Knott's Scary Farm 2023

[DTH]

THE DEPTHS
Advertised as 5 minutes at 12:54am and while I appreciate they were pulsing people through, it made it an 8 minute wait. I just want to get out of here, please lol

Same ol same ol but at least the usual tricks up its sleeve are still pretty impressive. The rocking boat, the giant shark — the water sequence has seen better days, but oh well. Anyway, I got a jolt or two in here, but that’s about it, so… (Update: HILARIOUSLY enough, I was reading my 2021 review after I wrote this and I almost wrote the SAME EXACT THING VERBATIM for the last line of my review before giving it a C+: “Anyway, got one or two jolts in here, but that’s about it.” I’m dead LMFAO)

D-

WAX WORKS
Advertised wait was 15 minutes but was only 3 minutes, at 1:11am. Seriously, just wait until 1am to go to this area, everything goes from 15-30 minutes to walk-ons within seconds.

This should be a maze I love and it has let me down once again. I love the vibe, but I’ve just never been impressed by the scares here. It’s a shame.
F

CALICO CANDY MOUNTAIN
With 45 minutes left, wasn’t sure what to do with our time, so decided our last ride should be the mine ride. I wanted to do the log ride, but nobody wanted to get wet, so that’s fine. Advertised wait was 30 minutes at 1:31am and was about 21 minutes.

Still very impressed by this overlay, they put a lot of detail in it and I love the new music still. The sinister twist half way through is different than I remember, as I remember it being darker? Maybe that’s just my memory. Fun diversion from the usual and lots of nostalgia with stile a very good mine ride.
B-

SCAREZONES
Ghost Town will always have my heart. Simply the best scare zone in the universe. Gore-ing 20s has stepped it up a bit from what I remember, a lot more going on and a lot of energy. Carnevil is still just kinda there, but with good talent. It’s a classic zone but I think its time we try something new here. I don’t think I went through the Forsaken Lake…hm. And The Gauntlet has finally returned! Not quite as good as its heyday, but ya know what, at least they tried.
A+ for the overall environment while walking around, I love it, never bored.

OVERALL
The first half of the night, dinner and prior, even with Mesmer being terrible I legit said “I think KSF finally beat HHN for the first time ever.” Cinema Slasher, Room 13, and Chilling Chambers are INCREDIBLY strong mazes and The Hanging is an absolute BLAST. I stand by saying these mazes in particular are better than most of HHN’s mazes this year and even on most years (maybe not 2016, but still) — this has maybe happened with one or two mazes being very strong at KSF (Trick or Treat being one of them), but never to this degree where they have THREE that are of genuine quality. The fact that I think that is HUGE as I have poo-poo’d on KSF quite a bit since ’07 (oddly enough, one of their better years was also 2016). If this event can get itself together for next year with more quality mazes (and heck, maybe even an IP?!), I just may find myself returning to this event every year again instead of every other year. But the mazes I hit after dinner? Actually shameful. The second half of my night ruined any momentum it had going for it. So yeah, HHN still has KSF beat, in my opinion, but for it to get THIS close at all is SHOCKING. I’m not sure if that is speaking to the overall quality bump in KSF’s new mazes or if HHN’s quality is lowering. I think it’s somewhere in the middle.

While I don’t want to make this whole thing about comparisons, I just want to say, I really enjoyed this year overall. I would love nothing more than to return to this event year after year and be EXCITED about it, instead of feeling like a chore. I will say though, it’s insane to me the crowds here are so immature — even with the chaperone policy in effect, I saw adults acting RIDICULOUS. It legit was not the teens being disrespectful tonight. What is up with the crowd in Buena Park? I don’t get it. I saw a lot of people with no boo necklaces, and I don’t quite know how to feel about them. They obviously sell well, so I don’t see them getting rid of them, but I just worry it means the event in future years will cater to more children and will create and overall toned down event. The lanterns were pretty scarce, so not much of a hindrance there — honestly, they seem pretty useless. I am glad they are thinking of ways to plus up the event, and even their merch looked like a step up. I didn’t get to see the other shows but the fact they had so many is comforting…it made me wonder, would I want to get KSF pass to return 2-3 times in a season?

