Knott’s Scary Farm 2025

[Jerroddragon]

Kind of insane that knotts got worst but six flags fright fest improved

 

[deadbydawn]

So I came back for my second and likely final night of the year. I’m gonna post this to get this off my chest. I’m sorry but I need to rant.

The line management to get into the park is absolutely WHACK. Up until last year, the line management to enter the event has always been okay and fairly organized. You would basically just go through security like you would normally enter up to the front gates and simply wait out in front. They would if course have ops make space for more people as they entered, but there would be some overflow by the Cable Car restaurant.

Enter this year right after the merger happened. The new system demands you create a line that goes down the marketplace and the line goes all the way past Ghostrider up to Crescent Blvd. So me and my sister make our due diligence to get there early (Like 4:45 early) We see a line up to the entrance to the chicken dinner restaurant. We ask the people in the line if they were in line for Boofet or just general admission. They answer they’re in line for Knotts like everyone else seems to be. It’s now 5:15 and the ops tell us to line up against the wall and told everyone else behind us to go to the back of the line (Which is most likely by now past the Legacy store at least). Thankfully we told the ops we were with the people in front of us so they put us up against the windows. They escorted the people waiting behind us to the back and they were understandably angry. But wait! I haven’t gotten to the good part yet!

So we’re bunched up against the windows by the shops practically touching shoulders with the people around us. There was a chaotic symphony of everyone leaving the park for the day and people going the opposite direction. It was absolute gridlock. There was literally no place to go. Like at all. Literally shoulder-to-shoulder gridlock. It was at a point to where it was a literal fire hazard. If some dip decided to be funny and yell “He’s got a gun!” or some stunt like that, people would get trampled and for sure get seriously hurt. The line ops were arguing with people how they were in line and didn’t understand why they had to go all the way to the back. If they did, they would literally have to go against the flow and fight against the shoulder-to-shoulder sea of humanity.

Finally the line starts moving. I had to have my sister save my spot while I had to fight against the current to go pee real quick. Get mad at me all you want for having someone spot save but come on I got there early, I should be able to go use the restroom real fast. Thankfully I time it just right and caught up with her in line. We get pulled up to the front and the front entrance was empty. Not a single person. All of that mad circus where we were at just to have that area empty. The poor family in front of us was having a hard time because they got there presumably slightly before us and trying to flag down the father who went to house the restroom. After she was told she couldn’t wait to the side she was told that she can’t take her small back packs in so her whole family had to leave the line, put her stuff back and go all the way to the back of the line. They were understandably frustrated and angry. Oh and they were final lying the whole line past the other security gates you would normally enter and funneling everyone into ONE metal detector. ONE. On a SATURDAY NIGHT.

WTH is up with this goofy line management this year Cedar Flags??? The old entrance system was just fine. Thankfully we were able to manage it well and didn’t have to bring any bags in so we got up to the front, but even then that was frustrating. I can’t imagine the frustration of the people around us that told they had to leave the line and then get the rug pulled out from them by restructuring the line all while the front entrance was empty! They had everyone go through a serious fire hazard when all they had to do was have the front gate be a holding area?? Again there was no one at the front gates. I don’t understand this system.

Do you know where I can report this to the fire marshal? I’m dead serious. This was unsafe and awful.

That is horrible. It's only going to get worse as the season gets busier and busier.

I believe last year was when they implemented this change. I can't figure out why they think this is a good idea with no signage, no stantions, no rope, and hardly any employees. Most people coming from the Beach lot will cross the street and make a right, and either cut in line (some knowingly, some un-knowingly) or get scolded by an employee. Last week, I was waiting for a friend and arrived around 7. The line was long and hardly moving, so I just sat on the planters in front of the Marketplace and waited it out. After about 30 minutes or so, the line broke up to where there are these big gaps between groups, and I still saw confused guests either getting told to go to the back of the line by employees, or worse, getting yelled at by other guests who thought they were cutting. If they are going to keep this system, at the very least they need to break that walkway up for two lane traffic and have enough signage and employees to help people explain what is going on.

