On Sunday, Midsummer Scream kicked off its day of main stage presentations with a presentation from Knott’s Scary Farm. But at an event known for exciting reveals and updates on Southern California’s favorite haunted attractions, Knott’s used most of its time to tell us what it’s taking away.
The presentation, which included a panel of guests from Knott’s Berry Farm’s haunt team, was moderated by the production specialist for Knott’s Scary Farm Pasta Berkey. The panel included Manager of Design and Park Decor Jeff Shadic, Area Manager of Wardrobe Bill Meier, Creative Designer Daniel Miller, and Knott’s Scary Farm Show Director Jeff Tucker.
After some introductions from each panelist, the conversation turned to Knott’s Scary Farm maze Wax Works. Introduced in 2019, the maze takes guests into an eerie abandoned wax museum where once-prominent plastic surgeon Dr. Agustus Scratch turns his victims into his latest works of art. As part of the presentation, the maze’s trailer was played, and then it was announced that 2024 will be the final year for the Scary Farm maze. What followed was a 20-minute history lesson on the maze, including the reveal of some easter eggs that include a male prop dummy toward the end of the maze, which is anatomically correct but isn’t exposed thanks to a large diaper.
The second half of the panel then focused on the different elements that make up Knott’s Scary Farm, including costume design, entertainment, makeup, and park decor. Each area of focus was looked at from a historical standpoint, with very few insights into what is to come beyond the fact that the Forsaken Lake lantern activation will likely see some upgrades for the 2024 season.
The panel concluded with the announcement of Nightmares Revealed, a special Knott’s Scary Farm event taking place on August 22. The limited-attendance event will feature a full stage show where everything you need to know about the 2024 Knott’s Scary Farm event will be revealed. Guests will also have the chance to talk to the designers, experience activations and photo ops, and even the opportunity to walk through a Knott’s Scary Farm maze with the lights on. Tickets for the event will go on sale August 5 at 10 AM.
As a haunt fan and Knott’s Scary Farm fan, it was great to see some of the work that went into making Wax Works what it is, and I thought it was a nice send-off to the maze that will be no more after the 2024 season. But at an event where we’ve come to expect some sort of significant reveal from theme parks and events, I felt like the Knott’s Scary Farm presentation was a bit of a letdown. They could have revealed something without hurting the value or benefit of its special ticketed reveal event next month.
Did you attend the Knott’s Scary Farm presentation at Midsummer Scream? What did you think? Hit me up on social media and let me know!
