The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[laqueefa]

I didn't do it in 2012 because it was sold out, tried 2013 because of the hype, didn't bother in 2014 because 2013 sucked so much.

 

Okay, so we are on the same page. I had the exact same experience.

[KBrylczyk]

Knott's posted the Scary Farm map today. Dead Of Winter is indeed in the Trapped location.

 

Also, apparently the "extended" Ghost Town scare zone is way WAY larger than I had anticipated! I"m curious if the dense fog from the central streets in years past will extend throughout.

 

 

https://www.knotts.com/scaryfarm/blog-article/haunt/Plan-Your-Visit-To-Knotts-Scary-Farm

[Jew]

I hope so, but I'm guessing nothing much will change in those areas. They've always technically been part of the Ghost Town scare zone, just not many monsters ventured out over by Big Foot because all the action was in the traditional area. You'd only see a handful of monsters scattered in the other areas. I hope they ramped up the staffing to cover all that space!

 

CarnEvil has the same problem...it feels like the monsters concentrated on the area by Xcelerator, with only a few venturing further down and by Charleston Square.

[silentabomb]

I hope so, but I'm guessing nothing much will change in those areas. They've always technically been part of the Ghost Town scare zone, just not many monsters ventured out over by Big Foot because all the action was in the traditional area. You'd only see a handful of monsters scattered in the other areas. I hope they ramped up the staffing to cover all that space!

 

CarnEvil has the same problem...it feels like the monsters concentrated on the area by Xcelerator, with only a few venturing further down and by Charleston Square.

 

Nope staffing in ghost town is the same don't expect to see a lot of monsters in big foot or sliver bullet

[i<3coasters]

Drove by the park this evening and the first camelback has all of the track entirely removed from it, not just the top 2 layers as was seen on other parts of the coaster. It's basically just down to the support structure and railing (orange night lights removed as well). Going to stop by in the next few days and get some pictures if possible.

[CedarFlags]

I hope so, but I'm guessing nothing much will change in those areas. They've always technically been part of the Ghost Town scare zone, just not many monsters ventured out over by Big Foot because all the action was in the traditional area. You'd only see a handful of monsters scattered in the other areas. I hope they ramped up the staffing to cover all that space!

 

CarnEvil has the same problem...it feels like the monsters concentrated on the area by Xcelerator, with only a few venturing further down and by Charleston Square.

 

It's intentional. When the monsters have too much space, they get diffused and it feels like they aren't even there. By condensing the area of the zones, they feel more active.

[susie zueck]

I'm glad Scary Farm decided to axe Trapped and bring live actors back to Calico. However, I'm hoping that Scary Farm seriously ups their game this year, because for the past 5 years, I've found HHN to be superior to Scary Farm. I mean last year, Knotts basically only had 8 mazes, excluding "Trapped" since it's an upcharge, and excluding the "Witch's Keep" since there were no live actors present and since it was probably the worst maze of all time. Now, I would be ok with them only having 8 mazes if they were QUALITY mazes, but most of them weren't. My hope is that Scary Farm will return to its original glory days and either make quality mazes like Insidious, Halloween, and The Walking dead at HHN, or bring back the usual 13 mazes. Also, I hope Knotts begins to incorporate today's technology into their mazes. I mean the technology in Insidious is literally stunning. Murdy really nailed it with the projections that make you transfer from our world into the further. Lets hope Scary Farm can do the same.

[dannyboy13]

So I'm planning on going to Scary Farm next Friday night. How incredibly long are the lines for rides and mazes?

[tanthonyam]

So,, since Trapped is gone forever can someone please explain what happens in there?

[KBrylczyk]

So I'm planning on going to Scary Farm next Friday night. How incredibly long are the lines for rides and mazes?

 

As in the 2nd? It probably won't be too bad. The first few weeks of Halloween attractions aren't horrific. Just be smart and bang out every maze before going for seconds. Start with getting a reservation for Special Ops: Infected, then head directly to Paranormal Inc. Once you're done there bang out Tooth Fairy, Voodoo, and Trick Or Treat since all four of those mazes are withing 50 yards of each other. Then I'd recommend working your way through the park clockwise. Make sure to check out The Hanging. If you don't you'll probably hate yourself. Don't worry about getting to The Hanging too early, though, since there's no limit on crowd. You can just stand anywhere and watch it from a reasonable distance. Elvira can and WILL cut off the line because they'll run out of seats.

 

Focus on the haunts and shows and you'll be fine. Worry about the rides and coasters after you hit the haunts. I'll actually be there on the 1st and I'm not bothering with Fright Lane. My visit on the 22nd, though, DEFINITELY using Fright Lane. It's already bought.