I look forward to what Knotts will try to bring to the table next year. They have my attention and I think this is a pivotal moment in the So Cal Haunt scene. They have a chance to really come back to true form and be king again, they just have to really focus and to not screw this up. I really do think they should go back to 8 mazes…10 was too many, I was bored out of my mind by the end, especially with a good half of them being bad. Allocate those resources to plus up the event elsewhere, even it is in the scare zones. Next year they should get rid of Dark Entities, The Depths, Wax Works, and even Mesmer. If we’re talking 8 mazes like I hope, I’d even say Origins should go or even Bloodline so we can get four new mazes, but I know that won’t happen. But I mean, Chilling Chambers and Slasher Cinema are right there as solutions — just switch out some segments in those mazes to add stuff on the chopping block a year or two sooner than usual so we can get more fresh blood. In my mind, that means Room 13 returns, and Chilling Chambers & Slasher Cinema return with new segments (or um…old, if using Origins, Bloodline, etc.). Grimoire is still in fine shape, I’d keep it around. Then you can have 4 brand new mazes with budget splurging on them. I do worry the park seemed a little more dead than usual, so I’d even raise the price — I am more than happy to pay more if it means we get more — word of mouth will get around and people will return if they know it’s not the same ol same ol. Anyway, I am getting carried a way with myself. I just had such a good time, so it’s really got me thinking again. I was hoping this day would come and it took awhile to get back here, but next year has all the potential in the world…let’s see what they do.

RANKING:
Cinema Slasher - A+
Room 13 - A+
Chilling Chambers - A-
Origins - B
Grimoire - B-
Bloodline - C+
The Depths - D-
Mesmer - F
Wax Works - F
Dark Entities - F


OVERALL GRADE
B-

 

[Freak]

THE DEPTHS
Advertised as 5 minutes at 12:54am and while I appreciate they were pulsing people through, it made it an 8 minute wait. I just want to get out of here, please lol

Same ol same ol but at least the usual tricks up its sleeve are still pretty impressive. The rocking boat, the giant shark — the water sequence has seen better days, but oh well. Anyway, I got a jolt or two in here, but that’s about it, so… (Update: HILARIOUSLY enough, I was reading my 2021 review after I wrote this and I almost wrote the SAME EXACT THING VERBATIM for the last line of my review before giving it a C+: “Anyway, got one or two jolts in here, but that’s about it.” I’m dead LMFAO)

D-

WAX WORKS
Advertised wait was 15 minutes but was only 3 minutes, at 1:11am. Seriously, just wait until 1am to go to this area, everything goes from 15-30 minutes to walk-ons within seconds.

This should be a maze I love and it has let me down once again. I love the vibe, but I’ve just never been impressed by the scares here. It’s a shame.
F

CALICO CANDY MOUNTAIN
With 45 minutes left, wasn’t sure what to do with our time, so decided our last ride should be the mine ride. I wanted to do the log ride, but nobody wanted to get wet, so that’s fine. Advertised wait was 30 minutes at 1:31am and was about 21 minutes.

Still very impressed by this overlay, they put a lot of detail in it and I love the new music still. The sinister twist half way through is different than I remember, as I remember it being darker? Maybe that’s just my memory. Fun diversion from the usual and lots of nostalgia with stile a very good mine ride.
B-

SCAREZONES
Ghost Town will always have my heart. Simply the best scare zone in the universe. Gore-ing 20s has stepped it up a bit from what I remember, a lot more going on and a lot of energy. Carnevil is still just kinda there, but with good talent. It’s a classic zone but I think its time we try something new here. I don’t think I went through the Forsaken Lake…hm. And The Gauntlet has finally returned! Not quite as good as its heyday, but ya know what, at least they tried.
A+ for the overall environment while walking around, I love it, never bored.

