As I walked to my seat at the Charles M. Shulz Theatre on a hot August night, the atmosphere subtly shifted… fog rolled in across the stage and a familiar chill went up my spine. The end of summer marks the countdown to Halloween. It’s time to find out what the creative group at Knott’s have planned for Scary Farm 2016!
Jeff Tucker, Supervisor of Park Shows, made a grand entrance seated on a throne, surrounded by creatures. He acted as host for the night, guiding us through the attractions, joking with the crowd, and shouting at people to take their phones out and turn them on. “This is the only show where it is actively encouraged to have your phones out all the time. Please tape me, but I don’t want to see you playing Pokemon”, he laughed.
RETURNING MAZES:
VOODOO – ORDER OF THE SERPENT by John Cook takes guests through “An ecosystem with no walls”. This unique maze experience takes guests on a winding path through the swamps of Louisiana as they try to find Marie Laveau, a famous New Orleans VooDoo practitioner. “If you go searching for dark magic, dark magic is going to find you.”
TRICK OR TREAT by Daniel Miller takes guests trick or treating at the home of the Green Witch. Daniel said, “When I was a kid, I have a fond memory of cardboard robot suits and kids daring each other to push the doorbell at the rickety house at the end of the street. I wanted to create that experience of walking inside that scary old neighborhood house.”
PARANORMAL INC. by John Cooke follows a group of investigators as they try to “prove that there is life after death”. Featuring high flying aerial stunts and scares, guests walk into a haunted hospital where tortured patients walk the halls.
THE DEAD OF WINTER – WENDIGO’S REVENGE. The Snow Queen is dead and has been replaced by the evil Wendigo. Cannibals roam the icy halls under her evil spell.
THE TOOTH FAIRY. Get ready for the evil squeal of the dentist’s drill as you navigate this nightmare by Daniel Miller. “Everyone hates going to the dentist. So we wanted to make it feel like that.”
GUNSLINGER’S GRAVE – A BLOOD MOON RISES by Gus Krueger focuses on the “supernatural aspect” of the maze that was introduced in 2015. Werewolves prowl this indoor-outdoor maze hungry for blood.
NEW MAZES AND ATTRACTIONS:
SHADOW LANDS – LIVE BY THE SWORD, DIE BY THE SWORD by John Cooke is inspired by Japanese Folklore. This unique maze follows the path of a warrior who wishes to die with honor to enter the spirit world.
THE RED BARN, a joint effort by Gus Krueger and Daniel Miller. This bloody tribute to 1970’s Grindhouse horror movies contains lots of “Hillbillies and Chainsaws.”
BLACK OPS – INFECTED has been totally redesigned for 2016. John Cooke has taken this interactive maze out of Camp Snoopy and put the whole attraction in the back stage area. This means they had a blank slate to create a truly immersive laser zombie shooting attraction! This year, there will be no timed ticket entry. Guests just show up and get in line. Skeleton Key will allow priority access.
FRIGHT LANE WITH SKELETON KEY passes (separate theme park admission is required and not included) offer priority access to all mazes and one time access to four stand alone terrifying room experiences which are not connected to any maze. Each room has a unique story and theme and interactive scares.
VISIONS. Guests investigate the Green Witch Museum where the items inside are haunted. This features a “Phantom Finder” augmented reality device which will help guests find the haunted items and witness paranormal activity connected to the items.
ZOZO. A demon in the Ouija board keeps forcing the planchette back and forth between Z and O. Is the demon real or just a myth?
SLASHER. Guests find themselves in a bloody 1980’s slasher movie. The “Angel Maker Killer” is on the loose and it’s a race against the clock to make it out alive.
PREY. A hay maze filled with wrong turns and dead ends will have guests terrified because the only light inside is a lantern held by the guest… and the wicked team at Knott’s are in control of the lanterns. Guess what? The lanterns are not always working and lurking around the corner are mutant beasts waiting for you.
LIVE STAGE SHOWS:
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, returns with a new show called DANSE MACABRE. As the name implies, there will be a mixture of Elvira’s brand of wise cracking humor and musical dance numbers.
THE HANGING, FINDING GORY. This Knott’s tradition continues on a brand new Calico Mine Stage. A killer combination of pop culture references and stunts, this popular parody show is a must see.
SCARE ZONES:
FIESTA DE LOS MUERTOS is a Day of the Dead party in Fiesta Village.
CARNEVIL with even more crazed clowns walking the streets.
GHOST TOWN STREETS where gun toting cowboys and werewolves face off.
THE HOLLOW is a brand new scare zone in 6 acres of Camp Snoopy. The Headless Horseman is out looking for a new head…
Knott’s Scary Farm returns for 24 terrifying nights from September 22 – October 31 with one thousand creeps and monsters lurking in the fog. Tickets on sale now. See you in the fog!
