Knott's Scary Farm 2021

[Spookies n' Stuff]

Worth noting that Paranormal was always demanding pretty long waits compared to the other mazes back in that area, probably since its its last year, so plan accordingly.

 

[Rideguy70]

Just FYI, if it's an issue for you, Boofest does not have an outdoor dining option. That's still an issue for me (I still do not feel safe eating indoors), so I won't be doing it.

 

[MikePat]

Mesmer: Sideshow of the Mind looks like another hit for Knotts Scary Farm... I think a haunt event is good when that phrase ("another hit for Knotts") is being said year after year...

Seriously though, this maze brings back magic to that location of the park literally. That old Black Magic maze looked nice, but Mesmer has a lot more magic happening, and it looks much scarier. Also, Knotts again pulled out some great animatronics for the maze. I am very impressed based off the videos.

Knott's just keeps on making their maze lineup one of the strongest lineups ever.

 

[kingcooger]

Awesome! Thanks for the info.Will only be able to go once this season, so we want to make the most of it.

Just to put this out there, judging how Knott's is going to be by its opening night is a fool's errand as they ALWAYS get slammed that evening.

For planning purposes, if you can go on a Thursday or Sunday, do that over Friday or Saturday

Also, in the past most of the front houses have cleared out by about 11:30pm apart from Paranormal which almost always has at least a 30 minute wait (and oftentimes more). I am usually able to walk right into Wax Works and Dark Entities around this time.

You mentioned the mine ride, but don't miss the log flume either as it is another Knott's classic attraction. It is also the first themed log flume in the world (and the second log flume ever built).

And from what I am hearing, part of the fun of the Gore-ing 20's zone are the interactions, so that might warrant some time.

I will have a more full report on a few of these things after my visit on Saturday.

 

[Tristan]

Did anyone find the secret bar they were hyping up?

 

[deadbydawn]

This year is a great year for Knott's considering the circumstances. Crowd levels felt pretty decent, although we upgraded to the Fast/Fright Lane when we got there for fear that we might not be able see all the mazes. Not having a pass this year sort of made us spend a little extra, but it made the night a lot less rushed. I'd recommend upgrading to anyone who plans on going only once.

Unfortunately we didn't have time for any of the shows. Hoping to go back with a regular ticket and carve some time out for those. Mesmer was fantastic and is a super strong addition to their lineup. Every room felt like a finale room and that maze is long. Really great use of space there. Every other maze felt good. Dark Ride is all time favorite for me so I tried to knock that one out a few extra times. Everything in the back near Ghostrider had no lines almost all night except for Paranormal Inc. Towards the end of the night lines dropped for almost everything which isn't unusual especially on a Thursday.

The new scare zone is also really fun. The characters utilize the band upstairs near the theater to sneak up on guests which is a cool tactic. Lots of great characters and set pieces in this area too along with the live music. It's a great mix of elements that makes it a super unique scare zone. As for the bar, pretty sure that was all hyped up hah.

Any questions anyone else has feel free to ask!

 

[Clive]

Just FYI, if it's an issue for you, Boofest does not have an outdoor dining option. That's still an issue for me (I still do not feel safe eating indoors), so I won't be doing it.

Came to ask this and disappointing to hear. Would totally take advantage of it if they threw together some picnic tables outside the venue.

 

[JawsVictim]

Aw, yeah the lack of outdoor seating for Boofet is a bummer. Although o was just in Orlando eating at Mythos and Ogas and *luckily* did not catch COVID.

Anyways, I did notice the website says Fright and Fastlane is good for unlimited entry. If that’s the case, I might just spring for it and go on a Fri or Sat so we can actually stay late.

 

[HHNManics]

Just FYI, if it's an issue for you, Boofest does not have an outdoor dining option. That's still an issue for me (I still do not feel safe eating indoors), so I won't be doing it.

Came to ask this and disappointing to hear. Would totally take advantage of it if they threw together some picnic tables outside the venue.

Aw, yeah the lack of outdoor seating for Boofet is a bummer. Although o was just in Orlando eating at Mythos and Ogas and *luckily* did not catch COVID.

Anyways, I did notice the website says Fright and Fastlane is good for unlimited entry. If that’s the case, I might just spring for it and go on a Fri or Sat so we can actually stay late.

Would appear that there is outdoor seating.

 

[Jerroddragon]

How were ride times? were most rides walk on?

 

[JawsVictim]

Would appear that there is outdoor seating.

Well that’s nice to know there’s outdoor seating. It’s definitely a better deal than the Fright and Fastlane pass!

