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There’s nothing more natural for a movie studio than a sequel. And as anyone knows, the best way to make a sequel is to make it bigger, louder, and (most importantly) more expensive than the original.

That’s why, in 1999, a massive wooden crate appeared inside Paramount's Kings Island. As guests walked by, they’d hear deep snarling and clawing from within the box, and it would violently shake, tethered to the ground only by massive, rattling metal chains.

On May 11, 1999 – twenty years after the opening of The Beast, media and guests gathered beneath the towering structure of the wooden creature to announce a sequel unlike any other on Earth. The mysterious sounds inside of the wooden crate grew louder and angrier as the announcement continued until its name was finally unveiled. In 2000, Paramount Action Zone would be home to the biggest, loudest, greatest sequel of all time: SON OF BEAST.

At more than $20 million, Son of Beast would be the largest investment ever at Paramount’s Kings Island. It would also be the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster ever, the second longest (leaving the length record to its father), and the first wooden “hypercoaster” breaking the 200-foot height barrier. The addition of Son of Beast would also give Kings Island more wooden roller coaster track than any park on Earth (22,619 feet – more than 4 miles).

But the most unimaginable feature of Son of Beast wasn’t its record-breaking height, speed, drop, or title. Rather, it was something few could’ve imagined: Son of Beast would be the only looping wooden roller coaster on Earth.

The reveal of the remarkable ride model at the announcement earned disbelieving gasps and applause from the gathered crowd who couldn’t have imagined that a decade later, the largest and most ambitious addition ever at Kings Island would be reduced to a pile of shattered lumber.

Building a new Beast 

Son of Beast was designed by famed roller coaster designer Werner Stengel, a sort of thrill ride Renaissance man who founded Ingenieurbüro Stengel GmbH, a German engineering firm.

Stengel’s work early on led to the development of the modern loop (a clothoid, or reversed teardrop shape compared to earlier, perfectly circular loops) and the idea of orienting track banking around a human rider’s heartline for comfort. Stengel was instrumental in the design of many definitive thrill rides today, including Millennium Force, Top Thrill Dragster, El Toro, California Screamin' and a staggering 590 more, including his celebrated 500th design: Cedar Point's Maverick.

When it came time to build the behemoth Son of Beast, Paramount Parks turned to the Roller Coaster Corporation of America (RCCA), perhaps best well known for Six Flags Fiesta Texas’ Rattler (1992). RCCA got to work constructing the ride, comprised of 2.5 million board feet of wood. Southern yellow pine made up the extensive and complex support structure with the wooden track piles made of Douglas fir. Over 2,400 concrete footers were dug 11 feet into the ground. Altogether, the ride used a staggering 225,000 21-inch steel bolts.

But from the start, a few rough areas signaled that Son of Beast would have an even worse attitude than its father...

On January 11, 2000 – well into the ride’s construction, a 50 by 100 foot section of wooden supports collapsed as particularly strong gusts of wind ravaged the ride. The unfinished track section had only been held up by temporary supports, though, and Paramount’s Kings Island officials announced that the ride’s April opening wouldn’t be delayed by the temporary setback.

As opening date neared, they changed their tune. Partway through construction, Paramount Parks Inc. fired RCCA entirely and set out to finish constructing the ride by themselves, in house. (A little later, after the ride’s first season, in November 2000, they sued RCCA [as Roller Coaster Company of Ohio – the contracted designer and constructor], Wooden Structures Inc. [the lead structural engineering firm] and even Universal Forest Products of Hamilton [who provided the lumber] alleging that the very design of Son of Beast contained insufficient support structures and other defects that Paramount was then required to correct – more on that in a bit.)

Son of Beast opened later than expected: May 26, 2000. Like most highly anticipated sequels, guests were ecstatic about the record-shattering ride, even if they portrayed an air of skepticism. Could Son of Beast really be a worthy follow-up to one of the greatest wooden roller coasters ever? Short answer: it depends who you ask.

