Knott's Scary Farm 2006 Review

October 2, 2006, 1:58 PM · Before I get into the review, let me say how much I encourage everyone to go on a Sunday to Knott's Berry Farm's Halloween Haunt. There were no crowds last night. The longest wait was a 20 minute line for Silver Bullet. Going this early in the month couldn't have hurt much either.

We reserved the VIP Pre-Scare Dinner and after a so-so buffet, entered the park 30 minutes before the gates opened. This is also something that should be taken advantage of. We promptly headed for Red Moon Massacre on the log ride, which was a large improvement over last year. I got some good scares. Next we decided to hit one of two new mazes. This one happened to be The Grudge 2, which is only going to be at Knott's this year to promote the upcoming film. Well, I don't know how the movie is, but this was in my opinion the maze of the year. The set design was beautiful and the talent were really into their roles. Especially, one girl who kept twisting her body into odd shapes. This is a must see maze this year.

Next we went to the Dark Realm Laser Range, which is kind of hard to review. You only get 7 minutes and the guns are clunky, but one could have a good time if they liked laser tag. The interactive element is a nice touch. Next was Red Beard's Revenge, which improved on last year's dreaful maze. The staff was more into the theme this time, and I actually got scared a few times. Very nice set design in here. After Red Beard's came Cavern of Lost Souls, the least satisfying attraction at Haunt. If your idea of scary is hanging strings meant to feel like cobwebs and some guy with a shaker can every 3 or 4 minuted, then go ahead and have fun, but the ride is understaffed and pointless. That said, some of the talent did try really hard to make the tough environment work and they deserve props.

Following that was the next new maze, Lost Vegas in 3-D. Lots of fog? Check! Great sets? Check! A fun score? Check! Too bad it was understaffed. Still, it's a good time, and I hope I just went through on an off night. After Vegas, we went to 13 Ax Murder Manor, which, like last year, is amazing. The music, sets, talent, costumes, everything. It all comes together perfectly, placing 13 second to The Grudge 2 for maze of the year. Hatchet High, a really short maze came next. It basically hasn't changed at all since it came to Haunt, so if you've already seen it and you're running short on time, you could probably skip it.

Walking backstage, we came upon the "double maze" combo of Feary Tales in 3-D and The Asylum. Feary Tales was a very short maze, but the colors used are disorienting and fantastic. The one problem is that it is somewhat overshadowed by the breathtaking Asylum which follows it. Ah, The Asylum. Bloody cells, straightjackets, and the Bulemic Research Clinic. The scariest maze of the night, yet just behind Grudge and 13 because I had trouble enjoying it due to how hot it was inside.

The last two mazes were Lore of the Vampire and Terror Vision in 3-D, two mazes which didn't really stand out this year. Both feel short and understaffed, and the talent in Terror Vision seemed to stand around a lot. However, Lore came out on top of the two simpty because we were the only group going through at the time and every monster that decided to do something had only us to scare. Plus, the huge guy at the end is a great way to finish a maze. Terror added nothing new from last year, and was simply mildly entertaining.

The shows we saw were the 9:30 Hanging, which was funny as usual, the 10:30 Hacks, which I liked more last year, and the 12:00 Putz Prank Party, which was hilarious. The scare zones were top-notch as I expected and since we had so much time, we even rode Xcelerator, Silver Bullet, Supreme Scream, and the Screamin' Swing, although the last one was a waste of money due to its length.

Overall, another fantastic year at Haunt! Only 12 more months until I return.

Replies (6)

October 2, 2006 at 5:40 PM · I agree 100%. I went on a Saturday. EMPTY! Longest wait was 10 minutes (Big Foot Rapids, they were running limited trains).

Seems like it was less crowded on the saturday, which is amazing. I did every maze, and we didn't plan on riding rides as last time we didn't get to do all the mazes. Well, we did ALL the redone rides and Mazes(not to mention Silver Bullet and Montez Zuma), and finished our last maze at 11:30! The park closed at 2 AM, so what do we do? RIDES! Signs listed stated x ride closes at either 1:00 AM, or 1:30 AM. None of the rides closed at the times listed. They stayed open! Xcelerator we did about 4 or 5 times, and we did Supreme Scream about 8. We finished off by going to the park entrence via Terror Vision maze(It was our fastest way from where we were).

Overall, an amazing day for me as well! I got genuinly scared in a few mazes, and the performance from ALL were second to none. Only downfall was the Dead Idol Live. It wasn't good for me, I didn't like it. Good puns, and clever jokes maybe, but overall a lame show.

Anywho, the key is to go EARLY! I'm sure next saturday weekend it's open, it'll be crowded.

October 2, 2006 at 7:48 PM · Thanks for making my review a Blog Flume entry!

Anyway, sounds like you had a great time. Sunday was only open until 1 or else I would've liked to do some more rides. But, I got more then I could've asked for, so I can't complain. As for Dead Idol, I read a bad review on another site and decided to avoid that one.

October 2, 2006 at 11:27 PM · I agree on the crowds. It did start to crowd up around 9 or 10, but nowhere near what it was last year. One of the cashiers said she had heard it was sold out, could be that they all went out on consignment. Wait lines were minimal, longest on Ghostrider and Siver Bullet.

Stay away form Dead Idols Live, was not very good. Mazes were, as usual, well done. Grudge seemed to be popular. I think I would have liked it better if I had actually seen the movie.

October 3, 2006 at 2:53 PM · I found The Hanging to be lacking this year. They didn't have music to hype the crowd before the show as they usually do, and sliders entertaining the crowd, too. The show just sorta starts. The 2nd half of the show just fell flat and the jokes were finished by then. The fighting scenes weren't as good as usual from past years and the choice of hanging this year was a big let down for me. I guess not much happened this past year.
October 3, 2006 at 9:04 PM · "Terror added nothing new from last year, and was simply mildly entertaining."

Was it M*A*S*H*E*D and Pukes of Hazard? I don't remember those from last year.

Also, Lure of the Vampire was OK, but when we went it was terribly understaffed, and the huge guy at the end was missed by all in the group. That was one thing I remembered from last year that really got me. Oh well. It's all about timing on these things.

Also, The Grudge 2 isn't out yet(Friday the 13th is when it is released). It follows the same plot of the first(You enter house, you die).

I was unable to do 13 Axe last year, so it was a real treat for me this year. Oh MAN! I table scene got me good!

October 5, 2006 at 11:14 PM · M*A*S*H*E*D and Pukes of Hazzard were in there last year. I don't recall any new additions to Terror.

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