Knott's Scary Farm 2021: Shows

Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, CA

While we’ve been off exploring plenty of haunts around Southern California, we haven’t forgotten about our Knott’s Scary Farm in-depth features. Today, following our deep dive into this year’s mazes, we take a look at the performances featured at this year’s Halloween Haunt. There are a whopping six shows at Knott’s Scary Farm this year—the most entertainment the event has offered in quite some time (a decade?). Although this year marks the first time The Hanging has been absent from Scary Farm since its inception back in 1976—just a few years after Knott’s Scary Farm’s inception—there are a plethora of options to take its place. And it also means that Puppet Up has moved into the premiere show slot for this year’s event. If you read our review two years ago, you know that it was our absolute favorite. The same applies this year, but lets peruse all of the theatrical offerings available at the year’s Haunt!

Our reviews and summaries are based on our visit on opening weekend of Knott’s Scary Farm nearly four years ago. There may have been changes since then that we haven’t documented, because we haven’t been at the park (yes, we too were victims of The Great Scary Farm Season Pass Supply Chain Shortage of 2021).

Carnaval du Grotesque

Almost every Scary Farm fan will say that The Hanging had become less funny and less edgy in recent years and was not as good as “it used to be,” but those same fans will also note the big shoes that the venerable and very long-running show left behind. It’s funny how criticism turns into nostalgia when something goes away. As such, there was big interest around what Knott’s would choose for the successor to the iconic Scary Farm tradition.

Carnaval du Grotesque, located at the Calico Mine Stage, is the show taking The Hanging’s place this year. When it was introduced, I thought that it might be a high-energy circus or stunts show paired with live rock music, similar to Nytewalkers show at California’s Great America’s Haunt four years ago. That would maintain a premiere attraction status and provide an adrenaline-filled experience bearing similarities to The Hanging’s stunt work and music incorporation.

The ghoulish host of Carnaval du Grotesque introduces the acts at each segment.

Instead, Carnaval du Grotesque is an alternating pair of shows, moving from live cover band to circus sideshow every half an hour or show. In this way, it’s basically a mix of Knott’s Summer Nights (but in autumn) and Zamora the Torture King, piggybacking after each other.

F. Thaddeus Craft, the grandmaster emcee of the event, introduces the acts as they rotate. On one half is a live band playing covers of famous rock and pop songs of the past few decades. On opening weekend, the band Hiatus (a former Mad T Party band) rocked out with alternative and metal hits from Muse, Foo Fighters, Rob Zombie, Metallica, Evanescence, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, and more. The past couple of weeks, The Haxans have taken center stage. The musical entertainment is nice for background music, and it offers a dance party to those interested, but on opening weekend, Carnaval du Grotesque didn’t seem to command much of a crowd when we passed by. Without any overt Halloween tie-in, most guests seemed to opt for mazes or scare zones instead.

Hiatus was the featured cover band for the musical half of Carnaval du Grotesque on opening weekend.

I imagine that as the season has continued and the nights have gotten busier, the Calico Mine Stage has filled up more. But at least for us, having something like what Mad T Party at Disney California Adventure used to offer or even Voodoo Nights at Magic Mountain’s Fright Fest (which does do pretty well in attracting crowds) did not feel compelling as a Scary Farm attraction.

George the Giant performs sword swallowing is one of several sideshow acts that alternate through the evening.

On the other half of the bill features George the Giant and his assistant, Boo, performing a series of sideshow acts that astound and amaze. Or at least they would if there was a more significant audience, but here too, based on opening weekend, the reception was rather tepid. This wasn’t for lack of energy or enthusiasm from George and Boo, who kept on with their acts of sword swallowing, broken glass walking, fire spitting, and other novelty performances.

The issue is that an act like this does not work well on such a large space as the Calico Mine Stage. In the past, Scary Farm’s sideshow events have been placed in more intimate settings like the Camp Snoopy Stage, which have afforded a more proportional crowd that returns the energy. At the Calico Mine Stage, however, the side show routine—something better oriented to a close-up view—loses some of its luster. Still, kudos to George the Giant and Boo for their efforts, mixing up different stunts across the various performances of the night so as not to repeat the same series every hour.

Conjurers: Magic & Mirth

In the Bird Cage Theatre, Conjurers: Magic & Mirth returns with a rotating set of magicians performing close-up magic. The Bird Cage is the perfect venue for this, affording an intimacy that makes close-up magic visible and more astounding.

Opening weekend featured legendary close-up magician Johnny Ace Palmer performing in the Bird Cage Theatre.

On opening weekend, the feature performer was acclaimed magician Johnny Ace Palmer, who wowed the audience with his impressive sleight of hand magic and old school acts that were charming and entertaining. Palmer offers a warm, welcoming, self-deprecating, and disarming personality that goes well with his old fashioned charm and traditional illusions. I’ve seen him at the Magic Castle before, and though many of his acts are repeats, they’re all executed very well, leaving audience members befuddled at how Palmer accomplished his tricks even if they know what they’re looking for.

