Knott’s Scary Farm has returned to Knott’s Berry Farm and this year is a can’t-miss experience! Scary Farm has branched out and made an experience that continues to grow each year. This year there are new mazes, scare zones, entertainment, food, and a whole lot of fun. The Daps Magic team was invited to experience Knott’s Scary Farm on its opening night. There was a LOT to experience and a lot of scares to be had.
New Mazes and Old
This year there are two new mazes at Knott’s Scary Farm. One is Bloodline 1812 and the other is The Grimoire. Bloodline 1812 is located near GhostRider and The Grimoire in Mystery Lodge.
Bloodline 1812 is an interactive maze where guests get to be a part of the experience as they are given guns to shoot vampires as they make their way through the maze. This is somewhat reminiscent of Special Ops: Infected maze from a few years ago. Here is a walk-through of the maze:
The Grimoire was an instant hit and highlight for the Daps Magic team. As the name implies, it is based on a magical book and appears to be influenced by 80s teen horror movies. This book exists to turn nightmares into reality, and it does. As guests go through the maze, they have to attempt to escape all of the evil creatures that are released by this book or have their souls trapped within the pages of the next chapter.
This year also saw multiple other mazes return to Knott’s Scary Farm. They include Dark Entities, Dark Ride: Castle of Chaos, Mesmer: Sideshow of the Mind, Origins: The Curse of Calico, Pumpkin Eater, The Depths, and Wax Works. On opening nights, the queues for the mazes were all very reasonable and the team found that they could experience just about everything they wanted throughout the night. As Halloween gets closer, this will most likely become more difficult as more and more fans come to experience all that Scary Farm has to offer! Moral of the story? Go early!
Entertainment
The entertainment at Knott’s Scary Farm this year was a LOT of fun! There are two big shows that absolutely should not be missed. Le Magnifique Carnaval Du Grotesque is offered multiple times throughout the night on the Calico Mine Stage. This show is full of individual acts that look quite dangerous and are definitely a thrill to watch. Enough so that the team returned to see it a second time. Below is a video of this show:
Puppet Up! is also back this year. This very adult puppet show brings uncensored hilarity into the Walter Knott Theater as puppeteers bring their improv skills into the room, with the help of some audience suggestions. The show comes from legendary puppeteer and award-winning director Brian Henson and is directed by Patrick Bristow. It is offered three times a night and is one of the highlights of Knott’s Scary Farm that should not be missed. Here is a video from the opening night:
he shares what he has learned from his business working with the dead.
Scare Zones
Always a highlight of Knott’s Scary Farm is the scare zones that are found throughout the park. Each of these areas comes alive with horrific scarers who terrify guests who wander through their area. The scare zones are:
- CarnEVIL – Look out as evil clowns take over and terrorize those visiting Knott’s Boardwalk.
- Forsaken Lake – Terrifying creatures rise from the murky waters to find victims to drag back into the lake with them.
- Ghost Town Streets – The original scare zone where half-human, half-animal monsters haunt through the fog.
- Gore-ing ’20s – Gangsters, bouncers, flappers, and more from the ’20s come out and haunt guests.
- The Hollow – Witches of the Hollow and their armies battle with the Witch Hunter and terrorize guests.
The scare zones at Knott’s Scary Farm are always a lot of fun to experience. It is hard to beat Ghost Town Streets but this year Gore-ing ’20s definitely came in strong as did CarnEVIL.
Attractions
Knott’s Scary Farm also has some fun attractions that are themed to the holiday for guests to enjoy. This year guests could enjoy Timber Mountain Log Ride: Halloween Hootenanny and Calico Candy Mine Ride. These are both fun to experience, especially at night with the fog rising from around Knott’s Scary Farm and the sounds of screams coming from around the park.
Food, Merchandise, & Art
There are also some food and merchandise offerings that are unique to this time of year and Knott’s Scary Farm as well. First off, the food. The Knott’s Scary Farm Boo-fet is a dining experience where guests get to eat many classic Knott’s dishes including Mrs. Knott’s fried chicken, a chef carving station, boysenberry pie, and other options. While eating there are also monsters around. The experience includes unique photo ops with monsters and early entry to Knott’s Scary Farm. Guests also receive a souvenir cup and one digital download of a photo with a monster at the Boo-fet location.
There is quite an array of merchandise for Knott’s Scary Farm. Some of it focuses on the overall experience itself, others on specific experiences within Knott’s Scary Farm. One standout item is a massive Knott’s Scary Farm hat that can be seen below.
This year also saw the return of Into the Fog: A Scary Farm Tribute Art Show. This art show has artwork collected from artists around the country that draw inspiration from Knott’s Scary Farm’s 49-year legacy and bring it to life with different artistic mediums. The art is for sale and for those who don’t have a budget for an original, there are also some replicas available in different sizes. This is definitely worth checking out to see the incredible artistry and to add to one’s own art collection.
Knott’s Scary Farm is a Southern California Halloween classic that should not be missed. It is full of thrills that will give chills throughout the park. This is a favorite experience for fans and the Daps Magic team is no exception. What is your favorite part of Knott’s Scary Farm? Do you have any favorite memories? Share your thoughts, memories, experiences, and opinions in the comments below!
