Knott’s Scary Farm 2019 | Page 13 | Inside Universal Forums
Inside Universal Forums
Inside Universal Forums
  • Home
  • Forums
    New posts Search forums Account Upgrades
  • News
    Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Orlando Universal Studios Japan Universal Studios Singapore Universal Studios Beijing
  • Merchandise
Log in Register
What's new Search

Search

By:
  • New posts
  • Search forums
  • Account Upgrades
Menu
Log in

Register

Install the app
  • Signing up for a Premium Membership is a donation to help Inside Universal maintain costs and offers an ad-free experience on the forum. Learn more about it here.
  • Forums
  • California Theme Parks
  • Other California Parks
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.

Knott’s Scary Farm 2019

  • Thread starter Thread starter Freak
  • Start date Start date Jan 14, 2019
Prev
  • 1
  • …

    Go to page

  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
Next
First Prev 13 of 14

Go to page

Next Last
HZorrorLover1974

HZorrorLover1974

Shark Bait
Joined
Aug 13, 2019
Messages
127
Age
25
  • Oct 2, 2019
  • #241
Chris Glass said:
Think of it like a sitcom cartoon. Every episode resolves itself and there's little in the way of development.
Click to expand...

well damn.
 
Ryan

Ryan

Webslinger
Joined
May 23, 2013
Messages
4,458
Location
Las Vegas, NV
  • Oct 15, 2019
  • #242
Chris Glass said:
Think of it like a sitcom cartoon. Every episode resolves itself and there's little in the way of development.
Click to expand...

Honestly, I don't get the joke then. It literally says "RIP The Hanging 1976 to 2019" at the end. Is this the last version of THIS kind of parody show Hanging or what? Either way I don't care. It was not great. The Disney jokes are smile-inducing but otherwise the whole thing drags and is painfully unfunny. If the joke is about "cancel culture" (as the Epstein speech would imply), then it doesn't come across as ironic or sincere, just confusing.

That said, I have only good things to say about the rest of the event. Origins and Wax Works were both awesome, especially Origins. That reminded me a lot of HHN 26's Ghost Town, but with really cheesy (in the best way) video monitor effects. Wax Works had a nice, spooky vibe with some solid scenic and scares. The Depths is still amazing for a scenic fan like myself, and I adored the new preshow with the elevator descending room. Dark Ride, of course, is still awesome, love the new room at the very end, it cracked me up. Infected is still wildly popular, which makes me very, very nervous that it's going away. The only plus is that they didn't remove anything from Mystery Lodge... yet.

Puppet Up was an absolute riot, hardest I've laughed at a show in any Haunt, including all of the Bill and Ted's I've seen. I've been scouring the various other shows people have filmed and they have been hilarious. I pray this comes back in 2020, it's a total hit and way better than Hacks was.

The event was extremely busy, and while my Fast Lane made the mazes a breeze, it wasn't any help on the coasters. I got to ride Ghost Rider at the very start of the event and that was it. Xcelerator had 1-train operation (no shock) along with Silver Bullet. Hangtime was running 2, but the ops were so slow it might as well have been one. Pony Express was not running. Iron Reef (IRON REEF!) had a 50-minute wait. Calico River Rapids, thankfully, had zero wait and I enjoyed it. The Bigfoot animatronic comes across less cheesy at night. I did force myself to endure the 45-minute wait for Timber Mountain, which despite its new seating arrangement had no single rider line. It also didn't help that there were (seems like ADA?) seating for three every few or so logs and they would just let them go by empty. The crowd was entirely teenagers which made some of the night absolutely dreadful. I was pushed thru Paranormal Inc and had to physically turn around and tell the kid to knock it off. In Timber Mountain's line, there were a group of 15-year-olds making fart noises almost the entire first half of the line. Next year I'm going far earlier in the event to avoid them.

However it wasn't enough to deter my enjoyment of this stellar event. Another A-plus year at Knott's.
 
