Knott's Scary Farm 2017

[foodstampsFTW]

Btw, I want to mention that a lot of people commenting during the FB livestream are incredibly stupid.

 

[k_peek_2000]

Btw, I want to mention that a lot of people commenting during the FB livestream are incredibly stupid.

That's the demographic these Halloween events cater to. Dark Ride sounds great, Pumpkin Eater sounds like Daniel is really starting to have to reach out there to keep up with Cooke.

 

[HHNManics]

My tid bit of thoughts on the 2017 Knotts Scary Farm Lineup.

Mazes:
Returning:
- Paranormal Inc: Love this Maze the past couple of years. Seeing some stuff from Zozo will be neat. But I think after this year there should be some changes for the Maze next year.

- Shadowlands: My favorite Maze of all time. Incredible maze. Excited to see the New Showroom and the multiple changes.

- Voodoo: Always actually enjoyed Voodoo. Should be interesting to start in the end and work your way out. That should be unique.

- The Tooth Fairy: Another Maze I have enjoyed very much as well. Excited to see the New Addition to the Finale.

- Special Ops Infected: Enjoyed Special Ops last year and all the years it's been at KSF. Should be fun.

- The Red Barn: I actually liked this Maze last year. Glad to hear Chainsaws will be more incorporated along with a lot of scene changes and the feeling that you are trapped.

New Mazes:
- Trick or Treat Lights Out: I loved TRT in 2013 and liked in 2015 but 2014 and 2016 are not that great. I'm excited for a huge revamp and darker tone for the Maze. Hearing good things about it. Hopefully it's good!

- Dark Ride: Love the idea of having a Maze themed to the Scare Zone. This maze sounds amazing and Happy to see Jon Cooke designing it. We haven't had a Clown Maze since 2012 so this should be good!

- Pumpkin Eater: I really like Daniel Miller as a Maze designer but this is my least anticipated maze of the bunch. I'm very iffy on the idea and how the Maze will play out and in terms of reusing props. It should be okay at least (Hopefully). I hope I can eat my words and the Maze is amazing.

Scare Zones:
- Ghost Town: Dope.

- The Hollows: Dope.

- CarnEVIL: Dope.

- Fiesta De Los Muertos: Dope

Shows:
- Elvira: Dope.

- The Hanging: Dope (Love the subtitle).

Most to Least Anticipated Maze List:
1. Shadowlands
2. Dark Ride
3. TRT Lights Out
4. PI
5. The Red Barn
6. Voodoo
7. The Tooth Fairy
8. Special Ops Infected
9. Pumpkin Eater

Scare Zones:
1. Ghost Town
2. The Hollows
3. CarnEVIL
4. Fiesta De Los Muertos

Shows:
1. Elvira
2. The Hanging

 

[Brian G.]

Knott’s Scary Farm reveals ALL For 2017 | Inside Universal

We'll have video later!

 

[Tobias]

So when it comes to the new stuff...

Trick or Treat: Lights Out - While I do like Trick or Treat, this is a much needed revamp. I like the look of the new tricksters, and thankfully word is already positive from those that got to experience it fully at the Haunt Attraction seminar that Knott's hosted.

Dark Ride - A haunt themed to a abandoned/dilapidated dark ride, HELL. YES. I've always felt that was a theme with a bunch of untapped potential, be it a bunch of crazies lurking inside like what this is aiming for. Or you could run with a "Animatronics gone wrong/haywire" approach for it. Either way, I'm excited to see what new tricks Jon Cooke has up his sleeves for this, especially since they're touting they're doing things they haven't done before in this.

Pumpkin Eater - I'll admit I'm a fan of any twisted fairy tale theme, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this one turns out. It may not turn out as strong as the other two new haunts, but I got a feeling it'll still be a fun "traditional" Knott's maze.

The Hanging: Fake Noose! - While the Hanging can be hit or miss, the name of this years show is no doubt a winner. Hopefully the newer writing team get's into a better groove this year, as well as pick a better person to be hanged since last years just didn't work.

An' finally, it has to be mentioned.
The Timber Mountain Log Ride Halloween Hootenanny - I'm so friggin' happy this was announced, since for me I've always felt the rethemed rides were a unique gem to Haunt. (The log ride always had me at Red Moon Massacre.) Now while it won't be a "haunted" overlay (I.E. Live actors) for multiple reasons, I will happily take a rethemed log ride.

 

[k_peek_2000]

The Timber Mountain Log Ride Halloween Hootenanny - I'm so friggin' happy this was announced, since for me I've always felt the rethemed rides were a unique gem to Haunt. (The log ride always had me at Red Moon Massacre.) Now while it won't be a "haunted" overlay (I.E. Live actors) for multiple reasons, I will happily take a rethemed log ride.

It will have live actors during Scary Farm at night, but not during the day.

 

[Tobias]

It will have live actors during Scary Farm at night, but not during the day.

Can you give a source on them having live actors at night? Since I've seen no word on that, especially since they're advertising it as family friendly/spooky, not scary.

