The granddaddy of all theme park Halloween events continues to reign over its self made dominion of fog and fear, embracing new innovations while creating new nightmares that will not soon be forgotten.
Knott’s Scary Farm, sometimes also referred to as “Halloween Haunt” is the granddaddy of all theme park Halloween events. Currently operating for its 47th consecutive year, the Haunt is to Halloween what Disneyland is to theme parks. Knott’s literally invented the genre of grand scale Halloween events. Are you a fan of Halloween Horror Nights? Howl-O-Scream? Any of the incredible independent haunts around the country? Well then, perhaps its time you plan a trip to California to pay your respects to the event that started them all – and an event that still holds a regional strong-hold as one of the best in existence 47 years later.
Knott’s Scary Farm, located at Knott’s Berry Farm, is a separately ticketed event that runs twenty-six select nights between September 19, 2019 and November 2, 2019, every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, most Sundays as well the second to last Wednesday of October. In its 47th year, Knott’s Scary Farm features nine different haunted houses, one ride seasonal overlay, four scare zones – including the original – the massive Ghost Town Streets, three shows as well as all of your favorite Knott’s Berry Farm attractions, including the brand HangTime (with a killer Halloween lighting package), Xcelerator and GhostRider as well as classics like Calico Mine Ride.
*Haunts which return unchanged from the previous year will be duplicated from our 2018 review.
Wax Works
Mysterious lights and strange noises have been heard from the eerie abandoned wax museum. The former plastic surgeon, Dr. Augustus Scratch, has been seen working at night and is ready to show off his beautiful and terrifying life-like creations of hot molten wax and bloody flesh.
Rumor has it that screams can be heard echoing through the halls of Wax Works as victims are submerged into a hot cauldron of bubbling wax. Take a closer look at his gruesome works of art and escape his deadly grip… before you become the newest masterpiece in his collection.
The charred visage of the old wax museum its in shadows, lit by glowing moonlight. Its door open once again after years of closure, it’s a tempting destination for local urban explorers.
Inside its lobby, crumbled and in disrepair, blubs still flicker above the box office window. Beyond it, original exhibits sit half melted, offering a dripping glimmer of their former grandeur. From Hollywood celebrities to iconic faces from American history, Wax Works brings them back to life. Vignettes of classic horror monsters and scenes of brutal torture seem far to real, as it quickly becomes apparent these wax figures began their existence as living human beings.
Dr. Augustus Scratch’s workshop, where his terrible visions become reality, is overrun with bees, their hives dripping fresh wax to be used in his next creation. Grotesque living – suffering – experiments struggle in agony, acting themselves as the clearest sign that entering this abandoned museum was a tragic mistake. The journey ends – one way or another – in the facility’s boiler room. Massive vats full of boiling wax splash and spill while Scratch’s helpless victims are dipped from above, capturing their perfect image, and undying soul.
The Depths
A heavy fog drapes over an abandoned port village where ancient creatures lurk inside the pitch-black underground caves hidden below the seaside shores. The Nightwatch Mining Crew has mysteriously disappeared and village rumors point to the eerie tunnels the town sits upon. Myths of the terrifying horrors that lurk within the cave have often been whispered but never confirmed. Did the crew meet their demise at the hand of vicious creatures that live within the cave? Journey into the ominous caverns and follow the crew’s path into The Depths, discover if the superstition revolving around the cave is true or not. But be warned! All who have entered have never resurfaced.
The story begins before stepping foot into the mine shaft itself; an animatronic fisherman, perched next to his latest catch – a shark, of course – sets the tone of the legendary curse on this part of the sea. But since when has any cautionary tale stopped us?
The Depth’s scenic levels progress with it’s storyworld – becoming more and more compelling the further we venture below the surface. Once past our old fisherman friend, we dive straight into the abandoned shafts of the Nightwatch Mining Crew. Rocky walls seemingly ready to crumble upon us are held up by old wooden supports which may or may not be suitable for their weight.
From the mine, we find ourselves venturing into a swampy abyss – a compelling effect produced with a combination of low-lying fog and a rippling water-like laser. It truly feels as though we are waist-deep in the murky tide, as puppet-like sea-creatures dance on the laser surface, poking above and under the faux water’s surface in the most compelling of ways.
