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Knott's Scary Farm

Knott's Scary Farm or Knott's Halloween Haunt is a seasonal Halloween event at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. It is an event in which the theme park is transformed into "160 acres of horror", via a series of roaming monsters, terrifying haunted houses[1] and 'scare zones'.[2] As of 2010, it was said to be the first, largest and longest-running Halloween event to be held at a theme park.[3]

Knott's Scary Farm
GenreHalloween
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s)Knotts Berry Farm
33°50′39″N 118°00′01″W / 33.844178°N 118.000267°W / 33.844178; -118.000267
Years active1973–2019, 2021–
Inaugurated1973; 51 years ago (1973)
WebsiteOfficial website

Haunted attractions

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  • Origins: The Curse Of Calico
  • Mesmer: Sideshow Of The Mind
  • The Grimoire
  • Cinema Slasher
  • Room 13
  • The Chilling Chambers
  • Eight Fingers Nine: The Boogeyman
  • Widows

Attraction history

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History

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Two street monsters posing by the Ghost Town Coffin.

The concept was introduced to the park's operations committee in a meeting in September 1973 by George Condos and Martha Boyd of the marketing department, and Bill Hollingshead and Gary Salisbury of the entertainment office. Bud Hurlbut, who built and operated (as a concessionaire) the Calico Mine Ride, the Timber Mountain Log Ride and other rides, decided that having static props wasn't enough, so he put on a gorilla suit and scared guests as they rode on the Mine Ride. Originally a three-night affair, running October 26–28, 1973, Halloween Haunt was an instant hit, and by the next year, the event sold out nightly.[55] Knott's Berry Farm was originally modeled after Calico, California, a ghost town that was a result of the California silver rush. Already having a dedicated Ghost Town section in the theme park,[56] this area would become the designed area for the original Halloween Haunt, eventually expanding to the entire park.[5]

The 1980s would continue to be a success for the theme park, and popular culture icons were employed to represent the event. In 1981, actor and singer "Weird Al" Yankovic joined the cast, as did Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson in the following year.[57] Elvira was prominently featured in many Halloween Haunt events until 2001. According to postings on her Myspace page, Cassandra was released from her contract by the park's new owners due to their wanting a more family friendly appeal.[58] The 1990s would show a different approach to Halloween. Humor was added to many facets in the theme park and Knott's turned from the explicit horror to black comedy.[59] This continuing balance of horror and humor has been a key to the continuing success of Knott's Halloween Haunt.[60]

On August 4, 2020, Knott's announced that the 48th Scary Farm season would be cancelled in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which caused the closure of theme parks in California in March at the request of California Governor Gavin Newsom and was deferred to 2021. The theme park was not open at the time of the announcement.[61]

By the time the annual, six-week-long event celebrated its 50th year in 2023,[4] it had become the largest event of any theme park.[62]

On November 2, 2023, Cedar Fair announced plans to merge with Six Flags, forming a new company and retaining the Six Flags name.[63] Described as a "merger of equals", former Cedar Fair management will remain in control of the new company, which will be headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. [63] On July 1, 2024, the merger was successfully completed.[64]

Park transformation

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Charlene Parker as the Green Witch.

While Knott's Berry Farm is a year-round theme park, the entire acreage is modified to fit the Halloween motif. Rides and other attractions are converted into macabre themes. Seasonal workers are cast as a variety of monsters, roaming the 160-acre (0.65 km2) park in terrifying scare zones, amidst haze produced by giant fog machines.

The controversial "Hanging" live show was a staple of the Haunt that lampoons celebrities and people in the news through a series of staged hangings. The Hanging had been an annual event since the 1979 Halloween Haunt, but went on a brief hiatus after the 2019 season until it returned in 2023 relocated from the Calico Mine Stage where it took place from 2016 to 2019 (previously performed in Calico Square next to the saloon until the Calico Mine Stage was built) to the Wagon Camp Theater located across from the park gates.[65] As of 2023, the park has 10 mazes, 5 scare zones, and 4 live shows.[66]

The Green Witch

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Charlene Parker no longer portrays the Green Witch but continues to serve as a spinner and shift lead in Ghost Town at Knott's.

Some characters have developed a special appeal, such as the legendary, iconic, and infamous villainess herself Sarah Rebecca Anne "The Green Witch Of Calico" Morgan-Marshall.

