With nine mazes, four scare zones, and four different shows, Knott’s Scary Farm Halloween Haunt is an epic night of entertainment. Join us as we brave the fog to bring you the scary best from this year’s opening night!
Now . . . into the haunted streets of Calico . . .
New Scary Farm Mazes for 2019
Trick or Treat and Red Barn did not return for this season, making room for two new offerings. Add the following two mazes to the top of your list, folks. These amazing new mazes are not to be missed!
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 unveiled when the Green Witch rises up and curses the townsfolk, transforming all who have accused her into a wicked horde of malicious creatures with an eternal quench for the living.”
Not only is this maze a fantastic follow-up to the popular Trick-Or-Treat attraction (which also focused on the Green Witch), the effort to tell a story starts well before you ever set foot in the maze. A character actor is positioned outside the maze attempting to rile up the waiting guests to hang the witch.
Each scene is so meticulously built to serve the overall story, starting with the busy Town Hall where Sarah Marshall’s trial is being held. Marshall appears on screens throughout the maze to build her story and her motivations for cursing the town.
While we’re on the topic of screens, the digital effects in this maze are so tastefully done and truly enhance the story without going too overboard.
There’s a beautiful “outdoor” scene that uses digital windows to show the transformation of citizens into monsters. When we walked “outside,” there was an audible “wow” from the other guests, the sets are impressive.
No scene exists just to spook you, it follows a very specific story, and each location feels like it’s in the actual Ghost Town. There’s a reason why you’re walking through the bank, schoolhouse, or any other location, which makes this maze feel more realistic than what you might have experienced in the past. Some of us just spent the summer in these places at Ghost Town Alive and now Sarah Marshall is trying to make us dead in Ghost Town.
This maze is a tie-in with the Green Witch story. This is the origin story of how she came to be, and why she cursed Calico. You’ll see these themes repeated in Scary Farm’s big show, The Hanging. Rarely is there a maze that is so perfectly suited to the park as a whole. The only thing that could make this maze better would be for it to become a permanent year-round attraction.
There’s never time to go through a maze multiple times on the opening night, but we went through Origins three times, we loved it that much. There’s so much detail you’re definitely going to miss much of it on the first time through.
Wax Works
“Mysterious lights and strange noises have begun to emanate from the eerie abandoned wax museum. The once prominent plastic surgeon, Dr. Augustus Scratch, has been seen tinkering at night and is now ready to show off his beautiful yet terrifying life-like masterpieces of hot molten wax and bloody flesh. 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. Take a closer look at his gruesome works of art and try to escape his deadly grip of becoming the newest masterpiece to add to his collection.”
Of course, it’s all a play on the now defunct Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park, which sat empty for so long before being demolished this year.
While other members of the team enjoyed Origins more, Stephenie did Wax Works 3 times on opening night as well, and couldn’t get enough. The sets are immersive, the scares aplenty and the kooky glamorous lady is unnerving and scary. We are completely addicted to both new mazes.
Wax Works is the first new addition to #KnottsScaryFarm this year that we experienced. It’s filled with whimsical, yet horrifying, scaractors. ? pic.twitter.com/RrgRHGIFyO
— MiceChat (@MiceChat) September 20, 2019
Returning Scary Farm Mazes for 2019
Pumpkin Eater
“Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater. Had a wife and couldn’t keep her. He put her in a pumpkin shell, and there he kept her very well.”
Apparently, Knott’s believes that nursery rhyme is about Peter getting tired of dealing with his wife’s extra-marital activities and shoving her remains into a pumpkin. What a delightfully disturbing premise for a maze.
This maze ranked very high once again, we just can’t get enough of it. It’s very creative, each segment being creepy and unique. Who’d have thought that the Peter you sang about as a child was such a bad man?
Dark Ride
A once pleasant, now abandoned, dark ride becomes home to murderous sideshow freaks hellbent on causing terror. This maze has the perfect feel for the Haunt and is completely at home in a park like Knott’s. Even more so because it is located in the CarnEVIL scare zone. If only it was a real dark ride!
There have been many enhancements to this maze over the years and we aren’t tired of it yet.
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 dark caverns and follow the crew’s path into The Depths and discover if the superstition revolving around the cave is true. But be warned! All who have entered have never resurfaced…
We love to journey into The Depths. It’s one of our favorite new haunts, and this year confirmed our love is undying. ? pic.twitter.com/lo7hBe0weg
— MiceChat (@MiceChat) September 20, 2019
It’s hard to take photos in the dark which properly reflect an attraction such as this. But this maze, which was new last year, is visually stunning in places.
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 their 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!