OVERALL
The first half of the night, dinner and prior, even with Mesmer being terrible I legit said “I think KSF finally beat HHN for the first time ever.” Cinema Slasher, Room 13, and Chilling Chambers are INCREDIBLY strong mazes and The Hanging is an absolute BLAST. I stand by saying these mazes in particular are better than most of HHN’s mazes this year and even on most years (maybe not 2016, but still) — this has maybe happened with one or two mazes being very strong at KSF (Trick or Treat being one of them), but never to this degree where they have THREE that are of genuine quality. The fact that I think that is HUGE as I have poo-poo’d on KSF quite a bit since ’07 (oddly enough, one of their better years was also 2016). If this event can get itself together for next year with more quality mazes (and heck, maybe even an IP?!), I just may find myself returning to this event every year again instead of every other year. But the mazes I hit after dinner? Actually shameful. The second half of my night ruined any momentum it had going for it. So yeah, HHN still has KSF beat, in my opinion, but for it to get THIS close at all is SHOCKING. I’m not sure if that is speaking to the overall quality bump in KSF’s new mazes or if HHN’s quality is lowering. I think it’s somewhere in the middle.

While I don’t want to make this whole thing about comparisons, I just want to say, I really enjoyed this year overall. I would love nothing more than to return to this event year after year and be EXCITED about it, instead of feeling like a chore. I will say though, it’s insane to me the crowds here are so immature — even with the chaperone policy in effect, I saw adults acting RIDICULOUS. It legit was not the teens being disrespectful tonight. What is up with the crowd in Buena Park? I don’t get it. I saw a lot of people with no boo necklaces, and I don’t quite know how to feel about them. They obviously sell well, so I don’t see them getting rid of them, but I just worry it means the event in future years will cater to more children and will create and overall toned down event. The lanterns were pretty scarce, so not much of a hindrance there — honestly, they seem pretty useless. I am glad they are thinking of ways to plus up the event, and even their merch looked like a step up. I didn’t get to see the other shows but the fact they had so many is comforting…it made me wonder, would I want to get KSF pass to return 2-3 times in a season?

I look forward to what Knotts will try to bring to the table next year. They have my attention and I think this is a pivotal moment in the So Cal Haunt scene. They have a chance to really come back to true form and be king again, they just have to really focus and to not screw this up. I really do think they should go back to 8 mazes…10 was too many, I was bored out of my mind by the end, especially with a good half of them being bad. Allocate those resources to plus up the event elsewhere, even it is in the scare zones. Next year they should get rid of Dark Entities, The Depths, Wax Works, and even Mesmer. If we’re talking 8 mazes like I hope, I’d even say Origins should go or even Bloodline so we can get four new mazes, but I know that won’t happen. But I mean, Chilling Chambers and Slasher Cinema are right there as solutions — just switch out some segments in those mazes to add stuff on the chopping block a year or two sooner than usual so we can get more fresh blood. In my mind, that means Room 13 returns, and Chilling Chambers & Slasher Cinema return with new segments (or um…old, if using Origins, Bloodline, etc.). Grimoire is still in fine shape, I’d keep it around. Then you can have 4 brand new mazes with budget splurging on them. I do worry the park seemed a little more dead than usual, so I’d even raise the price — I am more than happy to pay more if it means we get more — word of mouth will get around and people will return if they know it’s not the same ol same ol. Anyway, I am getting carried a way with myself. I just had such a good time, so it’s really got me thinking again. I was hoping this day would come and it took awhile to get back here, but next year has all the potential in the world…let’s see what they do.

RANKING:
Cinema Slasher - A+
Room 13 - A+
Chilling Chambers - A-
Origins - B
Grimoire - B-
Bloodline - C+
The Depths - D-
Mesmer - F
Wax Works - F
Dark Entities - F


OVERALL GRADE
B-

I’m glad to hear you also enjoyed KSF this year! I’m also glad to hear I know of someone else who is also underwhelmed with Mesmer. I never get a great run through in there lol. I am pleasantly surised with how much you enjoyed the new houses. Cinema Slasher is pretty awesome and the Camp Gonnagetchya room reminded me very much of Orlando’s Dead Man’s Pier from last year.

Speaking of Orlando, when are you going? I’m going Saturday and Sunday! Curious to hear your thoughts of the event.

