Knott’s Scary Farm 2016


2016 • Knott's Scary Farm

2 Members Attended

Homegrown, world-class.

Quality is as important as quantity in any self-respecting haunt, but sometimes the numbers speak for themselves. In 2010, Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights had four scratch-built mazes. That same year, Knott’s had eleven, not counting grisly overlays to the historic Calico Mine Ride and Timber Mountain Log Ride.

With the competition never fiercer, Halloween Haunt turned its limitations into strengths. With few exceptions, Universal’s studio-quality mazes only lasted one season. Knott’s kept theirs for four or more years, justifying a deeper investment into their design. Plywood sets became lush environments. Off-the-rack masks turned into custom prosthetics. B-movie loglines developed into carefully crafted stories. Scares that didn’t work could be refined, replaced, or removed entirely, salvaging what could’ve been remembered as a bad one-off maze. As a result, Halloween Haunt consistently, organically grew from year to year. Not always bigger but, in theory, always better. It might not inspire as much repeat business as Universal’s annual slash-and-burn, but it did allow for more experimentation.

Knott’s Halloween Haunt celebrated its 40th anniversary with Trapped, one of the earliest “escape room” attractions in the United States. For an additional fee, groups of up to six people could test their mettle through a gauntlet of personalized nightmares from eating creepy-crawlies to summoning Bloody Mary in a hall of mirrors. The success of this experience would inspire the Skeleton Key pass, which allowed access to secret rooms in select mazes. These upcharge experiences could be as simple as a brief stay in a closed coffin or as involved as a mock séance.

Even if both practices were abandoned by the end of the decade, the distinct theatricality remained. Paranormal, Inc. starts with an effects-heavy preshow before guests are let into the maze proper. A simulated elevator ride into the Earth’s crust was eventually added to The Depths. The churning process wasn’t always smooth - some mazes wore out their welcome, others had the misfortune to last until more elaborate designs outpaced them - but it gave Knott’s a new lease on the afterlife.

If you want to walk through the latest silver screen slashers, go to Universal. But if you want handcrafted, homemade terror in your theme park haunt, there’s no better place to go than where it all began.

Year:
2016
Location:
Knott's Scary Farm™
Dates:
September 22-24; 29-30; October 1- 2; 6-9; 13-16; 20-23; 27-31, 2016
Event Name:
Knott’s Scary Farm 2016
Event Phrase:
Whatever you're imagining; it's here…
Hours:
7:00 PM-1:00 AM (Non-Peak)
7:00 PM-2:00 AM (Peak Nights)
Pricing:
$40.00 +tax - $72.00 +tax
Stats:
10 Maze(s)
4 Scare Zones
2 Shows

Select the attraction name for additional information... and frights...

