Knott's Scary Farm

Knott's Scary Farm or Knott's Halloween Haunt is a seasonal Halloween event at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. It is an event in which the theme park is transformed into "160 acres of horror", via a series of roaming monsters, terrifying mazes[1] and 'scare zones'.[2] As of 2010, it was said to be the first, largest and longest-running Halloween event to be held at a theme park.[3]

Knott's Scary Farm
GenreHalloween
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s)Knotts Berry Farm
33°50′39″N 118°00′01″W
Inaugurated1973 (1973)
WebsiteOfficial website

Haunted attractions

  • Wax Works
  • Origins: The Curse of Calico
  • Dark Entities
  • The Depths
  • Pumpkin Eater
  • Dark Ride
  • Shadowlands
  • Special Ops: Infected
  • Paranormal Inc.

Attraction history

History

Two street monsters posing by the Ghost Town Coffin.

Originally a three-night affair, running October 26-28, 1973, the annual six-week-long event celebrates its 47th year in 2019.[4] It has become the largest event of any theme park.[50] The concept was introduced to the park's operations committee in a meeting in September 1973 by George Condos and Martha Boyd of the marketing department, and Bill Hollingshead and Gary Salisbury of the entertainment office. Bud Hurlbut, who built and operated (as a concessionaire) the Mine Ride, Log Ride and other rides, decided that having static props wasn't enough, so he put on a gorilla suit and scared guests as they rode on the Mine Ride. Halloween Haunt was an instant hit, and by the next year, the event sold out nightly.[51] Knott's Berry Farm was originally modeled after Calico, California, a ghost town that was a result of the California silver rush. Already having a dedicated Ghost Town section in the theme park,[52] this area would become the designed area for the original Halloween Haunt, eventually expanding to the entire park.[5] The 1980s would continue to be a success for the theme park, and popular culture icons were employed to represent the event. In 1981, actor and parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic joined the cast, as did Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson in the following year.[53] Elvira was prominently featured in many Halloween Haunt events until 2001. According to postings on her Myspace page, Cassandra was released from her contract by the park's new owners due to their wanting a more family friendly appeal.[54] The 1990s would show a different approach to Halloween. Humor was added to many facets in the theme park and Knott's turned from the explicit horror to black comedy.[55] This continuing balance of horror and humor has been a key to the continuing success of Knott's Halloween Haunt.[56] On August 4th, 2020, Knott's announced that the 2020 Scary Farm season would be cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which caused the closure of theme parks in California in March and is expected to return in 2021. The theme park was not open at the time of the announcement. [57]

Park transformation

While Knott's Berry Farm is a year-round theme park, the entire acreage is modified to fit the Halloween motif. Rides and other attractions are converted into macabre themes. Seasonal workers are cast as a variety of monsters, roaming the 160-acre (0.65 km2) park in terrifying scare zones, amidst haze produced by giant fog machines. Some characters have developed a special appeal, such as the legendary and infamous Sarah Rebecca Anne "The Green Witch" Morgan-Marshall. Back in 1973 Diana Kelly was chosen to don the role of the first Green Witch under the name of Spooky when Haunt began. After Diana left the Haunt she passed her role to Charlene Parker in 1982, and still to this day Parker is the longest serving of all the monsters who scare the guests at this event. The controversial "Hanging" live show is a staple of the Haunt that lampoons celebrities and persons in the news through a series of staged hangings. The Hanging has been an annual event since the 1979 Halloween Haunt. As of 2019, the park has 9 mazes, 4 scare zones, 4 experiences, and 4 live shows.

