The fog is rolling in, but before it does I was granted a behind-the-scenes tour of Knott’s Scary Farm 2018. From costumes to new mazes, get all the horrifying details here!

I received complimentary admission as a Berry Blogger ambassador.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a Knott’s Berry Farm “Berry Blogger,” I am granted access to some sneak peeks and insider information.  We were invited to a behind-the-scenes tour of Scary Farm to explore the costume warehouse, sample the new seasonal menu, and also learn some really cool secrets about the brand new mazes and scare zone.

Costumes and Make-up

Costumes

Bringing nightmares into reality takes a pretty extensive team.  Costume inspiration is provided by maze directors, who share the maze plot and provide a character breakdown.  This includes everything from height to the type of role the monster will play in the maze.

Distraction Characters are often showy, like a “beautiful” nurse.  While guests are distracted by the nurse, two different monsters will jump out to scare you.

Another element provided for the costuming department are the color palettes.  Forsaken Lake features shades of blue.  Each is hand-painted and distressed.  The delicate feathers are actually not feathers at all.  To ensure costumes that are made to last and vibrant in color, costumers use upholstery fabric to make the monsters’ clothing.   Costumes typically last 4-5 seasons, which is coincidentally the length that many mazes last.

Make-up

Each night, it takes 35 make-up artists to transform the 1,000 monsters.  More than 1/3 of those monsters are in make-up, while others wear masks.  Each monster make-up transformation takes 20 minutes.

During the Scary Farm preview event, we were able to get close up to many monsters.  One element that stood out were the contact lenses worn by many.   We learned that these are something that the actors purchase themselves.  Many of these actors come back season after season and take a lot of pride in their characters.  Another fun secret: the blackened tongue effect is just black food coloring.

 

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One of us will be craving your undying attention at the Carnevil Scare Zone at @knottsscaryfarm select nights September 20-October 31. The other will be cowering behind @familyreviewguide, hoping to go unnoticed. 😱 #ScaryFarm is an immersive Halloween event, meaning the scares start the second you step in the gates. Going from here to there is just as terrifying as the mazes as there’s nowhere to hide. I’ll be sharing more about what’s new to Scary Farm on the blog soon! 👻 . . . . . #KnottsScaryFarm #Carnevil #monstermakeup #imscaredalready #thenightmareneverends #berrybloggers #knottspartner

A post shared by Melanie Walsh (@clementinecounty) on Aug 31, 2018 at 9:24am PDT

We are both smiling, but know that mine is a nervous fear.  Clowns appear twice throughout Scary Farm.  In the CarnEVIL area on the boardwalk, the clowns are craving your undying attention.  With two sets of clowns, you might think their looks would be similar.  The maze clowns’ look was described as “used car salesman clowns.”  The boardwalk clowns are silly and smiling.  That actually may be scarier.

Knott’s Scary Farm Mazes and Scare-Zones

Returning Mazes

Dark Ride – An abandoned carnival attraction is the setting for Dark Ride, where cruel carnies await all who enter.

Paranormal Inc. – Tortured patients still haunt the hospital where deranged doctors and nurses are still accepting patients.  Expect high-flying aerial stunts and scares and a prescription for fear.

Pumpkin Eater – Brave the woods by The Hollows  where the 7-foot tall Pumpkin Eater prowls. Potential victims must make their way through creepy crawlers and thorned passageways.

Shadow Lands – Slain samurais are cursed to rot in purgatory.  In Shadow Lands, you’ll lose your head as you try to escape the ancient temple overrun by demon samurais.

Special Ops: Infected – Battle the zombie apocalypse  with your squad in Special Ops: Infected, an interactive maze.   Armed  with cutting-edge laser guns, you and your small group will run through blood-soaked streets in a live-action video game with real-time scoring, kill streak records, and interactive targets.

The Red Barn – The carnivorous farmer is joined by his two sadistic sons.  Gorey carcasses disgust and petrify, but will they keep the farmer fed long enough for you to escape?

Trick or Treat: Lights Out – Are you afraid of the dark?  You will be.  Dare your friends to enter the witch’s house.  Your flashlight will shine on a light on the true horror that awaits.

As part of our behind the scenes tour, we were able to go through Trick or Treat: Lights Out twice, once in the dark and once with the lights on.  It was truly amazing to see the detail in the maze design of the witch’s house.  Even with the lights on, seeing over 100 creepy dolls in the bedroom section is enough to give someone nightmares.

