Knott’s Scary Farm haunted mazes and scare zones returning to the fog in 2022
The 49th season of Halloween Haunt kicks off on Sept. 22 and runs on select nights through Oct. 31 at Knott’s Berry Farm.
Scary Farm 2022 tickets go on sale Aug. 15.
Knott’s Scary Farm returns to the fog with a strong lineup of haunted mazes and scare zones from past Halloween seasons as the granddaddy of theme park haunted attractions prepares for a significant anniversary milestone lurking just around the darkened corner.
The 49th season of Halloween Haunt kicks off on Sept. 22 and runs on select nights through Oct. 31 at Knott’s Berry Farm. Scary Farm 2022 tickets go on sale Aug. 15.
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So far, Knott’s has announced seven haunted mazes and five scare zones that will be returning from past Scary Farms. Last year’s event featured eight mazes – suggesting at least one new maze could be announced soon.
The 2015 Paranormal Inc. appears to be retiring after a successful run as one of the perennial top mazes. Historically, Knott’s adds a new maze or two every Halloween season to keep things fresh and encourage returning haunt fans.
A single new maze for 2022 would make sense as Knott’s gears up for a 50th-anniversary celebration of the annual Halloween event in 2023.
Scary Farm 2020 was canceled due to the extended coronavirus closure of the park. Knott’s offered the Taste of Fall-O-Ween food festival as a Halloween season replacement while theme park attractions remained closed amid state-mandated COVID-19 health and safety restrictions.
Scary Farm returned in 2021 after the pandemic pause with the new Mesmer haunted maze set in a circus sideshow.
Let’s take a closer look at the haunted mazes and scare zones returning for Knott’s Scary Farm 2022:
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Haunted Mazes
The Depths
The backstory for The Depths maze involves the superstitions and myths surrounding the terrifying horrors that lurk in the ominous caverns and eerie tunnels beneath an abandoned port village.
Mesmer: Sideshow of the Mind
The Mesmer: Sideshow of the Mind haunted maze descends into the eerie world of madness and torture beneath a traveling carnival tent where sinister sideshow freaks do the bidding of Mesmer the hypnotist who preys on people’s inner thoughts and hidden fears.
Origins: The Curse of Calico
The Origins: The Curse of Calico haunted maze drops visitors into the middle of a witch trial taking place in Knott’s Ghost Town.
Dark Ride
The Dark Ride maze takes trespassers inside the abandoned Castle of Chaos amusement park attraction overrun by crazed carnies, clowns and freaks.
Wax Works
The Wax Works haunted maze takes over an abandoned wax museum where a once-prominent plastic surgeon has set up shop.
Pumpkin Eater
The backstory for Pumpkin Eater takes visitors inside a quaint village terrorized by the wrath of a sinister creature that haunts the woods at the edge of town.
Dark Entities
Dark Entities teleports visitors to a space station overrun by a deadly extraterrestrial in the farthest reaches of the galaxy.
Scare Zones
Gore-ing ’20s
The Gore-ing ’20s scare zone travels to the decadent Prohibition period of the 1920s where gangsters supply bootleg booze to ghostly revelers entertained by a spectral jazz era band. The scare zone takes over the area of the park near the new Knott’s Bear-y Tales dark ride that was once themed to the Roaring 20s.
Ghost Town Streets
The scare zone that started it all swarms with half-human, half-animal monsters that prowl the streets of Calico Ghost Town. Beware of the Sliders who lunge from the fog-filled corners of the Wild West town and slide across the streets on their hands and knees.
Forsaken Lake
Gothic creatures hidden in the lake beneath the Silver Bullet roller coaster emerge from the murky waters in search of victims to drag back to the dark depths.
CarnEvil
Deviant clowns and freak show creatures roam the CarnEvil scare zone in the Boardwalk area of the park.
The Hollow
The fog-filled Hollow scare zone drops visitors into the middle of a battle between the Witches of the Hollow along with their army of creatures versus the Witch Hunter who is hot on their trail.
By BRADY MACDONALD | bmacdonald@scng.com | source