But the final act is unquestionably it’s strongest; once underwater, the mood takes a decidedly pirate tone, complete with a room-sized animated Kraken – it’s moving tentacles literally all around miners – leaving us no place to escape other than straight into a swashbuckling ship wreck. And if you think being sunk at the the bottom of Davy Jones’ Locker for hundreds of years is enough to protect your landlubber’s sea sickness, think again! This giant gallon quite literally rocks back and forth on a constant wave as you pass through it!
PARANORMAL INC.
Paranormal Inc. features high flying aerial stunts and scares as guests help 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 prowl for new patients to torture.
Starting with a large scale facade of the Hayden Hills Sanitarium, leading would-be live TV audiences to a large lobby for an epic show moment, and then through hallways and rooms of the asylum, chock full of physical effects and convincing projection apparitions – Paranormal Inc. always made an immediate statement.
Distinct, unique split paths out of the lobby create two completely different experiences and promote a true repeatability of this maze.
Once all hell breaks loose within the Sanitarium – literally – audiences find themselves pushed through a tight, dark air bladder, and literally transported back in time. Hayden Hills is fresh and new again, with a nurse waiting in the lobby to check needy patients in.
It becomes instantly clear that the haunting of Hayden Hills goes all the way back to the beginning, with a very off-putting and incredibly exciting transformative finale scene that will be remembered for the eternity of Knott’s Scary Farm.
Dark Entities
Teleport beyond earth and into a realm where the darkness is absolute. In the depths of space, a lone station faces terror beyond all imagination. An extraterrestrial mutation has invaded the station, and it’s on the prowl for new hosts. The unearthly inhabitants’ force increases as it feeds on its unwilling victims. Escape the dark entities before its deathly force eliminates all living form aboard the station. There’s nowhere to escape when time is running out!
Scenically, Dark Entities begins strong as a run down space station from the future as told by the 1980’s. Everything is outdated and clearly in a state of disrepair. This “obsolete” motif is a welcome change from the typical shiny metal spaceship one may expect to find.
Unfortunately, Dark Entities’ problem becomes one of a somewhat repetitious flavor. With the haunt existing solely within the confines of the space station, it’s difficult for things to scenically progress. Although the action certainly changes, each scene has a similar look and feel that somewhat tarnishes a sense of discovery throughout this haunt.
Dark Entities is a mix of mutated actors and some clever mutated puppets that together work well to bring the world of this abandoned space station to life. Vibrating floors add a level of believabilty, implying the clear presence of turbulence as we hurtle helplessly through the cosmos.
special OPS: INFECTED
Survive the Zombie Apocalypse in an All-Out War!
Armed with cutting edge laser guns, brave guests will face off against hordes of zombies in the groundbreaking all-new Special Ops: Infected interactive maze. Small units of guests will battle the zombie apocalypse through blood soaked city streets and an underground sewer system crawling with nearly one hundred ravenous zombies.
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.
In its final year, the interactive Infected haunt strives to make guests active participants in the storyworld on a level other Knott’s Scary Farm attractions cannot, by arming them with laser weaponry and leaving them to fend for themselves in the middle of a full-blown zombie apocalypse.
Some of Knott’s Scary Farm’s most detailed sets fill out this popular haunt, spawning a detailed city-scape, tunnels and even subway train sets that make it easy to suspend disbelief and accept the reality of a life or death battle amid a real zombie apocalypse.
The cast of Special Ops: Infected inhabits the zombie character to the highest level of believability. Their movements are slow, as they effectively lurch around, clearly giving the impression that they are not in full control of their physical function. These zombies react accordingly when shot, recoiling back and stumbling to regain composure. A lot of things make Special Ops: Infected the best version of the “Infected” brand to date, but the actors definitely top that list.
Origins: The Curse of Calico
Discover the secret of the evil fog that hangs over Knott’s Scary Farm’s Ghost Town streets in the new maze, Origins: The Curse of Calico.
Unearth the sinister curse that plagues the town after Sarah Marshall is put on trial for witchcraft. All will be revealed when the Green Witch rises up and transforms all who have accused her into a wicked horde of creatures with an eternal thirst for the living.
Origins: The Curse of Calico is a love-letter to the heritage of Knott’s Scary Farm itself – not that there’s much love to be found in this wicked world. Following the rise and fall of Sarah Marshall, Origins allows the coming of age of the infamous Green Witch of Calico to play out in real time.
Beginning with her trial, accused of Witchcraft, Marshall is found guilty and sentenced to hang by the neck. Unfortunately for this once sleepy town, this time, their target is rightfully accused. Marshall uses her dark powers to overtake the town of Calico, twisting it into a nightmarish hellscape of cursed creatures.
