Knott's Scary Farm TR

[Eunuch Provocateur]

Well f**k.

 

I haven't posted on here in awhile, but what happened last night was enough to gird me into posting.

 

Halloween Haunt has never seemed this ghetto, has never seemed so helplessly used and tired. The mazes that we went into were visibly aged, and there was just not enough talent.

 

But maybe there was... I couldn't get a good read on this because they weren't breaking maze lines at all. You just get shuffled into the maze, walking past the seemingly needless personnel at the entrance. When I asked a black-shirt worker about this, he just said, "Management told us not to."

 

This made me wonder the judgment of "management." You'd think that, after running this event for 30+ years, they'd know that pushing people in droves through mazes, then getting them logjammed in certain sections more than once, is not the way to put on a thrilling event.

 

The logjamming and the traffic in the mazes was irritating because you'd get stuck in a "scary" room with intestines hanging down from the ceiling, and you'd look at the props, and then you begin to realize that it's not that scary afterall because they're prosthetics that're cheap and old and unkempt.

 

We didn't go in all of the mazes because, for a Wednesday, it was packed to the brim, and my friends wanted to ride at least something before the night's end. Which we did.

 

Then we did Beowulf at about 12:35 which included some the rudest characters, including one who, for seemingly no reason, shouted out, "What the f**k did you say?" and Monsters announcing that they're going on break.

 

It was very frustrating. Nothing seemed to be well-done while all the mazes and scare zones we hit were understaffed and overcrowded. If you're not going to break the lines, then add more monsters to the mazes at least, that can jump out at you after you've been standing in the living room of 13 Axe Manor for a minute or more.

 

But there was, at least, Pyromaniax, the log-ride, that we waited for which was actually decent, but still nothing compared to what my memory dictates was a very fun and scary experience in previous years.

 

And the Hanging had its moments. We didn't see any of the other shows, though, because we were so pressed for time what with the lines outside for tickets (why the hell do you need to check every 5 and 10 dollar bill going in?) and my friend and I coming from seeing Control (that indie Joy Division movie) the only chance we had.

 

It was fun, but it was definitely very drab and lackluster and ghetto. I know that this is very negative, but I can't really find any specific bright spot on the night aside from Pyromaniax.

 

Knotts, for Christ's sake, please fix your event.

[RIP Psyclone]

Wait, the log ride is open?

[Sean Menefee]

It was last weekend during the afternoon.

[kraxleRIDAH]

I was at Halloween Haunt on the Friday the 19th -- and had a disturbingly similar experience to yours.

 

It was so dismal I couldn't even find the effort to even draft a report about how bad it was on TPR afterwards. And I've been to Halloween Haunt events in the past ON SATURDAYS that were way more crowded, but somehow much more better managed and with better talent.

 

Maybe I should've taken Robb's advice and gone to Halloween Horror Nights instead this year. The 2007 Haunt was dreadful (in a bad way), not scary, and for that, definitely a rip-off.

 

My friends and I got to the park at 7 pm and left at 11 -- after doing just 7 mazes and 2 rides. The event closes at 2. That should really tell you something.

 

People ruthlessly cutting into the lines for the mazes. Talent in the mazes (the ones that we actually saw) that would just stand there doing nothing as you walked by. Countless little "spots" in the mazes where the monsters should have been hiding waiting to do a scare, but were empty. I remember thinking to myself, "are ALL the monsters on a cigarette break right now?" It was a disaster.

 

We also encountered rude talent too. A girl friend of mine said "This is so crazy" about the maze decorations in FearyTales and a female talent hops out from her hiding spot and says in her face, "You're the crazy one, bitch." (yes, she actually called her a bitch) and then turns around to the people behind us to yell, "HEY, THAT GIRL RIGHT THERE, SHE'S CRAZY. SHE'S CRAZY. CRAZY."

 

I had a few squeemish girls in the group that weren't scared more than once the entire time. One of the girls, Sonia, who is scared rather easily was so not amused by the lack of "scares" that she was throwing out peace signs at the talent in the mazes.

 

Knott's Scary Farm...I used to put it up on a pedestal and thought it was the greatest thing. Looked forward to it every year. Not anymore. It's just terrible now...doubt it'll get the Golden Ticket Award for Best Halloween Event for 2008...