The whole entrance process is a mess though. I see people almost every time with bags that I know are going to get turned away. The parking attendants will generally bring up the bag policy when you come in, but lately I've noticed it's been really hit or miss. That doesn't even mention the fact that prior to the security check point, it feels like a lost and found for people who showed up without chaperones. The entire thing just needs to be re-worked and better communicated.

 

[DTH]

Going this weekend and debating which route to take. I've started with Origins in the middle then worked around the backside on down before with success, and obviously starting with Ghost Rider warehouses with mixed results, but I've never ever started with Camp Snoopy (actually that's a semi-lie, I did that back in 2001, but that's so long ago, it doesn't count). Is it really the fastest way to finish everything like everyone claims? My instincts tell me Origins, Grimoire and Room 13 can still build up a hefty line if taking too long to get to them, which is why I always want to knock those out first. The Cinema Slasher line is always all bark and no bite (claims to be 2 hours and is 30 mins at most) and Chilling Chambers never gets that long to begin with. But if I knock out the first 3 in 30-45 minutes (I will have about 7-9 people in tow, so may be difficult), will the build up for Origins, Grimoire and Room 13 already begin at around 8pm? Or have I just been lucky before and Camp Snoopy is truly the only way?

Route 1: Chilling Chambers, Cinema Slasher, Mesmer, Room 13, Grimoire, Origins, Widows, Mary, Eight Fingers Nine, The Zoo

Route 2: Origins, Grimoire, Room 13, Mesmer, Cinema Slasher, Chilling Chambers, Widows, Mary, Eight Fingers Nine, The Zoo.

 

[Wishmaster]

Going this weekend and debating which route to take. I've started with Origins in the middle then worked around the backside on down before with success, and obviously starting with Ghost Rider warehouses with mixed results, but I've never ever started with Camp Snoopy (actually that's a semi-lie, I did that back in 2001, but that's so long ago, it doesn't count). Is it really the fastest way to finish everything like everyone claims? My instincts tell me Origins, Grimoire and Room 13 can still build up a hefty line if taking too long to get to them, which is why I always want to knock those out first. The Cinema Slasher line is always all bark and no bite (claims to be 2 hours and is 30 mins at most) and Chilling Chambers never gets that long to begin with. But if I knock out the first 3 in 30-45 minutes (I will have about 7-9 people in tow, so may be difficult), will the build up for Origins, Grimoire and Room 13 already begin at around 8pm? Or have I just been lucky before and Camp Snoopy is truly the only way?

Route 1: Chilling Chambers, Cinema Slasher, Mesmer, Room 13, Grimoire, Origins, Widows, Mary, Eight Fingers Nine, The Zoo

Route 2: Origins, Grimoire, Room 13, Mesmer, Cinema Slasher, Chilling Chambers, Widows, Mary, Eight Fingers Nine, The Zoo.

Route 2. That’s what I used.

 

[Rideguy70]

I also did route 2. But Zoo was a very long line, especially since it was doing flashlights (which happens at 10). It's a lot of fun IMO, but it does make the line absolutely crawl. It was posted as 90, and it did take about 70.

 

[Clive]

We did Boofet this past Sunday and were able to knock everything out pretty easily. Our route was --

-The Zoo. We hit the early entry period a few minutes behind everyone else, as the Ghost Rider line was crawling. However, that meant everyone who had rushed The Zoo had passed through by this point, so this was a walk-on. Everyone was at the Mary house.
-Mary. By the time we finished The Zoo, this was also now a walk-on.
-Eight Fingers Nine. Walk-on.
-Widows. Alone in the house, walk-on.

By this point, the floodgates had opened and The Zoo now had an observably sizable weight. After making our way through Ghost Town, Origins already had a large-looking wait, so we pivoted to...

-Grimoire. Wait looked intense, but we got through it in about 10 minutes.
-Room 13. Wait started at the merge, so about 5-7 minutes.
-Mesmer. Queue was spilling out past the entrance, but this still only took 10-15 minutes max.
-Cinema Slasher. Posted 45, took about 15 minutes. They habitually overstate the waits for this one.
-Chilling Chambers. Walk-on.
-Origins. Walk-on.

