- Aug 20, 2019
- 390
- 751
I could see why Grimoire is popular, but both new mazes suffer from pacing issues where some parts are really energetic and consistent followed by lots of dead space.
Knott's Scary Farm 2022
- Thread starter deadbydawn
- Start date
-
Signing up for a Premium Membership is a donation to help Inside Universal maintain costs and offers an ad-free experience on the forum. Learn more about it here.
- Nov 7, 2016
- 1,583
- 1,742
I saw that competition and I find it very hard to believe the competition wasn't just rigged to promote their new maze from the get go. I had a feeling a new one would win, because how terrible would it be if your two new brand new mazes lost so early on so publically? I find it hard to believe that maze has more fans than Mesmer, Dark Ride, Pumpkin Eater or Origins. The way things were seeded just seemed weird to me, too. The Depths in the finale? Mmmm, I don't think so.
Went last night again and it was way busier than last Thursday. Not sure if it just took some time for word to get out about their free chaperone ticket with five paid minors, but there were noticeably more teenagers.
Talent was more present in most mazes compared to last week, but still not fully staffed. Catawampus is finally back in Origins. Dark Entities had more effects working. What happened to the sofa chair talent in Dark Ride? Saw it only once out of 7 runs. I loved seeing newbies get caught off guard by it.
Even at 11:00, crowds didn't thin out yet, so I ended up hanging out in the Gore-ing 20s zone for a good 30 minutes. Such a lively party atmosphere with the band playing. There, I bumped into Jon Asperin, Show Director & Creative Designer. I had a solid 10+ minute chat with him. Real down to earth guy. I did mention to him that they need to bring back more Scary Farm passes and not rely so much on daily tickets. If they charged $149, I'm sure they'll still sell a lot. He said he has some weight in that department, so we'll see what happens next year. Maybe even add a Scary Farm dining plan as an additional source of revenue.
I'm hoping to go back one more time, but tickets are going up next week by $10 and it will only get busier here on out. I think Wednesday, the 19th and Halloween night when tickets go back down to $49 are the only days where crowds will die down again.
Talent was more present in most mazes compared to last week, but still not fully staffed. Catawampus is finally back in Origins. Dark Entities had more effects working. What happened to the sofa chair talent in Dark Ride? Saw it only once out of 7 runs. I loved seeing newbies get caught off guard by it.
Even at 11:00, crowds didn't thin out yet, so I ended up hanging out in the Gore-ing 20s zone for a good 30 minutes. Such a lively party atmosphere with the band playing. There, I bumped into Jon Asperin, Show Director & Creative Designer. I had a solid 10+ minute chat with him. Real down to earth guy. I did mention to him that they need to bring back more Scary Farm passes and not rely so much on daily tickets. If they charged $149, I'm sure they'll still sell a lot. He said he has some weight in that department, so we'll see what happens next year. Maybe even add a Scary Farm dining plan as an additional source of revenue.
I'm hoping to go back one more time, but tickets are going up next week by $10 and it will only get busier here on out. I think Wednesday, the 19th and Halloween night when tickets go back down to $49 are the only days where crowds will die down again.
- Oct 9, 2016
- 1,521
- 1,994
Tbh I think both of the new mazes have the issue that if you're not in the front of the pack, you have a significantly worse experience guaranteed to you when you go through it. The obvious solution is to send smaller groups, but with wait times for the new mazes already being what they are, I understand why that isn't viable.
It's a little disappointing to see, since I felt that in recent years, the design philosophy of mazes at knotts have been to make the environments so rich they stand on their own, so if you get a week run or a low energy cast, you still feel like you got something out of it since there was so much to look at, but I think despite that development we've kind of taken a step back, by making mazes so focused on their story and elaborate show scenes to tell it that your experience is practically guaranteed to suffer if you aren't in the perfect position. I appreciate the effort made, and I think Grimoire looks like it would be super great if you got to see everything, but I had one night at the event, and it was pretty busy, so my one and only chance at Grimoire was me at the very back of the pack, missing literally every show scene.
Also there's no way Dark Entities survives next year.
It's a little disappointing to see, since I felt that in recent years, the design philosophy of mazes at knotts have been to make the environments so rich they stand on their own, so if you get a week run or a low energy cast, you still feel like you got something out of it since there was so much to look at, but I think despite that development we've kind of taken a step back, by making mazes so focused on their story and elaborate show scenes to tell it that your experience is practically guaranteed to suffer if you aren't in the perfect position. I appreciate the effort made, and I think Grimoire looks like it would be super great if you got to see everything, but I had one night at the event, and it was pretty busy, so my one and only chance at Grimoire was me at the very back of the pack, missing literally every show scene.
Also there's no way Dark Entities survives next year.