DTH

DTH

Jurassic Ranger
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
1,936
  • Oct 15, 2019
  • #243
A 50 minute wait for Iron Reef is the scariest thing Knotts will ever produce. That ride is legitimately in the bottom 5 I've ever been on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Freak, SailwiththeTide, Ryan and 1 other person
Stryker

Stryker

Jurassic Ranger
Joined
Feb 22, 2018
Messages
1,016
Location
SoCal
  • Oct 15, 2019
  • #244
The ride itself is fine. Ride ops for Iron Reef is some of the slowest I've ever experienced. That final outdoor portion of the queue looks short, but can take 30 minutes.
 
Ryan

Ryan

Webslinger
Joined
May 23, 2013
Messages
4,458
Location
Las Vegas, NV
  • Oct 15, 2019
  • #245
DTH said:
A 50 minute wait for Iron Reef is the scariest thing Knotts will ever produce. That ride is legitimately in the bottom 5 I've ever been on.
Click to expand...

It was a virtual walk-on last year, which is why I knew that night was more crowded than normal.
 
G

GhostHost85

Shark Bait
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
164
Age
39
  • Oct 15, 2019
  • #246
Knott's in general tends to keep getting busier and busier. Sadly, they don't have the ops and ride capacity to support the crowds they get. As much as I like the park, I would go way more often if I didn't have to wait 30-120 minutes to ride most anything good. With fastpass and high capacity rides, there are usually things to do at Disneyland without waiting forever even if the park is fairly busy.

Thankfully, they now have a single rider line on GhostRider, but it isn't always open.

I would suggest visiting Scary Farm on the second Thursday of the year whenever possible since the crowds were really low that day this year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ryan
Ryan

Ryan

Webslinger
Joined
May 23, 2013
Messages
4,458
Location
Las Vegas, NV
  • Oct 16, 2019
  • #247
I agree, Knott's is absolutely miserable when crowded, but otherwise a complete gem.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Clive and GhostHost85
G

GhostHost85

Shark Bait
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
164
Age
39
  • Oct 18, 2019
  • #248
I was there tonight and the crowds were insane for a Thursday. Parking was a huge hassle and took forever, like maybe 40 minutes or so. The park itself was packed and a lot of the ride lines were ludicrous. Outside of the crowds, the mazes themselves suffer on these busy nights since they tend to let more people in at once, which leads to the mazes basically being slow moving conga lines through the sets with little or no scares.

I feel that to get a good experience anymore, you need to visit on Thursday or Sunday during the first three weeks. If a Thursday this late in the season was so crowded, then a Saturday can't even approach being enjoyable.

I hope they add more mazes next year since 9 aren't enough. As much as I enjoy the guns in special ops, I would prefer that no more mazes have gimmicks like guns or flash lights that slow down the lines. They need all the capacity they can get.
 
HORRORable Commenter

HORRORable Commenter

Shark Bait
Joined
Jun 30, 2019
Messages
437
Location
New York City
  • Oct 19, 2019
  • #249
GhostHost85 said:
I was there tonight and the crowds were insane for a Thursday. Parking was a huge hassle and took forever, like maybe 40 minutes or so. The park itself was packed and a lot of the ride lines were ludicrous. Outside of the crowds, the mazes themselves suffer on these busy nights since they tend to let more people in at once, which leads to the mazes basically being slow moving conga lines through the sets with little or no scares.

I feel that to get a good experience anymore, you need to visit on Thursday or Sunday during the first three weeks. If a Thursday this late in the season was so crowded, then a Saturday can't even approach being enjoyable.

I hope they add more mazes next year since 9 aren't enough. As much as I enjoy the guns in special ops, I would prefer that no more mazes have gimmicks like guns or flash lights that slow down the lines. They need all the capacity they can get.
Click to expand...
have to agree. If I were Knotts, 10 mazes would be the choice, with more showtimes, more operating rides, and, as much as it sucks, higher prices.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Clive and GhostHost85
G

GhostHost85

Shark Bait
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
164
Age
39
  • Oct 19, 2019
  • #250
HORRORable Commenter said:
have to agree. If I were Knotts, 10 mazes would be the choice, with more showtimes, more operating rides, and, as much as it sucks, higher prices.
Click to expand...

As much as I don't want to have to pay more, I would definitely be okay with a price increase if it results in far smaller crowds and a better experience. Scary Farm and Knott's in general are both very cheap options for entertainment when compared to other nearby entertainment options. That has resulted in extreme crowd increases over the years.

