Knott's Scary Farm 2021 Media Preview

Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, CA

We’re taking a quick break from Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights today in order to take a look at the Knott’s Scary Farm media preview event that we attended on Sunday night. This brief but fun special event offered the first look at the new Gore-ing 20’s scare zone to be located adjacent to Carnevil, stretching from Charleston Circle to the railroad tracks, as well as the feature food for Scary Farm this season and a tour through the Into the Fog art show. During our visit, we were able to glean a bit of information and some fun teases for this year’s event, which starts on Thursday. Without further ado, lets delve straight into it!

Gore-ing 20’s

This is the Halloween Haunt’s newest and fifth scare zone, evoking memories of the old Roaring 20’s themed land that existed at Knott’s Berry Farm for over two decades through the 1970’s, 80’s, and 90’s. Located in one of Scary Farm’s dead zones, it takes guests back a hundred years, weaving mystery, intrigue, and possibly a little bit of supernatural happenings into a more theatrically based area that guests are invited to observe, return to, and even participate in.

In speaking with Knott’s officials on hand at Sunday’s media night, we started to piece together the fact that the Gore-ing 20’s was being fleshed out as a spooky version of Knott’s popular Ghost Town Alive! event that normally runs in the summer season. With a population divided into three classes—the upper, lower, and working—and hints of Prohibition-era hedonism mixed in with just a little bit of the macabre—Gore-ing 20’s unfolds a connected story throughout the night, and guests who choose to engage have the ability to be involved and potentially play roles in the story themselves. This immersive theater aspect is something that Knott’s has had great success with at Ghost Town Alive!, and one can only imagine how much return value this may have for guests who want to unlock the deeper mystery or follow along the tale.

Beyond this, the area will also feature live jazz music and even dancers on the Walter Knott Theater balcony. Of course, don’t be too distracted. It’s still a scare zone, and the talent will most certainly not hesitate to strike while guests’ guards are down. It should make for a very unique and very engaging scare zone unlike any other in Knott’s history!

Our entry into the park from the Western entrance immediately brought us into the strange, hazy world of the Gore-ing 20’s.

Immediately upon passing the Calico Railroad tracks, we encountered a classic red coach car crashed at a railing, with smoke (or fog) billowing from the accident scene.

Unfortunately, a victim had been partially launched through the front windshield, sending him to his fate quite violently. Had he been drinking the Devil’s Elixir? Perhaps we had to wander to find out.

Further up, we see a newstand has been set up for the Charleston Circle Gazette.

There are other papers featured too.

The spectre of Prohibition hangs over the area, as well as maybe actual spectres?

So much talk of the Devil… Devil’s Den, Devil’s Elixir… just exactly what is in the moonshine anyway?

The Gore-ing 20’s bleeds into the area in front of Bear-y Tales.

Keep going for the Blind Tiger.

This little market stand looks great too.

The produce looks fresh… wait, kind of not.

The flowers have certainly seen better days.

At the Boardwalk Surf Shop, a wardrobe display was set up with The Gore-ing 20’s outfits on the left half and the Mesmer maze costumes on the right.

Left to right, the outfits represent the three classes of characters in The Gore-ing 20’s: the working class, the upper class, and the lower class.

This is a circus dancer’s costume for Mesmer: Sideshow of the Mind.

And who might this foreboding figure be? Guess we’ll have to explore the maze to find out!

Scary Farm Food

As Knott’s has been doing with all of their seasonal events, the park culinary department has concocted various specialty food items that will be for sale all around the park. Everything being serve ala carte, so there will not be tasting cards offered for ‘X’ number of items. But for hungry folks at the event who are not partaking in the Boo-Fet, these items might satiate those foodie pangs.

We were able to try a few of the selections being offered at the event. Our favorite was easily the Cauldron’s BBQ Brisket in a Mac n Cheese Cone, which will be sold at Boardwalk BBQ. The Halloween Sushi Crab Roll—while sounding suspcious because who trusts sushi at a theme park?—used imitation crab meat and was actually decently tasty, especially with the included sweet and sour sauce. Find it also at the Boardwalk BBQ. The best named item went to I’m Going to Dill You Pickle Spears with Spicy Aioli, found at Strictly on a Stick. It was also pretty darn tasty too—provided you like pickles. On the sweets side, the Bobbing for Apple Macarons from Charleston Circle Coffee was delicately sweet without being overwhelming, and the tart filling in the center added a nice touch.

