Unfortunately, that all has to do with management. So much has changed not only in the mazes but also in the streets. Like there are reasons why alot of the old actors who were absolutely phenomenal, have left. There used to be alot of sliders, and intense scare actors and more scary actors in the mazes but in the last like 10 years, so much has changed and the actors aren't supported in the ways they used to be. They're not as passionate as they used to be etc. But again, alot of that has to do with management.

0:11 burt

Incredible list 2:35

I think "The Hanging" is straight trash. It's mean-spirited and ugly and seems written by a washed-up theme park writer who has no experience with comedy. Like they pulled some guy off Reddit and said "Hey, you like Knott's Scary Farm so write something great" and he said "Oh, I can do that" and this is what this rando came up with. I wish they would have a spooky show with original characters.

I have to disagree, HHN to me is not intense or scary as some parks Halloween festival, Knotts to me is much scarier than HHN, and it's all because that conga line at Universal HHN takes away the fright because you see it before hand so you know what to expect a couple of feet in front of you each and every time. I really don't understand why some of you vloggers in Cali and central Florida keep comparing HHN to other amusement parks haunted attractions and these other parks are NOT trying to be like HHN, just like Cedar point hunted attraction are not trying to be like six flags fright fest, or Busch gardens Tampa howl o scream are not trying to be like HHN and SeaWorld is slightly different from Busch gardens Tampa howl o scream. The trigger scares is a HHN thing and their haunted attractions are suppose to be more theatrical because they have IP's and it's UNIVERSAL which is based on movies and acting abilities in a sense and that's what makes HHN at universal unique and it works for them and that's their thing and most of these other parks (CP, KBF, SF, SeaWorld, HP) know that however, I do agree, Knotts scary farm does an excellent job with their Halloween event because it does indeed feel like your in a Halloween bubble and everywhere you look, they have decorations or something frightful in every nook and cranny.

Totally agree I was attending scary farm from the uk first time since 2018 and thought the new mazes were excellent but found it the least scary of all the other 4 times I’ve visited , totally agree with u to many people wandering around the mazes was distracting made them predictable , more hidden actors and build the suspense keep to their stations more . But There was one guy in one maze got me each of the 4 nights I went.. and was in the same place each Night too but each night he made me jump so much 😮 I didn’t like the hanging either some parts I just didn’t get and felt it dragged and didn’t really go anywhere which was a shame I saw you there really wanted to catch you to say hi but you drifted into the fog lol

I love the club scene! 😂😂😂

6 flags ❤more fun 6 flags 🎌

How long does the horror nights last?

😮I have yet to sit through an entire "video" by any KZbinr covering HHN without getting bored and fast forwarding through them. Cant say that about the videos of Knott's Scary Farms, Six Flags Fright Fest or even Oogie Boogie Bash. Found them more scary, better designed, more entertaining, etc. Watched them all the way through.... Unfortunately you're to personally and professionally invested in HHN

How does Speedy Parking work? When you approach the parking booths, are there booths designated for Speedy Parking passes? Does having that give you Preferred Parking? I see you can't reserve Preferred Parking anymore at Magic Mountain.

How is your night tonight Dylan Dickson batman.

Can I ask what the lanyards are please

Thank you for all the recommendations, love your videos. But I'm wondering, does anybody know if kids are banned? I know it says on the website not recommended, my daughter's 10 and doesn't care she's not scared of anything. She used to watch Chucky when she was 3 years old, and all the paranormal activity movies. So I'm curious do they turn away kids? Or is it at the parents discretion?

I hope you have a good time at six flags Halloween ok.

I think the thing universal will always have over these amusement parks is the production, I mean they're literally a movie production studio so kinda hard to beat that.