Palmer’s act included classic staples, such as turning foam balls into baby chicks, much to the delight of these guest volunteers.

And yes, he pulled a rabbit out of a hat.

From the old changing lengths of yard trick to procuring endless foam balls to pulling infinite handkerchiefs to manifesting chicks and rabbits out of thin air, this edition of Conjurers provided a laidback, classic magic show feel. Palmer’s deft jokes and fast-talking quips kept the audience tied to his every word. With his mouth moving as fast as his fingers, the master class of close-up magic proved to be a very enjoyable and entrancing show for Scary Farm guests stopping by the Bird Cage!

Doce de la Noce

Over in Fiesta Village, Doce de la Noce provided a dance troupe performance every hour or so. This show felt very much like a smaller scale Knott’s answer to Halloween Horror Night’s Jabbawockeez show. Although not nearly as extravagant and of course lacking the star power, Doce de la Noce still delivered an energetic, pop-laden performance that showcased the dance and body control abilities of its members.

The one oddity that we did notice was that for the bulk of the show, no song seemed to last more than a dozen seconds or so. It was almost as though the music mix was trying to comply with the fair use myth of playing for only a limited length of time to avoid paying royalties. Interestingly, the one time a song did fill out was Ricky Martin’s “Living La Vida Loca,” which was the opposite of the look of these undead dancers dressed in black and white and made-up with the pallor of death.

Still, this is a more creative outlet than simply having another DJ-led dance party, and we appreciated that Knott’s made an effort to program a show that tied into the Halloween season more tangibly than in past years at this location.

Invitation to Terror

Perhaps the most out-of-place-looking show of Scary Farm this year was the retro-futuristic Invitation to Terror show, located at Mystery Lodge. This technology and projection based live action show seemed quite at odds with its Ghost Town setting, placing guests in 1986 Calico to see what millionaire Tom Shackleford has to unveil regarding his recent research into new and unique energies.

Things are a little off and amiss in the entry lobby prior to the demonstration of Futuretronics’ new innovation.

Running every 20 minutes from 8:00 to one hour before park closing, Invitation to Terror starts off oddly and just gets weirder. From the initial lobby area, guests are invited to congregate and socialize as Futuretronics members walk around repeating cult-like catch phrases and behaving much to friendly to be normal. It’s almost as though they are enchanted under some sort of spell—or at least very effective marketing. But then, a spokeswoman named Kelly enters the floor and fills everyone in on why they’re here.

The Earth is dying. Mankind has depleted the planet of hits natural resources at an alarming rate, leading to drastic impacts from climate change and painting a future that looks bleak unless a sustainable and unlimited energy source can be found. Tom Shackleford has apparently found this new source. An eccentric millionaire who has been driven into his work more deeply ever since the sudden and tragic death of his daughter, Maddy, Tom is here tonight to showcase a new energy source that he has discovered—one that will save the world!

There are a few discrepancies off the bat here. It’s supposed to be the year 1986, but when an image of Maddy flashes on the screen, her birth and death years are listed as 1973 and 1987. That would put her at 14 years old, which is much younger than the woman on the screen presumed to be Maddy appears. It would also mean that she died in the future, even though she’s being talked about in the past. Is this some Dark level time travel shenanigans? Though it could have been a legitimate continuity error from the show writers, something tells me there’s more to this. Given that Knott’s show writer and Scary Farm emcee extraordinaire, Jeff Tucker, is behind this show, there has to be more than meets the eye.

A pre-show video outlines the history and cause of Futuretronics, which seeks new innovations to save Earth from a grisly demise wrought by overuse of natural resources.

Once guests are led into the actual Mystery Lodge theater space, the demonstration properly begins. Tom Shackleford appears, seemingly under the influence of some sort of substance, or perhaps functioning as a very effective parody of an 1980s Patrick Bateman-esque millionaire playboy hopped up on… something. Tom has invited Dr. Sabrina Ellison, a skeptical scientist and authority on the paranormal and occult to observe this new power source that he has discovered that is apparently supernatural. Unveiling the Grimoire (which, incidentally also appears in the climactic scene of Origins: The Curse of Calico, as the Green Witch is menacingly monologuing up above), Tom claims that this book will unlock an unlimited and clean energy that can be used to power the world.

It turns out the everlasting, sustainable energy source relies on dark magic.

Naturally, once Shackleford begins reading the incantations, all spirited hell breaks loose. And when the book demands a sacrifice (and receives one in the form of poor Dr. Ellison), the true connections of the Shackleford tragedy and folly are revealed. Predictably enough, the supernatural forces that Tom releases cannot be controlled, and the show ends with a sudden rush of hideous creatures and ghouls and possessed Futuretronic employees who scrawl across the room, frightening the audience before disappearing through the exit beyond.

Futuretronics founder Tom Shackleford finds out the hard way that treachery for the sake of unlocking new power is definitely not worth it.

