Theme park fans of a certain age are going to want to listen up. Kings Island—one of the most important regional parks in the country—is officially bringing back Phantom Theater, the cult-favorite dark ride that debuted in 1992 and disappeared far too soon.
If you’re not familiar with Kings Island, it’s one of the crown jewels of the Midwest. Located just outside Cincinnati, the park is nationally famous for its roller coaster lineup, including legendary wood coaster The Beast, hyper coaster Diamondback and giga coaster Orion. But while coasters make the headlines, Phantom Theater has held a special place for longtime Kings Island fans—the ride fans never stopped asking about.
Originally positioned as Kings Island’s answer to Disney’s Haunted Mansion (but with more jokes and less doom), Phantom Theater operated for a full decade before closing in 2002. The attraction was later replaced by a Scooby-Doo shooter ride that still exists today as Boo Blasters on Boo Hill. Now, in a full-circle moment, Boo Blasters is closing after September 1 to make room for Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare, opening in April 2026…