We wrapped up the initial run by around 10:15-10:30pm. We peeked over at The Zoo, but it had a posted wait of 90 minutes and looked to be at least 60 if things moved at a decent clip, so we hit Eight Fingers Nine and Widows again before dipping early.

Goes without saying, I guess, but having Boofet to clear the Ghost Rider mazes really makes a huge difference.

 

[deadbydawn]

Has anyone met the Boulet Brothers this season? We are planning on trying this weekend.

They did a recent interview and mentioned that they've been trying to navigate a partnership with Knott's for a few years. They also mentioned flat out that they have a show in mind for next year, so I anticipate we'll be seeing them again. I think they really have a passion for Halloween and horror so I'd be excited to see what they bring.

 

[DTH]

Been reading reports that The Zoo is going to be the Lights Off variant for the rest of the season, starting with last night. Apparently its been lights off all night. Can anyone confirm? What's going ooooon.

 

[deadbydawn]

Been reading reports that The Zoo is going to be the Lights Off variant for the rest of the season, starting with last night. Apparently its been lights off all night. Can anyone confirm? What's going ooooon.

Was there tonight and can confirm.

 

[Jake S]

Goes without saying, I guess, but having Boofet to clear the Ghost Rider mazes really makes a huge difference.

Looks like we'll be adding Boofet to our visit next week!

 

[DTH]

Was there tonight and can confirm.

Is the Lights Off version better? Haha

 

[deadbydawn]

Is the Lights Off version better? Haha

I actually never got to do it with the lights on! Both times I’ve been through it, it was lights off. I haven’t really prioritized the new mazes much this season as the lines have been pretty intense, even on Thursdays. I think that was one of the main reasons we are seeing this change - the line for the lights off at 11 PM was generally 90+ minutes for the rest of the night when I had seen it.

The lights off is definitely fun, though!

 

[mccgavin]

I had the opportunity to do both on my trip. The light-on version was decent, but it ends up on the lower end of my rankings of the mazes as a result of somewhat uninteresting theming. Light-off is definitely where the maze shines, as it becomes the scariest and most intense maze at the event, but you do miss out on a lot of the theming and scenic design of the maze.

 

[DTH]

KSF Review 10/18

ARRIVAL
Got there early at 4pm to find parking, pre-game in the parking lot, then hit TGI Fridays for a final sit down drink. To my surprise, TGI Fridays is closed. UHHHHH WHAT? To even more of my surprise, there is a more than suitable bar inside the chicken dinner restaurant that was super empty and required no wait (while the restaurant itself was an hour and a half wait). Had some raspberry and boysenberry margaritas, some appetizers (onion rings and mozzarella sticks were bomb!) and headed off into the long line around 6:30pm. Line moved quick, we got right in and we waited off to the side of The Gauntlet. I’d never taken this path before at the start and it was beautiful how we hit everything with very little wait.

CHILLING CHAMBERS
Ad Wait: 45min. Time In Line: 6:59. In Maze: 7:03.
Great way to start off the night! Monsters seemed to be plentiful and into their roles. I’ve had good experiences with this maze all three years and there seems to be no slowing down!
B+

Grabbed another set of drinks in Fiesta Village. Trust me when I say DO NOT get those giant mason jar margaritas. They had ONE shot and the other 30oz were just filled to the brim of sugar water. My entire group felt gross all night after that.

CINEMA SLASHER
Ad Wait: 5min. Time In Line: 7:35. In Maze: 7:39.
This maze on the other hand has seen better days. Things are falling apart (gutted girl has broken right off at the hand from the bed), worn down (popcorn buckets are barely circular anymore), or just fading away (can’t even see what’s happening on the projections). It’s sad because its premiere year was so amazing, it instantly shot up my all time list, but this year, you would hardly tell it ever used to be a contender. Only thing keeping this afloat is it appeals to my personal interests.
C

MESMER
Ad Wait: 5min. Time In Line: 7:50. In Maze: 7:56.
I’ve never liked this maze and I am glad it’s on its final year. There was maybe 4 monsters the entire way. Good riddance.
F