There’s a natural inclination to ask what exactly just happened after all of this, but through the hints and connections to other Scary Farm creations, it certainly looks like this show is laying the groundwork for a future maze or other Scary Farm story. The Mystery Lodge location was surprisingly empty of maze construction this year, and the anticipated replacement for the Special Ops: Infected maze never materialized. Could Invitation to Terror serve as a teaser for a maze to be located here next year?

Puppet Up! Uncensored

When Puppet Up was announced at the 2019 Scary Farm Preview event, many fans wondered why a Henson Muppet show was coming to Knott’s Scary Farm. Even though it was Muppet improv (definitely not something you see everyday), and even though it was from the brilliant minds of Henson Alternative, it didn’t really seem to fit what Halloween entertainment was envisioned to be.

Well, that ended up not mattering, because once guests saw the incredible hilarity of Puppet Up! Uncensored, and word spread about the raucous and unique shows that were being put on in the Charles M. Schulz Theater (now the Walter Knott Theater), Puppet Up starting filling up the seats, and even early detractors admitted that they were wrong to rag on this wonderfully inappropriate entertainment. By season’s end, it was a prime wish and foregone conclusion that Puppet Up would return to Scary Farm. It had to!

The stage for this year’s Puppet Up at the Walter Knott Theater definitely embodies the zaniness of the show.

And two years later, with delay thanks to the Coronavirus, Puppet Up is indeed back and making audiences laugh just as hard as ever. The show this year follows the familiar format established by the 2019 run. After a rousing introductory theme song by the cast, host (and co-creator) Patrick Bristow is introduced, and the players launch into the first sketch called “New Choice,” where a puppeteer has to create a new line every time Patrick wants one. A follow-up all-hands skit (often a game show or news report) ensues before one of the classic Henson acts is performed during the first interlude. For the early and late show, it’s Jim Henson’s “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Your Face.” For the middle show, it’s Frank Oz’s “Java.”

One of several skits through the show that relies on audience cues.

The middle segment is anchored by a sketch featuring the hot dogs, and then the puppeteers create a classic James Bond theme song based on suggestions from the audience on the Bond movie name and its evil villain (sometimes, this comes in the third segment instead). Another sketch follows before the second interlude, featuring the Usher Brothers Quartet doing a fun green screen looping routine.

The final act features either an audience participation element (two years ago, this meant bringing up someone from the audience to be a guest puppeteer or having a couple on stage to advise on whether the performers were accurately recreating their first date or not). More recently, it appears that some or most shows have veered away from this and simply have a general full or most-of-the-cast skit. The finale, of course, is the tabletop puppetry masterpiece entitled “Windy”—this year with varying alternate lyrics placed into segments of the song—before the company closes with a finale song featuring “naked puppets”… aka bare hands.

Everybody knows it’s Windy… (BUHMP! BUHMP! BUHMP! BUHMP! BUHMP!!)

It cannot be stated how fun Puppet Up: Uncensored is, especially with a roaring crowd and especially inappropriate suggestions. This show is definitely not for children (not that guests under 13 are recommended), and the cast will certainly swear and incorporate mature themes into an act. From an S&M family reunion to hot dogs trying to escape the portal of hell in Ohio to a Bond villain named Teresa Threesome, there isn’t much that’s off limits in this show (although political suggestions are one exception).

Familiar faces and popular favorites like Peggy Etra, Grant Baciocco, Drew Massey, Colleen Smith, and Sarah Oh are back. Newcomer Langston Hatch also puts in an incredibly strong performance and is easily one of the best performers on the show (of course, he’s only been doing this since literal childhood). And as the season progresses, other performers will rotate in and out of the troupe, adding to the ever-original nature of each show. But it is an absolute can’t-miss at Knott’s Scary Farm.

Wicked Drums

Finally, over in the Camp Snoopy Theater, Wicked Drums stirs the beat of The Hollow with a literally pounding show similar to the old Blood Drums show from Scary Farms past. Hosted by the three witches of The Hollow, this musical performance features a percussive ritual aimed at waking the dead. Fortunately, the living will enjoy the show too. The show isn’t too long—just a bit over ten minutes—making it a nice break from the scares and shrieks of the mazes and scare zones.

In addition to the official entertainment, the unscheduled show moments of years past return. The funeral procession and sacrifice at Forsaken Lake occurs at 11:45 each evening. It’s a fantastic moment of storytelling that encapsulates the mythos of this scare zone. The Wicker Man ceremony in the Hollow is back at midnight, though it is greatly reduced this year, with no real live actor component and only a recorded incantation from the hags leading to the figure igniting. That’s a little bit disappointing, but it does avoid removing the monsters from the streets of The Hollow and limiting scare opportunities for the guest during this time of the night.

Overall, the quantity of entertainment at Knott’s this year is tops among all professional haunts, and the variety offered is a welcome return to the richness in entertainment that Scary Farm offered a decade ago. Some of the shows may take a little bit to find their footing, but there are definitely plenty of options for guests who need a break from the frights. At the end of the day, the Halloween Haunt is still the granddaddy of them all. And Scary Farm’s show offerings are a reminder of part of why that is.