ILoveRides Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 (edited) There’s a chill in the air, the fog has rolled in, and shrieks of terror can be heard in the night - it can only mean one thing - Knott’s Scary Farm is back! 2018 marks the 46th year of Scary Farm, and Knott’s isn’t resting on its laurels - there are new mazes (“The Depths” and “Dark Entities”), new shows and entertainment (“Hacks! Cutting Room Floor” and “Conjurers - Magic and Mirth”), and a new scare zone (“Forsaken Lake”) to keep the event fresh and exciting. We were there on media night and are happy to bring you our biggest report ever - 222 photos of Scary Farm awesomeness and a 45 minute video with walkthroughs of every 2018 maze! So grab some popcorn, turn down the lights, and try not to scream too loud (Don’t worry, we won’t judge you). Here it is, Scary Farm 2018... Our full video of every 2018 Scary Farm maze: [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Lets dive right in! As the opening draws near, Monsters appear - and they look hungry! The Monsters attack as the rope drops and guests stream in! Scary Farm is officially open! It isn’t even dark yet, but things are already getting scary! First up we headed to the media reception in Fiesta Village. Knott’s always makes an awesome ice sculpture for the party! And of course there’s lots of yumminess. Too much to choose from! Mr. Watermelon says “Boo!” Knott’s is known for their food, so they always go all-out! There was a new pumpkin soup this year that was delicious. There were Dia De Los Muertos decorations throughout the reception area. Go-go dancers from the new “Awaken The Dead” dance party entertained the crowd. I hope you saved room for dessert! Time to wash it all down with some boysenberry beer! Mmmmmmm! But enough partying - we have an event to cover! First up we’ll check out the brand new scare zone, “Forsaken Lake.” Gothic decorations now surround the lake underneath Silver Bullet. And creatures have emerged from the murky waters. They want to bury you in a watery grave! No thank you! We narrowly escaped the creatures of Forsaken Lake and began heading towards The Boardwalk. On the way there, we passed a ghostly train conductor guarding his train. The Charleston Circle Fountain has been overrun with an enormous display of giant Jack-O-Lanterns. This looked great! There are lots of mini shows this year that you may stumble upon as you explore the park. In this show, medicine man Dr. Dillard Marsh shows off Mother Hurlbut’s Hellacious Elixir. Here come the clowns as we enter the CarnEVIL scare zone! Hangtime features spooky red lighting during Scary Farm. If you’re afraid of clowns, this is the part of the report you’ll want to skip! Some of them are silly... Some of them are sad... And some of them are downright scary. They’re always happy to point you in the wrong direction. Restroom is up there! But mostly they probably just want to kill you in your sleep. Moving on, lets check out some mazes! First we’ll hit Shadow Lands! It’s as if we’ve been transported to Japan! The environment and sets in this maze are great. I love the “feel” of it. (But maybe that’s just because I love Japan so much!) There are lots of great scares! And several scenes where you don’t know who’s real and who’s fake! Giant monsters are always awesome! Be careful, you may have to fight off demon samurais! Next up is one of my favorite mazes, Dark Ride! I love the concept of this maze, and it’s executed so beautifully. You get to journey through an abandoned carnival ride! Everything is run down and there are mice in the rafters. Watch out for bugs! You walk the path of the ride and see some of the awesome dark ride scenes... You also get to go into the “backstage” parts of the ride to see the maintenance rooms and control rooms for the ride, all the while encountering carnies, homeless people living in the ride, clowns, and lots and lots of dead bodies in the rafters. There’s an impressive finale in a grand room with lots of props, characters, and action! This is definitely a “must see” maze! Next we walked through “The Hollow” scare zone on our way to Pumpkin Eater! Here you encounter the souls of fallen soldiers and local farmers that have escaped their shallow graves! On to the next maze, Pumpkin Eater! In this maze you must survive the wrath of the murderous 7-foot tall creature who’s on the prowl within the dark confines of the haunted town he once terrorized. Into the giant pumpkin we go... Dead people line the walls of the pumpkin as Brittney pushes her way through the enormous dangling pumpkin seeds. Ahhh! This pumpkin is infested with giant insects! Gross! We narrowly