The weather is allegedly getting cooler. It’s not, really, but at least there’s a nice breeze every so often; but that can only mean one thing: Knott’s Scary Farm is back, and Halloween has officially begun.
The farm is definitely all decorated for the season. The scare cloth is up everywhere. Fog has rolled in through all the lands. But this year, there’s been a few shake-ups to the formula.
Carnevil has been injected with more a story now. Instead of being a mish-mash of clowns throughout the dust-bowl era, it’s firmly rooted in the world of Knott’s Scary Farm’s own Professor Mesmer, following his descent into madness seen at the end of his eponymous maze. That maze was retired last year, so this is a welcome extension of the expansive lore that Knott’s has been keen on building throughout the last few years of the event.
As mentioned at Midsummer Scream, there are three new leaders in the Carnevil scare zone, and they’re not hard to find. It’s honestly refreshing to see this kind of attention being given to the scare zones, with named characters becoming more visible. Previous updates to scare zones have been left to be discovered through word-of-mouth or just “here are new costumes” and treated as less important than mazes. I can see Origins, after it retires this season, leading to a few of those characters being unleashed, now roaming around Ghost Town Streets. It would allow for more of an investment in the design of the characters in the mazes, as they become a longer-term proposition.
The other scare zones are just as you remember them. Ghost Town Streets, Forsaken Lake, Gore-ing 20s, and the Gauntlet are all in prime form as usual. It’s quite easy for Halloween events to fall into a trap of replacing things just for replacement’s sake, so having the scare zones be the grounding force for the event is a good signal. Especially as every fan of Scary Farm has a different favorite scare zone. It would be hard to find one to replace, as they all have a significant fan base, so any replacement would have to be in a similar vein.
In terms of shows, there were some changes this year. The biggest show, out on the Calico Mine Stage, is no longer Le Magnifique Carnaval du Grotesque, but instead it is now home to Voodoo: Bayou’s Edge. While it still follows the familiar formula of 3 carnival acts with group dancing in between sets, it has sadly lost all the comedic bits and replaced them with an edgier mix of voodoo characters and heavy electronic dance music. It feels like they were trying to resurrect the sexiness of the 2023 show in the Charles Schulz Theater, Music, Monsters & Mayhem, while still keeping the circus acts.
Ultimately, it’s an entertaining show. However, without a central raised platform, it’s difficult to see the stage-level acts through the sea of onlookers. The contortionist did an excellent job, but when we can only see him from the waist up, it’s hard to get the audience’s attention. The fire dancer and acrobats are much easier to see from a distance. If you make an effort to see this show, make sure you get as close to the stage as possible.
Just around the corner in the newly refurbished Bird Cage Theater is Occultum. The fine folks at the Magic Castle this year have hand-picked the masters of prestidigitation that will be performing throughout the next few weeks. Opening weekend was handled by Dan Sperry, with many feats not for the faint of heart. In future weekends, Rob Zabrecky and Rudy Coby are also scheduled, among others to be revealed. This is easily the best show to see across multiple visits, because the acts are always changing.
And of course, finishing off the selection of shows is The Hanging: Noosemaxxxing. The annual pop culture satire show is back, as always, to divide the audience and find out exactly how far is too far and how soon is too soon. All things considered, this show is better this year, featuring the likes of Masters of the Universe, Fallout, Star Wars, and the usual menagerie of superheroes. At this point, it’s focused less on jokes and more on rapid-fire commentary on references to things you’ve dealt with over the last year.
Because the world of pop culture is always rapidly changing, so will the show. The performance likely will tighten up over the weeks, but new jokes are tested, added, and removed as well. It’s worth a revisit every few weeks if you manage to have the time. That said, there’s one predictable aspect of the show that is unlikely to change and that’s the post-show dance number. It’s dedicated to one (or more) of the famous artists we’ve lost in the last year, so naturally this year’s number is focused on both Dolly Parton and Tim Curry. Because that final number is devoid of criticism or commentary, it acts as a good chaser to the rest of the content, to help the audience leave on a high note.
Also, what started out as an unlisted surprise musical performance has now become an anchor of the event in the Gore-ing 20s. The Blind Tiger plays host to the Rhythm Howlers with the Hotsy Totsy Hoppers multiple times a night. It’s a real treat to have a live band out for these events.
The final bit of entertainment is the Into the Fog art exhibition. It’s always a great gallery from a wide array of artists sporting unique takes on the endless history of the event; whether it’s a hand-made model of monsters from Ghost Town Streets, or a laser-cut Ouija board themed to a maze from years past, it’s always a highlight for us to take it in. The original pieces are usually for sale, as are prints. If they’re out of stock, be sure to check back at a later date, as the artist has to restock that supply themselves, and gauging the demand for their works can be a tricky affair.
Finally, there are two new mazes, two going away, and four mainstays.
Origins and Chilling Chambers are in the final years, and their age has begun to show. Origins, as the name suggests, really kicked off the connected lore of all the new mazes to follow, but it’s been a tough one to maintain in recent years. Chilling Chambers hasn’t been the same without the tribute to Sinister Seymour, and it feels slightly ironic that the final scene is the graveyard of all the former mazes, to which it will become a part of itself as the fog rolls away next month. Definitely give them one last walkthrough if you can. The wait times for these two can usually be pretty forgiving.
As for the new mazes, Inked has been the one getting the most buzz. It’s pretty wild, and they pulled it off. Starting off in the gruesome murder scene inside the studio, sporting some really well-done Pepper’s Ghost effects, you then walk through different cartoon shorts. Naturally, everything inside is trying to kill you, but you’ll be constantly distracted by all the flashy tech they’ve crammed in there. The hellfire scene is fantastic and really convincing. And the black & white area is perfectly done; you’d think you were looking through a camera filter.
To no one’s surprise, there are also a lot of references packed in the maze, but the biggest one of all is about one of the “cartoons” featured inside. If you noticed, there’s a certain Halloween-themed cartoon that is advertised while you’re in the queue. Once you encounter it inside, you’ll discover it repurposes a lot of the old Pumpkin Eater maze, which triggered such a rush of nostalgia. It’s encouraging to see so much of that former maze was available to be reused and how it fits perfectly in a completely different theme. The monsters are fun and constantly evolving into nightmares as you progress further into the maze. It’s the total package.
The other new maze is far more grounded, literally. Unearthed is focused on resurrected mummies, and before you assume it’s all Egyptian, there’s a good mix of Mesopotamian culture in there, too. It’s a very vertical maze, located where Grimoire used to be. Lots of scare actors on stilts, monsters below you in a pit, and very tall archways and painted walls. You end up looking around and being caught off guard.
Whereas Inked is very bright and flashy, this is far darker, and oftentimes the only light is the glow from the hieroglyphics on the walls as you pass. It definitely sets a different tone, and that works out well. It feels like a spiritual continuation of another former maze, The Depths, but just in a drier climate this time around.
Beyond that, there are still all the returning mazes, including last year’s runaway hit, Zoo. There’s a lot to see, do, and eat at Knott’s Scary Farm.
Knott’s Scary Farm runs select nights now through Halloween. Tickets, passes, and more are all available at SixFlags.com.