ROOM 13
Ad Wait: 15min. Time In Line: 8:15. In Maze: 8:24.
This is another maze that I loved on its premiere year and they’ve kinda just let it go way too quickly. It seems to get a weird amount of hate in reviews, but I’ve always enjoyed it and I think this year it was decent. However, we ran into another “it’s barely staffed issue.” Unfortunately, that was the theme of the night.
C

GRIMOIRE
Ad Wait: 75min. Time In Line: 8:36. In Maze: 8:53.
I don’t know why they’d over estimate these line times on purpose, I think it’s just for show to be like “hey, we’re doing the thing now!” Every SINGLE one of these were insanely inaccurate, like not even trying to be close, they are clearly not monitoring it at all. Anyway, maze was pretty empty when we went through. I had an all time run on it last year. You’d never know that was the same maze this year.
D

ORIGINS
Ad Wait: 90min. Time In Line: 9:12. In Maze: 9:33.
For anyone looking at my maze times and debating if they should take this route, don’t fret, I made PLENTY of stops after nearly every single maze. If you and your group are rushing, I’m sure you’d be done by 9pm, sans The Zoo. On to the maze: somehow this one is always rocking and the creep factor still works after all these years. It wasn’t crawling with monsters, but somehow the theme itself is doing a lot of the work. Either way, it’s time is now to go.
C

DINNER
Our group split into three for dinner (we had a vegan, a vegetarian, a pescatarian, and normal eaters), so that was the easiest thing to decide instead of all trying to go to the same place. My wife and I decided to get pizza across from Room 13 and what a glorious decision. It was fast and much better than I remember last year, super greasy and yummy, it was actual heaven. We sat down, took our time, and finished eating before 2 of our friends even reached the window of Sutters Grill to order (the line legit maybe took them an hour). We found a table for them and our other friends were barely coming back with their food from Panda Express. Sat behind The Hanging and got to see all the flames. It was around this time, one of our friends accidentally met one of the creatives and they gave us a single use Fast Lane for Mary.

MARY
Ad Wait: Got FastLane for this and it said 5. Time In Line: 11:03. In Maze: 11:03.
I was impressed from the get go. This felt like Horror Nights mixed with Scary Farm in the best way. Trigger scares, random monsters hiding, it was a thrill fest and FILLED to the brim with talent. Love what felt like a somewhat interactive aspect to it of saying Bloody Mary’s name throughout the maze when we saw mirrors. Some of the hiding places were pretty crazy, popping out of places I wouldn’t expect, high and low. There was even a pretty cool rat animatronic that got me pretty good. The upside room stuff was insane with the monster “under the bed,” this is the type of innovation I love about Knotts. This maze rocked, probably a top 10 of all time for KSF for me.
A

WIDOWS
Ad Wait: 45min. Time In Line: 11:08. In Maze: 11:23.
Still think the first 1/4 of this maze is a bore with just old people staring at you. It gets more fun as things move along, but I think the momentum from the beginning just kinda ruins what could be a top tier maze. Also, this was only semi-filled with talent, like maybe half of what I remember from last year. Meh.
C+

EIGHT FINGERS NINE
Ad Wait: 60min. Time In Line: 11:33. In Maze: 11:50.
This was my favorite last year and I was excited to see it again. Unfortunately, I got dizzy, nauseous, and sweaty right before I was entering and had to leave to get some water — that dang terrible “margarita” from Fiesta Village had dehydrated the hell out of me. My friends went through though and they said they loved it.
N/A

The Zoo was sporting a MEAN line and we had no desire to wait in that line, so my friends went off to the do the swinging dragon for a bit in hopes the line would go down. I also needed to sit down for a minute, drank some more water, and I had a coffee because I was getting tired. I felt nauseous one more time, but it went away when I saw how dirty the bathrooms were and I couldn’t imagine myself puking in there lol like literally I was instantly cured. We headed back to The Zoo and the line was shorter than earlier but man this was still a brutal wait wrapping around that building. There was several times we debated if it was even worth it, but man, I am glad we stayed because…