Not to derail things too much, but if Knott's is going by the oldest mazes on which ones to remove, (Which is what they're doing this year as Dark Ride and Pumpkin Eater are currently the oldest ones.) then next year the oldest mazes will be Dark Entities and The Depths. Food for thought.
- Oct 9, 2016
- 1,521
- 1,994
Depths is honestly still doing pretty well guest opinion wise, and it seems like most of the effects still work. My guess, and controversial opinion, is that Bloodlines might meet an early demise if it doesnt get a total rework. Ive heard theyre having a lot of problems. Otherwise, my bets on Waxworks.
I'll be going again on Thursday, so I can report back with how things are. Trying to squeeze a few more trips in despite a very busy October season!
Went on Saturday, was in right around 7. Since we came in at the back entrance, we were right by Grimoire, so did that first. Really neat, though interesting because I saw actors have to break character three times: Once because a lady in front of us started going off the path and through curtains to backstage (which made no sense considering her family ahead of her understood the assignment and continued on the proper path, so why she was confused is beyond me...) and twice because of the part where you come out of a tent and there's a campfire right there when you step out. In the span of a few seconds, the two characters there had to break character because two separate guests nearly tripped on the campfire because your attention is naturally on the characters. Really odd placement, but anyway...
Dark Ride used to be one of my favorites, and it's very sad to see it in such poor condition on its final year. We encountered absolutely zero actors for the first two-thirds of the maze, which was shocking and disappointing, and the ones in the last third (the clowns in the big room, mainly) just had little to no energy. Same for Pumpkin Eater. Both of those used to thrive on the zest and energy of their actors, and now they're just husks of what they were, which, again, is a letdown considering it would've been nice to see them go out on a high. (Ironically, for me, Dark Entities has always been "the low energy one," yet this year, it was up there as one of the highest energy ones.)
Everything else was the same as always, with Wax Works probably standing out as my favorite, but we didn't end up doing Bloodline, as it posted a consistent 120-150 minute wait all night long and... after two HHN experiences of those sorts of wait times on 9/25 and 10/2, none of us have the energy for it anymore. But even getting all but one of the mazes done and only doing two rides (Timber Mountain and Silver Bullet) we were still pushed right past closing at 2am. Weren't able to see any shows or get on any other rides, but it's fine. I still love the ambiance of the park, and it certainly didn't feel like the stressful experience HHN has become, so I'm glad we went and had a good time, even if something still felt off this year, like the energy in the mazes and scare zones just wasn't there like it typically is. Hopefully this was just a fluke year/experience and 2023 will rev the engine for me again.
And I will say, it was nice to not have to deal with/be around unruly kids/teens now. They were still present in little clusters, but their chaperones were always behind them (usually just parents who looked absolutely tired and ready to go home, haha) and, for the most part, they were all in check, compared to some years past where you just start getting a headache because of how obnoxious it can get. So that's a plus.
Dark Ride used to be one of my favorites, and it's very sad to see it in such poor condition on its final year. We encountered absolutely zero actors for the first two-thirds of the maze, which was shocking and disappointing, and the ones in the last third (the clowns in the big room, mainly) just had little to no energy. Same for Pumpkin Eater. Both of those used to thrive on the zest and energy of their actors, and now they're just husks of what they were, which, again, is a letdown considering it would've been nice to see them go out on a high. (Ironically, for me, Dark Entities has always been "the low energy one," yet this year, it was up there as one of the highest energy ones.)
Everything else was the same as always, with Wax Works probably standing out as my favorite, but we didn't end up doing Bloodline, as it posted a consistent 120-150 minute wait all night long and... after two HHN experiences of those sorts of wait times on 9/25 and 10/2, none of us have the energy for it anymore. But even getting all but one of the mazes done and only doing two rides (Timber Mountain and Silver Bullet) we were still pushed right past closing at 2am. Weren't able to see any shows or get on any other rides, but it's fine. I still love the ambiance of the park, and it certainly didn't feel like the stressful experience HHN has become, so I'm glad we went and had a good time, even if something still felt off this year, like the energy in the mazes and scare zones just wasn't there like it typically is. Hopefully this was just a fluke year/experience and 2023 will rev the engine for me again.
And I will say, it was nice to not have to deal with/be around unruly kids/teens now. They were still present in little clusters, but their chaperones were always behind them (usually just parents who looked absolutely tired and ready to go home, haha) and, for the most part, they were all in check, compared to some years past where you just start getting a headache because of how obnoxious it can get. So that's a plus.
- Apr 16, 2020
- 254
- 251
How’s the wait times for the mazes? I would like to go since I went last year and enjoyed the event.
