Well, it’s that time of year.
The days are getting shorter, the nights are becoming muggier, and the monsters are awakening from their graves to haunt that cursed land in Buena Park, California.
If you followed along as we covered last month’s Nightmares Revealed event, you’d have a good idea of what to expect at Knott’s Scary Farm, but how was the execution? Let’s find out together!
First off, all the scare zones returned, and that’s absolutely perfect. Every zone matches its area perfectly. They’re all distinct, filled with wonderful costumed monsters, and we can’t imagine swapping any of them for anything new. They’re precious treasures and need to be protected.
That doesn’t mean they can’t get some new blood pumped into them. Carnevil had the most stunning shift this year. All the costumes seem fresh and clean. Instead of a dilapidated carnival, it seems the clowns have far more recently taken over a whole host of activities, including a surprising amount of sports venues. We saw plenty of clowns in hockey and baseball jerseys. The classic designs are still around, though, so don’t worry. Last year they made an effort to add new characters like the stunt pilot, so this branching out isn’t unprecedented. It does lean into the lore building of the scare zone, and that’s appreciated.
Ghost Town Streets, the keystone of the park, also has a few new creatures roaming the streets, like an amazing bat that we’ve fallen in love with. There’s not much you can really add to this zone. It’s the quintessential scare zone and where all of this began.
The Gore-ing 20s has really come into its own, especially with the live band and dancers that regularly play up on the balcony of the Walter Knott Theater. The entire zone is pretty small and narrow, all things considered, so the vibes are what they need to play off of to scare the guests. Without a show in the theater, a big reason for guests to visit the area has been removed, so the area is a bit calmer this year.
The Gauntlet remains a fan favorite and one that is a part of Scary Farm history. They still have nightly slider shows and a lot of other fun stuff in that area. It won’t be on the schedule, so you’ll be forced to mingle in the area to discover it on your own.
Forsaken Lake is still a creepy area to hang around. The big draw for this is their nightly funeral procession, which is even scheduled in the app. It’s definitely a fun little diversion during the night, so make an effort to see it if you have the time. These events are about the immersion just as much as they are about being scared.
In terms of shows, it’s the same core batch as the last few years, but why change what works? Carnaval du Grotesque is a circus show complete with circus acts and dancing breaks, as has been done in previous years, but the formula has been slightly altered. Instead of one single dominatrix-style host, Oopse-Daisy the clown is now the central figure, tormenting all the performers and one additional character who is in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Ultimately, the mysterious woman is transformed by the staff, which enchants everyone, and she becomes the ringmaster, performing an impressive quick-change magic trick.
The performers in the main acts are always fun and highly skilled. This year, however, the giant hamster wheel has been removed and replaced by a balancing act, which is just as nerve-racking, but with a much smaller footprint. Curiously, though, this year the dancers who emerge between acts are also pulling double-duty as stagehands to set up the next act. In terms of the show’s story, that makes sense, but it’s a little distracting to see these talented performers try to incorporate moving set pieces into place as they pop and lock along with the music. Hopefully, over the coming weeks, they can find a way to transition scenes more smoothly. But beyond that, the show feels much tighter this year, and flows a lot better. No set feels longer than it needs to be.
Over in the Bird Cage Theater is “Conjurers,” which plays host to multiple world-class magicians. They’re usually around for one or two weeks, and in opening week, we were lucky to have John Shryock perform. It was a pleasant act, a complete 180 from the dark mayhem outside, but somehow that worked perfectly as an intermission for events like these. The early shows are far more crowded, leaving the midnight shows to be intimate affairs. The other acts are listed on Knott’s site here. Future performers include Chris Blackmore, Dana Daniels, Johnny Ace Palmer, Jeff Parmer, and John George. We’ve had multiple people ask us if Lucy Darling will be on the schedule this season, after she was very well received last year, but alas, not for 2025. She rightfully exploded in popularity since her show last season, and if she were to return, she’d need a larger venue. There’s always next year.
