WHERE NIGHTMARES NEVER END.
Or so the haunted amusement park boasts. But how true is their slogan? Are a few hours of frights worth the price? Are the nightmares really endless? I’m here to give you the whole spooky scoop on SoCal’s most popular October attraction, so you too can navigate the nightmare.
Knott’s Scary Farm is the Halloween-themed transformation of Orange County’s Knott’s Berry Farm, an Old West-inspired amusement park. Its rollercoasters range from the tame WaveSwinger, a spinning swing canopy, to the 250-foot drop Supreme Scream, from which riders’ screaming echoes can be heard all across the park. The name is certainly fitting.
Can I tell you guys a secret? I’m not actually a big roller coaster fan. Tall heights are the bane of my existence, and anything that involves rapid spins or upside-down motions is bound to leave my stomach twisting. But creepy music, gruesome decor and horror movie characters? Count me in. If you’re like me and you dislike aggressive rides, October is the perfect time to visit the park. There’s so much to do beyond the typical amusement park thrills.
Between the hours of 7 P.M. and 2 A.M., the winding paths of Knott’s Scary Farm are doused in a hazy fog, with few lights and fewer comforts. When I was there last Wednesday, I saw a cross lit on fire, a group of clowns on stilts, a haunted windmill and so much more. Not only do the streets resemble some mix of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Conjuring, but they’re also infested with people dressed in terrifying attire. You’d better be on your toes because at any moment these creatures (err, actors) might jump out at you…or rev a chainsaw…or whisper sinister threats in your ear. You know, casual stuff.
And then there are the haunted mazes. My friends and I walked through three, but there are even more than that. First, we tried to survive Pumpkin Eater, in which a massive, 7-foot-tall monster crept around the trees while we attempted to solve a labyrinth. Then we walked through Dark Ride: Castle of Chaos, an abandoned carnival with jump-scares behind every corner. The last we saw was The Depths, an ominous, haunted cavern. Each one was scarier than the last.
But it was the Calico Mine Ride I found to be the most nightmare-fuel-worthy. Although simple in concept — a stable wagon ride throughout a candy mine — the animatronic miners and their unsettling chants were…something else. Drooping eyelids, hitching motions and dead stares perfectly captured the uncanny valley of being almost, but not quite, human.
So: is Knott’s Scary Farm as frightening as they claim? My answer is yes. Even if you can brave the haunted mazes, the park has terrors hidden in every corner, and nobody escapes unafraid. If you’re looking for a spooky break from midterms this October, Knott’s Scary Farm is the place for you. That is, if you can handle it.