[Mozart67]

That's sad. My only memory of the whole Halloween thing is I was, like, 8 years old, some guy in a costume I cant remember jumped out at me and yelled "BLARFGHRG" or something and I almost left hors d'oeurves in my shorts. Aside from that, it was a great time. It's really sad that Knott's has fallen that far down the food-chain. It's asking too much, I know, but it would so rock if Disney or someone had a Tim Burton-themed Halloween event. THAT would be scary for both man, woman and baby. (stupid Old Navy adverts)

[Simon Baynham]

Hi TPR Members

 

^That's^ such a shame.

 

I am a collector of amusement park books and DVDs, and I have the two Halloween programmes: "Knott's Scary Farm's Season Of Screams" and "Universal Orlando's Horror Nights - The Art of the Scare."

 

I've come to appreciate just how much time and effort goes into the making of the two events. Knott's started their event in 1973 and it was an immediate success.

 

Perhaps Knott's are employing half-hearted 'extras' to cope with the demand... a victim of their own success you might say? There's obviously been a shift in focus in recent years to get as many people as possible through the scare-zones. That's just to increase throughput (obviously), but the downside is that there are no scares to be had when you're shuffling through a themed corridor with 30 other people.

 

True scares come when you're cut off from the pack or in a small group. We know that, and the parks know that too, but I bet Knott's have received negative feedback from people who paid the entry price and feel they did not get value for money - you cannot blame the park for putting customer satisfaction ahead of the scares themselves (Or am I wrong to think this?)

 

Also, concerning the Knott's actors shouting out in a rude fashion, maybe that's the individual's opinion of what is 'scary.' They're obviously mis-informed and ill-educated in this field, and instead come across as both arrogant and rude.

 

I suppose there's no easy answers, but I wouldn't be surprised if Knott's (and Universal?) hiked the entry price to help thin the crowds next year... or is that another step in the wrong direction(?)

 

Simon Baynham (Who's hoping to make it to the U.S.A. sometime)

[Eunuch Provocateur]

I suppose there's no easy answers, but I wouldn't be surprised if Knott's (and Universal?) hiked the entry price to help thin the crowds next year... or is that another step in the wrong direction(?)

 

It may, anything to bring back the scares. Seriously.

[odie]

Would it really be better for them to cut the line and half to wait about 2 times the length just to catch up to the people in front of you by half way into the maze? The park is probably just trying to cut down line lengths because it was so crowded. Is the line always uncut?

[Xtreme-me]

I actually had an amazing time when I went earlier this month (October 5th). I noticed absolutely nothing wrong. There was plenty of talent and they were doing an awesome job scaring people. The mazes were clean and visually appealing and they were very cool. It wasnt too crowded and we managed to get on everything but the asylum which everyone decided they didn't want to go through.

 

The thing they need to do is this: Lessen the number of tickets that they sell every night, even if that means that they need to turn down people. Granted, there will be less money made but it would be better to have less people in the park that are having a good time and the monsters arent overwhelmed than let tons and tons of people in and its impossible for them to control everyone.

 

Contrary to what you say, I had an awesome Time and I plan on going back again cause it was awesome

[vjgx]

I actually had an amazing time when I went earlier this month (October 5th). I noticed absolutely nothing wrong. There was plenty of talent and they were doing an awesome job scaring people. The mazes were clean and visually appealing and they were very cool. It wasnt too crowded and we managed to get on everything but the asylum which everyone decided they didn't want to go through.

 

The thing they need to do is this: Lessen the number of tickets that they sell every night, even if that means that they need to turn down people. Granted, there will be less money made but it would be better to have less people in the park that are having a good time and the monsters arent overwhelmed than let tons and tons of people in and its impossible for them to control everyone.

 

Contrary to what you say, I had an awesome Time and I plan on going back again cause it was awesome

Agreed. I went on the 13th, and had a great time. Talent was being fun and energetic, and the mazes were clean and moved fast enough that the few small problems I noticed were not a problem in any way. Maybe it's just getting too crowded towards the end of the month, and maybe the actors are getting tired of it all... But it was great in the first half of the month.

[CoasterGoblin]

I went October 17th and the event was just as good as I remembered it.. I've always ended up in a 'haunted line' inside a maze just about every year I've been going to the Haunt. I try to avoid the busy days of the season (ie I go on the cheapest nights) so maybe that helps.