But there’s one more show to discuss. The one that guests are always asking about when the topic of Scary Farm comes up. It’s the annual pop culture satire show known as “The Hanging,” and this year has been appropriately given the subtitle “There’s a New Tariff In Town.” The story is focused on the lack of a budget due to tariffs. Instead, they had to make do and order some “Epic Universe”-styled portals off of Temu before the increased fees kicked in, summoning all kinds of pop culture characters to kill off to help slake their bloodlust, while lamenting a lack of conflict.
Every year, it feels like a tradition to say it’s the worst Hanging ever, and yet, it’s as true as ever. This year rather than attempting to be hyper-offensive, it came off as sanitized and boring. Instead of jokes, it mostly relied on “Remember that?” references that lack a punch line. We wouldn’t mind if this show had a major refresh in the coming years.
But, just like everything else during this event, the show changes rapidly over the course of each night, and what shows we see opening week will not be what is shown late in October. Hopefully it can be punched up a bit, just as long as that wacky malfunctioning Walt animatronic sticks around.
Additionally, the Into The Fog art exhibit returns, and this year feels more packed than usual, which is always a good thing. This is the kind of thing that differentiates Knott’s Scary Farm from other Halloween events. You couldn’t get something like this, celebrating 50 years of scares, anywhere else.
The art on display here is always top-notch and represents such a wide variety of styles and subjects. If there’s an original piece you do fancy, though, make sure to pick it up as soon as possible because they often sell out in the first few days.
But that’s just the scare zones and shows. The lifeblood of these events are the mazes. And this year we have two (and a half!) new ones to explore.
First up is Mary: The Haunting of Worth Home. This is Knott’s own take on the classic “Bloody Mary” tale in a contemporary world. The majority of the maze takes place in a halfway house, which has been taken over by the demons unleashed from the mirror. The environments are realistic and immersive, especially the garage and greenhouse. It feels like Trick or Treat, from years past, but less dilapidated.
It has some amazing, large-scale puppet monsters that appear throughout the maze. While all the newer mazes seem to have a giant figure, or two, the ones in this maze stuck out as particularly intimidating. I did manage to spot the Grimoire, too, in more than a few spots.
Unfortunately, the story doesn’t come across as clear as their other mazes, though. It’s scary, so it has the most important part on lock, but I’m still trying to figure out how the monsters and story all tie together. The silver lining means it’s a good reason to walk through more times this season to try to figure it all out.
On the opposite end of the story spectrum is The Zoo, focusing on a military installation performing animal experiments on you, the new recruits, in a long-abandoned zoo. This is as pure a Daniel Miller maze as it gets. It’s a dead simple gimmick. Lots of gross-out characters. Disgusting scenes. Plenty of homages to earlier mazes, like The Depths and Dark Entities. Additionally, it boasts an amazing façade that’s a work of art in itself. If Knott’s hasn’t made a pin of that relief yet, they should get on it.
Much like a zoo, everything is somewhat organized by grouping of animals, so you’ll start with bears and gorillas, then find sea creatures, birds, etc. But of course, they’re all humanoid monsters, twisted by the military’s scientists, out to kill you. Be sure to press any buttons you see, there’s a bit of interactive fun with them.
The biggest twist of all is that after 11PM, the maze goes “lights out”, and all guests are then given a flashlight to navigate their way through. Unlike the nifty new tech of Trick or Treat: Lights Out from years past, this is just a standard flashlight (covered in blood, of course), with a narrow beam. But that actually works out for the better, because instead of being a fun accessory, in this case, it’s an actual necessity to find your way through.
The fog being pumped in really exaggerates the light beam as well. It just makes every scene fresh again, and helps direct others in your group to what you are looking at yourself. Our only concern is how the scareactors will handle the flashlights in their eyes by countless guests during the waning hours of the night.
If you go, try to remember these are still actual human beings in these costumes, and to treat them with respect. The quickest way to lose fun little gimmicks like this is to use them in a way that makes it a liability.
Beyond the two new mazes, there are still plenty of other mainstays. Chilling Chambers, the tribute maze that emerged for the 50th anniversary, is still alive, freshly populated with a few new pieces, and features new gravestones paying tribute to Wax Works and Bloodlines.
