5:52 pm We've arrived!
6:20 pm We've entered the gates! Met up with my favorite Trickster. Good ol' Lunchmeat...
7:22 pm Walking Through CarnEvil...my old home...I miss it...kinda hard...
7:52 pm Gunslingers Grave! Enjoyed it so much, we went again!
8:05 pm Trapped: The New Experiment! Wish us luck!
8:34 pm No Boysenberries here! Going in again, just cause we liked it so much!
10:46 pm All mazes except for Slaughterhouse completed.
11:00 pm Citizens of Calico...Are you ready for a hanging?!?!?!?!?
11:35 pm Verdict? GUILTY!!! HANG HER!!!!
12:56 am Possessed show was just ok...
1:00 am Park is closed for the evening. Monsters go and get some rest; great job tonight!
FINAL REVIEW:
What can I say, it was an enjoyable evening at my old stomping ground (for those who don't know, I worked Knott's Scary Farm for 3 years). Good company, good scares! A few notes:
Scare of the night goes to...
Cowboy Bobby!
I don't scare or startle easily, but Bobby came out of nowhere, causing me to shout a few choice words. He got an even better response out of my friend Taylor, who wanted to avoid Ghost Town at all cost after Bobby crossed our path. I quote:
"I don't like it here! There's fog! And Sliders! And Cowboy Bobby!"
Mazes of the night go to Black Magic and Dominion of the Damned. Both were high energy, had amazing detail, and were dark and creepy. I loved Black Magic's storyline and DotD was just as pretty as ever. Kudos to the Talent.
Trapped was amazing! Not as scary as last year, though way more hands on and interactive! Worth the $60 we paid to go in, BOTH times! I almost boysenberried...almost...
Gunslinger's Grave gets an honorable mention. It wasn't the best maze, but the talent were very interactive. It was enjoyable enough to get right back in line after we got out.
Whenever Knott's hit, it hit! However whenever it missed, it missed! This was probably the most inconsistent that I've seen Halloween Haunt. Usually, Knott's offers many attractions that were not too far off of each other in terms of quality and thrill. However there was an extreme difference between attractions this year.
The new Village of the Dead scare zone (or as monsters have been calling it, Dia De Los Scare Zone) is an absolute joke. The costumes are either ridiculous or extraordinarily plain, and that was when we actually saw talent. There was little decorating, and any talent I saw was dancing with the crowd. It just seemed like an excuse for "The Farm" to put in a dance floor. I say nix it, or give the territory back to Camp Snoopy. No offense intended to any of the talent.
I found Forevermore to be bland, boring, and extremely long. Not to mention all the talent looked almost exactly the same through the entire maze. I didn't like it, but I should note that I was the only person out of my group and who I talked to who felt this way.
Slaughterhouse is a good maze. It has been since it debuted in 2009. However, its on its last leg. I was bored walking through it. The only reason we chose to go in was to say we did all the mazes. It wasn't much different if at all from last year. The theme is tired, along with the walls of Uncle Willy's BBQ. It's time to let the cannibals be put to rest.
Scare zones were kind of a disappointment as well. With the exception of Necropolis, talent was sparse. However Ghost Town was high energy whenever they were around, which made up for it. And CarnEvil, I love ya with all my heart, but you were looking a little green around the gills...
These are just my opinions of course. I recommend the 41st Halloween Haunt to anyone who loves Halloween; Knott's is the original after all.
I wish all Haunt Monsters a safe and fun Haunt season. Just don't get too comfortable sitting at the top. There's a new nightmare brewing at the LA Fearplex, and when we open next week...
...we're coming for ya...
This post is dedicated to the memory of longtime Haunt and CarnEvil Talent
Our Mamma Clown
Mark "Sumo" Sagato
Sumo Slap the Sky
