Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt 2011 Report
Sept. 29, 2011
Before we get to the mazes: I normally wouldn't see three shows at a Haunt, but we had plenty of time to squeeze some in and three were recommended to us. I recommend them to you as well.
You can't really attend a Knott's Haunt without seeing The Hanging, its signature stage piece. This year's version borrowed its "plot" from Cowboys and Aliens to create the foundation for all sorts of pop-culture skewerings. "Calico and Aliens" roasts Charlie Sheen, The Ex-Governator, Lady Gaga, Osama Bin Laden, and many more. The Biebs, hanged last year, is back, too, for more punishment. And I won't reveal the surprise Hangee for 2011, but there was a lot of hootin' and hollerin' for this victim. The writers chose wisely, again. Very funny, very racy, very on the edge of good taste. Thumbs way up.
This is like a comedy/variety show for kids that has gone off the rails, its host having decided to do whatever the hell he wants to do. I LOL'd a lot. I LOL pretty easily, granted. But do see this guy if you want to sit down and have a good time between undergarment soilings. His interactions with the audience members are high-larious. And DO NOT get up to leave during the performance. You will be noticed.
Cursed is belly dancing. HIGHLY recommended.
Onto the mazes, all 13 of 'em:
Virus Z: This is the "small town overrun by a zombie plague" offering and new last year, it was worthy of bringing back. Overall, very good. The sets are exceptional, and zombies should always be a part of your balanced horror diet. Familiarity stole a little of the shock value from this maze, but the movie theater sequence is still highly effective and there's blood and gore aplenty. Yummy!
Fallout Shelter: Also in its sophomore year, this maze boasts more quality set design and some very cool sci-fi weirdness. Spider-Pig in the house, yo! I missed the radioactive bubbles... maybe just bad luck that night, or have they been excised entirely? It also seemed less ghoul-infested than it could have been. (This was an issue several times that night.) But the ominous pre-recorded "missile launch countdown," the snarling mutant animals, the dudes in the radiation-protection gear, all rockin'.
Invasion Beneath: The former "Black Widow Caverns" is now its own sci-fi adventure, a trip into a subterranean battlefield between our guys and some mysterious band of monsters burrowing up from the earth's core. The concept is freakin' fantastic. The execution? Not quite up to expectations. The problem, we learned during the podcast recording, is that this show was not yet running as intended. There are lasers, and machine guns firing, and the monsters' "drilling transport vehicles," and other cool stuff. But some set pieces are missing (listen to the show for the details), and the audio cut out for a spell.
I do miss the big spiders, but I hope Knotts continues to work on this one. Could be sweet.
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