 

[k_peek_2000]

Can you give a source on them having live actors at night? Since I've seen no word on that, especially since they're advertising it as family friendly/spooky, not scary.

 

[Tobias]

(A Bona' Fide Scource)

Perfect, thank you! It makes total sense there was no word about it since that info wasn't dropped till that interview. I was happy reguardless for the retheme, but now I'm pumped that the haunted log ride is back! (Yes, I know it's a Catch-22 since these haunted rethemes can do a number on the ride, but this is one of those things that make Haunt, "Haunt". An' I've missed it dearly. Not to mention the haunted rethemes have usually turned out better on the log ride then the CMT.)

Also, I'm quite intruiged hearing they'll have a track running along Dark Ride. That's a nice touch of theming and should be interesting to see how it's pulled off.

 

[Brian G.]

 

[Brian G.]

 

[k_peek_2000]

New trailer from the farm, looks like the inside of Dark Ride.

 

[Freak]

Okay, so who's going Thursday? *Raises hand* Hopefully I an forget about the disaster that HHN is this year.

So what's you plan of attack? I think I'm going to race toward Infected first since that gets the longest line. I know Trick or Treat is going to get a long line as well since that will likely incorporate the pre show element that Paranormal and Shadowlands have.

Oh, and if you look at Knott's Network facebook group, I saw a pic of Pumpkin Eater. The sets look really good! This might be the underdog of this year.

 

[Tobias]

So now that Knott's Scary Farm has kicked off, some general observations from the twittersphere.

Trick or Treat: Lights Out - I'm seeing praise all around for this, even from people who were getting tired of ToT in previous years. It sounds like the concept was the shot in the arm this maze needed, and from the little bits I've seen here and there, it looks wonderfully grimy and creepy. I read there's a lot of hidden messages to discover once the blacklight turns on, and to no surprise whatsoever it looks like lines will be steadily big for this one. (Slow moving as well, since due to the darkness people will be moving more carefully.) Though you don't wanna' hit the maze up too early, since daylight does leak into this maze, and that takes away from the concept. Gotta' hit it when it's dark.

Pumpkin Eater - This is probably the wildcard/darkhorse maze this year due to others taking the spotlight, but it sounds like people are generally enjoying this one. From what I could see in a streamed walkthrough, it does look nice n' creepy. An' it also sounds like you're going to get wet/moist in there since as Daniel Miller promised, he want's you feeling like you're walking through a pumpkin.

Dark Ride - Like with ToT: LO, I'm seeing praise all around for this one. It sounds like it's a wonderful love letter to amusement parks and classic dark rides, and from what I could see, it does look great! It's giving me vibes of a classic/old school dark ride, a concept I wish other events would take on since it's great for haunts.

Voodoo: Order of the Serpant - When it comes to going through the maze backwards this year, opinions are mixed. Some think it's a refreshing change, others not so much. Your milage may vary.

The Hanging: Fake Noose! - After last years dud of a show, it sounds like this is a major improvement. An' considering I saw a stream of the first 15 minutes, it honestly looks that way! I know there's a good amount of questions on how they would handle this year due to obvious reasons, and boy are they answering them! I was cracking up pretty hard where the stream cut off, so I'm looking forward to seeing videos of the full show.

Other then that, it looks like the park has put in some really nice extra bits of theming in the park for a good spooky atmosphere. An' it sounds like with the Hallow scarezone, there's a witch show that goes on, possibly around midnight.

 

[Freak]

I'll post a full review later, but the content is solid this year! The Log Ride has some great surprises!

This is the first year at knott's I had to skip a house due to lines and I hit all the back stages houses at rope drop.

 

[k_peek_2000]

Just came home from Haunt, this is the best Haunt this decade. Even Elvira's show is really well done.

For 2017 KSF > HHN-H

 

[Freak]

Alright, here's a review from last night:

Trick or Treat: Lights Out: I was hoping they would change up a lot of the maze, but alas, it's mostly the same. It is, however, helpful in enhancing the experience. The flashlight aspect was kinda cool. I just wished they would have it go out more often to make it scarier.

Overall: B-

Voodoo (Reverse Order): I appreciate trying to switch things up, but I preferred it going forward. It's alright. I'm a little burned out on this maze.

Overall: C

Paranormal Inc.: It's the same, but still a really good maze. Novelty has worn off for me a bit though.

Overall: B

The Tooth Fairy: I'm really tired of this maze. Please let it go.

Overall: D

Pumpkin Eater: This was a really beautifully designed maze. The small village at the entrance looked like something Horror Nights in Orlando would do. The maze also felt very reminiscent of Corn Stalkers. Being that this is a Dan Miller maze, it was really good on set design, but kinda weak on scares. If Miller could just embrace the wonderful tech that are audio trigger scares that HHN and Cooke like to use, then this would be amazing.