 

[DTH]

I’m glad to hear you also enjoyed KSF this year! I’m also glad to hear I know of someone else who is also underwhelmed with Mesmer. I never get a great run through in there lol. I am pleasantly surised with how much you enjoyed the new houses. Cinema Slasher is pretty awesome and the Camp Gonnagetchya room reminded me very much of Orlando’s Dead Man’s Pier from last year.

Speaking of Orlando, when are you going? I’m going Saturday and Sunday! Curious to hear your thoughts of the event.

VERY shocked by the quality of mazes this year and I hope it is the new standard.

That part of Camp Gonnagetcha is a two-fer as it's also an homage to the Dead Man's Wharf maze back in the late 90s in the Haunted Shack -- which was trying to be like I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Unfortunately, I canceled my Orlando trip. My wife is still not working because of the strike, and while the flights were dirt cheap, it made sense to save money instead because we definitely would've wanted to splurge for Express, also check out DisneyWorld, etc.. We also would've been going next weekend. Here's hoping the strike ends this week, who knows, there's still time to change our minds...

 

[deadbydawn]

Went for a 2nd time last night. Park was more crowded, with most mazes having 45-60 min waits up til midnight (when we left). Still beats HHN waits, haha. Basically all scareactors were on point, it was a good time despite crowds.

Batteries in our lantern started to die after 1 1/2 nights use (we did have it on the entire time first night we went). Anyone else having that issue? Also still trying to figure out all the interactive spots in the park. Do those work during the daytime?

Didn't see any sign of a scavenger hunt... would it also be available during a daytime visit?

Saw the Hanging... it's never really been my jam. I appreciate the fan base it has, but I've always experienced it as maybe 3 good jokes and a lot of cringe and things that don't land at all. This was about the same, but I suppose it was one of the better Hanging to me, but I don't need to see it again. Will try to see the dance show on next visit.

Our lantern is still ok, but I have heard that some had issues and had to be replaced prior to them selling out. I don't think the interactive spots work during the day.

The scavenger hunt can be done in the daytime. Essentially it is just a QR code so you only need your phone. It just has to be completed within a certain time limit once you start it.

 

[Clive]

I attended this past Thursday, October 5th. Here's a quick review with some observations.

