The Haunts in review
November 1, 2018
Greetings foolish mortals. Well, the Halloween season is now behind us. Sad times but we got more times ahead. Just thought I'd write a review of Knotts Scary Farm and my personal feelings on it. I went many, many times and did all the haunts, scare zones and the shows. Went to opening night and enjoyed it every time. So let's start.
When you walk into the park, if you take the left entrance, you'll be walking into Ghost Town. This is the part of the park Knotts is know for. With it's close proximity buildings, it makes kind of a valley that traps the fog within the walls and makes it impossible to see at times. This is where the "ghouls" are able to get you. There's some amazing makeup and costumes in this area. One of my favorite is the "widow". A bride dressed in white who creeps along with a candle.
The haunts in this area were pretty good. The first one was called Trick or Treat. I have to say, the theming to this haunt was by far the best. You actually felt like you were inside an old, haunted house and even went outside in the backyard. With this haunt, you were given a small flashlight that would work at random times. Other times, it would go out, just as a scare was approaching. The overall scares in this haunt weren't there for me as there didn't seem to be many actors present when I went through. It could have been the time since it was just after opening. I saw with some of the other haunts they would improve or get weaker during certain visits. However, this was the best themed mazes and always had the longest line.
The second was a new maze called The Depths. Now, the theming and naming seemed off as you were supposed to be going into a mining town yet somehow you also ended up under water and on a coast. Regardless of that strangeness, the overall maze was amazing!!! The theming and detail were very well done and there was even one part where you were made to feel you were wading in waist deep water. That was one of the coolest effects and the actors within were awesome. It had a rocking ship too that finished out the maze. Overall, I felt this was the best maze as it had it all.
The third was Dark Entities. This was a new maze too and was pretty neat. It was based on outer space and how an alien life form takes over the ship. It had a lot of the normal scares but it also had a few surprises. While the theming was ok, one thing that I noticed was the lack of feeling "trapped" inside a space ship as there were no ceilings to enclose the walkways. That might have made a bigger difference to the overall effect. This also tended to suffer from quality during different times of visits. Other times, it was really good.
Infected was a repeat maze and just doesn't seem to have a place unless they re-did this. The theming was cool but I just feel these interactive laser tag mazes are lazy and doesn't require a whole lot of creativity. You tear up a spot and put a lot of military type theming around and have zombies come after you. It doesn't take a whole of imagination. Don't get me wrong. It is neat on a level but I wish it didn't flow through the way it does. It would be cool if things were wide open a little more and there was a chance you didn't "make it". Again, it was OK.
The Red Barn. This is by far their worst maze and just doesn't really seem to belong anymore. I feel it's tired and overdone. Blood, blood and more blood. How much gore do you need? It just seems they keep trying to do this maze every year and it's time they throw in the "bloody" towel and go with something new.
Pumpkin eater was a return maze that I enjoyed last year and liked even more this year. They extended it a bit and added more theming to it was nice. The theming is pretty cool and the scares can jump out and get you when you least expect it. Nothing spectacular in here but it I s a good walk through.
Dark Ride was also returning and pretty much the same as the year before. Very cool thought of being in an abandoned ride and seeing what goes on within. Clowns are in here and connect to one of the scare zones.
Shadowlands is also a repeat maze and actually got a little better this year. Gone was the intro so that made the throughput a bit better. The theming is very cool as the suicide forest welcomes you into this maze. There's a part where you see a huge replica of the girl from The Grudge come jumping out at you. That made me jump, two times on separate occasions. It is a creepy effect. Overall it did improve but still not very scary.
Paranormal Inc. is a returning maze. It's cool that you're part of a "live" investigation that obviously turns into a haunt. Had some very cool effects too but it is also in need of a refresh or replacement altogether.
The scare zones are always interesting. Ghost town, as I already described, is well know. Very cool and fun.
The Hollow is very cool too and while it was one of my favorites before, it has been replaced. The theming in the area is very cool though.
Forsaken Lake is a new scare zone. While not great, it had its creep and jump factors. I got got there as an actor came out of the fog and caught me by surprise. I love those.
My favorite scare zone was Carnevil. This section is full of clowns, some evil and some full of mischievous pranks. I spent more time in this section just watching the reactions by people in here. The clowns don't hide but are walking around and still manage to scare people. Saw many fall on the ground and many more running from the clowns. Some of these actors have the best ways to get people to jump.
So overall, I thought this year's event was pretty entertaining. The shows, were OK and the rides as awesome as they always are but the atmosphere of this place is so much fun. I bought the Scare Pass so I ended up going about 9 times during the season. Loved every minute of it too. I highly suggest you try it out if you ever get the chance. It is one of the premier haunts.
