Knott's Scary Farm

Knott's Scary Farm
Genre	Halloween
Frequency	Annual
Location(s)	Knotts Berry Farm 33°50′39″N 118°00′01″W / 33.844178°N 118.000267°WCoordinates: 33°50′39″N 118°00′01″W / 33.844178°N 118.000267°W
Inaugurated	1973
Website
Official website

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] It is the largest Halloween event to be held at a theme park.^[3]

History

Two street monsters posing by the Ghost Town Coffin.

Originally a three-night affair, beginning on October 26, 1973, the annual, month-long event celebrates its 44th year in 2016.^[4] It has become the largest event of any theme park.^[5] 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.^[6] 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,^[7] this area would become the designed area for the original Halloween Haunt, eventually expanding to the entire park.^[8] 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.^[9] 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.^[10] 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.^[11] This continuing balance of horror and humor has been a key to the continuing success of Knott's Halloween Haunt.^[12]

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 "clowns and 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 1974 Diana Kelly was chosen to don the role of the Green Witch 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. As of 2015, the park has constructed 11 haunted attractions, 3 scare zones, and 2 live shows. 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.

Current Haunted Attractions

Attraction	Opened	Location
Special Ops: Infected-Patient Zero	2015	Camp Snoopy
My Bloody Clementine	2015	Calico Mine Ride
The Dead Of Winter	2015	Carnevil
Paranormal Inc.	2015	Ghost Town
The Gunslinger's Grave: A Blood Moon Rises	2015	Ghost Town
Voodoo: Order of the Serpent	2014	Ghost Town
The Tooth Fairy	2014	Ghost Town
Forevermore	2013	Ghost Town
Black Magic	2013	Carnevil
Pinocchio Unstrung	2012	Ghost Town
Trick or Treat	2012	Ghost Town