Setting the scene

If there’s one thing that the original Beast is celebrated for it, it’s secrecy. The ride is famously concealed deep in the woods of Ohio, occupying 35 acres of forest. So well hidden is The Beast that you can barely catch a glimpse of its 110-foot tall lift hill unless you know where to look.

Located deep in the park’s Rivertown section, the ride’s backstory is understated, but clear: there’s a menacing creature lurking in the mysterious woods on the edge of an early Ohio settlement. What is it? No one knows. What does it look like? We can’t be sure. What does the ride do? Where does it go? The only way to find out is to face it.

Image: Jeremy Thompson, Flickr (license)

The Beast is all about fear of the unknown.... Guests hoping to ride first have to leave the historic village of Rivertown behind and trek to an old, broken down, dried up mill outside of town. As if it could be the subject of its own urban legend, the abandoned mill is adorned with a few wooden signs: “Ignore the screaming in the woods.” “Everything is fine.” Are those drops of blood? The mystery and intrigue of the Beast are half the fun.

Can you find Son of Beast in the map above? Better question: how could you miss it?

Subtlety is not one of the words you’d use to describe Son of Beast. Son of Beast absolutely towers over Paramount’s Kings Island. The ride is located in the brand new Paramount Action Zone alongside action movie thrill machines like FACE/OFF, Top Gun, and Drop Zone: Stunt Tower. And Son of Beast isn't quite as well disguised as its father. 

Image: Martin Lewison, Flickr (license)

If The Beast were a movie, it would be a slow-building 1970s thriller; a mysterious nail-biter focused on drama and intrigue... On the other hand, Son of Beast is an action-packed summer blockbuster sequel... car chases, explosions, giant monsters... forget secrecy and certainly forget subtlety. Leaving his father behind in the quiet forests of Rivertown, Son of Beast towers over the frantic, kinetic Paramount Action Zone backlot.

First, the queue for Son of Beast proceeds down a pathway lined with chain link fence, passing under a high-security bridge. Flashing blue warning lights illuminate the path, signaling that this sequel departs from the antique Rivertown.

The ride’s station is Outpost 5, a metallic platform that’s high-tech and even higher-security. The radical shift from The Beast’s setting is intentional. In this not-so-subtle sequel, the mysterious offspring of the Beast has been captured by an unknown agency and relocated to a high-security pen for examination. Your job is simple: board a Perimeter Surveillance Vehicle and ensure that everything’s going smoothly in there.

Image: Paul Bonifield, KIExtreme

Think you can handle what Son of Beast has in store? Let’s take a ride.

 
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Comments

Great read-just like many on here. I'll admit that at first I deemed SoB to be too rough while also lacking the allure and theming of the original. But with experience I grew to love the ride--If I had the car to myself and could brace each foot in the corner while also holding tight to either side of the bar. This way you could shift your weight accordingly - letting your limbs be your body's shock absorbers. It was as if you were riding a wild animal and the challenge was to not get rattled-the most participatory experience of any coaster. Still, it was tiring and a one-ride-per-visit situation. It is rare that a coaster demands so much from its riders and too bad that many couldn't rise to the challenge. RIP SoB

Kings Island is literally 30 minutes at the most from Cincinnati. "A few hours north of Cincinnati." Did you walk there?

After explaining everything happening at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville at the time: "Meanwhile, a few hours north near Cincinnati..." ;)

Was the best adrenaline rush of all rides. Yes it was rough but worth it. The end train always whipped harder believe or not. Its nothing you can imagine . Only experience. EPIC!!! Sad its gone. Was a gloomy day in Cincy when he was murdered.

This ride was AMAZING!!!! I was one of the firsts to.ride it and I loved it. My mom was the first to.ride the beast so it was fitting. I miss this ride so much. The double helix was better than the loop. It was an awesome coster!

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