Here’s a look at the spread to be featured at Knott’s Scary Farm this year!

We’ve listed our favorites above, but we’ll comment on other items we tried also. The Hallow’s Chorizo Pizza had an almost gooey nacho cheese that was a little odd, texture-wise, because we’re used to pizza cheese that is a little more firm. But it’s certainly interesting. The Petrified Pizza Burger was perfectly fine—nothing really gourmet, but a fun combination of bagel bites-style pizza and hamburger patty.

The eclairs were a little soft and didn’t quite have the slight firmness I expected. But I’m also not a big eclair person, so I might not be the best judge.

The Freaky Frog Legs were disappointingly bland and didn’t seem to have any particular flavor to them.

The Mummy Dogs were great on presentation and very cute, but at the end of the day, they’re basically croissant dough-covered hot dogs. They would have been nice with a dipping sauce.

That candy corn cake parfait in the middle (it didn’t actually have a nametag) was surprisingly good, and I don’t even like candy corn!

They didn’t have the Wicked Wafflewich to try, though I wish they did!

Into the Fog Art Show

And it wouldn’t be Scary Farm now without another edition of the Into the Fog art show. This now wildly popular art gallery has actually already been open in the park since the start of the month, and it features dozens of fan tribute pieces created by a wide variety of talented artists, from professionals to enthusiasts to Scary Farm talent and designers. Guests can browse the original creations, displayed across the space inside Cordy’s Corner, and buy printed copies or the originals (although most of the originals had already been sold by the time we stopped by; the most popular pieces literally sell out within the first couple of days). Curated by the Knott’s Entertainment Department, the Into the Fog art show offers a wonderful exhibit to showcase the passion and love that Scary Farm’s fans hold for the granddaddy of all Halloween events. And it’s become a treasured tradition of Scary Farm itself!

The Into the Fog art show is back for Scary Farm!

Every year, the scenic decoration looks better and better!

Artist bios are rotated on dual screens at the entrance portal inside the store.

This gray and green jack-o-lantern display looks pretty neat.

This year’s show seems to be the largest yet, with plenty of artwork on the columns and the walls.

Lots of really cute and creative pieces here. Love the “Choose Your Character” by the very talented Richard Wallace. The Little Haunt Book was a cute takeoff of the Little Golden Book series too!

Wouldn’t want to mess with that doll.

As you can see, many of the originals were quickly sold.

But there are some pieces that remain!

Lets run along the side wall.

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David Everett once again provided an amazing 3-dimensional piece with incredibly intricate components!

One last column to rotate around. The Boot Hill scene by Mackenzie Puls was one of many that caught our eye.

There were even pieces for this year’s attractions.

Do you agree with this list of greatest Scary Farm mazes, scare zones, and shows?

Knott’s is also selling maze posters this year, and they may continue this into past mazes too in the future.

I wanted to also highlight some of our favorite pieces and/or items that caught our eye. Our pal, Gabe, from Theme Park Duo, released another Scary Farm trading card.

Michael “Thrash” Ornelas, a long time Knott’s entertainer in various roles throughout the year, created this awesome fictitious comic series.

This Knott’s Ouija Board was amazing.

Only one lenticular piece this year, devoted to The Depths.

Pretty cool!

Longtime Scary Farm talent Glo Haro created this tribute to the original and all-time classic Asylum maze, located at the site of where Paranormal Activity is now. What an amazing signage piece over the gateway!

This mix of Haunt and loteria cards was very creative!

Scary Farm designer Gus Kreuger crafted this great diorama of Dark Ride.

Gecko is one of the iconic characters of Ghost Town, and we loved this rendition of him.

