October 19, 2015

We’re already half way through the Halloween season and things are in full swing! For those of you in the Los Angeles area, you no doubt have a check list of all of the haunts and attractions this fair city has to offer! Undoubtedly, one of those mandatory stops will be Knott’s Scary Farm in Buena Park, normally Knott’s Berry Farm during the rest of the year, but transformed over the month of October to fit the spooky celebration!

The Blumhouse crew were on hand for the grand opening and managed to squeeze in 9 of the 10 horror mazes and Elvira’s new show, Elvira’s Asylum. Here’s the break down!

There were a total of 10 full mazes through out the park. They consisted of: Trick or Treat, Pinocchio Unstrung, Forevermore, Black Magic, Dead of Winter, Paranormal Inc., The Tooth Fairy, Gunslinger’s Grave, Voodoo: Order of the Serpent and My Bloody Clementine. All 10 of the mazes are chock full of creepy production design, elaborate giant animatronic heads, interactive actors in costume & make-up with the sole purpose of scaring the hell out of you, and more!

In terms of themes, there’s a “home made” quality to the Knott’s mazes that make them stand out. Whereas Universal licenses big, well known titles like THE WALKING DEAD or HALLOWEEN, Knott’s creates their own twisted scary mythologies and stories. Forevermore for example has you entering the den and crime scenes of a serial killer that uses Edgar Allan Poe stories as the inspiration behind his gruesome deeds. During the course of one shift walk (or run, depending how scared you are), you get samples of all his best stories such as ‘The Raven,’ ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ and ‘The Pit & The Pendulum!’

Another stand out is Dead of Winter, a new attraction this year which has you wandering through the cold (and I mean it, the AC is blasted in this maze) lair of the chilling Snow Queen. You’re attacked by her Vikings warriors, but also treated to some beautiful bright white scenarios. Pinocchio Unstrung has been at the park before, but it’s always fun to make your way past odd little puppets and marionettes with sinister intentions! The Calico Mine train ride has been converted to My Bloody Clementine, a quick peek through the caverns of darkness in this haunted mine. In the same way that Forevermore uses some of Poe’s tales as their inspiration, the great Black Magic incorporates the gags of Houdini into it’s maze. The Tooth Fairy delivers DR GIGGLES style scares, as opposed to ghostly DARKNESS FALLS style ones, and we’re OK with that!

Of course, the highlight for the evening is getting the opportunity to see Elvira, live in person. She’s been performing a show at Knott’s for the last few years, and whereas last year, she had what can only be described as a crazy circus with acrobatic performers and contortionists, this year, she goes with the “Asylum” theme! We’re treated to a quick video of 3 loonies in an insane asylum before they all escape, take over and wreak havoc on the Knott’s auditorium stage. The show consists of numerous synchronized dance numbers, often to loud dubstep music, and Elvira herself comes out between segments to hit the audience with a series of jokes, mostly about boobs. Naturally. (Pun intended!) This ended up being my last stop for the evening, and I think it’s the perfect way to cap off your Knott’s Scary Farm experience.

There’s different tiers for passes. We strongly recommended spending the extra cash and springing for “front of the line” passes. This will grant you quicker access to all the mazes with minimal wait time. If you want to make the best of the few hours you have there, this is the way to go! You can always buy a special “skeleton” key, which offers you a bonus interactive room for 5 of the mazes. It’s fun and a unique way to experience the mazes, but only recommended for die-hards who want to experience everything the park has to offer!

Knott’s is always a blast, and the perfect way to kick off and properly celebrate your Halloween season. Tickets are available now on their official website.