Attraction history

	Year	Mazes	Scare Zones	Shows	Notes
1	1973	The Monster Maze Satan's Saw Mill The Ghostway Express	Ghost Town		[4][8]
2	1974	The Haunted Shack The Devil's Log Ride Calico Phantom's Mine Ride Transylvania Railroad Stagecoach Ride through Wolfman Country	Ghost Town		[8]
3	1975	Terror Mountain Knott's Scary Tales Trail of the Tortured Haunted Mine Transylvania Railroad Trail of the Headless Horseman	Ghost Town The Gory '20s Fiesta de Fiends		[8]
4	1976	Trail of the Tortured Terror Mountain Haunted Mine Trail of the Headless Horseman Knott's Scary Tales Transylvania Express Gasoline Alley (Thru Sleepy Hollow)	Ghost Town	Dead Man's Hanging	[8][13]
5	1977	Ten Chilling Chambers (first standalone walk-through maze) Terror Mountain Haunted Mine Gasoline Alley (Thru Sleepy Hollow) Transylvania Express The Ghost Coach Witch's Twist Bump the Ghoul Knott's Scary Tales	Ghost Town	The Hanging	[8][13]
6	1978	The Trail of Terror Terror Mountain Haunted Mine Knott's Scary Tales	Ghost Town		[8]
7	1979	Chilling Chambers of Horrors Black Bart's Trail of Terror Terror Mountain Haunted Mine Knott's Scary Tales	Ghost Town	Monsters' Revenge	[8][13]
8	1980	The Tomb of Terror Dr. Alucard's Chamber of Horrors Terror Mountain Haunted Mine Knott's Scary Tales	Ghost Town	Midnight Witch Hanging	[8][13]
9	1981	The Trail of Terror Terror Mountain Haunted Mine Knott's Scary Tales	Ghost Town	Midnight Witch Hanging	[8][13]
10	1982	The Terrifying Trail of Jack the Ripper The Mysterious Corridors Terror Mountain Haunted Mine Knott's Scary Tales	Ghost Town	Midnight Witch Hanging	[8][13]
11	1983	The Realm of Darkness Corridors of Mystery Terror Mountain Haunted Mine Transylvania Taxi	Ghost Town	Midnight Witch Hanging	[8][13]
12	1984	Caverns of Doom The House of Red Death Terror Mountain Haunted Mine	Ghost Town	Midnight Witch Hanging	[8][13]
13	1985	The Terrifying House of Doom Creep House Trail of the Doomed Terror Mountain Trails of Terror Dragon's Caverns Sorcerer's Lair	Ghost Town	Midnight Witch Hanging	[8][13]
14	1986	Mystical Maze of Madness The Best Little Horror House Conviks Haven The Last Train to Terror Nightmare Mountain The Dark Forest of the Sorcerer	Ghost Town	Midnight Witch Hanging	[8][13]
15	1987	Curse of the Sphinx Kingdom of the Dinosaurs Metro Madness Realm of the Sorcerer The Slaughterhouse The Enemy Within The Fourth Dimension The Return of Zulu	Ghost Town	Midnight Witch Hanging	[8][13][14]
16	1988	Bait's Motel Camp Hatchet Head Revenge of the Dead The Dark Threshold of Doom Toxic Terror Uncle Ernie's Madhouse	Ghost Town	Midnight Witch Hanging	[8][13][15]
17	1989	Bait's Motel Camp Hatchet Head Revenge of the Dead Terror Mountain The Dark Threshold of Doom Uncle Ernie's Madhouse Which Maze	Ghost Town	The Hanging	[8][13][16]
18	1990	Bait's Motel Encounters of Darkness The Fear Threshold of Doom Terror Mountain Revenge of the Dead Uncle Ernie's Madhouse Timothy L. Eerie Time Machine	Ghost Town	The Hanging	[8][13][17]
19	1991	Bait's Motel Encounters of Darkness Revenge of the Dead Terror Mountain The Body The Fear Threshold of Doom Uncle Ernie's Madhouse	Ghost Town	The Hanging	[8][13][18]
20	1992	Kingdom of the Lounge Lizards Lair of the Vampyre Mother Noose's Scary Tales Revenge of the Dead Temple of Sacrifice Terror Mountain Toxichem Uncle Ernie's Madhouse	Ghost Town	The Hanging	[8][13][19]
21	1993	House of Maniacs Jaws of Death Lair of the Vampyre Mother Noose's Scary Tales Nightmares Santa Claws Mountain Temple of Sacrifice Toxichem	Ghost Town	The Hanging	[8][13][20]
22	1994	Carnival of Death Cavern of Carnage House of Maniacs Industrial Evil Lair of the Vampyre Mother Noose's Scary Tales Nightmares Santa Claws Mountain Slasher of the Dark Toxichem	Ghost Town	The Hanging	[8][13][21]
23	1995	Carnival of Death Cavern of Carnage Curse of the Werewolf Dominion of the Dead Ghost Town Dead and Breakfast House of Maniacs Industrial Evil Nightmares Santa Claws Mountain Slasher of the Dark	Ghost Town	The Hanging	[8][13][22]
24	1996	Camp Gonnagetcha Carnival of Death Curse of the Werewolf Cavern of Carnage Dominion of the Dead Ghost Town Dead and Breakfast House of Maniacs Kingdom of the Lounge Lizards Nightmares The Underground Toon Terrortory	Ghost Town The Gauntlet	Cyber Insanity Day of the Dead Procession Dead Monsters of Rock Dr. Cleaver for President Laser Monster Madness The Deadly Dating Game The Hanging	[8][13][23]
25	1997	Bigfoot's Revenge Camp Gonnagetcha Curse of the Werewolf Dominion of the Dead Ghost Town Dead and Breakfast Nightmares The Inquisition The Underground The Underworld Unearthed Toon Terrortory XXV (25) Years of Fears	Ghost Town The Gauntlet	Cyber Insanity III Day of the Dead Procession Ed Alonzo's Magic & Mayhem Elvira's Dead Legends of Rock Laser Monster Madness The Deadly Dating Game The Hanging	[8][13][24]
26	1998	Alien Attack Bigfoot's Revenge Camp Gonnagetcha Deadman's Wharf Dominion of the Dead Horrorwood Hotel Nightmares: The Awakening The Inquisition The Underground The Underworld Unearthed	Ghost Town The Gauntlet	Day of the Dead Procession Ed Alonzo's Magic & Mayhem Electric Nightmares Elvira's Haunted House Party The Hanging The New Deadly Dating Game	[8][13][25]
27	1999	Alien Attack Bigfoot's Revenge Camp Gonnagetcha Deadman's Wharf Dominion of the Dead Elvira's Nightmare Horrorwood Hotel Tales from the Inquisition The Underground The Underworld Unearthed	Ghost Town The Gauntlet	Day of the Dead Procession Ed Alonzo's Magic & Mayhem Electric Nightmares Elvira's Ghost Stories Spectacular Tony Angelo, The Haunted Hypnotist The Hanging	[8][13][26]