 

So,, since Trapped is gone forever can someone please explain what happens in there?

 

Just a bunch of different "escape rooms" in a row. You had to complete tasks and solve puzzles to escape. The same idea is now widespread with different themes in pretty much every city and can be found on Groupon.

[medoman]

Is it likely to be buy on Thursday 28th? I figured with it being a midweek day it wouldn't be too bad, but your post above has got me wondering. I was planning to visit normal knotts during the day time and hit scary farm at night, am I likely to need fright lane?

[KBrylczyk]

^ Most likely. The closer to Halloween, the more disgustingly huge the crowds, in my experience. Not just for Knott's, but for any Halloween attraction. This is why I try to visit the haunts I want to as early as possible.

[Jew]

Quick review:

 

-Infected is still a mess operationally. Tickets are gone within 30 minutes. Got a 10:30 reservation...didn't get to do it because it was a 2hr wait WITH reservation. If you enjoy things at a leisurely pace and make a stop or two for food/restroom/etc...getting everything done might be a challenge with the extra wait for Infected.

 

-Paranormal Inc line moves slow because of the new concept. The scares weren't great, but the show items were great. Really well done.

 

-Dead of Winter had AC. Thank goodness it did with the unusually humid weather. The maze itself looks nice, but wasn't really anything special. Entering the maze through an unthemed hallway is awkward.

 

-My Bloody Clementine was a HUGE letdown. Not anywhere close to the same amount of talent as they had in the past. Not as many props/show elements as before either.

 

-I felt the Hanging was the weakest in awhile. Didn't seem like they went through as many celebrity/pop culture items this year. The running joke they did (won't spoil it) with a certain celebrity was definitely a highlight. Great opening number. Jurassic World spoof was fun. Couple of other really offensive/awesome jokes. Kock brothers joke went over most the audiences head. Disney spoof was just OK. Still not sure why they felt the need to have a dance number at the end just to be like Bill & Teds...

 

Returning mazes are still just the returning mazes. Didn't feel like the advertising "plussing" did anything to them.

[DJeXeL]

^So same as last year? Knott's has been on the decline for a few years now, sadly. They rested on their laurels for too long and now it's too little, too late. While Horror Nights (USH) is delivering a slightly better product, they are not what they used to be either.

[dippindotsguy8]

Quick review:

 

-Infected is still a mess operationally. Tickets are gone within 30 minutes. Got a 10:30 reservation...didn't get to do it because it was a 2hr wait WITH reservation.

 

Disappointing to hear. I really would love to know what percentage of guests are actually able to experience this attraction.

 

-Dead of Winter had AC. Thank goodness it did with the unusually humid weather. The maze itself looks nice, but wasn't really anything special. Entering the maze through an unthemed hallway is awkward.

 

I agree, and I also feel like this is another one of recent mazes that build up to nothing. Just as it felt like it was going somewhere, I found myself out in front of the log ride. I guess the queen is supposed to be the finale, but she doesn't do anything except sit in the chair trying to look hot.

 

It seems like they run out of money on these bigger mazes before they're complete.

 

Also one of my pet peeves is unfinished mazes. I know it was opening night, but gunslinger's grave doesn't work with all of those buildings missing their roofs. Forevermore had a lot of uncovered rooms too. It's not AS bad there because of the location, but it still hurts the quality.

 

All of that said, I did enjoy the layout changes to black magic and voodoo.

[Jew]

^So same as last year? Knott's has been on the decline for a few years now, sadly. They rested on their laurels for too long and now it's too little, too late. While Horror Nights (USH) is delivering a slightly better product, they are not what they used to be either.

 

I'm not sure I would call it a decline. Paranormal Inc is a big step up in show quality. I'd say it's the same as last year in the sense that it's clear one maze got the majority of the budget/attention (Voodoo last year, Paranormal Inc this year), while the rest of the mazes remained the same (despite minor tweaks).

 

Mine Ride was a HUGE dud though. Talking about unfinished mazes, I really hope that one isn't a finished product. So few props and monsters.

 

One more thing I forgot to add: the post about no additional talent on the streets was spot on. The advertised "new, larger than ever Ghost Town" is still the same old Ghost Town. Not a single monster by Bigfoot or either of the old Swamp locations.

[dippindotsguy8]

Mine Ride was a HUGE dud though. Talking about unfinished mazes, I really hope that one isn't a finished product. So few props and monsters.

 

I'll admit I was a little concerned when they announced at the Q&A that they would set it up overnight.

[WOFanatic]

So,, since Trapped is gone forever can someone please explain what happens in there?

