Knott's Scary Farm to Plumb Our Halloween Fears

You'd figure that a visit to a farm, or at least a destination with "farm" in its name, would be a pretty benign and peaceful experience filled with more moos than moods.

And yet there's one farm-forward fantasy that sprouts, with all the foreboding charms of fearsome flower, in Buena Park each fall.

It's Knott's Scary Farm, one of the largest and longest-running and toe-tingly-est of all the terror-based experiences found around our region come September and October.

And this fantastical farm will return, on Sept. 19, with a whole run of dare-to-enter-'em mazes covering a host of chilling themes.

Those themes were revealed at the park on Aug. 29, in what has become one of the most anticipated reveals of the Halloween attraction season.

Premiering in 2019? Saddle up for "Origins: The Curse of Calico," where the infamous Green Witch will make a cameo, and "Wax Works," where Dr. Augustus Scratch and his devious creations hold creepy court.

Some fan favorites like Shadow Lands, which journeys to an "ancient Japanese temple," and Pumpkin Eater, which takes you into the not-so-bucolic world of a thatch of "old woods," will be back.

Other sure-to-draw-screams mazes from the past include "The Depths" (yep, there are monsters beneath the depths) and "Dark Ride," a circus-sinister story.

Even the Timber Mountain Log Ride is in on the fright-finding fun with its Halloween Hootenanny theming.

The beyond-the-maze treats, which encompass shows and street atmosphere, include "CarnEVIL" and the byways of Ghost Town, which will be awash in eerie figures doing their lurkiest best to give folks passing through a start and startle.

And "Puppet Up!," an uncensored puppet experience from Brian Henson and company, will make its Knotts Scary Farm debut.

As always, there's plenty going on at this ghoulish good time, so explore all of the eek-seeking must-dos before planning your be-brave Buena Park excursion.