The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[CaptainUnknown]

Tomorrow, August 10th, is Snoopy's birthday. Dorney is also announcing their new project tomorrow. Wouldn't surprise me if we got the announcement tomorrow here as well.

[tndank]

[thrillseeker4552]

Glad to hear. It is interesting that Cedar Fair is repairing and restoring one of their hydraulic launches, and converting/reimagining the other (obviously different situations with different histories but still). Makes me wonder if when Xcelerator inevitably has another major repair/closure in the next 2-5 years if that will be their final straw and they will Zamperla-ify it - assuming TT2 goes well - or just straight up remove the ride, or continue to repair it.

[coasternut]

1 hour ago, thrillseeker4552 said:

Glad to hear. It is interesting that Cedar Fair is repairing and restoring one of their hydraulic launches, and converting/reimagining the other (obviously different situations with different histories but still). Makes me wonder if when Xcelerator inevitably has another major repair/closure in the next 2-5 years if that will be their final straw and they will Zamperla-ify it - assuming TT2 goes well - or just straight up remove the ride, or continue to repair it.

I've got low expectations for Zamperla. I do hope I'm wrong.

[AmyUD06]

48 minutes ago, coasternut said:

I've got low expectations for Zamperla. I do hope I'm wrong.

You and me both.  Besides, even if the ride is stellar, I still have zero confidence in their ability to make a seat/restraint that even approaches "comfortable."

[coasternut]

4 hours ago, AmyUD06 said:

You and me both.  Besides, even if the ride is stellar, I still have zero confidence in their ability to make a seat/restraint that even approaches "comfortable."

Well I hated the Wild Mouse at Cedar Point. It was very uncomfortable and the ride was unreliable. Their new "lightning trains" look good, but time will tell. I'm mostly concerned about them getting TT2 to work and operate reliable.

[kbfbest]

Since it hasn't been posted here yet xcel is starting to test.

 

[CedarFlags]

For those who couldn't get tickets to the announcement event this year (cuz they sold out in like 5 minutes, lol), they'll be Livestreaming.

[CedarFlags]

Also, I know that theme park food prices are always high but I stopped by the pizza place in Boardwalk the other day and found out that garlic knots were THREE DOLLARS EACH.  I asked for two small pieces of bread and the employee said "six dollars" and I almost choked.

[SoCalJasonland]

9 hours ago, CedarFlags said:

Also, I know that theme park food prices are always high but I stopped by the pizza place in Boardwalk the other day and found out that garlic knots were THREE DOLLARS EACH.  I asked for two small pieces of bread and the employee said "six dollars" and I almost choked.

I thought the slice of pizza and cesar salad on my meal plan were a nice change from eating at the 2 BBQ places every visit.  I also need to try the new Mexican restaurant even though the previous one had weak salsa.

[SharkTums]

Knott's was one of the first theme parks I remember making an audible gasp over the price of food and drink and I think that was like 15 years ago!!!

[wrs28330]

Knott’s Berry Farm invited Theme Park Review to their preview event for the historic 50th year of Knott’s Scary Farm!

“It all started in 1973 as a fun three-day Halloween Haunt. With five decades of never-ending nightmares, unimaginable scares, and innovative thrills, Knott's Scary Farm has left no tomb unearthed, no crypt unrattled, and no fear untouched.”

The event features: 10 mazes (3 new), 5 scare zones, 4 shows, and runs on select nights from September 21 through October 31.

 

New:

Cinema Slasher (Maze) – Venturing through the mystical Midnight Theater, guests travel through the silver screen and into a trilogy of slasher movies. As they are swallowed into the world of gothic horror, they become the movie characters who try to escape the wrath of the dangerous Slasher. Will everyone survive, or will they become forever ensnared in the decaying reality from a bygone era? The conniving Midnight Theater wickedly opens its doors, daring those brave enough to buy a ticket to Cinema Slasher!

 

The Chilling Chambers (Maze) – In honor of the first maze in Knott's Scary Farm's prestigious history, the "10 Chilling Chambers" is a ghastly new attraction that gives a nostalgic nod to Scary Farm's past while terrorizing the audience of today. Guided by The Keeper, the sinister caretaker of the conservatory of horrors, guests are thrust beyond the threshold of an ominous towering cathedral that leads to terrifying classic maze themes from Knott's Scary Farm's infamous history. Scream from countless fears of seasons gone by as 50 years of terror are unleashed in The Chilling Chambers.  