I've only been on Thursdays and Sundays, but it seems like the two newer mazes hover around the 70 min and up wait times more or less. It obviously gets a little busier the closer you get to Halloween, but I haven't waited more than 15 minutes for any other maze so far.
- Mar 3, 2022
- 12
- 5
On the third Saturday wait times did get a bit longer, they were listed as 60 min on most of the older mazes, but the actual wait varied from 20 min to 45 min with the exception of Origins (though that was due to issues causing it to temporarily close)
Pumpkin eater was 15 min, Dark Entities was a walk on
- Aug 20, 2019
- 390
- 751
KNOTT'S SCARY FARM 2022 REVIEW
It's been quite some time since I last visited Knott's. 2017 was the last time I visited as a guest, although I worked as a scareactor and was able to experience bits and pieces of the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Going into this, it meant that a lot of their offerings were brand new to me. I arrived around 6:00 and quickly made my way through security and the turnstiles. I know that the new bag policy can be a hassle, but the upside was that the security check was so streamlined that we were able to just walk through the metal detectors single file.
Met my party near the Ghost Town marquee and waited for the opening scare-a-monies. We parted through the crowd and headed straight for guest services as my friend was using crutches and had a busted knee. Unfortunately, the new disability access pass has very limited capabilities, so either he could wait near the maze entrance while we held the place in the standby queue or he could just wait with us, which felt very counterintuitive. Those headaches aside, we decided to hit all the Ghostrider mazes since we were in the vicinity.
The Depths
No wait here, we just filed right into the maze. Nothing has changed about this maze, which is fine since its setting and atmosphere are top notch. Monsters still filled every room, all the effects were working. Swamp room with the lazers was on fire as well as the ending in the shark cove. This is the maze I worked my debut year, so all the heartaches and grief it gave me were muted and I was able to just appreciate it for what it was. Hopefully next year they can plus it with some new scenes. B+
Dark Entities
This maze was a total dud. Lack of monsters, uninteresting set design (way too many open rooms with nothing really happening, what a waste of space). Really feels like it's hanging on by a thread and just waiting to be put out of its misery. F
Wax Works
The first maze new to me, but a total surprise! This feels like the spiritual successor to the gory mazes of Scary Farm past, including Doll Factory or Slaughterhouse. The sets are very gritty and feel lived in, the monsters were all on their A game, and the maze felt very long considering it's one of the smallest warehouses in this area of the park. The water effects were very nasty and very effective. Queue video was well put together and hilarious. Just an overall winner. A
At this point it was barely 7:45, but the fourth maze, Bloodline 1842 was already at a posted 90 minute wait. We decided to hedge our bets and head out into the park to see what else was good. Ghost Town Streets might have a claim as the best theme park scarezone of all time. I could spend an entire season just bearing witness to the insane energy of the Ghost Town monsters and their escapades, they deserve a reality series or something. Saw a slider chasing a hysterically screaming woman running only on his knees and was seriously impressed. Their dedication is astounding and worthy of all the praise. A+
Origins: The Curse of Calico
My favorite maze from 2019, Origins only had a small line so we hopped in. Immediately, the scareactors in the queue were hyping up the crowd and getting us primed for the hanging of Sarah Marshall. These guys were so fun and engaging and really do a great job selling you on the story. The maze itself is unchanged but just as gorgeous as I remember. It's a total love letter to the history of Scary Farm and it's Ghost Town streets and really makes me wish every zone had a corresponding maze. The part that gets me is when we walk into the muddy streets of Calico whilst still inside the Dance Hall. It's so grand and well-designed, on par with the sets of HHN Orlando. Catawampus was there when we went through. Only downside is some areas were void of monsters. Otherwise a welcome return. A-
We veered past Calico Rapids and saw the queue for Grimoire had extended all the way past the merch kiosk and was posted at 75 minutes, so we decided to venture in search of food. The Goreing 20's was next on our trip and boy what a doozy. Ghost Town nonwithstanding, this is how to do a scarezone. The plentiful monsters representing all different aspects of the zone, a troupe of ragtime dancers and a LIVE JAZZ BAND? It's like a Bob Fosse wet dream and I was here for it. I wanted to soak in the ambiance so I got a beer from the new pizza place and strolled about leisurely. The prohibitionist leader with the picket sign was a hoot. He was leading a crowd in a chant saying "Prohibition is the mission!" to which I raised my cup to join in and he stopped and chastised me. This zone needs a maze in the old bumper cars location and it would pack such a punch. A+
We then made our way past the fountain and into the Carnevil section of the Boardwalk. The clowns as usual were a riot. So funny and quite menacing. More than once they teamed up to scare the most impressionable member of our group and got her to break from the pact. I feel like a little more theming in this area would really add to the ambiance. A-
Mesmer: Sideshow of the Mind
This was another maze entirely new to me and wow what an experience. Full disclosure: at this point in the night, the edibles I had eaten earlier and drinks I had imbibed had really saturated my body and left me in a pleasant stupor. However, it also made me the prime candidate for this maze. This is like, one of the most abstract themes I've ever seen pulled off at a haunt. A sojourn into the dark circus of the mind? Every room presents a unique flavor and brings a sense of dread, wonder, and intrigue. The cast knew what kind of experience they were tailoring: this isn't a pop out and say "BOO" or bang on the walls maze. Instead, there's a sense of play and curiosity that abounds in every corner. At one point we're stopped by a harlequin and made to play peek-a-boo with her. After which point her companion leaped from a hidden corner and scared us shitless with a second "I SEE YOU!" The sets in here are phenomenal, from the claustrophobic spider's lair to the tilting art deco chamber. Just a resounding success on all fronts and a total trip. A+++
PART TWO BELOW
It's been quite some time since I last visited Knott's. 2017 was the last time I visited as a guest, although I worked as a scareactor and was able to experience bits and pieces of the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Going into this, it meant that a lot of their offerings were brand new to me. I arrived around 6:00 and quickly made my way through security and the turnstiles. I know that the new bag policy can be a hassle, but the upside was that the security check was so streamlined that we were able to just walk through the metal detectors single file.