Commercials, media and awards

Knott's Scary Farm has won Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Award for Best Halloween Event twice, in 2005 and 2007.[58]

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See also

  • Halloween Haunt, Halloween events at other Cedar Fair parks

References

  1. MacDonald, Brady. "Knott's Berry Farm unveils Halloween Haunt 2008 mazes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
  2. Pak, Ellyn (2007-09-25). "Knott's prepares for Halloween Haunt". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
  3. Jost, Domenik (September 11, 2010). "Halloween update: A look at the world's first, largest and longest-running theme park halloween event". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  4. "Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt- "Walk In, Freak Out"". Retrieved 2008-10-22.
  5. Ultimate Haunt. "Ghost Town – Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  6. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt History". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  7. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1987 15TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  8. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1988 16TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  9. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1989 17TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  10. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1990 18TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  11. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1991 19TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  12. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1992 20TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  13. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1993 21TH (sic) ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  14. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1994 22ND ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  15. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1995 23RD ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  16. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1996 24TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  17. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1997 25TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  18. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1998 26TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  19. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1999 27TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  20. Ultimate Haunt. "2000 Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  21. Ultimate Haunt. "CarnEVIL – Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  22. Ultimate Haunt. "2001 Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  23. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Scary Farm History". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  24. Ultimate Haunt. "THE RETURN OF ZULU". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  25. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2002". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  26. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2003". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  27. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt 2004". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  28. Ultimate Haunt. "2005 Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  29. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2006". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  30. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2007". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  31. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2008". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  32. MacDonald, Brady (8 July 2009). "Knott's Berry Farm unveils Halloween Haunt 2009 mazes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  33. Hollywood Gothique. "Knott's Berry Farm's 2009 Halloween Haunt". Hollywood Gothique. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  34. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt 2009". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  35. Knotts Berry Farm. "Knotts Scary Farm Survival Guide". Park Map. Creepy L.A. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  36. Knott's Scary Farm. "Knott's Scary Farm – Facebook". Facebook page. Facebook. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
  37. MacDonald, Brady (30 March 2010). "Knott's Berry Farm already preparing for Halloween Haunt 2010". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  38. MacDonald, Brady (12 August 2010). "Knott's Berry Farm unveils Halloween Haunt 2010 shows". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  39. MacDonald, Brady (16 July 2010). "Knott's Berry Farm unveils Halloween Haunt 2010 mazes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  40. "Knott's Berry Farm Haunt". Knott's Berry Farm. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  41. "Halloween Haunt". Knott's Berry Farm. May 2011. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  42. MacDonald, Brady (1 August 2012). "Knott's Berry Farm unveils Halloween Haunt 2012 mazes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  43. MacDonald, Brady (11 July 2013). "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2013: Six new mazes and the return of Elvira". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  44. MacDonald, Brady (7 August 2014). "Knott's Berry Farm unveils Halloween Haunt 2014 mazes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  45. MacDonald, Brady (27 August 2015). "Knott's Halloween '15: A new haunted maze ruled by an evil queen, plus lots of zombie-killing ops". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  46. MacDonald, Brady (26 August 2016). "Knott's Berry Farm returns to the fog for Halloween Haunt 2016". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  47. Lam, Albert (1 September 2017). "Knott's Scary Farm 2017 Announcement Event". Westcoaster. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  48. Niles, Robert (30 August 2018). "Knott's Scary Farm reveals its 2018 line-up". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  49. Tuttle, Brittani (30 August 2019). "Full lineup for Knott's Scary Farm 2019, featuring new maze 'Wax Works'". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  50. "Knott's Halloween Haunt FAQs". Knott's Berry Farm. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
  51. Merritt, Christopher, and Lynxwiler, J. Eric. Knott's Preserved: From Boysenberry to Theme Park, the History of Knott's Berry Farm, pp. 126-9, Angel City Press, Santa Monica, CA, 2010. ISBN 978-1-883318-97-0.
  52. "Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Hollywood. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  53. "COURSE 2: the 1980s". ultimatehaunt.com. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  54. Cassandra Peterson's MySpace page
  55. "COURSE 3: THE 1990S". ultimatehaunt.com. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  56. Mills, Thomas (2006-10-12). "Getting into their costumes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  57. https://www.knotts.com/park-update
  58. "All-time Winners By Category – The Golden Ticket Awards - Presented by Amusement Today". goldenticketawards.com.
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