Scary farm breeds fright

By Hilary Strickland, On-Line Forty-Niner

Thursday, October 29, 1998

Knott's Scary Farm's 26th Annual Halloween Haunt does have some frightening features: the price for parking, admission price and a three-hour line for Knott's newest attraction, "Supreme Scream."

Knott's Scary Farm has been frightening people for the past 26 Halloweens, and this year the place was packed.

The good folks at the Scary Farm offer their patrons nine live shows. "Elvira's Haunted House Party" was one of them. Unfortunately, it was a wasted 30 minutes. The time is near where Elvira should hang up her black wig.

The "House Party's" only saving grace was the gratuitous flesh Elvira's 20-something dancers provided.

Ultimately, the mazes are the best things about Knott's Scary Farm.

The following is a rating of the mazes to maximize your money and time. Time flies when you are standing in line.

Alien Attack ***

This maze is new to Knott's Scary Farm's 1998 lineup. The premise: Aliens have landed and are wreaking havoc, resulting in close encounters of the frightening kind.

The maze had an "X-Files" feel to it with some uniquely twisted stuff. There was more than little green aliens running around.

Dead Man's Wharf ****

The setting is the docks of an old, abandoned San Pedro shipyard blanketed with fog.

The maze had plenty of carnage and wandering monsters. I felt bad about knocking small children down as I ran out screaming.

Horrorwood Hotel ****

Each room comes complete with its own horror movie theme. Hollywood's most notorious bad boys come to life, including a certain charred, razors for fingers maniac, some zombies, a masked psycho that will make one scream and Pinhead the hellraiser. This maze got under my skin and I highly recommend it.

Dominion of the Dead **

There is this big old castle full of the living dead. I have seen it before and it has been done to death. If there is no line, check it out, but if there is, skip it.

The Inquisition *

Knott's has been including this maze in its Halloween Haunt for a few years.

It was new back when Elvira was cool. They should give everyone a break and leave it out next year.

This maze tries too hard to be scary, resulting in overkill. The underground dungeons, representing Europe's Dark Ages, are sadly represented.

The most frightening aspect of this maze is the fact that people actually stood in line for this mess.

Nightmares - The Awakening ****

One of Knott's Scary Farm's most popular mazes is back with a vengeance. This maze has a nightmarish, surrealistic quality to it that will not soon be forgotten.

The walls move and follow you. It was one of the most incredible trips I have taken.

The Underground ****

This maze is set up to represent a post-nuclear holocaust. Law and order have been replaced by chaos and mayhem.

At first I thought this maze would be terrible. There was a long sequence of plain hallway. I felt like I was part of a herd of cattle being led to the slaughterhouse.

The hallway led into an underground club scene environment complete with half-dead go-go dancers in cages.

There were rank, fatty bikers with dirty beards who were getting a little too close for comfort.

The sets were great and the sound effects added a realistic touch.

Definitely my favorite.