Last night, Knotts Berry Farm invited its legions of haunt fans, season pass holders and media to the Knott’s Scary Farm Announcement event.  Here we would find out what was in store for us when Knotts Scary Farm opens its gates to Halloween and Horror Fans.  Scary Farm, now beginning its 43rd year, is the single biggest haunt event in the world, employing over 1,000 monsters, featuring 11 mazes and haunted attractions, 2 horrifying shows, 3 scare zones and a new roving terror throughout the park, this will be the haunt event to see.

We all filed into the cavernous Charles Schultz Theatre GhoulTime Theatre and were immediately hit with the lovely smell of foggy haze.  The stage sat, cradled in beams of colorful light, waiting like a spring-loaded booby trap of haunt goodness.  Within minutes of entering, our beloved monsters poured from every crevice and corner of darkness, lovingly scaring all who dared enter their domain.

We met an adorable werewolf baby.

The lights went down and the mayhem began.  The one and only Jeff Tucker took the stage in an entrance that would make Billy Crystal proud.  Strapped to a dolly, in a straight jacket and wearing a Hannibal Lecter mask, Tucker was wheeled on stage by two lovely vixens of the night.

Always the consummate showman, Tucker roused the crowd and welcomed them to this wonderful, annual unveiling of Knotts Scary Farm.  He began the evening by reminding the crowd of the Knott’s Scary Farm Pass that was available.  This is a great deal if you are a local that wants to return to the fog again and again.

This evening was all about the real news though and the event did not disappoint in the least.

The Shows

Beginning with the shows, Jeff Tucker officially unveiled Elvira’s Asylum and the devilishly cleverly titled, The Hanging®: Straight outta Calico.

The Hanging, this year has another fascinating new twist!  The big threat that the Lawman will face in his battle against the evil forces invading the west will be the audience!  Armed with their smart phones, audience members will be able to vote on how The Hanging turns out.  This sounds like so much fun!

Scare Zones

Jeff Then brought up the subject of scare zones.  three in total this year, we will have clowns, cowboys, and the dead.  Nothing new here, but a solid collection.  One new addition to the Ghost Town scare zone will be the Doll Maker.  A nefarious toy maker roams the streets of Ghost Town hunting victims.  You may catch oblique references to the popular maze The Doll Factory.

CarnEvil

Fiesta De Los Muertos

Ghost Town

Returning Mazes and Attractions

Next up was the roster of returning mazes.

Black Magic

Black Magic will return for a third year and we could not be more excited about this.  In what is probably Daniel Miller’s masterpiece we see what happens when Houdini breaks through from the netherworld and brings hell with him.  This year the maze will feature an all-new Skeleton Key room.  This is one of the best mazes ever to appear at Knotts Scary Farm and we can’t wait to return.

Forevermore

Oh Forevermore.  The Forevermore killer has returned for a fourth year, murdering in the fashion of Edgar Allen Poe’s most fiendish stories.  What has us interested this year is the addition of a new Skeleton Key room.  This might be just what this maze needed to set up the peril of the story and make it genuinely terrifying!

Gunslinger’s Grave: A Blood Moon Rises

Gus Krueger’s brutal tale of vengeance in the old west is back. This time, a new threat is out for blood.  Werewolves have invaded the town and a silver bullet is the only way to survive this dangerous, dusty, wasteland of murder.  We are excited to see a new, paranormal patina layered onto this already fun maze.

Pinocchio Unstrung

There isn’t much to do in improving this fabulous maze.  From an original design by Daniel Miller and taken over by Gus Krueger, this nasty little experience will feature an all new Skeleton Key Room!

The Tooth Fairy

Oh Daniel Miller.  Why for you so gross?  The wickedly disturbing Tooth Fairy maze comes back.  This time it will feature what was described as the strobe X-ray room and a brand new finale.

Trick or Treat

Trick r Treat will be returning for another year and will include brand new scenes.  This year we will get to go into the creepy attic and be invited to the Green Witch’s feast.  What is interesting is that this year the witch’s tricksters will be confined to this maze instead of running amok in the park.

Voodoo – Order of the Serpent

It was a no-brainer that this stunning maze would be returning for another year.  What has us excited is that they have added a new dimension of fear with the Order of the Serpent.  Beginning with an all new Skeleton Key Room, the maze will then pull visitors into the back woods once again. This time, however, the slithery threat of the Order of the Serpent will be around every turn.  We will also get a brand new, extended ending.

Mr Tucker relished the anticipation in the crowd as everyone waited for the big announcements of the new additions for 2015.  He welcomed designer Jon Cooke to the stage to talk about the already announced Special Ops:

Special Ops: Infected – Patient Zero with new missions and more zombies

(Throughout six acres – near the Main Entrance)

We are truly excited to see this new version of the zombie survival experience in the front of the park.  What has us even more excited is the revised game play and brand new guns.  So awesome.

Next up, Gus Krueger was welcomed to the stage to talk about the new The Dead of Winter maze.

The Dead of Winter

(Inside Boardwalk Ballroom)

Already announced at ScareLA, this frosty monstrosity will feature an all new Skeleton Key room and will be located in the former location of Trapped, in the Boardwalk Ballroom.  The maze tells the story of the ice queen, whose family was brutally murdered by the villagers, and who then raises her army of the undead to seek revenge.  Featuring high-contrast lighting and design, this will be an interesting exploration of the frigid elements of revenge.