• We did the Boofet, as I found it was invaluable for keeping ahead of the crowds last year. Only the 6pm slot was available, but we hedged our bets hoping we'd be finished eating by 6:30 when the mazes open. Thankfully, the ops for Boofet entry were well-oiled, excellent, and customer-first. Basically, once the 5:00pm line was exhausted, they started sending in 5:30pm folks in (unless more 5pm-ers showed up, at which point they held the 5:30pm line until it was empty again). This meant that we were admitted at 5:40pm instead of 6:00-6:10pm, and that 20-30 minutes made a real difference.
• Saw a lot of friction regarding the bag policies, unfortunately. I think they need to come up with another solution here, as all it does is piss people off. They don't do enough to tell you about the restriction until you get to the park, and it's a good half mile to get back to the parking lot (plus good luck reorganizing how you'll be carrying your items all night).
• Food at the Boofet was quite good. I'm not sure the spread is actually worth $50, but you're mostly paying for the early entry benefit.
• Beer selection this year seemed stronger than last year, or I might be imagining it and it's all identical. Either way, I was impressed, even at the inflated prices. Seems like there was something for everyone.
• Ghostrider was supposed to open at 6:15pm for Boofet guests but broke down after only a couple trains of riders. No matter to us - we never would've finished in time - but a bummer for those hoping to take advantage.
• The run into the early entry maze is pretty thrilling with the undisturbed fog and small legion of monsters running at you. I liked that it was a mix of characters from all of the zones.
• Bloodline. Maybe it's because it was the first of the night and the actors were full of energy, but pretty good! Certainly better than last year. The steampunk thing sort of feels haphazardly executed and it works better as a period vampire maze with some anachronistic elements. The bungees and stilt walkers in here were pretty impressive, though some rooms were frustratingly bare. (This would improve when we returned to do a night run.)
• The Depths. Still one of my favorite mazes at any haunt, and I'm worried they're retiring this one too soon. It still feels like it has plenty of life in it and easily impresses newcomers. I also admired how well-staffed it was (multiple performers in each scene, including some I never saw last year) and the largely relentless scares. All of the animated figures and special effects still looked great. There really are other mazes that should go first.
• Dark Entities. The best it's ever been, which isn't saying much, but you can tell the performers assigned here are trying to give it their all and send it out on a high note. I've always really enjoyed the scenic here, even if it's just a pastiche of more coherent sci-fi alien stories. I'll also note that it felt like there were only maybe one or two alien scare actors on either of our run - the rest were crazed members of the ship's crew, giving this more of the vibe of Interstellar Terror. Some of the scenic choices like the robots tearing apart flesh and the menagerie of animated alien figures later in the maze helped make up the deficit, anyway. Still probably time for this to go, but I'm no longer actively rooting against it.
• We skipped Waxwork since it was still backed up from Boofet guests who ran there first. We navigated the general public crowds now heading in the opposite direction but slipped away to The Grimoire, which had a posted 15 minute wait, but we only waited 5.
• Hot top provided to us by an employee: If you haven't finished your drink by the time you get to the front of the line, you can pour it into the souvenir cups, seal it, and still enter the maze. They do not generally check if the beverage is alcoholic.
• The Grimoire. I really enjoyed the ambition of this maze last year and hoped they'd refine its rougher edges for its second year. Sadly, it feels a bit abandoned and bereft of actors. They ran the preshow, but the poorly mixed sound/unclear blocking made it tough to parse what was actually happening - time travel? multi-dimensional portals being ripped open? a combination? Who knows. Anywho, much of the maze was spent looking at the attractive sets and wondering where the performers were. There were a few good jolts here and there, but the interdimensional monsters (I think?) were largely absent beyond an appearance or two, which also muddied the narrative waters. The black-and-white nuclear family portion was almost entirely vacant. I did catch the cheap-but-effective final jump scare at the animated Grimoire book on the way out, but other than that, I mostly remember what I missed, not what I experienced. This needs some serious attention (and potentially a rebrand/presentation tweak) from Knott's next year to keep it from slipping any further.
• Pony Express was a walk-on, so we hit that. Baffling the park blighted Ghost Town for such a tiny ride, but all 35 seconds of it are pretty fun if you don't have to wait.
• Room 13. Walk-on. No posted wait time. It seems like a lot of folks online weren't digging this, but I really enjoyed it. It's got a lot of terrific sets and in many instances surpasses the execution of similar territory in Horror Nights Orlando's Spirits of the Coven. I felt like the lighting could've been a little more dynamic - it gets a bit same-y - and you aren't going to see the giant sets of some of the more flexible locations due to the layout, but for what they had to work with, I was impressed. Of particular note was the "outdoor" building scaffolding scene - it feels like something Orlando would try as a highlight, and it works great here. Excited to see how this one evolves in the future.
• We roamed around The Gore-ing 20s for a bit and enjoyed the atmosphere, though it does feel like there are fewer actors here than there used to be. Those that remain are killing it - probably my favorite group in the park.
• We also passed through CarnEvil several times. Atmospherically, it isn't much, but the performers here are admirably committed and are willing to try all sorts of unconventional things to get scares. It's got a different vibe from the other scare zones, but I do enjoy that.
• HangTime also had no wait, so we hit that, too. By now it was clear that crowds just weren't materializing, even relative to last year's slow but not concerning attendance.
• Mesmer. How the mighty have fallen. What was once my top maze at Knott's in its debut is now one of the worst. It's criminal how much they've let this languish. The effects are surprisingly well-maintained, and the visuals are sumptuous, but there may have been fewer than twelve performers in here, many of whom lacked enthusiasm. We did try later on in the night and came away similarly underwhelmed. This house has great bones, but they need to sufficiently cast it and find a more effective way of motivating the performers. Right now, it feels borderline abandoned at the back of the park.
• Coast Rider had no line, hit it. I hate those knee guards.
• Cinema Slasher. Spectacular. Great length, tons of variety, impressive effects, and strong scares... even if it's all a pretty clear ripoff/remix of All Night Die-In/Silver Screams. (Universal has been known to take and tweak Knott's concepts several years after their debut, though, so it's all in good fun.) We had two great runs in here - tons of enthusiasm and commitment from the performers. The film reel creature at the end was a good spin on the "let's throw a giant animated figure at the end of our maze" thing that Knott's likes to do.
• Even the log ride had literally no line, so we knocked that out. The Halloween Hootenanny is still a delight, even if some of the animatronics need some love and care.
• We passed through the Gauntlet on our way to Chilling Chambers, and to be honest, I was let down after all the hype. There's no real effort at lighting the space in any distinct way, which makes it sort of interchangeable with The Hollow to me. Maybe we hit it at a bad time, but I just didn't see all that many performers, either, though there were a handful of memorable costumes.
• Chilling Chambers. Great anniversary maze held back by a lacking finale. Tons of variety here in the mazes, environments, and characters covered. They did great balancing the bright and overwhelming with the dreary and unpleasant as well as the eerie and atmospheric. I just wish the final room - which looks great and feels conceptually right - had a little more going on. I only ever saw one generic graveyard dude romping around in there, and it feels like that's a big space that needs at least three iconic characters doing their thing. Otherwise, top marks.