28	2000	Alien Attack Army of the Underworld Camp Gonnagetcha Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns Deadman's Wharf Elvira's Nightmares Gothic Graveyard Horrorwood Hotel The Crypt Keeper's Tales from the Inquisition The Underground Voodoo Witch Project	Backwoods CarnEVIL Ghost Town The Gauntlet The Swamp	The Hanging	[8][13][27][28][29][30][31]
29	2001	Alien Attack Army of the Underworld Blood Bayou Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns Curse of the Spiderwoods Elvira's Red Moon Massacre Lore of the Vampire Malice in Wunderland The Cyrptkeeper's Horrorwood Fright FestEvil The Underground	CarnEVIL Ghost Town The Gauntlet The Swamp	The Hanging	[8][13][28][29][30]
30	2002	Alien Attack Army of the Underworld Blood Bayou Curse of the Spider Fright Festival Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns Malice in Wunderland The Underground The Inquisition Lore of the Vampire Red Moon Massacre	CarnEVIL Ghost Town The Gauntlet The Swamp	The Hanging	[8][13][28][30][32]
31	2003	Army of the Underworld Asylum Blood Bayou Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns Curse of the Spider Hatchet High Lore of the Vampire Malice in Wunderland Red Moon Massacre Temple of Sacrifice The Inquisition Underground	CarnEVIL Ghost Town The Swamp	The Hanging	[8][13][28][30][33]
32	2004	Army of the Underworld Asylum Blood Bayou Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns Curse of the Spider Hatchet High Lore of the Vampire Malice in Wunderland Red Beard's Revenge Red Moon Massacre Temple of Sacrifice Terror Vision	Ghost Town The Swamp The Gauntlet	Ed Alonzo's Magic and Mahem The Hanging	[8][13][28][30][34]
33	2005	13 Axe Murder Manor Asylum Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns Cavern of Lost Souls Curse of the Spider Feary Tales Hatchet High Lore of the Vampire Red Beard's Revenge Red Moon Massacre Temple of Sacrifice Terror Vision in 3-D	CarnEVIL Ghost Town Silver Bullet Mining Town The Dark Realm The Gauntlet	Hacks The Hanging	[8][13][28][35]
34	2006	13 Axe Murder Manor Asylum Cavern of Lost Souls Dark Realm with Lazer Rage Feary Tales in 3-D Hatchet High Lore of the Vampire Lost Vegas in 3-D Red Beard's Revenge Red Moon Massacre Terror Vision in 3-D The Grudge 2	CarnEVIL Ghost Town Silver Bullet Mining Town The Gauntlet	Dead Idol Festival of Freaks Hacks Haunted Hypnochick Putz Prank Party The Hanging	[8][13][28][36]
35	2007	13 Axe Murder Manor Asylum Beowulf Labyrinth into Darkness Black Widow's Cavern Dark Realm Lazer Tag Doll Factory Feary Tales Killer Clown Kollege Lore of the Vampire Lost Vegas Pyromaniax Red Beard's Revenge The Grudge 2	CarnEVIL Ghost Town Silver Bullet Mining Town The Gauntlet	Festival of Freaks Hacks Inferno The Chipper Lowell Experience The Death of Dr. Cleaver The Hanging The Rocketz	[8][13][28][37]
36	2008	13 Axe Murder Manor Alien Annihilation Asylum Black Widow's Cavern Club Blood Corn Stalkers Doll Factory Killer Clown Kollege Labyrinth Lost Vegas Pyromaniax Quarantine Slaughterhouse	CarnEVIL Ghost Town The Gauntlet	Dr. Cleaver's Big Election Fangs: A Vampire Show Festival of Freaks Inferno The Chipper Lowell Experience The Hanging The Hypnochick	[1][8][13][28][38]
37	2009	Alien Annihilation Black Widow's Cavern Cornstalkers Club Blood Dias De Los Muertos Doll Factory Labyrinth Lockdown – The Asylum Pyromaniax Quarantine Slaughterhouse Terror of London Uncle Bobo's Big Top of the Bizaare	CarnEVIL Ghost Town The Gauntlet	Bloodlust Festival of Freaks Inferno The Chipper Lowell Experience The Hanging	[8][13][28][39][40][41][42]
38	2010	Black Widow's Cavern Club Blood Cornstalkers Dia De Los Muertos Fallout Shelter Labyrinth Lockdown: The Asylum Slaughterhouse Sleepy Hollow Mountain Terror of London The Doll Factory Uncle Bobo's Big Top of the Bizarre Virus Z	CarnEVIL Ghost Town Necropolis	De' Anna the HypnoChick Ed Alonzo's Psycho Circus of Magic and Mayhem HACKS! presents Die, Die, Die! The Hanging Inferno The Chipper Lowell Experience Steel Drum Corps present Bang Zamora's Sideshow of the Bizarre	[8][13][43][44][45][46][47]
39	2011	Cornstalkers Delirium Dia De Los Muertos Endgames: Warriors of the Apocalypse Fallout Shelter Invasion Beneath Lockdown: The Asylum Slaughterhouse Sleepy Hollow Mountain Terror of London The Doll Factory Uncle Bobo's Big Top of the Bizarre Virus Z	CarnEVIL Ghost Town Gypsy Camp Necropolis	The Hanging Putz' Prank Party Zamora's Side Show of Horrors Street Drum Corps Presents Bang! Haunt Wonders of Technology Ed Alonzo's Phsycho Circus of Magic and Mayhem Red Moon Dance Company Presents Cursed!	[48]
40	2012	Delirium Dia De Los Muertos Dominion of the Dead Endgames Fallout Shelter Pinocchio: Unstrung Slaughterhouse Terror of London The Evil Dead Trapped Trick-Or-Treat Uncle Bobo's Big Top of the Bizarre Virus Z	Ghost Town Necropolis Carnevil Gypsy Camp	Ed Alonzo's Funhouse Tonga Tiki Terror The Hanging Games The Witching Hour Mephisto's Mechanical Mayhem Blood Drums Cursed Zamora's Sideshow of Torture Unearthed
41	2013	Delirium Black Magic Dominion of the Damned Endgames Forevermore Mirror Mirror Pinocchio Unstrung The Gunslinger's Grave Trick or Treat Uncle Willy's Slaughterhouse The Witch's Keep Trapped: The New Experiment	Ghost Town Necropolis Gypsy Camp Fiesta de los Muertos CarnEvil	The Hanging Blood Drums Carny Trash Cursed Elvira's Sinema Seance Possessed
42	2014	Voodoo The Tooth Fairy Dominion of the Damned Black Magic Forevermore Pinocchio Unstrung The Gunslinger's Grave Trick or Treat The Witch's Keep Trapped: Lock and Key Special Ops: Infected	Ghost Town Gypsy Camp: The Cursed Caravan CarnEvil Fiesta de los Muertos	The Hanging Elvira's Big Top