Met my party near the Ghost Town marquee and waited for the opening scare-a-monies. We parted through the crowd and headed straight for guest services as my friend was using crutches and had a busted knee. Unfortunately, the new disability access pass has very limited capabilities, so either he could wait near the maze entrance while we held the place in the standby queue or he could just wait with us, which felt very counterintuitive. Those headaches aside, we decided to hit all the Ghostrider mazes since we were in the vicinity.
The Depths
No wait here, we just filed right into the maze. Nothing has changed about this maze, which is fine since its setting and atmosphere are top notch. Monsters still filled every room, all the effects were working. Swamp room with the lazers was on fire as well as the ending in the shark cove. This is the maze I worked my debut year, so all the heartaches and grief it gave me were muted and I was able to just appreciate it for what it was. Hopefully next year they can plus it with some new scenes. B+
Dark Entities
This maze was a total dud. Lack of monsters, uninteresting set design (way too many open rooms with nothing really happening, what a waste of space). Really feels like it's hanging on by a thread and just waiting to be put out of its misery. F
Wax Works
The first maze new to me, but a total surprise! This feels like the spiritual successor to the gory mazes of Scary Farm past, including Doll Factory or Slaughterhouse. The sets are very gritty and feel lived in, the monsters were all on their A game, and the maze felt very long considering it's one of the smallest warehouses in this area of the park. The water effects were very nasty and very effective. Queue video was well put together and hilarious. Just an overall winner. A
At this point it was barely 7:45, but the fourth maze, Bloodline 1842 was already at a posted 90 minute wait. We decided to hedge our bets and head out into the park to see what else was good. Ghost Town Streets might have a claim as the best theme park scarezone of all time. I could spend an entire season just bearing witness to the insane energy of the Ghost Town monsters and their escapades, they deserve a reality series or something. Saw a slider chasing a hysterically screaming woman running only on his knees and was seriously impressed. Their dedication is astounding and worthy of all the praise. A+
Origins: The Curse of Calico
My favorite maze from 2019, Origins only had a small line so we hopped in. Immediately, the scareactors in the queue were hyping up the crowd and getting us primed for the hanging of Sarah Marshall. These guys were so fun and engaging and really do a great job selling you on the story. The maze itself is unchanged but just as gorgeous as I remember. It's a total love letter to the history of Scary Farm and it's Ghost Town streets and really makes me wish every zone had a corresponding maze. The part that gets me is when we walk into the muddy streets of Calico whilst still inside the Dance Hall. It's so grand and well-designed, on par with the sets of HHN Orlando. Catawampus was there when we went through. Only downside is some areas were void of monsters. Otherwise a welcome return. A-
We veered past Calico Rapids and saw the queue for Grimoire had extended all the way past the merch kiosk and was posted at 75 minutes, so we decided to venture in search of food. The Goreing 20's was next on our trip and boy what a doozy. Ghost Town nonwithstanding, this is how to do a scarezone. The plentiful monsters representing all different aspects of the zone, a troupe of ragtime dancers and a LIVE JAZZ BAND? It's like a Bob Fosse wet dream and I was here for it. I wanted to soak in the ambiance so I got a beer from the new pizza place and strolled about leisurely. The prohibitionist leader with the picket sign was a hoot. He was leading a crowd in a chant saying "Prohibition is the mission!" to which I raised my cup to join in and he stopped and chastised me. This zone needs a maze in the old bumper cars location and it would pack such a punch. A+
We then made our way past the fountain and into the Carnevil section of the Boardwalk. The clowns as usual were a riot. So funny and quite menacing. More than once they teamed up to scare the most impressionable member of our group and got her to break from the pact. I feel like a little more theming in this area would really add to the ambiance. A-
Mesmer: Sideshow of the Mind