As Calico begins to unravel, familiar sites come back to life, including the old haunted shack, a classic former attraction from Knott’s Berry Farm’s past. In it, nods to several of its more memorable tricks, including water running up hill, are sure to please long time haunt-goers. Marshall’s curse reaches another Ghost Town icon, the Catawampus, now far less friendly and much larger. Its glowing red eyes paint a clear picture that this oddball creature is out for revenge.
With the town of Calico quickly falling apart, Sarah Marshall’s powers continue to grow. By the end, she fully embraces her new persona as the Green Witch, quite literally taking flight in a jaw-dropping 360º flying rig that allows her to thwart any of the good people of Calico who believed there was hope they might escape with their lives.
DARK RIDE
Journey through an abandoned carnival ride where cruel carny folk still linger in the shadows in Dark Ride: Castle of Chaos, Knott’s Scary Farm’s newest maze. The shunned performers have created an ominous world of terror which they plan to unleash on those who enter. Dark Ride will lead brave visitors through a treacherous path and into the bowels of a long neglected attraction, as sinister shadows and horrifying scenes cast gloom over the once pleasant ride. It’s everyone’s worst nightmare, being helplessly surrounded by clowns without a way out.
Dark Ride may be one of Knott’s Scary Farm’s most original maze concepts in quite some time, if not ever – and it also marks the first time in recent memory that the park embraces a true comedy haunt. Dark Ride is so easy to become instantly immersed in that it feels far more like real life urban exploring in an abandoned carnival than it does walking through a haunt.
Dark Ride’s storyworld unfolds like a true storytelling art. Beginning, in the queue itself for the abandoned Castle of Chaos ride, guests reach the carnival ticket booth prior to entering the haunt-proper. From there park guests enter the loading platform and step down to the ride’s tracks itself. A security guard who no doubt would have stopped trespassers has clearly already met an ominous demise.
The scenic stylings are – by design – perfectly low-quality, instantly evoking the spirit of a really bad carnival ghost train. The actual ride track’s bus bar snakes through the center of our path making it clear that would-be passengers are somewhere they shouldn’t be. Appropriately, the track is scattered with broken down ride vehicles, some of which still trap unfortunate victims under their lap bars.
The exploration takes guests into back of house “behind the scenes” hallways – an attention to detail that will certainly amuse anyone who has ever worked at a theme park (or just been broken down on their favorite attraction.) Once back on track, Dark Ride is full of large scale open sets that produce more “wow” moments than can be counted – and they’re truly brought to life by large props full of kinetic motion, further enhanced by short-circuiting ride show lighting and a skipping, glitching background music track.
Two new scenes added in 2019 further bring the meta-world of theme park operations to life: a control room with interactive buttons, and, of course, a highly appropriate ending in the Castle of Chaos gift shop.
SHADOW LANDS
A fulfilling life ensures a soul safe passage into eternity, but what happens to the souls of soldiers slain in battle? Enter the hair-raising Shadow Lands maze and fight off demon samurais whose souls are cursed to rot within the depths of purgatory. Guests will embark on a quest through a sacred shrine, an ancient Japanese temple and into the midst of the shadow lands.
In its final year, this spectacular world of fallen Japanese warriors is brought hauntingly to life once again with authentic-feeling scenic that is easy to become immersed within.
Beginning in a traditional Japanese garden outside the pagoda, what follows are some of Knott’s best sets to date, including a large scale outdoor finale that is a definite wow-moment of not just Shadow Lands, but all of Knott’s Scary Farm.
Many scares within the world of Shadow Lands are highly character driven – from battling samurai warriors, lost souls and even a geisha girl performing on stage. Knott’s proves with this haunt that they definitely have learned how to create an immersive storyworld-driven experience that makes it easy for a guest to suspend disbelief and become apart of, ninja-kicked to the next level through the use of physical effects, flying rigs and self-resetting props.
PUMPKIN EATER
Survive the wrath of the murderous 7-foot tall creature that haunts the old woods surrounding The Hollow in the new maze, Pumpkin Eater. The notorious creature is on the prowl hidden within the dark confines of the haunted town he once terrorized. To escape the sinister Pumpkin Eater’s wrath all that enter must go on a quest through the silent town of victims, face a cave of crawling insects and solve the labyrinth of thorns that blocks the way out.
Pumpkin Eater drags villagers into a warped fairytale world that exists largely within an evil pumpkin. If that sounds wacky, it’s because it is. However, that doesn’t mean it “works” any less.