Overall: B

Dark Ride: Ladies and gentlemen, maze of the year. This was easily my most-anticipated house being that it took place in an abandoned theme park ride. It did not disappoint. The insane amount of detail, the fake track on the floor, the stalled dark ride carts, the effects, the fantastically-designed layout to preserve the illusion you're walking through a dark ride…..phenomenal maze. Jon Cooke has outdone himself once again. Horror Nights take note: THIS is how you do a detailed house with lots of special effects….and no black walls. My only complaint is that I missed some of the scares because of how much I was admiring the detail. Still fantastically done. This is better than all of the HHN mazes combined this year.

Overall: A+

The Log Ride: Wow, this was really good! I like how they didn't call this a maze and kept the theme subtle to humble your expectations. That set-up worked well. It also turned out to be the best log ride overlay I've ever been on! You'd be surprised at some stuff they added. The music was catchy and the few scares that were on here were great! Make an effort to go on this!

Overall: A

The Shadowlands: Still the same, save for some changed here and there, but still a great house.

Overall: A-

Special Ops: Infected: Still the same, but still really fun. Again, small changes here and there, but still the same.

Overall: A-

Red Barn: We couldn't his this up because of the awful line situation which I will address shortly. If I had to skip a house, this would be it. It was the weakest from last year.

The Hanging: Fake Noose: Probably my favorite Hanging show so fare. There were definitely a few, "I can't believe they went there!" moments. It's refreshing to see a politically incorrect comedy show at a Halloween event when the original starters of that are bowing out of it.

Overall: A

Elvira: Didn't bother. Might check it out later. Heard it was good.

Overall, I agree with K_Peek. This is the best Haunt I've been to so far. They really did a fantastic job with the houses and the Log Ride. Also the scare zones were really cool as always with their energetic talent. This is defiantly a better event than the disaster that is HHN this year. I can't wait to go back to KSF while I'm just going back to HHN one more time out of obligation to get $$$$ worth out of my fear pass. Check out Scary Farm and Dark Ride!

One thing that REALLY bothered me this year that hindered my enjoyment was line management. If you can believe it, it was worse than HHN this year. I followed a strict strategy to run to Trick or Treat then Paranormal. The line for ToT was instantly half an hour and Paranormal was 45. They were letting a massive slew of Fright Lane in while only letting two groups at a time in from standby. If they were about to let us go, they would change their mind if they saw Fright Lane people coming and let them through instead. Press definitely wasn't helping the situation. They were taking their time filming everything causing a conga line and slowing down the queue. It was the first time we were not able to hit all of the mazes despite a strict game plan because of terrible line management. I really hope they resolve this by next week.

Other than that, great event!

 

[Tobias]

Now that a whole bunch of videos have been posted, my quick n' dirty thoughts on the new stuff.

Trick or Treat: Lights Out - I liked Treat or Treat before, but I like this concept even better! It's creepy, I love the new Tricksters. This maze actually works nicely with little to no light. An' depending how this does, I can see them using this tech for a brand new maze in the future!

Pumpkin Eater - A solid creepy/gross maze from Daniel Miller, the overall set design is quite nice from village facade to house that's trying to fall apart on you. Scares could be punched up, but overall I like what I see.

Dark Ride - Dear Knotts & Jon Cooke, as a fan of dark rides of any shape, size and budget...Thank You.
Dear Universal Hollywood, when Knott's can build a maze with multiple layers of theming/storytelling, various effects, a variety of scares and it all flows perfectly...You have NO excuse for mazes with awkward black walls/hallways and relying on the same multiple box scares in every maze. I know you're better then this.

An' as some great bonus footage, here's a video of Jon Cooke giving a behind the scenes tour of the whole maze. Mondo spoilers ahead, but it does show how wonderfully thought out and detailed this maze is.

Spoiler

The Timber Mountain Log Ride Halloween Hootenanny - If things like ToT:LO or Dark Ride didn't already put me in my Halloween Happy Place, this sure as heck does! I love the theme, the song is nice, and overall I'm just happy one of the things which makes Haunt, "Haunt" is back!

The Hanging: Fake Noose! - This really -is- a big improvement over last years dud of a show, they did not hold back on certain subjects and I friggin' loved it when they let loose. One particular moment reaches Calico & Aliens "Beneath the Sea" level of making me laugh so hard I cried.

Finally, when it comes to the little Opening Scaramonies. Unlike another event, they've got the atmosphere, they've got the fog, they've got a perfect cover of a gospel song. Knott's takes this, no contest.

 

[rageofthegods]

While I can't go to Knott's this year, I'm looking at the videos and I have to say wow!

Spoiler

Dark Ride looks absolutely fantastic! That opening with the blacklight ghosts brings back so many memories of the old haunted houses I used to go to.

Pumpkin Eater I'm less sure about (kinda looks like Cornstalkers + Pinnochio sets? Also the pumpkins look kind of fake / "craft-store-y") but it looks like it could be very cool. The pumpkin swinging at the guests is unexpected, but really cool. Walking inside the pumpkin reminded my alot of last year's Halloween maze at HHN-H. The costumes look very cool as well.

I'm glad that Knotts is very good this year! Competition between haunts is always good, maybe it'll convince Uni to cough up a budget next year.

 

[Brian G.]

REVIEW: Knott’s Scary Farm 2017 at Knott’s Berry Farm | Inside Universal