Eight Fingers Nine is now in its sophomore year. This is a treasured maze. An Olde English town haunted by tales of the boogie man. Our minds might be playing tricks on us, but there are far more scenes where the Eight Fingers Nine character is physically present now. Last year, the maze felt empty in a few spots, but on our most recent walk-through, it was the most lively (and creepiest) it has ever been.
Widows is still around, and still as itch-inducing as ever. Some set pieces were shuffled around, and it flows a lot better this year. Honestly, this is the one maze I’ve seen other guests flat-out refuse to even consider going into. It’s understandable, but if you’re lucky enough to be able to tolerate it, you’re in for an intense time. I wish it weren’t such a confusing path of rope queues to get to the maze entrance.
Origins is still alive and kicking. It doesn’t have as much of the glamour it had in its opening year, and the passion from the preacher out front isn’t as energetic. A few new parts were added inside, but it’s time for this one to fade into memory. It’s honestly surprising that this was chosen to stick around one more year over Mesmer.
Room 13 is a guilty pleasure of mine. The era and theming of the maze perfectly fit the vibe of the scare zone, especially with the back door entrance. The only thing I’d change is to find a way to change up the monotone soundtrack. It’s eerie, but a tad repetitive. Otherwise, it’s still a really fun maze with so many different parts of a hotel taken over by people possessed by the Devil’s Elixir.
Cinema Slasher has settled into a good rhythm now that the popcorn character in it has become a popular park icon. The maze itself is still a rapid mashup of at least 3 different movie tropes, along with a good mix of a haunted theater between the transitions. That giant chainsaw scene towards the end is always a little intimidating.
And that leaves us with the two mazes in their farewell season. Mesmer, a trip through the psyche of an evil hypnotist, still holds up. New videos were put into the entrance hallway this year; at least we believe they’re new. Our minds play tricks on us in this maze, but Knott’s is known to still make changes even in a maze’s final season.
Finally, we have The Grimoire. This was the first maze to establish the eponymous cursed book as the linchpin of all the mazes in the Knott’s Scary Farm universe. It’s a fun concept, but I feel it was too ambitious in what it tried to convey. Combining a summer camp, with a twisted 1950s world, World War I trenches, and a few more scenes, it never really came into its own. But it’s still fun when all is said and done. The black-and-white theme does add some cohesion, making it feel like channel surfing in the morning on a day when you’re sick at home.
In the years to come, I think it will be viewed more fondly than it is currently. Making use of the Mystery Lodge location is tough. The layout forces a lot of decisions, which likely inspired a few of the themes that the book itself took the guests through.
The Legacy Store is also still around, if you can navigate your way to it, hidden right behind the Mary maze. We encountered some spooky characters inside, making it a lot more lively. It’s usually pretty quiet and calm inside, all things considered, so it’s not the worst place to go for a little break during the event.
On the flipside, the Log Ride has transformed for their Halloween Hootenanny, and that’s a wild ride. I still love how the Hillbillies recorded the music for it. It’s such a fun retheme of a classic attraction. Alien abduction? Sure. Why not? Talking bear animatronic? Ok! Anything goes on the log ride, and that’s why it works both during the daytime and at night, especially as we still have some pretty toasty days during this season.
There’s always something to do during Scary Farm, even if it’s just to people-watch in a scare zone, take in the decorations, have some spooky-themed food, or enjoy the art in the gallery. Most of the regular attractions are all still running, many with wait times far lower than during the day. So even if you rely on a No-boo necklace to fight your way through the scare zones, there’s plenty to do without setting foot in a maze.
Do we wish there were a headlining show? Of course. We always want more entertainment. However, we still plan to visit multiple times throughout the season because there’s no place like Knott’s Scary Farm, the original home of Halloween.
We always buy a season pass, because while you could finish it all in one night, their mazes warrant multiple trips through them to appreciate all the work put into them. Knott’s Scary Farm runs select nights through November 1st. Tickets, passes, and more are all for sale at knotts.com. See you in the fog!
