Thursday, October 22, 1998
Knott’s Scary Farm produces terror
After 26 years, park still best at making guests scream
By Michelle Zubiate
Daily Bruin Staff
Be afraid. Be very afraid. This Halloween season in Los Angeles,
you possess a choice of clubs, haunted houses and various other
trick-or-treats to quench your needs to scream and clutch your
beloved. But if the usual routine doesn’t fit your desires, only
here in Southern California do you have three theme parks
tailor-made to spook and scare.
By far, the oldest and the original Halloween Haunt at Knott’s
Scary Farm in Buena Park remains the best choice by proving that,
after 26 years, it still knows the art of the dark and the
frightening.
Knott’s Berry Farm undergoes a mystical transformation every
weekend night in the month of October. The park remains almost
completely dark except for the few eerie strobe lights and black
lights that help accentuate the spooky skeletons hanging from
trees, masking the ghouls that wait in the corners to jump at
you.
The timid should stay away from the park’s authentic "ghost"
town, which is filled to the brim with fog and hideously costumed
park employees. Dressed in costumes such as Bride of Frankenstein
and just-plain-ugly freaks, it is often near impossible to
differentiate the statues from the living until it’s too late and
you’ve screamed louder than ever before. Armed with noise makers or
flashing eyes, they have been trained to scare, though most times
all it takes is a simple glance to rile up a group of teens.
Many constructed mazes remain one special characteristic of
Knott’s Scary Farm. From Fisherman’s Wharf to The Underground to
Horwood Hotel, each guides you through twists and turns where
anything can happen.
Of course, like your usual haunted houses, you have monsters
waiting in the corners, accompanied by weird sounds and lighting
effects. But the floor sometimes shifts under your feet, and you
find yourself in a tunnel that spins and forces you to walk almost
sideways.
Every maze holds a unique theme. The Underground, for example,
blasts electric metal-rock from the entrance while ghoulish go-go
dancers entertain from cages. Horwood Hotel greets you at a
check-in counter and leads you through hotel rooms, hallways and
even the hotel movie theater. Each maze holds rooms on top of rooms
filled with great props and costuming.
The park remains a place for mature audiences only, and it is
not recommended for children and the easily offended. The prime
reason for this is evident in the content of the park’s various
shows.
Besides Elvira’s own special presentation, you can also attend a
huge outdoor theater performance that loves to take cheap shots at
everyone from Marilyn Manson (calling him a "David Bowie wannabe")
to, of course, President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. If you would
hate to hear Lewinsky  the Carl’s Jr. spokesmodel  say,
"If it doesn’t get all over the place it doesn’t belong in your
face," then you’re better off just going on the rides.
All of the usual Knott’s rides run until the park closes at 2
a.m. Favorites such as Boomerang, Montezuma’s Revenge and the new
Supreme Scream provide great complements to the thrill of the
night.
Montezuma’s Revenge is the park’s oldest rollercoaster ride,
taking you through one huge loop forward and backward. Along the
same theme, Boomerang takes you through many upside-down twists and
turns each way and is not recommended for weak stomachs.
The newer rides include Jaguar, Supreme Scream and Jammer.
Jaguar remains the most timid of the bunch, zipping you along a
modest track through sharp turns and dips. Jammer holds one
anticipated loop and many other fast dips and turns. Neither
compare, however, to the fear that awaits on Supreme Scream. Taking
a cue from rides such as Freefall, the ride takes you to an
incredible height before dropping and bouncing you up and down the
length of the tower numerous times. Again, it’s not for
everyone.
The whole park turns into another world, one that holds the
fried chicken and the cute cuddly Snoopy and turns into a night of
screams and Camp Spooky. You can’t help but laugh at the
predominately teenage crowd that roams in groups, clutching onto
each other for dear life. No one is exempt from surprise at Knott’s
Scary Farm, so the question remains: Are you brave enough?
PARK: Knott’s Scary Farm runs through Nov. 1. For more
information, call (714) 220-5209.
MICHAEL ROSS WACHT/Daily Bruin
Thrillseekers are scared out of their minds at Knott’s Halloween
Haunt, where monsters pop out of dark places and surprise
guests.
An eerie scene at Knott’s Berry Farm of a skeleton hanging from
a noose.
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