If you’ve noticed, Knott’s Scary Farm has transitioned the Green Witch out of the role of event icon and brought in The Conductor. This art piece hints at how the storylines of Scary Farm will be interconnected, and the pieces may even represent mementos that may show up in one form or another as storytelling device at Scary Farm. Such vagueness and intrigue…!

Jeff Delgado’s Dark Ride tribute piece was also wonderful.

And Rachel Hanson’s fantastic portrayal of Sarah Marshall’s alter ego was pretty epic.

In addition to artwork, the Into the Fog exhibit also feature a wide collection of Scary Farm merchandise all in one location, from T-shirts and hats to pins, cups, magnets, and pins, to other wardrobe and souvenir items. We noticed that an even greater number of shirts than usual were black light reactive, which means they’ll absolutely glow when worn into mazes and parts of scare zones. Definitely a lot of great collectibles for fans here!

Merch here! Get your Scary Farm merch here!!

Lots of black light reactive items!

Jon Asperin’s “I Am Scary Farm” piece from last year got turned into a T-shirt!

There’s also goods for Elvira fans.

See?

And guests can get their Puppet Up goodies too.

Knott’s Scary Farm starts its 2021 run this Thursday, September 16, and continues Thursday through Sunday nights until Halloween night, October 31. And if you haven’t been paying attention to what to expect this year, this press release recap will bring you up to speed:

Knott’s Scary Farm Returns for its 48th Season with Mesmerizing New Nightmares

Select Dates September 16th – October 31st

Buena Park, CA – Southern California's largest immersive Halloween experience, Knott's Scary Farm, returns with innovative new scares and bone-chilling thrills for its 48th frightful year. Terror comes to life as the theme park shifts into your worst nightmare, with horrifying monsters and hair-raising scares looming around every turn. This year, guests will have to confront their greatest fears with 15 haunted attractions, including five sinister scare zones, eight mesmerizing mazes, and two seasonal ride overlays to some of your favorite park attractions. Knott's Scary Farm returns for 27 terrifying nights from September 16 – October 31.

There is nowhere to hide as endless scares await guests around every corner, with the debut of our newest captivating maze, an all-new spine-chilling scare zone, and a frightening lineup of new shows. These new haunted experiences add to the original scares that can’t be found anywhere else.

New Offerings:

Mesmer: Sideshow of the Mind (Maze) – The newest haunted maze has arrived; Mesmer: Sideshow of the Mind. Within the canvas tent lies the secret of the most potent force in the universe: the human mind. Give in and succumb to the hypnotist Mesmer and his sinister sideshow, as it preys on your hidden fears. Release your inner thoughts and descend into a

world of madness, torture, and eerie enlightenment. There you will uncover the grotesque secrets hidden as you brave through the most terrifying show ever created.

The Gore-ing 20's (Scare Zone) – Step back into the dark decadence of a by-gone era as the newest scare zone, The Gore-ing 20's, terrorizes even the bravest and most brutal souls. Here gangsters run illicit hooch for the ghostly revelers as the otherworldly musicians play the music of the damned. Tell the Bouncer the secret password, and you'll have the time of your life for as long as it lasts.

Carnaval du Grotesque (Show) – Calico Mine Stage
Grab a seat as the show is about to begin! Your mind will melt at the sights and sounds of the Carnaval du Grotesque. Live bands provide the soundtrack for the creepiest company of performers to ever disgrace the stage.

Invitation to Terror (Show) – Mystery Lodge

Invitation to terror is a digital illusion horror show which tells the story of Millionaire Tom Shackleford, he is set to unveil the secret project that he promises will change the world. Set in Calico 1986, guests are invited to the debut of Futuretronics, the world's top technology creator, latest technological advancement. It's going to be a killer party with plenty of terrifying surprises no one will ever see coming.

Wicked Drums (Show) – Camp Snoopy Theater

Deep within The Hollow, The Witches summon you to a percussion ritual to awaken the dead. Hosted by the evil Hag of the Hollows, Wicked Drums, high energy drumming collides with ancient witchcraft in a sensory overload sure to raise your spirits. It's a Halloween activity worth witnessing.