Hope you enjoyed reading my opinions and thoughts about these.
Until next year...
BBP out!!!
When you walk into the park, if you take the left entrance, you'll be walking into Ghost Town. This is the part of the park Knotts is know for. With it's close proximity buildings, it makes kind of a valley that traps the fog within the walls and makes it impossible to see at times. This is where the "ghouls" are able to get you. There's some amazing makeup and costumes in this area. One of my favorite is the "widow". A bride dressed in white who creeps along with a candle.
The haunts in this area were pretty good. The first one was called Trick or Treat. I have to say, the theming to this haunt was by far the best. You actually felt like you were inside an old, haunted house and even went outside in the backyard. With this haunt, you were given a small flashlight that would work at random times. Other times, it would go out, just as a scare was approaching. The overall scares in this haunt weren't there for me as there didn't seem to be many actors present when I went through. It could have been the time since it was just after opening. I saw with some of the other haunts they would improve or get weaker during certain visits. However, this was the best themed mazes and always had the longest line.
The second was a new maze called The Depths. Now, the theming and naming seemed off as you were supposed to be going into a mining town yet somehow you also ended up under water and on a coast. Regardless of that strangeness, the overall maze was amazing!!! The theming and detail were very well done and there was even one part where you were made to feel you were wading in waist deep water. That was one of the coolest effects and the actors within were awesome. It had a rocking ship too that finished out the maze. Overall, I felt this was the best maze as it had it all.
The third was Dark Entities. This was a new maze too and was pretty neat. It was based on outer space and how an alien life form takes over the ship. It had a lot of the normal scares but it also had a few surprises. While the theming was ok, one thing that I noticed was the lack of feeling "trapped" inside a space ship as there were no ceilings to enclose the walkways. That might have made a bigger difference to the overall effect. This also tended to suffer from quality during different times of visits. Other times, it was really good.
Infected was a repeat maze and just doesn't seem to have a place unless they re-did this. The theming was cool but I just feel these interactive laser tag mazes are lazy and doesn't require a whole lot of creativity. You tear up a spot and put a lot of military type theming around and have zombies come after you. It doesn't take a whole of imagination. Don't get me wrong. It is neat on a level but I wish it didn't flow through the way it does. It would be cool if things were wide open a little more and there was a chance you didn't "make it". Again, it was OK.
The Red Barn. This is by far their worst maze and just doesn't really seem to belong anymore. I feel it's tired and overdone. Blood, blood and more blood. How much gore do you need? It just seems they keep trying to do this maze every year and it's time they throw in the "bloody" towel and go with something new.
Pumpkin eater was a return maze that I enjoyed last year and liked even more this year. They extended it a bit and added more theming to it was nice. The theming is pretty cool and the scares can jump out and get you when you least expect it. Nothing spectacular in here but it I s a good walk through.
Dark Ride was also returning and pretty much the same as the year before. Very cool thought of being in an abandoned ride and seeing what goes on within. Clowns are in here and connect to one of the scare zones.
Shadowlands is also a repeat maze and actually got a little better this year. Gone was the intro so that made the throughput a bit better. The theming is very cool as the suicide forest welcomes you into this maze. There's a part where you see a huge replica of the girl from The Grudge come jumping out at you. That made me jump, two times on separate occasions. It is a creepy effect. Overall it did improve but still not very scary.
Paranormal Inc. is a returning maze. It's cool that you're part of a "live" investigation that obviously turns into a haunt. Had some very cool effects too but it is also in need of a refresh or replacement altogether.
The scare zones are always interesting. Ghost town, as I already described, is well know. Very cool and fun.
The Hollow is very cool too and while it was one of my favorites before, it has been replaced. The theming in the area is very cool though.
Forsaken Lake is a new scare zone. While not great, it had its creep and jump factors. I got got there as an actor came out of the fog and caught me by surprise. I love those.
My favorite scare zone was Carnevil. This section is full of clowns, some evil and some full of mischievous pranks. I spent more time in this section just watching the reactions by people in here. The clowns don't hide but are walking around and still manage to scare people. Saw many fall on the ground and many more running from the clowns. Some of these actors have the best ways to get people to jump.
So overall, I thought this year's event was pretty entertaining. The shows, were OK and the rides as awesome as they always are but the atmosphere of this place is so much fun. I bought the Scare Pass so I ended up going about 9 times during the season. Loved every minute of it too. I highly suggest you try it out if you ever get the chance. It is one of the premier haunts.
Hope you enjoyed reading my opinions and thoughts about these.
Until next year...
BBP out!!!
Posted by Bill Bickford.