An epic fairytale village entry façade greets townsfolk as they begin their journey into the world of Pumpkin Eater. Houses deteriorate quickly, leading to a very large, very evil pumpkin that explorers must literally must venture into.
Inside that pumpkin hang vines dripping with over-sized seeds, which inch by inch become thorny and much more sinister. A well placed projection effect drips blood down the carved interior of the pumpkin itself, offering a sense of foreboding warning that others have clearly choosen to disregard.
Once out of the pumpkin villagers stumble onto a nearby farm, with a bizarrely tilting barn house and of course, a moonlit cornfield as the only means of escape. Full of demented scarecrows come to life, those lucky enough to survive will be stalked at every turn.
TIMBER MOUNTAIN LOG RIDE – HALLOWEEN HOOTENANNY
This season the Timber Mountain Log Ride becomes the Halloween Hootenanny. This is a family friendly Halloween overlay to our classic Timber Mountain Log Ride. This attraction will be open every day during the Halloween season, offering spooky fun during the day and actor-driven scares after dark. Halloween Hootenanny features a brand new original song sung by Knott’s own guest-favorite performers Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies.
Timber Mountain Log Ride – Halloween Hootennany is a return to form of classic tradition at Knott’s Scary Farm. Rich in a vintage Halloween theme. this overlay takes a different approach, aiming far less for “scary” and much more for “spooky” to keep it appealing to younger audiences who may wish to ride during the day (or even during the weekdays when Knott’s Scary Farm isn’t offered.)
But each fall, it puts on a costume that’s delightfully rich in classic Halloween clichés, from bats and spiders to aliens, werewolves and vampires – all in one place. And while on paper that may not seem like a compliment, it’s exactly the classic old-school Halloween mood they were aiming for.
And it works so well.
Timber Mountain Log Ride – Halloween Hootenanny is full of new props and decor, including some fun new animatronic figures along the way (as well as the iconic Green Witch herself!) All new lighting and effects and a custom soundtrack help transform the classic Timber Mountain Log Ride into an entirely new attraction for the Halloween season.
Four official scare zones, plus additional roaming characters make up the street entertainment for the 46th annual Knott’s Scary Farm event. Normally, Scare Zones are just a nice added flourish to the haunts that make a Halloween event worth visiting, but not at Knott’s. Here, some of the most motivated and energetic scareactors you’ll ever see turn the Scare Zones into as much a must see event as any maze or ride in the park.
GHOST TOWN STREETS
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.
If Knott’s Scary Farm is the granddaddy of all Halloween events, the Ghost Town Streets Scare Zone is the great granddaddy. The earliest predecessor for the Halloween Haunt as an event, the success of the Ghost Town Streets grew into the juggernaut that is Knott’s Scary Farm, and vis a vis every other theme park Halloween event around the world after it.
Perhaps the greatest Scare Zone ever created within an amusement park – the reason why it works so well is the authenticity of its environment. Aside from some camo netting, cheese cloth, theatrical lighting and a whole hell of a lot of fog, there’s not much physically different about this section of the park than what one would find during the daytime hours. However, combining all factors together, and adding in the most energetic, enthusiastic monsters in the world makes for the perfect storm, and becomes the very definition of everything that makes a theme park Scare Zone work.
CARNEVIL
Knott’s Boardwalk is taken over by “CarnEVIL,” where the freak show is the main event and countless clowns crave your undying attention.
Simplistic and almost non-exist from a scenic perspective, some banners, a few strings of colorful lights transform The Boardwalk into another world thanks in full to a talented batch of very devious clowns that have taken residence in its shadows.
Different from other Scare Zones in the park thanks to bright lighting and the hustle and bustle of large rides surround it, CarnEVIL becomes almost entirely dependent on the quality of its cast to sell the story.
Crawling with more clowns than one can count, each has his or her own unique persona and character, making this an organic, living world – and they all go out of their way to draw anyone brave – or foolish – enough to step foot on the Boardwalk right back into that freak show with them.
Forsaken Lake
The lake underneath Silver Bullet reveals the horrors and creatures it’s kept hidden, until now. Forsaken Lake will unleash gothic creatures, which have been ravaged by the dark and murky waters, as they wander their crypts preying on unsuspecting visitors, looking for victims to drag back to their watery graves.
