My favorite of the southern ca theme park Halloween events is Knott’s Scary Farm. There are many reasons to love this event. The rides stay open, the shows are entertaining, the scare zones creepy, and the mazes are impressive.
Knott’s Scary Farm is Super Popular!
The event gets packed. Really. Really. Packed. I recommend the Frightlane pass for this reason alone. If you can’t afford the extra for front of the line passes get there early. Make sure you are parked plenty of time before the event begins. My tip is if you can go on a Sunday, the crowds are lighter.This year things are a little different. Knott’s Scary Farm has decided to drop the skeleton key. This makes me sad because I loved the skeleton key souvenir keyring that came with the skeleton key package. Also the standalone rooms they “unlocked” last year were both inventive and unique.You can still get the Frightlane pass (this gets you to the front of the line for the walk-through) now it will include front of the line on all the rides too. This is a bonus if you love the rides. Though I do like the rides, they are not the reason I go to the Halloween event. I personally would rather have more mazes for my money.
Knott’s has one thing no other Halloween event has! Elvira, Mistress of the Dark!
If you love Elvira, and who doesn’t? You should really try to make it this year. This year will be Elvira’s last show at Knott’s Scary Farm. I have caught the show the last couple of years and it is worth the cost of the event just for this show. I don’t know how they will replace her! This year’s show was fun and felt a bit nostalgic. You could call it a tribute to the decade that birthed Elvira Mistress of The Dark. I won’t say much else because I don’t want to give too much of this amazing show away. I will tell you there is plenty of eye candy for everyone and I will warn you the first few rows are a splash zone. My tip here is if you plan to wait for the 2nd show get there early because this show fills up fast!
On to the mazes…
Trick or Treat Lights Out
This year this was my favorite maze. It’s the same maze as previous years with an added bit and a little twist. Everyone is given a flashlight going in. These flashlights are special; they flicker, turn off, and bonus surprise they turn to UV. I did this maze twice.
Infected
This was previously my favorite maze. It is still close to the best. What makes it so good? Shooting freaking zombies. Ok not real zombies, people dressed like zombies, but close enough. You are given a gun and are led through an apocalyptic land where the infected need to be shot by you. What they don’t do here that they should explain is what your numbers on the gun are. My guess was that the k was for kills and s was for shots fired but, because there is not a key, I don’t know. This is hurting my competitive heart. Still a lot of fun though!
Pumpkin Eater
There were some good moments here. I almost believed I was in a pumpkin. A missed opportunity would be a pumpkin smell. (Scents are something they are doing at other parks but not at Knotts yet)
Toothfairy
Here I get very uncomfortable. This has a lot to do with my recurring dream where my teeth are falling out than the maze itself though. There are some good scares and creepy sets in this maze.
Dark Ride
New this year was Dark Ride. It’s supposed to be a walk through a broken down carnival ride. I loved the concept here. I look forward to its evolution in the future. This year, however, it fell flat.
Paranormal
This is a good romp through a haunted asylum. If you have to choose which mazes to hit I say put this one on the list! 
Shadowlands
One of the most unique maze themes ever! Here we walk into a town full of samurais, spirits, demons, and even a red light district. It flows well and truly feels as though you are wandering through a town in the Shadowlands. This ranks as my 3rd favorite maze but others in my party said this maze was their favorite. It’s in the top 3 for sure.
Voodoo
I liked this one more in previously. The flow was opposite from last year maybe this is why. I feel if I had missed this maze I wouldn’t have missed much.
Red Barn
You just stepped into your hillbilly nightmares. There were some good scares here. I actually saw someone get so scared they fell down. If you can make you should.
Timber Mountain
This is not technically a maze but they themed it out and threw in some scares this year. So don’t miss it!
And the Scare Zones…
Fiesta de Los Muertos
Not as scary as some of the other zones but very much worth it. The area of the park used for this scare zone is perfect for this theme. Again the costumes and makeup are amazing.
Ghost Town
I love it. Maybe not as great when it comes to the scare actors in this area. I let it slide because the already themed western area of the park and the fog makes up for it.
The Hollow
Creepy pumpkins and scarecrows. I liked this one. The scare actors costumes here got to me a little. Very expressive costuming and makeup.
Carnevil
This is the best of the scare zones. I am not creeped out by clowns but this zone gives me a reason to be. Again the midway goes perfectly with this theme.