This was another maze entirely new to me and wow what an experience. Full disclosure: at this point in the night, the edibles I had eaten earlier and drinks I had imbibed had really saturated my body and left me in a pleasant stupor. However, it also made me the prime candidate for this maze. This is like, one of the most abstract themes I've ever seen pulled off at a haunt. A sojourn into the dark circus of the mind? Every room presents a unique flavor and brings a sense of dread, wonder, and intrigue. The cast knew what kind of experience they were tailoring: this isn't a pop out and say "BOO" or bang on the walls maze. Instead, there's a sense of play and curiosity that abounds in every corner. At one point we're stopped by a harlequin and made to play peek-a-boo with her. After which point her companion leaped from a hidden corner and scared us shitless with a second "I SEE YOU!" The sets in here are phenomenal, from the claustrophobic spider's lair to the tilting art deco chamber. Just a resounding success on all fronts and a total trip. A+++
PART TWO BELOW
- Aug 20, 2019
- 390
- 751
KNOTT'S SCARY FARM 2022 REVIEW PART TWO
Dark Ride
How the mighty have fallen...This was one of my perennial favorites for several years and it was such a shame to see it in such a state of disrepair. The sets have really taken a beating over the seasons and you could clearly see the plywood underneath the chipping paint nearly everywhere. First 3/4 of the maze had little to no scareactors. Sound and lighting have stood the test of time, but the few monsters that were there clearly had no energy and were just standing around idly. Last room was surprisingly staffed fully, with at least 5-6 clowns, but even then they were hardly doing much besides awkward stare downs. I remember the debut year when the monsters were sliding and swinging and jumping around. Sad to see it go but it'll always live on in the memory of my mind. D
Calico Candy Mine Ride
Had no idea what to expect going into this, the mine ride always feels like it's one bad day away from just caving in on itself and therefore makes me feel very apprehensive about riding. At this point the edibles were really kicking my ass so the last thing I wanted to do was sit trapped in a paper mache cavern but oh well when in Rome. The overlay is pretty well done and uses the lighting of those caverns to good effect. What really threw me for a loop was the big Pink Fairy reveal at which point I started cracking up. It's like a twisted little fairy tale and great fun as we raced out of there. B+
At this point we grabbed some snacks from Ghost Town Ice Cream and sat for a spell, enjoying the atmosphere as the monsters toiled and schemed and scared the poop out of many passersby. After which we strolled through Forsaken Lake on our way to Fiesta Village. This zone has incredible atmosphere and costumes. However, there were maybe a third as many monsters as the previous 3 zones. Maybe it's just a staffing issue but it would be nice to see characters up and down both sides of Reflection Lake. I think this area would also benefit from a maze in the old Gunslinger's Grave/Fallout Shelter plot. B
Half our party split to do the flat rides in Fiesta Village while the other half looped back around through Forsaken Lake towards the main gate.
Pumpkin Eater
This is a proper sendoff to a long-standing maze. Pumpkin Eater was only ever the B-side to Dark Ride, but really grew into itself over the past few haunts. This maze is properly gothic and moody, with a nice sadistic touch to modernize this dark fairy tale. The actors were plentiful and always getting great scares. I got the best scares of the night here both times I went through. So long and farewell Pumpkin Eater. A
We ended up reconvening with our party and headed through The Hollow via the Fiesta Village entrance. This zone was appropriately atmospheric, with its ghouls and goblins taking more time to interact with guests because there were way less people in this area of the park. I love the costumes with the big frames and will be sad to see this go. Guess this means we're getting a new maze/zone combo next year. B+
After doing Pumpkin Eater a second time it's around 11:30 so we figure we better hit the new mazes and hoped the lines had gone down a bit. Well, they didn't. We first circled back to Grimoire and it was still posted at a 75 minute wait and boy did we actually end up waiting close to that. Definitely affected how I felt about the maze so take that as you will.
