Theme parks are awesome. Theme parks dressed up for Halloween are friggin' outstanding. This time of year, Knott's Berry Farm becomes Knott's Scary Farm, and has a parked jammed full of tricks and treats.
The biggest event of this season stands to be "Trapped: The New Experiment." Going into its second year, "Trapped" is Knott's reservation-only maze that promises a bigger and more intense experience filled with puzzles that you must solve in order to escape.
The most important parts of any haunted theme park are the mazes. With 10 mazes this year, we will get old favorites like "Trick or Treat," "Pinocchio Unstrunt," and "Uncle Willy's Slaughterhouse." New for 2013 are "Black Magic," in which you tour one of Houdini's demonic seances; "Forevermore," which imagines the twisted worlds of Edgar Allan Poe; "The Gunslinger's Grave," a ghost town inhabited by real ghosts; and "Mirror Mirror," where mentioning the "skeleton key" can open up secret rooms and extra scare zones.
One of the shows I remember most from my youth is "The Hanging," a tongue-in-cheek send-up of the year's current events. It used to be hosted by Bill & Ted, but they are not exactly scary, and I imagine most of the visitors are too young to be familiar with Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, so this year, the theme will be gothic fairytale. Other shows this year include "gypsy dancers," a comedic magician, drummers, a "live possession," and an all-new Elvira show.
And finally, the "Atmosfears," scare zones where monsters walk freely in themed areas including carnival freaks, a ghost town, Dios de la Muertos, gypsies, and vampire steampunk.
Knott's Haunt runs from September 26th through November 2nd.