Old-school techniques elicit modern scares at Knott’s haunt
The gigantic, vicious-looking demon’s head moves forward and screams as visitors enter the darkened room.
The “Hellbeast” in the Paranormal maze at Knott’s Halloween Haunt looks almost real, or, at the very least, like a robot fixed with an electronic skeleton and furry exterior.
“He’s just controlled by air rams,” Ian Barnette, entertainment tech manager for Knott’s Berry Farm, said during a recent tour of the Voodoo and Paranormal mazes. “Anywhere you see special effects, they’re going to be air-powered.”
This year, the annual event has nine mazes, four scare zones and two shows.
Instead of being controlled electronically, pressurized air is blown through the Paranormal monster’s body, making its arms and head appear to move. The technique is common in the attractions at the haunt, which started in 1973 with even simpler effects.
“In the beginning, it was things like combining Styrofoam wig forms and muriatic acid,” said Barnette, who has worked at Knott’s for 16 years. “The acid would melt the forms in really disgusting ways. You shake it off, and let it sit there, then you can paint it, and it looks like this evil, deformed, nasty creature. We put cloaks on them, and let fans blow on them, so they look like they’re moving in the wind. It gives the illusion of these things being alive.”
Now, animatronics with timed air blasters make stationary fixtures — like an alligator in the Voodoo maze and a typewriter in Paranormal — appear to move.
Unlike the other eight mazes at Knott’s Scary Farm, Voodoo was built more like a sound stage, which Barnette said posed challenges — like making sure guests went down a set pathway — and advantages — like more places for monsters to hide.
Lights, or the lack of them, also play major roles in the mazes. Cleverly placed bulbs on the ceiling make it look like moonlight is reflected on the wooden pathway that attendees walk across in Voodoo.
In Paranormal, blue Christmas lights under spray foam on the walls give the illusion that one is entering a different kind of world. A vortex of bright, red light distracts those going into a pitch-black room.
More modern special effects include video projections on scrim to make ghosts and other objects appear out of nowhere.
Knott’s also used the Oculus Rift virtual reality system in the now-defunct “Fear VR 5150” attraction, which received backlash for its mental health theme and closed in late September, about a week after opening.
“We wanted to do something bigger and better than we’ve ever done,” said Barnette during the tour, which took place before the attraction closed. “No one wants to be stale or complacent. You want to try to outdo the competition on every turn. Me and my team were constantly out there looking at what we can do and what the next big thing was that we could grab onto.”
Another newer technique is the front room in Paranormal being divided in two when monsters push through two walls. Guests then have to choose from one of the two paths to find their way out as scare actors on a wire fly overhead.
While the special effects are fairly simple, Barnette said they have evolved over the years.
The first maze he built — Doll Factory in 2007 — used the air rams, but they weren’t as easily controlled as they are now.
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FOR THE RECORD
An earlier version of this article stated that Knott’s Berry Farm entertainment tech manager Ian Barnette designed Doll Factory. He built it. Also, the annual event has four scare zones, not five.
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“At that time, we didn’t have the show-control system that we have now,” he said. “Everything was standalone stuff for each different thing. For our show-control systems now, we integrate the special effects with the lighting and audio. They’re all tied in together to create a more cohesive product.”
Twitter: @BrittanyWoolsey