Black Ops: Infected
| X/5
Armed with cutting edge laser guns brave guests will face off against hordes of zombies in the groundbreaking all-new Special Ops: Infected interactive maze. Small units of guests will battle the zombie apocalypse through blood soaked city streets and an underground sewer system crawling with nearly one hundred ravenous zombies. The high tech innovative experience thrusts guests into the middle of a live-action video game complete with live actors real time scoring system kill streak rewards system and interactive targets including a juggernaut boss zombie. The new attraction is one of the largest mazes ever created in Knott’s Scary Farm history so form your squad and put your zombie apocalypse survival skills to the test in this action packed one-of-a-kind experience. Groups must work together to fend off zombies and complete terrifying missions before time runs out. If zombies drag their bodies too close the un-infected’s guns temporarily deactivate compromising the safety of the entire team. Soldiers with the deadliest aim will be celebrated with a tally of the number of zombies killed on display board for other survivors to see each night in base camp.
Paranormal Inc.
| X/5
Paranormal Inc. features high flying aerial stunts and scares as guests help investigate a haunted hospital where the patients were tortured for decades by deranged doctors and nurses. Demonic spirits of the murdered victims have been detected throughout the mysterious halls while evil medical staff prowl for new patients to torture.
Shadow Lands
| X/5
A fulfilling life ensures a soul safe passage into eternity but what happens to the souls of soldiers slain in battle? Enter the hair-raising Shadow Lands maze and fight off demon samurais whose souls are cursed to rot within the depths of purgatory. Guests will embark on a quest through a sacred shrine an ancient Japanese temple and into the midst of the shadow lands.
Skeleton Key Rooms: Prey / Slasher / Visions / Zozo
| X/5
Fright Lane with Skeleton Key offers unlimited priority access to all 9 mazes all night long. The Skeleton Key which is included with all Fright Lane passes unlocks ONE time access to all four exclusive standalone Skeleton Key Rooms. The four terrifying new Skeleton Key Rooms will each feature a unique story and theme delivering unparalleled scares interactive secrets and other blood-curling surprises: Visions: Guests must bravely investigate the Green Witch Museum in Ghost Town where it is not the building that is eerily haunted but the mystic items enclosed within. Using a Phantom Finder augmented reality device guests will be able to identify and witness paranormal activity connected to artifacts from the Sarah Marshall Witch Trial. ZOZO: People from all over the world claim to have been visited by the Ouija demon ZOZO after a spirit board session. Is the demonic entity known as ZOZO real or are spirit boards just a myth? Slasher: Guests are invited to step into a blood filled 80s’ slasher horror film. The masked Angel Maker Killer is on the loose. Every lead has run cold and that’s when you step into the picture. Will you become his next victim? Prey: Navigate a wicked hay maze packed with dead ends while equipped with only a faulty lantern as your guide. You are not alone. Mutant beasts are released to prey upon wandering visitors the only way out is by facing your worst nightmares.
The Dead of Winter: Revenge of the Wendigo 
| X/5
Deep in the frozen tundra the realm of a treacherous snow queen has been usurped by her evil minion the horrific wendigo. She may be dead but her evil spell hasn’t been lifted: The dead cannibals have risen from their snowy graves as hungry creatures feast on the surrounding villages. During the chaos the queen’s prized possession the horrific wendigo has seized control of her throne ready to prey upon any unsuspecting visitors who enter the borders of its icy domain.
The Gunslinger’s Grave: A Blood Moon Rises
| X/5
"A Blood Moon Rises" continues the story of The Gunslinger. The Red hand gang has disturbed a burial ground that contained a SkinWalker relic that has transformed them into Werewolves under the Blood Moon Curse. Return to the Old West and walk in the bloody footsteps of a betrayed and left for dead gunslinger on his path to retribution. This journey back in time takes guests on a trail of terror through abandoned gold mines a treacherous corral a seedy saloon and a final showdown at town hall.
The Red Barn
| X/5
Take a trip to a blood-soaked barn filled with carnivorous animals seeking to prey on human flesh in the Red Barn gore maze. Legend has it the farmer who owns the barn was transformed into a heinous creature that sends his sadistic sons to ensure his legacy. None dare enter the barn for those who enter never escape.
The Tooth Fairy
| X/5
This twisted tooth fairy steals more than just baby teeth as he drags his victims out their bedroom window and into a world of deranged dentistry. Unbelievable special effects include a blackout room through which guests must feel their way out a disorienting x-ray strobe light room and a final encounter with the massive tooth fairy himself. Say aahhh. 
Trick or Treat
| X/5
Trick or treat which will it be? Step forward and ring the witch’s doorbell. Oh she is home but where? You are not quite sure. Don’t be afraid her minions will guide you. You can come away with a treat but is it worth it?
Voodoo: Order of the Serpent
| X/5
Beware the cursed swamps of New Orleans where mindless zombies trudge through the murky bogs in search of bloody sacrifices and demons use Voodoo curses to possess innocent souls. Choose your path carefully children for one wrong turn and you will be hexed forever.
The Hollow
Camp Snoopy | ??/5
From within the fog the legendary Headless Horseman and his army of the undead are ready to unleash a reign of terror in the newest scare zone The Hollow. Guests entering the frightful 6-acre area will be terrorized by the souls of fallen soldiers and local farmers that have escaped their shallow graves.
Fiesta de los Muertos
Fiesta Plaza | ??/5
Fiesta de los Muertos fuses dance music colorful costumes and larger than life stilt walkers in a dance party scare zone with even more characters than last year to create the ultimate late night celebration of Dia de los Muertos.
CarnEvil
The Boardwalk | ??/5
Knott’s Boardwalk is taken over by “CarnEVIL” where the freak show is the main event and countless clowns crave your undying attention.
Elvira: Danse Macabre
| ??/5
The only place to see Elvira the legendary Mistress of the Dark this Halloween season is at Knott’s Scary Farm in her spectacular all-new nightly show Elvira’s Danse Macabre. The show transports guests to a masquerade ball hosted by Elvira full of music dance and comedy.
The Hanging
Calico Park | ??/5
A live stage show in Calico Square that irreverently looks back at the year's pop culture with some killer comedy. Notorious for its special effects and high-flying stunts The Hanging® is a no-holds-barred assault on pop culture’s most infamous moments of the past year. A must see parody!

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