I need to come back home to LA and just spend a month! Thank you for your reviews if I was going to pick one to go to it would be not scary farm although this time I didn't see any of the scary people walking down the road or did you not show that part this year the last hunt I went to was Dark Harbor which was really freaking scary but I think it was like 2015. If I had been younger I would have been mortified but one of the houses had a ball pit before you had to go up this ramp I couldn't get my butt up at but I guess somebody came and shoved my ass up that was good part😂

I've been a scare actor at six flags in the past. Some of the critiques are spot on. Their are larger and smaller mazes in terms of staffing. I worked in a smaller maze and we severely lacked direction, props, and all we had was our voices. We were constantly exposed by lighting around the maze so none of the scares would land. We couldn't get too close, and there were rules barring scare actors from growls, howls, snorts, or snarls as the director found them cheesy and not scary. As for the mazes being bad early in the season, the scare actors start getting into it more the further into the season. They start learning what is working and what isn't. Largely though, the scare actors are aimless early on. With a good vision and an even balance of scare actors between mazes and a greater number of scare actors, each scare actors doesn't need to try so hard. The focus when I worked was on misdirect but the maze shape, plays a huge role as well. I would do it again. Extra bucks in my pocket and I get to have fun scaring people, but some work needs to be done, not to compete but be on the same level as some of the other parks. Also, for anyone who thinks it's easy being scary I challenge you to try doing it. Not as easy as it looks.

Knotts has always had an issue with IMO not enough maze characters working at one time in order to be scaring people. There have been times when we went through a maze without one scare or jump scare at all. However, Knott's has an atmosphere that the other parks don't have. Universal is good at stage setting and their scares are cookie cutter in almost all the mazes and uniformly the same and predictable. Knotts has more original content with regard to their mazes. If Universal could come up with original maze ideas and not intellectual properties they could be great. I will pick Knotts over everyone. Affordable and the atmosphere cannot be beat

The thing about maze scarring is, they are told to become their characters. So it takes talent a bit to get that going, but I do agree having that non trigger/hiding type scare can be bad if they're just mopping around and stomping. The issue myself and I know some others have with HHN is the trigger scares. It gets repetitive hearing that same scream noise and flash effects in every single maze. Plus watching a talent reset after the trigger scare isn't scary. Then seeing it again 30 seconds later cuz the conga line is still in the same room just makes it less fun. Most mazes usually do have that distraction scare you're talking about (I've been in plenty where I was a distraction or I was the pop/hidden scare) sadly it's a matter of staffing. I've always said I don't think HHN and Scary Farm should be compared to each other. HHN has a much larger budget and is heavy IP based. Scary Farm and Fright Fest would be a better comparison. Just like trying to compare anything with LA hayride, that's really it's own thing. Sorry for the long comment 😅

Hey Dylan! Heading to HHN this weekend with early entry and express passes. Approximately how long would you be waiting with the express pass?

As amazing as HHN was this year Knott’s takes it this year:) loved both events

I’ll NEVER buy Lightning Lane. I go EARLY, get on 4-5 big rides, go hang by the hotel’s pool from 11am-3pm, shower, get dinner outside the park, return to the park 8pm-close and get on more big rides while crowds are watching the stupid parades, fireworks, and Fantasmic. 😎😀👌🥂

Love your vids but have to disagree with you on this. Knott’s Scary Farm is far superior to HHN. First off, on the mazes- At Knott’s there are no black hallways and the environments within the mazes are so immersive, darker, and the set design is top notch. Universal has become far too predictable with their reliance on “trigger scares” and because they usher you through like cattle (and continuously yell to keep moving which breaks all immersion) you can hear and anticipate every scare, as the guests in front of you get them. Knotts is far more subtle and you never know what is coming around the corner. Plus they use way more variety than universal…scare actors flying above you, on bungee cords jumping at you, impressive animatronics, etc. Secondly- Knott’s has far more entertainment than HHN. Thirdly- the park exudes Halloween as Knott’s is dressed from corner to corner with Halloween decorations and most importantly FOG throughout the entire park. In the old days of HHN, the scare zones used to be much more scary and immersive as the entire park was enveloped in fog. Now there is none and no cohesion to the scare zones, they are almost like kiosks at the mall randomly placed (with the exception of the Paris scare zone). All of the Knotts scare zones make sense within their own environments and the fog makes it sooooo much scarier than HHN. There is much more I could go through, like the character development of each scare actor and how they actually speak and interact at Knotts, or the food which is so much better, but I’ll leave it at that. I enjoy and appreciate all the haunts around SoCal and applaud all the team members and scare actors working hard to bring them to life, but Knott’s Scary Farm is the gold standard.

HHN houses aren’t as scary to me because the scares in the mazes are so formulaic and predictable

Is the fast lane worth the price?