I know they want to pack as many people in as possible to sell food and merchandise, but I know from my own experience that I go far less often because of crowds.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Clive and HORRORable Commenter
DTH

DTH

Jurassic Ranger
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
1,936
  • Oct 22, 2019
  • #251
They used to have 13 mazes, and this was back in its hayday when they would actually have sold out nights every night of the event, and as you can imagine, it was a nightmare with crowds.
It'd be price gouging that'd steer away crowds. But no measly uptick will do it, it'd have to nearly triple in price. People are willing to spend as much as HHN because KSF has way more rides. If it suddenly became $90, people would still go.
But then, personally, as a fan I would expect quality to rise with it. And that just won't happen.
 
G

GhostHost85

Shark Bait
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
164
Age
39
  • Oct 22, 2019
  • #252
DTH said:
They used to have 13 mazes, and this was back in its hayday when they would actually have sold out nights every night of the event, and as you can imagine, it was a nightmare with crowds.
It'd be price gouging that'd steer away crowds. But no measly uptick will do it, it'd have to nearly triple in price. People are willing to spend as much as HHN because KSF has way more rides. If it suddenly became $90, people would still go.
But then, personally, as a fan I would expect quality to rise with it. And that just won't happen.
Click to expand...

I didn't live in California till 2015, so I'm not sure when the heyday would have been. That said, the crowds have gotten far worse than they were back in 2015 and 2016. Even though most of the rides are open, you might spend 2-3 hours of the event waiting for GhostRider or Xcelerator on busy nights.
 
DTH

DTH

Jurassic Ranger
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
1,936
  • Oct 23, 2019
  • #253
Heyday was basically pre-2006. Not coincidentally, this is the year HHN returned from hiatus. KSF had a hard time trying to keep up starting around 2008. Sadly, they didn't try to compensate, and just let their event fall into shambles. It took a handful of years, plus many years of experimentation (stuff like Trapped and the original Special Ops) before they found their footing again where people find the content suitable.
Also, a lot of those line times have to do with operations and how idiotic they can be sometimes. Like running one or two trains for Ghost Rider on a peak night. Maybe some are down for maintenance, but c'mon, prep for the peak season!

On another note!
I noticed KSF is open for Nov 1st and 2nd. This is the first time in years that I can remember them doing this! (Or maybe I just didn't notice). One of my very first trips in the early 00s was in November when it was COMPLETELY empty and it was a magical experience. I might just go one of those nights to try to recapture that experience.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GhostHost85
G

GhostHost85

Shark Bait
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
164
Age
39
  • Oct 23, 2019
  • #254
DTH said:
Heyday was basically pre-2006. Not coincidentally, this is the year HHN returned from hiatus. KSF had a hard time trying to keep up starting around 2008. Sadly, they didn't try to compensate, and just let their event fall into shambles. It took a handful of years, plus many years of experimentation (stuff like Trapped and the original Special Ops) before they found their footing again where people find the content suitable.
Also, a lot of those line times have to do with operations and how idiotic they can be sometimes. Like running one or two trains for Ghost Rider on a peak night. Maybe some are down for maintenance, but c'mon, prep for the peak season!

On another note!
I noticed KSF is open for Nov 1st and 2nd. This is the first time in years that I can remember them doing this! (Or maybe I just didn't notice). One of my very first trips in the early 00s was in November when it was COMPLETELY empty and it was a magical experience. I might just go one of those nights to try to recapture that experience.
Click to expand...

That is good to know, thanks. I am guessing that since there wasn't nearly as much competition back then, almost everyone that wanted a haunt went to Scary Farm which would cause the sold out nights. Nowadays, we not only have HHN, but also Dark Harbor and Fright Fest. Even if Fright Fest existed back then, they have made a lot of improvements to it over the years.

And Knott's Ops throughout the year can generally be terrible. Xcelerator has been running one train since at least July and they also have multiple seats broken on that train. Also, their dispatch times are extremely slow, and they have the worst overall coaster ops in SoCal from my experience.