The Grimoire
I'm conflicted on this one (and Bloodline). The queue video is super campy and doesn't really match the tone of the maze, besides the cheap sheen of 80's cultural osmosis. I like how the preshow holding area for the Mystery Lodge was utilized as part of the maze, only wish they had actually started there instead of forcing you to continue outside the show building for the proper start. Since we were towards the middle-back of the conga line, we didn't see any of the show moments. However, I did love the transitions in the first half of the maze, from the summer camp to the black and white setting of the Grimoire's fabled past. The black and white sections were just incredible with the grayscale characters and sets and the way you transfer from one wildly different time period to another. It's after this point though that the story really loses me. I also think the summer camp setting is pretty generic and the demons brought forth from the book just look kinda goofy. I also feel like you really have to be at the front of the pack to understand what's going on and there were no real scares happening in the back half. It's a muddled experience that could definitely improve with some changes. C+
Bloodline 1842
A lot of the same issues I had with Grimoire are present at Bloodline as well. This is definitely a maze that is hurt by the pacing of the experience. Special Ops did a much better job getting you from checkpoint to checkpoint whereas here there are lots of stops and starts filled with dull moments and dead space. I understand the logistic need to explain the shooting aspect and pick out guns. However, I don't understand where there are several points after that preshow where we're stopped and given more exposition. It's like all the excitement and adrenaline of vampire hunting gets sucked out of the room when we're constantly corralled and mumbled at from people who have a hard time articulating with dentures in. The scene that really irks me is the tavern, which is grand and ornate and I was expecting an ambush at any moment only to be told "Okay, now on with you!" and ushered into the next action scene. There was also a lack of targets. Only a handful of vamps had the glowing harnesses on so it feels like the gaming aspect is diminished when everyone is shooting at the same target. The variety of weapons is also kinda pointless as my entire group just conga lined to the same distribution station. They would do well to streamline that process if the gaming is only rudimentary as it takes up a lot of space. I also missed seeing the finale being in the back of the pack and any show moments are dependent on being in the front. This needs a lot of improvement if they want it to continue for a few years. C-
Overall I had a blast returning to the farm, real standouts were the streets and Mesmer, which is a maze I think worth the price of admission. See you all in the fog!
Dark Ride
How the mighty have fallen...This was one of my perennial favorites for several years and it was such a shame to see it in such a state of disrepair. The sets have really taken a beating over the seasons and you could clearly see the plywood underneath the chipping paint nearly everywhere. First 3/4 of the maze had little to no scareactors. Sound and lighting have stood the test of time, but the few monsters that were there clearly had no energy and were just standing around idly. Last room was surprisingly staffed fully, with at least 5-6 clowns, but even then they were hardly doing much besides awkward stare downs. I remember the debut year when the monsters were sliding and swinging and jumping around. Sad to see it go but it'll always live on in the memory of my mind. D
Calico Candy Mine Ride
Had no idea what to expect going into this, the mine ride always feels like it's one bad day away from just caving in on itself and therefore makes me feel very apprehensive about riding. At this point the edibles were really kicking my ass so the last thing I wanted to do was sit trapped in a paper mache cavern but oh well when in Rome. The overlay is pretty well done and uses the lighting of those caverns to good effect. What really threw me for a loop was the big Pink Fairy reveal at which point I started cracking up. It's like a twisted little fairy tale and great fun as we raced out of there. B+
At this point we grabbed some snacks from Ghost Town Ice Cream and sat for a spell, enjoying the atmosphere as the monsters toiled and schemed and scared the poop out of many passersby. After which we strolled through Forsaken Lake on our way to Fiesta Village. This zone has incredible atmosphere and costumes. However, there were maybe a third as many monsters as the previous 3 zones. Maybe it's just a staffing issue but it would be nice to see characters up and down both sides of Reflection Lake. I think this area would also benefit from a maze in the old Gunslinger's Grave/Fallout Shelter plot. B
Half our party split to do the flat rides in Fiesta Village while the other half looped back around through Forsaken Lake towards the main gate.
Pumpkin Eater
This is a proper sendoff to a long-standing maze. Pumpkin Eater was only ever the B-side to Dark Ride, but really grew into itself over the past few haunts. This maze is properly gothic and moody, with a nice sadistic touch to modernize this dark fairy tale. The actors were plentiful and always getting great scares. I got the best scares of the night here both times I went through. So long and farewell Pumpkin Eater. A
We ended up reconvening with our party and headed through The Hollow via the Fiesta Village entrance. This zone was appropriately atmospheric, with its ghouls and goblins taking more time to interact with guests because there were way less people in this area of the park. I love the costumes with the big frames and will be sad to see this go. Guess this means we're getting a new maze/zone combo next year. B+
After doing Pumpkin Eater a second time it's around 11:30 so we figure we better hit the new mazes and hoped the lines had gone down a bit. Well, they didn't. We first circled back to Grimoire and it was still posted at a 75 minute wait and boy did we actually end up waiting close to that. Definitely affected how I felt about the maze so take that as you will.