escaped certain doom by navigating our way out through the field of corn stalks. Next up - Trick Or Treat: Lights Out! You’re given a flashlight to find your way through, but the flashlight can go out at any time! Brittney rings the doorbell and we’re let inside. There’s a staircase covered in Jack-O-Lanterns in the entryway. Didn’t your parents warn you not to go inside stranger’s houses? Hold on tight to your flashlight, it’s the only light you have! There are lots of creepy props and Monsters hiding in the darkness. I wouldn’t want to go down into that basement! Your light even turns into a blacklight during the maze to reveal things you couldn’t otherwise see. Be careful, The Green Witch is lurking in the darkness! Moving on, lets check out The Depths! This maze is brand new for 2018! The Nightwatch Mining Crew has mysteriously disappeared, and village rumors suggest they’ve been taken by the creatures that lurk inside the underground caves hidden below the seaside shores. A lighthouse warns of the dangers ahead. You follow in the mining crew’s footsteps as you enter under a “Warning Active Mine Area” sign and journey into the depths! Lots of creatures hide beneath the surface! I think I might’ve found one of the missing miners. Can someone check his pulse? This room is really amazing... A giant sea creature attacks from all directions! Maybe the captain can help us! Ahhhh, shark! Run!!! (Report continued below...) Edited October 16, 2018 by ILoveRides Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveRides Posted October 16, 2018 Author Share Posted October 16, 2018 (edited) ... continued from above. I don’t know how we keep managing to survive, but hopefully our luck doesn’t run out as we enter the other new-for-2018 maze, Dark Entities! This maze is awesome! It feels like you’re on a space station - but unfortunately things start to go horribly wrong! An extraterrestrial mutation has invaded the station, and it’s on the prowl for new hosts! “I will save this patient!” There are some cool smoke and light effects in this portion. It’s too late for the crew, but hopefully we can save ourselves! Watch out for extraterrestrials! I’m never getting on a space ship again! Phew, we made it out alive! On to the next maze, Paranormal Inc. In this maze you get to be in the audience watching a live taping of a TV show about paranormal activity. But - you guessed it - things don’t go to plan! “You’re all going to die!” The ghost bursts through the wall and flies overhead! This book has a neat projection effect. Blood spatters appear as the spirits write on the pages. This year there’s a brand new ending to the maze! It was a nice change. And you still come face to face with a giant monster! It’s time to check out Ghost Town Streets! Ghost Town Streets was the first-ever scare zone, and in my opinion it’s still the best! You never know who you’ll run into! Or what you’ll run into! Half-human, half-animal monsters prowl the streets. It’s a simple formula: Lots of fog + Darkness + Monsters = Scary. It never fails! You can just barely make out the creepy silhouettes of monsters lurking in the fog. Over in Calico Square there’s another giant Jack-O-Lantern display. Giant spiders have covered the Calico Saloon in webs. If you’re lucky you might catch the mini “burlesque” pop-up show on the saloon balcony. Calico is great as always, but lets escape the scariness for a bit... We’ll take refuge in the Birdcage Theatre to watch, “Conjurers - Magic and Mirth.” It’s fitting that there’s some bird magic in the Birdcage Theatre! Different magicians will be performing throughout the Scary Farm run, so if you go you’ll probably see someone different. But all of them should be great! There was lots of comedy... Some shocking moments... Some literally shocking moments... And of course, lots of great magic! How’d he do it?!? Magic is always fun - we definitely recommend checking out this show! The venue is intimate, the magic is wonderful, and it’s a great place to sit down and take a break from all the running away from monsters! We ventured out into the fog again on our way to the Charles M. Schulz Theatre. There’s a new Knott’s Scary Farm projection on the Pony Express tunnel. We made it! Time to watch “Hacks! Cutting Room Floor.” Apparently this show used to be in the Birdcage Theatre many years ago (I never saw it there personally), but now it has moved over to the much larger Charles M. Schulz Theatre. You may get embarrassed before the show begins! Horror! Bad hygiene! Turd children from hell! The show is really funny. It’s similar to “Whose Line is it Anyway?” in that there are several improv skits. In each skit an audience