The last day of Scary Farm is usually Halloween, but I think they expanded it into November since Halloween is on a Thursday this year. I am really curious how crowded it will be on Halloween thru November 2nd. I went on Halloween night in 2015 and 2016 and it was pleasant on those nights. However, since crowds throughout the event have increased so much, I don't know if it will be like that this year.
 
DTH

DTH

Jurassic Ranger
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
1,936
  • Oct 23, 2019
  • #255
Historically for HHN, the November nights are (no pun intended) absolute Ghost Towns and are the best times to go.
That one time in 2001 I went in November to KSF, like I said, magical with how empty it was. Did absolutely everything and was the target everywhere I went.
 
HORRORable Commenter

HORRORable Commenter

Shark Bait
Joined
Jun 30, 2019
Messages
437
Location
New York City
  • Oct 23, 2019
  • #256
I know this is constantly repeated, but Knotts really needs to add more than 2 mazes each year. Compared to 2017, the last two years have been so damn boring (stil quality, but really dull). What I'd do:
New maze in Shadowlands area
New maze in special ops area
New maze in Punpkin eater area
Lights out treatment in Paranormal
Lights out treatment on dark ride]
Guns added to Dark Entities
THAT'D be a year! Say "6 New Mazes!" or "More mazes than ever!"
 
deadbydawn

deadbydawn

Jurassic Ranger
Joined
Mar 23, 2015
Messages
1,191
Location
Orange County, CA
  • Oct 24, 2019
  • #257
HORRORable Commenter said:
I know this is constantly repeated, but Knotts really needs to add more than 2 mazes each year. Compared to 2017, the last two years have been so damn boring (stil quality, but really dull). What I'd do:
New maze in Shadowlands area
New maze in special ops area
New maze in Punpkin eater area
Lights out treatment in Paranormal
Lights out treatment on dark ride]
Guns added to Dark Entities
THAT'D be a year! Say "6 New Mazes!" or "More mazes than ever!"
Click to expand...

I don't think this year is boring or dull at all. I've had a blast this season. We know that we will probably be getting a replacement for both Shadowlands and Special Ops next year. Assuming nothing changes, the maze count would be the same but as long as the quality of the event continues going up I have no issues. IMO, Knott's still provides the best bang for your buck in terms of what you get at the overall event.

I like the ideas for changes to some of the existing mazes. Those would be fun. I think Dark Ride is pretty dang near perfect how it is even after a few seasons though.
 
Freak

Freak

Time Traveler
Joined
Jan 10, 2013
Messages
8,421
Location
No man's land: SoCal
  • Oct 28, 2019
  • #258
I will be going back one more time on Friday. Look forward to doing Origins again!
 
DTH

DTH

Jurassic Ranger
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
1,936
  • Oct 30, 2019
  • #259
HORRORable Commenter said:
I know this is constantly repeated, but Knotts really needs to add more than 2 mazes each year. Compared to 2017, the last two years have been so damn boring (stil quality, but really dull). What I'd do:
New maze in Shadowlands area
New maze in special ops area
New maze in Punpkin eater area
Lights out treatment in Paranormal
Lights out treatment on dark ride]
Guns added to Dark Entities
THAT'D be a year! Say "6 New Mazes!" or "More mazes than ever!"
Click to expand...
I'd love it if Knotts actually scaled things back a bit, in the sense HHN did in 06/07.
A "reboot" if you will.
Slash ALL the mazes and start from scratch. Only do 4-5 mazes. Put ALL the budget into them and make them the scariest, most innovative mazes ever made -- the first year or two, due to figuring out their budget allocation, I'd expect many reused set pieces from this year and that's fine. Throw away any bad ideas and focus on quality. Let the creative directors really dive into the process and thoroughly train each actor. Then be strict. Make sure every scene is in tip top shape so that every - single - visitor gets the intended experience of that scene. Let veterans do their thing but newbies can have "set scares." Hire 3/4 of the amount of actors they hire now, but now have the actors double up in each maze so nobody gets tired with breaks and intervals. Have dress rehearsals and/or fan appreciation nights so the kinks can be ironed out. So the lines don't get insane, make sure every ride has had maintenance and running several cars. Three major high capacity shows. One to replace The Hanging, the Schultz theater, and one in the Birdcage or the Wagon Camp. If there's any budget leftover, fix up the Log Ride and the Mine Ride to be themed. They don't necessarily need actors, but a spooky overhaul would be great. Raise prices by about $15-20 and lower capacity. Keep the prices low in the beginning so word of mouth can spread though, so people understand they're not just charging more for less. That they've upped their game to be beyond anything they were before or any competition in the area, and spending extra will be worth it. Keep Ghost Town exactly the same. If they feel a need to re-haul Carnevil and Necropolis, so be it. They already got rid of the Gauntlet so Carnevil isn't even that sacred to me anymore, considering it's barely ANY dressing and all clowns.
 