The Grimoire
I'm conflicted on this one (and Bloodline). The queue video is super campy and doesn't really match the tone of the maze, besides the cheap sheen of 80's cultural osmosis. I like how the preshow holding area for the Mystery Lodge was utilized as part of the maze, only wish they had actually started there instead of forcing you to continue outside the show building for the proper start. Since we were towards the middle-back of the conga line, we didn't see any of the show moments. However, I did love the transitions in the first half of the maze, from the summer camp to the black and white setting of the Grimoire's fabled past. The black and white sections were just incredible with the grayscale characters and sets and the way you transfer from one wildly different time period to another. It's after this point though that the story really loses me. I also think the summer camp setting is pretty generic and the demons brought forth from the book just look kinda goofy. I also feel like you really have to be at the front of the pack to understand what's going on and there were no real scares happening in the back half. It's a muddled experience that could definitely improve with some changes. C+
Bloodline 1842
A lot of the same issues I had with Grimoire are present at Bloodline as well. This is definitely a maze that is hurt by the pacing of the experience. Special Ops did a much better job getting you from checkpoint to checkpoint whereas here there are lots of stops and starts filled with dull moments and dead space. I understand the logistic need to explain the shooting aspect and pick out guns. However, I don't understand where there are several points after that preshow where we're stopped and given more exposition. It's like all the excitement and adrenaline of vampire hunting gets sucked out of the room when we're constantly corralled and mumbled at from people who have a hard time articulating with dentures in. The scene that really irks me is the tavern, which is grand and ornate and I was expecting an ambush at any moment only to be told "Okay, now on with you!" and ushered into the next action scene. There was also a lack of targets. Only a handful of vamps had the glowing harnesses on so it feels like the gaming aspect is diminished when everyone is shooting at the same target. The variety of weapons is also kinda pointless as my entire group just conga lined to the same distribution station. They would do well to streamline that process if the gaming is only rudimentary as it takes up a lot of space. I also missed seeing the finale being in the back of the pack and any show moments are dependent on being in the front. This needs a lot of improvement if they want it to continue for a few years. C-
Overall I had a blast returning to the farm, real standouts were the streets and Mesmer, which is a maze I think worth the price of admission. See you all in the fog!
Last edited:
- May 26, 2010
- 5,820
- 16,209
Great review. I'm attending on Wednesday and will circle back with my thoughts.
Great review overall!
It's honestly kind of a treat seeing everyone's reactions to Mesmer, I absolutely love the trance/dreamwalking vibe that maze pulls off, and it's great to see others wowed by it as well.
Fully agreed about Pumpkin Eater getting a good send-off, too. The casts the past two years have given me some really good runthroughs, so I ended up liking this maze a lot more than I thought I would. (Wish I could say the same about Dark Ride which has such a killer theme, but c'est la vie.)
And thanks for reminding me about the actors in the queue for Origins, they really do a great job setting things up for the maze.
Gore-ing 20's is such a fun zone, it's a theme which could've been whiffed so hard, but they really did it right and the interactions the cast provide are fantastic. It really is another testament on why the zones are so good at Knott's.
I had a two-night Haunt stand, opening night and the next night.
My routine is get the 5pm buffet and show up around 4pm and usually I'm eating by 4.30pm. Unfortunately Spurs wasn't available until later (this usually changes later in the season based on past experience) and I went into Mrs Knotts. The scare actors were OK, no decor like Spurs, but they had shrimp on ice and Boysenberry Mousse Cakes, which are amazing (a friend was there a couple of days ago and said they didn't have any then).
Got some no-wait rides on Ghostie (which was running great) before hitting the 6.30pm mazes. Bloodline was okay and I think it would have been much better if it wasn't a shooter. Being there the first two nights, the guns weren't giving a score like Infected did, maybe this has been fixed since. Cool to see and talk to some well known amusement park bloggers at opening night who also made a bee-line for Bloodline.
Dark Entities was the same old, maybe a little more to the maze since I last went in 2019, definitely dull and a nice place if you like spending time alone. My guide on the Beyond the Fog tour said that DE was also in it's last year, but I'll remain sceptical until Knotts says so officially. Maybe the 50th will be an extra special year with more than 2 new mazes.
The Depths (which is definitely in my all-time favourite list) was running okay, a little light on scare actors and the shark wasn't working both nights.
Wax Works was solid, great sets, but it doesn't engage me as much as some of my all time favourites (examples: peak Dark Ride, Shadowlands, Terror of London, Doll Factory).
Grimoire, lost me at first, but grew on me with repeated laps - I enjoyed it.
Origins was good, not in my all time faves, though the energy is good. I'm not fan of using screens - and the witch overhead wasn't present on my second night.
Dark Ride was a bit deserted, but the climax had energetic scare actors, it's time is due, but it was wonderful in it's prime. I loved the concept.
