With the arrival of autumn, I can’t help but close my eyes and dream about all of the fun things that my brain thinks of when it comes to fall. The changing colors of the leaves, all of the spiced apple things (sorry, I’m not a pumpkin spice gal), and the most wonderful time of the year – Halloween. Luckily for those of us in the Southern California area, we can expect a sweet dream and a beautiful nightmare this Halloween season with this year’s Knott’s Scary Farm lineup.

The team behind Knott’s Scary Farm, as well as some very enthusiastic monsters and overzealous puppets, took control of the Charles M. Schultz Theatre to introduce to their fans what we all should expect from them during the 2019 haunt season. There is quite a bit returning this year to the notorious haunt, but some sadness with the knowledge that a couple of mazes will be celebrating their final year this year. However, the new maze additions, as well as the team’s focus on creating memorable mazes and lore for years to come at Knott’s Scary Farm, will keep fans satisfied.

With that said, here is our breakdown of everything to expect from Knott’s Scary Farm:

NEW MAZES

Knott’s announced the arrival of two new mazes to add to their lineup this year. Prepare yourself for the arrival of Wax Works and get ready to explore more of the folklore of Ghosttown with Origins: The Curse of Calico this year at Scary Farm.

Wax Works, as described by Knott’s, features mysterious lights and strange noises beginning to emanate from the eerie abandoned wax museum. Dr. Augustus Scratch, has been tinkering at night and is now ready to show off his beautiful yet terrifyingly life-like masterpieces of hot molten wax and bloody flesh. It’s rumored that bloodcurdling screams can be heard echoing through the halls of Wax Works as victims are horribly submerged into a scorching hot cauldron of bubbling wax. Take a closer look at his gruesome works of art and try to escape his deadly grip or become the newest masterpiece in his collection.

Origins: The Curse of Calico explores the folklore established in the early years of Knott’s Scary Farm. Pierce the veil of time to discover the secret of the evil fog that hangs over Knott’s Scary Farm’s Ghost Town streets in this new maze. 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 up and curses the townsfolk, transforming all who have accused her into a wicked horde of malicious creatures with an eternal quench of the living.

NEW SHOW

Exclusively performing nightly at Knott’s Scary Farm for the 2019 season, Puppet Up! – Uncensored is an outrageous, off-the-cuff live 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.  In true uncensored form, the content is driven by audience suggestions and participation, topped with the zany antics and bawdy 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.

RETURNING MAZES

Quite a few mazes are returning this year. However, it was revealed that this will be the last year for Shadow Lands and Special Ops: Infected. Don’t worry though. There are exciting things to come in the upcoming years. The list of all that is returning is as follows:

• Dark Ride
• Paranormal, Inc.
• Pumpkin Eater
• Shadow Lands
• Special Ops: Infected
• The Depths
• Dark Entities

RETURNING SCARE ZONES

• CarnEvil
• Ghost Town Streets
• The Hollow
• Forsaken Lake

Technically, this is not considered a Scare Zone, but the old Fiesta de los Muertos will be taken over once again by Awaken the Dead dance party. There will be roaming performers and plenty of opportunities to cut loose on the dance floor while taking a break from maze lines.

RETURNING SHOWS

You can’t have Knott’s Scary Farm without The Hanging. Chock full of pop culture references, anything goes in this no-bars comedic show. Now the question is, “Who is going to be hanged this year?” I have a couple of guesses…

Do you need some magic in your life? Well, CONJURERS – Magic and Mirth at the Birdcage Theater is back this year! CW’s Masters of Illusions regulars will grace the stage once more to combine comedy and magic to broaden our minds and lighten our hearts while we take a breather between scares.

Aside from the regular haunt stuff, we also will have the chance to go on the Timber Mountain Log Ride: Halloween Hootenanny with some new music and with very family friendly (and very creepy in my opinion) animatronics to guide us through the Halloween season. Keep your eyes out for the Green Witch, the Calico Coffin Creeper Band, and more!

Knott’s Scary Farm starts September 19th and will run for 26 nights through November 2nd. Tickets and season passes are on sale now here.

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Sarah Musnicky

Editor-in-Chief/Co-Owner at Nightmarish Conjurings

Sarah is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Owner of Nightmarish Conjurings. Most may know her due to her desire to literally hug anything that could kill her, but also making sure that everyone is squared away and sanity is intact.

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