How did Knott’s Berry Farm change the theme park business 50 years in the past?
In 1973, Knott’s was the primary theme park to supply a standalone Halloween occasion. Right now, just about each main theme park property in America — and plenty of others all over the world — are extending their season with their very own Halloween haunts. Common has its Halloween Horror Nights. Six Flags has Fright Fest. SeaWorld and Busch Gardens supply Howl-O-Scream.
Even parks that don’t need to embrace leap scares and monsters have gotten into the Halloween sport with family-friendly occasions. Legoland has its Brick-Or-Deal with, whereas Disney does Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Journey and Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Social gathering at Walt Disney World.
Knott’s Scary Farm opened for its fiftieth version final week. Trying again, it appears apparent {that a} park whose coronary heart is known as Ghost City ought to embrace Halloween. This yr’s Scary Farm brings a few of its previous mazes again to life with a tribute, The Chilling Chambers, which name-checks the very first maze in Knott’s Halloween historical past.
I noticed some followers exiting that maze crying in pleasure from what’s a literal stroll down Scary Farm reminiscence lane. Nonetheless, most of the hundreds of followers who end up for every evening of Scary Farm usually are not longtime guests. The Chilling Chambers affords loads of scares for followers who don’t get all of the references, however my favourite maze at this yr’s Scary Farm was one other new one, Cinema Slasher.
This tribute to horror movies is a grasp class in walk-through hang-out design. You’ve acquired immersive environments, together with a theater foyer that smells of popcorn and affords a formidable light-shifting impact. There may be beautiful manufacturing design that brings standard film tropes to life. A fantastic forged of “scareactors” fills the maze with intimidation and leap scares. All of it comes collectively to elicit waves of emotion, from nostalgia to curiosity to worry and, in the long run, pleasure.
Experiences akin to Cinema Slasher draw hundreds of paying prospects every evening of Scary Farm. When theme parks discover hits like this, everybody else within the enterprise notices.
Many theme park attraction designers acquired their begin by constructing haunted homes of their garages or yards after they had been youngsters. Even right this moment’s skilled walk-through haunts don’t make use of costly experience programs. Whereas some large chains license or characteristic their very own horror franchises, home-grown ideas usually work simply as effectively, if not higher, than brand-name scares.
Knott’s rival Disneyland created a trail-blazing innovation with its Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance attraction. However an innovation like that isn’t prone to spawn imitators for the straightforward purpose that growing a multi-ride system expertise is past the monetary attain of anybody else within the business, outdoors of perhaps Common.
Each park can afford to construct walk-through haunts and scare zones, nonetheless. And when they’re finished effectively, like Knott’s confirmed the world easy methods to do, followers like to pay to expertise them. That makes Halloween occasions a can’t-miss alternative for all the theme park business.