O.C. BUSINESS PLUS : HEARD ON THE BEAT / TOURISM : Knott’s Fright Workshops Turn Scaredy-Cats Into Gore-Tolerant

In an unusual promotion for its popular Halloween Haunt, Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park is offering “desensitivity” training for people terrified of macabre movies and similar fare.

At a monthlong series of workshops led by Robert P. Gelhart, a Pepperdine University psychology professor, participants will be exposed to gradually more grisly material, culminating in a visit to Knott’s during its seasonal make-over into the scary farm.

The park has brewed up similar stunts in the past, Knott’s spokeswoman Dana Hammontree said, such as when a TV magazine show hypnotized a woman to overcome her fear of heights and tested her on a parachute jump ride.

The latest program, dubbed Fear-Busters, appears to be modeled on one that Universal Studios used this year as it prepared to open Islands of Adventure, its new Florida theme park. Those psychological sessions, ostensibly aimed at preparing scaredy-cats to ride Islands of Adventure’s looping roller coasters, achieved their real goal so well--creating coverage in newspapers and on TV--that officials at rival Walt Disney Co. were awe-struck.

“It was amazing,” Disney spokesman Rick Sylvain said at the time. “I’ve never seen anything like the barrage of media. Hats off to them.”

Knott’s spokesman Robert G. Ochsner said some of the dozen slots are still open for the program. He said prospective participants should call (714) 220-5130 and be prepared for a serious workshop, not a gag.