This maze is a nearly perfect haunt experience. The story is well set up, you more or less know what’s going on throughout. There are little nods of humor here and there. But it’s the building tension and terror that mark its creative design. By the time it ends, you’ve been through something akin to Ridley trying to escape from a space ship infested with aliens.
What’s a night of scares without a trip to outer space? Dark Entities delivered a fever dream of alien horror magic… including a little Easter Egg from a galaxy far, far away. ? #KnottsScaryFarm pic.twitter.com/Z1UMG8Vns1
— MiceChat (@MiceChat) September 20, 2019
Paranormal Inc.
Paranormal is a MiceChat favorite which we were thrilled to see return again this year.
One part Ghostbusters and one part American Horror Stories, Paranormal takes us on an adventure filled with ghosts, aerial stunts, and digital effects! It’s also ambitious with its opening theatrical element.
The ending was reworked last year with a short pause in the action and some bright lights, before a thrilling special effect finale which provides a gee-whiz ending that many mazes lack. It’s now harder to miss due to a re-timing, which is a bonus.
It’s likely the final year for the following two mazes. While we will be sad to see them go, we are looking forward to what will materialize in their place next year. . .
Shadow Lands
Shadow Lands depicts demon samurai whose souls are cursed to rot within the depths of an ancient Japanese temple and into the midst of the Shadowlands. This is a gorgeous maze with perhaps the most satisfying set of all the attractions. Unfortunately, it feels a bit scaled back this year with the removal of the opening show scene and a simplification of the ending. It does feel like Knott’s is trying to make you not be too sad to see this stunning maze depart.
Special Ops: Infected
Special Ops: Infected has been one of our least favorite mazes for several years now. Not that the experience itself isn’t good, it’s just a very low capacity laser tag attraction which pits you against the undead. The laser guns make it feel gimmicky, and the small groups of guests needing to be outfitted with lasers before being instructed what to do make this line move painfully slow. Too much so for an event this crowded. Had this been a reserved or upcharge experience it might have worked better.
A mid-route change this year divides your party up, forcing you to carry on without loved ones and friends. It’s a jarring experience and a fun twist.
However, because time is always tight at Haunt, we recommend skipping this one for other experiences that are more satisfying and won’t require as long a wait. You might be able to get through Origins: Curse of Calico next door multiple times before doing this one once.
Scare Zones
Almost all of Knott’s Scary Farm has been decorated and haunted this year. There’s really nowhere to hide. So if the line for the mazes gets too long, you can still have a great time just wandering around.
Ghost Town Streets
Ghost Town Streets is the original and largest of all the scare zones. 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. This may be the best scare zone any park has this year (or any year). THIS is the classic scare and with the Origins maze connecting into this zone this year, I could spend the whole night here.
Forsaken Lake
The lake underneath Silver Bullet reveals the horrors and creatures it’s kept hidden, until now. Forsaken Lake unleashes 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. It’s atmospheric with lots of great monsters, and the interaction between the talent and the guests is worthy enough of a show of its own. There isn’t a lot of set decoration here, but the lighting, background music, and wonderful new monsters is a delight.
CarnEvil
The Boardwalk clowns are a terrifying and funny classic, almost as famous as Ghost Town Streets. This is one area where it’s fun to find a place to sit and watch the clowns scare, trick, and entertain other guests. Amazing.
The clowns are such a creepy delight. They banter with guests and each other.
The Hollow
The Hollow scare zone is a war between three covens of witches and their armies of the undead. The fog-filled streets, along with the army of the undead, treacherously blend into the shadowy night as they frighten all whom they encounter.
It’s also a beautifully creepy counterpoint to the kid-zone it is during the day.
Knott’s Scary Farm Shows
While there’s no headlining Elvira type attraction, Knott’s has expanded the number of shows they offer.
Puppet Up! – Uncensored
Puppet Up! – Uncensored is an outrageous, off-the-cuff live show featuring a combination of improvisational comedy and the magic of puppetry performed by a cast of world-class comedian puppeteers from The Jim Henson Company. Created by legendary puppeteer and award-winning director Brian Henson and directed by Patrick Bristow (Ellen, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Whose Line Is It Anyway?), Puppet Up! – Uncensored is no ordinary puppet show. In true uncensored form, the content is driven by audience suggestions and participation, topped with the zany antics and bawdy shenanigans of the colorful and brazen puppet cast. Puppet Up! – Uncensored will be performed three times each night at Knott’s Scary Farm and is intended for mature audiences.
This will be a new show each time you watch as the audience is in on this naughty improv with puppets. It sounds like a Haunt version of Avenue Q and we absolutely loved it. We think that this show alone is worth the price of admission. Brian Henson was one of the puppeteers on opening night and it was a treat to be able to see him perform!
