Knott’s Scary Farm: Scream Your Way Thru 160 Acres of Halloween Horror

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*Updated Knott’s Scary Farm hours and ticket information for 2022 found at the end of this post*

Knott’s Berry Farm is celebrating their 41st Halloween Haunt this year, transforming their theme park of thrilling rides into 160 acres of horror! With over 1,000 monsters, 10 mazes and a series of scare zones, Knott’s Scary Farm is the largest Halloween event to be held at any theme park in the world.

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The first seasonal transformation for Knott’s began in 1973 when the park modified one area of the park, Ghost Town, into Halloween Haunt. The Halloween fun was an instant hit, and quickly expanded adding pop culture icons such as Weird Al Yankovic and Elvira.

While I wasn’t able to see either of the pop culture icons perform at Knotts Scary Farm this year, there was still plenty of Halloween frights and fun to be enjoyed throughout the evening, making Knott’s a great Halloween destination for those in the Southern California area.

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Upon arriving, guests are treated to spooky music filling the entrance that instantly lets all who dare to enter aware of what lies ahead. Heavy streams of fog produced by giant fog machines fill the area directly past the ticket turn styles hiding the frightening vampires, clowns, ghouls, werewolves and monsters that lurk in the shadows.

To say the least, it is a bit frightening at first; but that’s why people come!

Having gone on a Thursday night, there were virtually no lines for any of the rides or mazes, and we were able to try out one of Knott’s most recent rides: The Sierra Sidewinder and one of the most frightening: Xcellerator.

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It wouldn’t be Knott’s Scary Farm without the mazes, so of course I managed to get the courage to visit a few of their 10 mazes.

Black Magic was the most impressive in my opinion, as the experience begins even before you enter. Using a spectacular digital paint job on the façade, bricks are built one at a time before catching on fire and flowing with blood.

Observing the maze from a distance gets your heart racing all on its own, and is part of the reason why Knott’s stays ahead of other Halloween competitors including Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights.

knotts scary farm -  - Knott’s Scary Farm: Scream Your Way Thru 160 Acres of Halloween Horror

The most hair-raising portion of this maze is a room where a handful of visitors are sitting around a séance table as the spirit of Harry Houdini is summoned. I don’t get scared easily, but anything involving spirits, demons and séances terrify me.

Throughout this maze the attention to detail is exquisite, with everything from knife-throwing gags to a manic room full of rabbits, and a sliding mirror that welcomes a monster to jump right at you.

If you only have time or the stomach for one maze, choose Black Magic.

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In addition to the mazes and scare zones, one of the must-see events at Knott’s is their controversial live “Hanging” show, which has been a dark humor annual event since 1979.

The show pokes fun of pop culture and events, taking on topics including the Paula Dean controversy to Miley Cyrus’ twerking and in the end, they “hang” the worst violation of pop culture that occurred during the year.

The live performance is definitely aimed for an adult audience, but the outdoor stage allows observers of all ages to stop and watch during any of their three nightly performances.

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Knott’s Scary Farm has definitely adapted throughout the years, as they no longer have mazes built into the lines of rides of Jaguar and the Log Ride, or as many “victims” in the mazes, but having done-so, they’re quality to detail has significantly increased.

Gone are the spray painted wooden walls for the mazes and the rubber masks of the monsters, as Knott’s has certainly stepped up their game in providing the best screams for Halloween.

Knott’s Scary Farm Tickets

Knott’s Scary Farm tickets are offered nightly until Halloween. Guests ages 17 years More information available at Knotts.com.

Knott’s Scary Farm Hours 2022

You can visit Knott’s Scary Farm this year from September 22 through October 31, 2022. Knott’s Scary Farm starts at 7 pm and ends at 1 or 2 am depending on the night.

Knott’s Scary Farm Age Limit and Chaperone Policy

While there is no minimum age limit to be admitted to the park for this event, it is only recommended for mature audiences. This event is not suitable or appropriate for children 13 years old or younger.

Knott’s does enforce a strict chaperone policy. Under this policy, all park guests ages 17 years old or younger must be accompanied by a chaperone who is at least 21 years old to be admitted to the park.

The chaperone will be asked to present a valid photo ID with date of birth. A chaperone may accompany up to 4 guests ages 17 or younger.

Important! Chaperones must stay with their party during during their visit. Unaccompanied guests ages 17 years old or younger may be asked to leave.

Personally, I do not recommend Knott’s Berry Farm for guests ages 17 years or younger. This is NOT for the faint of heart!

Thank you Knott’s Berry Farm for providing complimentary Knott’s Scary Farm tickets for review purposes. All opinions remain my own.

5 thoughts on “Knott’s Scary Farm: Scream Your Way Thru 160 Acres of Halloween Horror”

  1. I have family that just came back from Knott’s Berry Farm last week and they had such a good time! I LOVE everything Halloween so this looks like a ball to me!

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