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. "AdFleet touts Knott's Halloween Haunt". Amusement Business. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
4. "Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt- "Walk In, Freak Out"". Retrieved 2008-10-22.
5. "Knott's Halloween Haunt FAQs". Knott's Berry Farm. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
6. 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.
7. "Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Hollywood. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
8. Ultimate Haunt. "Ghost Town – Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
9. "COURSE 2: the 1980s". ultimatehaunt.com. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
10. Cassandra Peterson's MySpace page
11. "COURSE 3: THE 1990'S". ultimatehaunt.com. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
12. Mills, Thomas (2006-10-12). "Getting into their costumes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
13. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt History". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
14. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1987 15TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
15. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1988 16TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
16. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1989 17TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
17. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1990 18TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
18. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1991 19TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
19. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1992 20TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
20. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1993 21TH (sic) ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
21. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1994 22ND ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
22. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1995 23RD ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
23. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1996 24TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
24. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1997 25TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
25. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1998 26TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
26. Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1999 27TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
27. Ultimate Haunt. "2000 Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
28. Ultimate Haunt. "CarnEVIL – Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
29. Ultimate Haunt. "2001 Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
30. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Scary Farm History". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
31. Ultimate Haunt. "THE RETURN OF ZULU". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
32. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2002". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
33. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2003". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
34. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt 2004". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
35. Ultimate Haunt. "2005 Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
36. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2006". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
37. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2007". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
38. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2008". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
39. MacDonald, Brady (8 July 2009). "Knott's Berry Farm unveils Halloween Haunt 2009 mazes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
40. Hollywood Gothique. "Knott's Berry Farm's 2009 Halloween Haunt". Hollywood Gothique. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
41. Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt 2009". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
42. Knotts Berry Farm. "Knotts Scary Farm Survival Guide". Park Map. Creepy L.A. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
43. Knott's Scary Farm. "Knott's Scary Farm – Facebook". Facebook page. Facebook. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
44. MacDonald, Brady (30 March 2010). "Knott's Berry Farm already preparing for Halloween Haunt 2010". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
45. MacDonald, Brady (12 August 2010). "Knott's Berry Farm unveils Halloween Haunt 2010 shows". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
46. MacDonald, Brady (16 July 2010). "Knott's Berry Farm unveils Halloween Haunt 2010 mazes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
47. "Knott's Berry Farm Haunt". Knott's Berry Farm. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
48. "Halloween Haunt". Knott's Berry Farm. May 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2011.

External links

• Official Knott's Scary Farm website
• Comprehensive tribute site
• Halloween Haunt reviews, photos, and video