 

[Clive]

• Friends in our party like the Birdcage Theater, so we trekked over there to find they were now seating for the 9:30 Dr. Cleaver show. There were still some far left and far right seats at showtime, but the theater was largely full. I wish I could say I enjoyed the performance, which felt tired and retrograde. It was set up like a magic show, but there was only one (1) very obvious trick that's been used a million times in better acts. I maybe wouldn't mind the shamelessly lazy plot if the production attempted to subvert its tropes at the end in a real, substantial way instead of (SPOILERS AHEAD) just declaring the hot girl the winner. Oh well.
• Based on our experience here, we decided we'd skip The Hanging and the music show, though I hear the latter is a bit more reliably entertaining.
• Origins. Still a great maze that's starting to feel its age. Like many of the other returning mazes, it felt like this one was down 30-40% in terms of staffing, but those that were present were great. Perhaps the most bizarre omission was the complete lack of a Green Witch performer - the harness situation at the end was vacant the entire night whenever we came by, which makes for a letdown of an ending.
• Waxworks. By now there was no wait for this and we had the house to ourselves. Sort of literally, because again, there were very few performers in here. We didn't see a single person by the time we hit the big vat factory room. So... despite the nastily grisly scenic... I can't say I was happy here. Maybe time for this and Mesmer to go next year if they aren't going to make the effort, which is a shame considering they started off as such strong mazes.
• We circled back around to hit the Mine Train. We don't give enough credit to the park for this strong retheme, and I enjoy the Goosebumps-esque "twist" in the cavern upstairs, even if it's all pretty low-tech. Worth doing if you have the time.

• Earlier, I was very taken with an adorable medium-sized "scared ghost" plush that was at one of the game booths across from Waxworks. The game is actually pretty unique - it's a "shooting gallery" without the shooting, as you are given a lantern and told to discover "secrets" of a haunted hotel room (all visible from the walkway). The thing is, you win no matter what, but you pay for the prize you want. Good enough for me. The game was a nothing burger, but I was thrilled by the ghost... as was everyone else, apparently, as no fewer than three groups pulled me aside to ask where I got one. The monsters also loved poking, slashing at, or even stealing the ghost for a few moments - made our later runs a bit more entertaining. My friend decided she wanted one, too, so we headed back a bit after midnight... and lo and behold, there was now a huge queue to "play" the game. They had to place a security guard to stop folks from trying to steal the ghosts on display. Eventually, they stopped making people "play" and just let them buy it without the pomp or circumstance, which was appreciated. The clerk explained they got the ghosts in recently (they may be off the shelf from a supplier, but they do have a Knott's tag that ties into the game) but at the rate they were going, they expected to be out by the following evening. Would be curious if they're still there if anyone ends up going in the next few days.

I'll circle back with some broader thoughts a bit later.

 

[Rideguy70]

I noticed on Friday, Oct 6 that the Ghost plushies were already sold out.