HHN was relatively terrible this year sadly. The yelling inside the mazes and the nonstop conga line to keep moving was ridiculous for the crazy cost of the event (and I know this has been a common complaint for this year at HHN)

I miss when Knotts use to use the metal gloves in the maze

Love the recap! I don't need super intense--I like the line Knotts usually walks. My only real complaint whenever I make it down is later in the night when there are no breaks between groups, so we're all part of a conga line going through the haunt--which means we usually see someone ahead of us get jumped and then the scare actor go back to their starting point, ruining the scare for anyone who saw. Not much you can do about that when you're trying to get everyone do, but I find that more of a buzzkill than scare actors being atmospheric rather than "jumpers."

So I love these horror vids but I ran into a smaller KZbinr named SoCalTallGuy who went to HHN and had an experience where not only did workers kept telling him to keep moving but literally had a cast member behind him upon entering a maze and followed him thru the entire maze while constantly telling him to keep moving literally in his ear. He got so disappointed he just left. Is this common?? I know I never heard of this and since TPO actually works events im just curious if he might have insight to any of this. I thought guest experience was always priority.....

Excellent Vid. I'll be honest, I've seen a few vids about KSF, but I was genuinely waiting for Dylans experience as I trust what he says when it comes to any Halloween event. It is His time, and the enthusiasm is real. There are quite a few out there doing this kind of thing but I think Dylan has such a great perspective that combines the local sense but also the bigger picture of everything. He remembers the traditions and past efforts while knowing what other places do and can do depending on the company and budget. Plus his personal experience working HHN certainly adds an informative depth you don't get from other places. Tho I'm sure that work has been tough given the heat and crowds. I appreciate the efficiency of the vid as well. You get the heart of what Knotts does in it's most glorious time of the year without repeating too much from the past. We got a real good taste plus the honest review in an easy watch. Noice Edit. The curiosity about the new houses was real. And hating spiders so So much, Widows looks like a blast if I can keep my eyes open and not run screaming to the exit, lol. Eight Fingers Nine looks super unique. I appreciate how Knotts will create maze concepts from scratch. IP is nice and is a fun time but it can also be unsurprising like.. yes I got scared or horrified by a scene but it was, in the end, expected. Still worth a visit of course. I just give bonus points to KSF for it's creativity and pure heart. You can feel how much they want to make this a good time for everyone. They care so much and I won't take that for granted. They are proud and should be. As for Dylan's criticisms, they seem fair. Unfortunately I didn't see last year's Hanging as we didn't have time so can't comment on any of that. Tho it could prove to be a benefit if I do see it this year without having a comparison to make. I just appreciate having a show were we can be treated like adults just like those silly and fun shows of Elvira. For maze scareactor optimization, what Dylan said makes sense. The mazes are beautiful and so well thought out. But just tweaking things a little could certainly help push things just that much further to make every maze even more memorable and to give the workers opportunities to be even better and more satisfied in how a night went. Like I said, you can tell they are proud of what they are doing. They are having the time of their lives with this uniquely nostalgic heartfelt tradition of KSF. So many work the event for years and years and that is awesome. When they get someone good, their eyes say it all, lol. Dylan's love of Halloween really shines when he talks about details like this. Super Professional. Thank You for continuing to put yourself out here.

Dylan, I have 2 questions hopefully you can answer. My teenage son loves horror movies and is kinda a wuss with haunts, he wants to go to a horror night at a theme park this year. It's been years since I've been to haunts but I always thought Universal Hollywood was awesome and scary. For an 1st timer, do you recommend Knott's a scary Farm over Universal Horror Nights? Also, we have annual passes at Knott's ...does the parking pass, meal pass and refillable soda cup work at Knott's Scary Farm? Thanks

This was great thanks 🎉

knotts its the really the king of haunt here in socal, but i have to disagree with the whole trigger scare thing. One thing i despise about HHN is the boo box trigger scare. One or two in a maze is fine but it gets super annoying when 80 to 90 percent of the scare in a maze is the same boo box scare. Plus with triggered scares the thing is your not scared of the actor your scare of the sudden loud sound. I like seeing the actors mostly cause it completes the set. The thing is the actors in the mazes need to learn is how to work off each other within the maze to get the perfect scare. Plus this really works well when there is a back up within the maze. The maze actor needs to be at the same scale as a scare zone actor. Ive seen the actors at HHN get lazy with their scares cause they rely on the sound of the boo box sound. Just my opinion on that. I think Knotts is fine with how they handle their maze scares

There used to be scare actors above you and lots of bungee moves which is no longer used

I love those haunted houses where there’s a bunch of props and then one is a real person jumping out! There’s a local haunted house where I live and they had a whole cornfield with scarecrows, but one or two jump out at you!