member is called up to assist. Here, the cast members have to move any body part that the volunteer touches! In this skit the volunteer is making sound effects for the actions of the cast. Brittney got called up on stage! She got to go to space! Lots of silliness ensued! Go Brittney! So that’s Hacks! If you like improv, you’ll enjoy this show! Afterwards we checked out some of the merchandise that’s for sale. Here’s this year’s main event shirt. Brittney of course prefers the Spooky Farm shirt because it’s “cute.” Maybe buttons are more your thing? Don’t go too crazy! There’s even an art show titled, “Into the Fog: A Scary Farm Tribute!” It’s located in the Bizarre Bazaar / Nautilus Merchandise Store. There are almost 40 pieces by 35 artists from across the country. Each art piece pays tribute to Knott’s Scary Farm in its own unique way. Even if you aren’t purchasing something, it’s a cool exhibit to check out! Up by the entrance we spied this glow merch. Who doesn’t love glow merch? Brittney’s “cute” alarm is going to be going off again. There are lots of choices for everyone! Edited October 16, 2018 by ILoveRides Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveRides Posted October 16, 2018 Author Share Posted October 16, 2018 ... Continued from above. Next up, The Hanging! This show is a hilarious no holds barred assault on pop culture’s most infamous moments of the past year. It’s a Scary Farm tradition! This year we get to hear from U.R.A.N.U.S. Who’s ready for a hanging!? As always, there are stunts and special effects! Lots of humor. Hangtime makes a cameo… As it goes head-to-head with The Incredicoaster! Hi Bieber! Bye Bieber! Who wants to do the Tide Pod Challenge? A baby shark doo doo doo doo doo doo Harvey Weinstein So who gets hung? Is it Harvey Weinstein? Or maybe Rosanne Barr gets the noose? Or perhaps it’s Logan Paul? There’s only one way to find out! Go watch The Hanging! The Timber Mountain Log Ride overlay, “Halloween Hootenanny” returns this year as well. There aren’t any scare actors this year, just decorations and sound. Back to the mazes, here’s Special Ops: Infected! You grab a gun and get to shoot zombies! After years of doing this, Brittney is a zombie shooting master! Go! Go! Go! They pop out when you least expect it. Even from above! The Chuck-E-Cheese room is awesome! Keep an eye out behind you! Take the tunnel! Yes Brittney, this abandoned subway car with blood spattered windows looks like the PERFECT place to take cover. I love the subway car scene! Hopefully the zombies don’t drink any toxic sludge. Oh no, they did! We survived thanks to Brittney’s shooting skills - now on to The Red Barn! We immediately encounter someone in need of help! There are some projection effects. Who wants to walk through the dead swinging bodies? Anyone? Anyone? *Crickets* Ahhh! This is definitely a creepy barn! The giant animatronic horse is awesome! Oh no! The fog is starting to fade, which can only mean one thing - our awesome time at Scary Farm is coming to an end. One last scare to end the night! Knott’s Scary Farm 2018 was great! New mazes, new shows, and a new scare zone join some of our favorites from previous years to make an event that shouldn’t be missed! Scary Farm is open through Halloween - 8/31/18 - so go check it out! Thanks to Knott’s for inviting us to attend, and thanks to you for checking out our report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Knott's Scary Farm looks amazing! So much going on. Thanks for covering it all......and then some. Oh, did Brittney buy that cute pink glowy spider thingy? Just curious. The Knott's themed food and drink all looked awesome, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 I say this every year, but I need to get back to Knott's Scary Farm (haven't done that event since 2001). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 I've heard for years about how great Knott's Scary Farm is and your report is definitely backing up those claims. I seriously think I'll make it a point to visit the next time I get to SoCal during the Halloween season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveRides Posted October 17, 2018 Author Share Posted October 17, 2018 Oh, did Brittney buy that cute pink glowy spider thingy? Just curious. She didn't get it, but only because she's pretty much maxed out on cute stuff. Her office is where all that stuff ends up going and it's pretty much filled to the brim with Hello Kitty and unicorn *EVERYTHING*. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 Great report as always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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