 

[deadbydawn]

Regarding the talk of lighter crowds, last weekend (Saturday specifically) was hellishly busy. I anticipate the same for this Friday and Saturday, so if you are going just be advised.

 

[Spookies n' Stuff]

Regarding the talk of lighter crowds, last weekend (Saturday specifically) was hellishly busy. I anticipate the same for this Friday and Saturday, so if you are going just be advised.

Gonna assume itll be this way having 20,000+ attendance crowds through halloween honestly. That said, my family attended on Friday, unfortunately I couldnt join them, but they still managed to do everything aside from Origins, Grimoire and Dark Entities despite arriving at 7:40 and leaving at about 10:30. Even busier mazes like Room 13 that claimed 75 minute waits were only about 30 in practice. So even on busy nights it seems like you can get everything done if you arent taking meal/show/ride breaks and are determined to stay until close to closing.

 

[DTH]

Regarding the talk of lighter crowds, last weekend (Saturday specifically) was hellishly busy. I anticipate the same for this Friday and Saturday, so if you are going just be advised.

I wouldn’t say hellishly, but busier than I expected. I got everything I wanted to do done, but wish I could’ve hit 2-3 more rides. Did all the mazes, a ride, and a 45 min dinner, plus lots of bathroom breaks and wandering around. If we kept things tighter, definitely could’ve done another ride. If we did early entry, definitely could’ve done an additional ride and a show.

Gonna assume itll be this way having 20,000+ attendance crowds through halloween honestly. That said, my family attended on Friday, unfortunately I couldnt join them, but they still managed to do everything aside from Origins, Grimoire and Dark Entities despite arriving at 7:40 and leaving at about 10:30. Even busier mazes like Room 13 that claimed 75 minute waits were only about 30 in practice. So even on busy nights it seems like you can get everything done if you arent taking meal/show/ride breaks and are determined to stay until close to closing.

Anything over a 20 min wait on the boards seemed wildly exaggerated by maybe almost double. This is why I love providing the wait times and actual times in my review so people can game plan with less stress.

 

[deadbydawn]

I wouldn’t say hellishly, but busier than I expected. I got everything I wanted to do done, but wish I could’ve hit 2-3 more rides. Did all the mazes, a ride, and a 45 min dinner, plus lots of bathroom breaks and wandering around. If we kept things tighter, definitely could’ve done another ride. If we did early entry, definitely could’ve done an additional ride and a show.

Anything over a 20 min wait on the boards seemed wildly exaggerated by maybe almost double. This is why I love providing the wait times and actual times in my review so people can game plan with less stress.

I only use the term because from where we were sitting most of the night, the crowd was pretty handsy with talent alongside the park just being busier than it has been. I was purely basing it off of the crowd size and how they were acting.

I’m glad you were able to get everything you wanted done! The app and the end of line signage are rarely right unfortunately.

 

[Stryker]

Batteries in our lantern started to die after 1 1/2 nights use (we did have it on the entire time first night we went). Anyone else having that issue?

I've had them change my batteries four times already. Even twice in one night. They use crappy no-name batteries. I'm gonna use my high-capacity eneloop rechargeable batteries from now on. Not worth the hassle of replacing cheap batteries even if they're free.

Also, today's the last day to purchase a Scary Farm pass if you were looking to get one.

 

[Stryker]

Went through the usual entrance way on Grand, the tunnel was blocked off, then got stuck in the preferred parking lane. Had to turn left at the light on Crescent, and make another left at another light back on to Beach, then find the lane that’s sneakily off to the right to get into the parking lot that had NO SIGNAGE whatsoever. Anyway…went over to TGI Fridays for some drinks and apps beforehand, got out of there at 6:30pm. Went to line up, got in super fast, and huddled together. Aside, do you HAVE to go through Ghost Town or can you go up the middle through Silver Bullet? Will definitely want to do something else next time, because Ghost Town entrance takes a minute and you definitely cannot hear or see whatever show is going on (I was directly under the Ghost Town sign at 7pm, so pretty far back).

