By TED DOUGHERTY

Being a fan of Horror-Wood webzine myself, I have found that the readers of this site all have this one thing in common….we love horror movies.

Everyone’s taste varies from person to person as to what "type" of horror movie is liked or disliked. Choose your poison–the original Universal monsters? Certainly something is to be said about the innovations that the original Dracula, Wolfman, Mummy, Frankenstein"s Monster, or The Creature from the Black Lagoon brought to the silver screen.

How about the Gothic, Gore or the Thrill Film? Whatever your fancy, the bottom line is we have the passion for staring that monster (whatever "it" may be) right in the face and conquering our fears of the unknown. We have that need to stare at the screen to discover the next scene…to discover that helpless victim’s last living moments just before the…

Well, you know! It’s almost always the same story, but we always come back for more. I’m sure at one time or another, we have all thought about why we watch these movies, trying to discover what lies deep in our psyche which thrives on all that is horror.

I believe everyone has their own reasons why they love (or hate) a good ol’ fashioned horror movie. Regardless of your reasons, the movie (whatever it may be) will let us escape reality for a while, right?

My question to you is, how would YOU truly handle it if the fiction of a horror movie crossed the line and became reality? Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchack of The Night Stalker movie and TV series faced these monsters constantly…He was a normal everyday guy, right? Mixed with horror and humor, Kolchack fought to reveal the truth of what is out there.

Like Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone series, The Night Stalker attempted to show the viewers that what was happening was true. One of the most terrifying aspects in horror movies is the fact that they display the monsters coming into our own "comfortable" world.

Halloween is like Christmas time for most horror movie fans (well, at least the ones that I know). Halloween is the peak time of year for all of the television stations and movie theaters to run the classic horror movies. I personally love the werewolf classics like The Wolf Man, Frankenstein, and Dracula to name a few, but what better way to get in the Halloween spirit than by pulling out the videos of the original The Haunting or Rosemary’s Baby?

The classic Vincent Price movies like The Raven, House On Haunted Hill, and the campy classic The Bat all help fuel the Halloween spirit. With The Exorcist being re-released this year to the big screen, people can once again view what is arguably the scariest movie of all time.

Horror talents and innovators like Roger Corman, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Ray Harryhausen, Tor Johnson, etc. can all help bring in the wonderful time of Halloween. After all, isn’t Halloween the time of year when ghouls walk the earth? These movies can prepare us for the monsters coming up for their one night of glory.

However, there is one form of entertainment that you may or may not have experienced in the horror/Halloween genre that can make one feel very close to crossing the line between fiction and reality. Every October, practically every city across the United States participates in making some sort of haunted house. These attractions have proven to be quite successful not only those who love horror, but to all of the random John and Jane Does out there.

These attractions give everyone that chance to put themselves right smack dab into the horror movie setting. Yes, I know there are no cameras, producers, directors, etc., but there are sets and there are monsters. If you can let your imagination go just long enough (and depending on the quality of the haunted attraction), you will feel as if you are part of a first rate horror film.

No matter what part of the country (or world) you are reading this, I would like you to cast your mind’s eye to the southwest corner of the United States of America.

Southern California. The entertainment capital of the world. We have Hollywood, Universal Studios (the granddaddy of the horror movie) and Disneyland to name a few. And just a few miles away from Los Angeles, a city named Buena Park is home to the top horror attraction facility in the world.

For 28 years, the world famous Knott’s Berry Farm has put on a horror attraction named Knott’s Scary Farm Halloween Haunt. The influence that Knott’s Scary Farm has had on all of our theme parks is inconceivable. Even the horror masters themselves, Universal Studios have followed suit. Since Knott’s Berry Farm started their annual "Haunt", every reputable amusement park in Southern California has tried their own "versions" of such. No one has come close to the magnitude of Knott’s Scary Farm.