I'd suggest the Season Pass Podcast, as they have a very detailed rundown of the maze from all three years (including audio from the maze).

 

^So same as last year? Knott's has been on the decline for a few years now, sadly. They rested on their laurels for too long and now it's too little, too late. While Horror Nights (USH) is delivering a slightly better product, they are not what they used to be either.

 

I'm not sure I would call it a decline. Paranormal Inc is a big step up in show quality. I'd say it's the same as last year in the sense that it's clear one maze got the majority of the budget/attention (Voodoo last year, Paranormal Inc this year), while the rest of the mazes remained the same (despite minor tweaks).

 

If they only have the budget to make one really good maze, then why don't they just build one maze a year? My homepark's haunt event used to build 2-3 new attractions a year, and they didn't turn out so well. This trend ended at around the 2008 season. Since then most of the mazes have been replaced by huge, elaborate mazes that rival most of Knott's better mazes. Sure, it's not as marketable as 3 or 4 new attractions, but overtime the event will be much better as a whole. Our event has almost no duds this season, and all the mazes end up finished opening day.

[Woodie Warrior]

From the videos, Paranormal Inc looks fantastic (minus the pre-show, that was a bit too cheesy for me), while Dead of Winter looks absolutely terrible. I thought they said something about Dead of Winter using lots of bright lighting, but the whole thing looked just as dim as any other maze. The effects, sets, and actors in Paranormal Inc look awesome though.

[Jew]

From the videos, Paranormal Inc looks fantastic (minus the pre-show, that was a bit too cheesy for me), while Dead of Winter looks absolutely terrible. I thought they said something about Dead of Winter using lots of bright lighting, but the whole thing looked just as dim as any other maze. The effects, sets, and actors in Paranormal Inc look awesome though.

 

Haunt videos never do any maze justice. Dead of Winter is bright throughout. The Paranormal pre-show runs a bit long, but has a great payoff. I loved it.

[CedarFlags]

I agree that the Paranormal preshow is a bit long and drawn out, but the reveal is so awesome.

 

I thought Dead of Winter was AWFUL. I've started referring to it as "DUD of Winter". The design was just okay, and the talent was severely lacking. I'll come back in a week or two when they've had some time to learn the maze, and try to give it a 2nd chance.

 

My biggest and most consistent problem this year was LIGHTING. There were so many places where something that we were supposed to notice didn't have any light on it. The water zombies in VooDoo come to mind immediately as well as several places in Clementine. The latter had 2 moving animatronics that weren't lit AT ALL, and it was only because I was squinting and sitting right next to them that I even noticed. Two of them.... were built, and installed, and programmed, and then left in pitch blackness.

[i<3coasters]

Sorry to break up the Scary Farm chat, but I stopped by the park this morning to get a few shots of progress on the GhostRider deconstruction…

 

I hope to do these somewhat regularly now that it seems the project has picked up some speed and physical changes to the structure have become apparent. Here’s to hoping this “comprehensive restoration” can restore the woodie to its former glory…

Track removal on first turnaround

Old wood!

Track removal on first camelback

Road rails stripped off

A 4-man crew doing deconstruction on the MCBR.

Another view of the first camelback

Track removed on the drop, and leading into/out of the MCBR.

A closer look at the trackless drop.

New wood!

Fresh lumber laid on the left rail out of the station

Wood being cut and laid on the pre-lift

New wood waiting to be cut and set.

No RMC branding on this crane...

MCBR track removal

GhostRider... CHOPPED!

[KBrylczyk]

 

MCBR removal

 

Hey, construction worker dudes, you can take a nice long break when you're done with that.

 

[youtu_be]

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[upsidown]

Looking forward to attending Haunt this weekend and had two questions:

 

1. Since Paranormal Inc. has two routes, is there a strategy for getting to do one or the other, how do they split people up? If I go through a second time, is there a way to ensure I get the opposite route from the one I did the first time.

2. I think I saw someone mention trading cards from the Deadly 7. How do you get those?

 

Thanks. This will be my 10th year attending, and my girlfriend's first. So it will be certainly be a memorable experience.

[robbalvey]

"Fresh lumber laid on the left rail out of the station"

Hmm... So my thoughts on this means it looks like a very extensive re-tracking project, probably by someone like GCI, which is good... BUT... what I want to know is what measures are they taking into place to make sure the ride doesn't wind up like it has in another 15 years?

 

It's also interesting to me that they are totally pulling up track in some places and only replacing top layers in others?

 

Crossing fingers that whatever they are doing will make Ghostrider "rideable" again for many years to come, not just be great again for a few years and then fall back into being rough as hell.