Actually Knott's was famous for black walls and lights shining in your face. I assume you never went to the event in the 70,s, 80,s or 90,s

Knott's scary farm has gone downhill since the mid 2000's. I think it was 2009 when they started to move all houses into backstage areas , or not in view of guests. They started to copy universal with brighter lit houses,and more elaborate set design. There was more fog, an edgier hanging show and sliders that actually jumped over each other. Nothing is scary while waiting on line for house while under ghost rider..that kills the atmosphere. Also they are keeping there houses longer each year in the park.

I had 1 bad time, which unfortunately was the same year as my 1 bad time at Universal, which led me to stop going. I think it was 2012 or something like that, the prices everywhere went up, disabled people stopped being allowed to just go through and instead got place markers to come back at a certain time when they'd initially get to the front... Why? Chairs have batteries and they have unexpected things happen, just let them roll through, it stops the line for like 30 seconds, chill. Universal also started doing that the same year. It's also the year that Universal only had 2 good mazes and Knott's had maybe 1. Paying over $200 for just a ticket, front of the line and parking... Plus overpriced food, merch, etc... Let's be generous and say $320 for the night.... For trash mazes and shows? Na....

I have not gone this year but in the past I have the opposite option. HHN with their scare buttons are to predictable and I get used to them quickly. Knotts is alive and always a better scare. IMO.

im going to knotts scary farm in october i cant wait!! i went last year and it was so fun

Love the video and want some tips on starting a vlog channel for me and Michael are thinking of moving to Florida just us together someday and want to meet you some day at Disney land and Bashgarders in January and I like Halloween 🎃

Was this Thursday at opening night, I was there, was looking for all my favorite KZbinrs. Honestly I find Knott's scarier, Universal uses loud sounds and lights to telegraph the scares. If you are blasting a loud sound to scare me, that isn't legit. Knott's actors catch you off guard, so disagree there. I agree Hanging wasn't as good as last year, but still entertaining. Why Universal has tossed all entertainment out, since it is what made them.

funny I always get way more scares at Knott's vs HHN. Universal's scares are all too similar and easily telegraphed. I enjoy both but always end up preferring Knott's and consider it much scarier overall than HHN.

Fantastic video Dylan, I absolutely loved Knott's Scary Farm and my favorite maze was The Black Widow. I'm going back to Knott's Scary Farm on Halloween 🎃

Dylan you’ve previously talked about working out more and your fitness journey and just wanted to say you are looking awesome! Keep it up and thanks for all of your awesome content.

lost all my friendships getting witht he cheating ex's, son and I don't get Fri or Sat off together and he won't call of or try to get a shift switched. I'm off Friday and Sat m, grandparents house is literally behind the back street other side of Knott. I miss Scarry Farm. Don't wanna go alone, have a 6 flags pass. Don't wanna go alone. I feel bored going alone tbh.

I went to Knotts Scary Farm(first time to the park ever) 3 years ago and I was BLOWN away at the event. That Spider house is a big NOPE from me. ( I CRIED from laughing during the Hanging Knotts and Six flags dancing)

I liked and subscribed, and I appreciate the heads up on The Hanging's off year and the enthusiasm for Widows. So since I'm going to check out more Theme Park Obsession videos, I have one suggestion: the last 9-10 minutes starting at about 14:17 would've been better if it were planned ahead & been less REPETITIVE. I thought that with cuts to some other visuals, there was a strong 4-5 minutes in that last part. But it's only because I'm going to watch more of your videos that I care enough to make a suggestion.

I love HHN and Knotts but I always get more scares at Knotts than Universal. I think it’s because I walk quite slowly so there ends up being a lot of room in front of me at Knotts, where HHN it’s conga the whole time and I end up seeing most scares coming.