Today at ScareLA Knott’s Berry Farm, the original haunted theme park experience, announced major plans for this years upcoming Knott’s Scary Farm. In its 43th year Knotts will introduce an all-new maze, The Dead of Winter, the evolution of the popular zombie shooting experience in Special Ops: Patient Zero, and the triumphant return of Elvira Mistress of the dark in an all-new stage show, Elvira’s Asylum. The notorious event returns for 24 horrifying nights September 24 – October 31 and features endless mazes, wall to wall terror and a thousand monsters lurking in the fog.

Knott’s Scary Farm, the largest, most haunted experience in Southern California, has unveiled a new spine-chilling maze for its 43rd annual event, The Dead of Winter. New for 2015, escape the icy grasp of the chilling Snow Queen in the The Dead of Winter. Backed up with a ravenous beastly army of resurrected Viking warriors, she is hellbent on avenging her beloved family’s murder, and preys upon any unsuspecting visitors who foolishly enter the borders of her icy domain.

Maze designer Gus Krueger spoke exclusively with HorrorBuzz on his new creation and gave us a tour of the progress.  The obvious question here is, “Frozen?” “Gus dryly quipped, “My queen don’t sing.”  after laughing about that he actually got serious about it and pointedly said, “Honestly it has about as much to do with the Disney version of the original story as say Pinocchio Unstrung does.”

In Gus’ version of the snow queen story, the Snow Queen is taking vengeance on the village below with her army of undead vikings. Taking place inside the Boardwalk Ballroom, They will be able to greatly control the environment, keeping things frigid and, at times, down right freezing. “At one point in the experience guests will be lost in the midst of a nordic forest as snow falls from the sky.” This is really involved stuff and very real, gritty, a lot like Krueger’s other creation, Gunslinger’s Grave.  But we will get to that in a minute.

We entered the Boardwalk Ballroom and it was apparent that Trapped was not returning.  In the large space that was once the dance floor now stood pristine pine flats, carved archways and labyrinthian corners.  The maze will use the former waiting area for Trapped as the queue, so, the upside is air conditioned queue.  Guests will have the option of entering, or experiencing an all-new Skeleton Key Room for this maze. “People are going to go through all kinds of environments here.” Gus said. “They will be in a village that was taken over by ice and undead vikings, they will wander in a snowy forest, they will plumb the depths of the icy catacombs, and even encounter an icy lake filled with frozen victims of the queen’s wrath.”

Exclusive Pic from inside The Dead of Winter under construction.

Eventually visitors will encounter the Snow Queen herself and have to escape with their lives.  But for now they are fast at work creating all of these icy environs.  We are really excited to see how this new maze turns out.

The Gunslinger’s Grave BLOOD MOON RISES

Knott’s Berry Farm also announced updates to the already gritty and intense Gunslinger maze by adding a supernatural bend to things this time around.

Deadly howls and a full blood moon mark your impending doom as Werewolves take over the crime stricken town, in the return of Gunslinger’s Grave: A Blood Moon Rises.

“This year we wanted to add another layer of craziness to Gunslinger’s and evolve the story” said Kruger. The clues of this eventual change in the story were there all along, but few ever really picked up on it. “Remember there was a wolf in the barn scene?” Gus reminds us, “Now you know why.”

All visitors will now pass through the previous Skeleton Key Room and then wander through the rest of the maze. “No Skeleton Key Room for Gunslinger’s this year.” Gus confirmed.  Next hapless visitors will find that the cavern scene has been infested by lycanthropes and are now attacking the town. We pointed out that this town has had a really bad run and asked why the Gunslinger insists on sticking around. “Well, he’s just put down his roots, he’s kind of settled.”

The maze will culminate in penetrating the werewolf fortress. “The ending will be completely redone” Gus assured.

These two mazes promise to be very exciting to say the least.  Good luck to the Knott’s crew and Gus, we know you will pull it off.

More ways to scream in 2015:

• Selling out in its inaugural year, the Knott’s Scary Farm Pass returns in 2015 and offers unlimited visits to all 24 event nights. Current 2015 Knott’s Berry Farm Season Passholders can purchase the pass at the limited time price of $70, now until Sept. 20 (while supplies last, plus applicable taxes and fees); the general public can purchase the pass for $80 (while supplies last, plus applicable taxes and fees). New for 2015, Season Long Parking passes will be valid during Knott’s Scary Farm nights. The Knott’s Scary Farm Pass is exclusively sold online at knotts.com.

• Single night tickets are $39.99 – $49.99 depending on the event night when purchased online (plus applicable taxes and fees). Tickets purchased at least 24 hours in advance at the theme park ticket booths are $49 for all nights, and day-of-event tickets purchased at the ticket booths are $69.

• Fright Lane with Skeleton Key offers priority access to all mazes and unlocks five Skeleton Key rooms filled with unnerving terrors, interactive secrets and exclusive scenes. Guests will also receive a commemorative lanyard and collectible keychain. Fright Lane with Skeleton Key passes start at $70. (Separate theme park admission required, and not included)

• Combo Tickets, offering admission and Fright Lane with Skeleton Key are an especially great value offering savings of up to $34, versus purchasing each item separately at the ticket booths. For more hair-raising information on the 2015 Knott’s Scary Farm event visit the website, join the conversation using #ScaryFarm or stay tuned to the Knott’s Scary Farm Facebook page, or @KnottsScaryFarm on Twitter.