Clive

Clive

Dragon Trainer
Staff Member
Joined
May 26, 2010
Messages
6,876
  • Oct 30, 2019
  • #260
DTH said:
I'd love it if Knotts actually scaled things back a bit, in the sense HHN did in 06/07.
A "reboot" if you will.
Slash ALL the mazes and start from scratch. Only do 4-5 mazes. Put ALL the budget into them and make them the scariest, most innovative mazes ever made -- the first year or two, due to figuring out their budget allocation, I'd expect many reused set pieces from this year and that's fine. Throw away any bad ideas and focus on quality. Let the creative directors really dive into the process and thoroughly train each actor. Then be strict. Make sure every scene is in tip top shape so that every - single - visitor gets the intended experience of that scene. Let veterans do their thing but newbies can have "set scares." Hire 3/4 of the amount of actors they hire now, but now have the actors double up in each maze so nobody gets tired with breaks and intervals. Have dress rehearsals and/or fan appreciation nights so the kinks can be ironed out. So the lines don't get insane, make sure every ride has had maintenance and running several cars. Three major high capacity shows. One to replace The Hanging, the Schultz theater, and one in the Birdcage or the Wagon Camp. If there's any budget leftover, fix up the Log Ride and the Mine Ride to be themed. They don't necessarily need actors, but a spooky overhaul would be great. Raise prices by about $15-20 and lower capacity. Keep the prices low in the beginning so word of mouth can spread though, so people understand they're not just charging more for less. That they've upped their game to be beyond anything they were before or any competition in the area, and spending extra will be worth it. Keep Ghost Town exactly the same. If they feel a need to re-haul Carnevil and Necropolis, so be it. They already got rid of the Gauntlet so Carnevil isn't even that sacred to me anymore, considering it's barely ANY dressing and all clowns.
Click to expand...

You're basically describing them becoming more like Horror Nights... which I don't necessarily disagree with, but I think Knotts is more than happy to have their own identity, for better and worse.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HORRORable Commenter, Viator and Freak
Prev
  • 1
  • …

    Go to page

  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
Next
First Prev 13 of 14

Go to page

Next Last
You must log in or register to reply here.
Share:
Facebook X Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit Pinterest Tumblr WhatsApp Email Share Link

Book with our Travel Partners

MEI Travel

Latest posts

  • Captain Spaulding
    Rope Drop Tactics
    • Latest: Captain Spaulding
    • 21 minutes ago
    Universal Epic Universe
  • DodgsonHere
    Bringing Back Nostalgic Properties to Universal Parks?
    • Latest: DodgsonHere
    • 39 minutes ago
    Universal Studios Florida
  • Mashmingingmasher77
    Halloween Horror Nights 34 (UOR) - Speculation & Rumors
    • Latest: Mashmingingmasher77
    • Today at 7:05 AM
    Halloween Horror Nights 34
  • WebHead1138
    Universal Studios Florida: What Do We Think About It?
    • Latest: WebHead1138
    • Today at 6:11 AM
    Universal Studios Florida
  • GAcoaster
    Epic Universe Expansion Speculation
    • Latest: GAcoaster
    • Today at 4:49 AM
    Universal Epic Universe

Share this page

Facebook X Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit Pinterest Tumblr WhatsApp Email Share Link
  • Forums
  • California Theme Parks
  • Other California Parks
  • Style variation
    System Light Dark
  • Contact us
  • Terms and rules
  • Privacy policy
  • Help
  • Home
  • RSS
Community platform by XenForo® © 2010-2025 XenForo Ltd.
  • This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Accept Learn more…
Back
Top