Fall has arrived and that means Halloween is not too far away. In anticipation of the spooky holiday, Knott’s Berry Farm has transitioned to their famous and very popular Knott’s Scary Farm, and during select evenings through Halloween, the park transforms into an amazing and spooky Halloween experience.
In addition to the numerous decorations that adorn the park, various costumed characters and creatures will roam and pop up and out at you at any time in 5 different Scare Zones. Your favorite rides have a touch of the ghoulish while the live shows that are always a huge draw for fans are back
In fact, the only place to see Elvira, the legendary Mistress of the Dark, this Halloween season is at Knott’s Scary Farm in her spectacular all-new nightly show, Elvira’s Danse Macabre. The show transports guests to a masquerade ball, hosted by Elvira, full of music, dance and comedy. Each night, a limited number of guests who spend at least $50 at Elvira’s Boo-tique during Knott’s Scary Farm will get a chance to meet Elvira between performances of “Elvira’s Danse Macabre” and collect her signature on one of the purchased items.
Need more live entertainment? The popular “The Hanging” mixes humor, stunts, and pop culture references galore in a great live show. You can catch this nightly must-see parody on the Calico Mine Stage.
I managed to get on several rides during our coverage including the new Voyage to the Iron Reef 4D attraction but seeing as it is Halloween; the mazes were my favorite parts of the event. There are several returning mazes this year which combine expertly made-up actors, sets, props, effects, lighting, and sound to create an unforgettable experience.
The new attraction this year included The Red Barn which was a hay filled barn complete with cannibal yokels and all manner of creatures. The Hollow featured the Headless Horseman and his steed and was as eerie as it was captivating.
A new feature this year was FEAR VR where guests could rent a Samsung VR set to have a new interactive experience. I loved going through zone and experiencing smoke, snow, and plenty of disturbing images and sets.
One of the more interactive Halloween events you will ever find is Special Ops: Infected where guests are armed with a laser rifle and must go through numerous sets and dispatch Zombies by hitting sensors located on them. The sets are highly-detailed and thankfully soldiers pop up now and then to guide guests through the streets, sewers and other locales of this fantastic attraction.
For me, the best of the new attractions was Shadow Lands which is steeped in Japanese mythology and has very detailed sets ranging from courtyards and temples complete with decapitations and creepy characters and creatures.
Guests looking to avoid the lines can purchase a Fastpass which gives you front of the line access to the mazes. Seeing how long the line was for Shadow Lands, I was very happy to be able to bypass this and enjoy the attraction in a timely fashion. There are also Skeleton Key rooms where guests can get bonus room content and a new level of fear for select mazes.
Knott’s Scary Farms is highly popular and often sells out. As such the park now offers a season pass so guests can experience the event as many nights as they wish through Halloween or they can purchase tickets for individual nights. By combining great Halloween mazes, decorations, and shows with their amazing and very fun rides, Knott’s has once again created a thrilling and highly enjoyable Halloween event that is not to be missed and shows once again why this has become such a popular destination and tradition for fans
Images by Genevieve Mc Bride