My Bloody Clementine

Daniel Miller’s first time designing for the Calico Mine Ride returns the attraction to its former glory in the haunt line up.  My Bloody Clementine pulls from the old Darlin’ Clementine song and tells the disturbing tale of death in the caves of Calico.  Using the fully upgraded sound system in the attraction, all new digital mapping, and live talent, this will be an attraction that must not be missed at Haunt.

PARANORMAL, INC.: Case #1 – The Haunting of Hayden Hill

(Adjacent to GhostRider)

The all new Paranormal, Inc will be in the former location of Dominion and is something that we are crazy excited over.  As ghost hunters, guests will explore the haunted halls of the Hayden Hill asylum in a maze that evolves as you explore.  Yes, the maze will change from time to time as the nasty specters play tricks on invasive human looky-loos.  This one has us very excited and will be designer Jon Cooke’s first official foray into maze design.

The Deadly 7

Of course we had to save the best for last.  The Green Witch has decided that the Tricksters need to stay home this year and has something far more sinister to foist upon insolent mankind.  The Deadly 7 are her new weapon and they will be lurking the park in search of victims.  Based on the seven deadly sins, each personifies evil and horror.

Toying with the disgusting humans watching her, the Green Witch wheel a carriage on stage.  Declaring, “I know what you want!” the contraption behind her unfolded like a Chinese puzzle.  The 7 Deadly climbed from their contraption and suddenly attacked.

Tarot cards featuring the 7 Deadly shot from the ceiling of the theatre and rained down on the guests below.

With that the presentation ended.  Jeff Tucker thanked everyone for coming and reminded all that Halloween wasn’t just a holiday, but a way of life.

Knotts took a while to announce what they had to offer for the 2015 season, but it was so worth it.  The collection of scare zones, returning mazes, updated mazes, new attractions and new maze experiences makes this one of the most promising seasons since the 40th anniversary of Haunt. The creative team at Knotts Scary Farm has fashioned a collection of terrifying experiences that has us salivating. We get to investigate a haunted hospital in the groundbreaking new maze, PARANORMAL, INC.  We can escape the icy grasp of the chilling Snow Queen in The Dead of Winter. Or enlist to fight the zombie apocalypse in an all-out war against the undead in the interactive experience, Special Ops: Infected – Patient Zero

Then there are the shows. Elvira, the legendary Mistress of the Dark, returns new show that will transport guests to an asylum of music, dance and comedy. Then of course there is The Hanging: Straight Outta Calico.  Simply brilliant.

Videos

We will be updating this article with video from the event as it processes. Please Check back throughout the day for more video from the big announcement night.

The BIG Haunt Event!

Ghouls and boys it is time once again to return to the foggy, mouldering streets of Ghost Town as we gather for the annual Knott’s Scary Farm Meet! In an annual tradition that is reaching its ninth year, MiceChat.com and now HorrorBuzz will be leading a group through the grandaddy of haunts with the friendliest group of people around featuring VIP treatment and the chance to meet Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

What makes going to this event different from just buying the tickets on your own?  A LOT!  We will start the day off at 2:30 in the afternoon.  After checking in we will enjoy a backstage tour through the inner workings of Haunt.  We will be walked through a maze before opening, with the lights on, by the designers themselves.  Then we will feast on a private, all you can eat buffet!

After gorging on amazing Knott’s fried chicken dinner, roast beef, turkey, and boysenberry pie we will get early entry into Knott’s Scary Farm.  Then the real fun begins. The world famous Maze Death March starts.  Here we go through each and every maze in Knotts Scary Farm as a group, because there is apparently safety in numbers.  But we won’t have to wait in lines.  Straight to the front of the priority access queue for everything.  Yes the Skeleton Key rooms are included.

Of course we catch the Hanging and, at the end of the evening, we enjoy VIP, early entry into Elvira’s Asylum stage show extravaganza.  Nowhere else will you get VIP treatment like this for such a low price.

VIP Package
Early Bird Discount – $130 (Ends Sept. 7th)
Regular Price $145 

• Backstage Tour of maze and meet and greet with Haunt Designer
• All-you-can-eat Boo-ffet
• Early Admission into Knott’s Scary Farm
• Early entry to Elvira’s Asylum*
• Front of the line for MAZES ONLY

This year we have added even more ways to experience the biggest, most original haunt in Southern California.  We have two options that will get you closer to the fear, closer to the madness, and closer to the fun, but act fast!

Elvira’s BIG Package

Early Bird Discount – $230 (Ends Sept 7th)

Regular Price  $250 

• ALL features of the VIP package above, PLUS the following:
• Front of the line for all RIDES & ATTRACTIONS
• Special Meet and Greet with Elvira
• Special Elvira Sovenier pack (a $50 value)
  

Do yourself a favor and grab a ticket now.  This is the ONLY way to see haunt and the tickets sell out quick. Ticket Prices go up at 12am on September 7th.

With 11 haunted attractions and more than 1,000 monsters roaming the park and lurking in the fog, whatever you’re imagining, it’s here…at Knott’s Scary Farm. Visit KnottsScaryFarm.com for tickets and join the conversation using #ScaryFarm

Knott’s Scary Farm is a separately ticketed event on 24 nights September 24 through October 31. Due to the explicit and frightening nature of the event, it is not recommended for children under 13.