THE ZOO: LIGHTS OFF
Ad Wait: 120min Time In Line: 1:30. In Maze: 2:26.
HO. LY. S#!T. This was PEAK. I loved the Trick or Treat: Lights Out version a few years back, but this was on a whole other level. It was freaky from the get go with some pretty aggressive scares and tension building. I was leading the way and slowing down so we could have some distance, creating an atmosphere that’s hard to even describe other than bone chilling to inch our way forward.. Funny enough, guy in front of us was drunk the entire line and falling all over the maze when he finally got in, then at one point half way through, I swear him (he was by himself) and every single person in front of us completely disappeared. No matter how fast we went forward, there was nobody to be found and even when we got out, there was suddenly nobody even remotely near the exit — I have no idea what happened to them and we never saw a single person again, so suffice to say it made the rest of the way through more terrifying. The aviary sequence is easily a highlight. The staff told us before going in to point the flashlights down instead of in the monsters faces, so I didn’t even think to look up during the aviary sequence until I just had an inkling to look and saw someone gliding right above me. At one point in the tunnels, there was a gorilla man just pounding the hell out of his chest and blocking the way, what a great and daunting performance. When it all finally ended, I had the rare feeling of “relief” but in a satisfactory way — we were all MIND BLOWN by what we had just experienced and could not stop talking about it all the way out. I was high on adrenaline after that. Easily a top 5 maze of all time, not just at KSF, but anywhere.
A+

OVERALL
This year was pretty bad with the older mazes, but I’m not necessarily mad at it. I think KSF has gotten to a point in design that even if a maze is empty of talent, that it is still worth going through (Mesmer still feels like KSF of old to me though, so I hate it). I was skipping every other year for awhile, but the last few years made a fan out of me, and I can say I will definitely be back next year to experience The Zoo again while it is still in tip top shape (hopefully). I usually highlight how great the scare zones are in my reviews, and the overall atmosphere and vibe, but I think if one thing was missing for me this year BECAUSE OF MY ROUTE, it was that it takes a long time to get to Ghost Town. That’s not to say that The Gauntlet, CarnEvil, or Forbidden Lake were bad (I FINALLY saw this scarezone haha), it’s just Ghost Town is so top tier that it felt sorely missed. And honestly, when I did get to Ghost Town, it felt like the night was kinda winding down and the fog wasn’t as thick and people were scarce. I don’t know, might revamp the route simply so I can get to Ghost Town sooner haha. It was a good time, but I do think this year might fall short for most people outside of the newer mazes. I’ve always attributed my bad timing as hitting a maze when it was at a cast break, but so many mazes in a row with nobody is unacceptable and almost seemed like they were intentionally left understaffed — which I think would be shameful, but possible under the care of Knotts/Six Flags. Here’s to hoping they kick it up a notch next year!
B-

 

[Rideguy70]

Just FYI, that TGI Friday's at Knott's has been closed since January of this year.

 

[DTH]

I watched The Zoo with the lights on and it's definitely an entire different maze with the video screens and such on. I definitely feel like I missed a lot of story things. With that said, the lights out version is definitely much more scary. I could see myself not caring for the regular version and preferring Mary.

Just FYI, that TGI Friday's at Knott's has been closed since January of this year.

That's ridiculous lol

 

[Freak]

I watched The Zoo with the lights on and it's definitely an entire different maze with the video screens and such on. I definitely feel like I missed a lot of story things. With that said, the lights out version is definitely much more scary. I could see myself not caring for the regular version and preferring Mary.

That's ridiculous lol

Finally someone who agrees Mary > The Zoo

 

[Clive]

I thought we'd known that TGI Fridays was done for good? But yeah, certainly doesn't look like it's coming back...

 

[Disneyland/DCA]

Grabbed another set of drinks in Fiesta Village. Trust me when I say DO NOT get those giant mason jar margaritas. They had ONE shot and the other 30oz were just filled to the brim of sugar water. My entire group felt gross all night after that.

Should've got the Witches Fizz from the saloon.

I hope they still have it next year.

 

[DTH]

Should've got the Witches Fizz from the saloon.

I hope they still have it next year.

Unfortunately, just wasn't on our path at the beginning when we were still drinking, otherwise that's the main drink I kept hearing about and wanted to try.