Why do I mention Knott’s Scary Farm? Well, since we were talking about fiction versus reality in horror movies and the influence that Halloween has on the horror movie genre, there is no better place that I can think of that will place you closer to being in a horror movie than Knott’s Scary Farm. When you think of Knott’s Berry Farm, you may think of the quaint "Old West" theme park that sits just a few miles from Disneyland. Quite honestly, Knott’s Berry Farm is just that: a fun theme park that puts smiles on millions of faces every year...until October. That is when those happy faces turn to pale shades of white and all of the happy laughter morphs into screams of terror.

Every October since 1973, Knott’s Scary Farm Halloween Haunt has provided a site to seemingly place visitors into a three-dimensional horror movie. No matter what you learned during all of those years watching horror movies, there is truly no where to run at Knott’s Scary Farm. Through years of perfecting their craft, Knott’s Scary Farm sells out each year, proving that they are the masters at what they do.

Every horror theme park contains their "mazes", or "haunted walk-throughs", and yes, Knott’s Scary Farm has those too. BUT! Not only is the park filled with state-of-the-art attractions, practically the entire park is filled with hundreds of monsters (which I will mention next), turning the park into one enormous nightmare. So, in essence, we have many attractions within one huge attraction…follow me?

Then there are the Knott’s Scary Farm Halloween Haunt Monsters. The characters at Knott’s Scary Farm are simply what make the Haunt tick. The costumes are impeccable, the makeup is incredible, and the talents that these monsters possess rival even the creepiest of horror movie monsters. The makeup quality for these creatures is so intricate, that it can easily be compared to the top Hollywood horror films. These monsters dedicate their lives every October to scaring the wits out of millions of visitors, inviting each guest to become a part of their nightmares. As previously stated, if you let your imagination go just long enough, these monsters will turn your years of horror "expertise" into a bloody mush. It is the most fun that you can have being scared.

Knott’s Scary Farm Halloween Haunt is the ultimate escape from reality. This will be your first true test to stare that monster right into those lifeless eyes. Here is your chance to see if what you have learned from watching those horror flicks late on Halloween night prepared you for facing a horror reality. Just as the main characters in the Roman Polanski classic, The Fearless Vampire Killers (Or Pardon Me, Your Teeth Are In My Neck) walked right into the vampire’s castle, to try and conquer your fears at the Haunt is like walking right into the monster’s lair.

Are you horror fans out there the least bit curious? Unfortunately, trying to describe Knott’s Scary Farm is a lot like trying to describe your favorite horror movie. Could you accurately describe the suave and debonair Bela Lugosi, and try to make him out to be a ruthless vampire at the same time? It is difficult to paint the colors and moods of the Haunt into words. The bottom line is you have to see it in person to capture the full experience. So crack out of the shell of your VCR and your favorite movie theater. Leave your reality at the door, and bring in your imagination. Like the original version of the Haunting (and unlike the remake), this will be a scare that you will never forget.

 For those of you who are still lurking around, and are now interested in the Halloween Haunt, you have a special opportunity. You now have the opportunity to see a bit of a preview of Knott’s Scary Farm. You are cordially invited to visit a cornucopia of horror and mayhem at my website, Ultimatehaunt.com...The Ultimate Halloween Haunt Experience. Like I stated before, it is the most fun you can have being scared.

(Ted Dougherty (in a very short amount of time) has debuted to the world the most in-depth website of the Knott's Berry Farm annual tradition, "Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt".   Ted's passions for Halloween, horror movies, and the good ol' fashioned "scare" help fuel the demands that are required from his website.   With the help of Mark Marcoux (technical designer of the website), Ted has displayed the only publicly recorded history of the 28-year-old Knott's Scary Farm.   When Ted can be pulled away from his world of Halloween, you can most likely find him buried in the basement with his string bass practicing to ghostly spirits such as Beethoven, Stravinski and Coltrane.)

Thanks, Ted, for urging us to enjoy Halloween not only from the comfort of our couches but also to experience the "in your face" fun of a local haunted house.  And readers, if you can make it to Knott's Scary Farm this Halloween, you should!   

Article copyright © Ted Dougherty.  Some artwork supplied by the author.  Visit his website.

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