Insider Tip: Make sure to shine your flashlight around the rooms as you explore the maze.  Equipped with RF technology, they trigger a variety of interactive elements throughout the maze.  Shine your light to create a blaze in the fireplace.  In the party scene, the flashlights become UV lights so you can see the disgusting bugs who were not invited to the celebration.  But don’t grow to depend on your lights, as the darkness brings additional horrors. 

New Mazes for Scary Farm 2018

The new mazes are ambitious undertakings on an epic scale.  New technology brings horror and awe to a whole new level.

The Depths –  By the seaside shores are dark underground caves where terrifying horrors have found the Nightwatch Morning Crew.  Follow the crew into the depths, in hopes you will resurface.

Insider Tip: Be on the lookout for some seriously cool displays like a working waterfall and rocking ship within The Depths. 

Dark Entities – A lone space station has been invaded by an extraterrestrial mutation feeds on unwilling victims.  With darkness abounding and no where to turn, will those aboard be able to escape the dark entity before it’s too late?

Insider Tip:  This science-based, interactive maze is reactive.  Touch the hand sensors (look for hand designs on spaceship dashboards and such to make things happen within the maze. This maze incorporates video content as you’d expect within a space ship.  Appealing to all the senses, expect to be attacked by audio as well as whatever else in onboard. 

The best way to experience all of the mazes is to purchase a Fright & Fast Lane Pass.  The wristbands are sold separately than park admission, and allow guests priority access to mazes and some Knott’s Berry Farm rides.  Short on time?  The back mazes are kept up all year long and are more detailed than other mazes.

Scare Zones

The experience at Scary Farm is immersive, frightening attendees from the second they enter the gates.  It’s just as frightening walking to the mazes as the mazes are themselves.  The park-wide terror transforms every inch of the park.  There is nowhere to hide.

For 2018, guests will lurk through 4 scare zones: CarnEVIL, Ghost Town Streets, The Hollows, and the new Forsaken Lake.  

Did you know that the Ghost Town Streets were the first area to have sliders?  The scraping metal sounds are iconic and bone-chilling.

The new Scare Zone, Forsaken Lake, unleashes gothic creatures from the waters underneath Silver Bullet.  Will these monsters drag you to your watery grave?

Insider Tip: Pop-up experiences happen throughout the park.  A funeral procession proceeds through Forsaken Lake.  A balcony burlesque show appears on the balcony above the saloon.  A witch is burned in The Hollows.  

New Scary Farm Shows 

The Hanging will return to Scary Farm with 2018’s “Shhh It Happens.”  An irreverent and hilarious look at pop culture delights guests.  There are also new shows coming to Scary Farm.

Hacks – Cutting Room Floor –  Stuck in the run-down movie theater, improv actors have been stuck watching “B” horror movies for years.  Their antics and on-the-spot comedy will have guests screaming with laughter in the Charles M. Schulz Theatre.

CONJURE – Magic and Mirth in the Bird Cage Theatre –   Witness magicians Dana Daniels, Taylor Hughes, and Chipper Lowell front and center as they perform on select nights.

Head to Fiesta Village for Awaken the Dead, a non-stop dance party featuring contemporary hits.

Attractions

HangTime opened this summer, daring guests to catch a wave on the largest first and only dive coaster on the West  Coast.  The nighttime lighting track will be syncing with 3-5 minute long music sessions during Scary Farm.

With the new Scare Zone Forsaken Lake under foot, riders on Silver Bullet will be dangling in the dark as the ride will be operating with the lights off.  Other attractions to ride in the dark: GhostRider, Sierra Sidewinder, and Jaquar.  Don’t forget to use use Fright & Fast Lane passes to skip the line for these rides.

Timber Mountain Log Ride: Halloween Hootenanny is the Halloween overlay for the log ride, featuring new triggered scares!

This year, the event returns September 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 30 and  October 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 31. Knott’s Scary Farm is open 7:00pm – 1:00am on select Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, and 7:00pm – 2:00am Fridays and Saturdays. Due to the explicit and frightening nature of the event, it is not recommended for children under 13. This year’s Knott’s Scary Farm experience is Where Nightmares Never End!

To purchase the Knott’s Scary Farm Pass for unlimited access to 25 nights of horror or single-night tickets, head to Knotts.com.

Will I see you in the fog?