Knott’s Scary Farm Celebrates 50 Years of Haunting

On Thursday September 22, 2023, Knott’s Scary Farm kicked off its 50th Anniversary at Knott’s Berry Farm. Since 1973, this annual Halloween tradition has been providing the best frights found in Southern California. For this milestone year, Knott’s Berry Farm upped their game with more entertainment, scare zones, mazes, and other offerings (including food and merchandise). This year’s event is Knott’s Scary Farm for the die hard fan and new-to-Scary Farm fan alike. There is something for everyone at whatever experience level you might have with this iconic event.

Entertainment

There is a LOT of entertainment to be enjoyed this year! There are some returning shows and some new shows. While there are moments to be found in different scare zones, there are four main shows to be seen throughout a night at the Farm. These are The Hanging: Uncancelled, Le Magnifique Carnaval du Grotesque, Music, Monsters & Mayhem, and Dr. Cleaver Returns. Each of these shows are quite different from the other and each entertains in their own way.

The Hanging: Uncancelled

The Hanging: Uncancelled marks the return of the iconic show to Knott’s Scary Farm. This year, the show is found in Wagon Camp. It is shown several times throughout the night and fills up. This year’s show is exactly what one would expect from The Hanging and is definitely adult in nature, but also quite entertaining. It is a very good use of the space and is a welcome return to Knott’s Scary Farm. If you want to see The Hanging: Uncancelled and want to have great seats, get there early. The doors open to Wagon Camp about a half hour before the show.

Music, Monsters & Mayhem

Music, Monsters & Mayhem is a new all-original musical that is being performed in the Walter Knott Theater. It is a celebration of 50 years of Knott’s Scary Farm and brings to life some favorite memories from the past five decades in a humorous way. While there is a lot of song and dance, there is also some humor and audience interaction. This show has humor and moments that are definitely geared at adults as well. The show runs about 46 minutes long. With the size of the Walter Knott Theater, it isn’t necessary to get there super early unless a front and center seat is desired.

Dr. Cleaver Returns

Dr. Cleaver Returns is offered in the Birdcage Theatre multiple times throughout the night. This is a small show that is big on humor and is quite short. It also has a bit of magic in it. It is entertaining and like most of the entertainment for this event, adult in nature. This show is a hidden gem of Knott’s Scary Farm and really should not be missed. It is a lot of fun! It is a welcome return for a classic Knott’s character.

Le Magnifique Carnaval du Grotesque

Le Magnifique Carnaval du Grotesque returns again this year. This show has some great dancing and fantastic acrobatics as well. There is some grotesque humor to be enjoyed during this show and also some incredible acrobatics that can almost be terrifying at times. This is on the Calico Mine Stage and is one of the easiest to walk up to. It is also worth getting a decent spot for.

All four of these shows are worth checking out this year. It can be a challenge to try and catch all four in one night without making a plan. If seeing the entertainment is a priority, make sure and make a plan or expect to come back on another night to make it easier!

Scare Zones

There are five scare zones to be found throughout Knott’s Scary Farm. This includes the Ghost Town Streets, Gore-ing ’20s, CarnEVIL, Foresaken Lake, and The Gauntlet. The Daps Magic team experienced each of these scare zones on the opening night of this year. They all take a different approach to scaring those who walk through them. CarnEVIL is frightfully funny, the Gore-ing ’20s quite entertaining, Ghost Town Streets is delightfully spooky, Foresaken Lake takes a historic aproach to its scares, and The Gauntlet returns with its terrifying team of scarers. All of these scare zones are worth experiencing! Below is a look at each of these scare zones as seen on the opening night.

