and parking is $35. Special multiple-day passes are available, too.
Kings Island is about a 2-hour drive southeast of downtown Indianapolis.
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