Supposedly, they've blocked off the tunnel to make you pass by preferred parking in hopes you'll pay extra for it. I stopped going through Grand Ave. and continue south on Beach and make a U-turn at Crescent to enter the main lot that way.

I was curious about the holding pens so I checked it out myself. Aside from the obvious Ghost Town and Camp Snoopy holding areas, you CAN enter around the right side of Wagon Camp. From there, it splits off into one area before Sutter's Funnel Cakes and one before Silver Bullet. If you get there closer to 7pm and want to bypass the Ghost Town crowd, this is a great option. You'll still be greeted with monsters from Ghost Town.

 

[Spookies n' Stuff]

Supposedly, they've blocked off the tunnel to make you pass by preferred parking in hopes you'll pay extra for it. I stopped going through Grand Ave. and continue south on Beach and make a U-turn at Crescent to enter the main lot that way.

I was curious about the holding pens so I checked it out myself. Aside from the obvious Ghost Town and Camp Snoopy holding areas, you CAN enter around the right side of Wagon Camp. From there, it splits off into one area before Sutter's Funnel Cakes and one before Silver Bullet. If you get there closer to 7pm and want to bypass the Ghost Town crowd, this is a great option. You'll still be greeted with monsters from Ghost Town.

Worth noting that although it wasn't earlier in the year, they've started opening the western gate to guests as well, so if your intention is to hit Grimoire or Room 13 early in the night and you dont care about opening moment stuff, that's a very viable option since the holding area there is just next to the train tracks and Calico River Rapids.

 

[Rideguy70]

^We thought about that as well... but just know they don't open the Western Gates until 7pm. I don't believe they open them any earlier--which means if you try to park there at 6:45pm, the parking gates may not yet be open. But if anyone else has a different experience there, please update

 

[Stryker]

They do open the Western lot on weekends around 11am. Not sure if they close it later and reopen at 7pm. We’d attend Spooky Farm during the day and park there. Shorter walk to the park and Prop Shop Pizzeria is right there where we usually eat so it was perfect. Also when leaving, it’s cool to see all the monsters coming to work as that’s where they park.

 

[DTH]

Thanks Stryker, will keep that in mind for future trips to go under Silver Bullet (and to avoid Grand). I think instinct just always takes over and I head to Ghost Town but it really is a big hold up for no reason if an actual opening ceremony isn't going to happen.

I honestly love the Western Entrance, but never know when it's being utilized. It's a great area of the park to enter from.

 

[Spookies n' Stuff]

^We thought about that as well... but just know they don't open the Western Gates until 7pm. I don't believe they open them any earlier--which means if you try to park there at 6:45pm, the parking gates may not yet be open. But if anyone else has a different experience there, please update

I've seen people lined up inside at the train tracks as early as 6:45 before, so I'm not sure about the specifics of when it opens, but it seems to be at least around then. As for parking, if I had to guess, it opens some time around 6:15-6:20 as far as I can tell in my experience.

 

[queenmetroid]

I'm here tonight. So far, crowded has been an understatement. The parking is a mess. Every single street is backed up, including side streets.

 

[Rideguy70]

I was there last night too. Pretty mobbed. The line for Grimore got up to 75 minutes, and nearly went all the way up to the Western Gate and back down again, while the line for Pony Express nearly reached Wilderness Broiler... making it pretty crazy to get down through that walkway.

We've been arriving between 5-5:30 to avoid traffic and parking (and coming from LA, taking the Knott exit, not Beach), and it's worked out well. We just meander and sit in the Marketplace for a bit, maybe grab a bite to eat and wait it out.

Since we have the season pass, we had already done all the mazes, so we did a few, watched a show, and then focused on finding all the lantern spots, thanks to this guide from Knott's Network. Many are very cool, especially the ones by Ghost Town train tracks, center of Forsaken Lake, and by Jaguar!

However, we couldn't get any major lantern interactive effect at the other Forsaken Lake spot (by Log Ride) aside from just having the light turn blue, and couldn't find anything in The Gauntlet or the by the Main Gate (though admittedly, we didn't look too hard at the Main Gate due to crowds). Anyone know more? We even asked employees about The Gauntlet location, and they didn't know anything about it either.