 

[Rideguy70]

That's good to hear. I do know that some of the special events (like ACE) are not offering outdoor dining for their Boo-Fet, we asked about it.

 

[Freak]

Just realized that I never have a report from opening night! I’ve been a little
Busy and am getting ready to go to Florida on Monday, but yeah here’s my quick n’ dirty trip report from Thursday night:

-Crowds were fairly light! I was among the poor peasants that could only do general admission instead of prescare, but I arrived around 6:20, got in around 6:40, and still managed to have an okay spot in the crowd. One of these days I’m gonna do prescare, but that’s okay. I had a delicious meal at Portillo’s. It’s up the street where the mall is. Get a hot Itallian roast beef sandwich dipped in gravy and a cake shake. Both will change your life.
-I was just a hair past the front gate restrooms where the rope drop crowd holds. Hit up Wax Works, Depths, Enteties, then Paranormal. Knocked ‘em all out in an hour and a half.
-Went to see Futurtronics. I was going to do Origins right after the backstage houses but decided to hit this up since it’s showing once every 20 min. From the moment I entered to the moment the closed the doors for the preshow it took about 45 min. I won’t spoil too much in case you decide to check it out (you can just watch on YT) but it’s basically a haunt version of Mystery Lodge with a completely different theme and story. They make great use of the pepper’s ghost projections. It’s not the greatest show ever, but I at least appreciate the effort to offer some entertainment repurposing one of their existing attractions.Although I personally enjoyed it for what it was, I only recommend hitting it up if you are way ahead of schedule and have some time to kill.
-Streets as always are awesome. Ghost Town streets/Fog Alley will always be my all time favorite scare zone. In fact, I think Knotts dominates streets over every other haunt event out there. Forsaken Lake is also awesome with how the monsters use the sets to hide in. I wish HHNH would learn from this zone. Oh and Gore-ing 20’s was great too!
-I did like Mesmer but I think it’s just a tad overhyped. It did have some of the best AAs KSF has ever done. Also it had some really good visuals. I just really wish Knotts would adapt the audio trigger into their houses. I just got an okay run through of this.
-Origins is still hands down the best house of the event. Still amazing.
-Crowds were pretty nice when we went. Longest I wanted was 30 min for Paranormal.

 

[MikePat]

After watching a lot of Mesmer walkthroughs, I noticed that a lot of people ended up going the wrong way at the end and walking back into the "Ticking Clock Hallway." Did anyone else lose there way through any maze at Scary Farm this year?

I remember when I went years ago that I almost exited out of Dead of Winter early.

 

[Water Bottle]

Is there a way to view the menu? All I saw online was a carving station, fried chicken, and boysenberry pie. Also, do the houses at Knott’s have light-bleed problems during the day?

when we went this year paranormal was definitely fudged up by the daylight. a lot of its effectiveness relies on darkness. but in the later half of the season, it gets dark much earlier

 

[Water Bottle]

After watching a lot of Mesmer walkthroughs, I noticed that a lot of people ended up going the wrong way at the end and walking back into the "Ticking Clock Hallway." Did anyone else lose there way through any maze at Scary Farm this year?

I remember when I went years ago that I almost exited out of Dead of Winter early.

lmao i definetly didnt. to me its pretty ovious where to go all the time as light leads the way. also, side note, i did find that Mesmer is very straightforward layout wise, where in origins, for example, you cant tell where you are in the building at all untill you really get to know it, but for this you could tell its a straightshot to the end of the wherehouse, goes out the back, and to the front. It doesnt really matter but just thought id point out that i noticed it. Didnt even have that when Shadowlands was there.

 

[deadbydawn]

How were ride times? were most rides walk on?

Everything seemed pretty mellow. I only rode the Log Ride and Ghostrider, but traditionally on Thursdays the rides are pretty low.

After watching a lot of Mesmer walkthroughs, I noticed that a lot of people ended up going the wrong way at the end and walking back into the "Ticking Clock Hallway." Did anyone else lose there way through any maze at Scary Farm this year?

I remember when I went years ago that I almost exited out of Dead of Winter early.

I didn't have an issue, but I can see where some people would.

 

[JawsVictim]

Which shows are worth checking out? I’m highly interested in Puppet Up.

 

[HHNManics]

Which shows are worth checking out? I’m highly interested in Puppet Up.

Puppet Up and Invitation to Terror are definitely worth checking out. Both are pretty great shows.

 

[JawsVictim]

Puppet Up and Invitation to Terror are definitely worth checking out. Both are pretty great shows.

Very cool! Can’t wait to finally check out this event after decades of wanting to attend!