Back in 1973, Diana Kirchen-Kelly was chosen to don the role of the first Green Witch under the name of Spooky Sarah when Haunt began. After Diana left the Haunt in 1976, the Green Witch role was passed to Barb Best Becka, then to Karen Aikman, and then to Charlene Parker in 1982.[67]

The Green Witch character became the most famous of the 1,000 "monsters" at Knott's Scary Farm, and Charlene Parker served in that role for over three decades (1983-2017). Tall and thin, she had a reputation for "gliding" rather than walking, and was continually able to catch guests by surprise. Some would fall over backwards onto the ground, and leave a wet spot on the pavement where they fell... This ability gave her "serious street cred" among her fellow "monsters." Sweepers at Knott's would just sit and wait near her, knowing that it would not be long before she would scare a group of guests so much that they would toss their food up into the air. In the age before cell phones, Knott's Guest Relations referred to her as "the Number 1 cause of separated parties." People would come to the Guest Relations office because their group had scattered after being "scared by a green witch." Parker was the subject of two feature articles about her in the Orange County Register, as well as the travel blog of the Los Angeles Times, and other publications, as well as appearing in Knott's commercials.[68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75]

In September 2021, Sarah was replaced by The Conductor as the new face of Knott's Scary Farm.

Awards

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Knott's Scary Farm has won Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Award for Best Halloween Event twice, in 2005 and 2007.[76]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b MacDonald, Brady. "Knott's Berry Farm unveils Halloween Haunt 2008 mazes". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 12 December 2009. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
  2. ^ Pak, Ellyn (2007-09-25). "Knott's prepares for Halloween Haunt". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  3. ^ Jost, Domenik (September 11, 2010). "Halloween update: A look at the world's first, largest and longest-running theme park halloween event". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt- "Walk In, Freak Out"". Archived from the original on 5 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am Ultimate Haunt. "Ghost Town – Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt History". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  7. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1987 15TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  8. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1988 16TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  9. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1989 17TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  10. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1990 18TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  11. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1991 19TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  12. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1992 20TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  13. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1993 21TH (sic) ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  14. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1994 22ND ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  15. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1995 23RD ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  16. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1996 24TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  17. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1997 25TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  18. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1998 26TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  19. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "HALLOWEEN HAUNT 1999 27TH ANNUAL". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  20. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "2000 Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ultimate Haunt. "CarnEVIL – Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  22. ^ a b Ultimate Haunt. "2001 Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  23. ^ a b c d e Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Scary Farm History". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  24. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "THE RETURN OF ZULU". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  25. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2002". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  26. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2003". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  27. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt 2004". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  28. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "2005 Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  29. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2006". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  30. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2007". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  31. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2008". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  32. ^ The DigitalSnakeBandit (31 January 2013). "KSF 2009 Ghost Town - The Stepfather Box". YouTube. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  33. ^ Knotts Berry Farm. "Knotts Scary Farm Survival Guide". Park Map. Creepy L.A. Archived from the original on 3 January 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  34. ^ MacDonald, Brady (8 July 2009). "Knott's Berry Farm unveils Halloween Haunt 2009 mazes". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 15 July 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  35. ^ Hollywood Gothique. "Knott's Berry Farm's 2009 Halloween Haunt". Hollywood Gothique. Archived from the original on 20 October 2008. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  36. ^ Ultimate Haunt. "Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt 2009". Ultimate Haunt. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  37. ^ Knott's Scary Farm. "Knott's Scary Farm – Facebook". Facebook page. Facebook. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  38. ^ MacDonald, Brady (30 March 2010). "Knott's Berry Farm already preparing for Halloween Haunt 2010". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  39. ^ MacDonald, Brady (12 August 2010). "Knott's Berry Farm unveils Halloween Haunt 2010 shows". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 21 August 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  40. ^ MacDonald, Brady (16 July 2010). "Knott's Berry Farm unveils Halloween Haunt 2010 mazes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  41. ^ "Knott's Berry Farm Haunt". Knott's Berry Farm. Archived from the original on 20 July 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  42. ^ "Halloween Haunt". Knott's Berry Farm. May 2011. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  43. ^ MacDonald, Brady (1 August 2012). "Knott's Berry Farm unveils Halloween Haunt 2012 mazes". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  44. ^ MacDonald, Brady (11 July 2013). "Knott's Halloween Haunt 2013: Six new mazes and the return of Elvira". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 9 August 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  45. ^ MacDonald, Brady (7 August 2014). "Knott's Berry Farm unveils Halloween Haunt 2014 mazes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  46. ^ MacDonald, Brady (27 August 2015). "Knott's Halloween '15: A new haunted maze ruled by an evil queen, plus lots of zombie-killing ops". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  47. ^ MacDonald, Brady (26 August 2016). "Knott's Berry Farm returns to the fog for Halloween Haunt 2016". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  48. ^ Lam, Albert (1 September 2017). "Knott's Scary Farm 2017 Announcement Event". Westcoaster. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  49. ^ Niles, Robert (30 August 2018). "Knott's Scary Farm reveals its 2018 line-up". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  50. ^ Tuttle, Brittani (30 August 2019). "Full lineup for Knott's Scary Farm 2019, featuring new maze 'Wax Works'". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  51. ^ Niles, Robert (22 July 2021). "Knott's Scary Farm Confirms 2021 Scare Zone Line-Up". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  52. ^ Niles, Robert (16 August 2021). "Knott's Reveals Full 2021 Scary Farm Line-Up". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  53. ^ FIVE FIRES. Knott's Scary Farm Panel Midsummer Scream 2024 Livestream.(July 28, 2024) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU_r1S4hQTw
  54. ^ Knott's Berry Farm. Knott's Scary Farm: Nightmares Revealed 2024.(August 22, 2024) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUstPZEqEm8
  55. ^ Merritt, Christopher, and Lynxwiler, J. Eric. Knott's Preserved: From Boysenberry to Theme Park, the History of Knott's Berry Farm, pp. 126-9, Angel City Press, Santa Monica, CA, 2010. ISBN 978-1-883318-97-0.
  56. ^ "Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt". Hollywood. Archived from the original on 20 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  57. ^ "COURSE 2: the 1980s". ultimatehaunt.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2010. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  58. ^ Cassandra Peterson's MySpace page
  59. ^ "COURSE 3: THE 1990S". ultimatehaunt.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2009. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  60. ^ Mills, Thomas (2006-10-12). "Getting into their costumes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  61. ^ "Knott's Berry Farm Amusement Park | Coronavirus Update".
  62. ^ "Plan A Trip". Knott's Berry Farm. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  63. ^ a b Glaser, Susan (November 2, 2023). "Cedar Fair, Six Flags agree to merge; new company will be headquartered in North Carolina". Cleveland.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  64. ^ "Cedar Fair L.P. (FUN), Six Flags (SIX) Announce Merger of Equals is Successfully Completed". StreetInsider.com. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  65. ^ "Uncensored 'Hanging' returns to Knott's Scary Farm – 'If you don't like it, don't watch'". The Mercury News. 2023-08-25. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  66. ^ "Knott's Scary Farm 2023 Guide – 50 Years of Nostalgic Nightmares!". www.micechat.com. 2023-09-22. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  67. ^ Pardes, Arielle (October 25, 2015). "The Long, Spooky History of America's First Amusement-Park Witch". Vice.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  68. ^ Kheel, Rebecca (September 24, 2015). "Who does that job? Knott's Scary Farm witch delights in frightening you". Orange County Register. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  69. ^ Pak, Ellyn (October 22, 2007). "A love for creeping people out". Orange County Register. p. 1. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  70. ^ MacDonald, Brady (October 5, 2007). "Knott's green witch scares because she cares". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 18 July 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  71. ^ "Adventures in Education," Knott's Berry Farm, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011.
  72. ^ The Scary Vine, Knott's Berry Farm, Vol. 14, No. 10, October 9, 2009.
  73. ^ "Scare School". YouTube. 26 September 2007. Archived from the original on 2021-11-18. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  74. ^ Forsyth, Jessica. "Bewitched," Coast magazine, Oct. 2008, pp. 42-3, Newport Beach, CA.
  75. ^ Owens, Jana (October 19, 2007). "Halloween Haunt brings thrills and chills to Knott's". Daily 49er. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  76. ^ "All-time Winners By Category – The Golden Ticket Awards - Presented by Amusement Today". goldenticketawards.com. 8 January 2014.
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