Doce de la Noche (Show) – Fiesta Plaza

The night comes alive at the stroke of midnight when our electric dance group takes the Fiesta Village stage. Dressed in colorful and vibrant colors, the lively dancers dazzle all with their moves set to high-energy music, which takes over all senses and has everyone dancing their feet off.

Returning Mazes:

Wax Works – Mysterious lights and strange noises have begun to emanate from the eerie abandoned wax museum. It's rumored that blood-curdling screams can be heard echoing through the halls of Wax Works as victims are horrifyingly submerged into a scorching hot cauldron of bubbling wax. The once prominent plastic surgeon, Dr. Augustus Scratch, has been seen tinkering at night and is now ready to show off his beautiful yet terrifying life-like masterpieces of hot molten wax and bloody flesh. Take a closer look at his gruesome works of art and try to escape his deadly grip or become the newest masterpiece to add to his collection.

Origins: The Curse of Calico – Pierce the veil of time and discover the secret of the evil fog that hangs over Knott's Scary Farm in Origins: The Curse of Calico. Unearth the sinister paranormal activity that plagues the town as Sarah Marshall is put on trial for her suspected crimes of witchcraft. All will be unveiled when the Green Witch rises and curses the townsfolk, transforming all who have accused her into a wicked horde of malicious creatures with an eternal quench for the living.

PARANORMAL, INC. – The Haunting of Hayden Hill: Paranormal Inc. maze reopens its doors one final time to those brave enough to uncover a bizarre and supernatural adventure. Guests investigate a haunted hospital where the patients were tortured for decades by deranged doctors and nurses. Demonic spirits of the murdered victims have been detected throughout the mysterious halls, while evil medical staff prowl for new patients to torture.

Pumpkin Eater – Survive the wrath of the murderous 7-foot tall creature that haunts the old woods surrounding The Hollow in the Pumpkin Eater maze. The notorious creature is on the prowl, hidden within the dark confines of the haunted town he once terrorized. To escape the sinister Pumpkin Eater's wrath, all who enter must go on a quest through the silent town of victims, face a cave of crawling insects and solve the labyrinth of thorns that blocks the way out.

Dark Ride – Journey through an abandoned carnival ride where cruel carnie folk still linger in the shadows in Dark Ride: Castle of Chaos. The carnival has become a refuge for freaks and carnies. Now those shunned performers have created a dark world of terror which they plan to unleash on those who enter. Dark Ride will lead brave visitors through a treacherous path and into the bowels of a long-neglected attraction, as sinister shadows and horrifying scenes cast the gloom over the once pleasant ride. It's everyone's worst nightmare, being helplessly trapped inside an abandoned carnival ride without a way out.

KSF-EPK-Scary Farm - Dark Ride - Evil Clown Throne.jpg — (Photo courtesy of Knott’s Berry Farm.)

The Depths – A heavy fog drapes over an abandoned port village where ancient creatures lurk inside the pitch-black underground caves hidden below the seaside shores. The Nightwatch Mining Crew has mysteriously disappeared, and village rumors point to the eerie tunnels the town sits upon. But be warned, all who have entered have never resurfaced. Myths of the terrifying horrors that lurk within the cave have often been whispered but never confirmed. Did the crew meet their demise at the hand of vicious creatures that live within the cave? Journey into the ominous caverns to discover if the superstitions revolving around the cave are true or not.

Dark Entities – Teleport beyond earth into a realm where the darkness is absolute. In the depths of space, a lone station faces terror beyond all imagination. An extraterrestrial mutation has invaded the station, and it's on the prowl for new hosts. The unearthly inhabitants' force increases as it feeds on its unwilling victims. Escape the dark entities before their deadly force

eliminates all living forms aboard the station. There's nowhere to escape when time is running out!

Halloween Hootenanny – The Timber Mountain Log Ride residents celebrate the Halloween Hootenanny, which adds a seasonal twist to a park favorite. Mysterious creatures of Timber Mountain that live out in the woods and caverns join the citizens as they honor the season at the Halloween Hootenanny. The Ride's interior features surprises as guests venture past the Calico Coffin Creeper band, the town's green witch, and splash down Skull Mountain through a labyrinth of jack-o-lanterns all set to an original soundtrack by Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies.