 

Room 13 (Maze) – Violent murders at The Blind Tiger interrupt the Prohibition-era revelry on Memory Lane. A dangerously delicious new cocktail named The Devil’s Elixir seems to be at the root of the mayhem, but where did the mysterious green aperitif come from? The answers may lie at the heart of the extravagant Argive Hotel, where many have checked in to Room 13… but none have checked out.

 

The Gauntlet (Scare Zone) – In this reimagined version of the fan favorite, classic characters return to invade Camp Snoopy, but with an updated twist. Guests will again encounter the King and Queen of the realm, maniacal jesters, brutal barbarians, wicked wizards, and lawless peasants. They’ve all returned with an onslaught of fresh terror. All Hail the King or suffer the wrath of The Gauntlet!

 

Dr. Cleaver Returns (Show) – Your favorite demented doctor is back for more Halloween hijinks! Grab a seat at the world-famous Bird Cage Theatre for a wicked journey into the great beyond.

 

The Hanging: Uncancelled (Show) – The Lawman has returned to track down the vilest villains of the past year in this pop culture parody stunt extravaganza. No one is safe when the gates of the Wagon Camp swing open. (This announcement had the most positive fan reaction at the preview event!)

 

Music, Monsters & Mayhem (Show) – “Music, Monsters and Mayhem” takes you on a scintillating and provocative musical journey celebrating 50 years of terror and frights. Featuring a rockin’ score, wild laughs, and a cast of singing and dancing monstrosities bound to get your heart racing with screams of delight!

 

Returning Mazes: Bloodline 1842, The Grimoire, Mesmer: Sideshow of the Mind, Wax Works, Origins: The Curse of Calico, The Depths, Dark Entities

Returning Scare Zones: Ghost Town Streets, The Gore-ing 20's, CARNEVIL, Forsaken Lake

Returning Favorites: Timber Mountain Log Ride: Halloween Hootenanny (Attraction Overlay), Into The Fog: A Scary Farm Tribute Art Show, 

Le Magnifique Carnaval du Grotesque (Show)

 

 

Visit Knott's Website to plan your visit!

 

Thank you to the Knott’s PR Team for inviting us; we can’t wait to celebrate 50 years of screams with you!

[pianojohn]

I will be there for opening night on Sept 21st!  Cannot wait!!

[CedarFlags]

Not to sound like a broken record, but.... this is highway robbery.  Tendies and fries for almost nineteen dollars when you add sales tax.

 

[thrillseeker4552]

Similar to SeaWorld/Busch, which are also outrageous. I don't think you can get a meal and drink for under $20 there.

[southpuddle]

It’s a theme park and you don’t have to eat there or be there period for that matter

[ryder]

In a world where parks are charging $40-$65 just for parking your car, around $20 for a meal shouldn't really be a shock.  Welcome to the world.

[KBrylczyk]

The IHOP across the street is pretty cheap.  Just saying...

[MidwestThemeParks]

This is why there is basically no reason not to buy the all day dining. $31.99 and you can get a meal every 90 minutes.

[Nrthwnd]

^ That's what we bought, when we were last there. Just a one-day dining plan for the two of us. And it worked out perfect for us.

[coasternut]

On 8/11/2023 at 10:01 AM, tndank said:

It's been almost a month. Any news on this testing, but more importantly reopening????

[CedarFlags]

1 hour ago, coasternut said:

It's been almost a month. Any news on this testing, but more importantly reopening????

Saw it do a test run last night and saw a post on the passholder group that there was employee training happening yesterday too.

[ryder]

Heard reports of it testing and training, and that they hope to have it open before Haunt.

[anonymouscactus]

Any update on xcelerator? Will be traveling afar and going Thursday for opening of scary farm. Looks like the past 7 days it hasn't opened according to Queue Times. Anyone have any more information? Has it still been testing or has that stopped?

[wrs28330]

With 50 years of frights to be celebrated, let's raise a bottle of the Devil's Elixir to Knott's Scary Farm! To every Scare Actor who has inhabited a house or roamed the streets, to all the Technicians, to all the designers, and to everyone who has helped bring Halloween Haunt alive over the past 50 years, congratulations and thank you!

Theme Park Review attended opening night of Halloween Haunt, and it was quite honestly one of the most enjoyable opening nights for the event in recent memory.

A reminder that if your priority is to go through all 10 mazes, the Fright Lane (Front of the Line pass for mazes) is the only way you will be able to accomplish this. There are a few ticket package options that include Fright Lane, so find the one one that works best for the date of your visit and your interests. 

Read the comments sprinkled throughout the pictures below for more tips and tricks!

This year, we will post our thoughts on each of the 10 mazes, ranked in order from "you can skip it" to "you can't miss it"!

 

Welcome back into the fog, for the 50th time!

