Knott's 40th Halloween Haunt: Part 3 - Gypsy Camp

It's time to visit Gypsy Camp at Knott's Berry Farm! No, not the Gypsy Camp that was replaced by the Roaring 20's in 1975, but a temporary Gypsy Camp that is open on Halloween Haunt nights only. This area is actually set up backstage and is sort of a Gypsy-themed "corridor" that leads to four of the Haunt's walk-thru mazes.

Here's a quiet Gypsy encampment.

That is, until the windows of the Gypsy wagon fly open and this wildly animated werewolf pops out!

Other werewolves can be found in the Gypsy Camp, including some "werewolf heads-on-a-stick."

This one is just hanging around....waiting for the right moment to scare some guests.

"Chicken-man" can also be seen lurking about in this area.

Here he is passing one of the fortuneteller tents. This pic was taken about a week after the one above. His arms appear to have been "plucked" on this particular night.

"Piggy-girl" also passes through Gypsy Camp throughout the evening. She usually has a twin sister with her, but it's hard to get a photo of the two of them standing still together.

Another Gypsy wagon.....

This Gypsy lost his head.....

And this one is being attacked by a werewolf. This was actually a "ring toss" game. The werewolf's hand was sticking out through the chest of the Gypsy and it would slide in and out. The object of the game was to toss a ring over the werewolf's hand while it was in the out position. I'm not sure why, but this game has since disappeared. Maybe it was too difficult for guests to win?

Now we come to the backstage mazes. This first one is new this year for Knott's 40th Halloween Haunt. It's called, "Trick Or Treat." We saw the artwork for this facade in my Halloween Haunt Museum post. The maze winds it's way through the house of The Green Witch.

"Trick or Treaters" can be found outside the house.

There are also "Tricksters" wandering around in and outside of the house. We saw "The Vamp" and "The Bully" (Skeleton) in part one of my Haunt series of posts. Here is "The Pig" and one of "The Twins." They are all minions of The Green Witch and they do her bidding!

Here are some Knott's publicity pics showing the interior of the Witch's house.

The entryway:

This maze was really impressive. In this room, books slide in and out of the bookcase and the pages of one book turn by themselves. The giant Ouija Board also operates all by itself.

Books fly around overhead while the Witch casts spells in this room.

Watch out for what's hiding underneath the Witch's bed!

"Endgames: Warriors of the Apocalypse" is a post-apocalyptic themed maze. Here's the description of the maze according to the Haunt press release: "The world as we know it has ended. The survivors in this barren desert have scavenged to rebuild society. The rich and the powerful have turned all others into slaves for sport. Enter the post apocalyptic arena where gladiators are forced to battle to their deaths for entertainment. Are you game?"

Here are the official Knott's publicity pics.

This is just one of several large animatronic figures used in the Haunt mazes this year.

Next we have "Dominion of the Dead," which is a vampire-themed maze. The Haunt press release gives this description of the maze: "Dominion of the Dead....where creatures create art and music so beautiful the human mind cannot fully comprehend. Orroro Bella, the beautiful horror, is what you will find within the walls of this gallery. Lured by the undead, you descend deeper within the gallery as the chance to escape slips away. You shall be their next masterpiece."

I took these next three photos outside of the maze.

And here are some official Knott's press release photos of the interior of "Dominion of the Dead":

The last maze in this backstage area is, "Delirium"......"In the deep recesses of the mind, on the clouded brink of insanity, lies the hellish wasteland of delirium; a place so gruesome that your imagination fails to comprehend the horrors. Illusion and paranoia are your only anchors to reality. Welcome to your worst nightmare!"

All four photos are official Knott's press release pics. The first one shows the entrance to the maze.

There is still more to come! Please check back for more of Knott's 40th Halloween Haunt!

Knott's 40th Halloween Haunt: Part 2 - Ghost Town

Next up in this multi-part Knott's Scary Farm series, we will be visiting the Ghost Town section of the park.

Pumpkin-headed goblins adorn the posts just inside the main entrance of the park.

Once inside the entrance, guests are greeted by these four characters.

The sun hasn't quite set yet, but fog is already being pumped into the streets and the monsters have started roaming around.

This guy is angry because he was stuck on Windseeker for three hours!

This one is just waiting to pounce on some unsuspecting guest.

Awwwww.....he found a friend!

This bride had a red glowing "beating" heart that was visible through her dress.....just like Disneyland's Haunted Mansion bride used to have! Unfortunately, the heart is not showing up in this photo.

Here are some random Ghost Town "monsters."

The Scarecrow:

The Little Old Lady:

Jack Nicholson:

I haven't come up with a name for this guy yet.

This group was hiding in the fog in front of Goldie's Place.

Last year, I did a Haunt post showing some of the various skeletons that were posed throughout Ghost Town. Here's one that is hanging out near Judge Roy Bean's place this year.

And this one was sitting on the Butterfield Stagecoach overpass.

This guy was actually hanging out UNDERNEATH the overpass and surprising guests that were passing by.

One of the Ghost Town walk-through mazes is "Terror Of London." The park map gives this description of the maze, "Encounter Jack the Ripper in the dense London Fog."

Here are a couple of Knott's publicity pics of the interior of the maze......minus the monsters!

Another Ghost Town Maze is, "Pinocchio Unstrung" which is set up inside the old Jeffries Barn/Wilderness Dance Hall structure.

The description in the park map states, "Denied his one wish, Pinocchio unleashes his revenge."

This scary Pinocchio marionette hangs over the entrance to the maze. A similar marionette is currently on display in the new 40th Halloween Haunt Museum.

Pinocchio himself can be found hanging around outside the entrance, terrorizing guests with a sharp pointy object!

Here are a few Knott's publicity pics showing the interior of the maze.

The Calico Log Ride has been converted into, "The Evil Dead." A remake of the 1981 movie is due to be released in 2013 by Sony Pictures Entertainment. The park map gives this description of the attraction, "Discover a book of the dead and summon dormant demons living in the Log Ride."

And here is that book of the dead.

This guy is possessed! Billy Campbell, is that you?

Later in the evening, we had a chance encounter with him as he left his post in the Log Ride.

These next two figures can be found hanging around outside the Calico Mine Train.

The Mine Train has not been given a special name this year for the Haunt. A prerecorded soundtrack has been added though, as well as some minimal decor. The Green Witch has taken up residence inside the mine.....

....along with some other inhabitants.

For their 40th Halloween Haunt, Knott's has brought back the traditional "witch hanging" show ("The Witching Hour"). The gallows can be seen here on the far right side of the Calico Square stage.

Also performed on that stage is "The Hanging Games," which is this year's traditional lampooning of pop culture. The victims include Snooki and her baby, Obama and Romney, Facebook's Timeline, and the Mayan calendar (and a whole lot more). Ultimately, Kristen Stewart is designated as the top "celebrity offender" of the year for being "a horrible actress and for cheating on Robert Pattinson." She is hanged by the neck while wearing a Snow White dress.....the "Disney" version of the Snow White dress!

I will leave you for now with this image of the Green Witch. In addition to being found in the Calico Mine Ride, she can be seen roaming the park AND she also appears in her very own maze this year. We will take a look at that maze in my next post!