TRAVEL AND TOURISM : Knott’s Berry Farm Plans to Scare Up Profits During the Haunting Season

The Halloween Haunt, the monthlong event where Knott’s Berry Farm employees dress up on the weekends as ghosts and monsters, is taking on more importance each year.

Started in 1972, the annual event this year is offering 12 nights of scary activities, 10 mazes and themed rides, plus a larger squad of monsters than in any of the previous 22 years.

“This year, we have come up with more ways to shock, startle and severely terrify,” said Amanda McTigue, Knott’s director of entertainment. The Haunt, which starts Oct. 7, has proved to be highly profitable, giving the theme park an opportunity to sell out during the otherwise slow fall season--and to charge a premium price. Haunt tickets cost Knott’s full admission price of $28.50, even though the park is now offering discounts for Southern California residents at other times.

The promotion has been so successful that Knott’s has opened Camp Spooky, a less-scary daytime version for children. The Knott’s attraction at Mall of America in Minnesota will inaugurate its own version of the Haunt this year.