The Gauntlet

Ghost Town Streets

Gore-ing ’20s

CarnEVIL

Foresaken Lake

Mazes

There are ten mazes to be enjoyed throughout the park this year. A full rundown and review of them will be coming soon on Daps Magic. The new ones this year are:

• Cinema Slasher – Venturing through the mystical Midnight Theater, guests travel through the silver screen and into a trilogy of slasher movies. As they are swallowed into the world of gothic horror, they become the movie characters who try to escape the wrath of the dangerous Slasher. Will everyone survive, or will they become forever ensnared in the decaying reality from a bygone era? The conniving Midnight Theater wickedly opens its doors, daring those brave enough to buy a ticket to Cinema Slasher!
• The Chilling Chambers – In honor of the first maze in Knott’s Scary Farm’s prestigious history, the “10 Chilling Chambers” is a ghastly new attraction that gives a nostalgic nod to Scary Farm’s past while terrorizing the audience of today. Guided by The Keeper, the sinister caretaker of the conservatory of horrors, guests are thrust beyond the threshold of an ominous towering cathedral that leads to terrifying classic maze themes from Knott’s Scary Farm’s infamous history. Scream from countless fears of seasons gone by as 50 years of terror are unleashed in The Chilling Chambers.
• Room 13 – Violent murders at The Blind Tiger interrupt the Prohibition-era revelry on Memory Lane. A dangerously delicious new cocktail named The Devil’s Elixir seems to be at the root of the mayhem, but where did the mysterious green aperitif come from? The answers may lie at the heart of the extravagant Argive Hotel, where many have checked in to Room 13… but none have checked out.

The new mazes join 7 returning mazes this year. They include:

• Bloodline 1842 – Enter the battlegrounds of the war-torn streets of the city of Valdonia as you take a perilous journey into the heart of a raging war between the immortal Daybreakers and the bloodthirsty Valhymphri. Armed with only your wits and courage, find the remaining Daybreakers and help them destroy the King of the Valhymphri.
• The Grimoire – Turn the page and enter the world of an ancient relic whose dark stories exist purely to turn your greatest nightmares into reality. Enter the world of a mysterious spell book and escape the demonic creatures inside or be eternally trapped within! 
• Mesmer: Sideshow of the Mind – Within the canvas tent lies the secret of the most potent force in the universe: the human mind. A hypnotic session with Professor Mesmer can cure all phobias, including snakes, spiders, darkness, claustrophobia and much more! Enter the professor’s dark world of hypnosis and come face to face with what lies beyond.
• Wax Works – Buy a ticket and enter the most amazing wax museum the world has ever seen! The figures look so lifelike you’ll swear you saw them move…or scream. It’s rumored that blood-curdling screams can be heard echoing through the halls of Wax Works as victims are horrifyingly submerged into a scorching hot cauldron of bubbling wax. 
• Origins: The Curse of Calico – Pierce the veil of time and discover the secret of the evil fog that hangs over Knott’s Scary Farm in Origins: The Curse of Calico. Unearth the sinister paranormal activity that plagues the town as Sarah Marshall is put on trial for her suspected crimes of witchcraft. All will be revealed as the Green Witch rises and curses those who have accused her. 
• The Depths – Follow in the steps of a doomed mining team as you plunge deeper and deeper into the catacombs beneath the sinister seaside town. All who have entered have never resurfaced. Myths of the terrifying horrors that lurk within the cave have often been whispered but never confirmed. But be warned, as this is your last chance to walk this treacherous path through a sunken ship and into the dark unknown that lies beyond. 
• Dark Entities – Teleport beyond Earth in a shattered space station, launching you through a zero-gravity descent into chaos. Strange forces have taken over, and the crew has been transformed into multi-dimension mutants. Escape quickly, as the dark entities plan to eliminate all living forms aboard the station for good. There’s nowhere to escape as time is running out. 

New and old, these mazes offer a frightfully fun time with a few surprises along the way. These are always a highlight of Knott’s Scary Farm and this year was no different!

Knott’s Scary Farm is the best scary Halloween event to be enjoyed in Southern California. It is full of thrills and a whole lot of fun. It is being offered throughout the Halloween season on the following nights:

• September 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30
• October 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 31.

Along with all the thrills mentioned above, there are also some incredible food offerings to be found throughout the park along with merchandise that is specific to Knott’s Scary Farm’s 50th Anniversary! These can be seen here.

Tickets for Knott’s Scary Farm can be found on the Knott’s Berry Farm website. At the time this article is being written, there are individual tickets, Scary Farm Passes, the Very Important Monster Tour (VIP), and also the Knott’s Scary Farm Boo-fet available still.

Will you be experiencing Knott’s Scary Farm this year? What are you most looking forward to? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!