September is here. What does that mean? For most people it means going back to school and more traffic here in the Los Angeles area. Like we need more traffic here in L.A. Now bring in the end of summer, and people here seem to be in a humdrum mood. That is not true for me. You will see a skip in my step, and a huge grin on my face. This can only mean one thing. Knott’s Scary Farm is back!
That’s right the amusement park known as Knott’s Berry Farm is turned into everyone’s favorite Halloween Haunt. Now it is in its 43rd year and still going strong. The whole park is turned into the devils playground, where all your most frightening nightmares come to life. This year the festivities start on September 24 and run through October 31st.
I was lucky enough to be invited to the unveiling of all the mazes, show, and scare zones. It took place in the Charles M. Shultz Good Time Theater. Well for Scary Farm it becomes Goul Time Theater. Inside we were treated to monsters and ghouls running around doing their best to scare all who attended. Here is all that is happening this year at Knott’s Scary Farm.
Mazes
This year we will be treated to eleven mazes. Three will be brand new to Scary Farm this year. Here are the mazes with a little description of each one.
Black Magic
The veil between the living and the dead is severed when Houdini’s ghost materializes during a séance and ushers a host of demonic illusions to play tricks on anyone who intrudes on his theatre. From the prop room to the main stage this dilapidated theatre will make visitors skin crawl. Will you be part of the disappearing act?
Dead of Winter (New Maze)
Escape the icy grasp of the chilling Snow Queen in the The Dead of Winter. Backed by a ravenous beastly army of resurrected Viking warriors, she is hellbent on avenging her beloved family’s murder, and preys upon any unsuspecting visitors who foolishly enter the borders of her icy domain.
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Forevermore
The twisted mind of Edgar Allen Poe comes alive as the “Forevermore Killer” works his way through one haunting tale after another. All the victims unwittingly find themselves a part of “The Raven,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” The Masque of Red Death” among other horrific stories. Guests will want to catch up on their reading to stay a chapter ahead of their demise.
My Bloody Clementine: Calico Mine Train (New Maze)
There is no tale more vicious and vengeful than that of My Bloody Clementine. Take a grim ride through the transformed Calico Mine where Clementine and her father were brutally murdered centuries ago. Their wretched spirits roam the tunnels in search of those who killed them. This year, the ride through maze will feature live monsters out for revenge at the train track’s every turn.
Pinocchio Unstrung
Years have passed since the blue fairy denied him his final wish, but Pinocchio has returned with an army of murderous marionettes intent on killing his former masters. The purpose of his killing spree – human flesh to cover his twisted wooden body. Revenge comes with no strings attached.
Paranormal Inc. (New Maze)
In this groundbreaking new maze featuring high flying aerial stunts and scares, guests investigate a haunted hospital where the patients were tortured for decades by deranged doctors and nurses. Demonic spirits of the murdered victims have been detected throughout the mysterious halls, while evil medical staff hunt for new patients to torture.
Special Ops: Infected- Patient Zero
Back by overwhelming demand, guests can enlist to fight the zombie apocalypse in an all-out war against the undead in the interactive experience. This ambitious attraction was the first of its kind in North America. Armed with specially designed laser guns, brave groups of Knott’s Scary Farm guests will embark on missions, led by their Squad Leader – a loud mouthed, take-no-prisoners commander charged with turning guests into soldiers.
Groups must work together to fend off zombies and complete terrifying missions before time runs out. If zombies drag their bodies too close, the un-infected’s guns temporarily deactivate, compromising the safety of the entire team. Soldiers with the deadliest aim will be celebrated with a tally of the number of zombies killed on display board for other survivors to see each night in base camp.
Special Ops: Infected seamlessly integrates interactive gaming technology with an immersive mountainous landscape, delivering a breakthrough interactive haunted experience that is as terrifying as it is challenging. Missions will take guests through a variety of wilderness terrains, including the unpredictable barrel bridges across the rushing river, through the dark caverns, and through mysterious backwoods. Six acres of the beloved theme park is now home to mutinous, scream-inducing zombies, and the time has come for a harrowing Special Ops survival mission.
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The Gunslinger’s Grave: A blood Moon Rises
“A Blood Moon Rises” continues the story of The Gunslinger. The Red hand gang has disturbed a burial ground that contained a SkinWalker relic, that has transformed them into Werewolves under the Blood Moon Curse. Return to the Old West and walk in the bloody footsteps of a betrayed and left for dead gunslinger on his path to retribution. This journey back in time takes guests on a trail of terror through abandoned gold mines, a treacherous corral, a seedy saloon and a final showdown at town hall.
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Tooth Fairy
This twisted tooth fairy steals more than just baby teeth as he drags his victims out their bedroom window and into a world of deranged dentistry. Unbelievable special effects include a blackout room through which guests must feel their way out, a disorienting x-ray strobe light room, and a final encounter with the massive tooth fairy, himself. Say aahhh.
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Trick or Treat
Trick or treat, which will it be? Step forward and ring the witch’s doorbell. Oh, she is home, but where? You are not quite sure. Don’t be afraid, her minions will guide you. You can come away with a treat, but is it worth it?
Voodoo- Order of the Serpent
Beware the cursed swamps of New Orleans, where mindless zombies trudge through the murky bogs in search of bloody sacrifices and demons use Voodoo curses to possess innocent souls. Choose your path carefully children, for one wrong turn and you will be hexed forever.
Scare Zones
Along with the mazes they will have three scare zones. These are free roam areas within the park. Some of the best scares happen in these scare zones. Monsters will lurk in the fog or come sliding at you on their knees out of nowhere. They are:
Carnevil
Knott’s Boardwalk is taken over by “CarnEVIL,” where the freak show is the main event and countless clowns crave your undying attention.
Fiesta De Los Muertos
Fiesta de los Muertos fuses dance music, colorful costumes, and larger than life stilt walkers in a dance party scare zone with even more characters than last year to create the ultimate late night celebration of Dia de los Muertos.
Ghost Town Streets
This is by far the best and where everyone and I mean everyone gets scared.
Ghost Town Streets is the original – and still most terrifying scare zone – that started it all. Bands of half-human, half-animal monsters prowl the streets and inhabit the fog. Beware the notoriously startling Sliders who lunge from every fog-filled corner of the land. New for this year, Ghost Town Streets has been expanded to the backstage maze area to create the largest scare zone in Scary Farm history, full of new surprises.
Shows
Last but not least Scary Farm will have two shows. One features everyone’s Macabre Hostess with the Mostness Elvira Mistess of the Dark in an all new show called….
Elvira’s Asylum
Elvira, the legendary Mistress of the Dark, returns to Knott’s Scary Farm in a spectacular all-new nightly show, Elvira’s Asylum, which transports guests to an asylum of music, dance and comedy.
And finally the best thing and always the most popular is…
The Hanging
This year it actually has a title.
A live stage show in Calico Square that irreverently looks back at the year’s pop culture with some killer comedy. Notorious for its special effects and high-flying stunts, The Hanging® is a no-holds-barred assault on pop culture’s most infamous moments of the past year. A must see parody!
As you can see there is a lot to do at Knott’s Scary Farm. So make sure you arrive on time and be prepared to stand in some lines, but it is all fun and worth your while. I will be there on opening night so look for me in the fog!!