Mesmer was interesting, but I'm not a fan of the narration, even though I get what they are doing with it. Not being since 2019, it was new to me. The set pieces were impressive and so was the concept. Preferred, Shadowlands and Black Magic in that location, but really it's like comparing Porsches and Lamborghinis, Knotts is always great...except maybe Bobo's.
Pumpkin Eater has great atmosphere, but I think you need your imagination to make up for the lack of scare actors. It will be interesting to see what they do in that space.
The scare zones were energetic as usual, the talent knocked it out of the park. Didn't bother with the shows. Enjoyed the overlays for Calico Mine Ride and Timber Mountain.
Did Beyond the fog tour, which was fantastic, they took us through Depths, Dark Entities, and Wax Works.
My routine is get the 5pm buffet and show up around 4pm and usually I'm eating by 4.30pm. Unfortunately Spurs wasn't available until later (this usually changes later in the season based on past experience) and I went into Mrs Knotts. The scare actors were OK, no decor like Spurs, but they had shrimp on ice and Boysenberry Mousse Cakes, which are amazing (a friend was there a couple of days ago and said they didn't have any then).
Got some no-wait rides on Ghostie (which was running great) before hitting the 6.30pm mazes. Bloodline was okay and I think it would have been much better if it wasn't a shooter. Being there the first two nights, the guns weren't giving a score like Infected did, maybe this has been fixed since. Cool to see and talk to some well known amusement park bloggers at opening night who also made a bee-line for Bloodline.
Dark Entities was the same old, maybe a little more to the maze since I last went in 2019, definitely dull and a nice place if you like spending time alone. My guide on the Beyond the Fog tour said that DE was also in it's last year, but I'll remain sceptical until Knotts says so officially. Maybe the 50th will be an extra special year with more than 2 new mazes.
The Depths (which is definitely in my all-time favourite list) was running okay, a little light on scare actors and the shark wasn't working both nights.
Wax Works was solid, great sets, but it doesn't engage me as much as some of my all time favourites (examples: peak Dark Ride, Shadowlands, Terror of London, Doll Factory).
Grimoire, lost me at first, but grew on me with repeated laps - I enjoyed it.
Origins was good, not in my all time faves, though the energy is good. I'm not fan of using screens - and the witch overhead wasn't present on my second night.
Dark Ride was a bit deserted, but the climax had energetic scare actors, it's time is due, but it was wonderful in it's prime. I loved the concept.
Mesmer was interesting, but I'm not a fan of the narration, even though I get what they are doing with it. Not being since 2019, it was new to me. The set pieces were impressive and so was the concept. Preferred, Shadowlands and Black Magic in that location, but really it's like comparing Porsches and Lamborghinis, Knotts is always great...except maybe Bobo's.
Pumpkin Eater has great atmosphere, but I think you need your imagination to make up for the lack of scare actors. It will be interesting to see what they do in that space.
The scare zones were energetic as usual, the talent knocked it out of the park. Didn't bother with the shows. Enjoyed the overlays for Calico Mine Ride and Timber Mountain.
Did Beyond the fog tour, which was fantastic, they took us through Depths, Dark Entities, and Wax Works.
Did I not understand Pumpkin Eater? It was definitely the second worst maze experience I had behind Dark Entities.
Wax Works was probably my favorite of the event and I loved Dark Ride, but I agree with the complaints about staffing, especially early in the night.
Wax Works was probably my favorite of the event and I loved Dark Ride, but I agree with the complaints about staffing, especially early in the night.
- Aug 20, 2019
- 390
- 751
Maybe I just went on a good night for Pumpkin Eater, it seemed fully staffed and the monsters were all doing a great job. Staffing is an issue at every haunt this year it seems like.
I also didn't enjoy Pumpkin Eater. Opening night was rough for many mazes, that one included. But it's also just not my taste. It's a visceral, gross atmosphere; that doesn't scare me, just makes me feel icky.
I did enjoy Dark Ride however, despite the staffing challenges. That could have had zero actors and it still would have been a guilty pleasure. I love classic Boardwalk dark rides like that, plus I think the soundtrack is hilariously over the top. But it seems those of us who never experienced the inaugural year rate it higher. I did get the feeling it was supposed to be more wild and energetic
I did enjoy Dark Ride however, despite the staffing challenges. That could have had zero actors and it still would have been a guilty pleasure. I love classic Boardwalk dark rides like that, plus I think the soundtrack is hilariously over the top. But it seems those of us who never experienced the inaugural year rate it higher. I did get the feeling it was supposed to be more wild and energetic
Book with our Travel Partners
Latest posts
-
Halloween Horror Nights 33 (UOR) - Speculation & Rumors- Latest: UniversalRBLX
-
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (Disney's Hollywood Studios)
- Latest: UniversalRBLX
-
The Future of Lost Continent (Poseidon Fury closing May 9)- Latest: biggerboat16
-