Normally, Knott’s Scary Farm really shines with its Scare Zones, but in truth, Forsaken Lake doesn’t particularly work. A small area to begin with, this section is absolutely dominated by the tangled inverted steel of the nearby Silver Bullet coaster.
A few small vignette set pieces break up the limited path, but it’s difficult to become truly immersed into this mini world given its minimal hiding places and c location.
THE HOLLOW
From within the fog, the legendary Headless Horseman and his army of the undead are ready to unleash a reign of terror in the newest scare zone, The Hollow. Guests entering the frightful 6-acre area will be terrorized by the souls of fallen soldiers and local farmers that have escaped their shallow graves.
There is inherently something special-feeling about any Scare Zone inside Camp Snoopy, and it’s always one of the most iconic and most well-executed of the event. There’s just something devilishly delightful about taking a children’s land and turning it evil.
Although we will always miss the old caves and inclusion of the barrel bridges, the actors lurking throughout The Hollow truly give it their gusto to create a memorable and ominous environment, rich in a flavor of a traditional Halloween from years gone by.
THE HANGING
Knott’s Scary Farm’s annual live stage show will take a look back at this year’s pop culture with a killer comedy flair. Notorious for its special effects and high-flying stunts, The Hanging is an assault on pop culture’s most infamous moments of the past year.
We’ve long been certifiable fanboys of The Hanging. It’s a Halloween institution, and the originator of the seasonal pop culture spoof show. When it works, it works oh so well; Thankfully, The Hanging is rarely anything but amazing.
The Hanging returns to its roots to focus its story back where it began, with the curse of Sarah Marshall. Perhaps better known as the Green Witch, this wicked woman has cast the sleepy little town of Calico into a hell-ish peril for nearly half a century.
Instantly beginning in high gear, Marshall is marched to the gallows to be hanged, but things are not meant to be. What follows her escape is a side-splittingly hilarious journey down the road of some of the past year’s biggest pop culture phenomenon’s. Crude and offensive, one way or another, The Hanging spares no punches. Think of it as Fantasmic! for Satanists.
Just ask Knott’s Berry Farm neighbor, and often punching bag of The Hanging, The Disneyland Resort. In 2019, Disney dusted off the classic (if not impossibly over-used) Main Street Electrical Parade, after multiple “farewell performances” over the years. The Hanging fired its shot – and did not miss.
But like the constant reemergences of the Main Street Electrical Parade, another evil icon from the past also returns: the Devil. He brings with him hope for the good people of Calico, and naturally, they fail to heed those warnings. As a result, it is on this night that a long tradition of hanging the year’s biggest pop culture offender is broken. It is on this night that The Lawman himself feels the noose.
What follows this shocking twist is something far more devastating – a proverbial gut-punch we never saw coming, that left us speechless and genuinely sad for the remainder of our evening. This moment can be summed up in a single picture:
Knott’s Scary Farm always firmly holds its place as our single favorite theme park Halloween event in the United States. This event is a local tradition – an institution – and frankly one of the shortlist reasons why traveling to California each and every October is an annual tradition of my own.
Knott’s is the undisputed trailblazer of the Halloween park genre – and has pioneered some of the concepts that we today accept as standard fare everywhere we go in the month of October.
2019 is another incredibly solid year in the rich heritage of the Halloween Haunt. We always expect to have a great time on our visit into the fog – and frankly we always do. This year definitely put forth solid effort to continue improvements to some returning haunts – something that is always a welcome surprise for our group of long-time loyal visitors. The infusion of new technologies and new approaches to their haunt style truly breathes new life into an event that was already so full of life on its own.
Knott’s Scary Farm has a penchant for making me happy in a way that theme park Halloween events rarely can. It’s a classic. It’s a tradition. It’s an innovator. It’s an institution.
Knott’s Scary Farm *is* Halloween.
Although the current health and safety climate around the world has forced the suspension of Knott’s Scary Farm, rest assured that it will be back with a vengeance in 2021. Rest easy for now. The nightmares aren’t far way.
You can find an extended photo gallery from our night at the 47th annual Knott’s Scary Farm in this exclusive album on the Escape Authority Facebook page! While there, why not give us a “LIKE” if you haven’t already? We’ll give you candy!
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Venue: Knott’s Berry Farm
Location: Buena Park, CA
Dates: Select Nights September 19th – November 2nd
Hours: 7pm – 2am Fridays and Saturdays / 7pm – 1am all other event nights.
Cost: $75 at the gate, or save as much as $35 per person if purchased in advance online. Annual Passholder discounts are available.