It’s that time of year when the fog rolls in, bringing with it the Green Witch and the curses she spreads throughout Knott’s Scary Farm. This past Tuesday, the Boulet Brothers joined us to unveil all the terrifying attractions that will keep us scared well into the night.
First off the bat, all the scare zones are returning. It’s a comfort announcement at this point. Virtually all of the park, save for Fiesta Village is encompassed by the fog, and each zone has their own established legacy now. Replacing or taking away is a tough pill to swallow. Even the newest ones have become firmly rooted in the park’s history.
Additionally, all the shows are returning. That being Le Magnifique Carnaval du Grotesque, Conjurers, and The Hanging. This year, the ever-topical Hanging is subtitled There’s a New Tariff in Town. A lineup isn’t available yet for Conjurers, but the Bird Cage theater typically hosts a different magician each weekend, so if you end up making multiple trips during the season, it’s still worth your time to visit the legendary theater again and again. The masters of prestidigitation they have here are some of the best in the world.
And, of course, the Halloween Hootenanny overlay for the Log Ride is also returning. (Complete with our favorite bear to wish us a Happy Halloween) No word yet on any candy deliveries coming to the mines, but that would be announced closer to Knott’s Spooky Farm time.
As we covered in the last article from Midsummer Scream, two of the mazes are now in their final year. The Grimoire and Mesmer are not going to make it to 2026. As a consolation prize, The Grimoire was open with the lights on for a walk-through, to get a good look at all the details for one last time.
The highlight of the event is the announcement of two new mazes: The Zoo and Mary: The Haunting of Worth Home. The Zoo revolves around a breakout at a hybrid genetics experiment lab. The costumes feature a variety of creatures, including ravens, monkeys, and more. It will be fascinating to see the variety of characters throughout the maze.
In a twist, each night after 11 PM, The Zoo goes dark, and you’ll need flashlights to find your way through. I’m pretty excited to have a flashlight-based maze. The last one was many years back with Trick or Treat, and the cursed flashlight.
Mary, is of course, about Bloody Mary. The trailer focused on an Elizabethan timeline, but quickly fast-forwarded to her being summoned in contemporary times.
It appears the guests will begin in modern day and then be dragged into Mary’s timeline. A peek at the costumes hints shows a lot of variety, but doesn’t give away too much. There’s an interesting contrast between the two mazes, especially in how The Zoo has revealed so much more than Mary has. That mystery will play into the impact you will feel as you enter the Worth Home.
The Boulet Brothers did more than host the event. Following the announcements, they recorded a podcast in the Bird Cage Theater and announced they would be returning select nights in the Legacy Store throughout the event for Meet & Greets.
While the Nightmares Revealed event is just about three hours long, they pack a lot into it. They even had a make-up show demonstrating, on actual guests, how much they can get done in just 15 minutes, because that’s the real-world deadline they set for themselves, to get the hundreds of monsters ready every night to scare folks.
There was a lot of new merch out, too. The Spirit jerseys this year seemed to lean towards some retro themes, like Bewitched, but our favorite popcorn bucket character from Cinema Slasher has now been promoted to a park icon. He’s on the sweaters, hats, shirts, and sling bags. You BUTTER run!
This year, the lanterns return with two lighting modes and a cute ghost image in the center. Don’t forget that these also work at Six Flags: Magic Mountain if you find your way up there this season.
They also have a LoungeFly backpack that’s clear, with the Knott’s Scary Farm sigil as a keychain. This has already been vetted for security, so it’s totally in the clear to bring with you into the park on these scary evenings.
And, of course, you’re going to get hungry, so lots of food options were on display.
Sometimes the names are playful, but other times they’re literally descriptive. So you might have to be a little brave if you want the chocolate cricket cupcake or the frog legs.
Personally, we’re most excited for the Graveyard French Toast, which will be available at Ghost Town Grub, and the Midnight Tiramisu, made with dark chocolate, at the Prop Shop Pizzeria.
Tickets and season passes for Knott’s Scary Farm are available now at Knotts.com. The event runs select nights from Sept. 18th through Nov. 1st.
And to cap it off, here are some shots from The Grimoire to get you into a spooky mood.