 

Room 13 expands on the story from the Gore-ing '20s Scare Zone that has been popular over the past few years. 

 

The maze itself had a great Art Deco scenic look.

 

What fell flat for us was the perception that almost all the scare actors were wearing the same latex creature mask throughout the maze. It was hard for the scare actors to help "tell the story". 

 

Dark Entities continues to lack "heart". In a maze that is full of animatronics, it feels like you don't see a scare actor until you are 1/4 of the way through the maze.

 

With the maze feeling like it has the fewest number of scare actors at the event, it isn't much more than a walk-through.

 

Although, this nurse was one of our favorite characters of the event! She went crazy over trying to find bandages, and it was hysterical!

 

Wax Works is back.

 

It continues to be a "fine" maze for us.

 

The Grimoire is also "fine". 

 

We appreciate a gag of seemingly returning to the same "scene" within the maze, which is inventive and playful!

 

Bloodline 1842 is one of those mazes that makes sense and you would say is perfectly executed...if you had read the creative treatment before going into the maze. Although it is hard for the average person to understand the whole plot, the Scare Actors encourage you along your way through the town during a battle between Vampires and other creatures.

 

Origins The Curse of Calico returns for another year and is a nice staple for the event, focusing on the backstory of the Green Witch. It is a classic maze, and is simply "enjoyable".

 

This is the final year for The Depths. It had a great run over the years. 

 

We remember the first time we saw this laser field technique with fog in a maze, and had our minds blown. This of course is now a standard haunt effect throughout the world.

 

Oh there you are Mr. Creature!

 

Mesmer Sideshow of the Mind was fun for us! As theme park/carnival/side show people, it is a fun and nuanced theme that allows for a good amount of variety in the storyline.

 

Okay. So, let's talk about Cinema Slasher. This is one of the new mazes this year, and it was a blast! This maze celebrates the slasher movies from the 80s and perfectly captures the horror and the sometimes campy/over-the-top nature of those films. You will see references to many familiar movies and classic horror film tropes, and we were all for it!

 

 

Best scenic effect for the event this year (as seen in 3 pictures below):

1. A totally normal lobby snack shop.

2. A somewhat irregular looking lobby snack shop....

 

3. A totally demented lobby snack shop!

 

Fun reference to a past maze:

 

Let's go into the film, and see what happens!

 

...not what we had in mind, but what do you expect from a slasher film?!

 

And for our favorite maze at this year's event, The Chilling Chambers. Although we aren't normally fans of mash-ups mazes, or relying on the nostalgia factor, this maze was a fantastic maze mash-up and we totally fell for the nostalgia factor when walking through some of the most iconic maze scenes from the past. The creative team conceived the perfect way to find a cohesive backstory in how the mazes have been preserved over time, where they went for their eternal slumber, and why we get to see these scenes again. 

 

Oh hey Joey! This one's for you.

 

Scenes like this throughout, representing mazes from the past.

 

It's The Amazing Thingy! Yes...nostalgia clearly works.

 

Finally, a quick mention of the shows.

First is Dr. Cleaver Returns. From past videos, it looks like it used to be an irreverent comedy show. This version of the show seems to rely on what the Birdcage Theater is know for, Melodrama. This just didn't work for what we expect for a Haunt event, so if you need to skip something, we recommend this. 

Second is The Hanging: Uncancelled. After a few year hiatus, the park is giving it another try, and is smartly having it in a completely enclosed venue where guests with a low tolerance for...anything... can't just "hear it as they walk by". The show has steered away from as much political satire as possible, and focuses on self-deprecating humor, pop culture references, and theme park woes. 

Navigational note: There is a bonus for getting to now sit down for this show, since it is being presented at the Wagon Camp Theater! The downside is that there is only a fraction of the viewing area that was previously available at the Calico Stage. Priority entrance to this show goes to patrons with Fright Lane. It was suggested that we line up 45-minutes before the show. At 20 minutes to the show start, the audience was full with what appeared to be entirely folks with Fright Lane. If this show is a priority for you, you may not get into the theater if you don't have Fright Lane.

...hey Jeff Tucker, we love you!

 

And finally, in the Walter Knott Theater is a dance revue and comedy show called Music, Monsters, and Mayhem. It is a high-energy show with good production value.

This show is not for the average Halloween Haunt guest. In general if you are a "theater person", you will find something within the show to enjoy!

 

Be sure to plan your visit to this historic year of Knott's Scary Farm! https://www.knotts.com/events/scary-farm/tickets

Thank you to the Knott's PR team for once again inviting Theme Park Review to the opening night; here is to a great haunt season!