Returning Scare Zones:

Knott's Scary Farm is far more than a collection of haunted attractions. Every night monsters spill out onto the streets and turn theme park midways into murderous scare zones. From the world-famous Ghost Town Streets to the Boardwalk area filled with evil clowns, there's nowhere to hide in Knott's Scary Farm.

Ghost Town Streets is the original and largest, most terrifying scare zone that started it all. Bands of half-human, half-animal monsters prowl the streets and inhabit the fog, and beware the notoriously stunning sliders, who lunge from fog-filled corners of the land.

On the Boardwalk, deviant clowns crave your undying attention in the CARNEVIL scare zone. The Hollow scare zone will terrorize guests as the Witches of the Hollow, and their armies of creatures have risen once again to battle with the Witch Hunter.

The Lake underneath Silver Bullet recedes to reveal the Forsaken Lake scare zone, where gothic creatures ravaged by the dark and murky waters wander from their crypts preying on unsuspecting visitors, looking for victims to drag back to their watery graves.

Returning Shows:

Puppet Up! Uncensored (Show) – The Walter Knott Theater – Returning nightly to Knott's Scary Farm for the 2021 season, Puppet Up! Uncensored is an outrageous, off-the-cuff show featuring a combination of improvisational comedy and the magic of puppetry performed by a cast of world-class comedian puppeteers from The Jim Henson Company. Created by legendary puppeteer and award-winning director Brian Henson and directed by Patrick Bristow (Ellen, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Whose Line Is It Anyway?), Puppet Up! - Uncensored is no ordinary puppet show. The content is driven by audience suggestions and participation in proper uncensored form, topped with the zany antics and naughty shenanigans of the colorful and brazen puppet cast. Puppet Up! – Uncensored will be performed three times each night at Knott's Scary Farm and is intended for mature audiences.

Conjurers (Show) – Bird Cage Theater

You won't believe your eyes when our skilled Illusionist takes the stage in the heart of Calico. Get there early as seats have been known to vanish.

Knott's Scary Farm Admission

Single night tickets - Buy tickets at KnottsScaryFarm.com and save up to $39 off the regular main gate price of $89. Knott's Season Passholders receive a discount on single-night tickets. Applicable taxes and fees apply to online orders.
Fright & Fast Lane – Ride and scream all night long with unlimited priority access to all mazes plus priority boarding on all Fast Lane rides. Fright & Fast Lane starts at $99 and varies by night. Separate Scary Farm park admission required and not included.
Knott's Scary Farm Boo-Fet - Offered at Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant and Spurs Chophouse. Meals include a 2021 souvenir bottle, which gives unlimited complimentary refills on the event night and $1.00 refills for the rest of the 2021 season. After dinner, enjoy early entry into select areas of Knott's Scary Farm a few minutes before it opens to other mortals. Boo-fet early entry will be to Paranormal Inc., Dark Entities, The Depths and Wax Works, and exclusive photo opportunities with the monsters. The Knott's Scary Farm Boo-fet dinner is $45 + applicable taxes and fees when purchased online. Separate theme park admission is required and not included.

All Season Long Parking is valid for Knott's Scary Farm nights. - Knott's Scary Farm General parking is $25 per vehicle and can be purchased online or at the parking booth upon arrival. Applicable taxes and fees apply to online orders.

Knott's Scary Farm has welcomed millions of visitors for over 47 years and has become an institution in the Southern California theme park landscape. This year, the event returns September 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30, October 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30 and 31. Knott's Scary Farm is open 7:00 pm – 1:00 am on select Thursdays and Sundays, and 7:00 pm – 2:00 am Fridays and Saturdays. Due to the explicit and frightening nature of the event, it is not recommended for children under 13. This year's Knott's Scary Farm experience is Where Nightmares Never End!

For more information on Knott's Scary Farm, including admission, park hours, and events, visit knottsscaryfarm.com or download the Knott's Berry Farm app for your smartphone. Join the scary conversation by using #ScaryFarm on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.