Please make this show a priority on your Haunt schedule.
The Hanging: Witches’ Revenge
Folks either love The Hanging or they hate it. And this year will be no different. However, there’s a tight story this year which involves the hanging of Sarah Marshall and her transformation into the Green Witch, that makes this year’s show more satisfying than years past. There are also some brilliant jabs at Disney.
We loved not only the tie-in with Sarah Marshall, but also that this show now has a cohesive story. There’s motivation for all the silly antics.
For Hanging fans, it is a bit jarring at first to realize that this isn’t the Hangman’s show this time around. This is about the Green Witch and her sisters, and they’ve taken over in their attempt to seek revenge for the killing of Sarah Marshall.
Of course, there’s an Electrical Parade joke . . .
And jabs at various Disney characters.
Knott’s hit all the highlights of the year when it comes to references, and so many of them are Disney-related.
And in the end, an icon is born.
Given a somewhat somber outro to the show about how audiences can no longer handle edgy humor, it makes us wonder if The Hanging will be returning again next season. Looks like we’ll have to wait and see…
CONJURE – Magic and Mirth
The Bird Cage Theatre once again becomes the home of comedy and magic at Knott’s Scary Farm. Award-winning magicians from Fox’s “Masters of Illusion” take to the stage to amaze and amuse.
Eric Buss was the magician on opening night. From the very beginning of the show, you can tell this is not your ordinary magic show.
Every act is some sort of gag. Take, for example, putting two strings in a bag and when they come out, they’ll be tied.
Oh, they’re tied all right, to a box of Tide.
Eric’s act was great, we really appreciated how much effort went into some of his tricks as well as the talent on display for things like his final trick. In that, he created music using a looper and did magic tricks at the same time. That’s a two-fer, magic and music in one show.
Other Entertainment
Aside from the Mazes, shows, and scare zones, there are some additional things to enjoy this year.
Into the Fog: Art Exhibit
Artists from across the country have been invited to create works of art celebrating Knott’s Scary Farm. You can find them in the Bizarre Bazaar (located across from the Charles Schulz Theater).
Richard Wallace has an interesting Scary Farm take on the Haunted Mansion stretching rooms:
We were a big fan of this art last year, glad to see an updated version:
This one’s a lenticular:
Timber Mountain Log Ride: Halloween Hootenanny
Awaken The Dead
A nightly dance party in Fiesta Village offers high-energy fun, rhythmic music, performances by a live DJ, dancing and go-go dancers to help awaken the dead.
VR Experience: Time Zombies
The VR experience that used to be in the arcade next to the Bizarre Bazaar has been updated for Halloween and moved outside to the Games of the Boardwalk section. It’s a variant of the Showdown in Ghost Town, but it’s fun nonetheless. It’s just as solid of an arcade shooter as the original, except now you get to shoot at zombies.
There seemed to be a few different types of zombies. Some are bigger, some run at you, some explode, etc. The only complaint (besides a technical problem that plagued one member of our team) was that the implementation of slow-motion didn’t actually slow down the game, but cut the framerate in half so it felt slower. That induced a feeling of vertigo/motion sickness that subsided when slow-motion ended. The gun now has a flashlight on it, a nice touch, and the play arena is smaller, darker, and tighter, which makes it feel more scary and intimate. The flashlight is there for a reason. You’ll find out if you play. For $5 it’s a good value. The level of difficulty did seem higher than the original game and apparently, the hard mode activates something very different from the easy and normal mode.
Knott’s Scary Farm Foods
Knott’s has really stepped up their food game for Haunt this year. Our own Trevor takes a look and tries the top treats for you. What does he like? And will he eat the bat wings? All will be revealed!
Knott’s Scary Farm 2019 is a wonderful event. High on entertainment value for the money. Even after a full night with front of line passes, we STILL didn’t have time to do everything we wanted. That’s a good thing. You could easily divide this event up and do it over several nights. If you do want to try to see everything, get the “Fright Lane” option which gives you front of line for mazes and rides. It’s worth it if you can afford the extra $$$ (price varies).
We are looking forward to returning next weekend for the MiceChat Knott’s Scary Farm VIP event. I could return every weekend and not run out of things to see and do. Monsters + Fog + Boysenberries = Happy Halloween. It’s scientifically proven.
Let us know YOUR favorite Scary Farm mazes below!
We’d like to thank our photographers, including Stephenie Pashkowsky, for their help with photography and their beautiful pictures, and Nathan Villamor and Diego Montoya for help with content and social media. It was a very late night for all and we very much appreciate them!
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